the road revealed

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the road revealed

Psalm 119:9-16 (JDV)

Psalm 119:9 How can a young man keep his road pure? By keeping your word.
Psalm 119:10 I have sought you with all my heart; don’t let me go astray from your commands.
Psalm 119:11 I have treasured up your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.
Psalm 119:12 Yahveh, may you be blessed; teach me your prescriptions.
Psalm 119:13 With my lips I proclaim all the judgments from your mouth.
Psalm 119:14 I rejoice in the road revealed by your warning signs as much as in all riches.
Psalm 119:15 I will meditate on your directions and think about your roads.
Psalm 119:16 I will delight in your prescriptions; I will not forget your word.

the road revealed

I have a problem with geography. If I have a choice between two paths in the woods, I take the one less traveled and invariably get hopelessly lost. Because of this geographical handicap, I really appreciate a well-marked map that displays the clear path to the wanted destination. That is what today’s text is all about. God’s word is a map that even people like me can follow to the right destination.

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the fortunate ones

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the fortunate ones

Psalm 119:1-8 (JDV)

Psalm 119:1 How fortunate are those whose road is blameless, who walk according to Yahveh’s instruction!
Psalm 119:2 Fortunate are those who keep his warning signs and seek him with all their heart.
Psalm 119:3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in his roads.
Psalm 119:4 You have commanded that your directions be diligently kept.
Psalm 119:5 If only my roads were committed to keeping your prescriptions!
Psalm 119:6 Then I would not be ashamed when I think about all your commands.
Psalm 119:7 I will praise you with an upright heart when I learn your righteous judgments.
Psalm 119:8 I will keep your prescriptions. Do not completely abandon me!.

the fortunate ones

The fortunate ones are those who realize that God’s word matters. They pattern their lives after his word, and that keeps them from the misfortune that can happen when we don’t.

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say thanks

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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say thanks

Psalm 118:26-29 (JDV)

Psalm 118:26 He who comes in the name of Yahveh is blessed. From the house of Yahveh, we bless you.
Psalm 118:27 Yahveh is God and has given us light. Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
Psalm 118:28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks. You are my God; I will exalt you.
Psalm 118:29 Give thanks to Yahveh, because he is good; his covenant faithfulness is permanent.

say thanks

After asking for the Lord’s help, let’s not forget to say thanks when he gives it. He is our God, and he deserves credit for the success he provides.

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say please

Posted on November 4, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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say please

Psalm 118:25 (JDV)

Psalm 118:25 Please Yahveh, deliver us! Please Yahveh, grant us success!

say please

We depend on our LORD not only for our future salvation, but also for our present success. It is not a shameful thing to ask him for help. It brings him glory when his own seek huis favor.

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rescues to celebrate

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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rescues to celebrate

Psalm 118:21-24 (JDV)

Psalm 118:21 I will give thanks to you because you have answered me and have become my deliverance.
Psalm 118:22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Psalm 118:23 This came from Yahveh; it is miraculous in our sight.
Psalm 118:24 This is the day Yahveh has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

rescues to celebrate

What day should we be rejoicing over? The popular chorus has us rejoicing merely because it is today. To me, that is just taking words out of their context. The text appears to give us two other options. Either we should rejoice in the day of rescue, or rejoice in the festival day when the rescue is remembered. Either way, the rejoicing is not just a party looking for a place to happen. It is a call to celebrate grace. The day of grace is the day that the LORD has made. Jesus entering Jerusalem as its king was such a day. His atoning death on the cross is another. His soon return will be yet another. Those were rescues to celebrate.

LORD, we thank you for your past rescues, and your future return. We will celebrate that rescue.

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the right gates

Posted on November 2, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the right gates

Psalm 118:19-20 (JDV)

Psalm 118:19 Open the right gates for me; I will enter through them and give thanks to Yahveh.
Psalm 118:20 This is Yahveh’s gate; the righteous will enter through it.

the right gates

We can spend life blindly following our own eyes or we can ask the Lord to open the right gates. We often miss the best for us because we fail to pray this prayer. On the other side of his gates is the solution to our petty problems — problems that might haunt us for decades, but have an easy solution.

LORD, open your gates for us, and give us wisdom to go through them into health and wholeness.

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I will live

Posted on November 1, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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I will live

Psalm 118:17-18 (JDV)

Psalm 118:17 I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what Yahveh has done.
Psalm 118:18 Yahveh disciplined me severely yet did not give me over to death.

I will live

David and the Messiah after him say this for different reasons. David said it because God rescued him from the threat of death. The Messiah says it because God rescued us all from death through him. The resurrection of Jesus was God’s work and his promise to us all.

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destroyer of nations

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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destroyer of nations

Psalm 118:10-16 (JDV)

Psalm 118:10 All the nations surrounded me; in the name of Yahveh I destroyed them.
Psalm 118:11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; in the name of Yahveh, I destroyed them.
Psalm 118:12 They swarmed me like bees; they were extinguished like a fire among thorns; in the name of Yahveh I destroyed them.
Psalm 118:13 They pushed me hard to make me fall, but Yahveh helped me.
Psalm 118:14 Yahveh is my strength and my song; he has become my deliverance.
Psalm 118:15 There are shouts of joy and victory in the tents of the righteous: “Yahveh’s right hand performs valiantly!
Psalm 118:16 Yahveh’s right hand is raised. Yahveh’s right hand performs valiantly!”

destroyer of nations

David and the Messiah after him are the two people who can say this. Our Lord, surrounded by the nations, will destroy those who refuse to bow their knee to his Lordship.

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a tight place

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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a tight place

Psalm 118:5-9 (JDV)

Psalm 118:5 I called to Yahveh from a tight place; Yahveh answered me and put me in a spacious place.
Psalm 118:6 Yahveh is for me, I do not fear what Adam does to me.
Psalm 118:7 Yahveh is for me as my helper, And I — I look on those hating me.
Psalm 118:8 Better to take refuge in Yahveh than to trust in Adam,
Psalm 118:9 Better to take refuge in Yahveh, Than to trust in those who want to help.

a tight place

Have you ever been in a tight place with no one to help? Who was there to rescue you? God is the one to fear and the one to trust.

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permanently faithful

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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permanently faithful

Psalm 118:1-4 (JDV)

Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to Yahveh because he is good because his covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 118:2 Let Israel say it because his covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 118:3 Let the house of Aaron say it because his covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 118:4 Let those fearing Yahveh say it because his covenant faithfulness is permanent.

permanently faithful

We are not always faithful to God but he is permanently faithful to his word. We can rely on him to do what he has promised and threatened.

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