Posts Tagged ‘psalm 27’

Teshuvah – Day 18 (9/8/17)

Posted: September 8, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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  1. Psalm 27:6, “And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.”

Praising God is a choice!!!

The first use of sing in this passage is the Hebrew word shiyr (sheer) and it is used to ‘sing to honor someone’.

The first usage of shiyr in the Bible is in Exodus 15 after Yahweh parted the Red Sea and their enemies were drowned. They sang in honor of their Protector and Defender God.

The second use of sing in this passage is the Hebrew word zamar and it is a primitive word that carries the meaning ‘to pluck with fingers’. This use of sing is from praises using instruments. It also means ‘to dance’.

The first instance that zamar is used in the Bible is Judges 5:3 with Deborah and Barak, “”Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, [even] I, will sing (shiyr) to the LORD; I will sing praise (zamar) to the LORD God of Israel.”

No matter what circumstance you find yourself in today, CHOOSE to sing praises to God in song, instrument and/or dance. He is so worthy of our praise!

I remember 2 weeks ago as 3 inches of water poured in from under all the doors from the 23 inches of rain that evening. I stood there and the song from Bethel began to rise in my heart, “It Is Well”.  “Through it all, through it all, my eyes are on You. Through it all, through it all it is well…………” When we really need it, what we have hidden in our heart will either deliver us or bring us down.

As for Ken and I in our house, we will serve the Lord. It is a choice we made long ago and have never regretted that decision.

 

Teshuvah – Day 17 (9/7/17)

Posted: September 7, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Psalm 27:7, “Hear, O LORD, [when] I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me”

History records Elul 17 to be a day to cry out for mercy.

Traditionally, it was the day that the 10 spies that returned from the Promised Land with an evil report died of a plague.  (Numbers 14:37)

In 1935 Nazi Germany passed the Nuremberg Laws, a set of racist policies directed primarily against Jews. The Nazis blamed the Jews for poverty, unemployment, and the loss of World War I. Jews were banned from any professional jobs and Jewish stores were boycotted. Anyone with even one Jewish grandparent was stripped of German citizenship, with no basic rights. Within 10 years, the Nazi genocidal machine had swept through eastern Europe, leaving 6 million Jews murdered.

Today the Jews are being blamed for many things, history is again repeating itself.

Psalm 83 reads like the daily newspaper: God, don’t keep silent. Don’t keep silent, And don’t be still, God. For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads. They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones. “Come,” they say, “and let’s destroy them as a nation, That the name of Yisra’el may be remembered no more.”For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you. (HNV)

The alliance listed are the “Arab Confederacy”.

  • Edom: Southern Jordan and Palestinian refugees
  • Ishmaelites: Saudi Arabia
  • Moab: Central Jordan and Palestinian refugees
  • Hagrites: Egypt
  • Gebal: Northern Lebanon
  • Ammon: Northern Jordan and Palestinian refugees
  • Amalek: The Negev and Sinai Peninsula areas
  • Philistia: The Gaza Strip and Hamas
  • Tyre: Southern Lebanon and Hezbollah
  • Assyria: Syria and Northern Iraq

Teshuvah – Day 14 (9/4/17)

Posted: September 4, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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We are now 2 weeks into the 40 days. That may not mean time much to you, unless you are fasting something or some foods for these 40 days. I have found after 14 days that I don’t miss those things the same as I did in the first few days. I choose to stay with this for the next 16 days and then intensify the fast for the last 10 days, which are the Ten Days of Awe. More about that when we come to it. If you have not chosen to fast, you may ask God if there is a ‘time waster’ He would like you to put down as these next 26 days of Teshuvah continue, ending on Yom Kippur.

Psalm 27:5, “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”

Rock– tsuwr (tsur) rock or cliff, rock of God

The first place we find tsuwr in the Bible is Exodus 17:6, where the Hebrew children were without water and thought they would die of thirst in the Wilderness. Water to satisfy the thirst of the entire nation was found in that rock. That rock actually ‘followed’ them and satisfied the nation’s thirst for 40 years!!! I Corinthians 10:3-4 reveals ‘they drank from a Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was the Messiah.’

The second place we find tsuwr in the Bible is Exodus 33:21-22. Moses was on Mt Sinai for the 2nd set of 40 days seeking atonement for the nation for the Golden Calf incident. Moses wanted to see God’s glory, but Yahweh showed Moses His goodness. He told Moses “And the LORD said, Behold, [there is] a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passes by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:”

Deuteronomy 32:4 praises Yahweh, “[He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he.”

A marvelous little book called His Names Are Wonderful by Elizabeth L Vander Meulen and Barbara D Malda shares on page 135 about The Rock, HaTzur. “The expression, ‘like the rock of Gibraltar’ has come to mean something or someone that is impressive, dependable, steady, or immovable. God is our rock-solid place. Firmly plant your feet on The Rock and you will not be moved, no matter what storms of life come crashing your way.”

Teshuvah – Day 13 (9/3/17)

Posted: September 3, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Psalm 27:5, “For in the time (day) of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.”

Our 3 places of safety in the ‘day’ or ‘time’ of trouble are pavilion, tabernacle and rock. Yesterday we remembered how Yahweh was so faithful in the Wilderness for 40 years, remembering their inhabitation of ‘pavilion’, tents.

TABERNACLE:

  • First we must remember that the Tabernacle is a ‘secret place’, not open to strangers. It was a place of ‘hiding’, a place of safety
  • In the Wilderness, the Tabernacle was a tent that housed the presence of Yahweh, where God might dwell among His people. It is described in Exodus 26 and 36-40. The entire last part of Exodus recalls the building of the dwelling place for God in the Wilderness.
  • Ohel, comes from the root ‘ahal‘, which means ‘shineth‘. The glory of God would be in the Tabernacle, and when the glory cloud moved they moved. When the glory cloud stopped they stopped. The entire nation was camped around the presence of God and there they found their safety.

The safest place is in God’s presence! But we have a life here on this earth we must live out, so we go into His presence in the morning, and then carry His presence with us throughout the day.

Matthew 7:24 tells us, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock (25) Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”

The Word tells us that it ‘rains on the just and the unjust’ (Matthew 5:25). In this Hurricane Harvey and TS Harvey we see this happen again and again. Some of the best pastors in our area lost everything in their home, some had incredible damage in their churches. Plus the loss of income for so many will affect the church finances. But one thing I learned, those who trust in the Lord for their help will dig deep into the roots of Truth and come out stronger. The Rock is Jesus, and He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is faithful, the author and finisher of our faith. Amen and Amen.

Teshuvah – Day 12 (9/2/17)

Posted: September 2, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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HISTORY MERELY REPEATS ITSELF!

Psalm 27:5, “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of  his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”

The Bible gives us answers to every problem before they happen. That is why we need a constant, steady, daily Bible reading plan.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 in the Amplified Bible reads, “The thing that has been—it is what will be again, and that which has been done is that which will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun.”  The New Living Translations reads, “History merely repeats itself.”

  • Pavilion– Hebrew cok (soke), root word means a hedge, fenced about or shut in.
  • Tabernacle– Hebrew ohel (o-hel)- nomad’s tent, dwelling place, sacred place in the Wilderness
  • Rock– Hebrew tsuwr (tsur), rock, cliff, rock (of God)

The first one I want to look at today is ‘pavilion’. Where do we find the safety of pavilion in the Bible? Cok is the root for cukkah (sukah) , where we get the word Tabernacles, booths.

Leviticus 23:34 instructs, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month [shall be] the feast of tabernacles [for] seven days unto the LORD.”  The Jewish people continue annually to make booths outside their homes once a year to keep them in remembrance of the 40 years in the Wilderness, when their shoes did not wear out, or their feet swelled. The daily rehearse before their children and their children’s children how God fed them for 40 years in the Wilderness, how God protected them from their enemies.

Jehovah is the same, He never changes. Take today and remember how He protected you in your personal wilderness. Then, thank Him. He is worthy of all praise and glory and honor!!

Teshuvah – Day 11 (9/1/17)

Posted: September 1, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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ONE THING

This Saturday  is the Hebrew Shabbat (Sabbath) and the Torah reading that all Jews will be reading around the world is from Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19. It is called Ki Tetse, meaning ‘When you go out’ which are the word beginning this Shabbat Torah reading. This reading is full of does and don’ts that are part of the 613 laws the Jewish people are to keep.

When Jesus had a visit from the Pharisees, as recorded in Matthew 22, they tried to pin Him down as to the most important law of the 613. His answer was, “Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important and first of any on the list. But there is a second to set alongside it’; ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs: everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hands on them.” (Message Bible)

David fulfilled that royal command,  recording his desire as found in Psalm 27, “One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.” He was not perfect, but he worshiped an awesome God, who is worthy of praise.

We are in the midst of the extensive cleanup from Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey. People all over the world are amazed that they are seeing everyone helping everyone, no stories of looting, rioting or complaining. There are no racial divisions, no political barriers, no denominational problems. All those labels are down and people are being treated with respect and honor. I think the Lord is pleased with this outcome to tragedy. Whenever I see people on the news giving a report, they are giving praise to God and very grateful.

It is not over yet, there will be several stages of grief involved with loss. Please keep Texas and Louisiana in your prayers. Texas is known for their pride, but this is a very humbling experience. These are the days of Teshuvah, may our nation turn back to God.

Teshuvah – Day 10 (8/31/17)

Posted: August 31, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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ONE THING  

One of the people who has most affected my life is Dr. Billye Brim of Prayer Mountain in the Osarks. One of her main assignments in these last days is to prepare the people to pray for the Second Coming of the Lord. When her prayer group was meeting to pray about the 2008 elections, the Word of the Lord came through Billye:

One thing will save America.
And it is NOT the election.
It is an awakening to God!
One thing will help Israel and the nations.
It is an awakening to God.

American Standard Version of Psalm 27:4 reads, “One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in his temple.”

That still stands today. ONE THING is not a bank, a doctor, a president, not any one person or system. Our hope must be in our Lord Jesus Christ and understand our responsibility to the authority He gave the Body of Christ in Matthew 28:18-20.

Remember, what you look at the longest becomes the strongest. Look to Adonai, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He will save us. He will complete the good work He has begun in us and perfect all that concerns us.

Teshuvah Day 9 (8/30/17)

Posted: August 30, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Question: Where is your faith? Read Psalm 27 out loud daily during these 40 days of Teshuvah (repentance) and you will increase faith ‘for such a time as this’.

There is one Question everyone is asking during this TS Harvey in the greater Houston area and now in the Golden Triangle area of Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange, TX. “Do you have Flood Insurance?” That is the main question. People put so much hope in insurance. I know that it is necessary and good wisdom to be prepared, but all our confidence should not be put in an earthly system. Last year Houston flooded twice and many of  those people are still waiting to finalize those floods and now are flooded again.

Psalm 27:1, A Psalm of David. THE LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27 is read aloud every day for the 40 days of turning ourselves back to the things of God, and God Himself with our whole heart. It is a time of cleansing ourselves of anything that would draw us away from His perfect will and presence.

First of all, we see this as a Psalm of David, known as a ‘man after God’s own heart’.

Acts 13:22 says, “But God removed him from the kingship and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, `David son of Jesse is a man after my own heart, for he will do everything I want him to.’ ‘” (I Samuel 13:14)

We have read how David failed, but after he returned to the Lord he was cleansed of all unrighteousness and brought back to a place of new mercies. This morning when you woke, you woke to new mercies. God is faithful. He loves you and wants to make all things new in your life, a fresh beginning. Return to the Lord where there is forgiveness, safety, love and healing.

David got to know his covenant LORD through his trials, battles, successes, failures and worship. David killed a giant while he was bragging on his LORD’s ‘Battle’ name. (I Samuel 17:45) The Lord of Hosts, the Lord of the Angel Armies, the Lord Almighty that has everything at His disposal when you call upon His ‘battle’ name!

He understood how the LORD was his shepherd and took good care of him as a helpless little lamb. (Psalm 23)

Magnify God– make Him the biggest part of your day today! Make God bigger than your mountain and see what the Lord of Hosts will do!!

All it takes to dispel the works of darkness is light. He is your light! Allow Him, let Him shine in your life today.

Teshuvah 5777 – Day 4 (8/25/17)

Posted: August 25, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Sometimes I like to read different translations in my devotion times and the Message Bible is so rich in the wording for Psalm 27. Read this aloud to yourself today, especially those who are in the path of Hurricane Harvey on the West Gulf Coast. The worst thing you can do is sit and listen to the 10 spies report and build your fears. Use wisdom in all things, but trust God and don’t be afraid.

Remember, faith comes by hearing and your voice will impact your faith more than anyone else can.

PSALM 27 (MESSAGE BIBLE TRANSLATION)

Light, space, zest- that’s God! So with him on my side I’m fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. When vandal hordes ride down ready to eat me alive, those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces. When besieged, I’m calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I’m collected and cool. I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing: to live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, the perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic. God holds me head and shoulders above all who try to pull me down. I’m headed for his place to offer anthems that will raise the roof!  Already I’m singing God-songs; I’m making music to God. Listen, God, I’m calling at the top of my lungs; “Be good to me! Answer me!” When my heart whispered, “Seek God,” my whole heart replied, “I’m seeking him!” Don’t hide from me now! You’ve always been right there for me; don’t turn yor back on me now. Don’t throw me out, don’t abandon me; you’ve always kept the door open. My father and mother walked out and left me, but God took me in. Point me down your highways, God; direct me along the well-lighted street; show my enemies whose side you’re on. Don’t throw me to the dogs, those liars who are out to get me, filling the air with their threats. I’m sure now I’ll see God’s goodness in the exuberant earth. Stay with God! Take heart. Don’t quit. I’ll say it again: Stay with God.

Elul 2, 5777- Teshuvah Day 2 (8/23/17)

Posted: August 23, 2017 in Teshuvah 40 Day Devotional
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Psalm 27:1, A Psalm of David. THE LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27 is read aloud every day for the 40 days of turning ourselves back to the things of God, and God Himself with our whole heart. It is a time of cleansing ourselves of anything that would draw us away from His perfect will and presence.

First of all, we see this as a Psalm of David, known as a ‘man after God’s own heart’.

Acts 13:22 says, “But God removed him from the kingship and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, `David son of Jesse is a man after my own heart, for he will do everything I want him to.’ ‘” (I Samuel 13:14)

We have read how David failed, but after he returned to the Lord he was cleansed of all unrighteousness and brought back to a place of new mercies. This morning when you woke, you woke to new mercies. God is faithful. He loves you and wants to make all things new in your life, a fresh beginning. Return to the Lord where there is forgiveness, safety, love and healing.

David got to know his covenant LORD through his trials, battles, successes, failures and worship. David killed a giant while he was bragging on his LORD’s name. (I Samuel 17:45)

He understood how the LORD was his shepherd and took good care of him as a helpless little lamb. (Psalm 23)

Magnify God- make Him the biggest part of your day today! Make God bigger than your mountain and see what the Lord of Hosts will do!!

All it takes to dispell the works of darkness is light. He is your light! Allow Him, let Him shine in your life today.

Below is a photo of my reading the Bible from the seat of Ezra in David’s Tent in Washington DC. Praise, Worship, Bible Reading and Prayer have gone out of that tent for several years, 24/7. Bible Reading At Davids Tent DC

 

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