Why shall the Lord God be praised forever? Because he is holy.
However, what do people praise? Themselves, are they not? Humanity is ever
hungry and thirsty for praise and exaltation. But our Lord Jesus warns
strictly, saying “What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.” (Luke
16:15b) God only shall be forever praised! Not only because God is mighty and
all powerful, but because he is compassionate and merciful in love. His
redeeming grace is unfathomable in the unsearchable riches of Christ. In his
long sufferings and mercy, the Lord God tenderly beseeches people to come unto
him and have in full anything they want, love, joy, and peace. Though his
people turn their back on God, he tells the truth in love, wanting to give,
give, and give again whatever they ask. He is only one who is praiseworthy and
trustworthy for he faithfully keeps his promises.
Slow to Anger and Rich in Love (Psalm 145:1-21)
“I will
exalt you, my God the King;
I will
praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day
I will praise you
and extol
your name for ever and ever.
Great is
the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his
greatness no one can fathom.
One
generation commends your works to another;
they tell
of your mighty acts.
They speak
of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will
meditate on your wonderful works.
They tell
of the power of your awesome works—
and I will
proclaim your great deeds.
They
celebrate your abundant goodness
and
joyfully sing of your righteousness.
The Lord
is gracious and compassionate,
slow to
anger and rich in love.
The Lord
is good to all;
he has
compassion on all he has made.
All your
works praise you, Lord;
your
faithful people extol you.
They tell
of the glory of your kingdom
and speak
of your might,
so that
all people may know of your mighty acts
and the
glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your
dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord
is trustworthy in all he promises
and
faithful in all he does.
The Lord
upholds all who fall
and lifts
up all who are bowed down.
The eyes
of all look to you,
and you
give them their food at the proper time.
You open
your hand
and
satisfy the desires of every living thing.
The Lord
is righteous in all his ways
and
faithful in all he does.
The Lord
is near to all who call on him,
to all who
call on him in truth.
He
fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears
their cry and saves them.
The Lord
watches over all who love him,
but all
the wicked he will destroy.
My mouth
will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every
creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.” (Psalm 145:1-21)
God’s greatness does not lie on how awesome and powerful he is in
making the righteous judgment though he will as the Judge of all. Rather, his
greatness lies on how patient and faithful in keeping his promises. He has all
power and authority as he is. His name shall be praised for ever and ever for
his greatness no one can fathom. His name is most worthy of praise. His deed is
righteous and his works wonderful and awesome. The Lord is gracious and
compassionate and slow to anger and abound in love. It is what he is. Why does
all his deed represent goodness? Because he is compassionate to what he has
made, even when they run far away from him. The Lord gives an accurate and
honest assessment on his people through Prophet Isaiah.
"The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel
does not know, my people do not understand." (Isaiah 1:3)
Our God knows what we are and how we are, especially how much we
have been inflicted by the murderer and the father of lies, the devil. However,
his kingdom is secure and fast that no harm would be made for he is stronger
than the devil. God hears the cry of his people and delivers them. God is like
a father who embraces the son who squandered and wasted time and wealth but
changed his mind and returned to his father’s home. God hears and listens to
the needy and answers them with boundless grace and righteousness. Anyone who
calls on his name will be honored and blessed. God is faithfully keeping his
promises even before the creation of man.
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him
in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and
saves them.” (Psalm 145:18-19)
However, it does not mean that God accepts man blindly no matter
what. It is true God accepts all peoples on earth if they come unto him in a
prescribed way, the way of cross demonstrated in the cross of Jesus. God
rejects the wicked forever. He cannot make compromise with evil for he is holy
and righteous. No evil can stand before the Lord, even a moment. God accepts
the humble but opposes the proud. That is the secret of being praised,
rewarded, and blessed by the Lord. No one can come to the Father except through
Jesus Christ who took up the sin of the world and was crucified on a cross. In
this way, the Son obeyed the Father and he has exalted Jesus above every name
in heaven and on earth by the one whom he obeyed, even to the point of death.
Anyone who believes in the Son God sent will not perish but inherit eternal
life. But those who reject him shall be put to death, even to the second death.
“The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he
will destroy.” (Psalm 145:20)
Comfort, the Coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 40:1-31)
The long slavery and bondage has been uplifted and freed and the
sins has been paid for by the coming of the blessed Messiah of God. It is the
proclamation of the good news for the nations through Prophet Isaiah. Every
valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low, the rough ground
shall become level and the rugged places a plain. It will be starting in the
wilderness, making a highway for the Lord. Because humanity is like wilderness.
The suffering heart and mind of humanity has finally come to an end by the
coming of the Promised One. It is truly a comfort for the hearers. Every hurt
and wound will be healed and remembered no more. All sorrow and tear will be
dried up and filled with joy, delight, and rejoicing. No more proud mind will
inflict man. The glory of God will be revealed by the death of the Messiah who
will redeem the people with his own ransom sacrifice. It is the day of great
liberation and freedom for man through the Christ of God.
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to
Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that
her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double
for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2)
A voice cries out that all people are like grass and all their
faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. Why are surely the people like
grass? Because it withers and falls as aged. Life on earth is fleeting and
transient. No one can stop the second law of thermal dynamics. Why does a great
God make the people like grass? How does this represent his greatness? It is
out of his unfailing love and kindness. Man is in Adam, lost and fallen, being
deceived by the cunning and crafty being, the malevolent devil. Life on earth
is a school time to learn how to handle lives in Christ. Time is limited and
God knows the number of our days on earth, indicating there shall be an end,
the end of earthly lives under the power of death and sin. It is an end of
being the victim of the roaring lion and a new beginning in eternity. It will
be done by the Messiah.
There is a God who is sovereign and eternal. He is a God who can
measure the waters in the hollow of his hand and with the breath of his hand
mark off the heavens. He is a God who can hold the dust of earth in a basket
and weigh the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance. No one can
fathom the Spirit of the Lord, nor can instruct the Lord as his counselor. He
is the awesome God Almighty who created all things. Yet, he tends his flock
like a shepherd who is gone after the lost sheep until he finds it. He tenderly
carries them close to his heart and leads to the green pastures. There is no
greater news than this which God sent his Son, the Christ of God for the sin of
the world to end the hostility with God. What a wonderful news today?
“Why do
you complain, Jacob?
Why do you
say, Israel,
“My way is
hidden from the Lord;
my cause
is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not
know?
Have you
not heard?
The Lord
is the everlasting God,
the
Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will
not grow tired or weary,
and his
understanding no one can fathom.
He gives
strength to the weary
and
increases the power of the weak.
Even
youths grow tired and weary,
and young
men stumble and fall;
but those
who hope in the Lord
will renew
their strength.
They will
soar on wings like eagles;
they will
run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
August
7, 2018
©
2011-2018 David Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.
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