The Glorious Deeds of the Lord

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.11

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

▹ Psalm 78:1-4

I Will Meditate

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.10

 

I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds. 

⚓︎ Psalm 77:12

Peace

 

Source: weskit.us

Aloud to God

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.9

 

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me. 

✛ Psalm 77:1

When God Rose Up

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.8

 

From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still when God rose up to establish judgment, to save all the oppressed of the earth.

❦ Psalm 76:8-9

When Pharaoh Forgot Joseph

IA. From Genesis to Exodus

There have been a couple of expressions that I’ve had to eliminate from my vocabulary lately. One had to be eliminated specifically because I moved to Huntsville, Alabama. When I’m trying to explain something that’s really simple and the other person wants to make it into something much more complicated than need be, I’ve always been fond of saying, “It’s not rocket science.”

This expression takes on a whole new meaning when I’m talking to an actual rocket scientist, so I’ve found that it’s probably best not to use it at all.

Another one is probably something that’s unique to me. I don’t know why, but I’ve always found the opening verse of today’s Old Testament reading to be very compelling.

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. —Exod. 1:8

One little sentence that says so much. It speaks of a rich past that is nonetheless unknown to one of the main characters in a story. And the story is the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt—perhaps the theological centerpiece of Hebrew scripture. How did Israel wind up in Egypt in the first place? Well, one of the longest narratives in the entire Bible is about how that happened, and it’s the story of Joseph. Joseph was a Hebrew who was sold by his jealous brothers to a slave caravan. He ended up in Egypt, and there, because he could interpret dreams and use his wisdom to help others, he became one of Pharaoh’s most powerful ministers.

So powerful and so wise was he, in fact, that he helped Egypt avoid a seven-year famine that had people in all the surrounding countries starving to death. And these other people included the very brothers who sold him, and who later came to Egypt to buy grain, not knowing that it was their own brother whom they were negotiating with.

When Joseph told his brothers who he was, they were (naturally) quite frightened. They had done him a horrible wrong, and they had earned his vengeance. But Joseph took another view—one that I think was best described by the Apostle Paul centuries later in his letter to Rome:

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. —Rom. 8:28

More Majestic Than the Everlasting Mountains

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.7

Glorious are you, more majestic than the everlasting mountains. 

◼︎ Psalm 76:4

Your Name Is Near

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.6

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your Name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds. 

✶ Psalm 75:1

Working Salvation

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.5

Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the earth. 

◆ Psalm 74:12

It Is Good to Be Near God

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.4

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works.

✡ Psalm 73:28

The Strength of My Heart

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.3

I Am Continually With You

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.2

Nevertheless I am continually with you; 

you hold my right hand. 

You guide me with your counsel, 

and afterward 

you will receive me with honor. 

✧ Psalm 73:23-24

Total Eclipse of the Sun

Almost total*

Total eclipse*

1:30 PM on a cloudless day in Tennessee

My small dog Brewster Meese enjoying the total eclipse (or not)

*Photos taken by a friend with the right equipment

God Is Good to the Upright

 PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.3.1.1

Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart. 

✣ Psalm 73:1

Jesus Saves (When We Would Delete)

Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

—Matt. 15:28

There was a news story late last month that shines a bit of light on today’s New Testament reading. It came from the field of genetics, and was a report that scientists had tested inhabitants of the Middle East and discovered that the DNA of the Canaanites still lived on in the modern Lebanese. What was odd about many of the articles I read, however, was the number of them that made yet another claim, and that was that this story proved the Bible wrong.

A good example is the British newspaper The Independent, which stated that

God had ordered the Israelites to slaughter the apparently sinful Canaanites, saying: “You shall not leave alive anything that breathes. But you shall utterly destroy them.” And, according to the Old Testament's Book of Joshua, they did just that: “Thus Joshua struck all the land, the hill country and the Negev and the lowland and the slopes and all their kings. He left no survivor, but he utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded… He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.” [1]

The problem with this article is that it’s incomplete. There’s a chapter in the Bible that indeed lists the Canaanite cities that had been destroyed, but also those that remained, even going so far as to state that some Canaanites lived among Israelites “to this day.” And even Joshua, right in the middle of his breathless hyperbole that The Independent quoted, admits that there were Canaanites who were not killed. [2]

The Whole Earth

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.36

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.

❖ Psalm 72:18-19

He Delivers the Needy

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.35

For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight. 

—Psalm 72:12-14

May the Mountains Yield Prosperity

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.34

May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness. 

—Psalm 72:3

Comfort Me Once Again

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.33

You will increase my honor, and comfort me once again. 

—Ps. 71:21

From My Youth You Have Taught Me

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.32

O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come.  

—Psalm 71:17-18

You Are My Rock

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.31

 

In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me. Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 

—Psalm 71:1-3

God Is Great!

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.30

Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” 

➢ Psalm 70:4

Make Haste!

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.29

Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O Lord, make haste to help me! 

✣ Psalm 70:1

His Own That Are in Bonds

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.28

Let the oppressed see it and be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the Lord hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds. 

※ Psalm 69:32-33

Let Your Salvation Protect Me

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.27

But I am lowly and in pain; let your salvation, O God, protect me. I will praise the Name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. 

❇︎ Psalm 69:29-30

Your Steadfast Love Is Good

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.26

Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. 

❑ Psalm 69:16

An Acceptable Time

PSALM OF THE DAY 1255.2.2.25

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me with your faithful help.  

⌘ Psalm 69:14

Re-Membering Christ

They need not go away; you give them something to eat.

—Matt. 14:16

As far as Jesus was concerned, this was as bad as it got. To understand why, we have to remember that Jesus wasn’t just dropped to earth out of nowhere and in the middle of nowhere. He was fully human, and had had the very human experience of family. And one very important member of his family was his cousin John. We know him as John the Baptist. Not only were they close, but people associated them with each other. To this day, we debate who followed whom, and we still read the stories of how people actually got angry with Jesus when he didn’t do things the way John did them.

So remember all this when you put yourself in Jesus’ place the day he was told that John had not only been arrested, but that King Herod had had him killed—killed pointlessly and in a particularly dishonorable way.

Naturally, Jesus was devastated. All he wanted to do was to leave, to get away from it all, to be alone. And so he got in a little boat and went across the lake. But his time alone didn’t last long. When the crowds saw him leave, they went around the lake on foot so they could be with him—not because they had compassion on him but because he’d had compassion on them.