Every Day Devotion

Psalm 2:7–9 [7] I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. [8] Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. [9] You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” (ESV) I'm thinking about Christmas. Not because it's that time of year. Not because I am greedy for a bunch of gifts. Not even because of the wonderful time spent with family and friends. I am thinking about Christmas because we are looking at this Psalm! In verse 7 of this Psalm the Psalmist speaks prophetically about the coming King, the Son of God. He has a name. You know him as Jesus. In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews quotes this very verse in reference to Jesus being the Son of God. Christmas is the celebration of the King of Kings who came in human flesh, the very Son of God. It is wonderful to see here in the Old Testament this descript...

Psalm 2:4–6 [4] He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. [5] Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, [6] “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (ESV) We know that God laughs. In fact, we should know that God has a sense of humor; he created us! Generally speaking, we think of God laughing as a positive thing. We think of God being the source of all joy and so it is natural to consider laughter coming from him. In fact, I fear that many of us have a picture of God as some kind of gentle old man in the sky. But, in this Psalm we find a very different concept of laughter coming from a sovereign God. In verse 4 the Lord of all Creation is laughing in mockery at the kings and nations who have taken a stand against God and His holy law. While he is laughing it is certainly not in fun. He does not view rebellion lightly. His response is one of wrath and terror. He establishes his ...

Psalm 2:1–3 [1] Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? [2] The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, [3] “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” (ESV) This Psalm opens with a very apt word; "why." Why do the nations rage against God? Why do nations set themselves up against the Lord and His ways? We know that blessing comes from the Lord. Following His ways brings contentment and peace. Yet, nation after nation sets itself up as being stronger and wiser than the one who alone allows them to even exist. As you look back over the millennia of time you see nation after nation ruled by godless leaders and following ungodly wisdom. There are a few exceptions in history where a nation sought the Lord. When they did they found peace and prosperity. I think of the United Sates of America is the greatest recent example. Sadly, we s...

Psalm 1:6 [6] for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (ESV) My wife and I still laugh at something our daughter said when she was a little girl. We asked her if she hit her little brother. Her response was priceless. She said, "Did you see me?" The truth is, man seems to have the same viewpoint toward God. We act as if we can do things and God won't see us. Yet, God knows everything and sees everything. Our verse today reminds us that the Lord knows! The Lord knows both the way of the righteous and the wicked. The difference is one of those ways leads to destruction while the other way does not. The righteous man faces many struggles and trials. There are even times of failing and falling into temptation. But over the course of a righteous man's life he is known by the Lord. The Lord cares for his own and guards his way. The wicked go "their own way." Amazingly, wicked people claim to be free. They are th...

Psalm 1:5 [5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; (ESV) The wicked were described as chaff in the previous verse. They have lives of no substance. They are blown about like something that has no worth. Because they are not like the tree planted by God they have no strength and get blown from one disastrous place to another. This imagery very aptly depicts the wicked of any age. Today, we see people who are just like what the Psalmist has described. Their life is a pursuing of vain pleasures that do not satisfy. They have no place for God in their life and wonder why they are filled with a deep sense of emptiness. The pursuit of vain things is typical of a life of wickedness. The Apostle John wrote of this worldly philosophy and it's futility in 1 John 2:16-17: 1 John 2:16–17 [16] For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but ...

Psalm 1:4 [4] The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. (ESV) The Psalms are beautiful Hebrew poetry. They have different rules of meter and rhyme, but one consistent them in Hebrew poetry is parallelisms and contrast. With parallelisms they will use different illustrations and words to repeat the same theme. We saw this in the first three verses of this first Psalm. After describing the righteous, or "blessed" man, verse 4 makes a sharp transition to contrast. "The wicked are not so." The contrast of the blessed man is the wicked man.  Interestingly, the opening verse declared that the blessed man does not even walk in the same places as the wicked. They are not the same, and they do not associate as if they are. In verse 3 the Psalmist used an illustration from nature to describe the blessed man; a lush, fruitful, strong tree. In verse 4 the Psalmist also uses an illustration from nature. The wicked are described as chaff. If y...

Psalm 1:3 [3] He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (ESV) The Psalmist continues in his description of the "blessed man." He spoke in the first verse of the things that a blessed man avoids (wicked, sinners, scoffers). In the second verse the blessed man is described as one who delights in the Law of the Lord and meditates on that Law day and night. In this third verse he uses an illustration from nature to describe the blessed man. The Psalmist refers to the blessed man as a tree planted by streams of water. We must consider why this particular illustration from nature was chosen. Dr. John MacArthur writes, "Because of the mostly arid terrain of Israel, a lush tree served as a fitting symbol of blessing in the OT (John MacArthur, Online Study Bible Notes )." A strong, beautiful tree, bearing fruit, and prospering is how a blessed man is described. ...