December 21, 2023
Today we consider the second part of Psalm 145, verses 8-13. In this section, David reminds us of God’s importance - something that we tend to overlook these days. We shouldn’t; God is all-important. David addresses the “grace and compassion of the LORD” (verse 8), and he says that God is “slow to anger and rich in love.” Often and unfortunately, we are just the opposite - quick to anger and poor (i.e., weak) in our love toward others. We would do well to take a lesson from the Lord. In verse 9, David repeats the word “all” three times to emphasize that God’s goodness and compassion are for all - all people, all that “He has made,” and “all His works” - which “praise Him.” In the following verses, King David, who knows something about kingdoms, turns his attention to God’s kingdom. David refers to God’s kingdom no less than five times (four times to “kingdom,” and once to “dominion”). God’s kingdom is “glorious” and “everlasting” (verses 11-13). David’s concludes his analysis of God’s importance by proclaiming that “the LORD is trustworthy in all His promises and faithful in all He does” (vs 13). How could anyone overlook this kind of importance for his or her life?
We also come today to Revelation 12. Readers should be aware that chapters 11-14 of Revelation constitute a parenthetical section (an intercalation) to the narrative. As such, this section adds vital information to our study of the book, but it does not advance the transition of events. The woman here is representative of Israel which gave birth to its Messiah - our Lord Jesus Christ. The dragon is identified as Satan, who does all he can to persecute and destroy (i.e., even to crucify) our Lord. The Revelation account indicates that “the male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter, was “snatched up to God (verse 5). “The woman fled into the wilderness” (verse 6), where she remains in preparation for her future tribulation experience when she will be “taken care of for 1,260 days” (verse 6). The text describes the great spiritual battle that goes on all around us. To this very day, Satan continues his pursuit of Israel “and the rest of her offspring” (verse 17). In verse 10, however, we have God’s immutable promise that the time of His “salvation, power, kingdom, and authority has come,” and as we have already seen earlier today, “His Word can be trusted” (Psalm 145:13).
In Ezra 6-7, we see how God works behind the scenes to bring about His will and His truth to the forefront. Regarding the question of temple reconstruction, King Darius orders the search for truth, and it reveals that Cyrus did, in fact, authorize the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem. As sovereign, Darius extends that authorization as well as its funding - adding the king’s official blessing to the project. By God’s providential superintendence to achieve His will through independent human agency, the temple is completed, and we see the celebration that follows. Ezra shows us that God is in control of human events, human history, and the future of humanity. We recognize that His Word, His will, His plans, His power, and His authority cannot and will not ever be frustrated or defeated.
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