Milo

HALLELUJAH CHORUS
Psalms 142–150

“Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness” (Ps. 150:2).

How great a contribution the Psalms make to our lives. In reading them we are led to praise the Lord.

Overview
Four psalms of David lift us from a desperate sense of need (Pss. 142–143) to confidence in God as our deliverer (Ps. 144) and then to praise (Ps. 145). The psalter ends (Pss. 146–150) with five beautiful praise psalms, each beginning and ending with the Hebrew shout, Hallelujah! which means “Praise the LORD!”

Understanding the Text
Psalm 142: In Desperate Need. The setting is the cave in which David hid from Saul’s pursuing army. Troubled and discouraged, David cried out to God for rescue.

“Before Him I tell my trouble” Ps. 142:1–5. One of the most important lessons we learn from the Book of Psalms is that, like David, you and I can “pour out our complaints” to the Lord. We can tell Him every trouble, share every dark and distressed emotion. When no one else is concerned about us, we have in God One who truly cares.
God doesn’t want you or me to clutch our fears or our pain to us. God wants us to share that fear or pain with Him, knowing that He will listen and does care.

“You are my refuge” Ps. 142:5–7. Sharing our fears or pain with the Lord reminds us of who God is. He not only listens, He is able to help! Our enemies may be too strong for us, but they are not too strong for the Lord. Our appeal is directed to the one Being in the universe who is able to help!
We come to the Lord with our fears and our pain. We come away in peace, with a renewed sense of hope. At last we can see ahead to a time when “the righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me.”

Psalm 143: In Deep Distress. Once again fears drove David to the Lord. Again he was helped. He meditated on God’s past works, and ultimately reached a clear understanding of how he must deal with his trials. (See DEVOTIONAL.)

Psalm 144: My Deliverer! God answered David’s prayers and rescued him from his enemies. Here David celebrated the Lord as his deliverer.

“Praise be to the LORD, my rock” Ps. 144:1–4. Wonder of wonders, God had again stooped to deliver a mere mortal, and David was awed by the fact. Echoing Psalm 8, David cried, “What is man that You care for him?”
We sense the joy David felt as he piled image on image, celebrating his loving God as my rock, my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield. It is amazing that God should be all this for any human being. It is overwhelming that He should be all this for me!

“Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down” Ps. 144:5–11. These verses are not so much an appeal for God to act as they are celebration of a deliverance already experienced. In a sense David was reliving the rescue that lifted him from despair to joy.

“Then” Ps. 144:12–15. The outcome of deliverance is peace and prosperity. No wonder David cried, “Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.” God saves us from all our troubles, and He intends to bless.

Psalm 145: Praise His Name. This is an acrostic psalm: each line begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We might name it, “Praising God from A through Z,” as each letter brings to mind a different reason to praise the Lord.

Psalm 146: Praise the God of Jacob. This first of the five Hallelujah psalms that close the psalter focuses our attention on who Israel’s God is, and what He does.

“Praise the LORD, O my soul” Ps. 146:1–4. God is praised as our only real source of help and deliverance.

“The God of Jacob” Ps. 146:5–9. The name is rooted in history: this is the God who bound Himself by covenant oath to be the God of Israel. We celebrate Him, for this God is the Maker of all, faithful forever, sustainer of the oppressed, who frees the prisoner, heals the infirm, loves the righteous, watches over the alien, sustains the helpless, and frustrates the ways of the wicked.
All the psalmist knows about this God of Jacob thrills him, and moves him to sing praises!

“The LORD reigns forever” Ps. 146:10. This is the capstone. The One we know and celebrate is Sovereign in this universe. In Him we are safe and secure.
Praise the Lord.

Psalm 147: Praise the Sustainer. The Hallelujah Chorus continues with praise to God for maintaining the universe He created, and caring for all who put their trust in His unfailing love.

Psalm 148: Praise Him, All Creation. Nature does more than reveal God’s wisdom and power. All the splendor of Creation joins Israel in exalting God’s name, and thus offers praise.

Psalm 149: Praise Him, All Saints. God’s people, whom He created and whom He crowned with salvation, rejoice in the Lord and offer Him praise.

“In the assembly of the saints” Ps. 149:1–8. God’s people have two callings, each of which are aspects of worship. First, God’s people are called to sing His praises, and rejoice in the One who takes such delight in them (vv. 1–5). Second, God’s people are to take a stand on this earth against evil (vv. 6–9). While in Old Testament times Israel literally went to war against pagan peoples in their land, today we are to be engaged in spiritual warfare, doing all we can to uphold righteousness and do justice in our society.

Psalm 150: Praise the Lord. The final, jubilant psalm in this great Old Testament book pictures a people who gather before the Lord (v. 1) to praise His works and character (v. 2) with every resource they possessed (vv. 3–5), until all living things join in with shouts of joy (v. 6).

DEVOTIONAL
What Can I Do?
(Ps. 143)
No one likes to feel helpless. Almost any situation seems bearable if there is only something, anything, that we can do that might improve it. Despair and depression usually flood in only when we realize that we are helpless, unable to affect our situation, totally at the mercy of our circumstances.
I think David felt much like this when he penned Psalm 143. He cried out to God for mercy and relief (v. 1). He realized he had no right to expect God’s help (v. 2). Yet his desperate situation filled him with dismay (vv. 3–4). David recalled what God had done and reaffirmed his trust in the Lord (vv. 5–8). But like you and me, David also seemed to cry out, “What can I do?”
The answer is simple and clear. We see it in David’s words, “Show me the way I should go,” and, “Teach me to do Your will” (vv. 8b, 10). We may be helpless to better our situations. But there is still something we can do! Each day, each hour, as we wait for God to deliver us, we can concentrate our attention on doing God’s will for that day, for that hour.
What we can always do, no matter how helpless we may be to alter our situations, is to live each moment as servants of the Lord, ready always to respond as His “good Spirit” reveals an opportunity to serve Him.
What a sense of relief comes over us as we make David’s discovery. We are not helpless after all. There is something we can do. The most important thing of all. We can do God’s will.

Personal Application
When you can’t change your situation, make it your priority simply to do each hour, each day, what God wills.

Quotable
“God is looking for people through whom He can bless the world. Say definitely: Here am I; I will give my life to this calling. Cultivate your faith in the simple truth: God hears prayer; God will do what I ask.
“Give yourself to others as completely as you give yourself to God. Open your eyes to sense the needs of a perishing world. Take up your position in Christ and in the power which His name and life and Spirit give you. And go on practicing definite prayer and intercession.”—Andrew Murray

WORKS OF GOD’S HANDS
Psalms 135–141

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Ps. 139:14).

Praise and worship grow out of God’s revelation of Himself to us. The more we know of what God has done and is doing, the more we respond to Him in worship.

Overview
The many and varied works of God for His people stimulate praise. The Lord is praised for works on behalf of Israel (Pss. 135–136). In contrast, the Babylonian captives were unable to sing the songs of Zion (Ps. 137). David praised God for the Lord’s work in shaping his life (Pss. 138–139) and in preserving him from enemies (Pss. 140–141).

Understanding the Text
Psalm 135: God Has Chosen Jacob. That choice, expressed in history by the Lord’s defeat of Israel’s enemies, moved the psalmist to call God’s people to praise.

“Israel . . . His treasured possession” Ps. 135:1–7. The psalmist began by expressing his wonder that God should have chosen the Hebrew people to be His own. As the entire Old Testament testifies, this was a sovereign choice, not based on Israel’s merits. God, “who does whatever pleases Him,” selected Israel simply because He wanted to.
How good to know that God’s choice of you and me is also an expression of His free will. God loves us because He wants to, not because we deserve to be loved.

“He struck down the firstborn of Egypt” Ps. 135:8–21. God’s love counts. He, unlike the foolish pagan’s idols, is able to act for us in the real world. No wonder Israel was moved to praise! God wrested Israel from slavery, struck down many nations, and gave His people their land as an inheritance.

Psalm 136: His Love Endures. A mere six syllables in Hebrew compose the joyful response of the people as a worship leader chanted praise to God for His many wonderful works. We can capture that response in six English words: “for His love has no end!”

Psalm 137: No Song to Sing. In Babylon, far from the inheritance promised by God, Israel was unable to sing songs of praise.

The preceding and following psalms show us that praise grows out of God’s self-revelation. As we know Him through His works, our hearts respond.
In Babylon, far from their ancient homeland, the Jewish people felt crushed and isolated from God. Only when God acted again, to crush their oppressors and restore them to the Holy Land, would songs of joy again spring from their lips.
The psalm reminds us it is only when we see God at work, in history and in our present lives, that we know real joy. Jesus put it this way: “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24). Christ did not imply that receiving the thing we pray for will bring joy. His point was that in the answer to prayer we will sense God at work, and this—God active in our lives-gives us joy.

Psalm 138: His Purpose for Me. Each believer is also a work of God’s hands, shaped for a purpose. We find joy, and are moved to worship as we trust Him to work in and through us.

“Exalted above all things” Ps. 138:1–3. David called us to focus thoughts of God on His “name” and His “Word.” When we do, we learn to trust His qualities of love and faithfulness.

“When they hear” Ps. 138:4–5. The word uttered in the name of the Lord should stimulate even the kings of the earth to praise.

“You preserve my life” Ps. 138:6–8. David had a personal reason for praise. He had experienced God’s love and faithfulness as the Lord preserved him in many troubles.
What David understood, and we need to appreciate, is that each of us is important to God. His love has led Him to make our lives meaningful by linking it to His eternal plan. We may not have a large part. We may not even know now what His purpose in us is. Yet God does have a purpose to fulfill in your life and mine. To Him, we do count!
We can say with David, “The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O LORD, endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands.”

Psalm 139: You Know Me. In one of the most significant of his psalms, David probed the nature of his relationship with God, and traced that relationship back to the Lord’s creation of his “inmost being.” (See DEVOTIONAL.)

“You know me” Ps. 139:1–12. David was untroubled by the paradox of a transcendent God who is also imminent. He acknowledged God as One who fills the entire universe, yet saw the Lord as constantly, pervasively present with His servants. God was near, observing every act of David, conscious of his every thought. God is transcendent, far above the highest heaven. Yet God is also totally present in the saint’s here and now, giving each of us His undivided attention.

“You created my inmost being” Ps. 139:13–16. David extended his wonder at God’s concern for the individual to the past and the future. God has been with us, superintending our development from the womb. Furthermore God’s care reaches on into the future: to “all the days ordained for me,” which were written in God’s book before even one of our days came to be.
How clearly this psalm teaches the significance of individual life: a significance underlined by God’s careful attention to the individual from conception, through his fetal stage, into his childhood and beyond, encompassing every day of the individual’s existence. God knows, even if many today deny, that life begins in the womb and extends on into eternity. How precious you are to God! And how precious the unborn.

“How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God” Ps. 139:17–24. David responded to the love he sensed in God’s care with a desire to please the Lord. He wanted to understand the Lord’s thoughts, to hate those who hated God, and to be cleansed of “any offensive way.”
God does know us, even when we try to hide from Him. And when we consciously open our hearts, and become totally honest with God and ourselves, He tests our hearts, cleansing us from “offensive” ways.

Psalm 140: Justice for the Poor. David called on God to rescue him, sure that among His works is protecting the believer from men of violence, and securing justice for the poor.

Psalm 141: My Refuge. David sought help from God, first to live a righteous life, and then to be delivered from evildoers he expected God to judge.

DEVOTIONAL
Darkness As Light
(Ps. 139)
I heard the story many years ago from a mom who used preschool lessons that I wrote. Her little girl came into the house, complaining, “I wish he’d leave me alone.” Mom went outside, but found no one there.
A little later the three-year-old returned. “I wish he’d leave me alone.” Again Mom looked, but no one was there.
When it happened a third time, Mom sat down with her daughter and asked: “Who?”
The answer was: Jesus! The three-year-old’s Sunday School lesson was “Jesus Always Sees Me.” The little girl had wanted to pick some forbidden flowers, and wished that Jesus would leave her alone so she could do it without being seen!
Sometimes we feel a little like that little girl. The idea that God is with us constantly, observing every act, aware of every thought, seems burdensome.
David, however, had a different perspective. We can never hide from God, for even darkness is light to the Lord. But David did not want to be hidden! The fact is that life itself is darkness to us! Only a God to whom darkness is as light can guide us safely from conception to eternity.
Even more, David realized that God is bending close to express His love, not to catch us in some sinful act. He stays close to guard us, and to guide us into His best. When we sense Him near and realize that what we feel is love we, with David, will invite Him, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Personal Application
God knows us perfectly and loves us completely. We have no need to hide from Him.

Quotable
“In two ways the presence of God is an antidote against sin: first, because God sees us, and, secondly, because we see God.”—Ignatius of Loyola

SONGS OF ASCENTS
Psalms 120–134

“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ’Let us go to the house of the LORD.’ Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem” (Ps. 122:1–2).

How do we feel when Sunday comes, and we approach the church where we worship? This group of psalms reminds us that worship is to be a joyful occasion, rich in meaning for the believer.

Jerusalem lies high in the mountains of central Palestine. From the time of David and Solomon, represented in this sketch, Jerusalem was unique—a site God chose through David as the one site on earth where a temple might be built, and sacrifices offered to the Lord.


Overview
These 15 “songs of ascents,” on a variety of themes, were probably chanted by Hebrew pilgrims as they approached Jerusalem to attend one of the Old Testament’s annual worship festivals.

Understanding the Text
Psalm 120: The Homesick Soul. The first psalm of ascents pictures a burdened believer, far from his spiritual homeland. This land of strife is not his home: his homeland is a land of peace (shalom: well-being).

“I call on the LORD” Ps. 120:1–7. At stated times during the year each Hebrew was called to turn in his heart, if not possible to return physically, to Jerusalem, to join the believing community in worship at the temple of the Lord.
This psalm pictures a person living among the ungodly, who realized afresh at this time of year that he was a man of peace, who lived among those who were for war. How important for us to return to our roots, and with the community of faith look to and call on the Lord.

Psalm 121: Looking to God. There is no help in the hills on which the pagans worship. Our help comes from the Lord.

“The LORD watches over you” Ps. 121:5. What can we expect from the God who watches over us at all times? Simply that He will “keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life.”

Psalm 122: Joy in Jerusalem. Arrival at Jerusalem, where God’s people worshiped, was a cause of celebration.

Psalm 123: Dependence on God. God’s people look to Him for mercy as a slave, dependent on another’s kindness, looks expectantly to his or her master.

“Have mercy on us, O LORD” Ps. 123:1–4. Mercy is a much-admired quality in the Old Testament. It is compassion and concern for a helpless person’s plight, which finds expression in reaching out with help. The person who needs mercy is completely dependent on the willingness of another to help. How wonderful that as we depend on God, He does reach out to help us.

Psalm 124: God, Our Help. Only because God is on Israel’s side has this people survived. So all Israel praises the Maker of heaven and earth, who has proven to be His people’s help.

“If the LORD had not been on our side” Ps. 124:1–8. Modern nations have claimed to have God on their side. In World War I the belt buckles of German soldiers proclaimed, “Gott Mit Uns,” and U.S. currency announces, “In God We Trust.” Yet only Israel had a valid basis for making this claim, for God’s covenant promises were made to this people alone, not to modern nations. Even then, God was with His people to deliver them only when they were faithful to their own covenant responsibilities. You and I as individuals do experience God’s grace. And we can determine to be faithful to the God who has been so good to us.

Psalm 125: A Song of Trust. God does good to those who are good. We can trust in Him, for He alone can never be moved.

Psalm 126: Great Things! Israel’s restoration to her homeland after the Babylonian Captivity is just one of the “great things” the Lord had done for His chosen people.

“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy” Ps. 126:1–6. Looking back, the psalmist could see that Israel’s Captivity was a prelude to blessing. As you and I look back on the difficult times in our lives, we too will be able to sense the good hand of God at work.

Psalm 127: Our Heritage. The children God gives us are our “house,” a heritage from the Lord who does not build houses but families.

“Sons are a heritage from the LORD” Ps. 127:1–5. The attitude of the Jewish people toward children is best expressed in this simple psalm which views them as a gift from God, and suggests that “the more, the merrier!”

Psalm 128: Fear of the Lord. The blessings of reverence toward God are celebrated here. We rejoice in the Lord. And we rejoice in His good gifts to us.

“May the LORD bless you” Ps. 128:1–6. Fear of the Lord, that Old Testament respect for God that motivates obedience, is the path of blessing for all of us. In most cases the blessing will be obvious: long life, prosperity, a large and happy family.
These are the things that the Jews of biblical times wished for one another as they gathered for worship. Peace and prosperity.
Not all of us who walk in God’s way have this experience on earth. But every one of us who knows and serves the Lord is assured peace and prosperity in those “days of your life” which stretch on and on forever in eternity.

Psalm 129: Peace and Prosperity. Against the background of past troubles, the blessings of peace and prosperity seem doubly important.

Psalm 130: Redemption’s Song. The man who stands amazed at God’s willingness to forgive understands both his own sinfulness, and the extent of God’s “unfailing love” and “full redemption.” (See DEVOTIONAL.)

Psalm 131: Childlike Faith. David pictured faith as a young child, nestling against its mother, and contrasted this attitude with an arrogance which challenged God’s Word.

Psalm 132: God’s Covenant Oath. God’s promise to David assured Israel of her destiny.

“The LORD swore an oath” Ps. 132:1–13. Jerusalem, the city of David, was ruled by an unbroken line of his Descendants. And one of his Descendants would yet be placed on Judah’s throne, there to rule “forever and ever.” In addition, God had chosen Zion as the location for His temple. So Israel’s future was secure. God had said:

“This is My resting place forever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned,
for I have desired it—
I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor will I satisfy with food.
I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her saints will ever sing for joy” (vv. 13–16).

You and I too face a future that is totally secure. We can celebrate, for in Christ God’s oath to David was fulfilled, and a new promise made to every person who puts his or her trust in the Lord.

Psalm 133: In Praise of Unity. Worship brings God’s people together as a family. The oil “poured on the head, running down on the beard,” speaks of celebration and happiness. We too find joy when we experience our unity with brothers and sisters in the family of God.

Psalm 134: In Praise of Ministry. What a privilege and joy to be servants of the Lord.

DEVOTIONAL
“What Do You Mean, Nineteenth?”
(Ps. 130)
Donald Grey Barnhouse used to picture a believer, burdened with a sense of guilt, appealing to God for forgiveness. The believer was ashamed, for he knew that he had committed the same sin many times before. “O Lord,” he begged, “please forgive me again. I know I don’t deserve it, as this is the nineteenth time I’ve committed this sin this month. But please, Lord, forgive me this nineteenth time.” And, Dr. Barnhouse would say, the Lord looked up in surprise. “What do you mean, nineteenth?”
The point this great old expositor of God’s Word was making is stated clearly in Psalm 130:3–4. “If You, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O LORD, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness.”
God keeps no record of our sins! When we confess, He forgives, and then our sins are gone.
What a blessing! Our past no longer is a weight we must carry with us always. Our past is gone, and we can look ahead with renewed hope. Through forgiveness we have been cleansed! Tomorrow will be different, and through Christ we will win victory over sins that in the past meant defeat.

Personal Application
Don’t let a sense of shame keep you from enjoying God’s forgiveness.

Quotable
Mother to Son
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
-Langston Hughes

DELIGHTS OF GOD’S LAW
Psalm 119

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your Law” (Ps. 119:18).

This, the longest psalm in the Bible, contains a series of eight-line meditations based on each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The psalm celebrates a revelation which brings delight, because each fresh word from God reveals not just information but its Author.

Definition of Key Terms
Some eight different Hebrew synonyms are used in referring to Scripture. These are:

Dabar (“word”), a general term for any form of divine revelation.
Torah (“law”), a teaching, indicating a single command, the Books of Moses, or all of Scripture.
Piqqudim (“precepts”), detailed instructions given by God as guardian of His people.
Huqqim (“statutes”), binding laws engraved on a permanent record.
Mispatim (“ordinances”), judgments made by God, containing God’s judgments concerning man’s rights and duties.
Miswot (“commandments”), orders given by competent authority.
˒Edot (“testimonies”), vivid and unmistakable witnesses to man of God’s will.
˒Imra (“promise”), a term often translated “word,” suggesting the trustworthiness of divine truth in any form.

Together these words form a clear picture of the Scriptures. They are God’s authoritative Word, in which we can have complete confidence, and through which we learn to trust God and to live a life characterized by godliness.

Overview
Twenty-two brief meditations, each launched with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, delight the reader. They speak of the love revealed in words which unveil the Author and serve as light to guide the believer all his or her life.

Understanding the Text
Each of the 22 meditations found here has great value. What follows is only a sample of the richness available to us in the 119th Psalm.

“How can a young man keep his way pure?” Ps. 119:9–16 We tell Sarah, at nine, how important it is to keep her dental appliance in her mouth. Somehow she can’t grasp the fact that it is either this, or wear metal during her teen years. Sarah is like the “young man” of this verse. She is too inexperienced to have gained wisdom, or be able to judge the future consequences of present actions. How the young need a guide to life’s good!
In a sense each of us is “young.” None of us has the wisdom to make right moral choices on his own. And so in grace God gave us His Word to live by. He did not intend to restrict or limit us, but to guide us along paths that assure blessing.
We then are faced with a single basic choice. Will we or will we not “stray from Your commands”?
If we are to remain safely on that path, we need to hide God’s Word in our hearts (v. 11), recount His laws (v. 13), rejoice in following His statutes (v. 14), meditate on his precepts (v. 15), and never neglect His Word (v. 16).
We tell Sarah, “Trust us. Keep your appliance in your mouth, and you’ll have no regrets in the future.” For Sarah too there is only one issue. Do what we say, no matter how little she wants to at various times.
Perhaps Psalm 119 can be viewed as the psalmist speaking to you and me as Sarah’s mom and I speak to her. “Trust God,” he said. “Concentrate on knowing and doing God’s Word. If you do, you can be sure. Your future will be bright.”

“Turn my eyes away from worthless things” Ps. 119:33–40. What a desperate need we have for perspective. For Sarah, our nine-year-old, everything she passes in the store or sees on TV awakens desire. She sees a colorful tote bag, and wants it. Never mind the fact that she has various bags at home, and has no need. She sees a delightful stuffed bear, and wants it. No matter that the attic has a box of stuffed animals given to her by adoring relatives.
When warned against asking for another thing, she says to me, “Buy this bathing suit, Daddy. You deserve it.”
I tell her, “I don’t need swim trunks. I already have some.” She pouts, and can’t understand when I tell her that even if I had a million dollars I wouldn’t buy what I don’t need. How hard it is, in a materialistic culture, not only to bring up a child, but even to tell the difference between our own “wants” and “needs.”
And so the psalmist asked God to direct him “in the path of Your commands,” and said, “for there I find delight.” As I read on I realize how much I need the Word of God to give me perspective. I know that delight is found in the path of God’s commands, not in possessions or pleasures. Yet I need His Word to:

  Turn my heart toward Your statutes
    and not toward selfish gain.
  Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
    renew my life according to Your Word.

I can’t afford to lose the perspective on reality that can be found only in God’s rich and wonderful Word.

“I have kept my feet from every evil path” Ps. 119:97–104. One thing you can’t get away from is people. Whether they are your enemies or your friends, you and I are always surrounded by others. Young Sarah finds that both enemies and friends exert a terrible influence.
“But everyone has this kind of lunchbox,” she complains. “The new one you bought me is junky.” Or, “Why can’t I have a notebook like Heather’s?” Pouting, at times whining, always fearful she won’t be accepted or liked if she doesn’t have or do what the other kids have or do, Sarah at nine is learning about the tyranny of other’s expectations.
We tell her that people will like her for herself, and that she doesn’t need to follow the crowd. But that is hard for little ones, and even for most adults, to realize.
The psalmist, however, had made a commitment that guarded his heart against the tyranny of both enemies and friends. “I love Your Law,” he said, and “I meditate on it all day long.” God’s commands made him “wiser than my enemies,” and he cared little for their taunts. Through God’s Word he had “more insight than all my teachers,” and “more understanding than the elders.”
The psalmist was able to stand back and evaluate the ways others followed, and to make his own choices, not just mimic them. “I meditate on Your statutes,” he said. “I obey Your precepts.” And we too, through that Word of God which becomes increasingly sweet as we know and obey it, find freedom from the expectations of others, and learn to “hate every wrong path.”

DEVOTIONAL
One Step at a Time
(Ps. 119:105–112)
One of the most helpful images in Psalm 119 is found in verse 105. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
In Bible times there were no powerful flashlights. The traveler carried a small oil lamp, whose flax wick gave off only a little light. There was enough to see by. Not enough to see what lay ahead down the path, but enough to take the next step without stumbling or falling.
What a reminder for us. The Word of God is a lamp to our path. It doesn’t illuminate our future, but it does shine in our present. God’s Word gives us the light we need to take our next step in life.

Personal Application
If we fill our minds and hearts with God’s Word, we will have the light we need to know what we must do next.

Quotable
“I would distinguish between academic study and more general study of the Bible. At one level—and perhaps this is the most important level—I approach the Bible with a readiness and an expectation to hear the voice of God there. But there is no conflict between that more devotional use of the Bible and its academic study. I have sought to make available to my hearers, in a form they can assimilate, the results of my trying to enable them, like myself, to recognize and apply the voice of God in Holy Scripture.”—F.F. Bruce

PASSOVER PRAISE
Psalms 113–118

“The LORD remembers us and will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron, He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike” (Ps. 115:12–13).

This cycle of six psalms, known as the “Egyptian Hallel” (praise), was used at Passover. While only one psalm mentions Egypt, the theme of each fits the season during which Israel celebrated redemption from a condition of slavery.

Overview
Israel celebrated the Passover season with this cycle of six psalms. They affirmed God for raising up the oppressed (Ps. 113) and for deliverance from Egypt (Ps. 114). They offered the praise of the community (Ps. 115), the individual (Ps. 116), and all nations (Ps. 117). The cycle concluded with an exultant shout of praise that looked forward to Messiah (Ps. 118).

Understanding the Text
Psalm 113: Raising the Poor. God is praised for stooping to lift the needy from the ash heap and seating them with princes.

“Praise the LORD” Ps. 113:1–3. Passover was truly a season of praise. Israel recalled all God had done for His people as each Jewish family reenacted the supper held the night death struck Egypt and passed by the blood-marked homes of God’s own. At last Pharaoh acknowledged his sin, and released his slaves. Passover thus was a festival of freedom, a joyous celebration of God’s salvation. No wonder this psalm begins, “Praise the LORD!” and called on Israel to praise Him “now and forevermore.”

“Who is like the LORD our God?” Ps. 113:4–9 No wonder God is praised. The God of Israel, who is exalted over all nations and whose glory is above the heavens, stooped down to “lift the needy from the ash heap” and seat “them with princes.”
We Christians too have a passover to celebrate. God in Christ became a man, and humbled Himself to accept death, that we whom faith marks with His blood might be lifted up beyond princes, to stand before the very throne of God. Praise Him indeed!

Psalm 114: Out of Egypt. The very earth trembled as God’s strong hand brought Israel out of slavery to freedom.

The verses of this psalm allude to God’s historic acts of parting the Red Sea and Jordan River (v. 3), causing Sinai to quake (v. 4), and water to spring out of solid rock (v. 8). God’s love motivated redemption; His power accomplished it. Then, as now, all His people could do was to watch in wonder as God did it all. And offer Him praise.

Psalm 115: Israel’s Praise. This psalm is a hymn sung by the whole community, rejoicing in its solidarity as a people of the Lord.

“To Your name be the glory” Ps. 113:1–9. Passover recalls events which set the God of Israel apart from the deities of all nations.
Pagans scoff because God cannot be seen, yet their idols of silver and gold are inanimate lumps. Grasping the vast difference between God and all the gods, the people of God cry out together:

O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—
He is their help and shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—
He is their help and shield.
You who fear Him, trust in the LORD—
He is their help and shield.

“The LORD remembers us and will bless us” Ps. 115:12–18. Together the people of God affirmed that God will bless (vv. 12–13), and wish one another His blessing (vv. 14–15). Together they “extol the LORD, both now and forevermore.”
Perhaps the thing we need to learn from this psalm is the benefit, the vital importance, of corporate worship. The whole psalm reveals a worshiping community that by its worship encourages all to trust God more deeply. We need the mutual support shared worship offers. We need the reminder that we are part of a vast company who know God, who have experienced His blessing, and who are confident that God will continue to bless.
No wonder the New Testament says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).

Psalm 116: Personal Thanksgiving. Passover did not only commemorate the deliverance of the nation. It spoke of salvation of individuals as well. The true believer was sensitive to the personal nature of salvation, and cried out his thanks that “when I was in great need, He saved me!”

“I love the LORD” Ps. 116:1–7. The believer of every age has had a deep sense of need, and an awareness that God has somehow acted to meet that need. Faith that “the LORD is gracious and righteous, our God is full of compassion” has been expressed by calling on the name of the Lord, saying, “O LORD, save me!” And in every age, that cry has brought the soul rest.
It’s no wonder that we love the Lord. We have felt His presence in our darkest hour, and know Him not simply as the Great Architect of the universe, or as uncaused cause, but our own gracious and loving Lord.

“How can I repay the LORD for all His goodness?” Ps. 116:8–19 When I tried to witness to other sailors after my conversion in the Navy, they were puzzled. How could salvation be free? After all, what beside fear of punishment could keep a person from doing whatever wrong he or she wanted to do?
The psalmist knew what every believer understands intuitively. God has delivered us from death, and His salvation has awakened love. All we ask, all we want to know, is how can we even begin to repay Him for His goodness.
This psalm says simply that we choose to be the slave of the One who has released us from slavery. We want only to serve the One who has served us. Our gratitude wells up, and with our life as well as our lips, we cry out, “Praise the LORD.”

Psalm 117: God as Saviour: Passover is prophetic for all peoples, for it reveals a saving God.

Here the psalmist celebrates a truth of which the prophets often spoke. God is the Saviour not only of Israel, but of the world. In Christ the vision of this psalm has been fulfilled. All the nations, all peoples, praise and extol the Lord for the salvation Jesus has won.

DEVOTIONAL
This Is the Day!
(Ps. 118)
Look back to see ahead. Turn to yesterday to see tomorrow.
It’s almost a paradox. But it’s true. When Israel looked back each Passover season at the redemption won for them from Egypt, they were in fact looking ahead, and viewing the ministry of the Messiah.
What will His coming mean? A shout of praise, that “His love endures forever” (vv. 2–4). Freedom found by taking refuge in the Lord (vv. 5–9). A fresh awareness of our desperate need, relieved by the fact that the Lord “has become my salvation” (vv. 10–14). Shouts of joy punctuating the realization that “I will not die but live” (vv. 15–18). Endless praise, as we enter the gates of heaven to give God thanks for our salvation (vv. 19–21). And in it all, the exaltation of Jesus who, rejected by the builders, became the cornerstone of God’s plan of salvation (vv. 22–23).
Then comes the stunning realization that “this is the day that the LORD has made”—a day that spills over into eternity; a never-ending day throughout which we will give God thanks, exalting Him for He is “my God” and because “He is good; His love endures forever.”
Today when you and I turn to look back, we see our tomorrow in the cross of Jesus, our Passover sacrifice. In the shadow of Calvary we sense the dawn of the day that the Lord has ordained for you and me. When we turn again after looking back at the cross, and look ahead, we can see just beyond the horizon of tomorrow the return of Christ.
What will that return mean? How clearly this majestic psalm tells us. For you and for me, Christ’s return will mean freedom, shouts of joy, and endless days of praise.

Personal Application
When you look back to the cross, look intently until you see tomorrow.

Quotable
“I have written much about the need to come to terms with sin, about repentance and Christians’ duty to change and live by God’s ways. So perhaps it is a good time to remind ourselves that the relationship between man and God is always a two-way street. The corollary to man’s repentance is God’s grace, His loving forgiveness. Grace is what that singular moment in history at Golgotha is all about. For only through the power of Christ’s resurrection can we find the forgiveness which makes life bearable.”—Chuck Colson