Psalm 81 begins with a call for God's people to praise Him! As we found earlier, this was no quiet, subdued praise service! They were to sing, which actually means to give a ringing cry in joy and exaltation! Then they were told to shout for joy! Then they were blowing the shofar! That sounds to me like a whole lot of noise! Noise that God loves!!! If you are not comfortable in a praise service like this one, you will NOT be comfortable in Heaven! They praise so loud in Heaven that the doorposts shake! (Isaiah 6:4) How do you GET comfortable with this? You MUST practice praise at home first! A truly balanced praise life is one that begins in praise at first wake up and continues actively praising Him all day long. Then, when we are in a church service, we will step into the atmosphere of praise and worship that is familiar, yet many times more powerful because: "..wherever two or more are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in My Name, there I AM in the midst of them". (Matthew 18:20).
Another interesting thing to note about this Psalm is that it includes all of the elements of true worship:
In Luke 2 we see the story of the birth of Jesus. We looked at Luke for the first time back in March and April. This time I want to point out a few things. Each of the Gospels were written with a specific emphasis for a specific purpose! In Luke 2:39:
39 And when they had done everything according to the Law of the Lord, they went back into Galilee to their own town, Nazareth.
Then it jumps ahead to when Jesus was twelve years old with no mention of the fact that they spent some time in Egypt because of Herod's threat to kill Jesus. Back in verse 19, after the shepherds related their experiences and what the angel had said to them, we read this:
19 But Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart.
Mary was wondering what all of this meant! She knew what the angel had said to her about the child that she would have, but I don't think she comprehended it. She watched Him grow up as an obedient child, then was very surprised when they found Him in the Temple with the teachers when they had assumed He was with them. When Mary asked Him how He could do this to them, He replied:
49 And He said to them, How is it that you had to look for Me? Did you not see and know that it is necessary [as a duty] for Me to be in My Father's house and [occupied] about My Father's business?
At first she didn't even notice that He was missing! Then she didn't look FIRST at the Temple, but looked for Him for three days in Jerusalem before even checking the Temple! Mary was not born again or Spirit-filled at this time. She was still living under the Old Covenant. She had no way of really comprehending the Word of God clearly at this time! That's why, in the early part of Jesus' ministry, she and her family were not yet following Him. Remember when they were on the outside wanting to see Him? But there did come a time when they understood and followed Him. If His own mother didn't really understand what He was about, how can we expect His disciples to get it? They didn't either, until AFTER the Resurrection! When you find yourself in discussions with unbelievers about the Word of God, remember that they have NO WAY of truly understanding! 1 Corinthians 2:14:
14 But the natural , nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.
The only Word we should share with unbelievers is the simple Gospel of Salvation through Jesus of Nazareth! Once they receive Him as Lord and personal Saviour, they also receive the indwelling Spirit of God to teach them the rest of God's Word! Keep that in mind and you will save yourself endless discussions that go nowhere! Time is precious in this life, so use it wisely!
In Hosea 1-3 we see the great love of God for His people played out in all that He instructed Hosea to do. He used Hosea's life as a living witness to open the eyes of His people to the fact that they were far from Him. Having to marry a harlot and having his children bear the names they did (Not-pitied and Not-My-people) had to have been hard on the flesh for a man like Hosea, whose heart and mind were set on obeying God! By Hosea's faithfulness, God was able to get the message to the His people that even though they were far from Him at the moment, He would eventually bring them back! He says this in Hosea 1:10-11:
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered; and instead of it being said to them, You are not My people, it shall be said to them, Sons of the Living God! 11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint themselves one head, and they shall go up out of the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel [for the spiritually reborn Israel, a divine offspring, the people whom the Lord has blessed.]
Hosea 3:4-5 is similar:
4 For the children of Israel shall dwell and sit deprived many days, without king or prince, without sacrifice or [idolatrous] pillar, and without ephod [a garment worn by priests when seeking divine counsel] or teraphim (household gods). 5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God, [inquiring of and requiring Him] and [from the line of] David, their King [of kings]; and they shall come in [anxious] fear to the Lord and to His goodness and His good things in the latter days.
God's plan to bless ALL of His people has never changed! We SEE the blessing WHEN we line ourselves up with His Word and His way of doing things! Don't give up and quit! God never will! AMEN!
Another interesting thing to note about this Psalm is that it includes all of the elements of true worship:
- Praising the Name of the Lord.
- Hearing God's Word (spoken, preached, taught, sung).
- Obedience to the Word of God.
In Luke 2 we see the story of the birth of Jesus. We looked at Luke for the first time back in March and April. This time I want to point out a few things. Each of the Gospels were written with a specific emphasis for a specific purpose! In Luke 2:39:
39 And when they had done everything according to the Law of the Lord, they went back into Galilee to their own town, Nazareth.
Then it jumps ahead to when Jesus was twelve years old with no mention of the fact that they spent some time in Egypt because of Herod's threat to kill Jesus. Back in verse 19, after the shepherds related their experiences and what the angel had said to them, we read this:
19 But Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart.
Mary was wondering what all of this meant! She knew what the angel had said to her about the child that she would have, but I don't think she comprehended it. She watched Him grow up as an obedient child, then was very surprised when they found Him in the Temple with the teachers when they had assumed He was with them. When Mary asked Him how He could do this to them, He replied:
49 And He said to them, How is it that you had to look for Me? Did you not see and know that it is necessary [as a duty] for Me to be in My Father's house and [occupied] about My Father's business?
At first she didn't even notice that He was missing! Then she didn't look FIRST at the Temple, but looked for Him for three days in Jerusalem before even checking the Temple! Mary was not born again or Spirit-filled at this time. She was still living under the Old Covenant. She had no way of really comprehending the Word of God clearly at this time! That's why, in the early part of Jesus' ministry, she and her family were not yet following Him. Remember when they were on the outside wanting to see Him? But there did come a time when they understood and followed Him. If His own mother didn't really understand what He was about, how can we expect His disciples to get it? They didn't either, until AFTER the Resurrection! When you find yourself in discussions with unbelievers about the Word of God, remember that they have NO WAY of truly understanding! 1 Corinthians 2:14:
14 But the natural , nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.
The only Word we should share with unbelievers is the simple Gospel of Salvation through Jesus of Nazareth! Once they receive Him as Lord and personal Saviour, they also receive the indwelling Spirit of God to teach them the rest of God's Word! Keep that in mind and you will save yourself endless discussions that go nowhere! Time is precious in this life, so use it wisely!
In Hosea 1-3 we see the great love of God for His people played out in all that He instructed Hosea to do. He used Hosea's life as a living witness to open the eyes of His people to the fact that they were far from Him. Having to marry a harlot and having his children bear the names they did (Not-pitied and Not-My-people) had to have been hard on the flesh for a man like Hosea, whose heart and mind were set on obeying God! By Hosea's faithfulness, God was able to get the message to the His people that even though they were far from Him at the moment, He would eventually bring them back! He says this in Hosea 1:10-11:
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered; and instead of it being said to them, You are not My people, it shall be said to them, Sons of the Living God! 11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint themselves one head, and they shall go up out of the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel [for the spiritually reborn Israel, a divine offspring, the people whom the Lord has blessed.]
Hosea 3:4-5 is similar:
4 For the children of Israel shall dwell and sit deprived many days, without king or prince, without sacrifice or [idolatrous] pillar, and without ephod [a garment worn by priests when seeking divine counsel] or teraphim (household gods). 5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God, [inquiring of and requiring Him] and [from the line of] David, their King [of kings]; and they shall come in [anxious] fear to the Lord and to His goodness and His good things in the latter days.
God's plan to bless ALL of His people has never changed! We SEE the blessing WHEN we line ourselves up with His Word and His way of doing things! Don't give up and quit! God never will! AMEN!
Shalom in Him!
