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Weds 17th June - Psalm 92

Psalm 92

1 It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.

4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
5 How great are your works, Lord,
how profound your thoughts!
6 Senseless people do not know,
fools do not understand,
7 that though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.

8 But you, Lord, are forever exalted.

9 For surely your enemies, Lord,
surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
10 You have exalted my horn[b] like that of a wild ox;
fine oils have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

- - -

This is the only Psalm designated for the Sabbath Day. Derek Kidner comments, ‘this Song of the Sabbath is proof enough, if such were needed, that the OT Sabbath Day was a day not only for rest but for corporate worship and intended to be a delight rather than a burden.’

We long for the return of those days of corporate worship.
We miss the fellowship and the friendships.

We miss the Breaking of Bread – the Communion.

But our present circumstances should not stop us ‘praising the LORD.’

Just pause for a moment and think about our brothers and sisters who haven’t been able to meet for corporate worship for some time – in many cases, way before the pandemic – those in prison for their faith; those shut in because of age or ill health; those who have to work on the Sabbath Day.

We should remember them in our prayers, even though we don’t know them. They are our brothers and sisters.

Back to our Psalm!

  1. We praise the LORD verses 1-3

It is good to praise the LORD.

It is good to make music to the LORD.

For, in so doing, we are making a proclamation of His love and His faithfulness.
How often do we meet these two characteristics in the Psalms – and also elsewhere in Scripture – His unfailing love and His faithfulness.

We might not use the same musical instruments as they did but they might have struggled with some of ours.

  1. The reasons why we praise the LORD verses 4-5
  • ‘your deeds LORD’
  • ‘the work of your hands’
  • ‘your great works’
  • ‘your thoughts’

Where do we start?

As the song says, ‘I sing for joy at the work of your hands.’

Psalm 8:3   ‘when I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have put in place.’

Psalm 77:11-13   ‘I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
 I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.’

Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?

Psalm 139:17   ‘How precious to me are your thoughts, God!  How vast is the sum of them!’

  1. The victory is the LORD’s verses 6-7; 9-11

The ‘senseless man’ is someone who ignores God, who doesn’t think that God is relevant or important.

Here is someone who looks back at the deeds of the LORD, the works of the LORD and doesn’t understand them, so ignores them.

Here is someone who looks forward and doesn’t see that danger is coming – why should they when it seems that ‘all evildoers flourish?’

But there is coming a time when all the evildoers will be defeated and will perish.

  1. The blessings are ours verses 12-15

The reference to ‘horn’ and ‘oil’ speak of strength and blessing for the people of God (the righteous).
What a picture we are given:

  • ‘like a palm tree’ – thriving in the desert place
  • ‘like a cedar of Lebanon’ – noted for their strength, durability, beauty and usefulness
  • ‘planted in the house of the LORD’ – speaks of security in the presence of God
  • ‘bearing fruit in old age’ – speaks of perseverance in serving the LORD

No wonder the Psalm ends with proclamation of …

  • the uprightness of the LORD
  • the LORD is my Rock
  • He is perfect and righteous.

The key verse is v.8‘But you, LORD, are forever exalted.’

Thanks be to God.

(Roger Purdom)

Daily Readings

Thursday 18 June - Psalm 93

Friday 19 June - Psalm 94

Saturday 20 June- Psalm 95

Sunday 21 June - Psalm 96

Monday 22 June - Psalm 97

Tuesday 23 June - Psalm 98

 

New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Photo by Ben Karpinski on Unsplash