March 2, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in selections from Psalms? Here’s today’s reading:
Psalms 87-88 (NIV)
Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.
1 He has founded his city on the holy mountain.
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are said of you,
“Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.”
Psalms 89:52 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.89.52.NIV
I was very sad reading these Psalms. He feels he has nothing but gloom and doom. I wasn’t sure if he was beseeching the Lord or accepting his fate(?) of hell? I feel confused as well.
Psalm 87 – A short Psalm (song) that expresses God’s love for the city of Jerusalem and “records” that Gentiles “who acknowledge” Him will be considered residents or born there by Him.
Psalm 88 reminds me of scene in season 3 of The Chosen. The scene is a conversation between Jesus and “Little James”. Little James has been a paralytic for years and has been following Jesus for some time now. He has watched Jesus heal many a malady over that time but is very discouraged that Jesus has not healed him. Little James finally gets the courage to ask Jesus why he has not healed him. Jesus says to Little James, Do you realize how powerful your witness is going to be when you heal someone else even while you still have your infirmity? Little James does heal a young boy and I think understands what Jesus is saying. There was more to the conversation, of course, this is the gist of, much like Jesus did himself – God suffering on the cross for us and our salvation. Praise God!
Psalms 87-88
Psalm 87 – I didn’t understand what this Psalm was about…..God registers where people are born? The Lord will record,
When He registers the peoples:
“This one was born there.”
Psalm 88 – Sounds like David is on his death bed. He’s making a deal with God asking Him rhetorical questions –
Will You work wonders for the dead?
Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah
11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
The holy city Zion. Our home to come. Gods Grace Amazing that people say no to this promise of heaven. Psalm 88! Was looking who wrote this. This man has no hope. Sounds like he’s close to death. Not always easy. But to look beyond our feelings and reach out to God. Always have the gift of prayer where our savior intercedes for us. Even when we can’t pray. We should be reaching out to those that will pray on our behalf. Met a lady today who has tumors on her neck and back. Can hardly speak. Hardly walk. going blind. Prayed for her. She was deeply touched. Love opportunities like that. Please pray that God would heal Nancy from hidden harbour estate in Stuart
I did the reading. No comment today.
These are a couple of challenging Psalms. The first affirms God’s love for Jerusalem and to emphasize that point He speaks of registering the people that are born there, and apparently adding to them the ones who identify with God, as being born there too. I don’t know that we should be surprised that God knows and has purposed where and when we were born. But here, it is spoken of as an expression of the value God has for geographical location of Zion and the people He associates with it.
And Psalm 88 is one of those Psalms that expresses the deepest (and darkest) of human emotion and let’s us know that God is willing to hear our cries and meet us there. Clearly the writer is in a tough spot and seeks God’s consolation even though he has not experienced any. I don’t think he is referring to hell when he mentions the pit, but the depth of despair. I hope none of us finds ourselves in this place, but if we do…there is a voice in Scripture that identifies with us and gives us the place and the person to direct it to. To God…even when you feel like He is against you as well…because we can always know that He is not…and He always cares and is always there for us.
Psalms 87-88
I didn’t think much of chapter 87 until I read Pastor’s comment and then I thought it a cool thing that the place we where born or even the place we reside is significant to God. I figured we end up where we end up but to think I have a purpose for being specifically where I am is pretty cool.
Chapter 88 is a dark one but we let ourselves go there all too often. The despair in feeling like you are not being heard and you are not getting ahead but much like this chapter it is at that point that you must turn it over to God and let Him show you not only the way out but the reason you wound up there and what He needs you to learn from it.
Amen, Kelly!
God loves the city of Jerusalem. He dwells in the temple and his people worship him there. The psalmist criest out to God when he is in his darkest days. He knows that he will find refuge in the Lord.
Palms: Loved both of what Pastor and Kelly has to say! You too Mark!