Read the Bible: Psalm 107

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD proclaim
that he has redeemed them from the power of the foe
3 and has gathered them from the lands —
from the east and the west,
from the north and the south.

4 Some wandered in the desolate wilderness,
finding no way to a city where they could live.
5 They were hungry and thirsty;
their spirits failed within them.
6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;
he rescued them from their distress.
7 He led them by the right path
to go to a city where they could live.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD
for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all humanity.
9 For he has satisfied the thirsty
and filled the hungry with good things.

…

43 Let whoever is wise pay attention to these things
and consider the LORD’s acts of faithful love.

Psalms 107:1-9, 43 (CSB)

Read all of Psalm 107 using the link below.

Sunday School is for All Ages!

Miriam sang to them:

Sing to the LORD,
for He is highly exalted;
He has thrown the horse
and its rider into the sea.

Exodus 15:21

Just a little while before the Red Sea crossing, Israel was in Egypt, preparing for the Passover and the tenth plague that would cause Pharaoh to forcefully expel them from the land. In the midst of packing all they owned to carry out of the only land they’d known for 430 years, the women of Israel made sure to pack their tambourines.

When the Lord delivered Israel through the waters of judgment and death, safe to the other side, Miriam knew just what the occasion required, and she led forth with that tambourine. Led by the women of Israel, they sang what has become known as the Song of Moses.

LORD, who is like you among the gods?
Who is like you, glorious in holiness,
revered with praises, performing wonders?

Exodus 15:11

Just as Israel literally passed through the waters of death and judgment through a miraculous work of the Lord, we who are born again and have participated in the symbol of baptism have figuratively done the same. We have been delivered from death in sin and raised to newness of life in Christ Jesus. Our participation in water baptism symbolizes that inward work of deliverance that Jesus accomplished in us. And Scripture tells us that we who persevere to the end will join the Song of Moses again:

…those who had won the victory over the beast, its image, and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God. They sang the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb:

Great and awe-inspiring are your works,
Lord God, the Almighty;
just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
Lord, who will not fear
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All the nations will come
and worship before you
because your righteous acts
have been revealed.

Revelation 15:2-4

As we journey toward our eternal home in union with Christ, have you packed your tambourine?

Sunday School for all ages begins weekly at 9:45 AM. All are warmly welcome.

TONIGHT: PFWB Camp Meeting Begins

COMING SOON: School Supply Give-Away

Read the Bible: Psalm 106

Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.
2 Who can declare the LORD’s mighty acts
or proclaim all the praise due him?
3 How happy are those who uphold justice,
who practice righteousness at all times.

4 Remember me, LORD,
when you show favor to your people.
Come to me with your salvation
5 so that I may enjoy the prosperity
of your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of your nation,
and boast about your heritage.

6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have done wrong and have acted wickedly.

…

43 He rescued them many times,
but they continued to rebel deliberately
and were beaten down by their iniquity.

44 When he heard their cry,
he took note of their distress,
45 remembered his covenant with them,
and relented according to the abundance
of his faithful love.
46 He caused them to be pitied
before all their captors.

47 Save us, LORD our God,
and gather us from the nations,
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and rejoice in your praise.

48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, “Amen! ”
Hallelujah!

Psalms 106:1-6, 43-48 (CSB)

Read all of Psalm 106 using the link below.

Read the Bible: Psalm 105

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
proclaim his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell about all his wondrous works!
3 Boast in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.
5 Remember the wondrous works he has done,
his wonders, and the judgments he has pronounced,
6 you offspring of Abraham his servant,
Jacob’s descendants ​— ​his chosen ones.

7 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments govern the whole earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he ordained
for a thousand generations —
9 the covenant he made with Abraham,
swore to Isaac,
10 and confirmed to Jacob as a decree
and to Israel as a permanent covenant:
11 “I will give the land of Canaan to you
as your inherited portion.”

Psalms 105:1-11 (CSB)

Read all of Psalm 105 using the link below.

Read the Bible: Psalm 104

…

24 How countless are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, vast and wide,
teeming with creatures beyond number —
living things both large and small.
26 There the ships move about,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play there.

27 All of them wait for you
to give them their food at the right time.
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your breath,
they are created,
and you renew the surface of the ground.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works.
32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
he touches the mountains,
and they pour out smoke.
33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him;
I will rejoice in the LORD.
35 May sinners vanish from the earth
and wicked people be no more.
My soul, bless the LORD!
Hallelujah!

Psalms 104:24-35 (CSB)

Read all of Psalm 104 using the link below.

Read the Bible: Psalm 103

My soul, bless the LORD,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 My soul, bless the LORD,
and do not forget all his benefits.

3 He forgives all your iniquity;
he heals all your diseases.
4 He redeems your life from the Pit;
he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.
5 He satisfies you with good things;
your youth is renewed like the eagle.

6 The LORD executes acts of righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He revealed his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.
9 He will not always accuse us
or be angry forever.
10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve
or repaid us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his faithful love
toward those who fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed
our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
14 For he knows what we are made of,
remembering that we are dust.

Psalms 103:1-14 (CSB)

Read all of Psalm 103 using the link below.

Sunday School is for All Ages!

How many times have we seen this verse used to suggest that in a day of adversity, believers are to simply remain silent, sit back, and let the Lord work on our behalf?

Without a second of doubt, the Lord is working on our behalf. But, if we’re to be so passive in the day of tribulation, why was Israel sent into battle just a few pages later (Exodus 17:8-16)? Why did they have to take the Promised Land by conquest (Joshua 6 & following)? Why are we provided the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) or commanded to wage war against our flesh (1 Corinthians 10:3-6; Galatians 5:19-26) and the devil (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9)?

Since Scripture does not contradict itself, how are we to then rightly understand this command to silence in Exodus 14? We place the verse back into the full context of the passage.

Moses is addressing a people in panic mode. Although exactly where God had led them, they are entrapped; a sea is ahead of them and Pharaoh’s army is encroaching behind. Jacob’s descendants catch sight of the Egyptians in pursuit and are seized by terror. In their fear, they resort to blame, anger, accusation, and insult.

They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness” (Exodus 14:11-12).

They had seen the miraculous judgment of God against Egypt through ten plagues. They had been protected and preserved through 430 years of enslavement. They followed the visible, manifest presence of God in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night to arrive exactly beside the Red Sea for this moment. And yet, they panicked, which soon turned into a torrent of bitter and unbridled speech. Reckless words.

To this reckless panic, Moses speaks: “Be quiet.” Unofficial translation: “Stop talking right now, while you’re still ahead.” Fear is one thing. Attacking Moses is ungodly, but not fatal. But Israel needs to hush now before letting their mouths go too far.

Bitter and unbridled speech in the day of adversity is still for us a call toward caution. Following the admonition of Moses to Israel, we pray for Holy Spirit discernment to recognize when our words are sanctified or profane. And before we sin with our speech, we hold our peace.

Sunday School for all ages begins weekly at 9:45 AM. All are warmly welcome.

NEXT WEEK: PFWB Camp Meeting