Recently an item appeared on the news that told the story of a 34-year-old man suing his parents for “not preparing him to earn a living.” He asked the judge to force his parents to sell their home and from the proceeds purchase him a restaurant. Parents are responsible for providing a useful education for their children. This parental task is as old as mankind. It began with the children of Israel.
Psalm 48 begins with a call to praise the Lord. He is “great,” said the Psalmist, and “worthy of praise.” In between verses one and 14 the author gives many descriptions of the greatness of God and several reason why He was worthy of praise. But why is He great and why is He worthy of praise?
Contained in the Psalm is a description of the City of Zion - the “joy of the whole earth.” And what is this joy or its source? It is the City of the Great King - God Himself! And we read that “God is in her citadels; He has shown Himself to be her fortress; when kings joined forces and ‘saw her’ they fled in terror; it is the city of our God and in her temple God makes her secure forever; in His temple they meditate on His unfailing love; people in the villages are glad because of His judgments.”
The people are then told to “walk about Zion count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels that you may tell of them the next generation!”
Why were the contents of this Psalm important to the children of Israel? In His wisdom God advised the writers of this Psalm to produce a document that contained a record of God’s love and faithfulness, His goodness and guidance, His strength and power. This Psalm contains critical facts for the children of Israel to pass on to their children as a foundation for their faith.
Prayer: We thank You, Lord, for the record of Your might and majesty that gives us reasons to trust You for our salvation! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Psalm 48:14 For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.
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