Psalm 86 is a psalm of King David in which he praises the LORD for who He is, thanks Him for all He has done, and calls on Him to be merciful to establish and reestablish His relationship with David. It is a psalm we would do well to memorize, if not in total, in concept. Some will be aware of the “ACTS” formula for prayer in which A stands for adoration, C for confession, T for thanksgiving, and S for supplication. David covers these areas in this psalm, which makes it a great model for us.
Psalm 87 is a brief psalm of praise to the LORD, written by the sons of Korah. It focuses mainly on the LORD’s love for Zion, the city of David.
Psalm 88 is a psalm of Korah, and specifically of Heman the Ezrahite, which calls out to the LORD for deliverance. The beginning of the psalm is Heman’s cry for deliverance, protection, and redemption from evil and the grave. The latter portion focuses on the reality that those in the grave don’t offer praise to the LORD, which shows us the concept of heaven wasn’t fully developed in his time. The unusual aspect of this psalm is it doesn’t end on a note of praise or affirmation of the LORD’s deliverance, but with a statement that the LORD has taken his closest friends from him, and that darkness is now his closest friend. We might wonder why such a psalm would be included in the list of the 150 psalms we have. The short answer is: The LORD is not afraid of our fear and hopelessness. He affirms our right to question our situation and even His presence in our lives. No idea is off limits for us to think, but at the end of the day whether we feel or experience it in the moment, the LORD is with us!
Psalm 89 is a psalm of Ethan the Ezrahite, and it cuts across the themes of the psalms we have read to this point. It starts with praise for the LORD and for His faithfulness. It moves to a reminder of the LORD’s promises to be faithful to David and his progeny. Then it states that David’s descendants are being wiped out, and it seems the LORD has forgotten His covenant. It sinks into despair with the question, “How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever?” Then it continues with a bit of recovery to the LORD’s faithfulness and closes with “Praise be the LORD forever. Amen and Amen.” We have come to expect this kind of movement in psalms by this time. How helpful to us when we recognize the LORD is ready to hear whatever we have to offer Him, and to continue His relationship with us.
As we turn to Luke 19, we read an account that is unique to Luke’s Gospel: Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus. Any of us who have a church background remember the account of Zacchaeus the “wee little man,” who wanted to see Jesus. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, which as we know by this time meant he was an outcast among his own people. He was so eager to see Jesus he climbed a sycamore tree to get a view of Jesus as he walked through Jericho. Jesus saw Zacchaeus, called him down from the tree, and invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner. The religious people in the crowd “grumbled,” because Jesus was associating with such a man. Jesus wasn’t concerned. Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus transformed him from the inside out. Jesus concluded His interaction with Zacchaeus by telling the crowd salvation had come to Zacchaeus house, and that the Son of Man had come to seek and save the lost. What amazing good news for us. It doesn’t matter what or who we have been. By God’s grace in Jesus we can be born again, and become new people. If Zacchaeus could experience it, anyone can.
Next, Jesus told the Parable of the Minas, which is parallel to the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. The details are different, but the point is the same: the faithful servants of God multiply what their Master entrusts to them. The unfaithful “bury” their resources. When we are faithful with what the LORD entrusts to us, He entrusts us with more.
The remainder of the chapter is devoted to Jesus’ Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. While the account is found in all four gospels, one of the points Luke makes is in Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees, the Pharisees tell Jesus to tell people to stop shouting praise to Him, and Jesus responds, “If they remain silent the stones will cry out.” Jesus didn’t often encourage people to glorify Him, but He is the Son of God. In this moment, as people recognized Him for who He was, Jesus affirmed it and noted creation will praise Him if we do not. That is an important reminder for us, when we are hesitant to offer Him the praise He is due. We were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. One of the ways we praise Him is through praising Jesus!