they shall not prevail

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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they shall not prevail

Psalm 93:1-2 (JDV)

Psalm 93:3 The rivers have lifted up, Yahveh, the rivers have lifted up their voice; the rivers lift up their pounding waves.
Psalm 93:4 Greater than the roar of much water – the mighty breakers of the sea – Yahveh on high is majestic.

they shall not prevail

Luther continues, “But against (Christ’s) kingdom, as the Psalmist saith, the ‘waves and ‘mighty waters’ will swell and lift up themselves; that is, the kingdoms and peoples of the world will roar against the Lord and against his
Anointed; and will rage against the godly with sword and fire; but they shall not prevail: for, as Daniel saith, ‘this kingdom shall break in pieces all other kingdoms beneath it, and shall stand forever’ Daniel ii. 44″ (247).

The majesty of God will not allow his Son’s kingdom to be shaken. The usurpers shall not prevail.

Luther, Martin. A Manual of the Book of Psalms, Or, the Subject-Contents of All the Psalms. London: R.B. Seeley & W. Burnside, 1837.

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He wears the majesty

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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He wears the majesty

Psalm 93:1-2 (JDV)

Psalm 93:1 Yahveh reigns! He wears majesty; Yahveh wears it, enveloped in strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.
Psalm 93:2 Your throne has been established since the beginning; you are from that age.

He wears the majesty

Martin Luther says, “This is a prophecy concerning the spread of the kingdom of Christ, as far and wide as the earth is extended, and its establishment forever”(247). These first two verses establish that Yahveh’s reign has been established since the beginning. Whatever kingdom goes against that reign will not succeed, whether a kingdom of a tyrant or a republic. He wears the majesty, not us.

Luther, Martin. A Manual of the Book of Psalms, Or, the Subject-Contents of All the Psalms. London: R.B. Seeley & W. Burnside, 1837.

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house plant

Posted on March 19, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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house plant

Psalm 92:12-15 (JDV)

Psalm 92:12 The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon.
Psalm 92:13 Planted in the house of Yahveh, they thrive in the courts of our God.
Psalm 92:14 They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green,
Psalm 92:15 to declare: “Yahveh is just; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

house plant

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are a house plant. That is not a bad thing, because the house you are planted in is the temple of God in heaven. You thrive in the courts of our God. Old age will not be a problem, because God will keep you healthy, green, and fruitful.

The fruit you will bear is the testimony of God’s fairness, reliability, and righteousness. The testimony will come from your own experience. No one will be able to refute it.

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anointed confidence

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Jefferson Vann
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anointed confidence

Psalm 92:10-11 (JDV)

Psalm 92:10 You have lifted up my horn like that of a wild ox; I have been anointed with the finest oil.
Psalm 92:11 My eyes look at my enemies; when evildoers rise against me, my ears hear them.

anointed confidence

These are words of confidence from someone who has been called and empowered by Almighty God. He is confident not because he has no enemies, but because God has empowered him to look those enemies in the eye, and hear their words without fear.

Thank you, LORD, for the confidence that comes with your call.

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wicked weeds

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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wicked weeds

Psalm 92:5-9 (JDV)

Psalm 92:5 How magnificent are the things you have made, Yahveh, how profound your thoughts!
Psalm 92:6 A stupid person does not know, a fool does not understand this:
Psalm 92:7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all troublemakers flourish, they will be permanently exterminated.
Psalm 92:8 But you, Yahveh, are exalted permanently.
Psalm 92:9 Yes, indeed, Yahveh, your enemies – indeed, your enemies will be destroyed; all troublemakers will be scattered.

wicked weeds

The weeds in my garden got the upper hand last year, I am embarrassed to say. But not this year. I have been working with a hoe, and I am determined to eliminate them. This psalm says that God has the same plan for the wicked weeds in his garden. They may seem to flourish for a moment, but God will destroy all his enemies.

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a thanksgiving sandwich

Posted on March 16, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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a thanksgiving sandwich

Psalm 92:1-4 (JDV)

Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing, giving thanks to Yahveh, singing praise to your name, Most High,
Psalm 92:2 declaring your covenant faithfulness in the morning and your reliability at night,
Psalm 92:3 with a ten-stringed harp and the music of a lyre.
Psalm 92:4 Yes, you have made me rejoice, Yahveh, by what you have done; I will shout for joy because of what your hands have made.

a thanksgiving sandwich

This section of the psalm is an “introductory thanksgiving for God’s (unspecified) deeds.” We discover as we keep reading that the main focus of the psalm is God’s “retribution upon the wicked” (Murphy, 131). What struck me as I read this again is that the psalmist encourages his readers/singers to do this praising in the morning and at night. We wake up with God’s faithfulness on our minds, and we go to bed thinking about how he has proven himself reliable during the day.

Each day for the believer should be a thanksgiving sandwich.

Thank you, LORD, for this day — an opportunity for me to have a thanksgiving sandwich.

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over, into, out of

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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over, into, out of

Psalm 91:14-16 (JDV)

Psalm 91:14 Because he has clung to me, I will deliver him; I will make him inaccessible because he knows my name.
Psalm 91:15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will pull him out and give him honor.
Psalm 91:16 I will satisfy him with a long life and show him my deliverance.

over, into, out of

Jeffrey Seif and Glenn Blank suggest that this psalm teaches “that a mighty God truly watches over His people (244).

Because he watches over us, he comes with us into our battles and promises to pull us out and give us honor.

Seif, Jeffrey L., Blank, Glenn, and Paul Wilbur. Tlv Psalms with Commentary: Hope and Healing in the Hebrew Scriptures. S.l.: Destiny Image Messianic, 2013.

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all our roads

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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all our roads

Psalm 91:11-13 (JDV)

Psalm 91:11 Yes, he will command his agents orders concerning you, to protect you on all your roads.
Psalm 91:12 They will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Psalm 91:13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent.

The road we take will sometimes bring us to places where we might experience “normal human hurts” or even “dangerous enemies” (Rosenberg, 578). It is comforting to know that God has an army of supernatural agents with orders from him to protect us.

In my travels, I have encountered a number of potentially dangerous animals, but never a lion — even in Africa. But I have encountered a great many stones, and sometimes they have hurt me. Does that mean this psalm is untrue? Of course not. If my God — with his armies of supernatural agents deemed it appropriate for me to suffer a bit on my road, I’m sure he had a purpose for it. It will not stop me from traveling. I know he is there, and his army is still at work.

He will be with us on all our roads.

Rozenberg, Martin S, and Bernard M. Zlotowitz. The Book of Psalms: A New Translation and Commentary. Northvale, N.J: Jason Aronson, 1999.

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making God our dwelling place

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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making God our dwelling place

Psalm 91:9-10 (JDV)

Psalm 91:9 Because you have made Yahveh – where I live, the Most High – your dwelling place,
Psalm 91:10 no harm will come to you; no affliction will come near your tent.

making God our dwelling place

What does it mean to make God your dwelling place? Eaton says the “promises are given because of his trust in God” ((224). His tent may be in an unsecured place, but he is living in a secure place — God’s presence. That is where we can live — and it does not require a physical move. We just have to learn to trust in the God we believe in.

Eaton, J H. Psalms. London: SCM Press, 1981.

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trouble that does not reach us

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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trouble that does not reach us

Psalm 91:7-8 (JDV)

Psalm 91:7 Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, it will not reach you.
Psalm 91:8 You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked.

trouble that does not reach us

This passage can be used to express the false notion that believers will never face trouble. As Stradling puts it, “the message of this psalm is that God is present and that he is our hope. Paul found that God worked through him especially in times of weakness, for Jesus had said to him: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’, and when he was weak then he was strong. God says to us: ‘I am with you in trouble.’ He does not promise to get us out of trouble, but he does promise to come into the trouble with us, as a good friend, and that makes the trouble bearable” (68).

We will have trouble, but it does not have to reach us. It does not have to overcome us. We can overcome the hardship because we trust the God who promises to never leave us.

Stradling, Leslie E. Praying the Psalms. London: S.P.C.K, 1977.

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