Month: November 2020

Psalm 82, Judges of men beware!

Psa 82:1, ….GOD stands in the congregation of THE MIGHTY; HE JUDGES AMONG THE GODS.

The word GODS here is directed towards the mighty men of the land! The judges! The LORD will judge unjust judges even though they think of themselves as gods!

 Psa 82:2, How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah 

This is one of the reasons that Israel fell and their temple was destroyed!

Mic 3:11-12, Her heads JUDGE FOR A BRIBE, HER PRIESTS TEACH FOR PAY, And her PROPHETS DIVINE FOR MONEY. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, “IS NOT THE LORD AMONG US? NO HARM CAN COME UPON US.” Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple Like the bare hills of the forest.

Psa 82:3-4, Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.

GOD reminds the judges to defend their people from the wicked! Don’t show partiality, judge rightly! GOD HIMSELF shows no partiality to anyone, whether rich or poor!

Col 3:25, BUT HE WHO DOES WRONG WILL BE REPAID FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE, AND THERE IS NO PARTIALITY.

2Ch 19:6-7, ( Jehoshaphat ) said to the judges, “TAKE HEED TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING, FOR YOU DO NOT JUDGE FOR MAN BUT FOR THE LORD, who is with you in the judgment. Now therefore, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, FOR THERE IS NO INIQUITY WITH THE LORD OUR GOD, NO PARTIALITY, NOR TAKING OF BRIBES.”

Psa 82:6, I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High.

We are all children of GOD for we bear HIS Image, in this respect are all HIS children! But true children of GOD are those that receive HIM, and believe in HIS name!

Joh 1:12, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 

Psa 82:7, BUT YOU SHALL DIE LIKE MEN, AND FALL LIKE ONE OF THE PRINCES.”

Beware you judges! You may think of yourselves as gods, untouchable, but you shall die like men!

Psalm 81, Call upon the LORD!

Psa 81:1, …Sing aloud to God our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. 

To the CONGREGATION SING LOUD to our GOD, who is worthy to be praised!

Psa 81:2, Raise a song and strike the timbrel, The pleasant harp with the lute.

To the WORSHIP LEADERS, skillfully play your instruments with Joy!

Psa 81:3, Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, At the full moon, on our solemn feast day. 

To the PRIEST, Blow the trumpet in reverence to HIM!  WE ALL HAVE A PART IN THE WORSHIP OF OUR GOD; FOR HE CREATED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US!

Psa 100:3-4, Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. ENTER INTO HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING, AND INTO HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE. BE THANKFUL TO HIM, AND BLESS HIS NAME.

Psa 81:6-7, “I REMOVED HIS SHOULDER FROM THE BURDEN; HIS HANDS WERE FREED FROM THE BASKETS.  YOU CALLED IN TROUBLE, AND I DELIVERED YOU; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah 

Israel was a slave in Egypt, Their bondage was hard! Israel called upon the LORD for help!

Exo 2:23, …Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 

We, as well, were slaves to sin; we needed to fulfill our lust, drugs, partying etc.! But the LORD opened our eyes and set us free!

Joh 8:36, THEREFORE IF THE SON MAKES YOU FREE, YOU SHALL BE FREE INDEED. 

After some 400 years of cruel bondage in Egypt Israel started calling on the LORD for help! SOME PEOPLE MUST HIT BOTTOM BEFORE THEY ARE ABLE TO LOOK UP FOR HELP!  HUMBLE YOURSELF AND CALL UPON GOD FOR HE IS ALWAYS THERE, AND KNOWS WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE!

Mat 11:28, COME TO ME, ALL YOU WHO LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST. 

Psalm 80, our Great High Priest!

Psa 80:1, …GIVE EAR, O SHEPHERD of Israel, YOU WHO LEAD JOSEPH LIKE A FLOCK; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!

The Psalmist here describes GOD as a Shepard of Israel who guided them out of Egypt! As a Shepard, the LORD feeds HIS sheep, watches over them, defends them, cures them, and carries them! HE is everything for them!

Joh 10:14, I (JESUS) AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD; AND I KNOW MY SHEEP, AND AM KNOWN BY MY OWN. 

Is JESUS your Shepherd? For without HIM we will go astray!

1Pe 2:25, For you were like sheep going astray, BUT HAVE NOW RETURNED TO THE SHEPHERD AND OVERSEER OF YOUR SOULS. 

Psa 80:3, RESTORE US, O GOD; CAUSE YOUR FACE TO SHINE, AND WE SHALL BE SAVED! 

The Psalmist uses this phrase 3 times in this Psalm, 3, 7, and 19!  When the LORD shines HIS Face upon us, We enjoy HIS presence, HIS pleasure, HIS grace and favor!

Num 6:24-26, “THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU; THE LORD MAKE HIS FACE SHINE UPON YOU, AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU; THE LORD LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON YOU, AND GIVE YOU PEACE.”

Psa 80:17, Let Your hand be upon THE MAN OF YOUR RIGHT HAND, Upon THE SON OF MAN whom You made strong for Yourself.

The Psalmist is asking the LORD to raise up a man to lead Israel, YET, THERE IS ONLY ONE MAN AT HIS RIGHT HAND! JESUS, THE SON OF MAN, OUR HIGH PRIEST!

Eph 1:20, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and SEATED HIM AT HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES,  

Heb 8:1, …. WE HAVE SUCH A HIGH PRIEST, WHO IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF THE MAJESTY IN THE HEAVENS, 

JESUS is our High Priest; HE is our Great SHEPHERD.  When HE shines HIS glorious Face up us, our enemies flee like roaches running from of the light! SEEK THE LORD AND GO BEFORE HIM IN PRAYER! HE KNOWS WHAT YOUR GOING THROUGH!

Heb 4:15-16, For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Psalm 79, Judgement starts at home!

Psa 79:1, …God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. 

Jerusalem was defiled by the Armies of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon! They raided the temple, and took all the sacred items!

Psa 79:2-3, The dead bodies of YOUR SERVANTS—They have given as food for the birds of the heavens, The flesh of YOUR SAINTS to the beasts of the earth. THEIR BLOOD THEY HAVE SHED LIKE WATER ALL AROUND JERUSALEM, AND THERE WAS NO ONE TO BURY THEM.

Their unburied bodies turned into food for the birds! The Psalmist is pleading to GOD, “LORD THE BODIES OF YOUR SERVANTS ARE LIKE THE CARCASSES OF AN ANIMALS, UNLOVED! THESE ARE YOUR SAINTS OH LORD”!

Psa 79:5, HOW LONG, LORD? WILL YOU BE ANGRY FOREVER? WILL YOUR JEALOUSY BURN LIKE FIRE? 

The Psalmist doesn’t say “WHY”, but how long! He knows that GOD has allowed this to happen to Israel. BECAUSE OF THE SIN OF ISRAEL GOD HAS GIVEN THEM OVER TO THEIR ENEMIES!

Jer 27:5-6, ‘I HAVE MADE THE EARTH, THE MAN AND THE BEAST that are on the ground, by MY GREAT POWER and by my outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to ME. AND NOW I HAVE GIVEN ALL THESE LANDS INTO THE HAND OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR THE KING OF BABYLON, MY SERVANT; …

Psa 79:8-9, Oh, DO NOT REMEMBER FORMER INIQUITIES AGAINST US! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, For we have been brought very low. HELP US, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and PROVIDE ATONEMENT FOR OUR SINS, FOR YOUR NAME’S SAKE!

When we have sinned against the LORD we must confess our sins, We must humble ourselves before HIM (1John 1:9)! Remember, scripture says that “Blessed is the nation whose GOD is the LORD, Psa 33:12″; YET IT DOESN’T MEAN THEY WILL NOT BE JUDGED, FOR HE CORRECTS THOSE WHOM HE LOVES!

Jer 25:29, FOR BEHOLD, I BEGIN TO BRING CALAMITY ON THE CITY WHICH IS CALLED BY MY NAME, AND SHOULD YOU BE UTTERLY UNPUNISHED? YOU SHALL NOT BE UNPUNISHED, for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,” SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS.’ 

Psalm 78, We need faith!

Psa 78:14-15, In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, And all the night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.

By HIS mighty hand, HE led Israel day and night! When they were thirsty, HE brought water from a rock and quenched their thirst!

Psa 78:17-18, BUT THEY SINNED EVEN MORE AGAINST HIM BY REBELLING AGAINST THE MOST HIGH IN THE WILDERNESS. AND THEY TESTED GOD IN THEIR HEART BY ASKING FOR THE FOOD OF THEIR FANCY.

Israel was on a road trip to their new homeland guided by GOD! YET, they tested GOD! Can GOD do this, can HE do that!

Psa 78:19-20, Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “CAN GOD PREPARE A TABLE IN THE WILDERNESS? …. CAN HE GIVE BREAD ALSO? CAN HE PROVIDE MEAT FOR HIS PEOPLE?”

Num 11:21,23 And Moses said, “The people whom I am among are SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND MEN ON FOOT; yet You have said, ‘I WILL GIVE THEM MEAT, THAT THEY MAY EAT FOR A WHOLE MONTH.’ …. And the LORD said to Moses, “HAS THE LORD’S ARM BEEN SHORTENED? NOW YOU SHALL SEE WHETHER WHAT I SAY WILL HAPPEN TO YOU OR NOT.” 

We as humans tend to limit GOD who created all things by HIS breath! Even when it’s impossible for us, Remember HE is not limited!

Luk 18:27, But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” 

HE gave them the bread they desired “Manna”, and the meat they craved for, BUT THEIR HEARTS STILL DOUBTED THE LORD!

Psa 78:37, FOR THEIR HEART WAS NOT STEADFAST WITH HIM, NOR WERE THEY FAITHFUL IN HIS COVENANT.

Psa 78:41, Yes, again and again they tempted God, AND LIMITED THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL. 

OUR LACK OF FAITH LIMITS WHAT GOD CAN DO FOR US AND THROUGH US! REMEMBER JESUS WHEN HE WENT TO NAZARETH!

Mat 13:58, Now HE did not do many mighty works there BECAUSE OF THEIR UNBELIEF. 

Heb 11:6, BUT WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM, FOR HE WHO COMES TO GOD MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, AND THAT HE IS A REWARDER OF THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM. 

Psalm 77, Has HE forgotten?

Psa 77:2-3, In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; My soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah

The Psalmist cried out to GOD with his voice and stretched out his hand. GRAB MY HAND OH LORD AND LEAD ME! I KNOW YOUR THERE, BUT WHY DON’T YOU HELP?

Psa 77:7-9, Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? HAS HIS PROMISE FAILED FOREVERMORE? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah

Only a child of GOD can ask these questions! In times of trouble, like the psalmist, we question the LORD and HIS faithfulness! Has HE forgotten to be gracious and merciful to us? Has HE left me in the cold; Has HIS promises failed? Where is HE?

Num 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. HAS HE SAID, AND WILL HE NOT DO? OR HAS HE SPOKEN, AND WILL HE NOT MAKE IT GOOD? 

We, as humans, break our promises all the time; we say something and do another. BUT unlike us, the LORD is faithful to HIS word and HIS promises! Remember HE is always working!

Luk 21:33, Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 

Isa 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Psa 77:10-11, And I said, “This is my anguish; But I WILL REMEMBER THE YEARS OF THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MOST HIGH.” I WILL REMEMBER THE WORKS OF THE LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. 

In his anguish he said these things, but now he remembers all those years that the LORD held his hand and guided him! All those times when there was no way out YET GOD found a way! Remember the doors HE opened for us and what it cost HIM! Truly HE is faithful!

Isa 41:13, For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’

Psalm 76, Who can stand?

Psa 76:1, …In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. In Salem also is His tabernacle, And His dwelling place in Zion.

GOD made HIS presence know to HIS people when king Sennacherib invaded Israel! They surrounded Jerusalem and he sent the Rabshakeh, an Assyrian Officer, to speak to Israel!

Isa 36:15, NOR LET HEZEKIAH MAKE YOU TRUST IN THE LORD, saying, “THE LORD WILL SURELY DELIVER US; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ‘

Psa 76:3, There He broke the arrows of the bow, The shield and sword of battle. Selah 

Isa 54:17, NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST YOU SHALL PROSPER, AND EVERY TONGUE WHICH RISES AGAINST YOU IN JUDGMENT YOU SHALL CONDEMN….

Psa 76:5-6, The stouthearted were plundered; THEY HAVE SUNK INTO THEIR SLEEP; … At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both the chariot and horse were cast INTO A DEAD SLEEP.

In one night, the GOD of Israel made HIMSELF known; when HE slew 185,000 Assyrians!

Isa 37:36, Then the ANGEL OF THE LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; …

Psa 76:7-8, You, Yourself, are to be feared; And WHO MAY STAND IN YOUR PRESENCE WHEN ONCE YOU ARE ANGRY? You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; THE EARTH FEARED AND WAS STILL,

YES, the LORD is a GOD of love, but HE is also just and righteous! HE will condemn the wicked for the day of the LORD is near!

Nah 1:6, WHO CAN STAND BEFORE HIS INDIGNATION? AND WHO CAN ENDURE THE FIERCENESS OF HIS ANGER? HIS FURY IS POURED OUT LIKE FIRE, AND THE ROCKS ARE THROWN DOWN BY HIM. 

Psa 76:11-12, Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them; …. HE IS AWESOME TO THE kings OF THE EARTH.

Nah 1:7, The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; AND HE KNOWS THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM. 

Believe it or not, in HIS eyes those that trust in HIM are kings! For HE is the KING OF kings! Trust in the LORD for HE is good!

Psalm 75, The cup of HIS wrath!

Psa 75:1, … We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.

The works of the LORD, in regards to Israel, are simply amazing! We should always give thanks to the LORD for HE continues to work!

Deu 4:33-34, DID ANY PEOPLE ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that THE LORD YOUR GOD DID FOR YOU IN EGYPT BEFORE YOUR EYES?

Psa 75:4-5, “I SAID TO THE BOASTFUL, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn. Do not lift up your horn on high; Do not speak with a stiff neck.’ “

HE has said to those that brag and the proud, “STOP BOASTING, STOP BEING PRIDEFUL; IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU, BUT IT’S ABOUT HIM”!

Psa 75:6-7, FOR EXALTATION comes neither from the east Nor from the west nor from the south. BUT GOD IS THE JUDGE: HE PUTS DOWN ONE, AND EXALTS ANOTHER.

THE LORD PROMOTES WHO HE WILLS! HE WOULD EVEN LIFT UP A CORRUPT RULER IN ORDER TO JUDGE A NATION! HE IS IN FULL CONTROL, NOTHING GETS PAST HIM!

Pro 29:2, When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. 

Luk 1:52, HE HAS PUT DOWN THE MIGHTY FROM THEIR THRONES, AND EXALTED THE LOWLY. 

Psa 75:8, FOR IN THE HAND OF THE LORD THERE IS A CUP, And the wine is red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it out; SURELY ITS DREGS SHALL ALL THE WICKED OF THE EARTH DRAIN AND DRINK DOWN.

Job 21:20b, … LET HIM DRINK OF THE WRATH OF THE ALMIGHTY.

The cup in HIS hand is a cup of wrath, a cup of judgement which the wicked will one day drink even to it’s dregs! YET Remember the LORD HIMSELF drank that cup for us, HE took the punishment that we deserved on HIMSELF!

Isa 51:22, Thus says your Lord, The LORD and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: “See, I HAVE TAKEN OUT OF YOUR HAND THE CUP OF TREMBLING, The dregs of the cup of My fury; YOU SHALL NO LONGER DRINK IT. 

Psalm 74, The tribulations of HIS people!

Psa 74:1-2, …O God, WHY HAVE YOU CAST US OFF FOREVER? WHY DOES YOUR ANGER SMOKE AGAINST THE SHEEP OF YOUR PASTURE? Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed—This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.

Because of the sin of HIS people, God allowed suffering to come to Israel! The Psalmist felt abandoned by GOD! REMEMBER, THE LORD DIDN’T LEAVE, BUT IT WAS ISRAEL THAT LEFT HIM! The LORD Chastens those HE loves!

Heb 12:6, FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE CHASTENS, AND SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” 

Psa 74:6-7, And now they break down its carved work, all at once, With axes and hammers. They have set fire to Your sanctuary; They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.

This is what happened to Solomon’s temple. The Talmud says that they had a two-day feast in the temple, but burnt it on the third day! Recorded in 2Ki 25:9-10!

Isa 64:11-12, Our holy and beautiful temple, Where our fathers praised You, Is burned up with fire; And all our pleasant things are laid waste. Will You restrain Yourself because of these things, O LORD? Will You hold Your peace, and afflict us very severely?

The LORD will deal with the wicked in due time, BUT AS A LOVING FATHER HE CORRECTS THOSE HE LOVES THAT WE MAY NOT BE CONDEMNED WITH THE WICKED!

1Co 11:32, But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, THAT WE MAY NOT BE CONDEMNED WITH THE WORLD. 

Psa 74:12, FOR GOD IS MY KING FROM OF OLD, WORKING SALVATION IN THE MIDST OF THE EARTH. 

THE LORD IS ALWAYS WORKING IN OUR LIVES! HE NEVER GIVES UP ON HIS PEOPLE! WE MAY STUMBLE IN THIS LIFE, BUT WITH HIM WE WILL NEVER FALL!

Psa 37:24, Though they stumble, they will never fall, FOR THE LORD HOLDS THEM BY THE HAND. 

Psalm 73, Why do the wicked prosper?

Psa 73:1-3, …Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart. BUT AS FOR ME, MY FEET HAD ALMOST STUMBLED; MY STEPS HAD NEARLY SLIPPED. FOR I WAS ENVIOUS OF THE BOASTFUL, WHEN I SAW THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED.

GOD is good to the pure at heart, but when he saw the prosperity of the wicked, he almost stumbled! WHY? Why are they prospering in their wickedness; they have a better life than most people?

Job 21:7, Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power? 

Psa 73:4-5, For there are no pangs in their death, But their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like other men.

Other men are plagued by financial hardships in the death of a family member, but the wicked, in their prosperity, don’t suffer at all?

Psa 73:9,11, They set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth… And they say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?”

GOD DOESN’T SEE WHAT WE DO, GOD DOESN’T KNOW; WHY WORRY IT’S ALL GOOD!

Hos 7:2, THEY DO NOT CONSIDER IN THEIR HEARTS THAT I REMEMBER ALL THEIR WICKEDNESS; NOW THEIR OWN DEEDS HAVE SURROUNDED THEM; THEY ARE BEFORE MY FACE. 

Psa 73:13-14, SURELY I HAVE CLEANSED MY HEART IN VAIN, And washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning.

THEY LIVE AWESOME LIVES IN THEIR WICKEDNESS, YET I SUFFER DAILY? SOMETHING IS JUST NOT RIGHT?

Psa 73:16-17, When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me— UNTIL I WENT INTO THE SANCTUARY OF GOD; THEN I UNDERSTOOD THEIR END. 

Pro 23:17-18, Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day; FOR SURELY THERE IS A HEREAFTER, AND YOUR HOPE WILL NOT BE CUT OFF.

MANY BELIEVE THAT ONCE YOU DIE IT’S OVER. YET, DEATH IS THE START OF THEIR TRUE LIVES IN CHRIST FOR THOSE THAT BELIEVE AND TRUSTED IN THE LORD! FOR THE WICKED IT’S TIME TO PAY FOR THEIR WICKEDNESS FOREVER!