Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Psalm 117 1  Praise the  Lord ,  all you nations;      extol him, all you peoples. 2  For great is his love  toward us,      and the faithfulness of the  Lord  endures forever.   Praise the Lord. While this is one of the shortest psalms, it doesn't mean there isn't a lot of meat in it. “ Martin Luther devoted thirty-six pages to this psalm, expounding it in four important categories: (1) prophecy (the Gentiles will participate in gospel blessings), (2) revelation (the kingdom of Christ is not earthly and temporal but rather heavenly and eternal), (3) instruction (we are saved by faith alone and not by works, wisdom, or holiness), and (4) admonition (we should praise God for such a great salvation).” I also think there is also beauty in its simplicity.  The theme, as with many psalms, is praise.  And the object of praise is "the Lord", also called "Yahweh".  This is the holy name of God to the Jewish people. As Luther mentions, this psalm ca

Psalm 116 1  I love the  Lord ,  for he heard my voice;      he heard my cry  for mercy. 2  Because he turned his ear  to me,      I will call on him as long as I live. 3  The cords of death  entangled me,      the anguish of the grave came over me;      I was overcome by distress and sorrow. 4  Then I called on the name  of the  Lord :      “ Lord , save me! ” 5  The  Lord  is gracious and righteous;      our God is full of compassion. 6  The  Lord  protects the unwary;      when I was brought low,  he saved me. You may have heard the saying, " a friend in need is a friend indeed" . The psalmist today gives thanks to God because God heard his cry when he was in deep need.  Though no one wants to go through these kinds of trials, the result is that they usually draw us closer to God and grow our faith.   James says it is the way, " Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds,   because you know that

2  Psalm 115 Why do the nations say,      “Where is their God?” 3  Our God is in heaven;      he does whatever pleases him. 4  But their idols are silver and gold,      made by human hands. 5  They have mouths, but cannot speak,      eyes, but cannot see. 6  They have ears, but cannot hear,      noses, but cannot smell. 7  They have hands, but cannot feel,      feet, but cannot walk,      nor can they utter a sound with their throats. 8  Those who make them will be like them,      and so will all who trust in them. The psalmist today compares the gods (idols) of the nations, with the God of Israel, which the nations continue to mock.  There are several stark differences between worshipping a living God and a dead idol.  It has been said that we become what we worship.  Human gods are made and fashioned by humans.  They are actually "beneath" humans. Men impute their vices to what they have fashioned with their own hands. This is why some of the fertili

Psalm 114 1  When Israel came out of Egypt,      Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, 2  Judah  became God’s sanctuary,      Israel his dominion. 3  The sea looked and fled,      the Jordan turned back; 4  the mountains leaped  like rams,      the hills like lambs. 5  Why was it, sea, that you fled?      Why, Jordan, did you turn back? 6  Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,      you hills, like lambs? 7  Tremble, earth,  at the presence of the Lord,      at the presence of the God of Jacob, 8  who turned the rock into a pool,      the hard rock into springs of water. This is another praise song the Jewish people sang as they were traveling. going to a festival, or worshiping in the synagogue. At the heart of Israel's life together was remembering their exodus from Egypt, as they escaped through the parting of the Red Sea. The response of the wind, sea, mountains and earth to God's presence reminds them of how great and powerful their God is. 

Psalm 113 1  Praise the  Lord . Praise the  Lord , you his servants;      praise the name of the  Lord . 2  Let the name of the  Lord  be praised,      both now and forevermore. 3  From the rising of the sun  to the place where it sets,      the name of the  Lord  is to be praised. 4  The  Lord  is exalted  over all the nations,      his glory above the heavens. 5  Who is like the  Lord  our God,      the One who sits enthroned  on high, 6  who stoops down to look      on the heavens and the earth? 7  He raises the poor  from the dust      and lifts the needy  from the ash heap; 8  he seats them  with princes,      with the princes of his people. 9  He settles the childless  woman in her home      as a happy mother of children. Praise the  Lord . This psalm begins and ends with a call to "Praise the Lord".  This is where we get the word, "hallelujah".  Many of the psalms were used as praise songs and this one was too!  

Psalm 112 1  Praise the  Lord . Blessed are those  who fear the  Lord ,      who find great delight  in his commands. 2  Their children  will be mighty in the land;      the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3  Wealth and riches  are in their houses,      and their righteousness endures  forever. 4  Even in darkness light dawns  for the upright,      for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. 5  Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,      who conduct their affairs with justice. 6  Surely the righteous will never be shaken;      they will be remembered  forever. 7  They will have no fear of bad news;      their hearts are steadfast,  trusting in the  Lord . So often we misunderstand the use of the word "fear" in the bible, when used in the context of the phrase, "the fear of the Lord".  We often interpret the word "fear" as being afraid or scared.  But in the biblical sense it usually mean