This Day in History: 0000-08-16

August 16 – Psalms 147:1-6

Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting!
The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the exiles back to Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages all their wounds.
He counts the stars and calls them all by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension!
The Lord supports the humble. But He brings the wicked down into the dust.

How exciting it must have been to live in the days when God was bringing the exiles back to Israel and rebuilding the Holy City! I’m so thankful that time has been recorded and preserved for us in the pages of Scripture because it serves as a marker to God’s faithfulness. It reminds us of truths about our Lord that never change.

The years of exile were heartbreaking to the Israelites. It was devastating to see the Temple of the Living God broken down to rubble, stripped of all value, and left in ruins. It was humiliating to know the One True God had divorced them because of their rejection and allowed the severe consequences of their sin to fall upon them. It was terrifying to know the God who brings the wicked down into the dust was acting.

In this Psalm, though, those years had passed. God was doing something new. The people had humbled themselves before Him, and He was ready to heal their broken hearts. He was ready to bind up their wounds. His absolute power was on display as Jerusalem was rebuilt, and the psalmist could not hold back his praise!

Friends, may we take comfort in his words! May we join his song of praise. For our Lord is still the One who heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. If He was faithful in the past, He will be faithful today! He is still the God who knows every star (Seriously, we don’t even come close to knowing every star – we find new ones all the time.) and calls each and every one by name! His power is still absolute, and His understanding is still beyond comprehension. Whatever we face, we can be sure He gets it. He still supports the humble and brings the wicked down into the dust.

So let’s learn from the past. Let’s humble ourselves before Him and give all the praise and glory to Him alone. As His own children, we can know for sure that when we do, He will support us to the very end!