Daily Devotion

July 22, 2006

Psalms 106:1-2 Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?

King David ordered the liturgy of the Temple worship; his songs were, and are still used for praise in Jewish worship. This sentence is written in the imperative. This is a command for the whole congregation to praise the Lord. It is not only the duty of the priests and choirs to praise the Lord but the whole congregation was probed to worship God and acknowledge the greatness of His mighty acts.

In any text, book, movie, story, documentary, it is easy to remain at the surface of the story line, and miss the essentials of the message. When talking about God’s mighty acts, we may imagine the creation of the universe in six days (Genesis 1); the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21); people strengthened, healed, resurrected (Hebrews 11), and the coming down of the final new Jerusalem (Revelations 21-22).; but what are these mighty acts that David conveys in his song of praise to the Lord?

The song starts and ends with Praise ye the Lord, the English translation for the Hebrew praise: Hallelujah. The space between the two praises is filled with the mournful accounts of Israel’s willful disobediences to God. This tells us of God’s mercy towards His flock, His people, His children, His wife, and His church even in spite of their rebellious defiance. This song reminds us that even though the fathers have sinned, the children inherit the promise. This song assures us that God’s promises are not conditional, that like the one made to Abraham (Genesis 15:4-6), they hold their weight in gold; that they will be fulfilled, no matter what you or I can do.

These are the unutterable mighty acts of God for who can equate with His patience, with the mercy He shows? We are so quick to go after revenge, justice and retaliation, but God, while never compromising righteousness, finds a way, even at His own cost, to fulfill His promises of mercy. May Jesus Christ, the Son of God through whom the promises are fulfilled be praised forever.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Patrick Lumbroso
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