What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.
--Psalm 116:12-13 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on June 28, 2013 of Psalm 116; Ephesians 1:15-2:10; 2 Kings 18:17-19.
The 116th Psalm is a song of deeply personal thanksgiving. The psalmist starts out by telling us why he loves the Lord. He recalls the sorrows and distress he suffered in the past and how God delivered him from his suffering. One interesting note is found in verse 9 where he promises to follow God and obey His voice in his walk through life. This concept resounds with what the Apostle Paul tells us often in his letters, in one form or another, that though we must live in this world we must not let it influence us to where we do not put God and Jesus first and foremost in our lives. The psalmist says he will trust in the Lord always, and so should we.
And then our psalmist renews his own personal covenant with God, his promise to praise and worship Him, by posing the question of today's first focus verse and then answering it in the second. What can I give to God, he asks, in return for all that He has given me? His answer seems simple - he will take up the "cup of salvation" and call upon God's name. This "cup of salvation" may refer to that which is used for the drink offering during the Feast of First Fruits to celebrate the beginning of the harvest and the fullness of the harvest yet to come (please reference Leviticus 23:9-14). And calling upon the Lord may be just that - a promise to continue seeking God's help in times of trouble. But I believe the psalmist's answer goes a little further.
I see the cup of salvation as being that which Jesus poured out for us as an offering to God. In His prayer on the Mount of Olives, Jesus asked, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42.) The contents of that cup of salvation was very bitter for Jesus' tastes, for it was a blend of the pain and suffering He was about to endure. But the main ingredient in that cup that God would will Him to drink from is the sin of all the world distilled into one pure essence that our Lord would have to take upon Himself. The cup commemorating the first fruit of the greater harvest to come, one that Jesus Himself will reap when He returns. Jesus took of this bitter drink and made it sweet for us. He holds it out, offering it to us freely. All we have to do is reach out and grab it and take a sip. All we have to do is reach out and grab Jesus and accept Him into our lives. Then we can call upon the name of our Lord and Savior, singing praises to Him and witnessing to Him. We can never repay God for all the good He has done in our lives. But that's OK. All He wants is for us to believe in His Son and to worship Him. So let's take up the cup of our salvation and call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Father God, how could we ever begin to thank You for all the goodness You have given us, for all the grace You extend to us, for all the blessings You shower on us? Lord You poured out the cup of our salvation so that we might drink of it freely. May we never forget the One who sacrificed all just for us. May we always shout His name and let the whole world know just what He has done for us! In that most beautiful and glorious of names, Jesus we pray. Amen.
And then our psalmist renews his own personal covenant with God, his promise to praise and worship Him, by posing the question of today's first focus verse and then answering it in the second. What can I give to God, he asks, in return for all that He has given me? His answer seems simple - he will take up the "cup of salvation" and call upon God's name. This "cup of salvation" may refer to that which is used for the drink offering during the Feast of First Fruits to celebrate the beginning of the harvest and the fullness of the harvest yet to come (please reference Leviticus 23:9-14). And calling upon the Lord may be just that - a promise to continue seeking God's help in times of trouble. But I believe the psalmist's answer goes a little further.
I see the cup of salvation as being that which Jesus poured out for us as an offering to God. In His prayer on the Mount of Olives, Jesus asked, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42.) The contents of that cup of salvation was very bitter for Jesus' tastes, for it was a blend of the pain and suffering He was about to endure. But the main ingredient in that cup that God would will Him to drink from is the sin of all the world distilled into one pure essence that our Lord would have to take upon Himself. The cup commemorating the first fruit of the greater harvest to come, one that Jesus Himself will reap when He returns. Jesus took of this bitter drink and made it sweet for us. He holds it out, offering it to us freely. All we have to do is reach out and grab it and take a sip. All we have to do is reach out and grab Jesus and accept Him into our lives. Then we can call upon the name of our Lord and Savior, singing praises to Him and witnessing to Him. We can never repay God for all the good He has done in our lives. But that's OK. All He wants is for us to believe in His Son and to worship Him. So let's take up the cup of our salvation and call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Father God, how could we ever begin to thank You for all the goodness You have given us, for all the grace You extend to us, for all the blessings You shower on us? Lord You poured out the cup of our salvation so that we might drink of it freely. May we never forget the One who sacrificed all just for us. May we always shout His name and let the whole world know just what He has done for us! In that most beautiful and glorious of names, Jesus we pray. Amen.
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