20231225
what did you get?
Psalm 136:25-26 (JDV)
Psalm 136:25 He gives food to every body. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven! His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
What did you get?
Did you get what you wanted this Christmas? Did you get what you needed today? Be thankful for a God in heaven who looks after you.
20231224
faithfulness in rescue
Psalm 136:10-24 (JDV)
Psalm 136:10 He struck dead the firstborn of the Egyptians. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:11 and brought Israel out from among them. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:13 He divided the Red Sea His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:14 and led Israel through, His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:16 He led his people in the wilderness. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:17 He struck dead great kings His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:18 and slaughtered famous kings– His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:19 Sihon king of the Amorites His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:20 and Og king of Bashan– His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:21 and gave their land as an inheritance, His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:22 an inheritance to Israel his servant. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:23 He remembered us in our humiliation His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:24 and rescued us from our foes. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
faithfulness in rescue
The first part of this psalm celebrated God’s faithfulness as our creator. This part celebrates his faithfulness as a rescuer of his people. That is what Christmas is all about. A Savior is born — the only one who can rescue us from sin. God remembered his lost people and sent his Son to rescue them — and us.
20231223
faithfulness in creation
Psalm 136:1-9 (JDV)
Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to Yahveh because he is good. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:4 He alone does great miracles. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:5 He made the sky skillfully. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:6 He spread the land on the waters. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:7 He made the great lights: His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:8 The sun to rule by day, His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:9 The moon and stars to rule by night. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
faithfulness in creation
The first part of this psalm celebrates God’s faithfulness as demonstrated by his creation. The miracles he performed are called “nature” in much of the world today because the sky and space seem permanent. But their permanence is a reflection of his. Nature is a machine that always works because of its faithful creator.
20231222
reverence and praise
Psalm 135:19 House of Israel, praise Yahveh! House of Aaron, praise Yahveh!
Psalm 135:20 House of Levi, praise Yahveh! You who revere Yahveh, praise Yahveh!
Psalm 135:21 Praised be Yahveh from Zion; he dwells in Jerusalem. Praise Yah!
reverence and praise
Reverence and praise go together, and God deserves both because he lives among us. He has not abandoned us to cold fate. He is at work in our lives, our families, and our nations.
20231221
i-dolls
Psalm 135:13-18 (JDV)
Psalm 135:13 Yahveh, your name endures permanently, your reputation, Yahveh, through all generations.
Psalm 135:14 since Yahveh will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.
Psalm 135:15 The idols of the nations are of silver and gold, made by human hands.
Psalm 135:16 They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.
Psalm 135:17 They have ears but cannot hear; there is not even breath in their mouths.
Psalm 135:18 Just like them are their makers, all who trust them.
i-dolls
In some of the places where I have lived, the inhabitants used dolls for their worship traditions. Imagine that — using a manufactured replica of a human child to celebrate and venerate your god. Such practices make us less human, when we make our gods less than human themselves.
Let’s get it right folks!
20231220
miracles against
Psalm 135:8-12 (JDV)
Psalm 135:8 He struck dead the firstborn of Egypt, both people, and animals.
Psalm 135:9 He sent signs and miracles against you, Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his officials.
Psalm 135:10 He struck dead many nations and slaughtered mighty kings:
Psalm 135:11 Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan.
Psalm 135:12 He gave their land as an inheritance to his people Israel.
miracles against
Be careful when you pray for a miracle because God can send miracles against those who do not obey his will. All that we are, and all that we own are already at his disposal. So, it makes sense for us to dedicate our lives and possessions to him. He owns them anyway.
20231219
autonomy
Psalm 135:5-7 (JDV)
Psalm 135:5 You see, I know that Yahveh is great; our Lord is greater than all gods.
Psalm 135:6 Yahveh does whatever he wants in the sky and on land, in the seas and all the depths.
Psalm 135:7 He makes the clouds rise from the ends of the land. He produces lightning for the rain and brings the wind from his storehouses.
autonomy
The only one with true autonomy is our God. He is greater than all of his creation, including those spirit beings masquerading as the gods of the nations. He is not influenced by others. He is the uninfluenced influencer. What passes as autonomy for us is merely anarchy. Hopefully, we will not wait until judgment day to find out who we had let control our lives while we pretended to have free will. The wisest and most responsible choice we can make right now is “thy will be done.”
20231218
still good
Psalm 135:1-4 (JDV)
Psalm 135:1 Praise Yah! Praise the name of Yahveh. Give praise, you servants of Yahveh
Psalm 135:2 who stand in the house of Yahveh, in the courts of the house of our God.
Psalm 135:3 Praise Yahveh, because Yahveh is good; sing praise to his name, because it is delightful.
Psalm 135:4 Since Yahveh has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his treasured up possession.
still good
God’s servants are not able to stand in his temple today, but they can still praise his name, because he is still good and his name is still delightful. He has still chosen Israel as his treasured possession and he has grafted into that olive tree Gentile believers. Praise Yah!
20231217
last shift
Psalm 134:1-3 (JDV)
Psalm 134:1 [A song of festival caravans.] Now bless Yahveh, all you servants of Yahveh who stand in Yahveh’s house at night!
Psalm 134:2 Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless Yahveh!
Psalm 134:3 May Yahveh, Maker of the sky and the land, bless you from Zion.
last shift
The last shift of worshippers stands in the temple and lifts their hands in praise. The Hebrew word for praise is taken from the same root as the word hand. Raising their hands is like forming a symbolic link: a connection between themselves and their maker. Blessing the LORD is the last thing they do every night. Receiving a blessing from him is the first thing they do every morning.
LORD, we want worship to be the last thing on our mind … and gratitude for your blessings to be the first thing.
20231216
harmony and success
Psalm 133:1-3 (JDV)
Psalm 133:1 [A song of festival caravans. Of David.] How good and nice it is when brothers live together in harmony!
Psalm 133:2 It is like fine oil on the head, running down on the beard, running down Aaron’s beard onto his robes.
Psalm 133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. Because there Yahveh has appointed the blessing — permanent life.
harmony and success
Harmony is not only beautiful, it also leads to success.
“Being centered means not leaning toward extremes, not becoming unbalanced by an overwhelming predominance of one quality over others. In this way, it is possible to achieve inward harmony within the self as well as outward harmony with the world at large. Inward harmony means your own faculties are working together; outward harmony means people are working together. Both of these are essential ingredients of success.”
Cleary Thomas F. The Human Element: A Course in Resourceful Thinking. 1st ed. Shambhala; Distributed in the United States by Random House 1994. p. 84.
Devotions 