Category Archives: Psalms

Open Bible with coffee and reading glasses on a wooden table
Bible, Hard, Hebrews, Provoke, Psalms, Scripture

WORTH REPEATING

HEBREWS 3:15

“while it is said, ‘TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.’”

Sometimes saying the same thing twice is a good thing. Preachers do this all the time when they are delivering a sermon. They will tell you what they are going to say, they say it and then they tell you what they said. Repetition helps us remember things. In the ministry I am a part of, we teach men when they memorize a verse to quote the reference before they say it and after they say it because learning the reference can be the hardest thing.

Obviously, the writer of Hebrews felt it was important to repeat Psalm 95:7 again. He had just quoted it earlier in this chapter. He warns us once again to not harden our hearts so as to provoke the Lord once we have heard His voice. This is important. If you claim to have heard from the Lord and then refuse to obey, you can expect the Lord to deal with you. Let’s look at this admonition again.

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

We are given a couple of crystal clear Commands to Obey. The verse says, “do not harden your hearts” and also that we should not “provoke” the Lord. How do we do that? Simple, by refusing to listen to His voice or to obey Him once we have heard Him. What do you think the writer was referring to? The readers of this letter were a mainly Jewish audience. They had the Scriptures in which the prophetic statements regarding Christ were written. They would be held responsible for knowing those truths and not responding.

But before you judge them, so will we. We have the benefit of having the full Scriptures, all 66 books of the Bible. Every book points toward Jesus. We can’t escape that fact. When we read the Word, we are listening to the voice of God. You may have heard it said, “If you want to hear God’s voice, read the Bible out loud.” How true. So, if you read it and hear Him, are you obeying or have you hardened your heart?

Carl, my heart isn’t hard. I believe in God. It’s not about belief. It’s about obedience. Go back and read verses 13 and 14 along with today’s verse. This is the picture the writer is painting for us. His warning was worth the repeat, wasn’t it? Psalm 95:7 didn’t just apply to those in the Old Testament. It has as much relevance today as then. Do not harden your heart and do not provoke the Lord.

Father, I want to obey You and keep my heart as soft as putty in Your hands.

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HIGHWAY REST STOP; CAFE, FUEL, INFORMATION, WASHROOMS
Anger, Bible, Disobedience, Hebrews, Psalms, Rest, Scripture, Wrath

NO REST

HEBREWS 3:11

“‘AS I SWORE IN MY ANGER, “THEY CERTAINLY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.”’”

Have you ever been traveling and needed to stop at a rest stop on the highway? Those rest stops are generally placed every 50-60 miles apart to allow travelers to rest every hour, if needed. So, the next time you are on the road and miss that much needed rest stop, know there will probably be another one in about an hour (unless you’re stuck in that awesome interstate traffic, lol).

There were no rest stops in the wilderness. The rest referred to in today’s verse which is quoted from Psalm 95:11 is God’s perfect rest. God was done trying to rescue this rebellious lot, so He banned them from the promised land. Albert Barnes has a good explanation of this passage. “It is called ‘my rest’ here, meaning that it was such rest as God had provided, or such as he enjoyed. The particular ‘rest’ referred to here was that of the land of Canaan, but which was undoubtedly regarded as emblematic of the ‘rest’ in heaven. Into that rest God solemnly said they should never enter. They had been rebellious. All the means of reclaiming them had failed. God had warned and entreated them; he had caused his mercies to pass before them and had visited them with judgments in vain; and he now declares that for all their rebellion they should be excluded from the promised land.”

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

We can obviously see a Sin to avoid in this verse. Rebelling against the Lord had obvious consequences. Not a single adult, except Joshua and Caleb, entered the Promised Land after they had rebelled against the Lord. Their refusal to follow Joshua and Caleb’s report and trust in the Lord resulted in their banishment. I find it interesting that once they heard God’s judgment, they decided to go ahead and try to enter Canaan. They were immediately defeated and sent running by the enemy. That’s what happens to us, as well. When we are outside the umbrella of God’s protection, the enemy can easily defeat us.

The Greek word “rest” is katapausis which occurs nine times in the New Testament, eight of those here in Hebrews (3:11, 18; 4:1, 3 (2x), 5, 10, 11). Take a minute or two and look up all those verses to see how the word is used. I particularly like Hebrews 4:10-11. “10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience.”

So, we have a choice, don’t we. We can rest in Christ, or we can have no rest. What’s your choice? I choose rest. These past couple of weeks I have been forced to rest my body to recover from an expected surgery to repair a kidney bleed that left me weak and sore. I have slept more than I have in years. But my body knew I needed that rest. I also know my spirit needs to rest. I have to allow Christ to heal my spiritual bumps and bruises. He can give me perfect peace. It’s yours for the asking as well.

Thank You, Lord, for Your perfect peace available in Jesus.

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Moses striking rock as water flows
Bible, Hard, Heart, Hebrews, Psalms, Scripture

HARD HEARTED

HEBREWS 3:8

“DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS ON THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,”

Hard hearted people are just mean and nasty. Don’t you agree? They don’t care what other people feel, and they sure don’t care how they treat them. The most famous biblical character to portray this trait had to be Pharoah. The Scripture says that God hardened his heart. In reality, God allowed his hard heartedness to be revealed. And it cost him his kingdom and his firstborn son.

We continue with the quotation from Psalm 95. Let me quote this from the Old Testament. Verse 8 says, “Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the wilderness,..” Do you remember Meribah and Massah? They are the same place. This is the place where the Hebrew people complained about no water, and Moses was told to strike the rock to give them water. Moses named that spot Meribah which means “test” and Massah which means “quarrel.” That’s the definition of hard hearts.

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

The Command to Obey is clear here. Don’t do that! Pretty simple, right? Maybe not! In Acts 19:9 we see where Paul was teaching in Ephesus and this happened. “But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people,” Some people cannot stand for others to hear the truth and will do everything they can to block access. We see that in much of the Middle East where the Gospel is banned.

In Romans 9:18 we read of God’s supreme justice which is determined by man’s response to His mercy. “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” Hard hearts and mercy are in direct contrast. You cannot show mercy to others and remain hard hearted. Let God’s mercy flow through you and soften your heart.

This Greek word for “hardened” is found three other times in the New Testament, all in Hebrews. We will see those later. My challenge for you today is to go to the Lord and confess any callousness that has developed in your life. Callouses deaden pain but also restrict feeling. Don’t be callous. Don’t be hard hearted. Look at all the Lord has done in your life and give Him praise. Then share that with someone else.

I praise You, Father, for taking my heart of stone and giving me a heart of flesh which You can mold into Your image.

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Group of diverse people standing on a grassy hill at sunset with raised arms and smiling faces
Bible, Family, Psalms, Rejoicing, Romans, Scripture

JOIN THE FAMILY

ROMANS 15:10

“Again he says, ‘REJOICE, YOU GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE.’”

When I married my wife way back in 1985, I was immediately welcomed into her family. Her parents and seven siblings, along with their spouses and children, became my family also. Also, my wife became family to my parents, siblings and their families. We are part of the Willis/Barker union. Over these almost 41 years, we have both grown closer to the other side of the family. Sure, we may argue and disagree from time to time, but the love we have for each other is always there.

Paul quotes from the first part of Deuteronomy 32:43 in today’s verse linking the Gentiles with the Jewish nation (“with His people”). Matthew Poole says regarding this verse, “Here it is evidently implied, that the Gentiles should become the people of God, and join with the Jews in his worship and service and rejoice in the sense of his goodness and mercy to them. The partition wall is now taken away, and they both became one sheepfold under one Shepherd.”

APPLICATION

This verse may sound simple, but it wasn’t. The Jews and the Gentiles were not exactly friends. Jews considered Gentiles as unclean and unworthy of any recognition by God. Remember the story of Cornelius and Peter in Acts 10? God had to show Peter beforehand that He had declared unclean things to be clean so that Peter would understand when Cornelius asked him to come. God was rewriting who belonged in His family.

Jesus came and declared all men worthy of being called God’s children. It was the Father Who declared to Peter, “‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’” That was the message of the cross. God sent Jesus to die for all mankind. Therefore, we can say along with the Psalmist, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people.”

Listen carefully! You belong in His family. Nobody can tell you otherwise. If you have yielded to the call of the Spirit and have decided to follow Jesus, you belong. I don’t care where you came from. It doesn’t matter what race or nationality you are, you are now in His family. You can rejoice along with all His saints. Satan doesn’t want you to believe that, but it’s true. So, join the chorus and sing it loud. Hosanna, to the King of kings!

Thank You for adopting me into Your family, O God.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Wooden sign reading MERCY hanging from a wooden beam with greenery and stone buildings in background
Bible, Forgiveness, Mercy, Praise, Psalms, Romans, Scripture

HIS MERCY

ROMANS 15:9

“and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written: ‘THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING PRAISES TO YOUR NAME.’”

I can remember crying out to God for mercy during my last health related battle. I was undergoing chemotherapy in preparation for a stem cell transplant and was suffering greatly. Without going into great detail, let’s just say I was at the end of my physical endurance. I was trusting the Lord to heal me, but there were days when I simply begged for mercy, for relief from the pain and suffering. And God is faithful. Here I am seven years later writing to you. His mercy is sufficient.

As Paul writes these words in today’s verse about God’s mercy to the Gentiles, it seems he breaks out in song quoting Psalm 18:49. It reminds me of Psalm 2:8, “‘Ask it of Me, and I will certainly give the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession.’” Paul, a Jew, had been given the assignment by God to reach the Gentiles with the Gospel. He desired for them to experience God’s mercy firsthand.

APPLICATION

Let me remind you that mercy is not getting what you deserve while grace is getting what you don’t deserve. The Topical Lexicon describes this Greek word like this, “eleos speaks of God’s compassionate response toward human misery and of the believer’s corresponding attitude toward others. It is more than sentiment; it is love that moves to act and to relieve. Every one of its twenty-seven New Testament occurrences carries this note of active compassion, whether describing God’s saving initiative or the believer’s ethical obligation.”

I was actually surprised that eleos was not used more than 27 times. One of my favorite verses where it is found is 1 Peter 1:3. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” Don’t you just love that? His mercy “has caused us to be born again.” It’s mercy’s fault, amen?

Another verse where Paul uses eleos is Titus 3:5. I really love this one. “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” There is nothing we can do to obtain this mercy on our own. His mercy is given freely and graciously. Have you received His mercy? If so, rejoice in it. If not, why not today?

Father God, Your mercy is more than enough. Thank You for showing mercy to me in the depths of my despair.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Soldier firing machine gun in rainy jungle combat scene
Bible, Enemies, Freedom, Psalms, Romans, Scripture, Trap

BOOBY TRAPS

ROMANS 11:9

“And David says, ‘MAY THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM.’”

In the first Rambo movie, John Rambo is falsely accused by a Sheriff of a crime. If you have seen the movie, you know what happens. One of the things Rambo was good at was setting booby traps for those who were trying to hunt him down. Those traps were, well, kind of tough. They were meant to stop them, and they did. No one wanted to face Rambo in the forest.

Paul is quoting from Psalm 69 in today’s verse. Ellicott’s Commentary says, “In the original of Psalms 69 these verses refer to the fate invoked by the psalmist upon his persecutors; here they are applied by St. Paul to the fiat of the Almighty which had been pronounced against the unbelieving people of Israel.” Paul’s words still apply to us today. If we fail to yield to the Lord, we are really setting our own booby traps against ourselves.

APPLICATION

The verses Paul references seem to come from Psalm 69:23-24. “23 May their table before them become a snare; And when they are at peace, may it become a trap. 24 May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see, And make their hips shake continually.” He does not quote literally from the Hebrew or the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) but gives us the thought behind these verses very clearly. The enemies of God, those who refuse to follow Him, are going to fall into a trap at some point. They will not see it coming, and there will be no escape.

Tough words! We don’t hear this too much today, but the words are still true. All roads do not lead to heaven. There is only one way – Jesus. Those who do not bow to Him will fall. We may never see the fall ourselves, but it will come. God doesn’t play around with things eternal. He has given a clear message in His Son which is easily followed. But we must abandon our own ways and follow His.

Have you fallen into a trap of your own making? What has enslaved you? Call on the God who is able to set you free from the things “which so easily entangle” you. Stop fighting to set yourself free. You can’t! Only Jesus can. You may be a follower of Christ who has not let go of those old traps in your life. Lay them down. Turn to Him. He will set you free and place you on the victorious path which He has already blazed.

Praise You, Father, for setting me free and opening my eyes to the traps the enemy lays for me.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Woman attentively listening to speaker with microphone
Bible, Gospel, Messages, Messenger, Psalms, Romans, Scripture, Voice

JUST LISTEN

ROMANS 10:18

“But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? On the contrary: ‘THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.’”

As I am getting older, the one thing that irritates me the most is the loss of hearing. I have lost some of my hearing in my left ear and have tinnitus in both ears. Just plain irritating. However, it does give me a good excuse sometimes when I don’t want to hear something my wife is telling me, lol. Just kidding. But there are times when she is trying to tell me something, and I just don’t hear her. My lack of hearing does not negate the words she is saying. She has still given me a message. I just didn’t respond to it.

Paul continues his line of thinking in today’s verse in regard to the message of God being proclaimed to everyone. He quotes from Psalm 19:4 which says, “Their line has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun,” Albert Barnes says this about the Psalmist. “The psalmist employs them to show that the works of God, the heavens and the earth, proclaim his existence everywhere.” There is just no argument about the fact that God will judge everyone who does not respond to His message of salvation, no matter how He delivered it.

APPLICATION

In Acts 26:26 Paul confronts King Agrippa with the facts that he has heard the message. “‘For the king knows about these matters, and I also speak to him with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.’” Pretty bold move, huh? Paul confronts the person who holds his fate in his hands. Could we be as bold in presenting the message to others?

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he states the fact of the message being voiced to all. In 1:23 Paul writes, “if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” The gospel message has been “proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” Wow!

The word used by Paul for “voice” is phthoggos which is only used here and in 1 Corinthians 14:7. It has the idea of a musical note by voice or instrument. This note is unique and is recognizable. God’s “note” of the Gospel message is unique and recognizable by all. There is no excuse for not responding. Let us be God’s musical instruments strumming the chords of the Gospel to all who will listen.

Thank You, Lord, for sending Your message to mankind to enable them to respond to Your gift of salvation through Jesus.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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