today's meditation (Ps.98) Being Inspired to Sing

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Psalm 98:1-9)  Sing a new song to the Lord,
     For He has done wonderful things,
     His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
2   The Lord has made His salvation known;
     He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3   He has remembered His graciousness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
     All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4   Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
     Be cheerful and sing for joy and sing praises.
5   Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
     With the lyre and the sound of melody.
6   With trumpets and the sound of the horn 
     Shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.

7   May the sea roar and all it contains,
     The world and those who dwell in it.
8   May the rivers clap their hands,
     May the mountains sing together for joy
9   Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth;
     He will judge the world with righteousness 
     And the peoples with fairness.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

When I read verses one and two, this is exactly how I like to explain the Trinity, and how Jesus came to earth in flesh in order to complete His work on the cross.  Obviously, God is omnipresent, but think of a body as representing the omnipresent God.  There are three Persons in One... the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Each "Person" has different roles.

Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord (Jesus pre-incarnate) would appear to people in various ways for different reasons; but when the time was right, He was born through a virgin who was in the line of King David.  In this way, Jesus could be 100% man who qualified to be Israel's king, while still being 100% God who is the King of kings.  

As a man, Jesus could live and die in our place to pay the price for sin.  The body and arm analogy helps to explain Jesus' words on the cross when He said, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mt.27:46)   Think of Jesus as being the arm (still part of God's body).  At the point when Jesus took on all the sins of this world, because God is holy and cannot look on sin, God the Father had to turn away from looking at His own hand.  

As God, Jesus was able to rise again and have victory over death, providing salvation to anyone who believes in Him.  As one repents of their sins, Jesus is faithful to forgive, and we can live and grow and reflect His righteousness to those around us.  And even though while here on earth, we will still slip up and sin, His grace keeps us safe from His judgement for all eternity.  So, receiving His gift of eternal salvation should be more than enough to inspire us to sing praises to the Lord!

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