Today we come to the third section of Psalm 104, verses 31-35. This section begins with an eternal praise – “May the glory of the LORD endure forever … may the LORD rejoice in His works” (verse 31). God’s effulgence is eternal because God is eternal – without beginning and without end. And God takes joy in His own works. All He has to do is “look at the earth, and it trembles” (verse 32). He touches the mountains, “and they smoke” (verse 32). Psalm 104:33 is an excellent reminder for us to praise God continually – “as long as we live,” which is our whole purpose for existing. He created us that we might praise Him. When we think about our purpose for being here – that is, when we ponder it and meditate upon it – we cannot help but praise Him and rejoice with Him by singing (verses 33-34). We have nothing that we didn’t receive from God, so our willing praise, honor, and worship of Him represent something all our own that we can freely give back to Him. Because He has given us His best, hopefully our praise given to Him exemplifies our best. The Psalm begins and ends with the same words – “Praise the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD” (verses 1 and 35).
In Micah 1-4, we read the initial prophetic Word of Micah of Moresheth. Micah lived at the same time as Isaiah during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah – kings of Judah (verse 1) – about whom we have just been reading in the Chronicles. Micah calls the whole earth to “hear that the Sovereign LORD is coming” to bring judgment on both Israelite kingdoms, and he directs this judgment especially to Samaria and Jerusalem. He says that “Jacob’s transgression” is “Samaria” and “Jerusalem” is “Judah’s high place” (verse 5). I take this to mean that the resulting idolatry from the division of one kingdom into two was reprehensible to God, for which God will make Samaria a “heap of rubble (verse 6). He further says that there will be “weeping and wailing” (verse 8). In chapter 2, Micah addresses those “who plot evil on their beds,” and the false prophets “who strip off the rich robe from those who pass by, who drive the women from their homes, and take away God’s blessing from the children” (verse 6-9). What kind of people do things like that? At the end of chapter 2, we see that God promises to “gather together a remnant of Israel … and their king will pass through before them with the LORD as their head” (verses 12-13). This is a clear reference to their Messiah. In chapter 3, Micah condemns the “leaders and rulers of Israel for their injustices – chopping the people up like meat” (verses 1-3). And who does that? In chapter 4, Micah shifts his attention to the “last days when the temple will be established and many nations will say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD – He will teach us His ways’” (verses 1-2). Here, we see Micah’s wonderful prophecy that “they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks and … the nations will not train for war anymore” (verse 3). What a consolation … not only for Israel, but for the whole world (cf., Luke 2:25-35). One day, that will be our reality.
In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul begins this section by referring to the mercy of God which enables us “renounce our secret and shameful ways so that we do not lose heart” (verses 1-2). Paul says that what we have is “treasure in jars of clay, and although we may be hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and even struck down, we are not crushed, in despair, abandoned, or destroyed” (verses 7-9). Importantly, Paul tells us that “what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (verse 18). These statements describe the vital reality of our lives. Few people today in our culture have the spiritual acumen to focus on what they cannot see, but the reality of our present universe is that much more is invisible than visible. The world of most people is way too small. Fixing our senses and our minds merely on the visible, tangible world completely misses the greater reality that God created and meant for us to experience. This myopic condition represents settling for second best, against which Jesus could truthfully say that, “to gain the whole world but lose your own soul” is the worst of all losses (cf., Matthew 16:26). We need to focus on the greater reality, but only the Scriptures can train us to do so.
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