“O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple” (Psalm 48:9 NLT). Meditating on God’s “unfailing love” is an appropriate act of worship. What kind of love is this? The Hebrew word is “chesed,” which may be translated “lovingkindness” or “covenantal love.” In the Greek New Testament, the word “agape”
Chapter: 48
MEDITATING ON GOD’S LOVE
“O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple” (Psalm 48:9 NLT). Meditation in the Bible is not an emptying of the mind as the Eastern religions teach. Rather, it is a focusing of the mind on God and His Word. Here, the Psalmist focused the thoughts of his mind
THE ORIGIN OF THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL
“Now I am claiming as my own sons these two boys of yours, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived. They will be my sons, just as Reuben and Simeon are” (Genesis 48:5 NLT). Jacob, who was called Israel, spoke a word of blessing over each of
“O God, we meditate on your unfailing love” (Psalm 48:9 NLT).
MEDITATING ON GOD’S LOVE Biblical meditation is not an emptying of the mind as the Eastern religions teach. Rather, it is a focusing of the mind on God and His Word. Here, the Psalmist focused the thoughts of his mind on God’s character, namely, His “unfailing love.” We are called to meditate on God’s
“We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple” (Psalm 48:9 NKJV).
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED GOD’S LOVINGKINDNESS? Again we return to one of the favorite themes of the Psalmist, namely, the “lovingkindness” of God. This attribute in the Hebrew is called “chesed.” It describes the unconditional and covenantal love of God. The Psalmist wrote that they had “thought on” this Divine attribute in the temple. In other
“And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine” (Genesis 48:5 NKJV).
THE ORIGIN OF THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL Jacob, who was called Israel, spoke a word over each of his sons from his death bed. He bestowed a double portion to Joseph, giving his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, equal standing to his own sons. And so, when the twelve tribes of Israel move out
“O God, we meditate on your unfailing love” (Psalm 48:9 NLT).
MEDITATING ON GOD’S LOVE Biblical meditation is not an emptying of the mind as the Eastern religions teach. Rather, it is a focusing of the mind on God and His Word. Here, the Psalmist focused the thoughts of his mind on God’s character, namely, His “unfailing love.” We are called to meditate on God’s
“O God, we meditate on your unfailing love” (Psalm 48:9 NLT).
MEDITATING ON GOD’S LOVE
Meditation is not an emptying of the mind as the Eastern religions teach. Rather, it is a focusing of the mind on God and His word. Here, the Psalmist focused the thoughts of his mind on God’s character, namely, His “unfailing love.”
We are called to meditate on God’s character and God’s word. Yet, we are so busy and our world is so loud and chaotic. And meditation requires quiet and focused reflection. Meditating is like chewing every bite of a meal well, so that its flavor is savored and its nutrients fully digested. Meditation is feasting on God’s word. As Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).
How long can we chew on God’s “unfailing love?” I imagine it will sustain us for time eternal.
“We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple” (Psalm 48:9 NKJV).
Again we return to one of the favorite themes of the Psalmist, namely, the “lovingkindness” of God. This attribute in the Hebrew is called “chesed.” It describes the unconditional and covenantal love of God. The Psalmist wrote that they had “thought on” this Divine attribute in the temple. In other words, they had “meditated on” God’s lovingkindness, literally, “likening or comparing” it to what they knew, in order to understand it and appreciate it better.
Today as believers, we are God’s holy temple. When we gather as the church, we encourage one another to “think on” God’s lovingkindness just as the saints of old, yet with greater illumination and understanding. For we have God’s greatest expression of His “chesed” love, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us meditate on God’s great love today. As the apostle John wrote, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us!” (1 John 3:1 NIV).
“And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine” (Genesis 48:5 NKJV).
Jacob, who was called Israel, spoke a word over each of his sons from his death bed. He bestowed a double portion to Joseph, giving his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, equal standing to his other sons. And so, when the twelve tribes of Israel move out of Egypt 400 years later, two of the twelve tribes are called Ephraim and Manasseh. The last words of Jacob are explanatory and prophetic. They explain the origin of the twelve tribes of Israel, and they predict the coming of the Messiah to the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:8-12). Genesis is a book of beginnings. It describes the creation and the fall of humanity. It begins the story of God’s rescue.