Fun and interesting facts from the genealogy in Matthew, Chapter One:

Boaz mother was Rahab the harlot (vs. 5 & 6).

Boaz was Ruth’s husband (see book of Ruth)

Boaz and Ruth – who was a Moabitess -were King David’s Great Grandmother and Grandfather.

Even the sin of King David is listed in his genealogy(vs. 6 and 7) Beware if you cast your mind or heart to sin, even if done in private, it could end up being public for a very long time.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel – which means, “God with us.”

vs 21 Jesus (the Lord saves)

vs. 23 Immanuel (God with us)

Even His names were a pronouncement of His life work – Saviour, Redeemer and the radiance of God’s glory wrapped in humanity.  Not a military force…GOD, with us.

As  I have studied Scripture over the last 38 years, one of the techniques I feel is important is to go back and forth between the Old and New Testaments.  We have been in the Psalms for 30 chapters, so beginning this coming Monday, we will start the book of Matthew in the New Testament.  Looking forward to what God has for us there.

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.  O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

When verse 11 says, ” you turned”…it literally means: overturned, never to be the same again”.  So then, this verse reads, “You overturned my wailing, so it would never be the same again, and you turned it into dancing.”  Why?  So that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.  We can sing through suffering and trials.  We can sing for joy, and out of love for our Saviour.  Old hymns, new choruses, secular tunes with words of praise, but let us not be silent.

Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

I was curious as to what the word “ascribe” meant, so I looked it up.  It means “to regard as belonging to, or coming from someone.”  So, these verses would read, O mighty ones, glory and strength belong to and are coming from the LORD.  There is glory belonging to and coming from His name.

We live in a fallen creation, but the One Who has the watch-care over us, the LORD is His name, watches over us in glory, spendor and strength.  What should our response to this knowledge be?  Worship Him in the spendor of his holiness.

The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.  Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.

The LORD is our strength.  Not weight lifting, nor running, not eating a certain way, or taking vitamins.  When we need our stength the most is in the battle . Ephesians 6:12 describes it this way,  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Only the spiritual strength God supplies can be our strength against the spiritual trials of life.

FORTRESS OF SALVATION: Here is an amazing visual. We are safe, protected and provided for within the walls of our salvation.  Picture a fort in the Old West or a castle in eastern Europe, these were fortresses. Our God and King presides over the fortress of our salvation.  No place safer.

Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

Wait a minute…a straight path BECAUSE of my oppressors?  Pressure from life’s circumstances, financial struggles, ill health, broken relationships, unsaved people, and our own penchant for sin do WHAT????

They push us to God…for help, for comfort, for hope.  As we seek to learn God’s way of dealing with these life events, we are on His path, and it is straight.

Notice………He doesn’t just treach us there; He LEADS us on this path.  He is, after all, our Good Shepherd.

Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.

When I was a young Christian I used to be afraid for God to examine me, to pull back a layer and expose some sort of sin or weakness that He wanted to work on in my life.  I have since learned, though, that God’s love is ever before me.  Each work He works in me is out of love.  I can trust Him. David wasn’t afraid to ask God to examine his heart and his mind.  He walks beside me in love and truth, so I don’t need to be afraid of His examination either.  And the part that needs fixing…………… will experience God’s wisdom, His grace and His kindness.

Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.

David’s plea is that God would remember him from His good love, that God would look at David through love-colored glasses.  Don’t we all want that – not just from God, but from each other?  This is a good exercise.  Lets commit to one day this week and see if we respond to people out of God’s love and goodness or do we REACT to their sinful ways.  Ask yourself: How am I responding to this situation?  Share your experience, if you would like to, in the comment section of the blog.

The earth is the LORD’s,  and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

These words are very clear.  The earth, and all who live in it, belong to God, Who created it.  When you take God out of the picture: removing God and the Bible from school, the ten commandments out of justice and politics, who will care about the world?  Suddenly, man believes it is up to him to save the earth, addressing environmental issues such as global warming and endangered species.  Man is desperate to control and save that which doesn’t belong to him. We must be good stewards of that which God gave us to use, but it is not our job to save it for future generations.  The future belongs to God.