"All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name." Selah
--Psalm 66:4 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on March 29, 2013 of Psalm 66:1-7; Acts 28:11-31; Numbers 36-Deuteronomy 1.
A thoughtful reader may find many instances where the Psalms provide a foreshadowing of things to come, glimpses into the New Testament, images of Jesus the Christ long before His birth. Today's verse for reflection may be seen as one of these instances.
In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul refers to the words of the prophet Isaiah when he proclaims, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11. Also please see Romans 14:11 and Isaiah 45:23.) Paul says that everyone, whether in heaven or on earth or in hell (under the earth), even the angels (in heaven), will bow down and worship Jesus as Lord, all to glorify God our Father. This is what David points to: all the earth worshiping Jesus, singing praises to His very name. Jesus cautions that some will face Him on their final day and worship His name by crying out "Lord, Lord", but that Jesus will turn them away saying He never knew them for they did not do the Father's will and therefore they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. (Please see Matthew 7:21-23 and Luke 6:46.) So even though both David and Paul declare that everyone will worship Christ as Lord and will praise the name of Jesus, Jesus Himself warns us that not all of those worshiping and praising Him will be granted salvation and eternal life. David tells us what will happen, and Paul confirms what David says. But Jesus takes care to let us know that worship and praise alone will not get us into heaven. We must first and foremost remain obedient to God's will and do what Jesus tells us to do.
We should take this warning very seriously. Certainly we can join David in joyously worshiping Jesus and singing His praises, we can join Paul in bowing down and openly confessing Jesus as our Lord, to better glorify God. But we need to be careful not to think these acts alone will get us to heaven. Perhaps this is why David included the word "Selah" at the end of this fourth verse. Selah marks an interlude in a song, which a psalm is. It gives the listener a brief span to contemplate the previous passage, to think about what they just heard or, in this case, read. David wants us to stop and think about this for a few moments. He knows Jesus, even long before our Christ was born, and he knows Jesus has more to add to this verse. So believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, sing praises to His holy name. Worship Him with all your being for the glory of God our Father. But remember that the best way to truly honor and worship Him is to do what He would have us do and to obey His and our Father's will. Amen.
Jesus our Savior, we already bow before You and sing praises to Your holy name. But sometimes we think that is enough, that You will know us when we come before You at the closing of our final day. Please help us remember to honor You by following Your commandments and instructions, by being obedient to the will of God, to hold You in our hearts, and to know that You are God, our God. In Your name, Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul refers to the words of the prophet Isaiah when he proclaims, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11. Also please see Romans 14:11 and Isaiah 45:23.) Paul says that everyone, whether in heaven or on earth or in hell (under the earth), even the angels (in heaven), will bow down and worship Jesus as Lord, all to glorify God our Father. This is what David points to: all the earth worshiping Jesus, singing praises to His very name. Jesus cautions that some will face Him on their final day and worship His name by crying out "Lord, Lord", but that Jesus will turn them away saying He never knew them for they did not do the Father's will and therefore they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. (Please see Matthew 7:21-23 and Luke 6:46.) So even though both David and Paul declare that everyone will worship Christ as Lord and will praise the name of Jesus, Jesus Himself warns us that not all of those worshiping and praising Him will be granted salvation and eternal life. David tells us what will happen, and Paul confirms what David says. But Jesus takes care to let us know that worship and praise alone will not get us into heaven. We must first and foremost remain obedient to God's will and do what Jesus tells us to do.
We should take this warning very seriously. Certainly we can join David in joyously worshiping Jesus and singing His praises, we can join Paul in bowing down and openly confessing Jesus as our Lord, to better glorify God. But we need to be careful not to think these acts alone will get us to heaven. Perhaps this is why David included the word "Selah" at the end of this fourth verse. Selah marks an interlude in a song, which a psalm is. It gives the listener a brief span to contemplate the previous passage, to think about what they just heard or, in this case, read. David wants us to stop and think about this for a few moments. He knows Jesus, even long before our Christ was born, and he knows Jesus has more to add to this verse. So believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, sing praises to His holy name. Worship Him with all your being for the glory of God our Father. But remember that the best way to truly honor and worship Him is to do what He would have us do and to obey His and our Father's will. Amen.
Jesus our Savior, we already bow before You and sing praises to Your holy name. But sometimes we think that is enough, that You will know us when we come before You at the closing of our final day. Please help us remember to honor You by following Your commandments and instructions, by being obedient to the will of God, to hold You in our hearts, and to know that You are God, our God. In Your name, Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
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