Superficial Religion: Psalm 81
“1) Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob. 2) Raise a song, strike the timbrel, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp. 3) Blow the trumpet at the new moon, At the full moon, on our feast day.
9)Let there be no strange god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god. 10) I, the Lord, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. “11) But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me. 12) So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices. 13) Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! 14) I would quickly subdue their enemies And turn My hand against their adversaries. 15) Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him, And their time of punishment would be forever. 16) But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”” Psalms 81:1-3, 9-16
What an amazing Psalm. At first glance everything looked great. But it doesn’t work to go through the motion of worship when your life is totally out of step with God! Such was the case with Israel in the Old Testament.
They loved their religious ceremonies, but lived and walked contrary to God. Then they wondered why their enemies were prevailing against them. They were not listen to the voice of God and refused to obey Him.
He was right there waiting for them to turn back to Him. He would have subdued their enemies quickly and provided for their needs, but they ignored Him in their daily lives.
This Psalm screams that the problem was not with God. He saw right through their religious facade and games. Religion was ingrained in Jewish culture but not in personal devotion to God. Everything was superficial.
Don’t make the same mistake! Instead, learn to walk with Jesus in the Spirit with truth, honesty and purity. Let Him order your ways!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“1) Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob. 2) Raise a song, strike the timbrel, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp. 3) Blow the trumpet at the new moon, At the full moon, on our feast day.
9)Let there be no strange god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god. 10) I, the Lord, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. “11) But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me. 12) So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices. 13) Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! 14) I would quickly subdue their enemies And turn My hand against their adversaries. 15) Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him, And their time of punishment would be forever. 16) But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”” Psalms 81:1-3, 9-16
What an amazing Psalm. At first glance everything looked great. But it doesn’t work to go through the motion of worship when your life is totally out of step with God! Such was the case with Israel in the Old Testament.
They loved their religious ceremonies, but lived and walked contrary to God. Then they wondered why their enemies were prevailing against them. They were not listen to the voice of God and refused to obey Him.
He was right there waiting for them to turn back to Him. He would have subdued their enemies quickly and provided for their needs, but they ignored Him in their daily lives.
This Psalm screams that the problem was not with God. He saw right through their religious facade and games. Religion was ingrained in Jewish culture but not in personal devotion to God. Everything was superficial.
Don’t make the same mistake! Instead, learn to walk with Jesus in the Spirit with truth, honesty and purity. Let Him order your ways!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
