Today we come to Psalm 107:33-43 and finish this Psalm, which is filled with praise for God and His deeds. We see the power of God in this Psalm. First, “He turned rivers into a desert … and fruitful land into a waste because of the wickedness of those who lived there” (verse 33). But then “He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs where the hungry could live … and He blessed them” (verses 35-38). In this Psalm, we see how God has been merciful to Israel over and over again. In verses 39-41, we read that “their numbers decreased and they were humbled; He made them wander through a trackless waste, but then He lifted the needy out of their affliction.” This section points ahead to Israel’s future and final deliverance from all its tribulations throughout history. The Psalm concludes with a loving warning: “Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD” (verse 43). God’s forgiveness, mercy, and comfort toward Israel in Psalm 107 should have special application for every believer as we, too, have benefited so much from His forgiveness, mercy, and comfort.
When I read the content of Isaiah 38-40 - especially chapter 40 - I am literally overwhelmed by God’s sovereignty and sometimes overcome by my tears when I think about how He loves and cares for me personally. Although God graciously extended Hezekiah’s life, we learn from this narrative that we should not meddle with God’s plan or His will. As Christians, we simply need to trust God for whatever time He gives us. Why? Because we see here that, in Hezekiah’s case, God granted him additional years, but during that time, his son and heir to the throne, Manasseh, was born. Later we learn that Manasseh was one of the most wicked kings of Judah. How much we need to leave the plans, purposes, and will of God with Him! In chapter 40, Isaiah says that God “comforts us tenderly and says that our sins have “been paid for” (verse 2). In successive chapters, Isaiah will address five special comforts that God has for Israel – thus, by extension – toward all His children. We will mention each of these comforts as they appear in our readings. Here, in chapter 40, the first comfort is of “His flock like a Shepherd” (verse 10). Notice that He “gathers us like lambs in His arms and carries us close to His heart” (verse 11). We are all “withering blades of grass” (verse 8), and His comfort is exactly what we need. Indeed, “who has understood the mind of the LORD?” (verse 13).
In Galatians 2:11-3:9, we read that Paul had to confront Peter and “oppose him to his face, because he was clearly wrong” (verse 11). We see here that Peter “began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of the Jews” (verse 12). Paul called this “hypocrisy” (verse 13). We learn from this that the banner of Christ removes all segregations. As we said yesterday, we are to recognize without prejudice the diverse differences in the church and to accept all true believers who are biblical. Practices may diverge, but people should converge. We also learn from this how easy it is to fall – like Peter did – into hypocritical behavior. The Scriptures, as our guarantee, and the Holy Spirit, as our Guide, are our only protection from hypocrisy. What a comfort it is to know that “our justification rests in Christ” (verse 16) and that “Christ lives in me” (verse 20). If not these truths, then “Christ died for nothing” (verse 21). Personally, I thank God that He has even given me the gift of faith to believe, and that He loves imperfect people, for that certainly applies to me.
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