And let all the kings bow down before Him, all the nations serve Him. For He will deliver the needy when he cries for help, the afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy He will save. He will rescue their life from oppression and violence; and their blood will be precious in His sight. (Verses 11-14)
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of His godly ones. Psalm 116
My mother used to call me "Precious." It is an endearing term that made me feel special in a way that "Sweetie" or "Cutie" wouldn't have. Precious: much prized, of great value and worth, invaluable, cherished, esteemed, adored, hallowed. My own children are precious to me as is my husband, my wedding ring, my faith, my Bible and my relationship with Christ. Some metals are precious; some are ordinary. To be invaluable something or someone must be extraordinary. To be cherished, it must melt your heart. This is how our Father sees the needy. Which includes me. For I have discovered that without Him I am oppressed and helpless. So lest I think this psalm is only for those who are literally without food or clothing and oppressed by a government which strips them of everything, I need to realize my own sad predicament without this King in my life.
Jesus warned us about thinking we have so much we don't need Him anymore. "..you say, 'I am rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,' and you don't know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see." Revelation 3 It is our recognition of our need for God that stirs His heart on our behalf. Our vulnerability. Of course, God literally cares about the poor and oppressed. It is at the very center of His being to champion the widow and orphan. That, in fact, is true religion according to James. Knowing Christ, however, is the mirror we hold up to ourselves to see our own neediness. When He walked the earth and moved through a crowd, people climbed trees, grabbed at His clothing, cried out for healing, followed Him into the desert and knelt at the foot of His cross because His presence magnified their need. Jesus looked into their eyes and they understood they were precious. He saw each person for the creation they were. Cared about their hearts -- rich and poor alike in their wretchedness. Perhaps until we are stripped of all we depend upon to make us happy, we are unaware that we are poor, miserable, blind and naked without Jesus. Maybe it's a gift to see ourselves from His perspective. Because until we know we are oppressed by the enemy of our souls and in bondage to his whims, we will not know how valuable our lives are to a God Who would come to save us. Precious blood was spilled for blood precious to Him.
The word for blood in the psalm is dam which means shed blood or the juice of grapes. Interesting when I think about the last supper Jesus had with His disciples. He passed around the Passover wine telling his followers that it was His blood, shed for them. It is the same word in Greek, aima. The juice of grapes. Altar sacrifices. This blood is hallowed. Given in sacrifice to Him. The blood of the innocent. The sacrifice of a life given over to Him. We are no longer required to bleed an animal and sprinkle its holiness over our sinfulness. Once for all that has been done. Blood for blood. Sprinkled over me...over you..by the great High Priest, Who is also the Lamb. Covered in the purifying flow of its miraculous value, God sees the aima of His Son when He sees me. I have been purchased by One Who paid a great price. I am highly valued, cherished, adored, esteemed and hallowed because I cried out in my neediness and Jesus rescued me from the oppressor and made me a child of God with royal blood in my veins. A daughter of the Most High God, adopted into His kingdom, I am the apple of His eye, His Bride, beloved and smitten by my precious Savior.
This year I want to remember with my every breath how dear I am to God. How much He gave to make me His. That my life here and there belong to Him in a way that it would were I to physically get upon an altar and sacrifice it. Of course, if I don't give it over to Him, I will offer it to something or someone else because we are created to worship. To serve God or man. I will bleed a little either way. I know. But my life is unimportant to the world which demands its servitude without reward. To my Father, every moment of my life counts. He will be doing a thousand things of which I'm unaware every day this new year and watching over my comings and goings as a father hovers over the child of his body. And.....my Father calls me "Precious."
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of His godly ones. Psalm 116
My mother used to call me "Precious." It is an endearing term that made me feel special in a way that "Sweetie" or "Cutie" wouldn't have. Precious: much prized, of great value and worth, invaluable, cherished, esteemed, adored, hallowed. My own children are precious to me as is my husband, my wedding ring, my faith, my Bible and my relationship with Christ. Some metals are precious; some are ordinary. To be invaluable something or someone must be extraordinary. To be cherished, it must melt your heart. This is how our Father sees the needy. Which includes me. For I have discovered that without Him I am oppressed and helpless. So lest I think this psalm is only for those who are literally without food or clothing and oppressed by a government which strips them of everything, I need to realize my own sad predicament without this King in my life.
Jesus warned us about thinking we have so much we don't need Him anymore. "..you say, 'I am rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,' and you don't know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see." Revelation 3 It is our recognition of our need for God that stirs His heart on our behalf. Our vulnerability. Of course, God literally cares about the poor and oppressed. It is at the very center of His being to champion the widow and orphan. That, in fact, is true religion according to James. Knowing Christ, however, is the mirror we hold up to ourselves to see our own neediness. When He walked the earth and moved through a crowd, people climbed trees, grabbed at His clothing, cried out for healing, followed Him into the desert and knelt at the foot of His cross because His presence magnified their need. Jesus looked into their eyes and they understood they were precious. He saw each person for the creation they were. Cared about their hearts -- rich and poor alike in their wretchedness. Perhaps until we are stripped of all we depend upon to make us happy, we are unaware that we are poor, miserable, blind and naked without Jesus. Maybe it's a gift to see ourselves from His perspective. Because until we know we are oppressed by the enemy of our souls and in bondage to his whims, we will not know how valuable our lives are to a God Who would come to save us. Precious blood was spilled for blood precious to Him.
The word for blood in the psalm is dam which means shed blood or the juice of grapes. Interesting when I think about the last supper Jesus had with His disciples. He passed around the Passover wine telling his followers that it was His blood, shed for them. It is the same word in Greek, aima. The juice of grapes. Altar sacrifices. This blood is hallowed. Given in sacrifice to Him. The blood of the innocent. The sacrifice of a life given over to Him. We are no longer required to bleed an animal and sprinkle its holiness over our sinfulness. Once for all that has been done. Blood for blood. Sprinkled over me...over you..by the great High Priest, Who is also the Lamb. Covered in the purifying flow of its miraculous value, God sees the aima of His Son when He sees me. I have been purchased by One Who paid a great price. I am highly valued, cherished, adored, esteemed and hallowed because I cried out in my neediness and Jesus rescued me from the oppressor and made me a child of God with royal blood in my veins. A daughter of the Most High God, adopted into His kingdom, I am the apple of His eye, His Bride, beloved and smitten by my precious Savior.
This year I want to remember with my every breath how dear I am to God. How much He gave to make me His. That my life here and there belong to Him in a way that it would were I to physically get upon an altar and sacrifice it. Of course, if I don't give it over to Him, I will offer it to something or someone else because we are created to worship. To serve God or man. I will bleed a little either way. I know. But my life is unimportant to the world which demands its servitude without reward. To my Father, every moment of my life counts. He will be doing a thousand things of which I'm unaware every day this new year and watching over my comings and goings as a father hovers over the child of his body. And.....my Father calls me "Precious."
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