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Dear Heavenly Father, Praise “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Ps 9:1–10 NIV). Praise the Lord! Today in Your Word Today you shared with me some of David’s psalms. Psalm 2 is a royal psalm which speaks of the enthronement of the Messiah (the Lord’s Anointed). In this psalm, the Messiah recalls what God the Father said to Him: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” (Ps 2:7b). This statement identifies the Messiah as the Son of God and emphasizes the Messiah’s standing as “begotten” of the Father. In his sermon at Pisidian Antioch, Paul explained that this statement was fulfilled when Jesus rose from the dead and was exalted at God’s right hand (Acts 13:33). Thus the Father “begot” the Son in the sense that He brought Jesus forth from the womb of the earth by resurrection and publicly proclaimed Him to be His Son. The author of Hebrews used this psalm to show that the Son is superior to the angels. His name is greater than theirs for His name is “Son of God” (Heb 1:5). Psalm 8 is another Messianic psalm in which David proclaimed your glory and wondered, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Ps 8:4). David continued by saying that you crowned “him” with glory and honor and “put all things under his feet.” The NT repeatedly applies this psalm to Jesus, the God-man in whom this prophecy finds its true realization (Heb 2:5–9; 1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:22). These psalms exalt your precious Son, Jesus Christ, who is your Anointed, and who will one day rule the world in truth and justice! No wonder they call Him the Savior! Reflection Your warning in Psalm 2 applies to me just as much as it applies to the nations: “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps 2:11–12). Request Father, my desire is to serve you with the reverence and awe you so richly deserve. Help me to take refuge in you by obeying the voice of your Holy Spirit. Thanksgiving Thank you for the gift of your Anointed, the Son of God, Jesus Christ the Messiah. Set Him in my heart as King, just as you have set Him as King on Zion, your holy hill! In Jesus’ name, Amen. Suggested Hymn: “Jesus Shall Reign” — Isaac Watts. Meditation Verse: Psalm 8:2. |