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Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bond in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then he shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure; “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”
” I will declare the decree: the Lord has said to Me, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instucted, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
So don’t understand this at all.
I recognize the well used verse, “Ask of me and I will give you the nations . . . .”
But who is the speaker here? The NKJ captalizes personal pronouns. So is God speaking to Jesus here?
What is going on?
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“The thought of memorizing prayers seems an artifical and stilted way to restore something as vital as spiritual hunger. But consider what Rabbi Abraham Heschel said to the members of his synagogue who complained that the words of the liturgy did not express what they felt. He told them that it was not that the liturgy should express what they feel, but that they should learn to feel what the liturgy expressed. Recited faithfully, great thougths put into great words can do that for us . . . Memorization can be to our hunger for God what practicing a musical instrement is for performance. It can be the singing of the scales of the soul.”
- Ben Patterson.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blessing, delight, god, psalm, righteous
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and is His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 1
Through the centuries men have displayed many different symbols to show that they are Christians. They have worn marks in the lapels of their coats, hung chains about their necks, even had special haircuts.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with any of this if one feels it is his calling. But there is a much better sign – a mark that has not been thought up just as a matter of expediency for use on some special occasion or in some specific era. It is a universal mark that is to last through all the ages of the church till Jesus comes back.
What is this mark?
At the close of his ministry, Jesus looks forward to his death on the cross, the open tomb and the ascension. Knowing that he is about to leave, Jesus prepares his disciples for what is to come. It is here that he makes clear what will be the distinguishing mark of the Christian:
Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. ( John 13:33-35)
I delight, I delight in you. Jesus.
Beauty for ashes, a garment of praise for my heaviness.
Take this heart of stone and make it yours.
Make it yours.
I delight myself in the riches of fare, trading that I’ve had for all that is better.
Isaiah 61:3
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
The garment of praise for my heaviness.
You are the greatest taste.
