Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, special ones.

Becki and I have an interesting day in store. We’ll be leaving shortly on a run to Seattle where we will participate in a memorial gathering for a High School friend, Ray Porter. Oh, the memories! I will face the challenge there in relating my own memories to include the God factor—the fact that Ray came to set his heart to seek God prior to his passing. His building project played out to be an ultimate success. Praise the Lord!

Blessings on your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

This section of the Psalms is a collection of fifteen “Songs of Ascents.” Presumably they came to be sung by worshipers going up to Jerusalem for their sacred feasts and celebrations. They present the awesome Sovereignty of the LORD, various facets of Israel’s history, practical principles of godliness (“fear of the LORD”), and the special glory and attention the LORD gives to “Mount Zion” or Jerusalem. Over the years that city called for a lot of building and rebuilding and has the divine quality of enduring forever (See Revelation 21). For example, “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore” (125:1-2).

This section of the Psalms is a collection of fifteen “Songs of Ascents.” Presumably they came to be sung by worshipers going up to Jerusalem for their sacred feasts and celebrations. They present the awesome Sovereignty of the LORD, various facets of Israel’s history, practical principles of godliness (“fear of the LORD”), and the special glory and attention the LORD gives to “Mount Zion” or Jerusalem. Over the years that city called for a lot of building and rebuilding and has the divine quality of enduring forever (See Revelation 21). For example, “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore” (125:1-2).

Consider the effort people apply to develop themselves—to build all kinds of neat stuff into their lives—by means of learning, credentials, and exploration of ideas and possibilities. Then, of course, they will try to protect what they have built—insurance, retirement funds, eating right, exercising right, etc. All these efforts are not bad—they are just futile if not pursued with a view toward pleasing the Sovereign Owner/Contractor—with a view toward eternity. So I might paraphrase the first part of the FOCUS VERSE something like this: “Unless the Owner/Contractor is allowed to function as the Owner/Contractor, the building project will meet with ultimate failure.” All things considered, how can it be otherwise?