Why Do the Heathen Rage, and the People Imagine a Vain Thing? - Psalm 2

 Dennis Edwards

Today’s study will be on Psalm 2 

Psalm 2:1 “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?”

The first line in the psalm seems to be depicting today’s world. The world is in a rage. We have black against white, conservative against liberal, Pro-Palestine against Pro-Israel, Pro-Abortion against Anti-Abortion, and the list goes on. It seems at every level division is rampant and that the media is fomenting that division almost as if it’s part of a prepared agenda.

In Scripture we read about the time before Christ’s return,

Luke 21:25 “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth…”

With all the confusion in the world it seems that men’s hearts are raging and the stage is being set for the pot to overflow, like we saw back in the French Revolution in 1789, the Russian Revolution of 1917, and with Black Lives Matter riots in 2020.

When talking of Jesus 2^nd Coming Apostle Paul warned,

2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there comes a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”

The “man of sin” or “son of perdition” is commonly referred to as the Antichrist or beast in the New Testament. The prophecy continues,

2 Thessalonians 2:4&7-8a “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God…. For the mystery of iniquity (or lawlessness) does already work: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed…”

What Apostle Paul is saying is that the mystery of lawlessness will end in the revealing of the Antichrist figure. As good Godly men and women, or at least those that are sympathetic to Godly Laws, are removed from the sphere of influence, the evil spiritual and physical forces will gain power and might; finally the Antichrist shall stand up.

Revelation 12:15 “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.”

The Anti-God forces are causing a flood of false ideas to sweep through much of the higher institutions of learning. Critical Race Theory and other such ideas are being incorporated into the education of the younger generation.

Daniel 8:12b “It (the Antichrist forces) cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.”

In the Western formerly “Christian” nations, we have seen a falling away from the faith as the anti-God culture has made many inroads over the years with anti-God laws and goals. In 1964 abortion became legalized in America and later exported to other nations in South America, Africa and Asia through different American and United Nations aid packages. “Do you want the aid? Then follow the agenda and mend your laws to permit these practices.”

Psalm 2:1b “and the people imagined a vain thing.”

Since the propagating of the Theory of Evolution in 1859 and all the diabolical fruits of its theory, the people are definitely imagining a vain thing. They believe they created themselves through some imaginary process that fails to present a viable mechanism. They believe that the universe came to existence from nothing and that there is no Creator God.

They further believe that life came about by chance over a period of millions of years and accidently the first cell formed in some warm muddy pond. Through natural selection and mutations, which do not add new functional biological information to the genome, that single celled organism supposedly mutated into all the life forms we see on earth today. Surely the people are imagining a vain thing because they have removed God from their thinking.

The fruit today of such thought has led to the present situation where truth is no longer “objective,” but rather “subjective.” A person’s subjective reality takes dominance over objective reality. A man can claim to be a woman, and a woman can claim to be a man. Like Solomon wrote, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity,” [Ecclesiastes 1:2]. Surely, the people are imagining vain things because God is no longer in their understanding.

Isaiah is a bit stronger than Solomon and proclaims,

Isaiah 5:20-21a "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes!"

That's what we see today. Ideas and practices that have been traditionally considered evil are now considered good.

Psalm 2:2-3 “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”

Down through history rulers have had a choice: work for God and His kingdom, or work against God and his kingdom. The Jewish rulers and Roman officials conspired to kill Christ, God’s anointed. Today social and political movements conspire against God and His people who always are trying to be beacons for truth, justice, and peace. The evil forces sow division in Christian communities and do all they can to prohibit true Christianity from having a voice in the public square.

Psalm 2:4-5 “He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.”

God’s judgments are coming. Though they tarry, they will come. God’s word is true. The world will reap, what it has sown.

Psalm 2:6 “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”

When Jesus returns at the Battle of Armageddon to retake the earth,

Zechariah 14:4 “His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem.”

Psalm 2:7 “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, You are my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”

Both Apostle Paul in Acts 13:33 and the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 1:5&5:5 quote the above verse in reference to their defence that Jesus is the Son of God.

Psalm 2:8-9 “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

In the prophecy in Daniel 2 where the image of the Gentile nations is destroyed by “the stone cut out without hands,” we read,

Daniel 2:35 “Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”

And the interpretation:

Daniel 2:44 “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”

Similar imagery is found in Daniel 7 where the “Ancient of Days,” referring to God the Father, delivers the kingdom to “the Son of Man,” referring to the Messiah, God the Son.

Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.  And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

Psalm 2:10-11“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

God is instructing the leaders of the world to be wise and return to faith in God, to return to a healthy “fear of the Lord” which Solomon said was the beginning of knowledge.

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Apostle Paul admonished his followers similarly before his death.

Philippians 2:12 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Psalm 2:12 “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”

The prophecies predict that eventually every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

Isaiah 45:22-23 “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

Philippians 2:10-11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Therefore, the rulers of the world would do themselves and us well if they repent of their frowardness and fall at the feet of Christ. Blessed will all those be who put their trust in Him.

Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

First published June 11, 2024. To go to related article: Why Do the Heathen Rage?

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His Delight is in the Law of the Lord - Psalm 1

 

Dennis Edwards

The theme of the very first psalm in the book of Psalms is the importance of God’s Word in our lives. The Bible is a collection of 66 books. The book with the most chapters is Psalms, with 150 psalms. However, Psalms is not the longest book by word count in the Bible; both Jeremiah and Genesis are longer. Of the three longest books: Jeremiah is a book of warning, where God has warned us to love and obey Him. Genesis is a book of mankind’s beginnings, where God has told us not to forget our beginnings, where we come from, and who made us. Psalms is a book of praise, where God teaches us how to live our lives with thanksgiving and praise.

Today we will study Psalm 1.

Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.”

Right from the start, God warns us to avoid having fellowship with ungodly sinners who disrespect God. In Proverbs, Solomon covers the same subject.

Proverbs 1:10,11a,14,15 “My son, if sinners entice you, consent not. If they say, Come with us,…Cast your lot among us; let us all have one purse. My son, walk not in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path.”

Proverbs 4:14-15 “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”

In contrast to the way of the wicked, God instructs how the Godly should walk.

Psalm 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law does he meditate day and night.”

How do we keep ourselves from evil, from the evil influences of the culture all around us, from the evil influences of our own heart and mind? God’s word teaches us to meditate and take joy in His Word.

Moses taught the children of Israel before they entered into the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart: and you shall teach them diligently unto your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the posts of your house, and on your gates.”

In other words, we should memorize God’s word. We should get it deep into our hearts.

Psalm 119:9&11 "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Your word...Your word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against You."

In Proverbs, Solomon gives the same message:

Proverbs 6:20-24a “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of your mother: bind them continually upon your heart, and tie them about your neck. When you go, it shall lead you; when you sleep, it shall keep you; when you awake, it shall talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and the reproofs of instruction are the way of life: to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.”

The ”evil woman” refers to spiritually to what Jesus and the Apostle’s called “the world.” The Apostle John wrote,

1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of the Father abides forever.”

Jesus Himself warned,

John 15:19 “If you were of the world, (or the evil woman of Proverbs and the Great Whore of Revelation 17-18), the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Proverbs 7:1-3 “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with you. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them upon your fingers, write them upon the tables of your heart That they may keep you from the strange woman (or what Jesus and the Apostles call ‘the world’), from the stranger which flatters with her words.”

When Moses died, the Lord spoke similar words to Joshua:

Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.”

David may have been meditating on the writings of Moses or Joshua when he wrote Psalm 1.

Psalm 1:3 “And he (the Godly) shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper.”

Moses wrote similarly:

Deuteronomy 30: 9-10&20a “And the Lord your God will make you plenteous in every work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of the land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, as He rejoiced over your fathers: if you shall hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if you turn unto the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul…That you may love the LORD thy God, and that you may obey His voice, and that you may cleave unto Him: for He is life, and length of your days.”

In contrast, the Psalmist continues,

Psalm 1:4 “The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.”

John the Baptist used a similar expression when describing the Messiah who was to come.

Matthew 3:11-12 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Psalm 1:5 “Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”

Jesus also spoke a similar parable of the wheat and the tares.

Matthew 13:24-30 “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the household came and said unto him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field, from where then has it tares? He said unto them, An enemy has done this. The servants said unto him, Will you then that we go and gather them up? But he said, No; lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Elsewhere in the Psalms and in Jeremiah, we find the same concept:

Psalm 9:17 “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

Jeremiah 12:17 “But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, says the Lord.”

The psalm ends with,

Psalm 1:6 “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

We have been thoroughly warned. The ungodly shall perish, but the Lord knows those who are His.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD which exercises loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says the LORD.”

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 “For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not hidden from you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it.

The God of the Psalms is not far off. Apostle Paul makes the same point,

Acts 17:24-28a “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands; neither is he worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing He gives to all life, and breath, and all things; and has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being.”

God is not far off. His word is not far off. His law is written in our hearts, our conscience bearing witness of it. [Romans 2:15] Let us seek God daily. Let us delight in meditating on His Word. Let us walk not in the path of the wicked, but let us walk with God.

Proverbs 4:18 “The path of the just is as a shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day.”

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Help us, Lord, to let your word enlighten our paths, and minds, and keep us close to You, today, and every day of the year. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Originally published June 10, 2024.

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Psalm 138 - I Will Praise You With My Whole Heart!

Dennis Edwards

Psalm 138, a psalm of David,  is a short psalm full of powerful thoughts to reflect on right from the first verse.

1a I will praise You with my whole heart:

There is something about doing things whole-heartedly that God desires. Jesus said the first and great commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” Matthew 22:37. In other words, loving God wholeheartedly is the most important commandment. Apostle Paul says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men,” Colossians 3:23. The Old Testament has the same sentiment. “Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with all thy might,” Ecclesiastes 9:10. “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” Deuteronomy 10:12.

David’s last words to Solomon his son were, “And you, Solomon, my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and a willing mind: for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands all imaginations of the thoughts: if you seek Him, He will be found of you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever,” 1 Chronicles 28:9. Earlier in Chronicles we read that the men of war from the tribe of Zebulon, “were not of a double heart,” 1 Chronicles 12:33b.

God wants us to be whole hearted, not doubled hearted or doubled minded. Apostle James warns about double-heartedness: “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (or doubting). For he that wavers (or doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways,” James 1:6-8.

Jesus gave a warning to the Laodicean church. The Laodicean’s were rich and increased in goods, and had need of nothing - physically; but in reality, they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked - spiritually, Revelation 3:17. Jesus said, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would that you were cold or hot. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue (vomit) you out of My mouth,” Revelation 3:15-16.

Being a lukewarm Christian is such a bad example to the world. A lukewarm Christian will lead others astray and will infect others with his half-heartedness. If you are going to believe, believe with all your heart and get on with it. Don’t halt between two opinions. If God be God, serve Him. If the world be your god, then serve it. Don’t try to serve both mammon and God at the same time. You can’t do it. Jesus said so, “No man can serve two masters; for he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon,” Matthew 6:24.

1b Before the gods will I sing praise unto You.

The Hebrew word for “gods” is referring to the other spiritual beings in the heavenly realm. The good “gods” who yield to God, we call angels. The disobedient “gods,” we call demons or devils. David starts his psalm as He often does in praise to the true God.

2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and for Your truth: for You have magnified Your Word above all Your name.

There is so much to chew on here. God is saying that He has magnified His Word above His name. In other words, God is more interested in you obeying His commandments, than He is in you calling Him by His proper name. That’s why, whoever follows Jesus’ saying: “to love others as themselves,” will have a measure of blessing on their lives. Despite the fact that they don’t believe in God, or call Him by another name, or have another concept of God; if they obey God’s commandments, found in the words of Jesus, they will have a measure of God’s blessing on their lives.

Jesus condemns those who say they believe in Him, and even know how to call Him by His proper name; because they don’t do what He has asked. “Not everyone that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven,” Matthew 7:21. Some use the name of Jesus for their own welfare, power, money, and fame. To these He says, “Depart from Me, you that work iniquity, I never knew you,” Matthew 7:23.

Jesus says, “If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed,” John 8:31b. Later he said, “He that has my commandments, and keep them, he it is that loves Me: and he that loves Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him,” John 14:21. If we try to follow Jesus’ words, He will eventually manifest Himself to us. The sincere seeker and follower of Jesus’ words will find God. “If a man loves Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him,” John 14;23. By keeping Jesus’ words we show that we love Him. Even those who don’t know His name, who keep His words, will be blessed.

However, we will also be judged by our knowledge of God and His word and His will. The Bible says, “To him that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin,” James 4:17. Jesus said, “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes,” Luke 12:47. “He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day,” John 12:48. If we know God’s word and will, and don’t follow it, we will be more accountable.

On the other hand, God has given a measure of light to all mankind. He has placed a moral code in all of our hearts, “the light that lightens every man that comes into the world,” John 1:9b. Apostle Paul also speaks of that moral light that each man has. “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, (having not known the revelation of God’s law to Moses), do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another,” Romans 2:14-15. God has put a moral compass within all men, the little voice of conscience. We are really without excuse.

3 In the day when I cried You answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul.

God promises to answer when we call upon Him. “Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13. “Call upon Me and I will answer you,” Jeremiah 33:3a. When we do, the results are, “He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength,” Isaiah 40:29. But we have to come unto Him, we have to draw nigh to God. When we do the seeking and drawing, He promises that He will draw nigh to us. Jesus said, “Come unto Me all you that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light,” Matthew 11:28-30. We have to do the coming, the searching, the drawing near, the knocking, the asking. He will do the rest.

4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord, when they hear the words of Your mouth.

Eventually and ultimately, the whole creation will submit to the rule by the King of kings. “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever,” Revelation 11:15b. “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen (nations), I will be exalted in the earth,” Psalm 46:10

5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.

It’s at the beginning of the Millennium that the whole world will break into singing at the coming of the Lord and His reign of peace on earth for a thousand years. “The whole is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing,” Isaiah 14:7. “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea,” Isaiah 11:9.

6 Though the Lord be high, yet has He respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knows afar off.

Apostle James tells us, “God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up,” James 4:6b & 4:10. David says, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit,” Psalm 34:18.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me: You shall stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand shall save me.

Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father. He is the right hand of God. It is Jesus that saves and that makes intercession for us, Romans 8:34. In the Old Testament we read, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint,” Isaiah 40:31. The Lord said to Apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you: for My strength is made perfect in (your) weakness,” 2 Corinthians 12:9a. Apostle Paul responded, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (or weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me,” 2 Corinthians 12:9b. God will revive us and give us strength. “As your days, so shall your strength be,” Deuteronomy 33:25.

8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me: Your mercy, O Lord, endures for ever: forsake not the works of Your own hands.

Apostle Paul wrote, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ,” Philippians 1:6. “For I know Whom have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day,” 2 Timothy 1:12b. Jesus said, “No man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand,” John 10:29. Do not fear, therefore, you are more valuable than many sparrows and not one falls to the ground without My Father knowing it, Matthew 10:29 & 31. “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven,” Matthew 10:32.

God will not forsake us, if we don’t forsake Him. Moses said to the people, “And the Lord, He it is that does go with you; He will be with you, He will not fail you, neither forsake you: fear not, neither be dismayed,” Deuteronomy 31:8. In Isaiah 43:10 we read, “Fear not, for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.”

Jesus is the right hand of God that is holding us up. “Fear not: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by My name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you,” Isaiah 43:1b-2.

“Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 8:35-39. 

The Name of Jesus!

I need to add the following footnote. Though a person can be blessed for following the Words of Jesus, the promise of eternal life is to those that believe on the name of the Son of God, 1 John 5:13. There is one name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved, Acts 4:12. That name is JESUS. All creation will one day acknowledge Jesus as Lord or lords, and King of kings. "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," Philippians 2:10-11.

If you are trying to follow Jesus' words, why not ask Him into your life. He says, "Behold, I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with Me," Revelation 3:20. Jesus is yearning for personal relationship with you. All you have to do is open the door and receive Him into your heart. 

Prayer: Dear Jesus, come into my life. Give me the strength I need for the battle. Forgive me for my sins, my offenses, and my shortcoming. I believe you have have the words of eternal life. Help unbelief to be lifted from me. Lead me into a deeper personal relationship with You. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. 

You can write me at dennismedwards@gmail.com

Originally published November 19, 2024.

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Who Is My Neighbour?

A lawyer stood up to test Jesus: "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus asked him what the law said. The man answered correctly — love God with all your heart, love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus told him, "Do this & you will live."

But the lawyer was not satisfied. He wanted a boundary. A legal limit. A line he could draw around the word "neighbor" so he would know exactly who he was required to love — & more importantly, who he was not.

So he asked the question that triggered the most famous parable Jesus ever told.

"And who is my neighbor?"

Most Christians know what happened next. A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers, beaten, stripped naked, & left half-dead on the road. A priest comes along, sees him, & crosses to the other side. A Levite does the same. Then a Samaritan stops, bandages his wounds, carries him to an inn, & pays for his care.

Every Christian has heard this as a lesson about being kind to strangers.

That is not what this story is. It is a theological grenade. And Jesus threw it directly at the most religious people in the room.

Here is what most people have never been told.

First, the road. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho descends roughly 3,000 feet over 17 miles through barren, rocky wilderness. It was so notoriously dangerous in the ancient world that travelers dreaded it. Robberies & killings happened on it constantly. Jesus did not pick this setting at random. Every person listening had either walked that road or knew someone who had feared it.

Now the priest.

Most Christians assume the priest walked past because he was selfish or cold. He was not. He walked past because of the law.

Num.19:11 states that anyone who touches a dead body becomes ritually unclean for 7 days. Lev.21 specifically prohibits priests from making themselves unclean through contact with the dead. If the man lying on the road was already dead — & the text says he was left "half-dead," meaning the priest could not be certain — touching him would disqualify the priest from performing his duties in the Temple. He would be unable to serve. Unable to enter the Sanctuary. Unable to carry out the rituals his entire life was built around.

The priest did not walk past because he lacked compassion. He walked past because his religious system made compassion & faithfulness feel like they were on opposite sides of the road. He chose the institution over the person bleeding in front of him.

The Levite did the same thing. Same law. Same calculation. Same choice.

Now the Samaritan. This is where Jesus detonated the grenade. Jews & Samaritans had hated each other for centuries. They worshipped at different Temples — Jerusalem vs. Mt. Gerizim. They considered each other heretics. They did not eat together. They did not travel through each other's territory if they could avoid it. The hatred was ethnic, religious, & generational.

When Jesus said the word "Samaritan" to a Jewish audience, He was naming their enemy. Every person listening would have expected the Samaritan to be the villain of the story — the one who finishes the man off or robs what remains.

Instead, Jesus made him the hero.

The Samaritan stops. He bandages the wounds. He pours oil for healing & wine as antiseptic. He lifts the man onto his own donkey — which means the Samaritan walked the remaining distance on foot through dangerous territory. He carries the man to an inn. He pays for his care out of his own money. And he tells the innkeeper, "Whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I come back."

The enemy did what the clergy would not do. The outsider did what the insiders' own law prevented them from doing. The man their entire culture told them to hate became the only one in the story who acted like God.

And then Jesus asked the most devastating question in the entire Book of Luke. He did not answer the lawyer's original question. The lawyer had asked "Who is my neighbor?" — trying to find the boundary of obligation. Trying to draw the smallest possible circle around the word love so he could know who fell outside it.

Jesus did not draw a circle. He reversed the question entirely: "Which of these 3 do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

Not "who qualifies as your neighbor." But "which one became a neighbor."

The question was never about who deserves your compassion. It was about whether you are the kind of person who gives it.

And then one final detail that almost no-one catches.

The lawyer answers. But he cannot bring himself to say the word. He does not say "the Samaritan." He says, "The one who had mercy on him."

Jesus had just dismantled the man's entire theological framework. He had proven that the enemy was more righteous than the clergy. He had shown that the law itself had become the obstacle to the love the law was supposed to produce. And even after all of that, the lawyer's mouth physically would not form the name of the hero. The prejudice ran deeper than the parable could reach.

The Good Samaritan was never a children's lesson about being nice to people who are different. It was a story that forced the most religious people in the room to admit that their enemy was more righteous than their priests — & that the system they had spent their lives defending had become the very thing preventing them from keeping the heart of the commandments. 

Did you know that Jesus broke the exact same ethnic barrier privately that He broke publicly in this parable? In Jn.4, He sat at a well & asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. She was stunned. "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" He crossed the same lines — ethnic, religious, & cultural — that He made the hero of His most famous story cross. The barrier He tore down in the parable was the same barrier He had already been tearing down in person.

Did you know that years after the resurrection, Peter still had not fully learned this lesson? In Acts 10, God sent him a vision of unclean animals & told him, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." Peter then went to a Gentile household & baptized them — shattering the exact boundary Jesus had already torn down in this parable. The instinct to draw lines around who qualifies for grace runs so deep that even an Apostle needed the lesson repeated.

~John RossHdd. Tt

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I Found Out Where God Lives! Do You Know Where?

By Dennis Edwards

Do you know where God lives? I think most people would say in Heaven. But is that the only place?  The other day as I was reading in the Bible, I came across God’s habitation, where He lives. Let's take a look at what the Good Book says.

In Isaiah it says, “For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”[1] What does that mean? It seems to be saying that although the God of the universe dwells in eternity, or what we might call Heaven or the spiritual dimension, He also dwells in the heart of a humble person. 

In Psalms, David prays, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desires not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”[2] Here we see that the sacrifice that God wants is for us to be broken, humble people.

In another Psalm it says, “God dwells in the praises of his people.”[3] And elsewhere we read, “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.”[4] “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns or hoofs.”[5] Here we see that God dwells in our thanksgiving and praise. Like Nick Vijucic said, “I never saw a bitter person who was thankful, or a thankful person who was bitter.”

So what does all that teach us? It means that God dwells in a broken, humble heart. He dwells in a thankful, praiseful heart. Has your heart been broken by disappointment, by failure, by the lack of love of others, by the seemingly bad circumstances of your life? Take heart, be thankful. God loves you and is near to those of a broken heart. 

Paul tells us, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he gives to all life, and breath, and all things; and has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being.”[6]

Are you trying to do good and love others, but things don’t seem to have worked out for you? Don’t fret. God’s word says, “The righteous cry, and the Lord hears; and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.”[7] Keep trusting in the Lord. Keep doing good. Keep being thankful.

Keep being humble and broken, not bitter. For He has promised, if you commit your way unto Him and trust also in Him, that He will bring His good will to pass.[8] Or like it says in the easy to read version of Jeremiah 29:11, “I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future.”[9]

And if you have yet to enter into personal relationship with Jesus and you hear Him knocking at the door to your heart, just open up and let Him in. He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man or woman, child or young person, hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he or she with me.”[10]

He’s better than Mr. Clean and will renew your heart and mind and give you joy unspeakable. It’s just that simple. He’s just that wonderful. Try Him. You won’t be disappointed.

Notes:

[1] Isaiah 57:15
[2] Psalm 51: 10, 15-17
[3] Psalm 22:3 “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.”
[4] Psalm 116:17
[5] Psalm 69: 30,31
[6] Acts 17: 24-28
[7] Psalm 34: 17, 18
[8] Psalm 37: 5
[9] Jeremiah 29:13 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
[10] Revelation 3:20

Originally published February 1, 2018

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A Song of Triumph in Prospect of God’s Universal Kingdom – Psalm 47

 

Psalm 47                                Commentary By Dennis Edwards

47:1 O clap your hands, all you people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ.” Even in death, “we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us,” Romans 8:36. God, in the form of a man, “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world,” “and the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son,” Galatians 1:4, Colossians 1:13. “For whosoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world? He that believes that Jesus is the Son of God,” 1 John 5:4-5.

We need to keep the heavenly vision, for without a vision the people perish, they faint and fall away. We keep the vision by, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,” Hebrews 12:2. “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come,” that is, “an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He has prepared for them a city,” “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband,” Hebrews 13:14, 11:16, Revelation 22:2.

^{Psalm 47:2} For the Lord most high is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth.

A stone, in the heavenlies, cut out without hands, is ready to smite the kingdoms of this world. Christ the King will reign triumphant over all. "And the seventh angel sounded (at the end of the three and a half years of great tribulation); and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever," Revelation 11:15.

^{Psalm 47:3} He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.

Apostle Paul explains how Jesus will fulfil the subduing. 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (NASB) “Then comes the end, when He (Christ) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is an exception who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.”

We see the same imagery in Daniel 7:13-14 (NIV). “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man (Jesus), coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days (God the Father) and was led into his presence. He (the Son of Man - Jesus) was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

^{Psalm 47:4} He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom He loved. Selah.

We who have believed on the name of the son of God have obtained the inheritance that could not be obtained through the law. “Christ has redeemed us….that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Him; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith,” Galatians 3:13-14.  ^“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise, Galatians 3:28-29. God will choose those that love and obey Him for His inheritance. The blessing of Abraham shall come upon all those that believe and obey the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

^{Psalm 47:5} God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

At Jesus coming we find the same imagery of shouting and trumpets sounding!

1Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so, shall we ever be with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Matthew 24:29-31 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other!

^{Psalm 47:6} Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

God dwells in the praises of His people. In Psalm 100:1-2&4, we read, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all you lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing…Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.”

The New Testament has the same admonition. Colossians 3:15-17 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

Ephesians 5:18-21 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

^{Psalm 47:7} For God is the King of all the earth: sing praises with understanding.

Jesus has gotten us the victory. Psalm 98:1 says, “O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: His right hand, and His holy arm, has gotten Him the victory.” In 1 Corinthians 15:57 we read, “But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory though our Lord Jesus Christ.” Daniel 2:44 ^“And in the days of these kings, (the 10 kings of the Antichrist world government), shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, (and destroy the Antichrist, his government, and military), and God’s kingdom shall stand for ever.”

^{Psalm 47:8} God reigns over the heathen: God sits upon the throne of His holiness.

Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. Revelation 7:9-12 says, ^“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.” Romans 8:34 “It is Christ that died, yes rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

^{Psalm 47:9} The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: He is greatly exalted.

The “shields of the earth” signifies the leaders that protect the peoples of the earth. They shall submit themselves unto God and to Christ at His coming.

In Isaiah 2:2-4, we read, ^“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

After the terrible time of great tribulation and wrath of God, the millennium dispensation will begin. Jesus will make the wars to cease, He will destroy all armaments, burning much of them by fire. God will be exalted among the nations. He will be exalted in the earth, Psalm 46:9-10.

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea, Isaiah 11:9. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord over all the earth, Philippians 2:19-11 reads, “ Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” 

Prayer: Lord, help us to walk in victory. Help us to shout and praise You in spite of the difficulties we may be facing at the moment. We know "that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us," Romans 8:18. Help us to keep the heavenly vision. For "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him," 1st Corinthians 2:9.  Help us not to be weary and faint in our minds, but to rise up and fight the good fight with praise and thanksgiving. "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you," 1st Thessalonians 5:18. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!" Philippians 4:4. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Originally published November 2024.

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Blessed Is He That Considers the Poor! - Psalm 41

Psalm 41 A Psalm of David                              

Commentary by Dennis Edwards with consideration to William de Burgh, Doctor of Divinity (1801-1866)

41:1 Blessed (or Happy) is he that considers the poor (or weak, persecuted, oppressed, destitute, or afflicted): the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

Jesus Himself was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He was oppressed and afflicted, Isaiah 53:3&7. He told His disciples the following parable.

Matthew 25:34-40 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You? or thirsty, and gave You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and take You in? or naked, and clothed You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come unto You? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me.

Mother Teresa, and Saint Francis before her, and many others have travailed with the poor in seeking to fulfil Jesus’ commandments on helping the poor. Let us do the same in whatever way we are able.

Psalm 41:2-3 The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed (or prosper) upon the earth: and You will not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: You will make all his bed in his sickness, (or be like a nursing father).

God has promised that if we are faithful to care for others in our lives who He brings along our paths, He will care for us. We see the same sentiment in Isaiah.

Isaiah 58:6-11 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? when you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh (family)? Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your reward. Then shall you call, and the Lord shall answer; you shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall your light rise in obscurity, and your darkness be as the noon day: And the Lord shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make fat your bones: and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Lord, help us to meditate on Your words and apply them to our lives that we may be blessed. If we want to be happy and healthy in this life and the life to come, let us see how we can help those in need around us.

Psalm 41:4 I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

When we are sick, we search our souls to find out if our sickness is a result of having wandered from God’s path. Jesus Himself never sinned, but He carried the sins of the world to the cross.

Isaiah 53:5-8 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken.

Psalm 41:5 My enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

The Pharisees and religious leaders wanted Jesus’ name to perish. But as Apostle Peter responded,

Acts 4:10-12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him does this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The religious leaders then counselled together on what to do and decided,

Acts 4:17-20 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether, it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge you. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Neither should we hide God’s truth within us, but speak forth His truth boldly with love and humility.

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled and took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

Psalm 41:6-8 And if he comes to see me, he speaks vanity: his heart gathers iniquity to itself; when he goes abroad, he tells it (or spreads it abroad). All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt. An evil disease, say they, cleaves fast unto him: and now that he lies he shall rise up no more.

As with Job, when bad events happen in our lives, others may assume that what is happening is a result of God’s judgment on us because of sin. The Bible says that the curse causeless does not come. Yet, Jesus was without sin. In the case of Job, God allowed his afflictions as a testing. The enemy may be attacking us because of our good work for the Lord. Let us not fall into condemnation for God’s mercies endure forever.

Psalm 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

Early expositors agreed that the prophetic word found here as spoken by Jesus in John 13:18 and explained by Jesus, indicates the psalm in applicable to the Messiah.

John 13:21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

Psalm 41:10 But You, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite (or respond to) them.

God was merciful to Jesus and did raise him up on the third day so that He could respond to His enemies both physical and spiritual.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,

Matthew 5:44-45a Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you. That you may be the children of Your Father which is in heaven.

However, in His parables He clearly reveals that there is judgment for the wicked, if he turn not from his wickedness.

Luke 19:27 But My enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before Me.

Matthew 24:48-51 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Psalm 41:11-12 By this I know that You favour me, because my enemy does not triumph over me. And as for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face for ever.

Jesus’ enemies did not triumph, which means “shout for joy in victory,” over Him. He rose from the dead and sits at the right hand of the Father. He gives us power over death and hell. He calls us to become sons of God. Therefore, we should not fear those that can kill our bodies, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both our souls and our bodies in hell.

Matthew 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.

Revelation 22:12-14 And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Psalm 41:13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen. (or, truly I say, Amen.)

Published 11th December, 2024. Republished February 23, 2025.

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