Psalm 116 is an “eclectic” psalm, reading like a chapter in Proverbs, because it jumps from one theme to another. It is a psalm of praise, yet in the middle of it, the psalmist tells us because he believes he cries out to the LORD about his affliction and that all men are liars. That’s typical of a psalm of lament. Then he offers a seemingly random idea: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” What a powerful truth! When we lose a loved one to death, we are hurt and even devastated. In our grief, we can know the LORD is also grieving the loss, even though it is a gain for His eternal Kingdom. Jesus wept when He went to Lazarus’ tomb, even though He would raise Lazarus from the dead shortly after. The LORD cares about our grief and grieves with us. Then the psalm closes with the psalmist vowing His allegiance to the LORD and offers Him more praise.
Psalm 117 is so brief we can copy it here: 1Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. 2For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. Psalm 117:1-2 (NIV) This brief psalm of praise calls on everyone to praise the LORD. Why? Because His love and faithfulness to us endure forever. This psalm is virtually the center of the English Bible, so we are halfway through our goal of reading through the Bible in a year, even though we are not halfway through our year in days. The reason for that is we will slow our pace at times to focus on some specific passages in the New Testament. Also, we have already read more than half the Bible, because we are working our way through the four gospels repeatedly. The process, as I noted at the outset, is to get us into the New Testament, and specifically the life of Jesus daily, as we work our way through the Old Testament. If you’ve been with us all the way so far: congratulations!
Psalm 118 is a joyous psalm of praise, which makes it clear the LORD’s faithful love endures forever! It also contains the powerful affirmation and command: This is the day the LORD has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! The command to rejoice in this day is so powerful. Not every day is a fun day, a happy day, but every day can be a joyful day. That’s because joy is not based on our circumstance or happenstance. The words happy and happenstance come from the same root. Joy is an aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and remains in us as long as we let the Holy Spirit control our lives. That makes every day a day for rejoicing in the LORD!
As we return to Luke 3, let’s focus on the first two verses: 1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. Luke 3:1-2 (ESV) Notice how Luke anchors the start of John’s ministry in history. The moment it started was the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. At that moment Caesar, Pilate, Herod, Philip, and Lysanias were all occupied with governing a specific region or nation. They were undoubtedly quite busy. The word of God did not come to them. It came to John who was “in the wilderness.” The Greek word the ESV translates as wilderness can also be translated “desert.” Either way, John was by Himself. He was not “busy.” He was preparing to prepare the way for Jesus. Is it possible the word of God came to all the others in the list, but they were so busy governing, and enjoying their positions and the power that came with it they didn’t hear or listen? Ever since my mentor, Andy Weigand, pointed this question out to me when I was a teenager, I have reflected on the possibility. My tendency is to be more like one of the leaders mentioned, filling my life with activity and the demands of leadership. John shows us the first “demand” of leadership: listening for God’s voice and guidance. As we read through the Bible, we are investing time in listening to God’s voice, because the Bible is His word. In addition, we must invest time alone “in the wilderness” (which might be your front porch, or in your family room, or some other special place where you go to get away from others). As we do that, God does speak to us and gives us the opportunity to know His plan and purpose for our lives!