Old Testament reading: Psalm 137-141
Psalm 137 is a Psalm written during Babylonian captivity. It details Israel’s longing for home amidst a cruel and oppressive conqueror. Apparently, the Babylonians mocked the Jews by requesting them to play their happy songs of home. As we have been reading in recent days, these songs would have two primary and recurring themes: 1) the glorious city of God (Zion), which now lay in utter ruin; and 2) the deliverance of God from Egyptian bondage, which would have made their Babylonian captors swell with false pride and further disregard Israel and Jehovah. Psalm 139 is a marvelous song of God’s omnipresence. A word of caution here – “Where shall I flee from Your presence” in verse 7 should not be understood as David seeking a place wherein he could hide from God. This is evident from his statement in verse 10: “Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” Finally, I love the following line from Psalm 141:5 – “Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; I shall be as excellent oil; Let not my head refuse it.” We are reminded that the rebuke of the righteous is for our good and is not to be resisted. I am here reminded of Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
New Testament reading: Romans 4-6
“For when we were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom 5:6). What a beautifully simple, yet profound statement! Just as God did not choose Israel or set His love on them because they were great or worthy (Deut 7:7), God did not send His Son to suffer and die on our behalf because of anything that might cause us to be thought exceptional or worthy. Instead, “God demonstrates His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Also, did you notice the tense here? Demonstrates. Not demonstrated as in past tense. Paul spoke of this gift of love in the present tense some thirty or so years after the fact. God chose to preserve it as such for us today. Thus, the sacrifice of Jesus is an eternal and ever present demonstration of God’s great love for sinful man.
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