Psalms 114 – 116
Verses 114:7 & 8 are not the way most churches preset God these days:
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.
We look at God through the lens of grace and forgiveness, where the Israelites had stories that their nation being punished and destroyed. They were taught floods of Biblical proportions, cities being reduced to salt, the earth swallowing men up and the Passover where the first born are taken without blood over the door. They would look at God with a different perspective.
I am not saying we do not need to fear God and that we are safe from “End Times” but rather we need to view God as a father. A father loves unconditionally and will let things that deserve punishment slip from time to time. At the same time He will provide “correction” that will help us throughout our lives.
Now there are many who claim God never changes, but I argue He took the path of most fathers and mankind took the path of most children. In their youth they did some very stupid things and the punishment was harsh and swift. As both mature, the father learns to become more patient and the children learn what pleases God. I am not saying we don’t mess up like before, but I think God has toned down his “wrath”!
Verse 115:8 talks about the makers and worshiper of idols:
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
We tend to no longer worship idols like we do God; instead our idols take the form of money and stuff. We focus on gaining more and lose our connection with God. We focus on money and lose our voice in many things, like the family since most are so focused on gain that family time ceases. They stop listening; often it’s more the “iPod” idol that they are plugged into ignoring the world around them. The only smells they experience are in air conditioned environments in front of their “idol” computers. We need to experience God and not stuff!!
Verse 115:13 ties into our fear of God:
he will bless those who fear the LORD,
both the small and the great.
I often read passages like this and then verse 115:18 where we are “blessing” the Lord and wonder if there is a difference in the usage or the translated word. We view “blessing” as getting things we want, but how then can we bless a God who has everything? We try to apply how we interpret the term to God, but really need to look at it a different way. We “bless” God not with our gifts, but rather with our actions. Even the tithe is not blessing God by giving Him money, but the act of obedience. The tithe is to further the kingdom and help the people doing it. No matter how you think about what they should “make” for doing God’s “work”, there is no denying that they need to survive.
That was an odd twist, but often we just read the words and not really think about what they are saying. “Oh bless the Lord” means we give Him offerings or proclaim the Gospel more? When we envision “blessing” we are receiving something, so technically God is receiving your love. Going back to the father/child analogy, how can a child “bless” the father? They do it every day with their love and actions while the father gains absolutely nothing material. The father may give the child a super Lego set to “bless” them, but that blessing will last a short time where the child’s love will be remembered to the grave by the father! Right now I am in tears thinking of my children’s love they have shown throughout the years. So don’t focus on the things, but rather LOVE!!