The Love of my Life

“Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the sons of Zion be joyful in their King.” (Psalms 149:2)

It’s not known who or when Psalm 149 was written. The psalm is used in liturgy in the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Church of England and is recited or sung in Jewish early morning services.

In this verse Israel is told to rejoice in God Who is his Maker or Creator. Isaiah proclaims that God is the Maker of Israel. He made the nation calling Abraham out from among his people to be a separate nation. This is the only nation that God created to be for a revelation of Who He is.  “And Jehovah said to Abram, Go out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house into a land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great. And you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those that bless you and curse the one who curses you. And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

The nation of Israel became exclusive. Their heritage is based on the mother’s heritage. If she is Jewish, her children are Jewish, even if the Father is not. They were to reveal the Goodness and greatness of God. And they did. The Lord did marvelous things for them. What brought them down and why they are persecuted is because they fell into idolatry. “And it will be, if you shall listen carefully to the voice of Jehovah your God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command you today, Jehovah your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth... And it shall be, if you will not listen to the voice of Jehovah your God, to observe and to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, all these curses shall come on you and overtake you.” (Deuteronomy 28:1, 15) They left the love for their God, their Creator for other gods and loves. They quickly left the love of God when God had liberated them from the Egyptians. (Exodus 32:1-4) And after seeing all the miraculous works of God, they worshipped the gods of other nations instead of the other way around. But even the other nations recognized that the God of Israel was mightier than their gods of wood and stone. “And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that Jehovah fought against the enemies of Israel.” (2Chronicles 20:29)

Now, are we any different? The Lord has redeemed us from the kingdom of sin and darkness. What do we love more than the Lord? Do we love our way of life and sometimes God just gets in the way? Only each one of us can answer that, but it shows in our priorities. We choose to stay home from church for some reason or another. Do we love our families more than God? It will show in the excuses we make for our children, our spouses and other relatives who disobey or rebel against God. Do we love ourselves more than God? It will show in the way we dictate how and where we should live. The thing is that if we submit to God’s command, making Him our priority and King of our lives, the blessings of God will be more pleasant than anything we could have imagined. I am reminded again of that illustration of Jesus and the little girl holding her little teddy bear saying she loves it and is unwilling to give it up for the gigantic teddy bear Jesus has for her. That’s the way Israel was and how we are. When will we learn?

Then our Scripture commands the sons of Zion to be joyful in the Lord. To be sure worship, praise and rejoicing in the Lord is not a natural action. If one doesn’t have the Holy Spirit, there is no impetus to worship, praise or rejoice in the Lord because the soul that doesn’t have God is far from God and self-centered. “Jehovah is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:t29) I have heard in some Bible studies that God doesn’t hear the prayers of the wicked except for the prayer of repentance. Wicked people will turn to the Lord when they are desperate for immediate help. But their heart isn’t right with God. They want His benefits but not Him and call on Him in their desperation but quickly forget that He mightily helped them. They use God but don’t love Him. Mentally they recognize God as God, but in their hearts, they love themselves more.

Worship, praise and delight in the Lord is an act submission and acknowledgement of Who the Lord is. This comes supernaturally through the Holy Spirit. It comes from gratitude of His love and mercy on us. If we haven’t accepted that love and mercy we will not see the need to worship, praise and delight in the Lord. Simple. “For your Maker is your husband; Jehovah of Hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.” (Isaiah 54:5) Isaiah prophesies that the God of Israel, Jehovah of Hosts and the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel will be called the God of the whole earth. He will be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. “And He said, It is but a little thing that You should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to bring back the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You for a light to the nations, to be My salvation to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6) Isaiah wrote what God was telling him. It’s a prophecy about Jesus. Isaiah was to reveal Jesus, the Light of the world. Jesus is the Light of the world. “Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

It’s hard to see God’s Goodness unless one knows Him. The world sees God as an enforcer. And He was and still is, but remember, we are in a time of God’s grace and mercy. This is a time of the spreading of the Gospel, God’s gift to the whole world for forgiveness and life everlasting. This time will come to an end. Then judgement will come for those who refused His great gift of mercy and love. The author of Hebrews urges us to come to God. “Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) Titus tell us that it’s by God’s grace and mercy that salvation comes to the whole world. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,” (Titus 2:11). Like the Bible says, “Now is the time of salvation.” “(For He says, "In an acceptable time I heard you, and in a day of salvation, I helped you;" Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.)” (2Corinthians 6:2)

Basically, this call of the psalmist to rejoice in our Maker and to be joyful in our King is a call to all who know their God and know Him as King of their lives. And we can only know Him when He is the King of our lives, when He is our priority in thought, word and deeds and when He is the ruler of our hearts and the love of our lives.

Let us pray:

Father God, I worship You. There is life and light in Your holy Presence. There is joy and delight in You. You are the Love of my life. My heart is grateful for Your Goodness. Do not allow me to fall into deceitfulness and error. Always be my Standard by Your Word and by the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit. I yield completely to You. My life is Yours. You are my priority. Glorify Yourself and lift Your Name and Your greatness in anything I do, say or think. When I don’t understand, when things seem to go wrong or when I am hurt either in my soul (mind, will or emotions) or in my body, I pray my Lord, that Your Will prevails to glorify You. Help me to discern the things that come from You and not the enemy. Help me to be bold in proclaiming Your Name in my life. Help me to find Your treasure for all that I need in You and in Your Word. In the Mighty Name of Jesus I pray, amen.