Thursday, August 21st

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“You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”

“You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.”

“You alone are the Lord” – Just before the Levites remind the people of the Creation Narrative, they begin with the reminder that God is the one true God. There is no other. While he alone is God, we also know that this is a triune God, three in one. It is fascinating that in the creation narrative God is referred to as “Elohim” in each instance. This denotes that he is “God,” “Ruler,” “Judge,” “Creator” (Strong’s Lexicon” The word “Elohim” is the plural form for God. In this introduction to God as creator, we are also introduced to the plurality of God. How awesome is that?

“You made…” – Not only do the Israelites recognize God as the Creator of the universe, they also take note of the vastness of his creation. He has created all things far and near. Creating is his nature. Did you know that he is still creating today? Some day, he will create a new heaven and a new earth. He is continuing to create inside of you and me. David recognized that God was creating in him a clean heart. He continues to create as he makes all things new. God is always doing something new. What new thing has he been doing in your life? Praise him for his work in your life. 

“You give life…” – One of my favorite images of God is the giver of life. When God created Adam, he picked up some dirt from the ground and breathed life into it. Sometimes I feel like that lump of dirt sitting in God’s hands. Then, at just right time, he breathes life into me. Have ever experienced God as the life giver? Praise him for this life! 

In the New Testament we see Jesus “breathing life” on another occasion. The situation is not all that different. Jesus knows that his time on earth is drawing to an end, and he will soon breathe his last breath. Yet, before that happens, he takes his disciples aside and breathes on them the Holy Spirit. In this passage, Jesus gives Spiritual Life. Jesus breathes eternal life into his disciples! And this eternal life has also been given to you and to me! Praise him for this eternal life!

“Multitudes of heaven worship you” – He is Lord of Heaven. Think about that. He is Lord of the Highest of Heights. He is Lord over all natural and supernatural beings. He is the supreme being, of which none can compare. So great is He, that all of Heaven worships him! It is because of this that we can rest assured in Paul’s words:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 7:38-39) 

Praise Him, for no one and nothing can separate you from his Love!

“You have kept your promise” – What was God thinking when he made a covenant with his creation? Surely he knew that the Israelites would not be able to hold their end of the bargain. This covenant was made post “The Fall of Man.” If there was ever a bad time for God to make a covenant with his people, this was definitely it! There appears to be nothing good in this deal for God, and all things good available to the Israelites if they can somehow remain true to this covenant. Yet, time after time the Israelites failed. Still, we find God, remaining true to his word, never going back on his promise. The Israelites now recognize this, and they praise God for keeping his Promise. Praise God for his promises that remain true for us even today!

“You are righteous” – Because God is righteous, his commands are right and true. Because God is righteous, the sins of the people are now before them. Because God is righteous, he requires his people to live righteously. Where is the comfort in this?

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (1 John 2:1) Praise God that our salvation is not based upon our righteous living, but rather the righteousness of the one who was sent by God – Jesus!

Pastor Jonathan Goble