Show Me Your Glory....
Psalm 58
1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.
3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
however skillful the enchanter may be.
6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns —
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.
10 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”
Leviticus 26:36-27:15
36 “‘As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. 37 They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. 39 Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their ancestors’ sins they will waste away. 40 “‘But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors —their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, 41 which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. 44 Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’” 46 These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established at Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.
Mark 9:1-10
1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
The Transfiguration
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
Reflections:
David continues to reflect in Psalm 58 on the unrighteous rulers of the earth and how they will eventually meet the justice of the Lord in the day of their reckoning. Though David will not see it on this earth, he will see it on the Day of the Lord; and he counts on God for ultimate justice. When Jesus comes to earth he brings in justice of another kind, the reckoning of our sins on the cross so that we might become the righteousness of God. Even so there are those that reject God’s grace in Jesus and continue to carry the type of behavior that typifies the type of person David describes as, “wicked from birth”.
Leviticus 26 spells out the consequences for Israel’s obedience to the covenant and also their disobedience. Obedience brings blessings, peace in the land, fruitful harvest and good health. Disobedience brings all kinds of calamity in the land, in their bodies, and a loss of peace. Within we see provision for them to repent to come back to God at which time the blessings will be restored. Yet, if they continue in their stubborn hearts their consequences will be multiplied. Ultimately these principles brought Israel and Judah to ruin as foreign invaders came in and took over the land God had given them. Ultimately this paved the way for the prince of peace and the spiritual harvest that Jesus would usher in.
As Jesus began to prepare for his eventual departure from this earth he gave three of his disciples, Peter, James and John (his inner circle) a taste of the glory he would soon be receiving at his death and resurrection. They too would face many calamities and this was meant to give them a glimpse of the glory that they too would receive as sons of God and brothers of Jesus. While they didn’t fully understand what “rising from the dead” meant at the time, I’m sure later as they reflected on Jesus’ death and resurrection this experience was of great encouragement and meaning to them.
God gives us glimpses of His glory every now and then. Maybe it is a breakthrough in your spiritual life. A healing we see here on earth of a disease or malady, or a deeper understanding of God’s grace for us in Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. These are meant to strengthen and encourage us when the trials of life come our way. One of my favorite Christian praise songs is “Show Me Glory” by Third Day. It always inspires me when I listen to it, and I have put the link here for your encouragement. One day we will see God the Father and the Son face to face until then we walk by faith one day at a time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRP8ErNo7d4
Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Psalm 50:15
The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Jesus, our Friend, you are so much more willing to help than we are to ask. As any friend affects those he or she touches, through our prayers, cause us more fully to resemble you and to care about the people you care about. Amen.
1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.
3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
however skillful the enchanter may be.
6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns —
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.
10 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”
Leviticus 26:36-27:15
36 “‘As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. 37 They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. 39 Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their ancestors’ sins they will waste away. 40 “‘But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors —their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, 41 which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. 44 Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’” 46 These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established at Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.
Mark 9:1-10
1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
The Transfiguration
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
Reflections:
David continues to reflect in Psalm 58 on the unrighteous rulers of the earth and how they will eventually meet the justice of the Lord in the day of their reckoning. Though David will not see it on this earth, he will see it on the Day of the Lord; and he counts on God for ultimate justice. When Jesus comes to earth he brings in justice of another kind, the reckoning of our sins on the cross so that we might become the righteousness of God. Even so there are those that reject God’s grace in Jesus and continue to carry the type of behavior that typifies the type of person David describes as, “wicked from birth”.
Leviticus 26 spells out the consequences for Israel’s obedience to the covenant and also their disobedience. Obedience brings blessings, peace in the land, fruitful harvest and good health. Disobedience brings all kinds of calamity in the land, in their bodies, and a loss of peace. Within we see provision for them to repent to come back to God at which time the blessings will be restored. Yet, if they continue in their stubborn hearts their consequences will be multiplied. Ultimately these principles brought Israel and Judah to ruin as foreign invaders came in and took over the land God had given them. Ultimately this paved the way for the prince of peace and the spiritual harvest that Jesus would usher in.
As Jesus began to prepare for his eventual departure from this earth he gave three of his disciples, Peter, James and John (his inner circle) a taste of the glory he would soon be receiving at his death and resurrection. They too would face many calamities and this was meant to give them a glimpse of the glory that they too would receive as sons of God and brothers of Jesus. While they didn’t fully understand what “rising from the dead” meant at the time, I’m sure later as they reflected on Jesus’ death and resurrection this experience was of great encouragement and meaning to them.
God gives us glimpses of His glory every now and then. Maybe it is a breakthrough in your spiritual life. A healing we see here on earth of a disease or malady, or a deeper understanding of God’s grace for us in Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. These are meant to strengthen and encourage us when the trials of life come our way. One of my favorite Christian praise songs is “Show Me Glory” by Third Day. It always inspires me when I listen to it, and I have put the link here for your encouragement. One day we will see God the Father and the Son face to face until then we walk by faith one day at a time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRP8ErNo7d4
Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Psalm 50:15
The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Jesus, our Friend, you are so much more willing to help than we are to ask. As any friend affects those he or she touches, through our prayers, cause us more fully to resemble you and to care about the people you care about. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment