Think&Mediate on Sabbath
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Psalms 1 (NASB)
The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
BOOK 1
1How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
4The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish. -
Hi Vince,
care to share about why you posted this psalm and what it speaks to you?
Shalom! -
Just something that I had been pondering for the last few days and since on every sabbath, traditionally, there are readings from the words of the prophets, just thought that maybe we should have a place here to read and to ponder over the scriptures on every Sabbath.Originally posted by breytonhartge:Hi Vince,
care to share about why you posted this psalm and what it speaks to you?
Shalom!
I will share my view come Monday, after I had think it through...
shalom... -
good idea... I will do the same... shalom and blessings.Originally posted by vince69:Just something that I had been pondering for the last few days and since on every sabbath, traditionally, there are readings from the words of the prophets, just thought that maybe we should have a place here to read and to ponder over the scriptures on every Sabbath.
I will share my view come Monday, after I had think it through...
shalom... -
As per Psalm 1
it just got me to thinking again, how many believers out there delight in the law of Yahweh and how many actually do meditate on it day and night?
How many of us miss out on being planted like trees by streams of living water? I really do want to be that.... how many believers fail to bring forth fruit because they miss out on their seasons of growth and watering by not meditating on the law of Yahweh?
It is clear to me that the law is that which will water the growth of my spiritual life so that I will prosper. Please note, prosper here does not just mean financial, but in all areas of life, including relationships, health, in our thinking, in our attitudes etc... how great that would be!
It is the meditation on the law that will keep us sharp and alive and ready.
Shalom! -
This is what this psalm speaks to me.
It draws a contrast between 2 different type of people
1) the righteous
2) the ungodly
Here is what the righteous do, to take delight in the law (precepts, instructions, word) of YHWH and meditate on them day and night.
Application:
After being made righteous before YHWH through the blood of the perfect Lamb (Yeshua), to take delight and meditate in the words of YHWH (His Instructions, His Words, His Characters ...etc), and in His words we could anchor our faiths when the storms hits our lives.
A reminder to me, on what should the pirority in life be.
peace... -
Thank you vince for sharing. If there are any more people out there who would like to give further insights, please feel free to contribute... shalom!
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Isaiah 53
The Suffering Servant
1Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to(*desire) Him.
3He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4Surely our griefs(*Or sickness) He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But He was pierced(*Or wounded) through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
7He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
11As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors. -
Shalom
Another week had gone, as we enter into another sabbath, lets continue to meditate on His words. A bit long for this week, the focus is on verse 4-8 (its better to read the whole chapter for a more complete picture).
Be at rest, His rest. -
shabbat shalom! Will indeed meditate on these words and post insights on monday!Originally posted by vince69:Shalom
Another week had gone, as we enter into another sabbath, lets continue to meditate on His words. A bit long for this week, the focus is on verse 4-8 (its better to read the whole chapter for a more complete picture).
Be at rest, His rest.
Shalom v'shalom! -
Shabbat shalom everyone!!
Here's a psalm of blessing for shabbat for all you men out there:
Haleluya! Happy is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments, His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endures for ever. Light rises in the darkness for the upright: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and just. A good man lends with a good grace: he conducts his affairs justly. Surely he shall never be moved: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he gaze upon his enemies. He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. The wicked man shall see it,and be grieved; he shall gnash his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall come to nought.
Psalm 112 (JPS translation) -
Shalom...Originally posted by Yaffa:Shabbat shalom everyone!!
Here's a psalm of blessing for shabbat for all you men out there:
Haleluya! Happy is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments, His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endures for ever. Light rises in the darkness for the upright: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and just. A good man lends with a good grace: he conducts his affairs justly. Surely he shall never be moved: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he gaze upon his enemies. He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. The wicked man shall see it,and be grieved; he shall gnash his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall come to nought.
Psalm 112 (JPS translation)
Indeed, someone once told me this, the commandments of the Lord is like a fence, within whose boundaries, we can freely and safely roam and explore. -
AMEN!Originally posted by vince69:Shalom...
Indeed, someone once told me this, the commandments of the Lord is like a fence, within whose boundaries, we can freely and safely roam and explore. -
Originally posted by vince69:
Two things that stike me everytime I read Isaiah 53,
[b]Isaiah 53
The Suffering Servant
4Surely our griefs(*Or sickness) He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But He was pierced(*Or wounded) through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
10But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
11As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.[/b]
why was all those beating that the Lord had to go through for? why was such hash punishment required? so what else did He bore for us on the cross.
It seems to me, He also bore on Himself the penalty of our sins, the punishments, the curses and the sickness as well. Such is the totality and completeness of His sacrify on the cross for us.
As we ponder over the suffering of Yeshua for our sake, lets also remember that He died that we may live, His blood that cleanses us, His pain that make us whole. Knowing these, lets us also ponder how we should live this life that reflects His great love for us.
Be blessed, for He had already paid on our behalf. -
Originally posted by vince69:
For the whole of the chapter, it is clear that certain themes run through this as well as the bible.
[b]Isaiah 53
The Suffering Servant
4Surely our griefs(*Or sickness) He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But He was pierced(*Or wounded) through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
7He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
[/b]
1. Suffering and sacrifice are always Yahweh's ways of atonement for sin.
2. This eternal plan of our salvation was revealed in the OT already, so this is not a new story. Yahweh made known His eternal plan from a long time ago.
3. Yahweh used an innocent sufferer to bring atonement. As wtih times in the past, an innocent and unblemished animal was the atonement for sin.
4. Yahweh knew we would stray so He provided the answer.
5. Yeshua willingly accepted and did not doubt the father, so neither should we doubt Yahweh about situations in our lives as this may be a path that leads to other peoples salvation.
6. It is only through the acceptance of Yeshua that we will begin to understand the peace that is ours that surpasses all understanding.
7. It is hard to imagine the amount of Yahweh's wrath that was unleashed on Yeshua so that we have our atonement for sin.
Shalom! -
Thank you for the sharing.
personally, find it fruitful to spend sometime on the weekend to just meditate on God's word.
another thing to share is that, even in the OT of the Bible, we can also find the footprint of Yeshua, this goes to show that how much precious He is to Yahweh. -
The story is there for all to see even from the beginning. How wonderful is Yahweh that He was already preparing for us even before we were born.Originally posted by vince69:Thank you for the sharing.
personally, find it fruitful to spend sometime on the weekend to just meditate on God's word.
another thing to share is that, even in the OT of the Bible, we can also find the footprint of Yeshua, this goes to show that how much precious He is to Yahweh.
I find that when I spend time on shabbat to meditate and reflect on the word of Yahweh, the week ahead is more peaceful and I have His shalom,
Thank you also for your insights, it is hoped that we can encourage each other and give different points of view to be considered.
Shalom! -
Shabbat Shalom everyone (this is for real)
The Lord had been good and faithful (initially thought I have to work OT today for the Database tables update, surprisingly everything finished way before time, so I am done for the week, reminds me of YHWH's providence in the desert for the Isrealites, on the sixth day, He provide twice the amount, so the Israelites can rest of the seventh).
Here is the post for the week.Psalm 19
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. -
Here are some thoughts on Ps19.Originally posted by vince69:Psalm 19
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Verse 1 and 2 basically give no one an excuse to say there there is no Yahweh. The heavens show His glory and the earth His handiwork. Even the day and night reveal Yahweh.
Night unto night reveals knowledge. How is this so? By the study of the stars, the wise men knew about the times and place. So also if we understand how to read the stars as Daniel did, we will have knowledge about the times and days.
The stars also guide and lead us and give us direction by using them as navigation points.
Yahweh reveals Himself everday and everywhere.
THE LAW IS PERFECT! So therefore IMHO it is incomprehensible that Yahweh would have done away with the law as many believers now claim. If something is perfect, it would not need replacing.
Knowing and obeying the ways and laws of Yahweh should be the greatest desire of our lives. The word of Yahweh is our source of live, widsom, joy, enlightenment and relationship to Yahweh.
Yahweh's laws, statutes, commandments and judgements are a warning markers for us not to stray and that which orders our steps. Keeping Yahweh's laws bring much rewards.
A few questions to ponder...
1. What is the fear of Yahweh?
2. How will our response be to PS19?
3. What is the bible doing for us? Is it more than just a book? Does it give you life? -
vs 12-14
King David start off talking about how nature proclaim the goodness and faithfulness of our God.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Then he goes on to talk about the perfectness of God's law in giving wisdom to the simple, guidance to the lost. convicting the sinfulness of man, and turning them to the righteousness of God.
Then come vs 12-14
who can discern his error? King David's desire is to be pardon also from those sins he had commited that he do not realised of, and that he may also be freed from willful sins.
Do we have this same desire to be right before God?
King David's desire is our reality, in that when Christ died on the cross, all penalty of our sins was bored by Him, and having been crucified with Him, we are also freed from the dominion of our sinful nature.
Now, having been freed from its dominion, can it still influence us? yes, but since it no longer rule over us, we are enabled to resist it.
Let us continue to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.
God bless -
Shabbat Shalom everyone,
2 hrs more to sun down....
have a nice weekend ....
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. -
shabbat shalom to you my friend!Originally posted by vince69:Shabbat Shalom everyone,
2 hrs more to sun down....
have a nice weekend .... -
1 Samuel 17 : 34,35
What does being a shepherd means to the flock, from a seemingly unrelated passage, we get a view of what does a shepherd do when the sheep is in danger, He goes after their "attacker" and rescue them back.
But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth.
Perhaps when King David wrote this psalm, he too have this in mind, that the Lord is faithful and will watch over him in times of trouble.
perhaps to sum it, is this statement I heard over the radio,
when in trouble, when facing problems
"Have you pray over your problems as much as you had complained about them?"
have a blessed week ahead. -
This psalm speaks of a few things:Originally posted by vince69:Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
1. The sure provision of Yahweh.
2. Yahweh will guide us for His name's sake.
3. Yahweh's ways are righteous.
4. There is a restoration of our souls from the cares and worries of life.
5. We do not need to fear because Yahweh is there for us ALWAYS, even in the midst of trouble, He is there, we may not always see, but He is ALWAYS there.
6. Yahweh is always working for our good even when things seem otherwise. -
It is so true that we always focus on how big the problem is and not how GREAT Yahweh is!!!Originally posted by vince69:What does being a shepherd means to the flock, from a seemingly unrelated passage, we get a view of what does a shepherd do when the sheep is in danger, He goes after their "attacker" and rescue them back.
Perhaps when King David wrote this psalm, he too have this in mind, that the Lord is faithful and will watch over him in times of trouble.
perhaps to sum it, is this statement I heard over the radio,
when in trouble, when facing problems
"Have you pray over your problems as much as you had complained about them?"
have a blessed week ahead.