I Will Praise You

 

 

Psalm 22:19 31

 

January 8, 2022

 

 

But you, O Lord, do not be far off!  O you my help, come quickly to my aid!  Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!  Save me from the mouth of the lion!  You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!  I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation, I will praise you:  You who fear the Lord, praise him!  All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!  For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him but has heard when he cried to him.  From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him.  The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord!  May your hearts live forever!  All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.  For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.  All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.  Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

 

As one who looks to the Scriptures for guidons, we understand that God has told us the following Jeremiah 23:23-24, “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away?” “Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD. 

 

Could it be that David had a great understanding of the ways of God, more so than many who are in the pews each Sunday?  David knew the value of obedience and the cost of disobedience, that many today have no understanding of.  He never believed that a king was in charge of the nation, only God.

 

Now a question to all of us that go by the name Christian is; will the coming generation proclaim God’s righteousness to a people yet unborn?

 

As followers of Christ, do you ever wonder if a nation goes in the same way as a child that has not been taught the command of our Father?  When a dad does not follow the teaching of Scripture; of bringing up a child in the way they should go, and does not teach them to respect authority, both man's and God’s, but does as Samson's parents did and never says no, always caving into their wants and desires.  Could that be the model we see of Israel and how many times did they have to go into captivity to believe that God's ways are true and that a wise parent will teach them to their children? 

 

Could that be the outcome of a nation like ours that for two-generation has been consumed by being a friend and not a parent, with no respect for any authority, if you do not believe me become a teacher at a public school and you will understand, people have forgotten or never had a model of what a parent needs to be?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice