Shalom,


Psalm 62 is yet another example of David encouraging himself in the LORD. This was another time of great trial for David, but he went, again, to the ONE he knew he could always count on!  Verses 1-2 and 5-6 are very similar:


1 FOR GOD alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. 2 He only is my Rock and my Salvation, my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be greatly moved.


5 My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him. 6 He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.


Did you notice any major differences here? There are really only 2! In verses 1-2 David is speaking ABOUT his soul and how his soul should think about God. In verses 5-6 he is speaking TO his soul! He is rising up and commanding his soul to think in faith, trust and confidence that God IS his Rock, Salvation, Defense and Fortress! The words "alone" and "only" in these verses is the Hebrew "`ak", which is a "particle of affirmation" that is very certain and emphatic! That means that it is God and ONLY God that David is relying on! The other big difference in these two sections is that when David starts out, he says that he will not be "greatly" moved. By the time he comes to verses 5-6, and is taking charge of his thought life, he is declaring that he will not be moved AT ALL! Do you see how faith grows? Continue in the Word of God, where faith comes from (Romans 10:17), and YOU can be that emphatic, too! In fact, David is so built up in faith that by verse 8 he is speaking to YOU!


8 Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!


Here is a new song from Hillsong called "Only You". We've used it before, but it is very appropriate!

In Mark 12 Jesus continues speaking to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders in parables. He then answers trick questions from the Pharisees and the Sadducees. I LOVE the way Jesus would leave them speechless with His answers to their "trick" questions!  I pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to do the same when I am ever in that same position! I like how the Bible Exposition Commentary explains His answer to the Sadducees:

The Sadducees thought that they were smart, but Jesus soon revealed their ignorance of two things: the power of God and the truth of Scripture. Resurrection is not the restoration of life as we know it; it is the entrance into a new life that is different. The same God who created the angels and gave them their nature is able to give us the new bodies we will need for new life in heaven (1 Cor 15:38). Jesus did not say that we would become angels or be like the angels in everything, for God's children are higher than the angels (John 17:22-24; 1 John 3:1-2). He said that in our resurrection bodies, we would be sexless like the angels; and therefore marriage would no longer exist In the eternal state, where our new bodies are perfect and there is no death, there will be no need for marriage, procreation, and the continuance of the race.

When one of the scribes noticed how well Jesus answered the questions put to Him, he asked Jesus a question of his own. He apparently agreed with the answer that Jesus gave because he said so in verses 32-33! Then Jesus said this to him in verse 34a:


34a And when Jesus saw that he answered intelligently (discreetly and having his wits about him), He said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. 


What did Jesus mean by that? It will help if you understand that the kingdom of Heaven is a place! Heaven is where God the Father and Jesus now live. We who have received Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Saviour are also citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven (Philippians 3:20 AMP)! We are seated IN HIM, in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) and are here on earth as HIS ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20)! On the other hand, the kingdom of God is a "method"! It is how those who are citizens of that heavenly kingdom are to operate on this earth! What Jesus meant when He said that to the scribe was, IF he received Him as Lord and Saviour after His death, burial, and resurrection, he already understood enough of the Word of God that he would be able to step right into his new position of authority with a knowledge and understanding of the "method" that very few had! We are to operate with all the authority and supply of Heaven, right here on earth! That is what Jesus was anticipating when He said that we would do His works and greater works (John14:12)! Let's get to it! AMEN!


In Isaiah 37-38 we see Hezekiah, who was a godly king, turning to the LORD for deliverance for both the nation, and for himself when his body was attacked! He operated much like David did! I like this quote from the bible Exposition Commentary:

When the outlook is bleak, try the uplook. That's what King Hezekiah did when he received the blasphemous letter from the king of Assyria. 

And THAT is what we should do, in every situation! 

Shalom in Him!