Psalm 101:1 I will sing of covenant faithfulness and justice; I will sing praise to you, Yahveh. Psalm 101:2 I will pay attention to the road to integrity. When will you come to me? I will live with a heart of integrity in my house. Psalm 101:3 I will not let anything worthless guide me. I hate the practice of transgression; it will not cling to me. Psalm 101:4 A devious heart will be far from me; I will not be involved with evil.
hot stove therapy
The authors of “Every Young Man’s Battle Guide” write: “For most young men, the eyes bounce toward the sexual and not away from it. To combat years and years of this reflexive action, you need to train your eyes to immediately bounce away when they come upon a sexy image—much like the way you jerk your hand away from a hot stove. Here is what you want to do in a nutshell: When your eyes bounce toward a woman’s attributes, they must bounce away immediately (190).
Arterburn, Stephen, Fred Stoeker, and Mike Yorkey. Every Young Man’s Battle Guide. Colorado Springs, Colo: WaterBrook Press, 2003.
Psalm 100:1 Whole land, shout triumphantly to Yahveh! Psalm 100:2 Serve Yahveh with joy; come before him with joyful songs. Psalm 100:3 Acknowledge that Yahveh is God. He made us, and we are his – his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. Psalm 100:5 Yes, Yahveh is good, and his covenant faithfulness endures permanently; his reliability, through all generations.
He defines who we are
The Ryans wrote: ‘Who am I? It is one of the most basic questions we ask in life. Most of us attempt, at one time or another, to answer this question in superficial ways. We may, at times, believe that we are what we do—or that we are what we have accomplished. We may, at times, believe that we are what we buy—that our identity comes from the stuff we own. At other times, we may believe that we are what we look like—that our identity comes from our body’s size, shape, and appearance. Or we may believe that we are who other people think we are. Or the various roles we play. Or that we are what happened to us. Sooner or later most of us come to believe—or at least suspect—that these kinds of answers to the question of our identity are not satisfying; they are not answers at all” (7).
We are creatures of God, sheep from his pasture.
Ryan, Dale, and Juanita Ryan. Receiving Identity from God: 6 Studies for Individuals or Groups. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2001.
Psalm 99:8 Yahveh our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their sinful actions. Psalm 99:9 Exalt Yahveh our God; bow in worship at his sacred mountain, because Yahveh our God is sacred.
Father’s forgiveness
In a classic sermon, Alexander Maclaren asks “What do you fathers and mothers do when you forgive your child? You may use the rod or you may not. Forgiveness does not lie in letting him off the punishment; but forgiveness lies in the flowing to the child, uninterrupted, of the love of the parent heart, and that is God’s forgiveness” (193-194).
Henry, Matthew, George Whitefield, Alexander Maclaren, and Sheldon B. Quincer. Classic Sermon Outlines: Over 100 Sermon Outlines by Three of the Best Known Preachers of All Time. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2001.
Psalm 99:6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel also was among those calling on his name. They called to Yahveh and he answered them. Psalm 99:7 He spoke to them in a column of cloud; they kept his prescriptions and the statutes he gave them.
Spurgeon said “A man will grant his child’s request, but he does not listen to strangers; he will listen to his friends, but not to enemies. It is not fit that the golden key which opens the caskets of heaven should be hung at a rebel’s girdle. Yet more, God does not hear all His children alike, or alike at all times. It is not every be- liever who is mighty in prayer. Read the ninety-ninth Psalm, and you will find words like these: “Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called upon the Lord, and He answered them.” Yes; he answered them—Moses, Aaron, Samuel—he answered them, for they kept His testimonies” (74).
Spurgeon, C H, and James S. Bell. Quiet Times with Charles Spurgeon. Chicago: Moody Press, 2000.
Psalm 99:1 Yahveh reigns! People, tremble. He stays sitting between the cherubim. Land, quake. Psalm 99:2 Yahveh is great in Zion; he is exalted above all the peoples. Psalm 99:3 They should praise Your great and awe-inspiring name. He is sacred. Psalm 99:4 The mighty King loves justice. You have established fairness; you have administered justice and righteousness in Jacob. Psalm 99:5 Exalt Yahveh our God; bow in worship at his footstool. He is sacred.
Exalt the exalted
How can we exalt the one who is already exalted above all the people? By bowing in worship at his footstool. We are at our best when we acknowledge his greatness. We are doing a sacred thing by praising his name.
Peterson says “Holiness is the quality in God that cares about our sin and the capacity in him to do something about it. When sinners worship gods of their making, they drag the gods down to their level. When sinners worship a God of holiness, they are lifted to his level” (113).
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Peterson, Eugene H. A Year with the Psalms: 365 Meditations and Prayers. Waco, Tex: Word Books, 1979.
Psalm 98:7 Sea and all that fills it, the world and those who stay in it, storm. Psalm 98:8 Rivers should clap their hands; mountains, shout together for joy Psalm 98:9 in the presence of Yahveh, because he is coming to judge the land. He will judge the world righteously and the people fairly.
joy and judgment
We don’t usually put these two concepts together. When we think of judgment, it mostly causes a rumble of fear and dread in our souls. But the universe around us (if it could think as we do) would be anticipating with joy the coming of our Lord in judgment. He is coming to destroy all evil and renew the universe he created.
Psalm 98:4 Whole land, shout to Yahveh; be jubilant, shout for joy, and sing. Psalm 98:5 Sing to Yahveh using the lyre, using the lyre and melodious song. Psalm 98:6 Use trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn shout triumphantly in the presence of Yahveh, our King.
shout, sing, play music
There is a time for silent reverence, and there is a time for loud rejoicing and singing. There is a time for a capella, and there is a time to blend your voice with the sound of stringed instruments (like the lyre) and wind instruments (like trumpets and ram’s horns). It is entirely appropriate to respond to God’s presence with a joyful sound — a melodious song accopanied by well played music.
Psalm 98:1 Sing a new song to Yahveh because he has performed wonderful things; his right hand and sacred arm have won him victory. Psalm 98:2 Yahveh has made his deliverance known; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. Psalm 98:3 He has remembered his love and reliability to the house of Israel; all the ends of the land have seen our God’s deliverance.
God’s victory in the past
McEachern writes on this section: “God’s mighty acts on behalf of his people caused them to sing a new song (v. 1). God had granted victory and salvation, vindicating Israel in the eyes of their enemies and “all the ends of the earth” (v. 3). God kept his covenant promises to the nation. This called forth their praise. Paul also promised that God will complete what he has begun in us (Phil. 1:6). This psalm is a song of victory which recalls the triumph of Easter for Christians” (120).
God’s victories in the past are a reason that we can put our faith in him for our future destiny.
McEachern, Alton H. Psalms. Nashville, Tenn: Broadman Press, 1981.
Psalm 97:8 Zion hears and is glad, Judah’s villages rejoice because of your judgments, Yahveh. Psalm 97:9 Yes, you, Yahveh, are the Highest over the whole land; you are exalted above all the gods. Psalm 97:10 You who love Yahveh, hate evil! He protects the throats of his faithful ones; he rescues them from the power of the wicked. Psalm 97:11 Light dawns for the righteous, gladness for the upright in heart. Psalm 97:12 Be glad in Yahveh, you righteous ones, and give thanks to his sacred name.
Darkness may come for the righteous ones, but God is above it all. His people are encouraged to be glad in Him and wait for the light to dawn.
Devotions 