The Joy of Faith in the Lord

MEMORY SELECTION: “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” —Psalm 34:8

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Psalm 146

THE theme of this psalm seems to be expressed in the following verses: “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” (vss. 3,4) In this portion of the psalm the psalmist reminds us that no son of Adam, regardless of how powerful or how highly he is esteemed, can in any sense bring a lasting solution to man’s problem. This is so because even the great and mighty of this world are under adamic condemnation, and eventually they will die even as all others and will return to the dust, or elements, of the earth. There they must remain, awaiting the deliverance promised by God in the resurrection.

In the 145th Psalm 11-19, is a beautiful expression of the salvation to be provided by God that awaits all in the kingdom. “They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. … He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.”

It is only through the Heavenly Father that there is hope of a release from the prison house of death. It is only through his arrangement for a resurrection from the dust of the earth and the verses establishment of his righteous kingdom here on earth that any of Adam’s offspring have hope.

The statement “the eyes of all wait upon thee” seems to convey the thought that all the world, recognizing their impotence in improving their lot, are looking to God for relief from pain and sorrow and sickness and death. Then he indicates that there is an order, or sequence, in which all will receive their blessing: “Thou givest them their meat in due season.”

In Psalm 146:5,6, the psalmist indicates that those who do place their trust in the Lord have good reason to do so, for the Lord is the God of Jacob (or Israel). And he assumes that the mighty works done on behalf of the nation of Israel are well-known. Also, the Lord is the Creator of all things, both in the heavens and in the earth. The evidence of his wisdom and mighty power, as seen in creation, gives full assurance of his ability to perform the wonderful promises outlined in the subsequent verses.

First, he “keepeth truth forever”; that is, he is unchangeable. The Apostle James expresses the thought thus: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” And again in Isaiah 55:11 we read: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Then, in our selected psalm, verse 7, it proceeds to outline some of the very wonderful things that are in prospect for the world in the kingdom of God, “which executeth judgment for the oppressed.” The thought is that the divine decree will be invoked in favor of the oppressed, which will insure justice and equality in the kingdom.

The psalmist then states that the Lord will give food to the hungry. This implies the abundance of material blessings in the kingdom. Then follows the wonderful promise that the Lord will loosen the prisoners; that is, bring forth the dead from their graves and lift the veil of blindness from their eyes, so that for the first time they will be privileged to know God and something of his love toward them. Next are enumerated the general principles that will be in force in the kingdom. Favor will be with the humble and the righteous, and it will be required that each love his neighbor and manifest this love. The wicked, or disobedient, will be destroyed.

Truly we can rejoice because of our faith in the Lord!

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