"Blessed by the LORD, the God of Israel, WHO ALONE DOES WONDROUS THINGS. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!" Psalm 72:18-19 It is only right that this gem of a doxology should be called a Marquis, though the One we're talking about ranks far above anyone with such a title.
To bless the Lord is ultimately to come kneeling before Him in adoration, and we acknowledge that a thankful and joyful heart worships Him by giving Him accolades that are due Him. Essentially we are coming into agreement with Him about Who He is. Though He is well aware of His own awesomeness, we are frail in our ability to properly heap up glory without His help. Thankfully, He has given us His Word and His Spirit, both Helpers in our quest to rightly honor Him. Psalm 72 is rife with requests for God, Elohim, to take action. Solomon is petitioning his God to do all of these things: judge with righteousness and the poor with justice (v. 2), defend the cause of the poor and needy all the while demolishing their enemies (v. 4, 12-14), have dominion over all (v. 8-11), etc. But as he continues to make these supplications, he recognizes that the only reason he can make these requests is because of Who his God is and what He is capable of doing. Solomon can't help but end the song with giving praise where it is due! For his God's reputation, his God's very name ought to be lifted high by all over whom He has dominion and rule...which is EVERYTHING! That word, "wondrous" actually means causing to marvel, distinguished from anything else because it supersedes everything in being extraordinary. And it carries with it this implication that it can be hard for others to understand who don't share in actually being "wondrous" themselves...which in this case is everyone BUT God Himself. Solomon praises Elohim for being totally unique in his ability to do all the things He had just prayed for. We talked last week that a doxology is about highlighting the infinite nature of God and specifically what we see here is Solomon addressing God's powerful, sovereign and loving Kingship. What a humbling thing for a king to say! That he could admit that God was better than he was at saving the people is driven by his realization that he paled in comparison! So, today, in the midst of "the daily," as we ask our God, who hasn't changed by the way, for specific things like deliverance from whatever our situation is, let's not forget that He ALONE can do WONDROUS things. Make time to praise Him for His power and His love even before you see His answers, and BLESS. HIS. NAME.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Brittany Van RynWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
August 2019
Categories |