Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
God’s intervention that paves the way for salvation
Psalms 145:1-21“The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down” – Psalms 145: 14
Psalm 145 is a psalm of praise written by David, King of Israel. Psalms 145 to 150 are known as ‘Songs of Praise’ because all of them begin and end with the phrase ‘Praise the Lord’. Psalm 145 is recognized as the last of the seventy-three (73) psalms written by King David.
Psalm 145 is an exposition of God’s benevolent character in a summarized form. It talks about His greatness, His goodness, His glory, His guarantee, and His grace. It is true that no human mind, however brilliant it may be, can comprehend any of the above-mentioned qualities of God. After all, we are discussing a Heavenly being who created the whole universe by the breath of His mouth. Here, propelled by the Holy Spirit, David is attempting to describe the nature of God by the best expressions that he could find.
The human saga started with the fall of Adam in the garden of Eden. Thereafter, we see that despite earnest attempts, humanity was constantly falling short of God’s expectation. It seemed that the Most Holy God will not be able to reconcile with humanity at all. But God is also omniscient, and He had the plan of salvation for the humankind from the beginning. In order to demonstrate His goodwill to the created human beings, He chose individuals from the middle of rebellion and set them apart for the task of achieving the goal. Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and others who followed, were all selected from contemporary societies to accomplish His will for humankind.
God’s justice could not have been condoned for His mercy. Therefore, it became necessary for the ‘Lamb of God’ to be sacrificed as a propitiation for the sin of humanity. This ultimate sacrifice, giving up His only begotten son for the lost humankind, is ‘agape love’. It is through His goodness and great love that He guarantees salvation for all who call upon Him in truth (Verse18).
Israel is the present symbol of God’s incessant interventions in human history. He has set the nation of Israel on pedestal for all the world to see how He would deal with humanity. It is a representation of the humankind before Him and in turn, He illustrates the method of His involvement with human beings making Israel as the example. Time and again, Israel falls from God’s grace. Every time they fell, He intervened and put them back on track, reestablishing them for the goal He originally set for them and as a matter of fact, the whole of humankind: to live in His presence forever.
A personal example of God’s intervention is found in the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 19, verse 5. Here, Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector in Jericho, wanted just to see Jesus. However, Jesus, discerning the heart of Zacchaeus, welcomed him to the Kingdom of God!
Psalm 145 is an exposition of God’s benevolent character in a summarized form. It talks about His greatness, His goodness, His glory, His guarantee, and His grace. It is true that no human mind, however brilliant it may be, can comprehend any of the above-mentioned qualities of God. After all, we are discussing a Heavenly being who created the whole universe by the breath of His mouth. Here, propelled by the Holy Spirit, David is attempting to describe the nature of God by the best expressions that he could find.
The human saga started with the fall of Adam in the garden of Eden. Thereafter, we see that despite earnest attempts, humanity was constantly falling short of God’s expectation. It seemed that the Most Holy God will not be able to reconcile with humanity at all. But God is also omniscient, and He had the plan of salvation for the humankind from the beginning. In order to demonstrate His goodwill to the created human beings, He chose individuals from the middle of rebellion and set them apart for the task of achieving the goal. Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and others who followed, were all selected from contemporary societies to accomplish His will for humankind.
God’s justice could not have been condoned for His mercy. Therefore, it became necessary for the ‘Lamb of God’ to be sacrificed as a propitiation for the sin of humanity. This ultimate sacrifice, giving up His only begotten son for the lost humankind, is ‘agape love’. It is through His goodness and great love that He guarantees salvation for all who call upon Him in truth (Verse18).
Israel is the present symbol of God’s incessant interventions in human history. He has set the nation of Israel on pedestal for all the world to see how He would deal with humanity. It is a representation of the humankind before Him and in turn, He illustrates the method of His involvement with human beings making Israel as the example. Time and again, Israel falls from God’s grace. Every time they fell, He intervened and put them back on track, reestablishing them for the goal He originally set for them and as a matter of fact, the whole of humankind: to live in His presence forever.
A personal example of God’s intervention is found in the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 19, verse 5. Here, Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector in Jericho, wanted just to see Jesus. However, Jesus, discerning the heart of Zacchaeus, welcomed him to the Kingdom of God!
Prayer
Merciful Lord, uphold us in Your Mighty Hands when walk towards Your glorious Kingdom to be in Your presence forever.
Thought for the Day
My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness….” - 2 Corinthians 12:9
Abraham Mammen, Sehion Mar Thoma Church, Dallas, Texas