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30 July 2011
His Presence saved us- Extracted from Isaiah 63: 7-9
Let me sing the praises of Yahweh’s goodness, and of his marvelous deeds, in return for all that he has done for us and for the great kindness he has shown us in his mercy and in his boundless goodness.
He said, ‘Truly they are my people, sons and no rouges’. He proved himself their saviour in all their troubles. It was neither messenger nor angel but his Presence that saved them. In his love and pity he redeemed them himself, he lifted them up, carried them throughout the days of old.
Both God’s creation & his Word reveal his greatness- Extracted from Psalm 19:
1 [For the choirmaster Psalm Of David] The heavens declare the glory of God, the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork,
2 day discourses of it to day, night to night hands on the knowledge.
3 No utterance at all, no speech, not a sound to be heard,
4 but from the entire earth the design stands out, this message reaches the whole world. High above, he pitched a tent for the sun,
5 who comes forth from his pavilion like a bridegroom, delights like a champion in the course to be run.
6 Rising on the one horizon he runs his circuit to the other, and nothing can escape his heat.
7 The Law of Yahweh is perfect, refreshment to the soul; the decree of Yahweh is trustworthy, wisdom for the simple.
8 The precepts of Yahweh are honest, joy for the heart; the commandment of Yahweh is pure, light for the eyes.
9 The fear of Yahweh is pure, lasting for ever; the judgements of Yahweh are true, upright, every one,
10 more desirable than gold, even than the finest gold; his words are sweeter than honey, that drips from the comb.
11 Thus your servant is formed by them; observing them brings great reward.
12 But who can detect his own failings? Wash away my hidden faults.
13 And from pride preserve your servant, never let it be my master. So shall I be above reproach, free from grave sin.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
The sure way to be delivered from evil is to call upon God’s help & strength – Extracted from Psalm 18:
1 [For the choirmaster Of David, the servant of Yahweh, who addressed the words of this song to Yahweh when Yahweh had delivered him from all his enemies and from the clutches of Saul. He said:] I love you, Yahweh, my strength (my Saviour, you have saved me from violence).
2 Yahweh is my rock and my fortress, my deliverer is my God. I take refuge in him, my rock, my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold, my place of refuge.
3 I call to Yahweh who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my foes.
4 With Death's breakers closing in on me, Belial's torrents ready to swallow me,
5 Sheol's snares every side of me, Death's traps lying ahead of me,
6 I called to Yahweh in my anguish, I cried for help to my God; from his Temple he heard my voice, my cry came to his ears.
7 Then the earth quaked and rocked, the mountains' foundations shuddered, they quaked at his blazing anger.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils, from his mouth devouring fire (coals were kindled at it).
9 He parted the heavens and came down, a storm-cloud underneath his feet;
10 riding one of the winged creatures, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.
11 His covering he made the darkness, his pavilion dark waters and dense cloud.
12 A brightness lit up before him, hail and blazing fire.
13 Yahweh thundered from the heavens, the Most High made his voice heard.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered them, he hurled his lightning and routed them.
15 The very springs of ocean were exposed, the world's foundations were laid bare, at your roaring, Yahweh, at the blast of breath from your nostrils!
16 He reached down from on high, snatched me up, pulled me from the watery depths,
17 rescued me from my mighty foe, from my enemies who were stronger than I.
18 They assailed me on my day of disaster but Yahweh was there to support me;
19 he freed me, set me at large, he rescued me because he loves me.
20 Yahweh rewards me for my uprightness, as my hands are pure, so he repays me,
21 since I have kept the ways of Yahweh, and not fallen away from my God.
22 His judgements are all before me, his statutes I have not put away from me.
23 I am blameless before him, I keep myself clear of evil.
24 So Yahweh repaid me for acting uprightly because he could see I was pure.
25 You are faithful to the faithful, blameless with the blameless,
26 sincere to the sincere, but cunning to the crafty,
27 you save a people that is humble and humiliate those with haughty looks.
28 Yahweh, you yourself are my lamp, my God lights up my darkness;
29 with you I storm the rampart, with my God I can scale any wall.
30 This God, his way is blameless; the word of Yahweh is refined in the furnace, for he alone is the shield of all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God but Yahweh, who is a rock but our God?
32 This God who girds me with strength, who makes my way free from blame,
33 who makes me as swift as a deer and sets me firmly on the heights,
34 who trains my hands for battle, my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
35 You give me your invincible shield (your right hand upholds me) you never cease to listen to me,
36 you give me the strides of a giant, give me ankles that never weaken.
37 I pursue my enemies and overtake them, not turning back till they are annihilated;
38 I strike them down and they cannot rise, they fall, they are under my feet.
39 You have girded me with strength for the fight, bent down my assailants beneath me,
40 made my enemies retreat before me; and those who hate me I destroy.
41 They cry out, there is no one to save; to Yahweh, but no answer comes.
42 I crumble them like dust before the wind, trample them like the mud of the streets.
43 You free me from the quarrels of my people, you place me at the head of the nations, a people I did not know are now my servants;
44 foreigners come wooing my favour, no sooner do they hear than they obey me;
45 foreigners grow faint of heart, they come trembling out of their strongholds.
46 Life to Yahweh! Blessed be my rock! Exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 the God who gives me vengeance, and subjects whole peoples to me,
48 who rescues me from my raging enemies. You lift me high above those who attack me, you deliver me from the man of violence.
49 For this I will praise you, Yahweh, among the nations, and sing praise to your name.
50 He saves his king time after time, displays his faithful love for his anointed, for David and his heirs for ever. 30 July 2011 |
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6 August 2011
Yahweh will betroth you to himself forever - Extracted from Hosea, Chapter 2: 18-24
Yahweh said:
When the day comes I will make a treaty on her behalf with the wild animals, with the birds of heaven and the creeping things of the earth; I will break bow, sword and battle in the country, and make her sleep secure.
I will betroth you to myself for ever, betroth you with integrity and justice, with tenderness and love; I will betroth you to myself with faithfulness, and you will come to know Yahweh.
When that day comes - it is Yahweh who speaks - the heavens will have their answer from me, the earth its answer from them, the grain, the wine, the oil, their answer from the earth, and Jezreel his answer from them.
I will sow him in the country, I will love Unloved; I will say to No-People-of-Mine, ‘You are my people’, and he will answer, ‘You are my God’.
Fatherly Advice- Extracted from Ecclesiasticus / Sirach, Chapter 10:
Persons deserving honour
19 What race deserves honour? The human race. What race deserves honour? Those who fear the Lord. What race deserves contempt? The human race. What race deserves contempt? Those who break the Law.
20 A leader is honoured by his brothers, and those who fear the Lord are honoured by him.
22 The rich, the noble, the poor, let them pride themselves on fearing the Lord.
23 It is not right to despise one who is poor but intelligent, and it is not good to honour one who is a sinner.
24 Magnate, magistrate, potentate, all are to be honoured, but none is greater than the one who fears the Lord.
25 A wise slave will have free men waiting on him, and the enlightened will not complain.
Frankness and Humility
26 Do not try to be smart when you do your work, do not put on airs when you are in difficulties.
27 Better the hardworking who has plenty of everything, than the pretentious at a loss for a meal.
28 My child, be modest in your self-esteem, and value yourself at your proper worth.
29 Who can justify one who inflicts injuries on himself, or respect one who is full of self-contempt?
30 The poor is honoured for wit, and the rich for wealth.
31 Honoured in poverty, how much the more in wealth! Dishonoured in wealth, how much the more in poverty! 6 August 2011
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