Kneel before our God, you peoples! Make the sound of his praise heard, who keeps our soul among the living, and does not permit our feet to be moved. -- Psalm 66:8,9, RLIV.
The Psalmist speaks of all lands making a glad noise to Jehovah, which suggests that he is partially speaking about the age to come, when God blesses all nations. (Genesis 22:18: Psalm 66:1; Revelation 22:2) We do anticipate that all nations will understand Jehovah's ways in the future (Isaiah 2:2-4), which will give them a reason to rejoice before Jehovah.
However, the children of Israel had much to be grateful to their God for keeping them safe at the time of writing. "All the earth shall glorify Thee; they shall sing to Thy name!" declares the prophet David. (Psalm 66:40) He then calls on the people to bless Jehovah and proclaim His praises throughout the world after describing the amazing display of God's might in His interactions with Israel. "For Thou, O God, hast proved us, Thou hast tried us as silver is tried," he adds, looking back at Jehovah's interactions with His people. You cast us into the web and afflicted our loins. We have seen fire and water, yet you have brought us to a prosperous place by causing men to ride over our heads." – vs.10-12.
The Psalmist then proclaimed that he would enter Jehovah's house and fulfill the promises he had made throughout his difficult time. He tells about God's goodness. He describes how he had called out to Jehovah and praised Him, how his prayers had been heard, and how he had been delivered, blessed, and raised. He exhorts Israel to proclaim the glory of Jehovah's glorious name and remembers all of His goodness to them as a people and all of His leadership in their past. The Israelites were freed from Egyptian slavery by God, who also provided them with protection throughout and after their wilderness travels.
They are reminded by King David that they were spared from extinction because God had "suffered not their feet to be moved." As long as they had trusted and obeyed, their foes could not defeat them. God then took them into captivity in Babylon because of their disobedience and perversity. However, everything was done for their benefit so that He could validate them and then return all of the deserving ones to their homeland.
However, we believe that these lines are even more relevant in their application to the Israel of faith, although this Psalm's major significance is to natural Israel. Those who belong to Christ by faith have been separated from the world by Jehovah. If we belong to Jesus, God has saved us from Satan, the great taskmaster. For us to drink and survive, He has led us through the wilderness trek, fed us with Manna from Heaven, and delivered us the Water of Life from the mighty Rock of Ages. The dust of our desert path has been removed from our feet by him. As His sons, He has dutifully chastised and disciplined us; He has led the way during the arduous march and served as our rear guard to keep us safe from harm. What attitude should we have toward all the many ways that God has shown His love and concern for us, His Spiritual Israel, if Natural Israel had so much to be grateful for? We may honestly thank our God more than any other people on the planet, past or present!
Those who follow Christ in this present evil age have the honor of experiencing both the powers of the future and the good message of God. (Hebrews 6:4–5) Therefore, we have reason to rejoice in God's praise in this day and age by appreciating God's purpose for the ages to come. Believers in Christ who remain under his blood through faith are guaranteed that their souls are preserved as new creations by God's hand. As a result, it is beneficial that at the beginning of a new year, people remember the previous one, reflect on how God has been with them, and reassure themselves of God's direction for the upcoming year.
God's people should never forget that their God, Jehovah, is constantly keeping watch over them through Christ and that Jehovah never changes. He never breaks his amazing and lofty promises! To be justified in God's eyes and granted the privilege of becoming sons of the Most High, those who live with Christ also abide with Jehovah, his God and Father. As such, they can have complete faith in the One whom Jehovah sent and in his love by offering himself as a sacrifice. Because God originally loved them, these love God. Therefore, even though we may face difficulties while we walk in the spirit with our Lord, if we are followers of Christ, we should expect God to be with us throughout each new year.
Therefore, let us go with courage, knowing that the One who has guided us thus far will continue to guide us. "He that is on our side is larger than all they that be against us." The person who first favored us will also favor us last. We are grateful that God's grace has kept us safe, that He has prevented us from falling, and that so many of us still have the same heart and mind to move on fearlessly, no matter what the future holds. His grace will sustain us even in the face of adversity, persecution, suffering, and trial. His promises will be fulfilled even if they put us to the test of our faith and perseverance. Let God be the center of our whole trust. Let us keep celebrating Him. "Let Him that glorieth, glory in this, that he comprehends and knows Me, that I am Jehovah, who exerciseth loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the land; for in these things do I pleasure, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 9:24) God's people will be subjected to trials to separate out those who are not genuinely His. Then, knowing that He is dependable, let us remain steadfast.
Nevertheless, we should remember that the enemy is allowed to inflict "strong delusions" on Jehovah's people to weed out those who are not genuinely His. (2 Thessalonians 2:10–12) Consequently, we should always give thanks to God that we are still standing firm, rejoicing in the truths of His Word.
Related:
Daily Heavenly Manna - January 1
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