God’s Word For Today Gospel Light Filipino

Text: Psalm 130:1-8 (ESV)

 

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!

2 O Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness,

that you may be feared.

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

6 my soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the LORD!

For with the LORD there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

8 And he will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

 

WITH YOU THERE IS FORGIVENESS

 

A great sense of their own sinfulness overwhelms the travelers as they approach the temple.[v.1] There is no deeper pit than the black hole of despair. It is when the soul has painful realization that one’s sins have separated him from God. “The beginning of true personal religion is the sense of personal sin. An insufficient realization of that is the mother of heresies in the creeds and superficial deadness in the practice of Christianity.”[Alexander Maclaren]

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!

 

They know that they badly need forgiveness. No person in a sinful condition can stand before the holy God in his holy presence at the temple (v.2-4). “The only hope is in God’s forgiveness, which in turn quickens the feeling of awe”[Wycliffe Bible Commentary

2 O Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness,

that you may be feared.

 

They wait for the assurance of God’s forgiveness with the same longing as watchmen on night duty waiting for the light of dawn (v.5-6). The repetition occurring in verse 5 is emphatic; implying, that he trusted in God even with the deepest affections of his soul. Verse 6 could be rendered, "My soul waiteth for the Lord from the morning watches to the morning watches." That is, "I wait both day and night."

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

6 my soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

 

And at all times, they have unwavering confidence that God, in his stedfast love, will forgive them (v.7-8).

7 O Israel, hope in the LORD!

For with the LORD there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

8 And he will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

 

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Text: Psalm 129:1-8 (ESV)

 

1 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—

let Israel now say—

2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,

yet they have not prevailed against me.

3 The plowers plowed upon my back;

they made long their furrows.”

4 The LORD is righteous;

he has cut the cords of the wicked.

5 May all who hate Zion

be put to shame and turned backward!

6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops,

which withers before it grows up,

7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand

nor the binder of sheaves his arms,

8 nor do those who pass by say,

“The blessing of the LORD be upon you!

We bless you in the name of the LORD!”

 

THE LORD IS RIGHTEOUS

 

Recalling their sorrows when they were in bondage, the travelers recall that the days of the nation’s ‘youth’ in Egypt where they suffered much. The backs of the people had been whipped and severely bruised as slaves. (v.1-3).

“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—

let Israel now say—

2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,

yet they have not prevailed against me.

3 The plowers plowed upon my back;

they made long their furrows.”

 

But, God is righteous. He’ll save them from slavery and set them free.

4 The LORD is righteous;

he has cut the cords of the wicked.

 

However, the enemy hated and troubled them. The traveler prays that God will turn back their enemies. That, He will make them wither as stalks of grass and die under the sun (v.5-7).

5 May all who hate Zion

be put to shame and turned backward!

6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops,

which withers before it grows up,

7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand

nor the binder of sheaves his arms,

 

The destruction of the enemy is overwhelming. They’re left without friends, and have no one to help them. This caused them to bless God. (v.8).

8 nor do those who pass by say,

“The blessing of the LORD be upon you!

We bless you in the name of the LORD!”

 

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Text: Psa 128:1-6 ESV



1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.

5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

6 May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!



-Psa 128:1-6 ESV



BLESSED IS EVERYONE WHO FEARS THE LORD



Blessedness is always a result of fearing God (v.1,4).

1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.



Wherever God dwells, whether in the sense of dwelling in the family or in the sense of dwelling in Jerusalem, his people there will enjoy his fullest blessing. First, he would be blessed in his labor (v.2). Labor isn’t a curse but a blessing.

2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.



Moreover, there is a metaphor of fruitfulness as vine and olive shoots. These refer to his wife and children, respectively.[v.3]

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.



The fear of the Lord is the backbone that provides stability. And ultimately, as families that fear God today are blessed, so is the next generation that follows and the city of Jerusalem.[v.5-6]

5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

6 May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!

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Text: Psa 127:1-5 ESV



1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.

5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.



-Psa 127:1-5 ESV



THE LORD BUILDS THE HOUSE



The travelers have to take note that God is in-charge in building the city of Jerusalem or a family. In both cases, they must acknowledge the sovereign rule of God. Their days, maybe, are filled with worry and they have sleepless nights. And, these could affect them adversely. Thus, they have to recognize God and Him alone as the builder (v.1-2)

1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.



Moreover, these travelers should be encouraged to trust in God by reminding themselves that their large and healthy family is a blessing from God. Their children provide stability, strength and honor in society (v.3-5)

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.

5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.



Today, let’s not forget that Jesus is the builder of our lives and family.[1 Cor 3:11]Apart from Him we are nothing.[John 15:5,16]. God is indespensable. Otherwise, we are building in vain.

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God’s Word for Today

11 Apr 2024



 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,

    we were like those who dream.

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

    and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then they said among the nations,

    “The LORD has done great things for them.”

3 The LORD has done great things for us;

    we are glad.

4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD,

    like streams in the Negeb!

5 Those who sow in tears

    shall reap with shouts of joy!

6 He who goes out weeping,

    bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

    bringing his sheaves with him.



-Psa 126:1-6 ESV



THE LORD HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR US



Jerusalem was plundered and the land was threatened for a while. But, God won’t allow it to happen for a long time. Israel rejoiced in God’s loving deliverance in an unexpected fashion (v.1-2a). 

 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,

    we were like those who dream.

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

    and our tongue with shouts of joy;



The nations recognized that it is the work of God.[v.2b-3] The deliverance could be attributed to God alone.

then they said among the nations,

    “The LORD has done great things for them.”

3 The LORD has done great things for us;

    we are glad.



However, their problems were not over as yet. Hard work is what they need to do if they were to restore the land. They relied on God to provide water in the dry Negeb region.

4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD,

    like streams in the Negeb!



But, they recognized that they would have to work hard and long before they could enjoy the fruits of the land again. (v.5-6).

5 Those who sow in tears

    shall reap with shouts of joy!

6 He who goes out weeping,

    bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

    bringing his sheaves with him.



The lesson for the travelers, even for us,  is that we must persevere if we are to enjoy God’s blessing. God promises to provide the rain but we have to be industrious to prepare the land and sow the seeds.



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God’s Word for Today

10 Apr 2024



Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,

    which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

    so the LORD surrounds his people,

    from this time forth and forevermore.

3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest

    on the land allotted to the righteous,

lest the righteous stretch out

    their hands to do wrong.

4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,

    and to those who are upright in their hearts!

5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways

    the LORD will lead away with evildoers!

    Peace be upon Israel!



-Psa 125:1-5 ESV



THE LORD SURROUNDS HIS PEOPLE



As the worshipers approach Jerusalem, they recall some of the hardships that the city has gone through. They reflect these as typical of their experiences as God’s chosen people. Like the formidable city of Jerusalem, they are completely secured and fully protected (v.1-2).

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,

    which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

    so the LORD surrounds his people,

    from this time forth and forevermore.



There were times that Jerusalem came under the rule of its enemies. But, God would never allow these enemies to control it for long. These happens as God’s chastisement when His people lost their devotion to him (v.3). 

3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest

    on the land allotted to the righteous,

lest the righteous stretch out

    their hands to do wrong.



God is just and righteous. Their security rests in the character of God. Surely God cares for the righteous and punishes their enemies (v.4-5).

4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,

    and to those who are upright in their hearts!

5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways

    the LORD will lead away with evildoers!

    Peace be upon Israel!



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