Time with Jesus - Thursday, 20 June
2013
Hi all,
When it comes to identifying the
author s of the 150 Psalms, we have something of a problem. In some instance,
the name of the author is stated at the very beginning of the Psalm. Psalm 90
is a case in point. The first verse reads: 1 A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord,
through all the generations, You have been our home! Psalm 90:1 NLT Sometimes we assume the following
Psalm was by the same author.
Accordingly we believe Psalm 91 was authored by
Moses. Certainly the content is relevant to the days of Moses. Psalm 92 is
unlikely to have been written by Moses. It doesn’t have the right “feel” for
him. I may be wrong.
Furthermore, there is a sense I which it doesn’t matter. All the Psalms have a Divine author. Nevertheless, it can be useful to identify the human author to help us get a better understanding of the meaning and the time of writing of the Scripture. Personally, I love to ask the question, “Lord, why was that portion of Scripture written?” Many Christians don’t bother with such detail. That’s fine for them. But I’ve found that the background and historical conditions reveal things to us that we would otherwise miss.
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Furthermore, there is a sense I which it doesn’t matter. All the Psalms have a Divine author. Nevertheless, it can be useful to identify the human author to help us get a better understanding of the meaning and the time of writing of the Scripture. Personally, I love to ask the question, “Lord, why was that portion of Scripture written?” Many Christians don’t bother with such detail. That’s fine for them. But I’ve found that the background and historical conditions reveal things to us that we would otherwise miss.
The background to the New Testament
is very important. When we understand the thinking of the people of those days we
understand why the 12 could drop everything and follow Jesus. Our culture in
the 21st century renders this as highly unlikely. But in Jesus’
days, it was not considered as unusual.
We also find it helpful to know where
Paul was when he wrote each of his letters. Knowing he was in prison, chained
to his guard, when he wrote his letters to Timothy, reveals his character in
ways we could not otherwise have understood.
We also find it helpful to know where
Paul was when he wrote each of his letters. Knowing he was in prison, chained
to his guard, when he wrote his letters to Timothy, reveals his character in
ways we could not otherwise have understood.
In today’s meditation we have a
look at my compilation in rhyme and metre of Psalm 91. It was fun expressing the
Psalm this way. If it helps you, I’ll have achieved my purpose. A short poem of
Thanksgiving for sleep is also included.
Shalom,
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| Good Night Sweet Dreams |
Jim &
Phyllida Strickland
Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus
20 June 2013 |
Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These devotionals are the intellectual property of
Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute
them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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SLEEP
IN SAFETY
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I
think I’ve mentioned it before. If not, please be aware that I don’t know
Hebrew or Greek. I’ve picked up the odd word or two, but not enough to do any
damage. When necessary, I’ve looked at Strong’s numbers and they’ve been very
helpful. (Obtainable for free www.e-sword.net )
This
means, that for a number of years, I was under the misapprehension that
Hebrew poetry and English poetry, were the same. They are not. Hebrew poetry
is not written in rhyme and metre. It has a different construction, some of
which comes through in the translation. This is not the place to go into the
differences. Sufficient to say that in the Bible, where we see similar statements
repeated in a different way, we can be reasonably certain that the
translators have followed the Hebrew style.
When
I found this out, I felt a bit disappointed. It means that my insistence on
rhyme and metre is an English trait, rather than the way the Psalmists wrote.
In spite of this, I have tried to express some of the Psalms in rhyme and
metre. The challenge with this is trying to squeeze into English poetry the
content of the various verses. It usually takes much longer and involves a
certain amount of head scratching.
Today
I’ve included my “version” of Psalm 91. Originally attributed to Moses, this
is one of the most “powerful” Psalms in the Psalter and a favourite in Pentecostal
circles. I remember when I first met Phyllida; her eldest son was in the
army, on the border. We were a bit nervous back then in 1981. We prayed this
Psalm together, asking the Lord for His protection. He came home safely and
was able to “give his mother away” at our wedding!
Two
things usually go together when we are worried. I know we shouldn’t worry.
But we do. Worry usually goes jointly with not being able to sleep. Yes, I
know it’s silly and shows a lack of confidence in the Lord. But we still do
it. Actually, sound sleep is a gift from the Lord. Proverbs tells us that
wisdom and discretion are foundational for sweet sleep. But these qualities
come from God. As it states in Proverbs; 24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3:24 ESV If you take the time to read
Proverbs 3 you can see a number of “echoes” from Psalm 91. No doubt the
writer – perhaps Solomon – picked up these threads from Moses’ Psalm?
Sleep
is a blessing. It’s something about which we should give thanks to God. Most
of us forget to do it. It becomes another blessing we overlook in our
prayers. Some years ago I wrote a short four line poem of thanksgiving for
the blessing of sleep. I’ve included it here to underline Psalm 91. If He’s
protecting you, thank Him for your sleep. Counting blessings is better than
counting sheep! Good night! – sweet
dreams!
Jim &
Phyllida
Strickland
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3 You see me when I travel and when I rest
at home. You know everything I do.
Psalms 139:3 NLT
16 Jacob woke up from his sleep. He said,
"GOD is in this place--truly. And I didn't even know it!" 17 He was terrified. He whispered in awe,
"Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God's House. This is the Gate of
Heaven."
Genesis 28:16-17 MSG
9 The eyes of the LORD search the whole
earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.
What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war."
2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT
8 I fall asleep in peace the moment I lie
down because you alone, O LORD, enable me to live securely.
Psalm 4:8 GW
9 If you make the LORD your refuge, if you
make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
11 For He will order His angels to
protect you wherever you go.
Psalms 91:9-11 NLT
24 When you lie down, you won't be afraid.
When you lie down, you will sleep soundly.
Proverbs 3:24 NIrV
2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the
bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved
sleep.
Psalms 127:2 ESV
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Psalm 91
1 Dwelling in the
Shadow of the Sovereign Lord Most High
Shows you are abiding with Him Who’s Almighty.
2 Surely You’re my
fortress; in You I’ll always trust;
This is my
confession, “The Lord is true and just.”
3 Assuredly He’ll
save you from the fowler’s deadly snare!
The lethal pestilence
may call and find you are not there!
4 His pinions will
cover you; You’re underneath His wings.
His faithful
shield and buckler; a refuge He will bring.
5 You need not be in
terror of that which comes at night.
The arrows in the
daytime will not put you to flight.
6 Don‘t fear the
stalking pestilence that strikes when it is dark,
The wasting noon
destruction you’ll think is just a lark.
7 A thousand may
confront you; Ten thousand may join in.
But they will not
draw near you. They all know you will win.
8 Your eyes will see
the wicked, they’ll get just what is due;
The recompense
for everything which they have tried to do.
9 Because you’ve
made the Lord Most High, the place in which you
dwell;
He will be your
refuge far more than words can tell.
10 No evil will come
near you, no plague come near your tent
11 His angels; they
will guard you, for that’s why they were sent!
12 They’ll bear you up
upon their hands, ensuring you won’t slip;
In case you
stumble on a stone or accidentally trip.
13 The lion and the
adder will be underneath your feet.
The serpent and
young lion by you will both be beat.
14 He will deliver all
of those who hold fast in His love;
He’ll certainly
protect those who know Him high above.
15 When he calls I’ll answer him. He needn’t be afraid.
I’ll rescue and will honour him. In trouble, I’m his aid!
16 With long life he’ll be satisfied; salvation he will know.
These are the promises I make to those who dwell below.
THANKS FOR SLEEP
Thank You Father; I have slept, right throughout the night.
Thank You that I feel refreshed, cheerful, clean and bright!
Thank You for the blessed fact of rest when we are tired.
Thank You that You satisfy far more than man's desired!
Jim Strickland
Written 20th
June 2012
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