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- 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. 73
We humans are very short-sighted. This Psalm reminds us to take the long-term view. The thing is, things aren’t always what they seem, especially in the short term. Time, however, has a way of bringing the truth out. This is why God gave us the end of the story, backed by a sure promise, grounded on His unfailing character. When we keep our focus on God’s long-term truth, we won’t be distracted and tempted to turn to the wicked, with all their short-term appeal. Nor will we begrudge our own struggles. Instead, we will say confidently, along with the Psalmist, “But for me, God’s presence is my good.” (Ps. 73:28a), knowing that God’s presence is with us no matter what.
Ps. 77
Besides looking to the future when the present looks bleak, we can also look to the past. I don’t mean “looking back”, like Lot’s wife when they left Sodom or the Israelites when they left Egypt. That is our past, and we need to leave that behind us. What I mean is looking at God’s past and God in our past. We can remember who He is and what He has done, both for us and for others. Then, instead of applying fear when things don’t make sense and thinking that God has changed, we can apply understanding. We can know that God does not change. He is the same God He has always been and always will be. Thus, we can trust Him even when He feels absent.
Ps. 78
Two interesting things jumped out at me this morning from this very long Psalm.
- “The Ephraimite archers turned back on the day of battle. They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law.” (Ps. 78:9-10). I found it interesting how the day of battle was connected to keeping God’s covenant here. It made me think how we are each in a battle for our very souls. It is not a flesh and blood battle, but a spiritual one. And the key to winning it lies in keeping God’s covenant, which for us means staying faithful to Jesus Christ. The great news is that when we do, we know the battle is the LORD’s.
- “He gave up His strength to captivity and His splendor to the hand of a foe.” (Ps. 78:61). The Psalmist was referring to Jerusalem and God’s temple, which were destroyed with Judah’s exile. However, the truth of this message does not end with these physical representations. It also refers to Jesus. Jesus is God’s true strength and splendor, which He willingly turned over to death in order to establish us as forever His.