For a full description of the (Y3) reading plan, see the “About” page.
- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Ps. 134
I wonder what it means to bless the LORD? I tend to think of blessing as bringing something good to someone in some way. But how can we possibly bring anything good to God? I looked the word up and found a common definition that takes the meaning one step deeper. Blessing doesn’t just bring good, it consecrates or renders holy, beneficial, or prosperous. Hmmm….we certainly can’t make God holy! But….one last definition I saw is that to bless means to give honor or glory to someone or something as divine or holy. Aha! Now we’re getting somewhere!
This makes me think of a passage in Ezekiel where God calls out His people because they profaned His holy name. I noted last time I mused on that particular passage that they didn’t just do this with their words, but with their behavior. They carried God’s name as His people, but the way they lived did not reflect who He is. It did not honor Him as holy. So what do I think it means to bless the LORD? I think maybe it starts with truly understanding that He is holy and that He desires to be our God. Which means that we should let His holiness change the way we are. I think we bless God when our words and our behavior show the world that He is a holy God.
Ps. 146
I’m pretty sure the writer of this Psalm had no idea what he actually wrote. Reading through it this morning, I saw Jesus in it in the form of His opposite; anti-Christ, if you will. The Psalmist urges us, “Do not trust in nobles, in a son of man, who cannot save. When his breath leaves him, he returns to the ground; on that day his plans die.” (Ps. 146:3-4). “A son of man” also means, “mere mortal”. Thus, these verses simply tell us not to trust in humans, who die and have no more sway over what is or is to be. But the wording is too coincidental to ignore.
Jesus was THE Son of Man; THE Human One. When His breath left Him, He did not stay in the ground and His plans did not die. They came to life. And it is because of this that He is able to save us. So to me these verses have an unspoken implication. Do not trust in a son of man who cannot save; trust in The Son of Man, who can.
Ps. 147
In speaking of God’s restoration to His exiled people, this Psalmist includes an odd, seemingly unrelated detail. He says, “He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.” (Ps. 147: 4). Wait, what? What do the stars have to do with the brokenhearted, wounded, exiles? Then the thought I had from reading Psalm 136 yesterday popped into my mind. The Psalm said that God made the moon and stars to rule by night and I noted how this could possibly represent Jesus and His followers, who shine God’s light into the darkness of this present world. Suddenly, Psalm 147:4 makes some sense! Once again we see the stars as those God makes His own through the grace of Jesus Christ. God rebuilds His city by gathering us to Him, healing us, counting us, and giving each one of us a name. Pretty cool.
Ps. 148
God is sovereign; above all. “…for His name alone is exalted. His majesty covers heaven and earth.” (Ps. 148:13b).
Ps. 149
“For the LORD takes pleasure in His people” (Ps. 159:4a). This is a truth that I am still trying to wrap my head around and take to heart. God didn’t come to us and save us out of duty. He did it out of love. He did it because we are His creation and we bring Him pleasure. Even with all that we do against Him, He delights in us. Just, wow.
If you have ever crafted something – anything – with your own hands, perhaps you can get a small sense of why this is. You put a piece of yourself in everything you ‘create’, and it gives you a certain sense of pride and enjoyment. I suspect that is a mere fraction of the feeling, if that’s what you call it, that God gets from us. He fearfully and wonderfully knit each one of us together in His own image. How it must break His heart when we refuse to acknowledge Him! It must also break His heart, though, when those of us who do acknowledge Him fail to understand how pleased He is in us. If I mean that much to God, what right do I have to put myself, or anyone else He takes pleasure in, down?
Ps. 150
Praise God! He dwells in small spaces yet fills the endless expanse. He is big, loud, and mighty like the blast of a ram’s horn or the clash of cymbals. Yet He is soft and gentle like a harp or flute. God is everything to everything and we do well to let it be known.