Weekly Devotional 3rd of May, 2024
by Bruce Billington
Weekly Devotional 3rd of May, 2024
We are continuing to explore the knowledge of God as expressed in the Psalms. This week we look at the final verses of Psalm 92. This is both a Psalm and a Song, full of equal measures of solemnity and joy; and it was intended to be sung upon the day of rest.
Psalm 92:5,10 – “How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep. But You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil.”
The Psalmist here is lost in wonder and amazement in the great works of God. Creation is immeasurable, and the wisdom displayed is unsearchable. How easy it is to let so much of this pass by! He states that it is good to praise and give thanks to the Lord. It is good because it is the right thing to do and because God is worthy to be praised (Psalm 18:3; 145:3).
But also, it is good for us. When we praise God and give Him thanks, our spirits are refreshed and renewed. When we consider God’s unfailing love and faithfulness, we are encouraged when we face trials. We find hope and strength for our difficulties when we focus on the sufficiency of God for all our needs. Thanking Him for His work in our lives requires us to reflect on the wonderful things He does for us on a daily basis. In addition, praising and thanking God reminds us just how dependent we are on Him, for all the good things in our lives are gifts from Him. Truly, it is good for us to praise and give thanks to God when we gather with His people for worship.
Even for us to say He excels in power and wisdom is a vast understatement. His ways are infinitely above our ability to understand (Isaiah 55:9).
His amazing creation is not just an object. It was planned with His love – it is precious to Him, and we will be held accountable for what we do with it. He wants us to feel the same way about it as He does. What joy and restoration occurs as we rest and consider the wonder of all He has made.
When did you last enjoy a sunset or sunrise? When did you last watch a bee at work on a flower and consider the marvel of God weaving all of this into creation? At our house, we get to see caterpillars go into their cocoon and come out as beautiful monarch butterflies. Oh, the wonder of it all.
Although God incredibly gave the role to His people to steward the whole of creation (with Him of course, not on our own) the underlying miracle of the way it works cannot be undone. The divine decrees which make it operate are inscrutable. They can only be understood by revelation from Him, and we will never understand all the complexities of them because they transcend our ability to comprehend them.
Knowing that our worship should include an acknowledgement of God’s great work of bringing about His purpose in our lives and His creation for us to enjoy.
His plan for the human race was that we should work six days of the week and rest on the seventh. In His infinite wisdom and love for humanity, God knew that we needed to rest our bodies and minds. He also knew that we needed to refresh our spirits through worshipping Him and fellowshipping with one another. Jesus clarified God’s purpose for this day of rest and worship, stating that “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
One of the things we should do on the sabbath is what God did. He rested and enjoyed the fruits of His labour. We should also give testimony to those we are with about what God has done for us in the past week.
In Verse 10 the psalmist testifies of God’s power and blessings on his life. He proclaimed that the Lord had exalted his horn, meaning that God had empowered him to be victorious over his enemies. The horn was a symbol of power. The wild ox, which was regarded as an exceptionally powerful beast (Numbers 24:8; Job 39:9; Psalm 29:6).
The psalmist went on to declare that God had anointed him with fresh oil. Anointing with oil was an act of consecration to the Lord’s service (Psalm 89:20). It symbolized the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Samuel 16:13) and symbolized the joy and gladness that come from God’s abundant blessings (Psalm 45:7; Isaiah 61:3). Therefore, fresh oil represents a fresh …
- Anointing from God
- Infilling of God’s Spirit
- Enduement or transfusion of power
- Bestowal of blessings and joy (POSB Commentary).
The Psalm promises that the righteous will flourish and grow strong (v12-15). We must not let anything, including good works, deny us from this amazing blessing.
God Bless you and keep you.
Bruce Billington