To Know God

Read Psalms 44, 79, 80, 85, 89
 
Psalms 80:1-3 Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock. O God, enthroned above the cherubim, display your radiant glory 2 to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Show us your mighty power. Come to rescue us! 3 Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. 
 
IN the order of books in the typical Holy Bible, Psalms follows Job. But the editors of The Daily Bible have placed these specific psalms after Job to help us understand Israel’s anguish in exile. In some sense these psalms even echo Job’s appeals to God. Both Job and the psalmists make great calls, even demands, to God to be saved from their misery. As Job did not understand the reasons for the pain and agony upon his life, Israel seemed to not know why God had abandoned her. The human soul wonders, “Where is God?” even when we completely reject his authority and existence.
   These psalms were written long before Babylon conquered Judah. But it seems God inspired the psalmists to write these words for Israel’s future. Each psalm tells how the enemy conquered Israel. Each psalm has an appeal for the Shepherd to lead his flock to safety. Each psalm expresses worship to God, who is enthroned above the cherubim with an appeal to display your radiant glory. The psalmists are In distress. They wonder what has happened to the God who drove out the pagan nations by your power and gave all the land to our ancestors. You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free. (Psalms 44:2) The psalms also express loneliness and regret as they walk through the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary. (Psalms 74:3)
   The natural human condition is to be in exile from God’s kingdom. Our natural reaction to God’s Word, then, is to defend ourselves against his judgments. God’s teachings and authority because they interfere with our natural desires. That’s why we must know and receive Job’s and Israel’s experiences as lessons in humility and submission. Even in our suffering, we must receive God’s will and worship his majesty. We must look beyond ourselves to know the faithful God has come to dwell with us, suffer for us and prepare a place for us. He is our Shepherd making the way home to him.
   This is God’s Love Story, written so you will know God. When you do, you will not have any other god but (the LORD God.) Exodus 20:3