Read Psalms 106 -- 107
In Today's Reading:
Israel's wilderness rebellion; God's mercies to Israel; exhortation to praise God for His goodness.
Verse for Today:
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way. . . . For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. . . . He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions (107:6-9,20).
Although God had faithfully blessed Israel with a miraculous delivery from Egyptian slavery, yet they [did not wait] for His counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul (Psalms 106:13-15). The psalmist continued to review Israel's faithlessness and past sins: They envied Moses (vs 16); made a (golden) calf in Horeb, and worshiped the molten image (vs 19). In a miraculous way, God led Joshua to conquer the Canaanites and established the Israelites' rule over the Promised Land. Yet they despised the pleasant land (Canaan), believed not His Word (vs 24); joined themselves also [to] (the idol) Baal-peor (vs 28); did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded (vs 34); mingled among (associated with) the heathen (idolatrous nations) . . . and . . . served their idols (vss 35-36); and even sacrificed their sons and their daughters [to] devils (vs 37).
The consequences of Israel's sins are then listed: The wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people. . . . He gave them into the hand of the heathen. . . . Their enemies also oppressed them. . . . They . . . were brought low for their iniquity (vss 40-43).
Note carefully the one method of deliverance is still the same today. The psalmist could have simply said: The Lord . . . delivered them (107:6). Instead, he chose to say: He sent His Word, and healed them (vs. 20). Without a doubt, His Living Word is Jesus the Messiah, for in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:1). His written Word, when believed and acted upon, is the method God has chosen to supply and satisfy every need of all mankind.
Throughout the Bible, we are taught the necessity of relying on the Word of God for every situation. Yes, the Word, by Whom also He made the worlds . . . upholding all things by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:1-3), is the same Word by Which He provides the spiritual and physical renewal we so desperately need. The spoken Word of God creates and sustains life, and that same Word, the Bible, offers eternal life to all (John 1:12; 3:16).
The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord (Psalms 107:42-43).
Christ Revealed:
As the One Who makes the storm a calm (Psalms 107:29). When Jesus calmed the storm, His awestruck disciples exclaimed: What manner of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him! (Matthew 8:27). Jesus offers to calm the storms of our lives and give us peace (see John 14:27).
Word Studies:
106:20 similitude = likeness; 106:29 inventions = deeds; 106:30 stayed = stopped; 107:11 contemned = despised.
Prayer Needs:
Government Official: Del. Robert Underwood (Guam) · Pray for your church · Country: Mauritius (1 million) 500 miles east of Madagascar · Major languages: English and Creole · Limited religious freedom · 50% Hindu; 27% Roman Catholic; 17% Muslim; 5% Protestant · Prayer Suggestion: Ask that God's will be done in your life (Luke 22:42).
Optional Reading: 1 Timothy 4
Memory Verse for the Week: Romans 1:18