Pastor Billington's Blog

Psalm 139:1-6 “For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. LORD, you have searched me, and you know me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me. This knowledge is beyond me. It’s lofty. I can’t attain it.”

Who knows us better than God? Scary, right? All the things we don’t want other people to know? All the thoughts that we think are our own? God knows them all, and He still cares for us! He watches over us and takes care of us. It’s humbling, amazing, and assuring. How can we even begin to understand it?

For additional worship: Psalm 139 (You are There) Mercy Me

Psalm 138:1-8 “By David. I will give you thanks with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you. I will bow down towards your holy temple, and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth; for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all. In the day that I called, you answered me. You encouraged me with strength in my soul. All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth. Yes, they will sing of the ways of the LORD, for the LORD’s glory is great! For though the LORD is high, yet he looks after the lowly; but he knows the proud from afar. Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me. The LORD will fulfil that which concerns me. Your loving kindness, LORD, endures forever. Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.”

Why should we give God thanks, even proclaiming His worth before the heavenly host? Because He is loving and kind. Because He answers prayer. Because He encourages us though the Spirit. Because He looks after the destitute, and rescues those who need help. Because He is faithful to do everything He said He would do! It’s because of all this that we come before Him to ask Him for help.

Hebrews 4:16 “Let’s therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need.”

Note too, that God’s Word has an important part to play in all this. God exalts His Word, and even the heathen nations praise when they hear it! God’s Word is our objective standard for truth. It reveals God and His ways to us, which is why it’s so important.

For additional worship: Angels From the Realms of Glory

Psalm 137:1-9 “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows in that land, we hung up our harps. For there, those who led us captive asked us for songs. Those who tormented us demanded songs of joy: ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’ How can we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill. Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don’t remember you, if I don’t prefer Jerusalem above my chief joy. Remember, LORD, against the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, ‘Raze it! Raze it even to its foundation!’ Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, he will be happy who repays you, as you have done to us. Happy shall he be, who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock.”

It sounds horrible to our modern ears, but some of that is due to our misunderstanding. “Little ones” refers to relationship rather than age. While it can refer to the very young, it can also refer to grown children. Here the Israelites are being forced to recount their homeland to their captors, and the younger generation of their captors is turning out to be just as cruel as their parents. They don’t want to do it, but they don’t want to forget either. They ask for God to avenge them against all their enemies. The ones enacting vengeance are “blessed” or “happy,” depending on how you translate the word. If “blessed” is the appropriate translation, then they are blessed because they are doing God’s work by punishing the nation that put His people into captivity. If they are “happy” then that’s more a description that reveals their character than a declaration of how we should be. This is an “imprecatory” psalm, because God’s people are crying out to God for His judgment on their enemies. It’s a reminder that it’s okay to want evil to be punished, but we also need to be careful not to turn into the very thing we despise.

For additional worship: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Psalm 136: 23-26 “who remembered us in our low estate, for his loving kindness endures forever; and has delivered us from our adversaries, for his loving kindness endures forever; who gives food to every creature, for his loving kindness endures forever. Oh give thanks to the God of heaven, for his loving kindness endures forever.”

Just as with Israel, God remembers us in our lowly sinful estate, delivers us from the adversaries of sin, Satan, and death, and provides for us in this life. Oh give thanks to the God of heaven, for his loving kindness endures forever!

I Corinthians 15:53-56 “But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

For additional worship: Love Came Down at Christmas

Psalm 136:10-22 “to him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn, for his loving kindness endures forever; and brought out Israel from amongst them, for his loving kindness endures forever; with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for his loving kindness endures forever; to him who divided the Red Sea apart, for his loving kindness endures forever; and made Israel to pass through the middle of it, for his loving kindness endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his loving kindness endures forever; to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his loving kindness endures forever; to him who struck great kings, for his loving kindness endures forever; and killed mighty kings, for his loving kindness endures forever; Sihon king of the Amorites, for his loving kindness endures forever; Og king of Bashan, for his loving kindness endures forever; and gave their land as an inheritance, for his loving kindness endures forever; even a heritage to Israel his servant, for his loving kindness endures forever”

The whole point of this section is to recount how God, through His loving kindness, brought His people out of slavery and led them to the land He promised to give them. And not only that, He watched over them, protected them, and ensured that they would enter into their inheritance. Just like He does with us!

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”

For additional worship: Great and Precious Promises (Susan Ashton)

Psalm 136:1-9 “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his loving kindness endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his loving kindness endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his loving kindness endures forever; to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his loving kindness endures forever; to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his loving kindness endures forever; to him who made the great lights, for his loving kindness endures forever; the sun to rule by day, for his loving kindness endures forever; the moon and stars to rule by night, for his loving kindness endures forever…”

The point of this Psalm is to praise God for His loving kindness (which endures forever!) and the Psalmist gives us various examples of His mercy and grace. The first example is God’s loving kindness expressed through the making of creation. Note that He made creation by His “understanding.” Who knows more than God? Which is why we should trust and adore Him!

Romans 11:33 “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past tracing out!”

For additional worship: Indescribable

Psalm 135:15-21 “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they can’t speak. They have eyes, but they can’t see. They have ears, but they can’t hear, neither is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, yes, everyone who trusts in them. House of Israel, praise the LORD! House of Aaron, praise the LORD! House of Levi, praise the LORD! You who fear the LORD, praise the LORD! Blessed be the LORD from Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!”

You may think that you’re too sophisticated to trust in idols. But do you realize that anything you put before God in your life is an idol?

Colossians 3:5 “Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Staying away from idolatry can be difficult, but praise can help. When we give God the praise He deserves, and recognize His place in our lives, and put our trust in Him, we’ll be well on our way to getting any idols off the throne of our hearts!

For additional worship: Christ be Magnified

Psalm 135:8-14 “He struck the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and animal. He sent signs and wonders into the middle of you, Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his servants. He struck many nations, and killed mighty kings— Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan— and gave their land for a heritage, a heritage to Israel, his people. Your name, LORD, endures forever; your renown, LORD, throughout all generations. For the LORD will judge his people and have compassion on his servants.”

God’s sovereignty and work of protection continue to be praised. He vindicates (“judges”) and has compassion on His people. His name continues to be exalted from one generation to another for what He has done for them!

Just as Israel was dependent on God for its position and blessing, so are we. All that we have; all that we are; all that we can do; all that we can be; it’s all because of God. We experience both his vindication and compassion because of our eternal inheritance through Jesus. The Holy Spirit is our down payment, and through the Spirit we experience the gifting, filling, and fruits that lead to abundant life!

Titus 3:4-7 “But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love towards mankind appeared, not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

For additional worship: Compassion Hymn