It is good to fear Yahweh

1 Chronicles 16:8-36 

[8] Oh give thanks to Yahweh. Call on his name. Make what he has done known among the peoples. [9] Sing to him. Sing praises to him. Tell of all his marvelous works. [10] Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice. [11] Seek Yahweh and his strength. Seek his face forever more. [12] Remember his marvelous works that he has done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth, [13] you offspring of Israel his servant, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones. [14] He is Yahweh our God. His judgments are in all the earth. [15] Remember his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations, [16] the covenant which he made with Abraham, his oath to Isaac. [17] He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, [18] saying, “I will give you the land of Canaan, The lot of your inheritance,” [19] when you were but a few men in number, yes, very few, and foreigners in it. [20] They went about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people. [21] He allowed no man to do them wrong. Yes, he reproved kings for their sakes, [22] “Don’t touch my anointed ones! Do my prophets no harm!”

[23] Sing to Yahweh, all the earth! Display his salvation from day to day. [24] Declare his glory among the nations, and his marvelous works among all the peoples. [25] For great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised. He also is to be feared above all gods. [26] For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but Yahweh made the heavens. [27] Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and gladness are in his place.

[28] Ascribe to Yahweh, you families of the peoples, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength! [29] Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come before him. Worship Yahweh in holy array. [30] Tremble before him, all the earth. The world also is established that it can’t be moved.

[31] Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice! Let them say among the nations, “Yahweh reigns!” [32] Let the sea roar, and its fullness! Let the field exult, and all that is in it! [33] Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before Yahweh, for he comes to judge the earth.

[34] Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. [35] Say, “Save us, God of our salvation! Gather us together and deliver us from the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, to triumph in your praise.”

[36] Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting. All the people said, “Amen,” and praised Yahweh.

I was at the MenAlive Time Out 2024 Faith Ablaze and they recommended we use the SOAR method for these devotions.

Share a quick take: Which one or two points really grabs your attention?

vv 25-26 For great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised. He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but Yahweh made the heavens.

Observe: What does God seem to be saying and revealing to you?

Yahweh is the creator. I need not fear idols, spirits, etc. but I need to fear Him. Awe of Him should overwhelm me.

In light of the above, fear of Yahweh should keep me from sin. It’s like what Jimmy Swaggart confessed after he fell: “The problem was not that I didn’t love God. I loved Him. But I didn’t fear Him.”

I have a similar danger. I need to fear Yahweh. I love Him, but the fact that I still give in to sin shows that I don’t fear Him enough. He is holy. He does not tolerate sin. I must not allow my trust in His grace and forgiveness to stop me from fearing Him. The consequences of sin are terrible, as we saw in David’s life.

Action: Share what specific action steps that you will now take in light of what God has spoken to you.

When the temptation comes to linger my eyes on those sexy advertisements that pop up online, on those girls in midriff-baring outfits I must bounce my eyes. Remember to fear Yahweh! Remember the wrath of God and the consequences.

Similarly, when I go to sleep, I need to guard my mind. Prepare myself with good thoughts.

Then I can praise and rejoice in God in purity and without hypocrisy. Then I can rejoice together with the heavens and the earth and be glad. I then can join them and say among the nations, “Yahweh reigns!” Let the sea roar, and its fullness! Let the field exult, and all that is in it! Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before Yahweh, for he comes to judge the earth.

Request for prayer: What is your specific prayer request for yourself in light of this?

Father, You know how hard it is for me to do the above. I want to be intimate with You. I want to honour You and my wife. I want to fear You with great reverent awe and stay far away from sin. I want to celebrate with creation and praise You in purity and holiness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mind-blowing

S: John 6

O: Jesus fed 5000 families with 5 loves and 2 fish, then sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee where they encountered a storm.

I remember Pastor Daniel Ho's joke from maybe 20 years ago: When Jesus came walking on the water to them in the middle of that storm, they cried, "Hantu!" But Jesus replied, "Bukan, Tuhan." 🤣 Indeed, that's pretty much what it says - makes a great pun, if you know Malay. (Hantu = ghost, Tuhan is how "The Lord" is usually translated in Malay Bibles.) That detail is left out in John's account, but is in Matthew and Mark's accounts.

Then, the next day, when the crowd found him again in Capernaum, they revealed that they were more interested in the physical food of Jesus' feeding miracle than the spiritual food of Jesus' teaching, and he related the manna of the Exodus with himself being the Bread of Life. This is of course before the Last Supper and his sacrifice on the cross, and many left him because he said that their ancestors ate the manna bread and yet died, but if they eat his flesh bread and drink his blood, they would have eternal life and be raised up on the last day.

John tells us that many disciples outside the 12 left him at that point. It just blew their minds when he said we must eat his flesh and drink his blood. How would I have taken it at that point, not knowing about Holy Communion?

A: Jesus may call me to do something difficult and mind-blowing. I must know him well enough and be committed enough to him that I don't run away when that happens. So in the meantime, I need to grow closer and closer to him, to grow in intimacy with him.

P: Father, when the test comes, let me stick with Jesus and what he calls me to do. In Jesus' name, amen.

Expectations

S:	John 5
O:	The paralysed man expected God to work in a certain way if he was going to be healed - that he would need to be the first to get into the pool of Bethesda when the water was troubled. But then he encountered Jesus and had his mind changed. The religious leaders expected the Messiah to follow their interpretation of the Law of Moses, so when Jesus healed the paralysed man on the Sabbath, they were so hung up on that, that they ignored the miracle that happened and persecuted Jesus instead.
A:	I need to beware that I'm not so set in my interpretation of scripture that I'm not willing to consider when perhaps my interpretation is wrong. This needs to be balanced with not being blown by every wind of doctrine.
P:	Father, lead me and guide me by the Holy Spirit so that I will have the wisdom to consider if the doctrine I'm holding on to is correct or not. In Jesus' name, amen.