The Meaning Of Life

The NKJ Bible is not perfect, and for that matter, probably most of the Bible, except the original Hebrew and Greek books, is not chronological correct. For example, all of the psalms have been compiled into one book, regardless of author and regardless of time period.

To make matters worse, many of these psalms are unknown. Some are titled, “Psalm of David when he fled Absalom”, which is one of the psalms on the study list for today, but in scripture, we haven’t reached that point yet (Absalom eventually tries to take the crown from David, coerces many of the Israeli’s to follow him, and David once again has to flee for his life). But most are simply a psalm, not knowing when it was written or for what reason.

So here is a link to the psalms of David. We’ve already covered some, and there are some on the agenda to study when the time period is appropriate. But for now, simply begin studying a psalm or two each in addition to your regular reading.
https://psalms.org/psalms/author/david

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/psalms/50.htm

Asaph was a prominent Levite musician during the time of King David and King Solomon, and wrote many psalms that were sung during worship. Make take on that was that he wrote the “hymnal” of the day.

The first thing that strikes me is Verse 3, “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.”

First, I’m not smart enough to know if this is prophesy (I don’t think Asaph was a prophet), or whether he had wrote this psalm based on the words of a prophet, or if at the time period in which it was written, the children of Israel thought that God himself was going to come as the Messiah rather than His Son, Jesus Christ. But it is certain profound the words he has used; “Our God shall come”.

And I particular like the verbiage, “a fire shall devour before Him”. What “fire” is this? Is it, like I believe, His Glory; the same Glory that made Moses’ face shine? (More evidence for my own non-traditional beliefs).

I know first hand from being a firefighter that fierce flames can create forces other than heat. When flames are really intense, they can create their own wind that self-directs the flame on which direction to travel and even winds that make the fire stronger. I’ve even seen “fire tornado’s” when the rising superheated air begins to rise like the updraft in a storm, and the flames actual start to spin and dance as if it was a tornado. If this is true, and God’s Glory is so bright that you cannot look at him, the surroundings would certainly be “tempestuous”.

The psalm continues reiterating the sins of Israel, how they convorted with the pagans, how they turned from Him, but in the last passage, He promises that He will give Salvation to those who praise and glorify Him. But I should remind, God knows the heart. He knows if you are truly praising Him, or if you are just going through the motions.

Psalm 73 is still a good lesson today. I can only imagine the works of Satan and the lengths he will go to to draw you away from God. This psalm talks about the wicked, how it doesn’t seem they receive punishment, how despite their wickedness, they seem to prosper. I’m not a prophet nor do I have factual information, but I’ve know many of the wealthy, many of the “elite”, that certainly don’t act like a Christian (they might be, I’m not judging), yet they have great wealth and social status. I can imagine how some people would look at them and aspire to be just like them, wanting that same wealth and status, and they may even go so far as to attend church religiously to make it appears as they are devout Christians, when in fact they are simply making an appearance. They’ve not read the Bible, they’ve not studied God’s word, they don’t pray unless they specifically want something. And that is what Satan wants them to do. Satan wants them to “think” they are true Christians whe they are not. So yes, it may be tempting to some to look at those who are prestigious or prominent, and act just like them, not knowing that it is not their actions that will bring them wealth and social status, but rather their relationship with God, and most importantly, their role here on earth. You see, God creates everyone with a purpose, and if you follow His Will, God will make you prosper. Even if you job is simply to dig ditches so the people of your community have clean drinking water, that may be the purpose God chose you for. And you might not like it, but God didn’t put us on earth to “keep up with the Jone’s”, He put us on earth to serve Him and what He has planned for us.

I doubt seriously it was Joseph’s life desire to be delivered to the Egyptians, be accuse of rape, and be thrown into prison. But he later found out it was God’s Will to do that so Joseph was in a position to save his father Jacob from starvation. Regardless of how we end up in life, what matters is that we fulfill God’s Will.

I am the guardian of three special needs adults that live with me. All three are mentally handicapped. Two have seizure disorders. One is a brittle Type 1 diabetic. And all three have behavioral problems, very visible and “tempestuous” behavior problems. If you had told me that I would be knocking on 67’s door and caring for these special people, I would have laughed in your face. But here I am.

Do I want to do this? Certainly not. I worked for nearly 50 years and would really like to enjoy my retirement in my final years. But I’ve decided that I’m in this position either as a punishment for past sin (but that is not the character of God), or that it was simply God’s Will that this is where He wants me to be and what He wants me to do. So I do it for Him (plus I’ve kind of grown to love these guys as if they were my own family and I worry about their well-being).

Imagine Abraham, answering God’s call to move to Canaan. Abraham didn’t live in a good place anyway, but to ask him to move to the land of the pagans who worshiped idols and sacrificed children was a tall order. But Abraham did it because it was God’s Will. Abraham did not want to sacrifice his son Isaac, but he was willing to do it if it was God’s Will.

In the end, and this is my non-traditional belief, if we have lived our lives according to God’s calling, and if we worship Him, praise Him, and glorify Him, all sincerely of course, then we will be righteous enough to withstand His Glory when Christ returns to take us all to Heaven. Yes, our faces and our entire bodies will probably shine like Moses’ face from being in His presence, but what a shine that will be. That shine, that Glory, will be God’s love enveloping us. And it will be the same shine and Glory that He intended for Adam and Eve to be bathed in before they sinned.

Happy Sabbath, and God bless!

P.S. And please pray for this world. I get into some discussions on FB Christian Groups, and these “Christians” get pretty nasty with me, citing events in the Bible that are certainly not true. They need our prayers to discover the truth. And pray for me too. Everything I’m writing may not be true either, so pray that I find the truth as well.