Proclaim Hope Daily | Week 37

Below is a short summary or synopsis of the Bible reading for the day. Use it as a helpful tool to think through the Scripture. There are also some cross references to study other passages of Scripture to highlight or better understand that passage.

This historical psalm of praise invites the reader to praise the Lord for all of the wondrous works he has done throughout time. Verses 1-6 encompass the invitation, urging others to recognize His perfect providence and judgement with joy and thanksgiving, while the remaining section runs through a 39-verse account of Yahweh’s righteous deeds throughout his covenantal relations. By beginning with Abraham we not only see the beginning of God’s covenant people, but this lineage itself is a testament of provision, for Abraham and Sarah were barren until the promises of God were made and fulfilled. God has provided guidance during times of wondering, sustenance amid famine, empowered Israel’s army to overcome greater foes, performed miraculous feats through the prophets. God alone initiated and upheld the covenant, even when Israel strayed from him. The Lord’s steadfast love and longsuffering is unchanging and endures throughout generations. His love is unconditional and is fully expressed in the Son of God, for even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(Numbers 23:19; Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 103:17; Isaiah 54:10; Jeremiah 31:3, 35-36; Lamentations 3:22-23; Romans 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Hebrews 10:23; 1 John 4:10)

The Preacher uses the theme of time in this section of scripture to inform the congregation that every season of life has an equal but opposite season, all divinely appointed by God. Throughout life there is a clear ebb and flow of experiences and emotions, moving and ranging from what is observed by humanity as the positive and the negative. Every up has it’s down, and where there is a high, there is a low. The blessing of faith allows one to cling to the understanding that only God operates within and governs the world by time. It is by time, looking through history, that mankind can track experiences and measure progress, particularly observing the sovereign acts of the Lord. Over time relationships and patterns develop. It is through time that God’s people witness his unchanging grace, steadfast love and longsuffering. Throughout time things change, however. God does not change and he remains the constant force which ordains all experiences. Whether good or bad, God is able to utilize all things for the betterment of his people. Great wisdom is found with those who know how to have hope and joy in bad times, as well as the good; because they can trust in the sovereignty of the Lord’s providential love.

(1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Job 42:2; Psalm 31:15; Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 46:10; Daniel 2:21, 4:35; Romans 8:28, 11:33; Ephesians 1:11)

This chapter is often cherished as the greatest among all scripture, due to the plethora of profound promises and riches found within, that are afforded believers because of the work of Christ. The Holy Spirit of God is proven to be a major component to these blessings, as it is He who seals, assures and applies these blessings on behalf of Christ to the benefit of the faithful. Those who have been unified with Christ by grace through faith now stand in assurance of salvation (freedom from sin and death), have the ability to flee and resist sin, reserve the right as adoptive heirs to the kingdom of God, and obtain access to God the Father by way of the Spirit. One of the greatest promises of scripture is found in verses 29 to 30 and is referred to as the Golden Chain of Salvation. According to his sovereign love, before time began, God unconditionally chose those who would be the recipients of his particular grace. Those whom God knew beforehand will without a doubt experience the process of salvation (or Ordo Salutis) which is an unbroken order of events through which God the Father applies the life and work of Christ to the believer via the Holy Spirit. These truths expose the reality that salvation is the work of God alone, for he initiates, calls, justifies, accomplishes and delivers those whom he has chosen. To put the proverbial icing on the cake, Paul affirms that once an individual has received the saving grace of God, no one or anything can take that away. This is often described as the Perseverance of the Saints; the act of God keeping and preserving his people so that they will remain in their faith and never lose their salvation. For what man cannot earn, he cannot keep. Only such is the work of God alone.

(Jeremiah 1:5; John 3:18-19, 5:24, 10:28-30, 15:16; Acts 13:48; Romans 5:3-5, 9:15-16; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; Ephesians 1:4-5, 11; James 1:3-4)

As unpopular as it may be, Paul defends the sovereign choice of God in salvation. Clearly all that are saved have been chosen not because of race, heritage, or anything they have done or will do, but because of the will of God (v.16). Some become extremely upset by this doctrine and infer that it implies God to be evil and unjust. However, Paul responds to this issue by asking in what authority can we question God. The reality is that all people deserve God’s wrath and judgement, yet God saw it fit to save some and not others. Anyone who takes issue with this biblical truth should be careful to demand justice, for true justice would be the condemnation of all mankind; for all have sinned and deserve death. The beauty of grace is that the Lord saved many from such fate, even when they were undeserving and without merit.

(Exodus 9:16, 33:19; Proverbs 16:4; John 1:13; Galatians 3:29; Ephesians 2:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 1:1-2)

Paul’s heart is broken for the Jewish people who continue to build their trust upon ethnic heritage, self-reliance, and Torah observance as opposed to faith in Christ alone. The apostle feels a great burden and urgency to reach those who have deceived themselves by thinking that salvation can come from one’s adherence to the law. Once again, Paul adamantly proclaims that salvation is not by works, but by faith in Christ; the only one who was able to fulfill the entire law and therefore made salvation to all peoples possible apart from the law. All people, no matter their race or background, can become God’s chosen people. Jews and Gentiles alike are adopted into the family of God. Verses 9-10 display what true faith entails, both an inward change (heart) and an outward display (mouth): faith and works. Once the sovereign Lord changes the heart, faith is born, which is then evidenced in a life that is surrendered to Christ and lived out publicly before men.

(Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26; Matthew 5:14-16, 15:18; Romans 1:17, 3:20, 28, 4:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 2:16, 3:12; James 2:17)

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