February 14, 2018 (Wednesday)
(From the Easy English Bible Commentary): Bible students do not know who wrote this psalm, or when. It uses two ideas from the Old Testament, one is from the Book of Numbers. The other is from the Book of Genesis. Here is Numbers 6:24-26. They are words that God spoke to Moses, for Moses to tell the people. *LORD is a special name for God. People that agreed to love and obey him used it:
v24 The *LORD *bless you and keep you.
v25 The *LORD make his face to shine on you, and be *gracious to you.
v26 The *LORD lift up his face on you, and give you peace.
Who does God mean by “you” in these verses from Numbers? In the beginning, it was the Israelites, the people that Moses led from Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel. But if we read Genesis 12:3 we find that God said to Abram (who became Abraham), “Because of you I will *bless all the families on the earth”. This means everybody!
So Christians believe that in Psalm 67 God is saying this. “When people see the good things that I have done for my people, they will become my servants too!”
New International Version (NIV)
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
I. ISRAEL PRAYS THAT THE WHOLE WORLD MAY KNOW GOD (1-2)
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us–
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
II. MAY ALL NATIONS ACKNOWLEDGE ISRAEL’S GOD AS THEIR OWN (3-4)
3 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
III. LET US THANK GOD FOR BLESSING US (6-7)
6 The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
(REPEATED FROM 2008)
TODAY IS VALENTINE’S DAY
My blog from Valentine’s Day Ten Years Ago:
Valentine’s Day, February 14, is named for an Italian priest, but the date was originally connected to a pagan celebration of the Romans. The history seems hazy to me, and perhaps the best approach to understanding the special day is to look at how we observe it.
We send notes and cards to sweethearts. But we also send them to class mates, friends and others. We also send flowers and chocolates. And other gifts.
Did you know that 85% of those who purchase valentines are females? I don’t know if that statistic has any significance, but it seems a little surprising.
Valentine’s Day gives people permission to express affection for each other. Of course, we need no such permission. People show their love for each other every day.
Before marriage, couples make beautiful promises to each other, and give each other priority. They show little courtesies, and are polite and kind to each other. Courtship takes place, and ultimately the two make the vows of marriage.
After the wedding, people gradually begin taking each other for granted, and slowly but surely drop the niceties and settle down to a life without much romance.
Bad mistake.
People who marry should resolve to keep on thinking of ways to make their partners happy. Putting the other person first results in the most happiness for all concerned. Expressions of love and affection are even more important after the wedding than they were during courtship. A man always craves respect and a woman always wants to be special in the eyes of her husband. Those who try to satisfy these basic needs of their partners can have very happy marriages. Happy Valentine’s Day.
I Will Always Love You (Second Verse)
Dolly Parton
I hope life treats you kind
And I hope that you have all
That you ever dreamed of
And I wish you joy
And happiness
But above all of this
I wish you love
And I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you.
Happy Anniversary today to Diane and Robert Perry, and to Dianna and Mark Hinze.