Confronting grace and psalm 33

<h1>Confronting grace and psalm 33</h1>Author: <a title="Joseph Jagde" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/joseph-jagde/26261.htm">Joseph Jagde</a> Psalm 33 reads as follows from the New King James version of the Bible” 1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. 2 Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. 3 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy. 4 For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. 10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance. He o 13 The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. 14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; 15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. 16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, 19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. 22 Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. The overall tone of this psalm is very confrontational. Verse 16 and 17 say: 16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. The horse is a beautiful animal and in previous times, say the Middle Ages, someone might be meandering in foreboding forests, away from the relative safety of the  castle and surrounding motes and out there in a situation where the ability to get around by horse was a great means, possibly of escape from danger in all forms, whether it be the weather, known or unknown enemies, or dangerous animals lurking in the countryside.. In the famous movie from 1995, Braveheart, Mel Gibson swiftly rides through the medieval terrain on the horse will his girlfriend and you can see the beauty of the movement in the film and a cohesion of beauty with him, his woman and the horse and the surrounding nature. The horse also has a representation of strength; it is rugged and can move over otherwise unsure terrain and at that time was a reliable means of transport... Without the horse, you could picture someone lost in the terrain of the movie Braveheart without the means of escape and in an even more precarious situation without the horse. The verse in this psalm doesn’t talk about the removal of the horse as a means, but says it will not do any good as one of the ultimate means someone can rely on... Then, in the context of war and the defending of a kingdom, a large army was a means that represented power and protection. The multitude of the army especially in the context of earlier times made a big difference in the pose or posturing of the army. Now it might be more so the weaponry rather than the size of the army but at the time of the writing of this psalm, a larger army was a greater means for a Kingdom and King... Both the army for the king and the horse for a given individual represented a great means, something that was counted on, relied on... But this psalm is saying that those means in the end will not prevail and the confrontation is thereby set up. You could picture someone, maybe alone, maybe will a group, in some foreboding forest in the Middle Ages, depending on their horse but then beyond this seemingly fragile dependency there is not  other pathway or means for safety. The horse is the last bastion maybe, but then it isn’t, and what is left? This foreboding confrontation with the nature, the elements and the dangers without, begins to be seen as something where the individual or group of individuals does not have any true means of dealing with.  This scene then sets up the confrontation with the Lord and it must come down to that. The army will not suffice for the kingdom, the great, victorious wondrous horse will not be sufficient for the individual sojourner. Today, on the surface, it seems like to a degree things are more under control. There are satellites from space that can see a donut in a store. But the reality is, the earth today is still a place where most of the terrain is uninhabitable, between the oceans, the Great Deserts such as the Sahara, and the North and South Poles. There are many livable locations, but a dependency on things like fuel supply in the winter s the thin line that cannot be crossed otherwise the trouble arises. So depending, someone today might have the same feelings of potential trouble and being lost, as someone depending on a horse in those days may have had. . Verse 19 says, To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. The famine is a situation where the resource of food is in scarcity through the region or lands.  This is lack at a basic level and widespread level This is also a case of where there maybe no final place in human terms to resort to and no possible resolution and the famine brings about a confrontation with those stark realities... A strong example of this is from Genesis and the story of Joseph and the great famine. The famine was worldwide in scope. And this famine reached all the way in the distance to Joseph’s now long lost brothers. The famine brought about circumstances where even Jacob and his sons where affected a great distance away from Egypt. They got the reports of the availability of grain in the storehouses of the Pharaoh.  The circumstance of the great famine, reached to the family of Joseph, who were forced into a confrontation with what was ultimately the grace towards a reuniting of Jacob, his son’s, with Joseph, who was now second in command in all of Egypt and the arbiter of all the lands in terms of distribution of grain for the famine. In the book of Amos, in Chapter 8, it talks of a great spiritual famine for the Word of the Lord. In Isaiah, Chapter 31 verses 1 through 3 it states: 1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD! 2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, And will not call back His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of those who work iniquity. 3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together. The mistake here was the trust in the visible and material and not the spiritual and the way of the Lord. Their trust in the horses, chariots and greatest means of the day ultimately would betray them. The confrontation is not only brought to one individual, but also to nations, as it says in verse 10 and 11: 10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations. The great plans of nations, in this or any era, past or future, can amount to nothing if the Lord so decides. The final call is in His hands. It says the plans of His heart are to all generations. The thwarting of plans, the dissipation of what was decided upon in the plans, sets up the confrontation with the Lord and His counsel and His plans. When someone has made seemingly great plans and they come to naught, this brings about a sense of being lost and maybe it includes being lost spiritually. Joseph’s brothers had never planned on see him again or ever going to Egypt for grain. But the Lord set up the confrontation with the circumstances of the famine and the Lord had other plans. Their plans of never seeing Joseph again had come to nothing.. The Lord is looking all over the earth but also at the individual, who is confronted by Him. 14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; 15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. We see in the stories of the Bible, confrontations with Abraham, Jonah, Paul,  and many other Biblical figures by the Lord. Paul was met on the road to Damascus.. The ultimate call of this psalm, within the confrontation is the beauty of reuniting with the presence of the Lord and his grace and mercy, even to you. The reuniting of Joseph with his brothers was within the beauty of mercy and grace. At that point, Joseph had within his power any means of diposal including punishment of his brothers. But he chose mercy and wept so loud it was heard long distances away.  The reuniting, the reunion of the brothers and Joseph, was a moment of great beauty in the Bible.  The ultimate banner around this reunion was the grace and mercy of the Lord. Just as Joseph had his storehouses of grain for his brothers and many others, God has his storehouses of graces and mercy for all of us who are willing to come back. Being lost on the beautiful horse that could only take you so far in those foreboding and largely unexplored forests, does spark fear and longing for safety. But the turn in that moment of realization can be towards a confrontation with the grace and beauty of the Lord, the Lord who sees you face to face in his eyes and this can be the confrontation and reuniting that is ultimately of astounding beauty, knowing that the eyes of the Lord are upon you right then and right there.  Just as Joseph set his eyes upon his brothers again. This is mentioned in verse 1 and it pleases the Lord greatly. 1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful That turn towards the Lord, at the moment of realization that the means, the greatest means of the time and age, in not enough and there must be a confrontation, is a thing of awesome beauty. To believe is to personally behold the eyes of the Creator, seeing you and finding you in grace and mercy and now you are reuniting in the beauty of praise.About the Author: Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/christianity-articles/confronting-grace-and-psalm-33-1082135.html" title="Confronting grace and psalm 33">Confronting grace and psalm 33</a>

Psalm 33 reads as follows from the New King James version of the Bible”

1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance. He o

13 The LORD looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
14 From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works.

16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
19 To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
22 Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.

The overall tone of this psalm is very confrontational.

Verse 16 and 17 say:

16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

The horse is a beautiful animal and in previous times, say the Middle Ages, someone might be meandering in foreboding forests, away from the relative safety of the castle and surrounding motes and out there in a situation where the ability to get around by horse was a great means, possibly of escape from danger in all forms, whether it be the weather, known or unknown enemies, or dangerous animals lurking in the countryside..

In the famous movie from 1995, Braveheart, Mel Gibson swiftly rides through the medieval terrain on the horse will his girlfriend and you can see the beauty of the movement in the film and a cohesion of beauty with him, his woman and the horse and the surrounding nature.

The horse also has a representation of strength; it is rugged and can move over otherwise unsure terrain and at that time was a reliable means of transport...

Without the horse, you could picture someone lost in the terrain of the movie Braveheart without the means of escape and in an even more precarious situation without the horse.

The verse in this psalm doesn’t talk about the removal of the horse as a means, but says it will not do any good as one of the ultimate means someone can rely on...

Then, in the context of war and the defending of a kingdom, a large army was a means that represented power and protection. The multitude of the army especially in the context of earlier times made a big difference in the pose or posturing of the army. Now it might be more so the weaponry rather than the size of the army but at the time of the writing of this psalm, a larger army was a greater means for a Kingdom and King...

Both the army for the king and the horse for a given individual represented a great means, something that was counted on, relied on...

But this psalm is saying that those means in the end will not prevail and the confrontation is thereby set up.

You could picture someone, maybe alone, maybe will a group, in some foreboding forest in the Middle Ages, depending on their horse but then beyond this seemingly fragile dependency there is not other pathway or means for safety. The horse is the last bastion maybe, but then it isn’t, and what is left?

This foreboding confrontation with the nature, the elements and the dangers without, begins to be seen as something where the individual or group of individuals does not have any true means of dealing with. This scene then sets up the confrontation with the Lord and it must come down to that. The army will not suffice for the kingdom, the great, victorious wondrous horse will not be sufficient for the individual sojourner.

Today, on the surface, it seems like to a degree things are more under control. There are satellites from space that can see a donut in a store. But the reality is, the earth today is still a place where most of the terrain is uninhabitable, between the oceans, the Great Deserts such as the Sahara, and the North and South Poles. There are many livable locations, but a dependency on things like fuel supply in the winter s the thin line that cannot be crossed otherwise the trouble arises.

So depending, someone today might have the same feelings of potential trouble and being lost, as someone depending on a horse in those days may have had.

Verse 19 says,

To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.

The famine is a situation where the resource of food is in scarcity through the region or lands. This is lack at a basic level and widespread level

This is also a case of where there maybe no final place in human terms to resort to and no possible resolution and the famine brings about a confrontation with those stark realities...

A strong example of this is from Genesis and the story of Joseph and the great famine. The famine was worldwide in scope. And this famine reached all the way in the distance to Joseph’s now long lost brothers. The famine brought about circumstances where even Jacob and his sons where affected a great distance away from Egypt. They got the reports of the availability of grain in the storehouses of the Pharaoh. The circumstance of the great famine, reached to the family of Joseph, who were forced into a confrontation with what was ultimately the grace towards a reuniting of Jacob, his son’s, with Joseph, who was now second in command in all of Egypt and the arbiter of all the lands in terms of distribution of grain for the famine.

In the book of Amos, in Chapter 8, it talks of a great spiritual famine for the Word of the Lord.

In Isaiah, Chapter 31 verses 1 through 3 it states:

1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
And rely on horses,
Who trust in chariots because they are many,
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
Nor seek the LORD!
2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster,
And will not call back His words,
But will arise against the house of evildoers,
And against the help of those who work iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God;
And their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the LORD stretches out His hand,
Both he who helps will fall,
And he who is helped will fall down;
They all will perish together.

The mistake here was the trust in the visible and material and not the spiritual and the way of the Lord.

Their trust in the horses, chariots and greatest means of the day ultimately would betray them.

The confrontation is not only brought to one individual, but also to nations, as it says in verse 10 and 11:

10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.

The great plans of nations, in this or any era, past or future, can amount to nothing if the Lord so decides. The final call is in His hands.

It says the plans of His heart are to all generations.

The thwarting of plans, the dissipation of what was decided upon in the plans, sets up the confrontation with the Lord and His counsel and His plans. When someone has made seemingly great plans and they come to naught, this brings about a sense of being lost and maybe it includes being lost spiritually.

Joseph’s brothers had never planned on see him again or ever going to Egypt for grain. But the Lord set up the confrontation with the circumstances of the famine and the Lord had other plans. Their plans of never seeing Joseph again had come to nothing..

The Lord is looking all over the earth but also at the individual, who is confronted by Him.

14 From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works.

We see in the stories of the Bible, confrontations with Abraham, Jonah, Paul, and many other Biblical figures by the Lord. Paul was met on the road to Damascus..

The ultimate call of this psalm, within the confrontation is the beauty of reuniting with the presence of the Lord and his grace and mercy, even to you.

The reuniting of Joseph with his brothers was within the beauty of mercy and grace. At that point, Joseph had within his power any means of diposal including punishment of his brothers. But he chose mercy and wept so loud it was heard long distances away. The reuniting, the reunion of the brothers and Joseph, was a moment of great beauty in the Bible. The ultimate banner around this reunion was the grace and mercy of the Lord.

Just as Joseph had his storehouses of grain for his brothers and many others, God has his storehouses of graces and mercy for all of us who are willing to come back.

Being lost on the beautiful horse that could only take you so far in those foreboding and largely unexplored forests, does spark fear and longing for safety. But the turn in that moment of realization can be towards a confrontation with the grace and beauty of the Lord, the Lord who sees you face to face in his eyes and this can be the confrontation and reuniting that is ultimately of astounding beauty, knowing that the eyes of the Lord are upon you right then and right there. Just as Joseph set his eyes upon his brothers again.

This is mentioned in verse 1 and it pleases the Lord greatly.

1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful

That turn towards the Lord, at the moment of realization that the means, the greatest means of the time and age, in not enough and there must be a confrontation, is a thing of awesome beauty. To believe is to personally behold the eyes of the Creator, seeing you and finding you in grace and mercy and now you are reuniting in the beauty of praise.

Rate this Article:

0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)

Re-Publish

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/christianity-articles/confronting-grace-and-psalm-33-1082135.html

Article Tags: prayer, praise, beauty, confrontation, mercy, grace, hope, peace

Related Videos
Related Articles
Ask / Related Q&A

Play

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Part I

Play

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Part II

Play

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Part III

Play

The Lord of the Rings: Siege of Mirkwood Ring Wraith Trailer

Play

Lord of the Rings: Conquest - Co-Op - Walkthrough - Part 1: Helm's Deep

Latest Christianity Articles
More from Joseph Jagde

Christ's Purposeful Atonement – Limited Atonement

By: Ralph E. Bass, Jr. | 08/01/2010
This topic is sometimes called “the doctrine of Limited Atonement.” Now the very sound of the phrase “limited atonement” is distasteful because it seems to deny the sufficiency of the work of Christ at Calvary. Indeed, that is exactly how some respond to this doctrine.

God's Sovereign Choice: Unconditional Election

By: Ralph E. Bass, Jr. | 08/01/2010
Now if man is lost and incapable of saving himself, or of even willing that he be saved, then by an inescapable logic, if man is to be saved at all, he must be the object of God’s work in securing his salvation, and not his own work. Such a work requires that it be God that chooses man and not man that chooses God. This is necessarily so because, as we noted earlier, man simply will not choose God. He has no interest in God, he has no love for God, and in fact, there is a positive animosity by man toward God.

He gets angry and he kicks 'em out!

By: Roger Williams | 08/01/2010
The testimony of an old couple with a family history of sickness who had never had the gospel of Jesus Christ presented to them in an everyday, non-religious manner, resulting in them holding to faulty concepts of God.

Humanity's Radical Corruption – Total Depravity

By: Ralph E. Bass, Jr. | 07/01/2010
The Bible teaches that man has experienced a cataclysmic moral fall in Adam. This fall has corrupted man at every part of his being. For this reason, this doctrine has often been called Total Depravity. However, this term is subject to a misunderstanding. It has frequently been thought that by this term Reformed theologians mean and teach that man is as corrupt as he can be, or that he is utterly depraved.

Presbyterian Church Government

By: Ralph E. Bass, Jr. | 07/01/2010
When denominations were forming in the 16th century, denominations often took their names from the type of church government they adopted. The names Presbyterian, Episcopal and Congregational reflect this. The reason this was done was simply because in general all denominations subscribed to the same theology, Reformed, their differences were found only in their church government.

Will Babies go to heaven or hell when they die?

By: Shaila D Touchton | 07/01/2010
A man is conceived and born in sin. That God elects who will be saved to enter heaven.

Great Hymn Writers Part 2

By: Simon Harding | 07/01/2010
The second in our series on great hymn writers

In Bible versus Quran: Rahab the prostitute in the Genealogy of the Lord Jesus?

By: Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil | 06/01/2010
In the Bible, the genealogy of the Lord Jesus from Abraham to Joseph who married Saint Mary is composed of 42 (or 55) generations. In such family tree, you find Rahab the prostitute. On the other hand, the genealogy of the Lord Jesus in the Quran is only three words: "Jesus the Son of Mary".

Keep Your Gifts Alive in the New Decade

By: Joseph Jagde | 04/01/2010 | Christianity
These verses from Timothy encourage us to bring our gifts to life with the backdrop of a sincere faith and the companionship of the Power and Soundness of the Holy Spirit.

New Wisdom for the New Decade

By: Joseph Jagde | 04/01/2010 | Christianity
These verses from Ephesians cite the important of keeping up the prayers for wisdom and revelations both for yourself and others, The idea of interceding for widsom for others has been given proper emphasis and this is something that is important going forward. The overall invitation is towards getting to know the Lord better.

Lasting Riches for the New Decade

By: Joseph Jagde | 03/01/2010 | Christianity
There is also the issue of riches, but how do we grasp upon them. These verses show that the way to hold on to riches it to share them and bring about good works through them with an understanding the God is the source who knows both the gift and the one receiving the gift and no material or monetary things can attain to that level.

Cast Away your troubles in the New Decade

By: Joseph Jagde | 03/01/2010 | Christianity
Many seem to have leftover troubles from this past decade, but we can begin anew with the freshness of the Lord and his presence in giving here and now lasting relief from these paricuar troubles.

Keep Your Hopes Alive for the New Decade

By: Joseph Jagde | 03/01/2010 | Christianity
The encouragement we receive directly from the Lord and in fellowship with his saints, derives from his acceptance of us and that alone is cause for hope as we begin the New Decade.

Building in Love for the New Decade

By: Joseph Jagde | 30/12/2009 | Christianity
It is a new decade and these wonderful verses of hope, truth and love from the letters of Paul can serve as an encouragement and hope going forward.

Standing in the Night Watches and psalm 134

By: Joseph Jagde | 27/12/2009 | Christianity
There is hope even in the night and it emanates from those who are standing in the night watches.

The Other Side of Answered Prayer and Psalm 20

By: Joseph Jagde | 21/12/2009 | Christianity
This psalm gives a vision of the other side of answered prayer and the angelic help that occurs on that road. The vision includes your own wishes, which are only seen and understood clearly by the Lord who guides you in them on the road to answered prayer and the victory of answered prayer.