Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

controls the wild nature of the raven. His loving provision for the lowest of the bird family is meant to en- courage his disciples to rely on him for their needs: “Look at the ravens. They don’t need to plant or har- vest or put food in barns because God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!” (Lk. 12: 24) Salvation- “The strength of a horse does not impress him; how puny in his sight is the strength of a man (legs of a man [NIV]). Rather, the Lord’s delight is in those who honor him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (10-12) The returning exiles had no cavalry of horses nor extended infantry of foot soldiers to protect them; their security rested on the measure of their honor and hope in God. In a solemn day of repentance for their sins and the sins of their ancestors, the Jews turned their worship to Yahweh alone: “Praise his glo- rious name! It is far greater than we can think or say. You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve and give life to everything, and all the angels of heaven worship you.” (Neh. 9:5, 6) Then they placed their complete hope in his unfailing love: “Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he has fortified the bars of your gates and blessed your children within you. He sends peace across your nation and satisfies you with plenty of the finest wheat.” (12-14) This call to praise was directed towards the inhabitants of the city, which they did at the Festival of the Dedication of the Walls: “The women and children also participated in the celebration, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away.” (Neh. 12:43) Although the Jews did the physical work, they recognized the role of their God: “So on October 2 the wall was finally finished–just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nation heard about it, they were fright- ened and humiliated. They realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” (Neh. 6:15, 16) The Lord did bless the land with peace and prosperous crops which they were instructed to give a tenth to the Levites for the Temple service: “And once more all the people of Judah began bringing their tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple storerooms.” (Neh. 13:12) “He sends his orders to the world–how swiftly his word flies! He sends the snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes. He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freez- ing cold? Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, [word NIV] and the ice thaws.” (15- 18) The three mentions of the “word” (15, 18, 19) are glimpses of Christ the “logos” (word) mentioned in John 1:1, 2; “In the beginning the Word already existed He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is.” It is Jesus the Word who sends the winter elements of snow, frost, hail and ice. The worshipers of Baal attributed the bleakness of winter to the death of their god and the spring to his resurrection: ‘Aliyan Baal, at the height of the summer drought (i.e. when vegetation is dying and the land parched) was slain by Mot (Death);…after numerous sacri- fices…Baal was restored to life and reigned over Mot, thus assuring life and fertility for the year ahead.’ This psalm reminds the returning exiles that Yahweh alone is the Lord of the seasons and faintly proph- esies that someday, Jesus the living Word, will die and rise again to live forever. III PRAISE THE LORD, O JERUSALEM - 12-20 Lord of the Climate

“He has revealed his words to Jacob, his principles and laws to Israel. He has not done this with any other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the Lord!” (19, 20)

‘ …the Word (command) which controls nature has become known to Israel in the revelation of the law.’ After the exile, the Jews no longer looked at nature in a superstitious, mystical way; they under- stood the connection between their creator and the God who saved them from their oppressors. The giv- ing of the law to the Jew was not meant for them to keep it exclusively, but to share it joyfully with all the nations of the earth. The word of God has now been revealed in human form by the coming of Jesus Christ: “So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us.” (Jn. 1:14) The good news of

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