Sunday, September 25, 2011

Psalm 98

1 O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
2 The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5 Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.
7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Key Verse:
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Key Observation:
Another millennial psalm picturing the rule of the Christ.

Memory Verse:
9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Devotion:

Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. So ends this psalm, another affirmation that the Lord is not done with Israel, as some would say, but will yet fulfill his promises after the 70th week of Daniel. The scripture is replete with prophecies of “that day” or “at that time”. A simple study of the book of Zechariah reveals much that will take place just before the Lord comes to rule. “On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves.” (Zech. 12:3)

Further: “And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” (Zech. 12:9) At that time, on that day, Israel will recognize their sin: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they will mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” (Zech. 12:10) “I will say, “These are my people,” and they will say, “The Lord is my God.” (Zech. 13:9)

His return to earth to set up that kingdom will be sudden and dramatic: “On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west to a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.” The foot of Jesus shall touch the mount on that very place where he ascended. For He is not slack concerning his promise which was: “1Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” ( Acts 1:11) Evidently geography is to change dramatically, not the least for the reason of making room for all the Christians that Jesus brings with him. “Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.” (Zech. 14:5) The holy ones are going to be you and me, and all those who have believed God the past 2,000 years. What a treasured future we have to look forward to!

The King is Coming

Praise God, He's coming for me

The marketplace is empty, no more traffic in the street
All the builder's tools are silent, no more time to harvest wheat
Busy housewives cease their labor, in the courtroom no debate
Work on earth has been suspended as the King comes through the gate

Happy faces line the hallway, those whose lives have been redeemed
Broken homes He has mended, those from prison He has freed
Little children and the aged hand in hand stand all a-glow
Who were crippled, broken, ruined, clad in garments white as snow

Chorus:
The King is coming, the King is coming
I just heard the trumpet sounding and soon His face I'll see
The King is coming, the King is coming
Praise God, He's coming for me

I can hear the chariot's rumble, I can see the marching throng
And the fury of God's trumpet spells the end of sin and wrong
Regal rolls are now unfolded, heaven's grandstands all in place
Heaven's choir is now assembled, start to sing 'Amazing Grace'

Praise God, He's coming for me, for me, for me

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