Shalom,
Psalm 80 starts out with an introduction:
To the chief Musician upon Sho-shan'-nim-E'-duth, A Psalm of A'-saph.
The word "Shoshannim" means: lilies, and the word "Eduth" means: testimony or law. Many Bible scholars have been puzzled by this expression. The best explanation I found was from the commentary by Jamieson, Fausset and Brown. It says that "lilies" express that which is lovely, the lovely salvation of the Lord. Note the three times we see : "we shall be saved". Adding that to the "testimony or law", we have a law which points out to the godly in trouble a way of obtaining salvation or deliverance. I like that explanation! And it makes sense to me in light of the three verses we mentioned: verses 3, 7 and 19:
3Restore us again, O God; and cause Your face to shine [in pleasure and approval on us], and we shall be saved!
7Restore us again, O God of hosts; and cause Your face to shine [upon us with favor as of old], and we shall be saved!
19Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine [in pleasure, approval, and favor on us], and we shall be saved!
Add to those verses 14-15:
14Turn again, we beseech You, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven and see, visit, and have regard for this vine!
15[Protect and maintain] the stock which Your right hand planted, and the branch (the son) that You have reared and made strong for Yourself.
... and we have the clear picture of a nation that has found itself in trouble again because of disobedience, realizing the mistakes of the past, calling on God for deliverance and the faithful God of the Bible WILL restore them! Not in their (or our) timetable, but restoration ALWAYS comes when we change our thinking to agree with God!
In Romans 8:1-2 I found something very interesting! The translators were always trying to make things clearer, so they sometimes added words to clarify. An occasional word or two sometimes DOES make things easier to understand. But sometimes, when they just couldn't comprehend what was being said, they added a lot by way of explanation. That is the case with these 2 verses! This is how it reads:
1THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.2For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.
...and THIS is how it ACTUALLY reads:
"Now, therefore, no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death".
Remember John 3:17:
17For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
Condemnation is never from God! He sees us free from sin through the Blood of Jesus! When we DO sin, and we will, we need to go to 1 John 1:9 and receive forgiveness. Remaining in sin will affect our fellowship with Him, but won't change His love for us OR our eternity in Heaven. It WILL affect this life, however, and that is not God's plan for us! We need to meditate on verses 34-39:
34Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us?
35Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?
36Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.
37Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
38For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
39Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
AMEN!
In Numbers 3-4 we see the division of the tribe of Levi for the work of the priesthood and the service of the Tent of Meeting. I thought it was interesting that the men involved in the service were from 30-50 years old! Evidently God didn't trust anyone under 30 for this work! As always, God is very precise and detailed in His instructions. Numbers is more interesting to me this year than ever before! I hope it is for you, too!
Shalom in Him!
