THE LORD SPOKE (August 30)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Psalm 120-131

The Psalms of Ascent

There are fifteen of these “Songs of Ascent” (Psalms 120-134). At the main public entrances to the south of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, there were fifteen steps climbing up to the platform where the Temple once stood. Actually, there are thirty but in a unique arrangement of one long step plus one short step, making fifteen paired steps. Archaeologists and historians have put the two together and suggested that this was the place where these special psalms were recited by visitors just before entering the compound. No doubt the pilgrim would have thought and prayed through these texts many times at home and during the long trip to Jerusalem. But then, upon arrival, he probably recited them upon approaching his holy destination. These fifteen psalms were most likely on his lips as he climbed those last fifteen steps.

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!
Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem. (122:1-2)

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore. (125:2)

May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life.... (128:5)

For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling.
“This is my resting place for ever and ever;
Here I will sit enthroned for I have desired it....” (132:13-14)

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.
May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth bless you from Zion. (134:2-3)

Because Jerusalem was at the top of the Judean hills, it was always true that you went up to get to Jerusalem - no matter from what direction you approached. The Hebrew word for “going up” is aliyah and it took on a metaphorical meaning of rising to Jerusalem. The most likely nuance in the term “Song of Ascents” would be going up to Jerusalem for the pilgrim festivals each year. In modern usage it has gained two related meanings: (1) When a Jewish man is called up to the platform to perform one of the readings from the weekly Torah portion in the synagogue he is making an aliyah. (2) The act of immigration to Israel is called Aliyah so that Jewish people today speak of “doing Aliyah” or “making Aliyah”.

There are many other topics tucked into this collection of psalms. It served and still serves as a valuable reminder of how to approach God. Check out the following:

• proper and improper use of the tongue (Ps. 120)
• sha’alu shalom Yerushala’im - pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122)
• how to handle contempt and ridicule (Ps. 123)
• the source/importance of sleeping well (Ps. 127)
• why you shouldn’t keep a record of wrongs (Ps. 130)

About Psalm 131, Spurgeon said, “This is one of the shortest psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.”


New Testament: Revelation 5

The Lamb is introduced! After the majestic description of the throne room in heaven (ch. 4), the scene is set and our anticipation runs high. An unopened scroll is in the hand of the One sitting on the throne and a mighty angelic crier is calling out for a worthy reader to come forth.

“Behold the Lion!” [drum roll]. Enter a lamb. Ah, but such a Lamb! Freshly slain, “standing in the center of the throne”, yet coming to take the scroll “from the right hand of him who sat on the throne”. Confused? How else could the Trinity be described? He’s three, yet one. All the heavenly realm breaks out in singing praise “to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb” (Rev. 5:13).

The voices number “thousand upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand” and with one voice they proclaim the worthiness of the Lamb. He is worthy because He was slain (Rev. 5:9, 12). By His blood He “purchased men for God”. Oh, glory! And He has made them to be a kingdom of priests.

That’s us! The redeemed, blood-bought, men and women since the death of the Lamb are a kingdom of priests to minister before God and to reign on the earth. “Every [other] creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them” knows that and joins in one glorious chorus to sing the unsurpassed majesty of God Almighty.

As you read this you are lost in wonder.

When all my labors and trials are o’er,
And I am safe on that beautiful shore,
Just to be near the dear Lord I adore,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

Oh, that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me,
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me.

When, by the gift of His infinite grace,
I am accorded in heaven a place,
Just to be there and to look on His face,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

Friends will be there I have loved long ago;
Joy like a river around me will flow;
Yet just a smile from my Savior, I know,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

THE LORD SPOKE (August 29)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Psalm 119

It’s a good way to learn the Hebrew alphabet. Did you know the word “alphabet” comes from Hebrew? See the first two letters? Aleph + Beth = alphabet. It’s an acrostic abecedary! (Look it up - that’s in the dictionary too.) Every group of eight verses begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 Hebrew letters so 22 X 8 = 176 verses in the psalm. Can you imagine eight verses starting with “x”? And it doesn’t sound like Dr. Seuss at all.

More important that structure is the content of this psalm. Though it picks up a number of the subjects common in the other psalms, the dominant theme is the word of God. Most of its lines are addressed to God though many are exhortations to the reader. The very form as an alphabetic acrostic suggests instruction and memorization.

If you will write 176 verses about God’s word, you’ll soon be shopping for synonyms. Even a quick glance at the synonyms used here is instructive. There are eight principle terms used. Is that maybe why the author decided on eight verses in each group? Some of the stanzas actually employ all eight terms:

davar = word, promise (as in “give your word”)
edot = statutes, testimonies
hukim = decrees, laws
imrah = word, promise, saying
mishpatim = ordinances, judgments
mitzvot = commandments
pikudim = precepts
torah = teaching

The semantic range of each word frequently overlaps and none of our English translations perfectly reproduce the nuances. “Law” or “laws” is often the default translation for each of them. For example, torah is frequently translated “law” and the “Torah” is “The Law”, the five books of Moses that stand first in the Old Testament. But if you see them primarily as Law, you’ve really missed it! They contain laws but they also have so much more. The word torah comes from the root word yarah which means “instruction”. True, if God gives instruction it bears the weight of law. But the basic meaning of torah is closer to “teaching”.

Check out how many times the psalmist says that his delight is in the law of the Lord. Here are some other favorites:

Ps. 119:9-11 - “How can a young man [it works for old men too!] keep his way pure? By living according to your word.... I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Ps. 119:105 - “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Ps. 119:130 - “The unfolding of your words give light, it gives understanding to the simple.”

Try unfolding some of Scripture today!


New Testament: Revelation 4

Apocalyptic literature! In one sense it’s gotten easier for us to visualize such scenes with the advent of modern cinematography. Special effects have given us many more visual images to work with and it isn’t hard to create a mental picture of apocalyptic proportions. Film series such as Lord of the Rings even give us some graphic cosmic magnitude.

On the other hand, special effects have also tended to make us skeptical. When we see something fantastic we try to figure out, “how did they do that?” Our dubious bone has grown and we’ve become cynical or even agnostic towards anything that might seem fanciful.

That’s a real problem when it comes to reading the book of Revelation. John is describing as best he can the things he saw. Words and human language often fail him as he attempts to chronicle his inspired visions. We might tend to block out or do a reality check on the sensational details. Our sales resistance kicks in at the sight of such “special effects”.

When that happens, we view the scene as something less than real. But God and His throne in heaven are very real! The majesty of His throne room is staggering. With flashes of lightning and peels of thunder, the throne (it’s mentioned 11x in this and the next chapter!) is set before a crystal sea and shrouded in a rainbow. Numerous creatures, human, angelic, and otherwise chant without end the praise of the One who sits on the throne, for it is not empty.

All the focus is on that One. He is thrice holy, eternal, and worthy. He is the creator and sustainer of all things. To Him are ascribed glory and honor and power. We’re not there yet but we can sing...

O Lord, our Lord
How majestic is Your name in all the earth.
O Lord, our Lord
How majestic is Your name in all the earth.

O Lord, we praise Your name!
O Lord, we magnify Your name;
Prince of Peace, Mighty God,
O Lord God Almighty.