We Must Not Bow Before Anyone but the Lord

Today's Reading:

• Psalm 80:1 - 80:19
• Psalm 81:1 - 81:16

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Psalms 80 & 81

These two psalms are psalms of Asaph.  In the first psalm, Asaph implores the Lord to turn back to his people.  Asaph vows that his people will never abandon the Lord again once they are rescued.

I can't imagine what life would be like if the Lord abandoned me.  The thought of living without the Lord is simply devastating.  As someone who falls far from grace, I should pay more attention to showing the Lord how much I love him.  Being more righteous.  Obeying God's laws.  I thank you, Lord, for embracing me even through all my faults, through all the things that separate myself from you.  All I can say is thank you, Lord.  Amen.

In Psalm 81, the people were told what they need to do when the Lord does turn back to them.  The people would need to stay away from foreign gods and not bow down to worship a false god. 

The statement that the people shall not bow before a false god really has me thinking.  Is it okay to bow (as in a bend of the knee, not an upper body nod) before anyone at all?  I recall reading a verse in Exodus, and I think I shrugged it off at the time because I was writing about all the ten commandments, so I was trying to do an overview.  Here is the verse:

Exodus 20:4-5  You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.

This verse says you must not bow down OR worship them.  It seems that the two are mutually exclusive and that bowing, even if not intended for worship, is a sin.  It's funny how little I've ever thought about topics like bowing, yet all it takes is a random bible verse to spark an interest in me.  Something that was insignificant before suddenly became entirely relevant, and I was forced to form an instant stance on the subject.  That's the bible for you - the most phenomenal book of all time!

The Psalms of Asaph; Godly Advice

Today's Reading:

• Psalm 79:1 - 79:13
• Proverbs 12:25 - 12:26

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Psalm 79:1 - 79:13
Psalm 79 is a Psalm of Asaph.  The people are in the midst of great destruction brought upon them from the Lord.  The people are begging the Lord not to punish them, but to instead punish the godless who caused their demise.

I have a few problems with the cries from these people.  First of all, they do not account of any sins.  They claim they are being punished for their ancestors.  I have not yet read about these people anywhere else but these Psalms -- since my readings are broken up, I am reading Psalms along with my regular readings.  That being said, my study bible quotes two verses that state people will no longer be judged by the sins of their parents -- Ezekiel 18:20 and Jeremiah 31:30.  I assume, based on those two verses being quoted here, that the timing of this destruction took place after people were eradicated of the sins of their parents. So in other words, these people are not yet even realizing what sins they have committed (or they are ignoring them and passing blame elsewhere).  If they don't realize the sins they have committed, how can they ask for forgiveness from them?

The other thing that bothers me about this psalm is that the people don't praise the Lord at all.  All they do is ask the Lord to save them, and only then will they praise and thank him forever (79:13).  All the great psalms of David made sure to praise the Lord, even during the midst of the storms he faced.  Our Lord is worthy of praise, always.

The writer of the psalm begged the Lord to punish the offenders, not His own people.  I could certainly see why the Lord would be more harsh with his own people.  I think of my own children -- when one of them knows that they are disobeying, they are always punished far greater than the one that does wrong yet does not realize it.  As the Lord's people, we are expected to love him, and show that we love him, we obey him.  That is how we choose life instead of death. 

Proverbs 12:25 - 12:26

25  Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers them up

26  The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray

These are two very good verses to consider.  I would like to focus on the second one (verse 12:26).  I can say I do my part by giving my friends good advice and not trying to lead them astray.  So when I read that verse, I thought about the reverse of it -- about receiving advise.

According to this verse, I should be wary of the advice of those who are not godly and give much more esteem to the advice of those who are.  I will certainly keep this in mind for anytime that I am faced with a dilemma!