Comparative Religion: Psalm 135
“1) Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; Praise Him, O servants of the Lord, 2) You who stand in the house of the Lord, In the courts of the house of our God! 3) Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely. 4) For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession. 5) For I know that the Lord is great And that our Lord is above all gods. 6) Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
15)The idols of the nations are but silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. 16) They have mouths, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see; 17) They have ears, but they do not hear, Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths. 18) Those who make them will be like them, Yes, everyone who trusts in them. 19) O house of Israel, bless the Lord; O house of Aaron, bless the Lord;” Psalms‬ ‭135‬:‭1‬-‭6‬, ‭15‬-‭19‬
This Psalm compares the glories of the God of Israel to the futility of the idolatry of the nations. God is active, sovereign, mighty and powerful. He does signs and wonders and defeats pagan nations. He does as He pleases!
By contrast the Psalmist observed that idols are blind, deaf, mute and powerless. Those who make them and worship them become like them. Humanity has become deceived by its own vanity and slipped into deplorable depravity.
I once took a comparison religion class at a secular college. As you might surmise, the dialogue in class was very lively. On one side was the agnostic professor on the other side a budding Christian apologist.
To the professors credit, he encouraged open, sincere and lively dialogue. He became a respected friend. By the end of the semester, even he concluded no other religion compared to the Bible, Jesus Christ and the gospel message.
Several students became Christians during that semester and he openly received several books from me about Christianity. As Psalm 135 proclaims, there really is no comparison between the God of Israel and other religions or philosophies.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
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Blessings of the Night Shift: Psalm 134
“1) Behold, bless the Lord, all servants of the Lord, Who serve by night in the house of the Lord! 2) Lift up your hands to the sanctuary And bless the Lord. 3) May the Lord bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth.” Psalms‬ ‭134‬:‭1‬-‭3‬
Don’t forget those who have the night shift! That’s what this Psalm is about. The temple service had a night shift. They kept the fire on the altar burning. It was never to go out.
Others were on guard all night against attacks from enemies. They had a very important job.
Others were night shepherds guarding the flocks against thief’s and predators.
Still others would wake up for the night watches in prayer. Such was the case with Anna the widow in Luke 2:37. God appeared to the young boy Samuel during the night.
In fact, night watching is a kind of spiritual fasting. Instead of going without food, you go without sleep to meet with God. Jesus often did this during His ministry.
There’s something special about the night shift and experiencing the presence, blessing and glory of God. For the past 16 years, I’ve taken a few hours of the night shift to write and pray.
Here’s a little secret, when you wake up during the night, instead of tossing and turning on your bed, get up and grab your Bible for an hour or two. Enjoy some quality time with God. There aren’t many distractions or interruptions during the night shift.
Then go back to bed, put on an audio Bible and rest in the presence of the Lord. Some of my greatest encounters with the Holy Spirit have come during the night shift.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone

The Beauty of Unity: Psalm 133
“1) Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! 2) It is like the precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard, Even Aaron’s beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes. 3) It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forever.” Psalms‬ ‭133‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭
Unity is important. With this reference back to Aaron, this Psalm relates back to the children of Israel in the wilderness for forty years. During that time they built the tabernacle and had to pack it and move it every time they switched locations.
From the daily gathering of manna, gathering fire wood, building and keeping the service of the tabernacle, the singers and levites doing their jobs while maintaining a mobile camp; it was a logistical nightmare. That doesn’t even take into account the midwives, new births, child care, education system and tending of flocks. Are you getting the picture?
No wonder the writer of this Psalm said; “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.” Every tribe, every family and every family member had a role to fill for the whole system to work. Survival depended on unity.
Verse two mentions the oil coming down upon the beard of Aaron. As the days turned into weeks, months and years, the whole camp turned into a fine oiled machine. Unity, cooperation and law and order were essential.
In some ways, after the initial power struggles and rebellions were resolved, they became the best years for unity and cooperation between the tribes of Israel. During the final ten years and a new generation taking the helm, it became the best of times for Israel.
So what does this Psalm have to do with you and me? That’s a valid question.
Well, the church has a lot to learn from the experiment of Israel in the wilderness. In a sense Paul says the same thing about a healthy church in Ephesians 4:1-16. It’s all there from the need for unity, effective leadership and every member doing their job for the whole body work, function and grow.
Though Psalm 133 is only three verses long, it contains the keys to any effective church or ministry. Unity is essential for any healthy and growing organism!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone

The Two-fold Prophecy: Psalm 132
“1) Remember, O Lord, on David’s behalf, All his affliction; 2) How he swore to the Lord And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, “3) Surely I will not enter my house, Nor lie on my bed; 4) I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids, 5) Until I find a place for the Lord, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
11) The Lord has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.” Psalms‬ ‭132‬:‭1‬-‭5‬, ‭11‬ ‭
This Psalm records the heart of David to make Jerusalem the place for the temple of God. He wanted it to be His dwelling place forever. He wanted God to dwell among His people.
This psalm was written at a later date from the time David lived. It was most likely written during a time of spiritual and national decline. The writer was both looking back and looking forward. Let me explain.
The temple had been built, but the kingdom promised to David was in disarray. The whole nation was divided. The writer was trying to comprehend this mystery.
But then verse eleven was slipped into the text by the Holy Spirit. It contained a prophetic mystery. It is equivalent to a literal translation of Genesis 22:8 where God promised Abraham; “God will provide Himself as the lamb for the sacrifice.”
Psalm 132:11 abruptly presents the promise that God Himself would be born as a direct descendant of David and make Jerusalem His dwelling place. It was hinting at the miracle of the incarnation accompanying the birth of Jesus Christ. God Himself was promising to dwell among His people as a descendant of David. But there’s more.
This chapter contains a two-fold mystery. It was promising not only the birth of the Messiah, but also His earthly reign on the throne of David.
This is where the Old Testament understanding of the Messiah became cloudy. The scribes and scholars saw it as the same event. They thought the birth and earthly reign of Messiah was going to happen at the same time.
According to Acts 1:6, after the resurrection, the disciples asked Jesus the same question; “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the Kingdom to Israel?” They had no understanding of the mystery of the church age or of the promised ministry of the Holy Spirit.
So where are we right now on the Psalm 132 time table? We are standing at the threshold of the second part of the Old Testament prophecy. Jesus was born as a direct descendant of David to purchase human redemption on the cross. He has been building His church for the past two thousand years.
He is about to come back and will rule the world from Jerusalem for a thousand years. (See Revelation 20:1-15) Psalm 132:13-18 is about to be fulfilled. It will happen exactly as promised. I believe we are right on the threshold of His second coming!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone

Proven Keys for Stress Management: Psalm 131
“1) O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me. 2) Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me. 3) O Israel, hope in the Lord From this time forth and forever.” Psalms‬ ‭131‬:‭1‬-‭3‬
Stress and anxiety are not new. David wrestled with them three thousand years ago. When left unattended, the human soul seems to move toward worry and anxiety.
In this short Psalm, David unpacks four amazing insights on stress management. Let’s look at them.
First, do not let your heart get proud nor think too highly of yourself. You will either set unrealistic expectations for yourself or look down on others. Neither are healthy.
Second, don’t get involved in matters over which you have not jurisdiction or control. It’s amazing how many people fret about stuff that’s none of their business.
Third, take time to compose your soul. I do this by exposing destructive “self talk” with the truth of Scripture. Faith has a way of evaporating fear.
Finally, learn the secret of trusting in the Lord and turning everything over to Him. (See Philippians 4:4-7) When you consciously do this, God protects your heart from silly emotions and your mind from racing thoughts.
This Psalm is only three verses long, but it holds the keys to joy and peace of mind. It prevents you from becoming your own worse enemy.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone

The Hope of Human Redemption: Psalm 130
“1) Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord. 2) Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. 3) If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4) But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. 5) I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. 6) My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.” Psalms‬ ‭130‬:‭1‬-‭6
These verses are a sample of Psalm 130. The writer was aware of his own iniquity, but understood that his sin was no match for the redemptive power of God. His hope for forgiveness and freedom were rooted in the character and nature of God.
According to verses seven and eight, he placed his hope in Gods lovingkindness and redemptive power. He rightly understood the biblical theme of redemption.
Gods lovingkindness is not only the basis of our forgiveness, it’s also the basis of our total redemption. Only God can turn a sinner into a saint. He is in the business of setting people free from their sin.
This Psalm is a preview of the gospel. Faith in Jesus Christ changes people. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 summarizes the gospel; ““17) Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18) Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19) namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
This might be the New Testament fulfillment of Psalm 130. I fix my hope in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit not only to forgive me but also to transform me into a new person. This is the full story of redemption!
Many embrace forgiveness with no thought of changing. They miss the concept of redemption. Jesus came to forgive and transform people!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global ‭ Sent from my iPhone