For the next few days I’ll be at camp Gander Brook Christian Camp in Raymond ME, which means that my access to the internet and routine will be a little off.If you’ve never been to Gander Brook, it is a wonderfully rustic place to get away from the usual urgencies of life, to do a little physical work, spend more time in prayer, spend a different sort of time in the Word (a listener and reflector rather than a teacher), and spend time with members of God’s family other than my church family in Manchester from around New England. I’m not sure, therefore, how much I may write each day, but I will write something. I hope you find it useful nevertheless.
Today’s readings are a combination of praise and prayer. Psalm 8 is a praise that we use even today as a song of praise to the Lord. Just the first line has meaning that we ought to pay attention to: “O LORD (YHWH) our Lord”. In most Bibles, anytime you see LORD all in caps, it is a reference to the personal name of God, YHWH. Thus, “O LORD, our Lord” is not just poetic repetition, it is saying God’s name and claiming Him as our king, our lord, our sovereign who has complete right to rule us.
This is the God who has displayed a sample of His power-beyond-description in the heavens above us! And the psalmist wonders — I don’t mean he merely questions, I mean he is in wonder — at the astounding fact that the LORD, who made all those millions of stars, the sun and moon, and so much more, a God that almighty, cares anything at all about man. Yet, God has taken interest in us, made us just a little lower than the glorious angels, giving us rule over earth and its other creatures, blessed us, fed us, and saved us (especially from ourselves). Wow! No wonder that he ends where he began, “O LORD our Lord”.
In chapters 9 and 10 we find prayers. In psalm 9 there is a prayer of thanks for God’s justice in dealing with oppressors; if you’ve ever been rescued by the Lord from an oppressor, you’ll doubtlessly be able offer a hardy Amen to the end. In Psalm 10 there is a prayer for an end to the deeds of wicked men. Although we have no evidence or even insinuation that psalms 9 and 10 are directly connected, it could easily be that psalms 10 was the prayer for deliverance, while psalm was a prayer of thanksgiving for that deliverance. God does hear and does answer us, when we pray in faith and righteousness.
Here’s hoping your Lord’s day is a great one.
See you tomorrow, Lord willing.
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About parklinscomb
I'm a minister for the Rock Hill church of Christ in Frisco TX (rhcoc.org) where I've worked since 2020. I'm a big fan of my family, archaeology, the Bible, and the Lord's church.
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Awesome — Psalms 8-10
For the next few days I’ll be at camp Gander Brook Christian Camp in Raymond ME, which means that my access to the internet and routine will be a little off.If you’ve never been to Gander Brook, it is a wonderfully rustic place to get away from the usual urgencies of life, to do a little physical work, spend more time in prayer, spend a different sort of time in the Word (a listener and reflector rather than a teacher), and spend time with members of God’s family other than my church family in Manchester from around New England. I’m not sure, therefore, how much I may write each day, but I will write something. I hope you find it useful nevertheless.
Today’s readings are a combination of praise and prayer. Psalm 8 is a praise that we use even today as a song of praise to the Lord. Just the first line has meaning that we ought to pay attention to: “O LORD (YHWH) our Lord”. In most Bibles, anytime you see LORD all in caps, it is a reference to the personal name of God, YHWH. Thus, “O LORD, our Lord” is not just poetic repetition, it is saying God’s name and claiming Him as our king, our lord, our sovereign who has complete right to rule us.
This is the God who has displayed a sample of His power-beyond-description in the heavens above us! And the psalmist wonders — I don’t mean he merely questions, I mean he is in wonder — at the astounding fact that the LORD, who made all those millions of stars, the sun and moon, and so much more, a God that almighty, cares anything at all about man. Yet, God has taken interest in us, made us just a little lower than the glorious angels, giving us rule over earth and its other creatures, blessed us, fed us, and saved us (especially from ourselves). Wow! No wonder that he ends where he began, “O LORD our Lord”.
In chapters 9 and 10 we find prayers. In psalm 9 there is a prayer of thanks for God’s justice in dealing with oppressors; if you’ve ever been rescued by the Lord from an oppressor, you’ll doubtlessly be able offer a hardy Amen to the end. In Psalm 10 there is a prayer for an end to the deeds of wicked men. Although we have no evidence or even insinuation that psalms 9 and 10 are directly connected, it could easily be that psalms 10 was the prayer for deliverance, while psalm was a prayer of thanksgiving for that deliverance. God does hear and does answer us, when we pray in faith and righteousness.
Here’s hoping your Lord’s day is a great one.
See you tomorrow, Lord willing.
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About parklinscomb
I'm a minister for the Rock Hill church of Christ in Frisco TX (rhcoc.org) where I've worked since 2020. I'm a big fan of my family, archaeology, the Bible, and the Lord's church.