TRUE WORSHIP
“What have you done for me lately?” It’s easy to forget how well someone has served us in the past, when we are disappointed with them in the present! Some companies take this approach with their employees: “It does not matter how great of a job you did last year, or last week—what value are you bringing to the company now?” The question for us today is: How often do we take that approach with God?
Today’s reading opens with a summons for Israel to praise God at the feast of Tabernacles (vv. 1–4). This was a time when Israel commemorated God’s deliverance in the Exodus and His provision in the wilderness (v. 5). We expect the psalm to continue in celebration. But it does not! Beginning in verse 6, we get God’s perspective. God reminds Israel that He freed them from slavery in response to their pleas for help (vv. 6–7). Yet, Israel did not listen to Him or follow His commands (vv. 8, 11). Instead, they worshiped other gods, followed their own counsel, and refused to give gratitude to the Lord (vv. 9, 11). You can sense God’s frustration: “If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways” (v. 13).
In the previous few psalms, Israel often appealed to God’s deliverance in Egypt as proof that God would intervene to save them again (see Psalms 77:10–20; 80:8–11). But here, God responds by reminding Israel that when He delivered them, they quickly forgot. They had a “What have you done for me lately?” relationship with God. They only wanted results, while God desired a relationship.
>> God has given us salvation through the work of Jesus. Yet, like Israel, we may be tempted to follow our own counsel and set our own priorities. Remember today that God has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9).
by Dr. Ryan Cook
SORROW AND JOY
Thursday, June 3, 2021 | Psalm 75
THE CUP OF GOD'S WRATH
When I was camping in a pop-up trailer with my family, a thunderstorm came up suddenly in the night. The wind shook the canvas and rocked the trailer. We wondered how long our shelter would hold up. Thankfully, the trailer and my family did not sustain any real damage. At times, this world can feel fragile and out of control. We might wonder if the next political or health crisis might be the end. In today’s reading, the Psalmist praises God because he knows that the world is in His powerful hands. In verse 3, God declares, “When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm” (v. 3).
One of the things that can make the world seem unstable is when arrogant and wicked people are in positions of power. In this psalm, God confronts them directly (vv. 4–5). He describes their judgment with two memorable images. He proclaims, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked” (v. 1. The horn was a symbol of status and power. To cut off someone’s horn is saying that their position and ability to influence will be removed. In contrast, God says, “the horns of the righteous will be lifted up” (v. 1.
The second image is a cup. “In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs” (v. 8). God’s justice will one day be measured out. The New Testament teaches that Jesus is the one who drank the cup of God’s wrath (Matt. 26:42). But for those who do not have faith in Christ, judgment will come (Rev. 20:11–15).
Even though the world may look chaotic, God has it in His control. One hymn that expresses this truth well is “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” Listen, sing, or just read the words of this classic hymn as you conclude today’s devotional.
by Dr. Ryan Cook
KEEP JESUS AS THE SINGLE FOCUS OF YOUR LIFE AND GOD WILL SUSTAIN YOU WHATEVER COMES YOUR WAY. Pastor Jack Graham
