Praise the Lord

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Short Summary
The discourse explores Psalm 146 as a prophetic reflection of God’s plan of salvation, emphasizing that praising God involves words, actions, and character rooted in His faithfulness and attributes demonstrated through creation. It contrasts trusting in mortal powers with putting hope in God’s eternal kingdom led by Christ, which promises justice, liberation, healing, care for the vulnerable, and the ultimate defeat of wickedness. The message concludes with the assurance that God’s righteous reign will endure forever, bringing everlasting blessings to all who align with His will.

Long Summary
Detailed Summary of the Discourse on Psalm 146 and Related Scriptures (Approx. 500 words):

Context and Introduction:
– The discourse originated from a devotional reading during the 2024 General Convention morning service, focusing on Psalm 146.
– Psalm 146 was seen as prophetic of God’s plan of salvation for all mankind.
– The speaker emphasizes sharing insights from this study.

Understanding Praise (Psalm 146:1-2):
– The psalm opens with, _“Praise the Lord, let all that I am praise the Lord”_ (Psalm 146:1).
– The Hebrew root for praise (Strong’s #1984) means to “shine” or “flash forth light,” implying praise is both verbal and demonstrative.
– Praise is described as what we say about God, our continual blessing of Him (Psalm 34:1), and how we live — following Jesus’ example.
– Living a life of praise means keeping God’s statutes and laws (Psalm 105:42-45) and being conformed to Christ’s character (Philippians 1:9-11).
– Praise is lifelong: “I will praise the Lord as long as I live” (Psalm 146:2).

Reasons to Praise God:
– God’s magnificent character and abundant blessings to all humanity.
– Scripture repeatedly states, “For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised” (1 Chronicles 16:25; Psalm 96:1-4).
– The millennial kingdom will be a time when all mankind will recognize and proclaim God’s salvation and deeds.

Warning Against Trusting in Human Power (Psalm 146:3-4):
– Do not put confidence in powerful men; their plans perish with them.
– Historical kings and leaders, including those of Daniel’s four kingdoms (Daniel 2,7), have died and their empires replaced.
– These leaders lacked God’s Spirit, wisdom, power, and righteous character, thus their plans were imperfect and temporary.

Hope and Confidence in God (Psalm 146:5-6):
– Joy comes from trusting God, “the God of Israel,” our helper.
– God’s plan is to reunite all things under Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10).
– Reasons for hope: God’s creative power and faithfulness.
– Creation reveals His eternal power, divine nature, wisdom, and love (Romans 1:20; Psalm 136; Psalm 104:24; Jeremiah 51:15).
– God’s power sustains the universe perfectly (Jeremiah 32:17; Isaiah 40:26).
– God’s righteousness governs creation’s laws (Psalm 56; Malachi 3:6; Psalm 97:6).
– God keeps His promises forever (Deuteronomy 7:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

God’s Promises of Blessing (Psalm 146:7-9):
– Justice for the oppressed, food for the hungry, freedom for prisoners.
– The “oppressed” include all humanity under Adamic condemnation, Satan’s oppression, and social injustice.
– Jesus’ ransom sacrifice is the basis for lifting the condemnation (1 Timothy 2:5-6; Job 33:22-25; 1 Corinthians 15:22).
– Satan and evil angels will be bound during Christ’s 1000-year reign (Revelation 20:1-3).
– The “highway of holiness” (Isaiah 35:8-9; Isaiah 62:10) symbolizes the path to restoration and righteousness.
– The kingdom will end poverty and injustice, providing lasting security and blessings (Isaiah 65:21-23; Isaiah 25:6; Amos 8:11; Zephaniah 3:9).
– Resurrection of the dead to judgment or life (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:13).

Healing and Restoration (Psalm 146:8):
– God opens the eyes of the blind, lifts those bowed down, and loves the righteous.
– Spiritual and physical healing occurs (Isaiah 35:5; Isaiah 29:18; Isaiah 42:6-7; Isaiah 32:3-4).
– Those who are righteous and keep God’s commandments are loved by God (Exodus 33:11; John 14:21,23; Ezekiel 18:5,9).

Protection of the Vulnerable (Psalm 146:9):
– God protects foreigners, orphans, and widows; frustrates the plans of the wicked.
– Biblical commands to care for strangers and vulnerable people (Exodus 22:21-24; Leviticus 19:33-34; Deuteronomy 10:18).
– In the kingdom, Gentiles will be embraced and blessed (Zechariah 8:20-23).
– God ensures justice for orphans and widows (Psalm 68:4-5; Psalm 82:3-5; Malachi 3:5).
– Wicked will be judged and destroyed (Psalm 145:20; Psalm 147:6; Malachi 4:1).

Eternal Reign of God and Christ (Psalm 146:10):
– God’s kingdom will reign forever, fulfilling Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 2:44; Daniel 7:14).
– Unlike earthly kingdoms, God’s kingdom is eternal and perfect.
– Christ, the Son of Man, will have everlasting dominion and bring salvation to all peoples.

Summary of Psalm 146’s Message:
– Our entire life, words, actions, and character should praise God for His nature and blessings.
– Do not trust mortal powers but trust God, who is faithful and powerful.
– God’s plan includes justice, provision, freedom from sin and Satan, healing, and protection for the vulnerable.
– The kingdom will bring blessing, righteousness, and eternal life to those in harmony with God.
– God and Christ’s reign will be everlasting, ensuring unending blessings for all the families of the earth.

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Key Bible Verses Mentioned:

– Psalm 146:1-10 (central text)
– Psalm 34:1 — _“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”_
– Psalm 105:42-45 — God’s remembrance and bringing people to keep His laws.
– Philippians 1:9-11 — Prayer for love abounding in knowledge and righteousness.
– 1 Chronicles 16:25 — _“For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.”_
– Psalm 96:1-4 — Singing a new song in the millennial kingdom.
– Daniel 2, 7 — Prophecies of universal kingdoms.
– Ephesians 1:9-10 — God’s plan to unite all in Christ.
– Romans 1:20 — God’s attributes evident in creation.
– Psalm 136; Psalm 104:24; Jeremiah 51:15 — God’s loving kindness, wisdom, and power.
– Jeremiah 32:17; Isaiah 40:26 — God’s power in creation.
– Psalm 56; Malachi 3:6; Psalm 97:6 — God’s righteousness.
– Deuteronomy 7:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:22-24 — God’s faithfulness and protection.
– 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Job 33:22-25; 1 Corinthians 15:22 — Christ’s ransom for mankind.
– Revelation 20:1-3; Isaiah 35:8-9; Isaiah 62:10 — Binding Satan, highway of holiness.
– Isaiah 65:21-23; Isaiah 25:6; Amos 8:11; Zephaniah 3:9 — Blessings of the kingdom.
– John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:13 — Resurrection of the dead.
– Isaiah 29:18; Isaiah 42:6-7; Isaiah 32:3-4 — Spiritual healing.
– Exodus 33:11; John 14:21,23; Ezekiel 18:5,9 — Love of the righteous.
– Exodus 22:21-24; Leviticus 19:33-34; Deuteronomy 10:18 — Care for strangers and vulnerable.
– Zechariah 8:20-23 — Nations seeking the Lord.
– Psalm 68:4-5; Psalm 82:3-5; Malachi 3:5 — Justice for orphans and widows.
– Psalm 145:20; Psalm 147:6; Malachi 4:1 — Judgment on the wicked.
– Daniel 2:44; Daniel 7:14 — Eternal kingdom of God and Christ.

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This detailed summary captures the key points, theological insights, and scriptural references from the discourse on Psalm 146 and related biblical texts about God’s plan of salvation, the millennial kingdom, and the eternal reign of God and Christ.

Transcript

Praise the lord.

At the 2024 General Convention, we were chairman for one of the morning services, and it was our responsibility to find a devotional reading for the Bethel service, and so we happened upon the 146th Psalm. Now, we’d read this psalm before, but this time it stood out differently as being prophetic of our Lord’s plan of salvation for all mankind, and so we thought for our short time this afternoon we’d share that study with you.

The psalm begins with the following in verse one Praise the Lord, let all that I am Praise the Lord. You know, praise is translated from Strong’s number 1984. It means to shine or to flash forth a light, to praise, boast or be boastful, to be praised. To be made praiseworthy means to make a fool of or to make into a fool. Clearly in this context, Hallel is used to describe praising God.

And while this hymn is not one of the Hallel or the Praise Psalms, it does clearly explain the reason why we should praise our Heavenly Father.

The first question is, what is praise? Praise really is what we say or should say about God and his plan of salvation. As we read in Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall be continually in my mouth. We should praise the Lord continually with our lips, not just in our conversations with our Heavenly Father in prayer, and not just with our brethren in a setting like this, but with everyone we come in contact with. Praise is what we say.

Praise is also how we live our lives and following in the footsteps of Jesus, you know, our lives as well as our word, should be an example to others, and should honor our Heavenly Father as we read in the 105th Psalm, verses 42 through 45 For God remembered his holy word with Abraham, his servant, and he brought forth his people with joy, his chosen ones with a joyful shout, so that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws and praise the Lord. You know, like Israel, God has brought forth the church, us, brought us from the nations, that we might keep his statutes, we might observe his laws, and and in doing so, praise him.

Praise is what we should become in being conformed to the example of Jesus, as Paul mentions in Philippians 1:9, 11 and this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and discernment, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and the praise of God, the fruit of the Christian character described here as love, as well as the fruit of righteousness as it develops within us will bring glory and praise to the Heavenly Father. So praise is what we say, it is what we live, it is what we become.

Returning the 146th Psalm, verse 2, says, I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath. It is our privilege and it is our responsibility to praise our Heavenly Father from our consecration and begetting until we finish our course in death, and why? Because of the magnificence of God’s character.

Because of the multitude of his blessings both to us and those which he has promised to all mankind. You know, three times in Scriptures we’re told what we read in 1st Chronicles 16:25, for great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.

You know, one of those passages of Scripture talking about praising God is found in the 96th Psalm, and we’d like to read verses one through four. Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth. You know, this psalm is talking about our Lord’s millennial kingdom when it’s begun its reign and mankind is basking in the blessings of that reign.

Sing to the Lord, Bless his name. Proclaim glad tidings of his salvation from day to day. You know, when mankind receives the blessings of that kingdom, they will be awed and they will proclaim these good tidings to one another. They will be overwhelmed by the love that God has prepared for them. Tell of his glory among the nations, his wonderful deeds among all peoples.

For for great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods.

Above all men will praise God, for they will then see his goodness and his power to bring that goodness to all, even to all the dead.

In verses 3 and 4 of the 146th Psalm. The Psalm givest Psalmist gives us a warning. Don’t put your confidence in powerful people. There is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to earth and all their plans die with them.

You know, even the very powerful people who’ve been in history have a limited lifespan, and once they die, their influence wanes. You know, See the pictures of the four people on the screen. Each was the leader of one of those four universal kingdoms prophesied to Daniel in Daniel chapters two and seven. Each of them is long dead and their plans and kingdoms have been replaced by another in fulfillment of Psalms 146, verses 3 and 4.

See the pictures of the four people on the screen. Each of them was the leader of a powerful nation in the last hundred years, and each one of them is long since dead, and their plans and in two cases their nations have been replaced in the fulfillment of Psalms 146.

Why do we rejoice that these powerful leaders only hold power for a limited set of time? Because none of them are led by God’s Holy Spirit. Therefore their plans are not God’s plans for man of salvation. Even though God has let them have power for a little while, none of them has God’s character. Therefore their plans were not for the benefit of all mankind, as God’s plans are.

None of them have God’s wisdom. Therefore their plans might be great from their perspective, but they are imperfect. They have flawed goals and flawed plans for their execution.

And thankfully none of them has God’s power. Therefore their plans will have no everlasting damage to mankind. They will have no damage at all to God’s plans for blessing all the families of the earth.

In verse 5, the Psalmist begins to explain the perspective of those who put their hope in God. But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the the Lord their God, and why are they joyful? Because God’s plan for man’s salvation and because of the leader God has selected to execute that plan, our Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul explains in Ephesians 1:9, 10, making known to us the sacred secret of God’s will to reunite to himself under one head all things in Christ, things upon the heaven and things upon the earth in him.

You know, God’s plan has been to bring the entire universe, both spiritual and temporal, back into harmony with him and his righteous principles, back to peace, that unit of peace, back to the joy that was lost when sin began.

In verse 6, the Psalmist explains the reasons why we should put our hope in God. He made the heaven and the earth, the sea and everything in them. He keeps his promise forever. God’s integrity, you know, the psalmist explains two reasons why we put our hope in God. First of all, it’s God’s character and his capabilities, his wisdom, power, love and righteousness as demonstrated in the creation.

You know, Paul tells us in Romans 1:20, he says, for since the creation, his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature, have clearly been seen being understood through what has been made so that they or men are without excuse.

And second, our hope in God is based on God’s faithfulness, His integrity in carrying out all his plans and purposes for mankind, and those two things are crucial to our hope and joy in our heavenly Father and His Son Jesus is their capabilities and their faithfulness.

How does the creation show God’s attributes? As Paul says in Romans 1:20, you know, God’s love is demonstrated so beautifully in the creation that he made, and particularly the intelligent bringings he has brought forth, both spiritual and terrestrial to dwell in that creation. We’re told about this in Psalms 136, beginning with verse 1, give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his loving kindness is everlasting.

You know, the fact that we exist, each one of us as a free moral agent is a testimony to God’s love and his willingness to create different races of intelligent being and give them the opportunity for everlasting life.

To him alone, who does great wonders for his loving kindness, is everlasting. You know, only God has the skills, has the capabilities to bring this to pass to him who made the heavens with his skill, for his loving kindness is everlasting to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his loving kindness is everlasting. You know, God’s loving kindness is not only shown in the beings he created, but the beautiful environment he gave them to live in.

You know, the beauty and harmony of the creation is an evidence of God’s great wisdom. As the psalmist writes in the 104th Psalm in verse 24, O Lord, how many are your works in wisdom? You have made them all.

You know, Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 51:15, he says, it is God that made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom and his understanding. He stretched out those expanding heavens. You know, it’s not the powerful individuals of this world that have made the heavens. Their works, sort of pictured in the symbolic earth, will perish, but the heavens and the earth that God has made will endure forever.

God’s creation clearly demonstrates his power. The fact that, and think about it, God is the source of all the energy in the universe. Think about that. Jeremiah 32:17. Ah, Lord God.

Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you. Indeed, that I think that’s one of the lessons God wants us to learn from the creation, is that nothing is too difficult for him and his power. The prophet Isaiah writes in Isaiah 40, verse 26, lift your eyes on high, and we were told our young people did that last night after the convention was over.

And see who has created the stars. The one who leads forth their host by number. He calls them all by name, and because the greatness of his might and his strength of his Power, not a one of them is missing. Think about that.

You know, God not only had the power to create the universe, but to manage everything in it according to his righteous principles and the laws that he’s established, and nothing ever goes missing.

And finally, the rules and laws that God has established with his creation reveals his righteousness. Psalm 56 and the heavens declare his righteousness. For God himself is judge. You know, the universe operates according to God’s fixed principles, and those principles and the laws upon which they are based do not change.

That’s why he states in Malachi 3 6, for I, the Lord, do not change. Therefore you, O sons of Jacob, you’re not consumed because God said He would eventually bless them in his promise to Abraham. You know, God’s righteous principles govern himself as well as everything in his realm. Therefore, as we Read in Psalm 97, 6, the heavens declare his righteousness, and all the peoples will have seen his glory.

In Psalm 146:6 we’re told that God keeps His promise forever, and looking at the scriptural record, we see how true this has been. Deuteronomy 7:9 know therefore, that the Lord your God, he is God, a faithful God, who keeps his covenant and his loving kindness to a thousand generation with those who love him and keep his commandments, you know, and this faithfulness should strengthen our relationship with God and our faithfulness to him. 2nd Thessalonians 3, 3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. You know, God not only protects us from the evil one, he helps us also be conformed to the image of his dear son.

First Thessalonians 5:22 excuse me. 23 and 24. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete without blame, at the parresia of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he who calls you, and he will also bring it to pass.

Beginning with verse seven, the psalmist describes the promises of God to bless man under his plan of salvation, and these blessings are really to be God’s praise. They’ve not been fulfilled yet. But in God’s due time, and as a result of his faithfulness, they will be fulfilled.

Verse 7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. So who are the oppressed? Really? The entire human family is oppressed, but even more particularly the poor among them are oppressed.

And from all of these God will lift three burdens off of them. First, he will lift the burden of Adamic condemnation off of all people. Second, he will lift the burden of the great oppressor Satan from all and third, he will lift the burden of injustice off of the backs of the poor.

First, God through Christ’s kingdom, will lift off the condemnation of sin and death, because divine justice has accepted the merit of Jesus. Faithful sacrifice unto death, as we so familiar read in 1 Timothy 2, 5, 6. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all the testimony given at the proper time. We especially like the way this concept is expressed in the words of Job, Job 33, beginning with verse 22.

Then as man’s soul draws near to the pit and is life to those who bring death, there is an angel, our Lord as a mediator for him. Then let God be gracious to man and say, deliver him from going down to the pit, for I have found a ransom, and let man’s flesh become fresher than in youth. Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor.

God has found a ransom in his only begotten Son, a corresponding price for Father Adam. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Second, God through Christ will lift the burden of Satan and his minions off the human family so they can both learn the truth and walk up that highway of holiness. Revelation 20, verses 1 through 3 and I saw an angel coming down from heaven, our returned Lord, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand, and he laid hold of that dragon, that serpent who was the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no longer until those thousand years were completed. Additionally, the fallen angels will be taken off the scene that they plague mankind no longer as well. For as in Christ’s kingdom, we’re told in Isaiah 35, verses 8 and 9, there’ll be a highway there, a roadway, a freeway, and it will be called the highway of holiness.

And no lion will be there, nor any other vicious beast will go on it. They will not be found there. The highway is for the redeemed who will walk there.

Third, Christ’s kingdom will lift the burden of injustice off the poor, eliminating the oppression that comes from the rich and the powerful, all down through this nighttime of sin and death. Isaiah 65, beginning with verse 21, and they will build houses and inhabit them. They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build in another inhabit they will not plant and another eat.

For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of my people and my chosen ones will wear out the the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor bear children for calamity, for they are the offspring of those best by the Lord and their descendants with them.

You know, the second promise mentioned in Isaiah 1, 4, 6, 7 will be providing food to the hungry. The prophet Isaiah writes in Isaiah 25, 6 the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain, a banquet of aged wine, of choice pieces of marrow, of refined aged wine. This will be a banquet of both spiritual and temporal food. There will no longer be a famine for a hearing of the word of the Lord, as we’re told in Amos 8, 11, in Christ’s kingdom they will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain. Why?

Because the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, it will be in this kingdom, as we’re told in Zephaniah 3 and 9. For then I will turn to the peoples of pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah to serve him with one consent.

Third promise of verse seven is that in this kingdom all the prisoners will be freed, as Jesus said in John 5, 28 and 29 don’t marvel at this. The hour is coming in which all who are in their tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth those who have done good deeds through the resurrection of life, and those who have committed evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

The ransom will be paid, the merit of Jesus applied on Adam’s behalf, and we’re told in Revelation 20, verse 13, that the sea will give up the dead that are in them, and death and Hades will give up the dead that are in them, and they will all be judged, every one of them, then according to their deeds, to the truth that they will receive in that kingdom, as we’re told in Psalms 107, 14, 16, God brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death. For he has shaken shadowed the gates of copper he has cut the bars of iron asunder. He will bring mankind out of the shadow of death by shattering those gates of the copper of the Mosaic law and the bars of iron, or the condemnation of death, that rest upon both Israel and then all mankind.

In verse 8 of Psalm 146 the Psalmist describes the next promise in God’s work of lifting up the human family, the Lord opens the eyes of the blind, he lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly in Christ’s kingdom, we’re told, Isaiah 35:5. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Not just temporal, but spiritual blindness and deafness will be cured in Christ’s kingdom. Isaiah 29:18 on that day the deaf will hear the words of the Book, and out of the gloom and darkness will the eyes of the blind see.

And what will they see?

They’ll see the beauty and truth of God, of his Son, and their love for them.

Isaiah 42:6, 7 and I appoint for you as a covenant to the people, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison. That’s the time given to our Lord as the mediator of that great covenant, which the church will also share in that work.

And then we’re told in Isaiah 32, 3, 4, then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, and the ears of those who hear will listen, and the mind of the hasty will discern the truth, and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.

The psalmist describes the next step in God’s plan of salvation in the human family.

The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. You know, this lifting up of the human family in righteousness will be via that new highway, the highway of holiness that we’ve mentioned before.

Isaiah tells US In Isaiah 35, 8, a highway will be there, a roadway called the highway of holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it. You know, the instructions to Christ and the church about this highway are found in Isaiah 62:10. Clear the way for the people, build up the highway, remove the stones, lift a standard over the people.

That highway will lift the standard of righteousness over the people, and it will lead them back to perfection and harmony with God. You know, just as Jesus healed that woman that was bent over for 18 years on the Sabbath, Jesus will lift up the human family in righteousness in his kingdom.

The last phrase of verse eight states that God loves the godly, or as the NSB translates it, the righteous. Why? Because they’re in harmony with him and his righteous principles. Exodus 33:11 says, say unto them, as I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live, turn back from your evil ways. As Jesus said in John 14:21 and 23, he who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me.

And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him. I I will disclose myself to him. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come and make our abode with him.

As the human family learns righteousness, they will be loved by God, and they will live. Ezekiel 18, verses 5 and 9 if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, if he walks in my statute and my ordinance so as to deal faithfully, he is righteous, and he will surely live, and that will be the objective of Christ’s earthly kingdom.

In verse 9 of 146 Psalm, the Psalmist describes how God through Christ’s kingdom, will help even the poorest and even the lowest among men.

The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and the widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. You know, from the very earliest times, God instructed the Jewish people to treat strangers and widows and orphans in their midst, those who were vulnerable. He taught them to treat them kindly. Exodus 22 Beginning, you shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

You shall not afflict any widow or orphan if you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to me, I will surely hear his cry, and my anger will be kindled. You know, the Lord sets a standard not just for Israel, but also for us, telling us to protect the vulnerable, and he promised Israel he would be watching them closely to see how they treated the vulnerable ones.

You know, we’re told in Leviticus 19, verses 33 and 34 that when a stranger resides in your land, you shall do him no wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as a native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God, or who is the strangers and the foreigners that God is speaking of? He were they were the non Jews who lived among the Jewish people, and they were to be treated as if they were native Jewish people. You know, we read further in Deuteronomy 10:18 and the Lord shows love to the foreigners living among you.

He gives them food, clothing. You know, what a beautiful picture of Christ’s kingdom when the strangers, the Gentiles, will be given food and clothing, not just temporal, but spiritual, so they can come back into harmony with God so they can be part of the offspring that are blessed of all the families of the earth. You know, we read about that in Zechariah, the eighth chapter, beginning with verse 20.

It will yet be that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities, saying, let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts. So many people and so many nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem. For in those days 10 men of all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying, let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you, and this is the way the kingdom spreads from the Jewish nation. That new covenant has begun with the house of Judah, and the house of Israel will spread worldwide, so that Jacob’s offspring will be like the dust of the earth and spread around the globe.

The second portion of verse nine describes how God will help even the most vulnerable among mankind, the widows and the orphans. Deuteronomy 10:17, 18 for your Lord God is a God of God and Lord of Lords. He is a great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality, who cannot be bribed. He ensures that the orphans and the widows receive justice. God cares for the vulnerable.

Psalm 68:4,5 Sing praises to God and to his name, Father to the fatherless Defender of widows.

You know, God’s instructions to the mighty of this world are found in the 82nd Psalm, verses 3 and 4. He says, Give justice to the poor and the orphan. Uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute, rescue the poor and the helpless, deliver them from the grasp of evil people.

However, the mighty have ignored this counsel, continuing in Psalm 82, 5. But these oppressors know nothing. They are so ignorant, they wander around in darkness while the whole world is shaken to the core. Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you, and Malachi tells us how that judgment is going to go in Malachi 3 5.

At that time I will put you on trial, says the Lord. I am eager to witness against all the sorcerers and the adulterers and the liars. I will speak against those who cheat the employees of their wages, who oppress the widows and orphans, who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice. For these people do not fear me, says the Lord of Heaven’s armies. Well, they may not fear God now, but once he unleashes his judgment on them, that will change.

We’re finally told in verse nine. God frustrates the plans of the wicked, you know, all down through the ages, through the nighttime and sin and death, God has been frustrating the plans of the wicked.

And now, with the establishment of Christ’s earthly kingdom, God brings all those wicked plans to a final end. Psalm 145, verse 20. God keeps those who love him, but all the wicked will be destroyed. In Psalms 147:6 the Lord supports the afflicted. He brings down the wicked to the ground.

He does it as Malachi tells us in Malachi 4 1. For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant and the evildoers will be chaff, and that day is coming to set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch, and following this, the Son of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings and the healing of mankind who get it.

In the last verse, the psalmist describes the conclusion that we should take from God his plan of salvation.

The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Israel. Excuse me, O Jerusalem, throughout all generations. Praise the Lord. You know, the prophet Daniel prophesied about the setting up of this kingdom that will bring all these blessings to pass.

And brother Rick read about that. Daniel 2:44. In the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and a kingdom will not be left for another people, but it will crush and put to end all of these kingdoms. Why?

Because, as brother Rick said, they’re corrupt, they’re imperfect, and they’re based on selfishness. But this kingdom, God’s kingdom, will itself endure forever and ensure the blessing of all the families of the earth. For that kingdom will be given to his Son, our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Daniel 7:14, and to him, the Son of man will be given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all the peoples and nations and men of every language might save him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.

In summary, Psalm 140 gives us a beautiful summation of how we should praise God for His wonderful plan of man’s salvation.

Verses 1 and 2 tell us that our entire life, our words, our actions and our character should praise God. Why? Because of his wonderful character and his numerous blessings, not just to us, but to everyone who’s ever lived. Verses 3 and 4 tell us, don’t put our trust and powerful people, there’s no salvation there because they died and their plans die with them.

Verses 5 and 6 tell us to put our hope in God, let him be our helper because of the attributes he demonstrated in creation and his faithfulness to his promises.

Verse 7 says there’s promise of justice for the oppressed, food for the hungry, and God will feed the prisoners, and the reason why is because he’s found a ransom, and because of that, Satan will be bound, oppression will be ended, there will be a feast for all, and all will be released from the grave.

Verse 8 talks about the promises that he will open the eyes of the blind. He lifts those up who are crippled and weighed down. He loves the godly or righteous. Why? Because he found a ransom.

And he heals both man’s temporal and literal eyesight. A highway is provided that brings the human family back in harmony with him, and he will love and bless the righteous.

Verse nine tells us that he will protect the foreigners. He will care for the widows and the orphans and the vulnerable, and he will frustrate the plans of the wicked. Why? Because he’s found a ransom.

And he will feed the clothed, the Gentiles as well as the Jewish people. He cares for the vulnerable and the poor and makes provisions for them. But he will destroy the wicked forever.

And finally, verse 10 gives us the promise that this arrangement will exist forever. Because God and Christ will reign forever and ensure that all those in harmony with them will share the blessing everlasting life, and as a result, the blessings promised through the Scriptures will never end, and may the Lord add His blessing.

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