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Psalm 33:10-22 biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2033:10-22&version=31
Trinity Lutheran Church; Pentecost 8; July 2008
Dear friends in Christ:
American pride reaches a peak at this time of year. We celebrate our country’s birthday on the 4th of July. We wave the red, white, and blue. The fireworks pop, boom and fizzle. For some, all of it is just another form of summer entertainment. For others, this is a very serious celebration. For all American Christians, it should also be a time to thank God for the mercy and blessings he has showered on our nation over the last 232 years. But as our American pride reaches a high point, we might also need to fight off a certain temptation. The temptation is that we would start to think that God sees the people of the United States in a way that is different from the way he sees people in other nations. Psalm 33 reminds us that the Lord sees all the nations. The Lord watches over all who live on earth, and in every nation he delivers those who hope in his unfailing love.
In Old Testament times, before Christ came, God treated the nation of Israel in a special way. But it wasn’t because the Old Testament Israelites earned or deserved it. At the right time, by grace, the LORD simply called Abraham and told him that he would have a son in his old age. Not only would Abraham have a son, but his descendants would become a great nation, and the Savior for all nations would come through this nation.
By grace, God preserved his promise of the Savior through the nation of Israel. He protected the children of Israel from famine and starvation by moving them into Egypt. Then when the Egyptians forced Israel into slavery, he sent plagues on the Egyptians and delivered his people from Pharaoh. When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, the Lord sent manna – as much as they needed for each day. When they crossed the Jordan River, the Lord gave Israel victory over the Canaanites. Later, because of Israel’s rebellion, unbelief and impenitence, the Lord allowed the Assyrians to overrun the northern kingdom of Israel. Soon after, he allowed the Babylonians to take the rest of the people captive. Yet, in his mercy, he preserved a remnant. Again, through that remnant the LORD kept his promise of a Savior alive. Finally, he sent the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus. This is what the psalmist had in mind when he sang: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” He was speaking about the Old Testament nation of Israel.
No nation on earth today – not even Israel, or our United States of America – is God’s chosen nation the way in which Israel was in the Old Testament, before Christ came. But that doesn’t mean that God is unconcerned about the needs or deeds of the nations of the world today. Again, in mercy, even though the people of many nations deny him, or serve other gods, or try to mold him to fit their own agendas, God still shows them mercy. He makes the sun shine and the rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. He makes fruits and vegetables grow for everyone’s use. He still provides what people need and want from the forests and plains, from the river and oceans. He still gives people the ability to work and time for rest. In mercy he provides for all who live on earth, as he sees fit.
The Lord also knows what the people of all nations are doing. Our country spends billions of dollars to find out the plans and actions of other countries and still doesn’t know everything that is going on. But the LORD knows. He knows which leaders are carrying out justice or injustice. He sees which cultures are hurting from epidemics or earthquakes. He sees those who are causing pain and those who are bringing relief. He watches over all who live on the earth.
In the 1960’s the United States and the Soviet Union were racing to be the first to put a man on the moon. The United States had a series of space flights, each one coming closer to the goal. On one of those flights, the object was to orbit the moon. As the spaceship came around the lunar surface, the astronauts saw something that none of them had expected. Rising off the moon’s horizon, in the middle of deep black space, was the beautiful bright blue ball of the earth.
Many might think of that kind of scene when they hear that the LORD watches over all the earth. But the LORD is much more than a simple spectator watching from thousands of miles away. He is the Creator and Caretaker of all his creatures. Not only caring for the physical needs of all people, but also for the greatest need of all people.
St Paul told Timothy: “*God our Savior wants all men to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” *Jesus told Nicodemus: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” Again, the Apostle Paul says that God reconciled the world to himself in Christ If the LORD sees the needs of all who live in this world, and if he was willing to give his Son as the Savior for all who live on this earth, that means he is watching over you too, that he’s concerned about you, and providing what you need too.
The fact that God sees all the nations can be a scary thought. If he knows the plans and actions of all people, that also means he knows my thoughts and my actions. He sees even my hidden faults and my secret sins. He sees all the guilt for which he has the right to condemn me. A terrifying thought! But the fear evaporates when we hear that in every nation the LORD delivers people who hope in his unfailing love.
God’s Old Testament people often needed the Lord to deliver them. One example is when Hezekiah was king in Jerusalem. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, sent his army to attack Jerusalem. Sennacherib’s army surrounded the city and he boasted of his strength. The commander of his army shouted to the people of Jerusalem: *“Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us!’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the king of Assyria? . . . How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” *(Isaiah 36)
The Assyrian army was the perfect war machine at the time, with many soldiers, strong war-horses and chariots. We might compare it to our military today - the strongest and best-equipped military on the planet. But Sennacherib soon found out that the hope he had in his military strength and earthly power was a vain hope.
The King of Judah, on the other hand, feared the LORD. Hezekiah had the proper awesome respect which placed the LORD above everyone and everything else - even above the king and army that was attacking him. In the same situation others might have tried to make muster their own troops or make alliances with other nations. But in this particular situation, Hezekiah did not. Instead, recognizing his own helplessness, he humbly went to the temple and laid out everything before the LORD. He prayed, “O LORD Almighty, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth . . . Now, LORD our God, deliver us. . .! (Isaiah 37:16ff). After Hezekiah prayed, the angel of the LORD went out and put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib had to leave.
Again, it must be said that no nation today is God’s chosen nation the same way that the nation of Israel was in the Old Testament. And God has not promised to deliver our nation in the same miraculous ways that he delivered OT Israel. Yet, the general truths that this psalm teaches apply to our nation today, and to every nation.
One of those truths is that nations usually reap what they sow, just like individuals usually reap what they sow. If we live immoral lives and continue to live in sin, even when we know better, sooner or later we will have to face the horrible consequences. We will bring God’s judgment on ourselves. And when God’s judgment comes on a nation or on an individual, no amount of earthly wealth, no military strength, no technology in the world, will be able to stand against it.
The only sure and certain hope for any and every nation - and the people who make up those nations – is the LORD. So by God’s grace, like Hezekiah, we turn to him. We recognize our helplessness and hopelessness without him. We admit our guilt. We turn away from our sin. We trust his unfailing love and forgiveness in Jesus. Then with his guidance and help, we live our new life as his people.
The LORD sees all the nations and watches over all who live on the earth. Sadly, in every nation, many ignore him and his will. Sometimes we find ourselves doing the same thing. For that, we deserve to die. But God’s mercy in Jesus doesn’t fail. Even when we fall, he reaches out to us, and to all nations, with the offer of complete forgiveness and peace through Jesus.
How will we respond to his mercy? Let’s respond with the same thoughts and words used in the last verses of Psalm 33: *“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” * Amen.
Trinity Lutheran Church; Pentecost 8; July 2008
Dear friends in Christ:
American pride reaches a peak at this time of year. We celebrate our country’s birthday on the 4th of July. We wave the red, white, and blue. The fireworks pop, boom and fizzle. For some, all of it is just another form of summer entertainment. For others, this is a very serious celebration. For all American Christians, it should also be a time to thank God for the mercy and blessings he has showered on our nation over the last 232 years. But as our American pride reaches a high point, we might also need to fight off a certain temptation. The temptation is that we would start to think that God sees the people of the United States in a way that is different from the way he sees people in other nations. Psalm 33 reminds us that the Lord sees all the nations. The Lord watches over all who live on earth, and in every nation he delivers those who hope in his unfailing love.
In Old Testament times, before Christ came, God treated the nation of Israel in a special way. But it wasn’t because the Old Testament Israelites earned or deserved it. At the right time, by grace, the LORD simply called Abraham and told him that he would have a son in his old age. Not only would Abraham have a son, but his descendants would become a great nation, and the Savior for all nations would come through this nation.
By grace, God preserved his promise of the Savior through the nation of Israel. He protected the children of Israel from famine and starvation by moving them into Egypt. Then when the Egyptians forced Israel into slavery, he sent plagues on the Egyptians and delivered his people from Pharaoh. When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, the Lord sent manna – as much as they needed for each day. When they crossed the Jordan River, the Lord gave Israel victory over the Canaanites. Later, because of Israel’s rebellion, unbelief and impenitence, the Lord allowed the Assyrians to overrun the northern kingdom of Israel. Soon after, he allowed the Babylonians to take the rest of the people captive. Yet, in his mercy, he preserved a remnant. Again, through that remnant the LORD kept his promise of a Savior alive. Finally, he sent the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus. This is what the psalmist had in mind when he sang: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” He was speaking about the Old Testament nation of Israel.
No nation on earth today – not even Israel, or our United States of America – is God’s chosen nation the way in which Israel was in the Old Testament, before Christ came. But that doesn’t mean that God is unconcerned about the needs or deeds of the nations of the world today. Again, in mercy, even though the people of many nations deny him, or serve other gods, or try to mold him to fit their own agendas, God still shows them mercy. He makes the sun shine and the rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. He makes fruits and vegetables grow for everyone’s use. He still provides what people need and want from the forests and plains, from the river and oceans. He still gives people the ability to work and time for rest. In mercy he provides for all who live on earth, as he sees fit.
The Lord also knows what the people of all nations are doing. Our country spends billions of dollars to find out the plans and actions of other countries and still doesn’t know everything that is going on. But the LORD knows. He knows which leaders are carrying out justice or injustice. He sees which cultures are hurting from epidemics or earthquakes. He sees those who are causing pain and those who are bringing relief. He watches over all who live on the earth.
In the 1960’s the United States and the Soviet Union were racing to be the first to put a man on the moon. The United States had a series of space flights, each one coming closer to the goal. On one of those flights, the object was to orbit the moon. As the spaceship came around the lunar surface, the astronauts saw something that none of them had expected. Rising off the moon’s horizon, in the middle of deep black space, was the beautiful bright blue ball of the earth.
Many might think of that kind of scene when they hear that the LORD watches over all the earth. But the LORD is much more than a simple spectator watching from thousands of miles away. He is the Creator and Caretaker of all his creatures. Not only caring for the physical needs of all people, but also for the greatest need of all people.
St Paul told Timothy: “*God our Savior wants all men to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” *Jesus told Nicodemus: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” Again, the Apostle Paul says that God reconciled the world to himself in Christ If the LORD sees the needs of all who live in this world, and if he was willing to give his Son as the Savior for all who live on this earth, that means he is watching over you too, that he’s concerned about you, and providing what you need too.
The fact that God sees all the nations can be a scary thought. If he knows the plans and actions of all people, that also means he knows my thoughts and my actions. He sees even my hidden faults and my secret sins. He sees all the guilt for which he has the right to condemn me. A terrifying thought! But the fear evaporates when we hear that in every nation the LORD delivers people who hope in his unfailing love.
God’s Old Testament people often needed the Lord to deliver them. One example is when Hezekiah was king in Jerusalem. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, sent his army to attack Jerusalem. Sennacherib’s army surrounded the city and he boasted of his strength. The commander of his army shouted to the people of Jerusalem: *“Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us!’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the king of Assyria? . . . How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” *(Isaiah 36)
The Assyrian army was the perfect war machine at the time, with many soldiers, strong war-horses and chariots. We might compare it to our military today - the strongest and best-equipped military on the planet. But Sennacherib soon found out that the hope he had in his military strength and earthly power was a vain hope.
The King of Judah, on the other hand, feared the LORD. Hezekiah had the proper awesome respect which placed the LORD above everyone and everything else - even above the king and army that was attacking him. In the same situation others might have tried to make muster their own troops or make alliances with other nations. But in this particular situation, Hezekiah did not. Instead, recognizing his own helplessness, he humbly went to the temple and laid out everything before the LORD. He prayed, “O LORD Almighty, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth . . . Now, LORD our God, deliver us. . .! (Isaiah 37:16ff). After Hezekiah prayed, the angel of the LORD went out and put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib had to leave.
Again, it must be said that no nation today is God’s chosen nation the same way that the nation of Israel was in the Old Testament. And God has not promised to deliver our nation in the same miraculous ways that he delivered OT Israel. Yet, the general truths that this psalm teaches apply to our nation today, and to every nation.
One of those truths is that nations usually reap what they sow, just like individuals usually reap what they sow. If we live immoral lives and continue to live in sin, even when we know better, sooner or later we will have to face the horrible consequences. We will bring God’s judgment on ourselves. And when God’s judgment comes on a nation or on an individual, no amount of earthly wealth, no military strength, no technology in the world, will be able to stand against it.
The only sure and certain hope for any and every nation - and the people who make up those nations – is the LORD. So by God’s grace, like Hezekiah, we turn to him. We recognize our helplessness and hopelessness without him. We admit our guilt. We turn away from our sin. We trust his unfailing love and forgiveness in Jesus. Then with his guidance and help, we live our new life as his people.
The LORD sees all the nations and watches over all who live on the earth. Sadly, in every nation, many ignore him and his will. Sometimes we find ourselves doing the same thing. For that, we deserve to die. But God’s mercy in Jesus doesn’t fail. Even when we fall, he reaches out to us, and to all nations, with the offer of complete forgiveness and peace through Jesus.
How will we respond to his mercy? Let’s respond with the same thoughts and words used in the last verses of Psalm 33: *“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” * Amen.