Daily Devotional Saturday 27th January 2024
by William MoodyPsalms 114–115
Tremble at the Presence of the Lord
114:1 When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.
To Your Name Give Glory
115:1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
9 O Israel,1 trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us;
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the LORD,
both the small and the great.
14 May the LORD give you increase,
you and your children!
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,
who made heaven and earth!
16 The heavens are the LORD’s heavens,
but the earth he has given to the children of man.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD,
nor do any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the LORD!Footnotes
[1] 115:9
Masoretic Text; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac O house of Israel (ESV)
Psalm 114 speaks of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt as being like a mighty march. The mention of Judah as a sanctuary (v2), probably refers to where the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle went. It being Judah is very fitting because from this tribe and region would come Immanuel, God with us.
The march of God’s people out of Egypt drove back the red Sea (v3), the skipping mountains speaks of the shaking of Sinai (v4, 6). The crossing of the mighty Jordan River is also mentioned (v5). All of this language just speaks of how parts of this world which seem so large and immovable are so small compared to the greatness of God’s nature and strength. We truly have an awesome God who is worthy of all our praise.
The mention of the rock becoming a pool of water (v6) refers to the water from the rock which happened in the wilderness. God providing for His people in the most difficult of situations.
This Psalm is calling for all of earth to tremble at the presence of the Lord, the God of Jacob (v5). We all need a high and exalted view of the Lord. We need to come cautiously into His holy and awesome presence. We need to have a proper reverence and fear of the Lord. This is something seriously lacking in the world today and even among believers. Pray for this!
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