Hobart Herd Devotional – Psalms 95
As we start these 5 straight “Enthronement Psalms”, we are reminded of God’s Sovereignty, and the command to worship and glorify our God for Who He is. We do this by entering His presence with thanksgiving and praise that flows from our hearts to the Rock of our salvation.(vs. 1-2) As the “King above all gods”, from the Grand Canyon to Mount Everest, He holds it all in His hands.(vs. 3-4). He created the seas and dry ground and all of it shows His power and strength.(vs. 5)
Maybe my favorite verses in this Psalm make up the worship chorus that we sing from verses 6-7. “Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our God our Maker. For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” We have the picture of our Great Shepherd in John 10 and the description of His sovereign care for His sheep. John 10:27-30, 27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given {them} to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch {them} out of the Father’s hand. 30 “I and the Father are one.”(NAS) When we put our trust in our Great Shepherd, the Father and the Son have us covered. We of all people should be the voices of worship, praise and thanksgiving, bringing continuous glory to our Great God and Savior!
This Psalm reminds us that to forget our God and fail to worship Him in obedient love has huge consequences in our lives. We are reminded of Moses’ and Israel’s wrong thinking and behavior in the trying times in the desert when there was no water. Israel began to murmur, grumble, and complain that God was not there to care for them. After all that God had done for them, they did not believe that He would provide the water that was necessary for them to survive.(Exodus 17) Moses became so angry and frustrated with the peoples response that he disobeyed God and struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Both were not allowed to enter the Promised Land and wandered the desert for 40 years until all those over 20 died. They were not able to enter the rest of the Lord and enjoy living in God’s land.
How did this happen? From the awesome deliverance from Egypt through the Red Sea, and the wiping out of the world’s greatest army to protect them, to not being able to enter the Promised Land and wandering for 40 years in the desert; God’s people chose to murmur, complain, letting the circumstances control their hearts. They made a choice to stop worshipping, praising, and glorifying their great God and King and were moved to doubt, fear, anger and murmuring. I am reminded in verses 7b-8a,
“Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart”. I have a choice everyday to reject hearing His voice and letting the world harden my heart, or celebrating in praise, worship and thanksgiving my glorious Sovereign King and Savior.
Father, You are my God and King, and You deserve all the praise and thanksgiving my heart can muster in worshipping You. Help me to listen to Your word and not allow my heart to be hardened by the struggles of this world. I trust that my Sovereign God is caring and keeping me as my Great Shepherd. Every day I want to bring glory to You! In Jesus Name, Amen! Pastor Rob
Hobart Herd Devotional – Psalms 96
What does it mean to have a new song? Lamentations 3:21-24, 21 This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. 22 The LORD’S lovingkindnesss indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. 23 {They} are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness. 24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”(NAS) I can sing a new song from my heart because I have this hope and faith in my life. Another reason we can sing a new song is because we have the good news of His salvation to proclaim every day to all the earth!(vs. 1-2) We are to make known all of God’s wonderful deeds to all the earth! We live in an area where we can see all around us the splendor and majesty of His creation that He provided for us to enjoy. Surely we can sing His praise and share with others the greatness of His glory as “strength and beauty are His sanctuary”.(vs. 6)
In verses 7-10, we are told that all the nations of the world will ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Remember that this is a promise from God’s word and will happen. Philippians 2:9-11, 9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, 11
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(NAS) We are to be involved in leading our world to recognizing the greatness of our God by the way we speak and live. This needs to be a heart attitude that overflows with a song of joy to the Lord that the world can see and hear. The heavens, earth, and all creation will declare His glory and sing His praise.(vs. 11-12)
Why can we sing this new song? It is because we have the promise that Jesus is coming again to rule, reign and judge the earth with all righteousness and justice.(vs. 13) Today as we struggle to see anything good happening in our world, may we be reminded to sing a new song of salvation and our Lord’s coming again!
Father, it is frustrating to see the condition of our world and their rejection of the Lord. Thank You for giving us a new song of salvation to share, and the hope of the Lord’s soon return. May this keep us singing, sharing, and praising You until You come again. In Jesus Name, Amen! Pastor Rob
Hobart Herd Devotional – Psalms 97
At the end of Psalms 96, we have the promise of the Lord coming again! Psalms 97 continues in this light as this Psalm is a vision of the Lord in all His Splendor as He returns to reign and judge the earth. Verse 1 reads as the announcement of His coming, with all the earth and even the furthest islands hearing, seeing and rejoicing together. There will be no one that doesn’t know Who the Lord is, and Why He has come.
In verses 2-9, we have a magnificent description of the Lord’s return and His affect on every part of creation. “Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”(NAS) What a magnificent entrance that reveals His righteousness, justice and majesty of His throne. Fire goes before Him burning His enemies before Him, lightning lights the way and the earth trembles with mountains melting at His presence. The wonders of the heavens declare to everyone that the Lord has come in all His glory.(vs. 3-6) There will be great shame for all who have rejected God and followed other gods, and great rejoicing by all those who have believed and followed after God!(vs. 7-8) My favorite verse is verse 9 as this is where we get our worship chorus, Be Exalted, O God. There is no doubt about WHO is our God, and how far above all else our Lord and Savior truly is.
What response should I have to this glorious picture of my Savior and King, coming in all His glory, holiness, and justice? I am told to “hate evil”, and trust in His preservation, and deliverance of His saints. I am to live in His light and gladness as a righteous and upright believer.(vs. 10-11) Psalms 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.(KJV) I am commanded to rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!(Philippians 4:4) The promised return of the Lord is my hope and glory as I strive to live righteously and expectantly with rejoicing in His soon return.
Father, the Promised return of the Lord is my blessed hope and joy. When I get caught up in the every day struggles of this world, may I be reminded to rejoice and live in the light of His Glory. Even death has no sting as I live and wait patiently to meet Him in the sky. You are my Lord and King, the hope and joy of my life! In Jesus Name, Amen! Pastor Rob