Reading the Bible Together

The Passage for the Day

A psalm.

 1 Sing to the LORD a new song, 
       for he has done marvelous things; 
       his right hand and his holy arm 
       have worked salvation for him.

    2 The LORD has made his salvation known 
       and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

    3 He has remembered his love 
       and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; 
       all the ends of the earth have seen 
       the salvation of our God.

    4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, 
       burst into jubilant song with music;

    5 make music to the LORD with the harp, 
       with the harp and the sound of singing,

    6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— 
       shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

    7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, 
       the world, and all who live in it.

    8 Let the rivers clap their hands, 
       let the mountains sing together for joy;

    9 let them sing before the LORD, 
       for he comes to judge the earth. 
       He will judge the world in righteousness 
       and the peoples with equity.

Points of interest:

·         ‘Sing to the LORD a new song’—none of the old songs quite capture it.  They need to come up with a new song to describe just how good God is.

·         ‘to the house of Israel/all the ends of the earth’—during the past several days of reading the psalms, you may have noticed that a common feature of Hebrew poetry is parallelism: saying roughly the same thing several different times.  It plays the same role in Hebrew poetry that rhyming or meter does in English poetry.  So, for instance, in verse 4, we are told to ‘Shout for joy,’ and to ‘Burst into song.’  Well, in verse 3, we get a very interesting example of parallelism: the house of Israel and the ends of the earth are treated as synonyms.  God remembers his promises to Israel, and he shows his salvation to all the ends of the earth. 

·         ‘Let the rivers clap their hands’—this joy even goes beyond humanity.  Rivers and mountains join in.

·         ‘for he comes to judge the earth ‘—it seems we tend to think of God’s judgment as bad news, or something to fear.  But here, all of this happy singing on the part of Israel, the ends of the earth, the rivers, the mountains, and the seas is because God is on his way to judge the earth.  I think this yearning for God’s judgment comes from a keen awareness that, apart from some intervention, much is wrong with the world.  But when a loving and faithful God is truly in charge, he can set things right in a way that’s best for everyone.

Taking it home:

·         For you: Are there any areas in your life where you feel like stuck?  Any things that you would just like to go differently?  Any problems that just don’t seem to go away? Ask God to show you his salvation.

·         For your six: The psalmist remarks about all the marvelous things God has done.  God seems eager to reveal himself in big ways.  Pray that God would do that for your six.  Ask him to intervene in their lives in some remarkable way. 

·         For America: You may have noticed that there are some God-sized problems in the world right now, problems that even as powerful a nation as powerful as ours doesn’t seem to be able to do anything about: global warming, AIDS, financial meltdown, economic collapse, and more.  Choose one of these overwhelming problems, and pray that God would show his love, faithfulness, and saving power in the midst of it.

John Testifies Again About Jesus

²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”

³¹ The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ³³ The person who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

¹¹ Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus the Great High Priest

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Fear the LORD

¹² And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

¹⁴ To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. ¹⁵ Yet the LORD set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. ¹⁶ Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. ¹⁷ For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. ¹⁸ He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigners residing among you, giving them food and clothing. ¹⁹ And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. ²⁰ Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. ²¹ He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. ²² Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”

¹ Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.

² Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.

³ Arrogant foes are attacking me;
ruthless people seek my life—
people without regard for God.

⁴ Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.

⁵ Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.

⁶ I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, LORD, for it is good.

⁷ You have delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.