We’re told Psalm 65 is a song of King David. What a song of praise it is! In this brief song, David covers virtually every attribute of God. He tells us of God’s worthiness to be praised, of God’s forgiveness, of God’s creative power, of God’s love for us. Psalm 65 is worth remembering and maybe even singing!
We’re not told the author of Psalm 66, although it is reminiscent of many of King David’s psalms of praise. We are told it, too, is a song. It resounds with praise of the LORD and also makes brief mention of various aspects of Israel’s history including the crossing of the Red Sea (or the Jordan River), times the Israelites spent “in prison,” (which could have been in Egypt or during the times of the judges in Israel), and time spent worshiping the LORD in His Temple. The psalm offers us a heavy dose of praise to God and a brief history lesson to go along with it!
Psalm 67 is a brief, anonymous psalm, which is also labeled as a song. While the psalm is so brief it is difficult to tell where it was going, one noticeable point is when we bring our praises to God, His response is to pour out blessing in our lives. This is a general truth found throughout Scripture, and while Job would call it into question, at least during the suffering portion of his life, putting God in His proper place–first–in our lives, generally leads to blessing.
Psalm 68 is an extended psalm of praise written by King David. It is also called a song. The psalm flows back and forth between telling us of the LORD’s blessing on His people, and His punishment on His enemies. We must always remember the LORD has a chosen people, and while that chosen people was quite obviously Israel in the Old Testament, His holy people are now any who trust His Son, Jesus, as Savior and Lord, and follow in His ways in the power of the Holy Spirit.
As we turn to Luke 13, in the first five verses, Jesus tells of two incidents were people were killed by the Roman governor, Pilate, and others who died when a tower fell on them. He asked the people whether they thought this happened because their sin was worse than others? His answer was brief, “No, but unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Here Jesus sounds more like John the Baptist than what we typically think of Jesus, but always remember: Jesus’ first message was a message of repentance!
Next Jesus told a parable about a vinedresser who had a plant that bore no fruit. The owner wanted to cut it down, but the servant asked for more time to fertilize it and if it didn’t produce after another year, he would cut it down. The message here seems clear: Jesus expects “fruit” from us His “plants.”
Jesus then went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and healed a woman who had been bound with an illness for eighteen years. The religious leaders were upset, but Jesus pointed out they would free one of their animals if it were bound on the Sabbath, and shouldn’t this child of God be freed? The question put them all to shame.
Jesus told two quick parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. He compared the Kingdom to a mustard seed, that grows to be a massive tree, in which many birds and animals can shelter, and yeast of which a little can leaven a whole lump of dough. In other words, it doesn’t take “much” of the Kingdom of Heaven to impact a great deal. Even a little of the Kingdom in our hearts can make an eternal difference.
Jesus was asked whether many would be saved? His response was the door is narrow that leads to life and we must strive for it. That doesn’t mean we can earn salvation. It does mean once we have received salvation, we are to work that salvation out in our lives in such a way that we glorify God and help others to find it, too.