Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 18
September 2012
Hi all,
Today’s meditation looks primarily at Psalm 121:1-2.
This happens to be one of my favourite Psalm quotes. The question mark at the
end of verse 1 makes a huge difference to our understanding of what this Psalm
means. So I’ve touched on a bit of exegesis and hermeneutics. People are
inclined to say, Herman who? “Why does he tic”? Well he’s a sort of Scriptural
time bomb. Get it wrong and you whole understanding explodes in your face.
Blessings
Jim
& Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 19 September 2012
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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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I
LIFT MY EYES
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Studying
the Bible is fascinating. God’s Word fills the spirit man and gives us
strength at stand against the enemy. As we know, the Sword of the Spirit,
“God’s Word” is our weapon. Now I’m not into sword-fighting. But I know that
to become proficient with the sword, we need lots of practice and acquired
skill. Watch “fencing” on TV. If I tried that, it would be all over in half a
second. They would tell me to go away and learn how to use the sword.
Being
proficient with the use of the Sword of the Spirit is just as necessary.
Sadly many Christians don’t read their Bibles. So when it comes to fighting
the enemy, the battle is over before it’s started, Yes, God does help us. But
He does want us to know our way round His Word proficiently. And herein is
the problem. The Bible says what it means and means what it says. But it
takes place within a context that we need to understand, or we use Scripture
incorrectly. We need to know who was saying what and to whom he was speaking.
If we see a quotation from a non-believer, is it true? A good example comes
from Habakkuk. Habakkuk says to God, 13 Your
eyes are too pure to look at what is evil.
You can't put up with the wrong things people do. So why do you put up with
those who can't be trusted? The evil Babylonians swallow up those who are
more godly than themselves. So why are you silent? Habakkuk 1:13 NIrV But it’s not true. God has to
look at evil continuously. So this is Habakkuk’s opinion, not Biblical truth.
Which
brings us to the word, “Exegesis and Hermeneutics; These are two big words
which imply correctly “dividing the Word of Truth”. For our purpose today; and
over-simplified, “exegesis” is making sure that we understand correctly what
is said. Hermeneutics is “teaching” this accurately. It’s more complicated
than this but suffices for our purpose.
Today’s
meditation looks at an application of this to our first Scripture. First we get
to grips with what the Psalmist meant when he wrote the words. Why did he say
them? What was happening in God’s world to trigger the comment? This is dealt
with in the meditation. It’s a basic exegetical understanding of what the
words mean. The entire meditation is an interpretation of the passage. It’s
an exercise in Hermeneutics. The verse of the Psalm is interpreted and
expounded to make it more clearly understood. This is the way we should go
about bringing the truth of Scripture to our readers or hearers. Sadly, it
doesn’t happen in many Charismatic churches. Scripture is seldom read and expounded.
What we get is a blunderbuss sermon; Scriptures are rammed down the barrel
and fired at the listeners. The result is misunderstanding and error.
Remember GIGO, Garbage in = Garbage out
Jim & Phyllida Strickland.
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A Song of Ascents 1 I lift up
my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and
earth.
Psalms 121:1-2 ESV
A Song of Ascents 1 Those who trust in the LORD are like
Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD
surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.
Psalms 125:1-2 ESV
A Song of Ascents 1 To you I
lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned
in the heavens! 2 Behold, as
the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a
maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our
God, till he has mercy upon us.
Psalms 123:1-2 ESV
7 Because you have helped
me, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
Psalms
63:7 NIrV
12 "Our God, won't you please judge
them? We don't have the power to face this huge army that's attacking us. We
don't know what to do. But we're looking to you to help us."
2 Chronicles 20:12 NIrV
15 My eyes are always on the LORD, for He
rescues me from the traps of my enemies.
Psalms 25:15 NLT
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven
and earth.
Psalms 124:8 ESV
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Way back in the Old Testament, the
hills and mountain tops;
On all of those High Places, we
know that there were lots,
Of places where the pagan gods desired
to get men’s souls.
Like altars for Baal worship as
well as Asherah Poles.
Ugly, phallic symbols, of gross
indecency;
Where men could praise and worship
the god “fertility”!
Lewd and sexual orgies with priests or
the priestesses.
Asking that the deity would be
the one who blesses;
Grant to them prosperity and give them
bounteous crops.
So that in agriculture, they’d
always turn out tops.
You’d see them in the distance, up
high upon the hills.
Good folk wouldn’t look at
them. In fact they got the chills,
Just thinking what might happen to
people way up there.
They wouldn’t even glance at
them and none of them would stare,
And look up at the mountains. The
hills were just not right,
And very few would lift their
eyes in case, they got a sight,
Of anything immoral. Far better not to
look,
And stay in the commandments,
within God’s Holy Book.
It wasn’t always like this. Some good
kings made it stop.
They’d go to the High places
and cleanse it from the top,
Down to the very bottom; burn down the
Asherah poles,
And smash the pagan altars. It
was their kingly goal.
No longer could men lift their eyes
and see upon the hills
Those grossly evil places and
know about the ills,
That often took place up there; like
infant sacrifice;
Or other dreadful practices and
pay the awful price.
And after there was cleansing and this
was put away,
You’d hear a “prophet” speaking;
And this is what he’d say.
“I lift my
eyes up to the hills. It’s near where God abides.
My help and strength come from
The Lord, and Baal is put aside.
The Lord is the creator of everything
we see.
High up on the mountain top is
where He waits for me!
He made this world from nothing He
formed the mountain tops.
If we only trust in Him He’ll
give abundant crops.
The pagan gods are worthless. Not one
of them exists.
The Lord God is the One to
serve. The others are like mist.
The Lord God breathes upon them and
they are blown away.
It’s only superstition; and who
needs that today!
So focus on the Master; like servants,
watch His hand.
Then jump to be obedient to His
Divine command.
The mountains have no terrors; the
hills evoke no fear.
I look at them and know for
sure my God is ever near.
Jim Strickland –
Written 19th September 2012
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