For He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham His servant. He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with gladness.
--Psalm 105:42-43 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on June 8, 2013 of Psalm 105:42-45; 2 Corinthians 2; 1 Kings 5:13-7:12.
God told Abram to pack up his wife and all his belongings and head out. Abram never asked where or why, he just followed as the Lord led him. Abram, later to be renamed Abraham by God, obeyed the Lord for the remainder of his days. And the Lord rewarded his faithfulness by making a covenant with him. God promised Abraham that from his descendants a great nation would arise and they would inherit what we know as the Promised Land (please reference Genesis 15).
Our psalmist remembers how Moses led that great and growing nation out of captivity in Egypt and the many trials they experienced during their exodus through the wilderness until finally, after the passing of a rebellious generation including even Moses and Aaron but excluding Joshua and Caleb, the house of Israel entered the land promised to it so long before, fulfilling God's covenant with Abraham. Our psalmist notes this promise made and promise kept in the first of today's focus verses. But notice how the psalmist describes the mood of the people at this momentous milestone in their history: they were filled with joy and gladness.
The people showed themselves to be pretty fickle during their over-long journey in exodus. They complained a lot, and about everything. Still God met their needs, brought them out of captivity and through the wilderness and delivered them into a rich and fertile land. God even defeated their enemies from before them. So they had every reason to appreciate what the Lord had done for them and to worship Him. It was only natural that they would be happy and joyful, praising God for His mighty works on their behalf. The trouble is, they too soon forgot God's grace and generosity and returned to their complaining, disobedient, sinful ways. And of course they paid the consequences.
Sadly, this sounds pretty much like us today. We complain about everything, even blaming God for our misfortunes. Life gets really tough and we pray to the Lord for His help. He doesn't owe us anything and certainly isn't obligated to give us any aid, but because He loves us so much He intercedes on our behalf, even sacrificing His only Son for us. So then everything starts going better and we begin to forget about God's favors and take His love for granted. And the cycle continues because we, like the children of Israel, just can't seem to remember how much God truly means to us. Let us remember that He has delivered us from strife and has a much better promised land awaiting our arrival. Be joyful and glad. Amen.
Loving Father, thank You for bringing us out of the wilderness of our lives and providing for our every need. Your love and mercy are so evident we should always be filled to overflowing with joy and gladness. Forgive us, please Lord, when we take You for granted and fail to recognize You are King over all creation. In the name of Jesus, the Spotless Lamb, we pray. Amen.
Our psalmist remembers how Moses led that great and growing nation out of captivity in Egypt and the many trials they experienced during their exodus through the wilderness until finally, after the passing of a rebellious generation including even Moses and Aaron but excluding Joshua and Caleb, the house of Israel entered the land promised to it so long before, fulfilling God's covenant with Abraham. Our psalmist notes this promise made and promise kept in the first of today's focus verses. But notice how the psalmist describes the mood of the people at this momentous milestone in their history: they were filled with joy and gladness.
The people showed themselves to be pretty fickle during their over-long journey in exodus. They complained a lot, and about everything. Still God met their needs, brought them out of captivity and through the wilderness and delivered them into a rich and fertile land. God even defeated their enemies from before them. So they had every reason to appreciate what the Lord had done for them and to worship Him. It was only natural that they would be happy and joyful, praising God for His mighty works on their behalf. The trouble is, they too soon forgot God's grace and generosity and returned to their complaining, disobedient, sinful ways. And of course they paid the consequences.
Sadly, this sounds pretty much like us today. We complain about everything, even blaming God for our misfortunes. Life gets really tough and we pray to the Lord for His help. He doesn't owe us anything and certainly isn't obligated to give us any aid, but because He loves us so much He intercedes on our behalf, even sacrificing His only Son for us. So then everything starts going better and we begin to forget about God's favors and take His love for granted. And the cycle continues because we, like the children of Israel, just can't seem to remember how much God truly means to us. Let us remember that He has delivered us from strife and has a much better promised land awaiting our arrival. Be joyful and glad. Amen.
Loving Father, thank You for bringing us out of the wilderness of our lives and providing for our every need. Your love and mercy are so evident we should always be filled to overflowing with joy and gladness. Forgive us, please Lord, when we take You for granted and fail to recognize You are King over all creation. In the name of Jesus, the Spotless Lamb, we pray. Amen.
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