Text: "In Judah is God known: His Name is great in Israel"
Psalm 76:1.
“Wherefore God
also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name:
that, at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow…and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9-11.
Good morning, Christ-honouring Christian! Having been Spiritually regenerated, made
Spiritually alive from being a dry-bone natural sinner – you and I have learned
the privilege of exalting the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, the risen
Christ. What a truly marvellous
privilege this is today.
Hallelujah! We honour and praise
you, Lord Jesus!
“Again, He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto
them, O ye dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:1-10)
“And you hath He quickened (made alive), who were dead
(Spiritually dead) in trespasses and sins…even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).” (Ephesians 2:1-10)
The Sovereign Lord God has blessed you and I and granted us His
gift of genuine FAITH to believe His Word, the Gospel of Christ Crucified for
to save natural sinners – and we have been graciously saved; redeemed by the
sinless shed Blood of God the Son, Christ Jesus. Wow!
Now, there’s a thought that should cause our redeemed souls to sing with
joy! Hallelujah! What a Saviour we have in Christ Jesus! Thanks be to Thee, great Lord God.
“Here faith sings of triumphs achieved. The present Psalm is a
most jubilant war song a paean to the King of kings, the hymn of a theocratic
nation to its Divine Ruler. We have no
need to mark divisions in a song where the unity is so well preserved.” (C.H.
Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, page 325)
What great theme is being song here in Psalm 76? What is the cause of Israel’s triumphant
rejoicing? Why, it’s the fact that the
nation has received God’s enlightenment and come to worship the true Creator
Lord God Jehovah; and, furthermore, the acknowledgement that the Lord God has
made Himself known to this nation, and hidden Himself from many others!
Verse 1. “In Judah is God known: His Name is great in Israel. Dark is the outer world, but within the
favoured circle Jehovah is revealed and is the adoration of all who behold
Him. The world knows Him not, and
therefore blasphemes Him, but His church is full of ardour to proclaim His fame
unto the ends of the earth.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 325)
For me, this mirrors the Spiritual mystery of Christ’s Eternal
Salvation: He saves some, and does not save others. Fact! Those whom God the Spirit ‘quickens’
(makes Spiritually alive) are Eternally saved and shall go to be with Christ in
Heaven. Those to whom God the Spirit
does not ‘quicken’, never get Eternally saved, and go to Hell when they
die. Fact!
Both groups are privileged to hear the glorious Gospel message
of Eternal Salvation in Christ’s Atonement at Calvary’s Cross for sinners – but
only a portion of those hearers get Eternally saved. The Gospel message means EVERYTHING to those
who are ordained to be saved; the Gospel message means NOTHING to those who are
ordained to remain lost. This is an easily observable FACT we can see taking
place day by day. God gives the Gospel message out loud and clear to all souls,
but only those ordained by Him to ‘…receive power to become the sons of God’;
that wonderful Divine gift of faith, ever get Eternally saved. God’s Sovereign will is, at all times, fully
done.
“But as many as received Him (Christ Jesus), gave He power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name: which were born,
not of blood (human conception), nor of the will of the flesh (humanism and
self-will), nor of the will of man (decisionism), but of God.” (John 1:12-13)
“For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them: but
the Word did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard
it.” (Hebrews 4:2)
“But the natural man (unregenerate, unquickened) receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can
he know them because they are Spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)
This is the power of Christ’s Holy Name!
His Name is GREAT indeed, in Spiritual Israel (the born again,
Bible-believing Church). Others outside
Christ’s Kingdom may well seek to blaspheme His Holy Name; use it as a curse
word on television dramas, movies, and worldly shows, etc. But ‘His people’ know and fully reverence the
blessed Name of Christ Jesus. Glory and
praise to Him Who sits on the right hand of our Father God! Amen.
“Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain; for
the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
“And she (Mary) shall bring forth a son, and thou (Joseph) shall
call His Name JESUS: for He shall save HIS PEOPLE from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
Verse 2. “…His dwelling place in Zion. In God’s awesome power, He deems it fit
to dwell continually in the hearts of redeemed sinners. What Divine
humility! What Divine grace!
Today’s Zion: Today’s Zion, in Spiritual Christian terms, is the hearts of
‘His people’; we who are privileged to be Spiritually regenerated Christians,
are the dwelling place of God the Holy Spirit. He condescends to live within
the hearts of those He has quickened, and for whom Christ shed His own sinless
Blood on that cruel Calvary Cross. We
are God’s Zion.
“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit (capital S.), if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of His. And if Christ be in
you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of
righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from
the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in
you.” (Romans 8:8-11)
Thought: Verse 3. “There
break He the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Over the past 46 years, since the Lord in
His Sovereign grace saved a Hell-deserving wretch like me – there have been
many ‘arrows’, ‘bows’, ‘shields’, and ‘battles’ raging within my heart. But the Sovereign Lord God has broken every
weapon, and granted me His Victory. All praise, and honour, and glory to His
Holy and loving Name! (Isaiah 54:17)
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