Psalm 147:1:
1 PRAISE THE LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God, for He is gracious and lovely; praise is becoming and appropriate.
This Psalm was most likely written for the celebration, during the time of Nehemiah, of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the return of the exiles from Babylon. I liked this from the Bible Exposition Commentary:
One of the unique characteristics of this psalm is the large number of present participles in it — "building, healing, binding, counting, lifting up," and so on — all of which speak of the constant and dynamic working of the Lord for His people.
Our God is CONSTANTLY working on our behalf when we get in position to receive the Blessing (Zechariah 4:10)! This Psalm gives three reasons why we should be praising the LORD!
- His people have been restored (verses 1-6).
- The land of Israel has been refreshed (verses 7-11).
- The Word of God has been revealed (verses 12-20).
Each section begins with a new command to praise HIM! Let's DO IT!
Revelation 3 continues with the messages to the churches. I like this from the Bible Exposition Commentary, also:
We are still listening to what the Holy Spirit has to say to the churches; for these messages from Christ belong to our day as well as to the first century. Churches are people, and human nature has not changed. So, as we continue our study, we must not look on these letters as ancient relics. On the contrary, they are mirrors in which we see ourselves!
As you continue to study these messages, allow the Spirit of God to reveal anything in your personal life that is need of change or adjustment. He desires that we ALL walk in close, personal, intimate fellowship with HIM! Verses 19-22:
19 Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude]. 20 behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me. 21 He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him to sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame (was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on his throne. 22 he who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the [Holy] Spirit says to the assemblies (churches).
If you have received Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Savior, the you ARE and over-comer ( 1 John 4:4)! Let's LOOK like one! Amen!
In Jeremiah 30-31 the prophet received the message from the LORD while he was sleeping. The message is of the return of the exiles from Babylon, and also of the return of the scattered people of Israel in our time. Since 1948 the Jewish people have been returning to the land that God Himself gave to them so very many years ago! In the eyes of Almighty God, this land, and much more than they have right now, has ALWAYS belonged to Him and His people! Jeremiah 31:35-37:
35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day and the fixed order of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, Who stirs up the sea's roaring billows or stills the waves when they roar -- the LORD of hosts is His Name: 36 If these ordinances [of fixed order] depart from before me, says the LORD, then the posterity of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me throughout the ages. 37 Thus says the LORD: If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD.
Israel belongs to the One, True God of the Bible and He will NEVER forsake them completely! Hallelujah! Make sure that YOU are on the right side of THAT situation! Amen! This is a map of God's original plan for the land!
Shalom in Him!
