Daily Devotional Podcasts

507_Longing for the glory of His temple Psalm 74 O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? 2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. 3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary! 4 Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs. 5 They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees. 6 And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. 7 They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. 8 They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land. Vs. 12-17 Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. 13 You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. 15 You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever-flowing streams. 16 Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. 17 You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter. Vs. 22-23 Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! 23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually! There was a priceless painting that hung in a cathedral in Europe. The artwork had been admired for centuries, not merely because of its beauty but because it represented deep faith and devotion. During an act of vandalism, someone walked in and slashed the canvas with a knife. In a matter of seconds, what had taken the artist months to paint and what generations had cherished was marred almost beyond recognition. When people saw the damage, they were heartbroken—not just because of the financial value lost, but because something sacred, something that represented their shared heritage, had been violated. The good news was that skilled restorers later worked painstakingly to repair it. But in that moment of destruction, the grief was overwhelming. That kind of anguish is what Israel felt when the sanctuary of God was destroyed. Psalm 74 captures this raw lament. It is a psalm attributed to Asaph, though commentators are divided on the exact historical setting. Some suggest it was written when the Babylonians tore down the temple in Jerusalem; others believe it might go back to the loss of the tabernacle at Shiloh in 1 Samuel 4. Whichever event it refers to, the heart of the psalm is clear—it is a desperate cry for God to look upon the ruins of His sanctuary and act.

506_It is good to be near God Psalm 73:1-6 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. 5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. Vs. 23-28 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. A girl who freshly graduated, was in her first year working at a large company. She was diligent, honest, and often stayed late to finish her work. She assumed that hard work and integrity would be noticed. But when promotion season came, the recognition went to a colleague who, in her words, “spent more time flattering the boss than doing actual work.” This colleague cut corners, took credit for others’ ideas, and seemed to play the system perfectly. She said, “I didn’t just feel overlooked—I felt foolish, like maybe I was the one doing life wrong.” That deep ache when the world seems upside down is exactly where Asaph finds himself in Psalm 73. This psalm was written by one of King David’s chief musicians, a man who was not only skilled in music but also reflected deeply on the ways of God. The problem he addresses is as old as humanity itself: Why do bad things happen to good people, and why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer? Asaph begins with a confident declaration: “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.” He knows the history of his nation and the faithfulness of God, even in times when the people were unfaithful. But almost immediately, he admits to a personal crisis of faith: “My feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.” Why? “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Envy has a way of twisting our perspective. It always begins with comparison—measuring our lives against someone else’s—and it is very dangerous. The first murder in history - when Cain killed Abel - was born of envy. So was the greatest injustice in history, the crucifixion of Jesus, driven in part by the envy of the religious leaders. Asaph’s envy began

505_The glory of the coming King Psalm 72 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! 2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice! 3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! 4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor! 5 May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations! 6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! 7 In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more! 8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! 9 May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! 10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! 11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him! The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 was among the greatest events of the century. It was broadcast to millions across the world—an unprecedented moment in television history. London streets overflowed with people, banners waved in the wind, and the sound of trumpets filled the air. Dignitaries, royalty, and leaders from around the globe gathered in Westminster Abbey to watch as the young queen received her crown. Yet, for all its grandeur, she was still a mortal, a monarch who was nevertheless subject to death. It was but a faint shadow of a greater coronation still to come— when the King of kings will take his power and reign, not over a single nation, but over all the earth. Psalm 72 describes that momentous time, with prophetic vision. Introduced as David’s psalm “Of Solomon,” it quickly becomes clear that its vision is too vast, too perfect, too enduring to be fulfilled by Solomon alone. Solomon’s reign began with promise and was marked by matchless wisdom, enduring peace, and dazzling prosperity. Yet he, like every human ruler, was flawed and finite. This psalm stretches beyond him to the only King who embodies the righteousness and justice that are the very foundation of God’s throne, as Psalm 89:14 declares. This great psalm begins: “Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.” Solomon’s prayer closely resembled this, when God asked him, in a dream, what he desired most. At that time, he begged for neither wealth nor long life, but for wisdom to judge God’s people in righteousness. God was pleased with his prayer. For righteousness and justice are not merely admirable traits in the leader of the people. Rather, they are the reason he rules as a representative of God’s kingdom. Solomon ruled with justice and mercy. He foreshadowed the coming King who would defend the cause of the poor,