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Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day two thousand seven hundred forty-eight of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

The title for today’s Wisdom-Trek is: The Divine Warrior’s Victory Lap – Creation Applauds the King

Today, we are lacing up our boots for a joyous celebration as we trek through Psalm Ninety-eight, covering the entire psalm, verses one through nine, in the New Living Translation.

This psalm is the crescendo of the Royal Psalms.   In our last trek through Psalm Ninety-seven, we witnessed the terrifying majesty of the Cloud Rider.   We saw Yahweh marching out as a Man of War, with fire going before Him to burn up His enemies.   We saw the mountains melting like wax and the "throne of destruction" being dismantled.   It was a psalm of cosmic conquest, where the rebel gods of the Divine Council were humbled before the Most High.

Psalm Ninety-eight is the sequel to that conquest.   If Psalm Ninety-seven was the battle, Psalm Ninety-eight is the Victory Parade.   The smoke has cleared.   The enemies are scattered.   The King has ascended to His throne, and now, a "new song" breaks out across the universe.

This is a psalm of unadulterated triumph.   It does not contain a single petition or request.   It doesn't ask God for anything; it simply celebrates what He has already done.   It invites us to join an orchestra that includes not just harps and horns, but the roaring sea and the clapping rivers.

So, let us take our place in the choir and sing to the Warrior King.

Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power!  The Lord has announced his victory and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!  He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

The psalm bursts open with a command: "Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds."

We have seen this command before in Psalm Ninety-six, but here, the motivation is specific.   We sing a "new song" because the cosmic status quo has been shattered.   God has done "wonderful deeds" (niphla’ot—marvels, things that are distinct and extraordinary).

What is this marvelous deed?   "His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power!"

This is the language of the Divine Warrior.   In the ancient world, and in the Divine Council worldview, the gods were often depicted as needing armies or alliances to defeat chaos.   But here, the psalmist emphasizes that Yahweh needed no help.   It was His right hand.   It was His holy arm.

This is a statement of solitary sovereignty.   When God decided to reclaim the nations from the corrupt spiritual beings that held them in bondage (as seen in Psalm Eighty-two), He did not call for a coalition.   He stepped in Himself.   As Isaiah Fifty-nine says, "He saw that there was no one... so his own arm achieved salvation for him."   The victory is entirely His, and therefore, the glory is entirely His.

The result of this victory is public revelation: "The Lord has announced his victory and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!"

The word "victory" here is literally yeshû‘â—salvation.   But in this context, it isn't just being saved from sin; it is victory in battle.   God has vindicated His name.

Crucially, this is done "in the sight of the nations" (goyim).   Remember, since the Tower of Babel, the nations were under the dominion of other, lesser elohim.   But now, Yahweh has stripped away the veil.   He has shown the nations what true Righteousness (tsedeq) looks like.   He has exposed the other gods as frauds and demonstrated that He is the only One with the power to save.

Yet, even in this global conquest, He remains the covenant God: "He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel."

His Unfailing Love (ḥesed) and Faithfulness (’ĕmûnâ) to the house of Israel are the engine behind this cosmic victory.   By rescuing Israel and fulfilling His promises to David, God demonstrates to "the ends of the earth" that He is a God who keeps His word.   The global victory is rooted in local loyalty.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!  Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song,  with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn. Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!

Having declared the victory, the psalmist now organizes the celebration.   He acts as the conductor of a global orchestra: "Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!"

The word "shout" (rûa‘) is the war cry, the shout of homage to a king.   The phrase "break out" (patsach) literally means to burst forth, like water breaking through a dam.   The joy cannot be contained; it must explode.

The instrumentation is specific and significant: "Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song, with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn."

We have the harp (kinnor), representing the sweet, melodic music of the Levites in the temple.   But we also have the trumpets (chatsotserah—metal trumpets) and the ram’s horn (shofar).

In ancient Israel, these wind instruments were used for two primary things: War and Coronation.   Since the war is over (verses one through three), this is a Coronation Ceremony.

The command is to: "Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!"

Here is the central title: The King (Ha-Melek).   Yahweh has taken His seat.   He has displaced the usurpers.   He has proven His right to rule by the strength of His "holy arm."   Now, the human response must be loud, organized, and ecstatic.   We are hailing the new administration of the universe.

Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in.  Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy  before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.

The celebration is too big for just humanity.   The walls of the temple cannot contain it.   The psalmist turns to the creation itself and commands it to join the party: "Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in."

This is a profound reversal of imagery.   In Psalm Ninety-three, the "floods" and the "sea" were the enemies.   They represented the forces of chaos that "lifted up their voice" against God.   But now, the Sea has been pacified.   The roaring of the waves is no longer the sound of rebellion; it is the "shout of praise" (ra’am—thunder).   The chaos monsters have been tamed and converted into choir members.

Then we have one of the most delightful images in Scripture: "Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy."

The rivers (or floods), which once threatened to overwhelm the land, are now clapping in applause for the King.   The hills and mountains, which melted like wax in Psalm Ninety-seven, are now stable enough to sing.

This personification of nature reflects the deep biblical truth found in Romans Chapter Eight: creation itself is groaning for redemption.   The natural world suffers under the rule of wickedness and corruption.   But when the True King arrives, nature recognizes Him.   The trees, the rivers, and the oceans know that His rule means life, health, and restoration for them, too.

Why is the universe so happy? "before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth."

Once again, we see that Judgment is good news.   For the oppressed, for the broken, for the creation subjected to futility, the coming of the Judge is the coming of the Liberator.   He is not coming to destroy the earth; He is coming to fix it.

Justice (tsedeq) and Fairness (meysharim—equity).   This is the platform of the new administration.   Unlike the corrupt gods of the nations who ruled with partiality and injustice (Psalm Eighty-two), Yahweh rules with absolute equity.   No one will be bribed.   No one will be exploited.   The scales of the cosmos will finally be balanced.

Psalm Ninety-eight leaves us with a vibrant picture of what the future holds.

It teaches us that history is moving toward a Coronation.   It reminds us that our God is a Warrior who wins victories with His own right hand.   It assures us that He is faithful to His promises to Israel, and through that faithfulness, He is reclaiming the "ends of the earth."

But it also challenges us.   If the rivers are clapping and the hills are singing, how can we remain silent?   If the sea is shouting praise, shouldn't we?

We are invited to live our lives as part of this New Song.   We are called to be the trumpeters of His justice and the harpists of His grace.   As we walk our trek today, let us look for the "marvelous deeds" God is doing, and let us be quick to give Him the applause He deserves.

If you found this podcast insightful, please subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of, ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.   As we take this Trek of life together, let us always: Live Abundantly.   Love Unconditionally.   Listen Intentionally.   Learn Continuously.   Lend to others Generously.   Lead with Integrity.   Leave a Living Legacy Each Day.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, reminding you to’ Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!

 

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day two thousand seven hundred forty-seven of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Today, we are continuing our ascent up the high peaks of the Royal Psalms. We have arrived at Psalm Ninety-seven, and we will be exploring the entire text, verses one through twelve, in the New Living Translation.

In our previous trek through Psalm Ninety-six, we heard the joyous, missionary call to "Sing a new song" and to declare to the nations that "The Lord Reigns!" We saw the invitation for all the families of the earth to abandon their worthless idols—their elilim—and bring their tribute to the true Creator. It was a psalm of invitation and anticipation, looking forward to the coming Judge.

Psalm Ninety-seven takes a half-step forward. It moves from the announcement of the King to the actual appearance of the King. The tone shifts from joyful invitation to awe-inspiring majesty. Here, Yahweh is not just invited to reign; He has taken His seat. He is actively asserting His dominion over the cosmos, and the reaction of the universe is a mixture of trembling and rejoicing.

This psalm plunges us deep into the Divine Council worldview. It depicts Yahweh as the Cloud Rider, the Divine Warrior who marches out to reclaim His territory from the rebel gods who have corrupted the nations. It is a psalm of spiritual warfare and ultimate victory.

So, let us shield our eyes, for the glory of the King is about to shine forth.

The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad.  Dark clouds and deep darkness surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

The psalm opens with the foundational shout of the enthronement festival: "The Lord is king!" (Yahweh Malak).

Because He is King, the command goes out: "Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad."

The "farthest coastlands" (or "many islands") refers to the ends of the known world—the Gentile nations. Under the rule of the rebel elohim (the lesser gods), the nations have been in darkness and chaos. But the ascension of Yahweh is good news for the geography of the earth. His rule brings order, life, and stability.

However, the appearance of this King is terrifyingly majestic: "Dark clouds and deep darkness surround him."

To the modern ear, "dark clouds" might sound gloomy or depressing. But in the Ancient Israelite worldview, this is Theophany language—the language of God appearing in visible form. It harkens back to Mount Sinai in Deuteronomy Four and Five, where God descended in thick darkness, gloom, and storm to give the Law.

Furthermore, this imagery claims a specific title for Yahweh: The Cloud Rider. In the ancient Near East, the god Baal was worshipped as the "Rider on the Clouds," the master of the storm. The psalmist is making a polemical statement here. He is saying, "No, Baal is not the master of the storm. Yahweh is." Yahweh is the One who wraps Himself in the storm clouds as His royal robe. The darkness represents His transcendence—He is so holy, so heavy with glory (kavod), that He must veil Himself, or creation would be consumed.

Yet, within this terrifying storm, there is a solid core: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne."

We saw this same pairing in Psalm Eighty-nine. Unlike the pagan gods, who were capricious, violent, and unpredictable like the weather, Yahweh’s storm is controlled by ethical perfection. His power is infinite, but it is always tethered to what is right (tsedeq) and what is just (mishpat). He does not use His power to bully; He uses it to establish order.

Fire goes before him and burns up his enemies all around.  His lightning flashes out across the world. The earth sees and trembles.  The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.  The heavens proclaim his righteousness; every nation sees his glory.

The King begins to move, and He moves as a Man of War: "Fire goes before him and burns up his enemies all around."

Who are these enemies? In the immediate context, they are the wicked on earth, but in the cosmic context, they are the spiritual forces of darkness. Fire is the traditional weapon of the Divine Warrior. It cleanses, it consumes, and it purifies the land. God is marching out to reclaim the earth from the usurpers.

Creation itself reacts to the presence of its Maker. The physical world convulses when the spiritual dimension breaks through.

Then we have a vivid, terrifying image: "The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth."

In the ancient world, mountains were considered the most stable, unmovable things in existence. They were the pillars of the earth. Moreover, mountains were often viewed as the dwelling places of the gods (like Mount Zaphon or Mount Olympus). For the mountains to "melt like wax" means that the very seats of authority of the rival gods are dissolving in the presence of Yahweh. Their fortresses are turning into liquid. Nothing can stand before Him.

He is called "The Lord of all the earth" (Adon kol ha-arets). This is a claim of universal jurisdiction. He is not just the God of a localized hill in Judah; He owns the whole planet.

Here, "The heavens" likely refers to the members of the heavenly host—the loyal members of the Divine Council. The angelic armies look at Yahweh’s conquest and shout, "He is Righteous! His judgments are just!" And down below, "every nation"—not just Israel—is forced to witness His "glory" (kavod), the heavy, radiant weight of His presence. There is no hiding from this King.

Those who worship idols are disgraced— all who brag about their worthless gods— for every god must bow to him.  Jerusalem has heard and rejoiced, and all the towns of Judah are glad because of your justice, O Lord!  For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

The arrival of the True King brings an immediate verdict on false religion: "Those who worship idols are disgraced—all who brag about their worthless gods."

When the Real Thing appears, the counterfeits are exposed. Those who trusted in carved images or the spiritual powers behind them are "disgraced" or ashamed (bosh). They realize they bet their lives on a lie.

Then, the psalmist issues a command to the spiritual realm: "for every god must bow to him."

The New Living Translation translates this well, but let’s look deeper. The Hebrew says, "Bow down to Him, all you elohim."

This is a crucial verse for the Divine Council worldview. The psalmist is not talking to blocks of wood or stone statues; statues cannot bow. He is addressing the spiritual beings, the elohim, the "sons of God" who were allotted the nations but rebelled.

This verse is quoted in Hebrews Chapter One, verse six, where it says, "Let all God’s angels worship him." The Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) translated elohim here as "angels." The point is clear: every spiritual power, whether loyal or rebellious, whether angel, demon, or territorial spirit, must prostrate themselves before Yahweh. He is the Species Unique; they are merely created beings.

While the idolaters are ashamed, God's people are thrilled: "Jerusalem has heard and rejoiced, and all the towns of Judah are glad because of your justice, O Lord!"

Zion rejoices because God's "justice" (His judgments/rulings) involves the overthrow of evil. The defeat of the dark powers is the liberation of the saints.

The section concludes with the theological summit of the psalm: "For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods."

He is "Supreme" (‘Elyōn—Most High). This title signifies that He is the Most High God, the Presider over the Council. He is "exalted far above" (na‘ălêtā) all elohim. There is no equality here. There is no dualism where good and evil are fighting on equal footing. God is infinitely above the competition.

You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.  Light is sown like seed for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart.  Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.

The psalm ends by turning to the congregation. If Yahweh is the King who melts mountains and demands the worship of angels, how should we respond?

The response is ethical: "You who love the Lord, hate evil!"

You cannot be neutral. If you align yourself with the King of Righteousness, you must despise what He despises. You must hate the chaos, the injustice, and the idolatry that He has come to destroy. Loyalty to Yahweh requires a rejection of the "throne of destruction" we saw in Psalm Ninety-four.

In exchange for this loyalty, the King offers protection: "He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked."

He is the "keeper" (shamar) of the souls of His hasidim (faithful ones). Because He is the Most High over all gods, He has the power to rescue us from any hand, human or spiritual.

Then, the psalmist uses a beautiful agricultural metaphor: "Light is sown like seed for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart."

Usually, we think of light as shining down from above. But here, Light is treated like a seed. It is planted in the dark soil of our lives.

This implies a process. When we choose righteousness, we are planting seeds of light. We may not see the harvest immediately. There may be a season of waiting in the dark soil. But because God is King, that seed will sprout. It will yield a harvest of Light and Gladness.

For the wicked, their "flourishing" is like grass that is quickly cut down (Psalm Ninety-two). But for the righteous, their gladness is a sown crop that grows, matures, and yields an enduring harvest.

The psalm closes with a final command to worship: "Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name."

Literally, we are to give thanks to the "memorial of His holiness." We are to remember that He is separate, He is clean, and He is the Victor.

Psalm Ninety-seven is a tonic for a fearful heart. It reminds us that the world is not spinning out of control. There is a King. He is riding the clouds. The mountains of human pride and spiritual rebellion are melting like wax before Him.

Our job is not to fret; our job is to hate evil, plant seeds of light, and rejoice. We are on the winning side of history because we serve the Most High over all the earth.

If you found this podcast insightful, please subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of, ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.   As we take this Trek of life together, let us always: Liv Abundantly.   Love Unconditionally.   Listen Intentionally.   Learn Continuously.   Lend to others Generously.   Lead with Integrity.   Leave a Living Legacy Each Day.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, reminding you to’ Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!

 

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps!   I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2746 of our Trek.   The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Our current series of Theology Thursday lessons is written by theologian and teacher John Daniels. I have found that his lessons are short, easy to understand, doctrinally sound, and applicable to all who desire to learn more of God’s Word. John’s lessons can be found on his website   theologyinfive.com.   Today’s lesson is titled Satan Was Not Allotted a Nation.

 

The Bible presents Satan as the first rebel, deceiving humanity in Eden and setting himself in opposition to Yahweh’s purposes from the very beginning. But when God disinherits the nations at Babel (Deuteronomy 32:8-9), there is no indication that Satan is assigned a nation. The divine council sons of God are given authority over the nations, and Yahweh retains Israel for Himself. Satan is nowhere in that picture.

 

This is not surprising. Satan had already rebelled. He had already introduced sin into the world and brought death through deception. Why would he be entrusted with a nation? He would not be, and he was not.

But he would not stay excluded.

 

Psalm 82 shows that the gods of the nations, the ones given legitimate rule over the peoples, eventually rebelled. They pervert justice, show partiality, and demand worship for themselves. They become corrupt stewards, and Yahweh condemns them to die like men.

 

 

It is in this spiritual vacuum that Satan likely saw his opportunity. The pattern is familiar. Just as he deceived Eve, it is plausible that he seduced the other elohim as well. He may have promised them greatness, freedom from Yahweh, or worship for themselves. Perhaps he did not originate their rebellion, but he certainly seems to have benefited from it. Over time, as the gods of the nations fought among themselves through their human empires, Satan emerged as the one spirit behind them all.

 

We can see this in the way ancient religion developed. The gods of Egypt, Canaan, Babylon, Greece, and Rome were originally distinct, but as empires grew and conquered one another, their gods merged. Baal rose in Canaan. Marduk overtook the other gods of Babylon. Zeus became king of Olympus and was later identified with Jupiter in Rome. At each step, the god at the top took on more authority, often absorbing characteristics of the others.

 

The altar of Zeus at Pergamum, described in Revelation 2:13 as the throne of Satan, confirms the trajectory. Zeus had become the highest god of the pagan world. His altar stood like a throne on a high place. Jesus identifies that location not just as idolatrous, but as Satan’s seat. This implies that Satan, though never given a nation by God, had risen through the corruption of the divine order to become the ruler over the fallen gods.

 

This also explains why Satan could offer Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in Matthew 4. He claimed authority over what was not given to him, a stolen reign that came through deceit and manipulation. He was not a rightful king. He was a usurper.

 

 

But his rule did not go unchallenged. At the cross, Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities and exposed them. His resurrection declared Him the rightful heir of the nations. His ascension stripped Satan of his access to any real authority. The rebel bene elohim were still around and in full rebellion, but they no longer had the authority given to them by Yahweh.

Satan began as a deceiver, not a ruler. He was not given a territory, but he took one anyway. Through the rebellion of the gods of the nations, he found his place among them, rising above them as the counterfeit king of a crumbling empire. But his dominion is temporary, and his defeat is certain.

 

According to Deuteronomy 32:8–9, what happened at Babel, and why is Satan notably absent from the divine allotment of the nations?

How does Psalm 82 reveal the failure of the gods of the nations, and what does Yahweh’s judgment against them imply about their original roles?

What evidence do we have that Satan may have seduced or taken advantage of the rebellion of other spiritual beings to elevate his own position?

Why is the reference to Pergamum as the “throne of Satan” in Revelation 2:13 significant for understanding Satan’s association with Zeus and pagan rule?

How does Christ’s death and resurrection serve as a turning point in spiritual authority, and what does this mean for the current rule of Satan over the nations?

 Join us next time on Theology Thursday, where our lesson will explore: From Eden to New Jerusalem: The Pattern of Ascent, Fall, and Redemption

 

 If you found this podcast insightful, please subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek,      Creating a Legacy.’   

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly,   I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:    

I am Guthrie Chamberlain   reminding you to      ’ Keep Moving Forward,’      ‘Enjoy your Journey,’       and ‘Create a Great Day, Everyday!     Join me next time for more daily wisdom!

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day two thousand seven hundred forty-five of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Today, we are setting out on a trek that expands our horizon from the borders of Israel to the very ends of the earth. We are exploring Psalm Ninety-six, covering the entire hymn, verses one through thirteen, in the New Living Translation.

In our previous trek through Psalm Ninety-five, we stood in the holy assembly of Israel. We heard the invitation to bow before our Maker, but we also heard the stern warning from the Shepherd-King: "Don’t harden your hearts." That psalm ended with a somber reminder of the wilderness generation who failed to enter God's rest because they refused to listen to His voice. It was a call to the insider to stay faithful.

Psalm Ninety-six flings the doors of the temple wide open. It turns away from the failure of the past and looks forward to a glorious future where all nations—not just Israel—are invited to worship Yahweh. It is a missionary anthem. It is a coronation hymn. It declares that the God of Israel is not a tribal deity, but the rightful King of the Cosmos who is reclaiming the nations from the lesser spiritual beings that have held them in bondage.

So, let us lift our voices and join the global chorus, declaring that the Lord reigns!

Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!  Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.  Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

The psalm opens with an explosion of joy and a threefold command: "Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Sing to the Lord; praise his name."

Why a "new song"? In the Psalms, a new song is often required because God has done a new thing. The old songs were about the Exodus from Egypt, about God delivering one nation from another. But this new song is about something far greater. It is about God delivering all nations. The scope has shifted from the local to the universal. The invitation is no longer just for the children of Jacob; it is for "the whole earth."

The instruction is specific: "Each day proclaim the good news that he saves."

This phrase, "proclaim the good news," is the Hebrew verb basar. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this word is euangelizo—the root of our word "Evangelism" or "Gospel." The psalmist is telling us to evangelize the world! We are to announce, daily, that Yahweh is the source of salvation (yeshû‘â). This salvation is not just a private spiritual safety; it is a cosmic victory over the forces of evil.

The mission is clear: "Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does."

We are to be the heralds, the town criers of the Kingdom. We are not keeping this wisdom a secret. We are publishing it. The "glorious deeds" are the proofs of His Kingship. In the Ancient Near East, a king's glory was defined by his military victories and his ability to provide order. We are telling the nations—who are currently serving other masters—that the true High King has arrived, and His resume of "amazing things" proves He is worthy of their allegiance.

Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.  The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!  Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.

Now, the psalmist explains why this message must go to the nations. He enters into a direct theological confrontation with the spiritual powers of the world: "Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods."

Here, we must apply our Ancient Israelite worldview lenses again. When the text says God is to be feared above all "gods" (elohim), it is not merely using a figure of speech. It is acknowledging the reality of the spiritual hierarchy.

Since the Tower of Babel (Deuteronomy Thirty-two: eight), the nations were placed under the administration of lesser spiritual beings, the "sons of God." But these beings rebelled; they became corrupt and demanded worship for themselves (as we saw in Psalm Eighty-two). The nations are currently in spiritual bondage to these rebel entities.

The psalmist is declaring that Yahweh is "feared above" them. He is the Supreme Authority.

Verse five contains a powerful pun in the Hebrew: "The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!"

The Hebrew word for "gods" is elohim. The Hebrew word translated as "idols" is elilim. It sounds similar, but elilim means "worthless things," "weak things," or literally, "nothings."

The psalmist is saying: "The elohim of the nations are actually elilim!" They are spiritual zeros compared to Yahweh. Why? Because "the Lord made the heavens!"

This is the distinguishing mark of the True God: Creation. The gods of the nations are created beings; they are part of the furniture of the universe. Yahweh is the Architect and Builder of the house. Because He is the Creator, He has the right to reclaim the nations from the usurpers.

The atmosphere of His true throne room is described in verse six: "Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary."

The rebel gods offer chaos and fear. Yahweh offers "strength and beauty." This combination is vital. Strength without beauty is tyranny; beauty without strength is sentimentality. God possesses absolute power (oz) and absolute splendor (tiphereth). His sanctuary is not just a place of religious ritual; it is the command center of a beautiful, orderly universe.

O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.  Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts.  Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him.

Having established Yahweh’s supremacy over the rebel gods, the psalmist now issues a direct summons to the people living under those gods: "O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong."

The phrase "nations of the world" is literally "families of the peoples" (mishpachot ammim). This harkens back to the promise given to Abraham in Genesis Twelve: "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

This is a call for the reunification of the human family. The nations that were scattered at Babel and disinherited are now being called home. They are told to "recognize" (literally, "ascribe" or "give") glory and strength to Yahweh. They are being asked to switch their allegiance. They must stop giving credit to their local, territorial spirits and acknowledge the One True Source of power.

The invitation is liturgical: "Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts."

In the ancient world, you only brought tribute to your suzerain, your king. Bringing an "offering" (minchah) into Yahweh's courts was an act of political and spiritual submission. It meant, "I belong to You now."

The psalmist invites the Gentiles into the very courts of the Temple—a radical concept! He envisions a day when the barriers are removed, and the nations stream to Zion to worship.

The proper response to this invitation is "trembling" (chîl—to writhe or shake). This is not the trembling of a victim before a predator, but the trembling of a creature realizing it stands before the Infinite Creator. It is the awe of realizing that the gods we used to fear are nothing compared to Him.

Tell all the nations, "The Lord reigns!" The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly.  Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!  Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy  before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.

The psalm moves to its climax with the core message we are to carry to the world: "Tell all the nations, 'The Lord reigns!'"

This is the gospel of the Old Testament. Yahweh Malak—The Lord is King. Because He reigns, the cosmic order is secured: "The world stands firm and cannot be shaken." Just as we saw in Psalm Ninety-three, God’s Kingship is the only thing that prevents the universe from dissolving into chaos.

And the hallmark of His reign is justice: "He will judge all peoples fairly."

For the nations who have lived under the corrupt rule of the rebel gods (as described in Psalm Eighty-two, where those gods judged unjustly), this is the best news imaginable. The new King is not a tyrant; He is fair. He brings equity (meysharim). He fixes what is broken.

The reaction to this news is so overwhelming that human voices are not enough. The psalmist calls on the creation itself to join the choir: "Let the heavens be glad... earth rejoice... sea shout... fields burst out... trees sing."

We see a total personification of nature. The "sea," which was once a symbol of chaos and rebellion, is now shouting praise. The "fields" and the "trees" represent the restoration of Edenic abundance.

Why is nature so happy? Because, as Romans Eight tells us, creation has been groaning under the curse, waiting for liberation. When the True King returns, the curse is lifted. The land itself knows its Master.

The reason for this universal joy is repeated for emphasis: "before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth."

In our modern thinking, we often fear the idea of "judgment." But in the Psalms, judgment is something to celebrate. It means putting things right. It means the end of oppression, the end of corruption, and the restoration of truth.

God’s Truth (’ĕmûnâ—faithfulness) is the standard. He will be faithful to His promises to Abraham to bless the nations. He will be faithful to His creation to liberate it from decay. He will be faithful to His own character.

Psalm Ninety-six leaves us with a mandate and a melody.

The mandate is to be Kingdom Heralds. We live in a world that is still confused about who is in charge. People fear political powers, economic forces, and spiritual darkness. Our job is to go into the "families of the peoples" and announce, "Your gods are weak nothings. The Creator is the King. He is coming to set things right."

The melody is the New Song. It is a song that isn't just about my personal comfort, but about cosmic restoration. It is a song that harmonizes with the trees and the oceans. It is the song of a world being reclaimed by Love.

So today, as you walk your trek, look at the world around you—the people, the nations, even the nature in your backyard. Remember that it all belongs to Yahweh. And let your life be a verse in that New Song, proclaiming His salvation day after day.

If you found this podcast insightful, please subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of, ‘Wisdom-Trek,   Creating a Legacy.’

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.   As we take this Trek of life together, let us always: Live Abundantly.   Love Unconditionally.   Listen Intentionally.   Learn Continuously.   Lend to others Generously.   Lead with Integrity.   Leave a Living Legacy Each Day.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, reminding you to’ Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day, Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!

Putnam Church Message – 10/26/2025

 Last week, we continued through the letter of 1 John and explored how to have “A Confident Life: The Supremacy of Love.”

This week, we continue through the letter of 1 John, and we will explore how to have “A Confident Life: Believers, Overcomers, and Witnesses” from 1 John 5:1-12 from the NIV, which is found on page 1903 of your Pew Bibles.

Believers are identified by various titles throughout Scripture. We’re called Christians, disciples, followers, saints, sheep, salt, light, ambassadors for Christ, members of the body of Christ, royal priests, aliens, strangers, servants of Christ, and the people of God, among other titles. Like a jeweler turning a diamond under a bright light, each designation reveals another facet of our character, role, position, or privilege.

Near the end of his letter, John introduces two more titles for believers and also mentions, in this section, the three witnesses who testify in complete agreement regarding God’s Son. All of this will help us deepen our understanding of what it means to be part of God’s forever family. As we arrive at the last two verses in this section, we come to one of the most explicit statements of the gospel found in the entire Word of God.

Approaching the end of his ministry, the apostle John penned the fourth Gospel with an evangelistic purpose: that his readers would believe,/ commit to,/ trust in,/ and rely on the person and work of Jesus Christ/ as their sole means of salvation. When that same apostle, about that same time, wrote 1 John, the assumption was that his readers had already embraced Christ with genuine faith. They believed that Jesus is the God-man, the promised Messiah, who died for their sins and rose from the dead. This faith in Jesus as the Christ (5:1) became the epicenter for a blast wave of spiritual blessings that radiated outward. We see these spiritual blessings in four statements about believers.

First, the believer is “born of God” (5:1). To understand this expression, we need to look at the third chapter of John’s Gospel, when Jesus told Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). Being “born again” means to be “born of the Spirit” (John 3:5–6, 8). Peter reflected on Jesus’ teaching regarding this spiritual new birth when he wrote, in his first letter, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Pet. 1:3). Peter went on to say, “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.” (1 Pet. 1:23).

Second, the born-again believer enters into a loving relationship with the Father (1 Jn. 5:1). As those born again by the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ, we are spiritual children of God, adopted into His forever family. As such, the Spirit within us leads us to love God the Father. In Galatians 4:6, Paul wrote, And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” The Aramaic word Abba is a term of familiar affection for the head of the household. Thus, Paul's use of it emphasizes that we have become God’s children and enjoy an intimate relationship with Him.

Our new relationship as children of God is more than a mere position; it’s also an experience. Not only did God declare us righteous and, as it were, sign the legal documents to call us His children, He also gave us His Spirit to seal our sonship. By virtue of our being in union with Christ and by participating—through adoption—in Christ’s relationship of sonship with the Father, we, too, can call God “Abba” and have a personal, family relationship with God through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:15).

Third, our loving family relationship with the Father leads to a loving family relationship with fellow children of God (1 Jn. 5:1–2a). John says that whoever loves the Father will also love their spiritual siblings (5:1), the fellow “children of God” (5:2). To John, it’s inconceivable that one would abide in a loving family relationship with God the Father as an adopted child and despise their brothers and sisters in Christ, especially since God commanded that we love one another.

Fourth, our loving family relationship with God and one another leads us to obey His commands joyfully (5:2b–3). These commands are nothing more or less than the commands upon which the whole Law hangs.

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37–40)

These two commands go together like two sides of a sheet of paper; without one, it’s impossible to have the other. They are inseparable.

Note that the commands of God are “not burdensome.” The Greek word translated as “burdensome” here is barys. This term is used when Jesus said of the Pharisees, “They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.” (Matt. 23:4). When motivated by a love enabled by the Spirit, the commands of God are not a burden but a joy. They flow from a heart filled with love for the Father and love for His spiritual children.

John begins 5:4 with a connective “for,” meaning “because.” He explains why obedience to God’s commands to love Him and love others is not unbearable or irksome: because the man or woman who is born again “defeats this evil world” (5:4). The verb translated as “defeat” is nikaō, which can also mean “to conquer.” Here John uses it to refer to those who overcome Satan and the world—including its debilitating deceptions and damaging temptations—through the inner work of the Holy Spirit by faith in Christ. He makes this clear in 5:4: “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.”

Notice it isn’t any good work or personal perseverance that overcomes the world, but it’s our faith. Faith in what? In the finished work of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. John makes this abundantly clear, leaving no room for a misunderstanding that we do not overcome the world by even one ounce of our own exerted strength: “And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” (5:5).

The new birth—by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone—removes us from the ranks of the world and places us into God’s family. In that new relationship, which comes solely by grace through faith, we have been given the possibility of keeping God's command to love. We’ve been equipped with an inner enablement. God not only gives us the commands, but He also works in us to observe them by the power of the Holy Spirit. No wonder Paul can exclaim, Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. (Rom. 8:35, 37).

We believe in Christ and have been united with Him. We’ve become children of the same heavenly Father that Jesus Himself called “Abba”! We’re empowered by the same Spirit who empowered Christ throughout His earthly ministry. Yet as John has already made clear in this book, there were false teachers in the first century—as there are in the twenty-first century—who believe blasphemous things about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They doubt the holiness of God. They deny the deity of Christ. They scoff at the idea that Jesus’ death could pay the penalty for our sins. They call the resurrection of Jesus a myth. And they reduce the Holy Spirit to the best of human nature, an inner voice that inspires all of us.  (Bulletin)

Knowing that God’s children will face detractors and deceivers, John turns to Jesus and presents three proofs (witnesses) that verify Christ’s divine role. These are three things John himself witnessed decades earlier. He says that Jesus Christ came “by water and blood” (1 Jn. 5:6). Along with the water and blood, the Spirit Himself testifies, making three things that stand in complete agreement with one another regarding the person and work of Christ— So we have these three witnesses[c]— 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree (5:7–8).

At this point, you may be scratching your head, wondering what he is talking about. Though different people have interpreted “the Spirit and the water and the blood” in various ways, let me suggest what I think are the most likely meanings of John’s language here, and why. The apostle John was, after all, an eyewitness to John the Baptist’s ministry. In fact, I’m convinced that the apostle John was one of the two disciples of John the Baptist mentioned in John 1:35-37, the other being Andrew: The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. 36 As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” 37 When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.

As an original disciple of John the Baptist, the apostle John would have likely been present at Jesus’ baptism just the day before. In any case, he certainly would have heard John the Baptist’s testimony concerning the baptism of Jesus: 32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.[a]” (John 1:32–34). Not only did the Spirit alight upon Jesus at His baptism in a visible form, but the Spirit also continued to work astonishing miracles during Jesus’ ministry. The apostle John, of course, was present for most of these proofs of Jesus’ divine sonship.

So, the apostle John had ample opportunity to hear the Spirit's testimony. But he also witnessed what he calls the testimony of “the water” (1 Jn. 5:6–8). Here again, I believe, is a reference to Jesus’ baptism. But this time, John focuses on a different aspect of that event, as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. When the Spirit descended upon Jesus while He was in the water, And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” (Matt. 3:17). This powerful testimony from heaven—an audible voice from God the Father—would have left a lifelong impact on the apostle John. It’s intriguing to recall that the apostle John was also one of the three handpicked disciples to witness the transfiguration of Jesus But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” (Matt. 17:5). John would have associated the heavenly voice—at the water of baptism and in the cloud on the Mount of Transfiguration—as the unimpeachable testimony of God the Father regarding the divine sonship of Jesus.

This then brings us to the testimony of the “blood” (1 Jn. 5:6–8). I think “blood” here clearly points to Jesus’ death on the cross; this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[a] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. (Matt. 26:28). John was there when Jesus uttered those prophetic words at the Last Supper. He was there, at the cross, when Jesus was crucified (John 19:25–27). And in his Gospel, he emphasized the point that when one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, “immediately blood and water flowed out” (John 19:34-35).

What’s significant about John’s eyewitness testimony concerning the blood and water pouring from Jesus’ side? Remember that at the time of the writing of 1 John, the false teachers known as Docetists had been asserting that Jesus was just a phantom, that He didn’t really have a body; or, if He did have a body of some sort, He didn’t really die. Death would have been unbecoming of a deity. However, the atoning death of Christ is so central to the whole Christian faith that the apostle John underscored the fact that Jesus did, in fact, die a real, physical death: “This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe. [a]” (John 19:35).

Even here, John appeals also to the testimony of the Holy Spirit by referring to Spirit-inspired Scripture fulfilled at the cross: These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,”[a] 37 and “They will look on the one they pierced.”[b] (John 19:36–37). Thus, the testimony of Jesus Himself through His bloody suffering and death proved that He was the long-awaited Messiah who would die for sins.

Not only this, but when Jesus died, the surrounding region also experienced wondrous signs that this was no mere mortal who succumbed to death. A deep darkness fell over the land, a great earthquake shook the region, and the veil of the temple was torn (Matt.

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day two thousand seven hundred forty-three of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

The title of today’s Wisdom-Trek is: The King, The Shepherd, and The Warning – A Trek Through Psalm 95:1-11

Today, we are lacing up our boots to climb a new peak in the Psalter: Psalm Ninety-five. We will cover the entire psalm, verses one through eleven, in the New Living Translation.

In our previous trek through Psalm Ninety-four, we stood in the courtroom of the cosmos. We saw God as the Judge of the Earth and the God of Vengeance, dismantling the "throne of destruction" and promising to wipe out the wicked who oppress the innocent. It was a psalm of justice, a cry for the legal intervention of Heaven.

Psalm Ninety-five shifts the scene dramatically. We move from the courtroom to the Throne Room, and then to the Wilderness. This psalm serves as the grand entrance hymn to the collection of Royal Psalms that celebrate Yahweh's Kingship. It is a psalm of invitation—an invitation to shout, to bow, and, crucially, to listen.

It is structured in two distinct movements: a jubilant call to worship the Supreme King, and a somber, prophetic warning from that same King. It teaches us that true worship is not just about loud songs; it is about a soft heart.

So, let us heed the call and approach the Rock of our Salvation.

Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.  For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.  He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.  The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land.

The psalmist begins with an imperative, a command to the congregation that bursts with energy: "Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation."

We saw in Psalm Ninety-four that God is our "fortress" and "mighty rock" of refuge against the wicked. Now, in response to that protection, the only appropriate reaction is volume. The phrase "shout joyfully" (rûa‘) is the same word used for a war cry or the blast of a trumpet hailing a monarch. We are not mumbling prayers in a corner; we are hailing the Victor.

We approach His presence with "thanksgiving" (tôdâ), bringing an offering of gratitude before we even ask for a thing.

But why is this enthusiasm required? Verse three gives us the theological bedrock of the entire psalm: "For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods."

Here, we must put on our Ancient Israelite worldview lenses. When the modern reader sees "gods" (lowercase 'g'), we often think of stone idols or imaginary characters from mythology. But for the psalmist, and for the ancient world, the elohim (gods) were real, created spiritual beings. They were the members of the heavenly host, the Divine Council.

However, the nations surrounding Israel worshipped these lesser spiritual beings as supreme. They worshipped Baal, Asherah, Chemosh, and others. The psalmist is making a polemical declaration of Yahweh’s absolute supremacy. He is not just "a" god; He is the Great King over the entire spiritual realm. He is the CEO of the cosmos; the unmatched Creator who presides over every other spiritual power. No other entity in the spiritual world rivals Him.

This supremacy is proven by His ownership of the extremes of creation: "He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains."

In ancient cosmology, the "depths of the earth" were mysterious, dangerous places, often associated with the realm of the dead or the foundations of the world that only a deity could access. The "mightiest mountains" (or peaks) were traditionally the dwelling places of the gods (like Mount Zaphon or Olympus).

By claiming that Yahweh holds both in His hands, the psalmist is effectively saying, "From the lowest dungeon to the highest palace of the divine beings, Yahweh owns it all." He is the landlord of reality.

We remember from Psalm Ninety-three that the "Sea" represented chaos and rebellion. Here, the psalmist reminds us that the Sea is not a rival deity; it is merely God's property. He made it. He owns the wet and the dry, the chaos and the order.

This first section establishes the Vertical Axis of worship: we look up to the King who towers over all creation and all spiritual powers.

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,  for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.

Now, the tone shifts. The loud shouting of the war camp turns into the hushed reverence of the throne room. "Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker."

The body language changes from standing and shouting to kneeling and bowing. This is the physical posture of submission. It is an acknowledgment that while He is the "King above all gods," He is also "our maker." This implies intimacy. He fashioned us. We belong to Him by right of creation.

The relationship deepens in verse seven: "for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care."

The Cosmic King is also the Tender Shepherd. In the ancient world, kings were often referred to as "shepherds" of their people, but Yahweh takes this metaphor to a level of personal covenant care. We are the sheep of His hand.

This transitions the psalm from the Vertical Axis (God's power) to the Relational Axis (God's care). It sets us up for the shock of the second half of the psalm. Because He is our Shepherd, and because we are His sheep, the most important thing we can do is listen to His voice.

If only you would listen to his voice today!  The Lord says, "Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness.  For there your ancestors tested and tried me, though they had seen everything I did.  For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, 'They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.'  So in my anger I took an oath: 'They will never enter my place of rest.'"

Suddenly, the singing stops. The voice of the psalmist fades, and the Voice of God breaks through the worship service.

This creates a tension. Worship is not just about expressing our feelings to God; it is about positioning ourselves to hear from God. And what God has to say is a warning: Do not repeat the past.

God reaches back into Israel's history to two infamous locations: Meribah (Quarreling) and Massah (Testing). These events are recorded in Exodus Seventeen and Numbers Twenty. In these places, the Israelites, despite having seen the Red Sea part and the manna fall, accused God of trying to kill them with thirst. They put God on trial.

God says: "For there your ancestors tested and tried me, though they had seen everything I did."

This is the tragedy of a hard heart. A hard heart is not an atheistic heart; the Israelites knew God existed. They saw the miracles! A hard heart is a resistant will. It is an insulation against faith. It is seeing the hand of God but refusing to trust the heart of God. It is demanding that God prove Himself over and over again on our terms.

The consequences of this hardness were catastrophic: "For forty years I was angry with them... So in my anger I took an oath: 'They will never enter my place of rest.'"

To understand the weight of "My Rest" (mĕnûḥâ), we need to look again at the Ancient Israelite worldview. "Rest" does not mean taking a nap. In the ancient world, a god "rested" when he had conquered chaos, established order, and took his seat in his temple to rule.

For Israel, entering God's "Rest" meant entering the Promised Land, the place where Yahweh would rule in their midst. It meant participating in the Kingdom governance of God. It was the restoration of Edenic order.

By swearing that that generation would never enter His rest, God was excluding them from the Kingdom project. They would remain wanderers, disconnected from the place of God's presence and rule. They were disinherited.

Why? Because "They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them."

It wasn't a lack of information; it was a refusal of ways. They wanted God's miracles, but they didn't want God's path.

Psalm Ninety-five leaves us with a sharp edge. It brings us into the church with singing, shouting, and high theology about the King of the Universe. It brings us to our knees in recognition of our Maker. But then, it leaves us with a choice.

"Today"—this very moment—is the decisive moment. The psalmist (and the author of Hebrews in the New Testament, who quotes this extensively) is telling us that the invitation to God's Rest is still open. But the condition for entering that rest is a soft, listening heart.

We cannot worship the "King above all gods" on Sunday and then live with a "Meribah heart"—a heart of quarreling and distrust—on Monday. True worship involves hearing His voice and trusting His character, even when we are in the wilderness.

So, as we trek through life, let us sing loudly to the Rock of our Salvation. Let us bow low before our Maker. But most importantly, let us keep our ears open and our hearts soft. Let us not test the One who holds the depths of the earth in His hands. Let us trust the Shepherd, so that we may enter His Rest.

If you found this podcast insightful, please subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of, ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.   As we take this Trek of life together, let us always: Liv Abundantly.   Love Unconditionally.   Listen Intentionally.   Learn Continuously.   Lend to others Generously.   Lead with Integrity.   Leave a Living Legacy Each Day.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, reminding you to’ Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day,   Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!

 

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2742 of our trek. The purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Today, we continue our journey through the courtroom of the cosmos in Psalm 94, covering the second half of this intense psalm, verses 12-23, in the New Living Translation.

In our previous trek, we stood with the psalmist as he presented his case against the "practical atheists"—the wicked rulers who crush the widow and the orphan, arrogantly claiming, "The Lord isn’t looking." We used the logic of creation—the Eye and the Ear—to dismantle their foolishness. We established that the God of Vengeance is not blind; He is simply waiting for the proper time to shine forth.

Now, in this concluding section, the tone shifts dramatically. The psalmist turns from addressing the wicked fools to addressing the faithful sufferer. He moves from the external problem of evil to the internal solution of divine discipline. He asks a fundamental question: How do we survive while we wait for justice?

The answer lies in the distinction between punishment and instruction. We will see that while the wicked are digging their own graves, God is building a fortress for His people through the hard lessons of life. We will also see a stark confrontation between the corrupt thrones of men and the righteous throne of God.

So, let us settle our hearts and learn why correction is actually a blessing in disguise.

The psalmist begins with a beatitude, a statement of blessing that seems contradictory to our human nature: "Joyful are those you discipline, Lord, those you teach with your instructions."

We usually equate joy with ease, comfort, and the absence of struggle. But here, the psalmist connects joy (’ashrê, or blessedness) directly with discipline (yāsar). This word, yāsar, implies correction, chastisement, and instruction. It is the loving but firm hand of a father guiding his child.

Why is this a cause for joy? Because it signifies relationship. God ignores the wicked for a season, allowing them to pile up guilt, but He actively engages with the righteous. He takes the time to "teach" them from His "instructions"—literally, His Torah, His law. When we go through hardship, if we belong to God, we are not being punished as criminals; we are being educated as sons and daughters.

The purpose of this education is revealed in the next verse: "You give them relief from troubled times until a pit is dug to capture the wicked."

This is a profound insight into the timing of God's justice. There is a "pit" being dug. The destruction of the wicked is certain; it is currently under construction. But digging a pit takes time. While the wicked are busy arrogantly strutting about, unwittingly excavating their own grave, God uses that waiting period to give His people "relief" (šāqaṭ—quietness or rest) through His Word.

The discipline of God settles our hearts. It teaches us patience. It gives us the internal stability to endure the "troubled times" without losing our faith. If we were not disciplined, we might become like the wicked, or we might despair. But God’s instruction keeps us steady while the trap is set.

The psalmist then anchors this stability in the covenant: "The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession."

This language draws deeply from the Ancient Israelite worldview regarding the nations. In Deuteronomy Thirty-two, God disinherited the nations, assigning them to lesser spiritual beings, but He chose Jacob (Israel) as His "special possession" (naḥălâ—inheritance). Even though the world seems chaotic and unjust rulers seem to dominate, Yahweh will never walk away from His portion. He is legally and relationally bound to them.

The result is the eventual restoration of order: "Judgment will again be founded on justice, and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it."

Right now, the legal systems of the world—the "thrones" of men—are often divorced from true justice. But the psalmist promises a return to alignment. There is a day coming when Judgment (mishpat) will return to Righteousness (tsedeq). They will be reunited. And when that happens, the "virtuous hearts"—the upright—will no longer be marginalized; they will follow in the train of that victorious justice.

The psalmist now moves from general theology to intense personal experience. He asks a rhetorical question that highlights his isolation: "Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers?"

He looks around at the human landscape. There are no allies. The courts are corrupt (as we will see in a moment). The rulers are "practical atheists." Society is indifferent. He is alone in the arena.

His conclusion is stark: "Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave."

This is not a poetic exaggeration. He was on the brink of death. The Hebrew phrase for "silence of the grave" is dûmâ—a place of absolute stillness, the silence of Sheol. Without Yahweh’s intervention, the wicked would have silenced him permanently. God was not just a helper; He was the only helper.

He recalls the visceral sensation of falling: "I cried out, 'I am slipping!' but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me."

We have all felt this. The ground gives way. Stability vanishes. It is that stomach-churning moment of losing your balance on a cliff edge. Notice that he didn't have time for a long, theological prayer. He just cried, "I am slipping!" And immediately, God's Unfailing Love (ḥesed)—His covenant loyalty—propped him up. God’s hand is faster than our fall.

The psalmist then addresses the internal battle that accompanies external pressure: "When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer."

The Hebrew word for "doubts" (sar‘appîm) refers to anxious, disquieting thoughts—the kind that branch out and multiply in the middle of the night, keeping you awake with "what-ifs." "What if the wicked win? What if I lose everything?"

In the midst of this mental storm, God provides "comfort" (tanḥûm). But notice the effect of this comfort. It doesn't just calm him down; it gives him "renewed hope and cheer" (literally, "delight"). God doesn't just tranquilize our anxiety; He replaces it with joy.   Even while the pit is being dug for the wicked, and the battle rages, the soul that is "disciplined" by the Lord finds actual delight in His presence.

The psalm concludes by confronting the source of the societal evil: the corrupt government. The psalmist asks: "Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side—leaders whose decrees permit injustice?"

The NLT translates this dynamically, but the literal Hebrew is fascinating: "Can the throne of destruction be allied with You?" (kissē’ hawwôt).

This connects powerfully to the Divine Council worldview.   A "throne" represents authority, governance, and legislation.   In the ancient world, kings claimed to rule as sons of the gods, enacting the will of heaven.   The psalmist is looking at the human rulers who are "framing mischief by statute"—legalizing sin, codifying oppression—and he asks, "Can Yahweh have any fellowship with this throne?"

The answer is an emphatic NO! Just because a government has power does not mean it has God's sanction.   When a throne creates laws that "permit injustice," it becomes a "throne of destruction." It aligns itself with the forces of chaos rather than the Order of Yahweh. It becomes an enemy combatant against the Kingdom of Heaven.

The actions of this corrupt throne are brutal: "They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death." They use the legal system ("condemn") to commit murder. This is the ultimate perversion of the justice God demanded in Psalm 82.

In the face of this legalized evil, where does the believer go? "But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide."

The believer secedes from the "throne of destruction" and takes up citizenship in the Fortress of Yahweh. God is not just a concept; He is a "high tower" (misgāḇ) and a "rock of refuge" (tsûr maḥseh). When the laws of the land turn against the righteous, the presence of God becomes their asylum.

Finally, the psalmist pronounces the sentence. The God of Vengeance (from verse one) shines forth: "God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The Lord our God will destroy them."

This is the principle of lex talionis (divine retribution). God often judges evil by letting it boomerang. He "turns their sins back on them." The pit they dug for the righteous (verse 13) becomes their own grave. The violence they plotted consumes them.

The psalm ends with a definitive, repetitive declaration: "He will destroy them...The Lord our God will destroy them." This is not a wish; it is a prophetic certainty. The "throne of destruction" will be destroyed by the King of Righteousness. The silence they tried to impose on the innocent (verse 17) will become their own eternal silence (verse 23, implied "cut off").

Psalm 94 leaves us with a stark choice. We can align with the "throne of destruction"—the systems of this world that rely on power, arrogance, and the exploitation of the weak—or we can submit to the School of God.

If we choose God, we accept His discipline. We accept the waiting. We accept that we may "slip" and feel anxiety. But in exchange, we get a Fortress. We get Unfailing Love. We get the comfort that brings joy in the midst of sorrow. And ultimately, we get to see the victory of the God who hears, sees, and acts.

If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps!   I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2741 of our Trek.   The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Our current series of Theology Thursday lessons is written by theologian and teacher John Daniels. I have found that his lessons are short, easy to understand, doctrinally sound, and applicable to all who desire to learn more of God’s Word. John’s lessons can be found on his website   theologyinfive.com.   Today’s lesson is titled Pentecost and the Reversal of Babel: Reclaiming the Nations for Yahweh  

The biblical narrative does not unfold randomly—it is a carefully structured drama of rebellion, judgment, and redemption. One of the clearest examples of this pattern occurs between two seemingly distant events: the judgment at the Tower of Babel in Genesis Eleven and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts two. While Babel marked the disinheritance and scattering of the nations due to collective rebellion, Pentecost served as a supernatural reversal of that judgment and the formal beginning of Yahweh’s mission to reclaim the nations under the rule of His Son, Jesus the Messiah.

In Genesis Eleven, mankind, still united by one language and culture, gathered in defiance of God’s command to spread out and fill the earth (Genesis Nine verse 1).   Instead, they sought to build a tower—a ziggurat—that would “reach to the heavens” and make a name for themselves. This act was more than urban planning or architectural ambition; it was a spiritual rebellion. In the Ancient Near East, ziggurats symbolized sacred space, portals between heaven and earth, where humans could manipulate the gods. The Tower of Babel, therefore, represented a counterfeit mountain of assembly—an attempt to storm heaven and force divine presence on human terms.

God responded not by destroying them physically but by confusing their language. This act severed their ability to conspire as one. More significantly, according to Deuteronomy thirty-two verses eight and nine (Dead Sea Scrolls versions), God responded by disinheriting the nations:

When the Most High assigned lands to the nations,

when he divided up the human race,

he established the boundaries of the peoples

according to the number in his heavenly court.

“For the people of Israel belong to the Lord;

Jacob is his special possession.

This passage reveals a profound truth: Yahweh handed over the rebellious nations to lesser divine beings—members of the heavenly host often referred to as the bene elohim. These beings were expected to rule justly, but Psalm 82 shows that they instead oppressed and corrupted the nations under their charge, leading Yahweh to declare their doom. From Babel onward, Yahweh would focus on a single nation—Israel—through whom He would eventually bless all the nations (Genesis twelve verse three).

Fast forward to Acts two. The Jewish feast of Shavuot (Pentecost) had brought devout Jews and proselytes from across the known world to Jerusalem. This was the perfect stage for the next act in Yahweh’s redemptive plan. As the disciples gathered, the Holy Spirit descended like a mighty rushing wind, and tongues of fire appeared over them. They began speaking in other languages—not gibberish, but the real, known languages of the dispersed Jewish and Gentile populations present.

This was not a coincidence. Luke, the author of Acts, intentionally records the nations represented: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, and many more (Acts two verses nine through eleven). These regions directly correspond to the Table of Nations in Genesis ten—a traditional list of the seventy (or seventy-two) nations descended from Noah. The message is clear: the judgment of Babel is being reversed. Instead of humanity ascending to God in pride and being scattered, God descends to humanity in humility and begins the process of regathering.

Pentecost was not just about communication—it was about cosmic authority. Jesus had told His disciples in Matthew twenty-eight verses eighteen and nineteen, Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.   This was a direct claim that the authority once exercised by the gods over the nations (delegated in Deuteronomy thirty-two verse eight and nine) had been stripped from them. Jesus, through His death, resurrection, and ascension, had reclaimed what they had corrupted. Ephesians one verses twenty through twenty-two echoes this, stating that Christ was raised and seated “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,” referring not to human rulers but to spiritual ones.

At Pentecost, empowered by the Spirit, the apostles proclaimed Jesus as Lord, and 3,000 were added to their number. Many of these were likely pilgrims who would return to their nations, bringing with them the seeds of the gospel. This was the beginning of the reclamation—not just of individuals, but of entire people groups that had long been under the sway of rebellious elohim.

Luke, writing Acts, carefully constructs the narrative to reflect this theological truth. When Jesus sends out seventy (some manuscripts say seventy-two) disciples in Luke ten, the number is symbolic. In Jewish tradition, seventy nations were believed to represent the totality of humanity after Babel. The commissioning of the seventy is a symbolic prophetic act—just as the gospel is for all, so is the mission.

This symbolism continues in Acts. The tongues spoken at Pentecost are not random—they are a sign that Yahweh’s Spirit is now moving to undo the divine divorce enacted at Babel. He is gathering a people from every tongue, tribe, and nation to become one in Christ, just as Paul describes in Ephesians two verse fourteen:

To fully appreciate Pentecost’s significance, we must understand it within the Divine Council worldview. Yahweh was not just reclaiming people—He was invading the territory of rival gods. Every conversion was a blow to the authority of the principalities and powers who had ruled those nations since Babel. Paul affirms this in Colossians two verse fifteen, declaring that Christ In this way, he disarmed[a] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

In this context, Pentecost was a declaration of war. Not a war of swords, but of Spirit. The kingdom of God was breaking into enemy territory, and the principalities of the air would fight back. But the victory was already assured. The presence of the Holy Spirit was not only a comforter—it was a sign of the age to come, the beginning of the regathering of Yahweh’s lost inheritance.

Pentecost was not an isolated event; it was the reversal of a cosmic fracture. At Babel, the nations were scattered and handed over to lesser gods in response to their rebellion. At Pentecost, through the power of the risen Messiah, Yahweh began calling those nations back—not through domination, but through the Spirit and the proclamation of the gospel.

The Church is the instrument through which this mission continues. Every time the gospel is proclaimed, every language it is translated into, every heart it reaches is another piece of Babel being undone. The nations that were once disinherited are now being invited back into the family of the Most High.

This is not merely history. It is our task. The reversal of Babel began at Pentecost—and it will be completed at the return of Christ, when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

How does the judgment at Babel connect to the command of the Great Commission?

Why is it significant that people from every nation heard the gospel in their own language at Pentecost?

What role do the spiritual beings (the “gods” of the nations) play in understanding the cosmic significance of Acts 2?

How does Pentecost set the stage for the global mission of the Church?

In what ways is the modern Church continuing the work of reclaiming the nations?     

Join us next time on Theology Thursday, where our lesson will cover Satan Was Not Allotted a Nation

If you found this podcast insightful, please subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek,     Creating a Legacy.’  

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly,   I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:   

I am Guthrie Chamberlain   reminding you to     ’ Keep Moving Forward,’      ‘Enjoy your Journey,’       and ‘Create a Great Day, Everyday!    Join me next time for more daily wisdom!

 

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day two thousand seven hundred forty of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Today, we are stepping into the courtroom of the cosmos as we open Psalm Ninety-four, covering the first half of this intense psalm, verses one through eleven, in the New Living Translation.

In our previous trek through Psalm Ninety-three, we stood in the royal throne room. We heard the triumphant declaration that "The Lord is king!" We saw that He is robed in majesty, stronger than the chaos waters, and that His reign is established from everlasting. It was a psalm of high theology, celebrating God’s absolute sovereignty over the universe.

But today, Psalm Ninety-four drags that high theology down into the gritty, often painful reality of life on earth. It asks the hard question: "If God is King, and if He is mightier than the waves, why do the wicked still crush the innocent?"

This psalm acts as a bridge. It takes the truth of God’s Kingship from Psalm Ninety-three and demands that it be applied to the injustices of the present moment. It is a cry for the King to stop sitting on the throne and to start acting from the throne. It confronts the arrogance of those who live as if God is blind, and it uses profound logic to dismantle their foolishness.

So, let us lace up our boots and walk through this powerful plea for divine justice.

O Lord, the God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth!  Arise, O judge of the earth. Give the proud what they deserve.

The psalmist begins with a title for God that might make modern listeners uncomfortable: "O Lord, the God of vengeance."

We often associate "vengeance" with petty retaliation, uncontrolled anger, or getting even. But in the biblical worldview, and specifically within the Ancient Israelite context, vengeance (neqamah) is a legal and royal term. It refers to restorative justice. It is the act of a legitimate authority stepping in to right a wrong, to punish the guilty, and to vindicate the innocent.

When the psalmist calls God the "God of vengeance," he is not asking God to lose His temper. He is appealing to God’s office as the Supreme Magistrate. He is saying, "God, You are the only one with the authority to fix this broken situation." He repeats it twice for emphasis: "O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth!"

The Hebrew phrase here literally asks God to "shine forth" (yapha). This is theophany language—the language of God appearing in radiant glory to intervene in human history, much like He did at Mount Sinai. The psalmist wants the hidden King of Psalm Ninety-three to become the visible Judge of Psalm Ninety-four.

He cries out: "Arise, O judge of the earth. Give the proud what they deserve."

The command to "Arise" (nasa) is significant. It evokes the imagery of the Divine Council. God is seated on His throne, presiding over the affairs of the nations. When the psalmist asks God to "Arise," he is asking Him to stand up to deliver a verdict. It is a call for action. The target of this judgment is "the proud"—those who have elevated themselves above God's law, thinking they are untouchable.

This opening prayer sets the stage. It is not a cry of personal bitterness; it is a formal appeal to the High Court of Heaven to enforce the law of the universe.

How long, O Lord? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?  How long will they speak with arrogance? How long will these evil people boast?  They crush your people, O Lord, hurting those you claim as your own.  They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans.  "The Lord isn’t looking," they say, "and the God of Jacob doesn’t notice."

The psalmist moves from his appeal to his complaint, asking the perennial question of the suffering believer: "How long, O Lord?"

He sees the wicked, not just succeeding, but gloating. They are speaking with arrogance, pouring out insolence. This is more than just doing bad things; it is a posture of absolute defiance. They boast in their ability to do harm.

The psalmist then presents the evidence of their crimes, and notices who the victims are: "They crush your people, O Lord... They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans."

In the Ancient Near East, and specifically in the Torah, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner were the most vulnerable classes of people. They had no natural protectors—no husband, no father, no clan to defend them. God declared Himself to be their personal Defender. By attacking these specific groups, the wicked are not just committing murder; they are attacking the very people God has pledged to protect. They are violating the heart of God's covenant law.

But their crime goes deeper than violence. It is rooted in a profound theological error. Verse seven exposes their mindset: "The Lord isn’t looking," they say, "and the God of Jacob doesn’t notice."

This is practical atheism. They don't necessarily deny that Yahweh exists; they deny that He is involved. They view God as a distant, disinterested deity who is either too busy, too far away, or too weak to care about what happens in the dark corners of the earth. They believe they have autonomy—that they can act without consequence because the Divine Judge is absent from the bench.

This reflects the corruption of the Divine Council worldview we saw in Psalm Eighty-two. There, the lesser elohim (spiritual beings) and their human counterparts failed to judge justly. Here, these wicked human rulers have adopted that same corrupt mindset, believing they are unaccountable. They think the God of Jacob—the covenant God—has checked out.

Think again, you fools! When will you understand?  Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?  Does he who instructs the nations not punish? Does he who teaches people knowledge not know?  The Lord knows people’s thoughts; he knows they are worthless!

Now, the psalmist turns his attention directly to these arrogant oppressors. He assumes the role of a wisdom teacher, dismantling their bad theology with ironclad logic. He calls them "fools" (ba‘ar), which implies a brutish, animal-like stupidity. He asks, "When will you understand?"

He then launches into one of the earliest and most powerful teleological arguments (arguments from design) in Scripture: "Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?"

You have an ear. It was designed to capture sound. Who designed it? The Creator. Is it logical to assume that the Creator possesses less capability than the creature He made? Can the One who invented the concept of "hearing" be deaf? Can the One who engineered the complexity of the "eye" be blind?

The psalmist is arguing from the lesser to the greater. If humans, who are merely created beings, have the capacity to perceive reality, how much more does the Source of all reality perceive? The idea that God "doesn't notice" (verse seven) is philosophically absurd. It violates the law of cause and effect. You cannot give what you do not possess. Since God gave us sight, He must possess ultimate Sight. He is the All-Seeing Eye and the All-Hearing Ear.

The argument then shifts from biology to history and governance: "Does he who instructs the nations not punish? Does he who teaches people knowledge not know?"

This touches on the Divine Council worldview again. God is the one who "instructs the nations." Even though the nations were disinherited at Babel (Deuteronomy Thirty-two: eight), God remains the ultimate disciplinarian of all peoples. History is full of examples where God brought judgment on corrupt nations. The psalmist asks: If God actively disciplines entire nations, do you really think He will let you—a mere individual—get away with murder?

Furthermore, God is the source of all human "knowledge." Every thought, every concept of justice, every bit of reasoning power we have comes from Him. Therefore, it is impossible for Him to be ignorant.

The section concludes with a crushing verdict on human arrogance: "The Lord knows people’s thoughts; he knows they are worthless!"

The wicked think they are clever. They devise "crafty schemes" (as we saw in Psalm Eighty-three). They think their plan to oppress the widow and the orphan is brilliant strategy. But God looks at their inner thoughts and dismisses them as "worthless" (hebel).

This word hebel is the same word used throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, often translated as "vanity" or "vapor." It means something fleeting, insubstantial, and ultimately empty. The "deep thoughts" of the wicked, their plans to evade justice, their atheistic philosophies—in the eyes of the Eternal King of Psalm Ninety-three, they are nothing but a puff of smoke.

God is not intimidated by their intellect; He is not blinded by their secrecy. He knows their thoughts before they even think them.

This first half of Psalm Ninety-four serves as a wake-up call. It establishes that the problem of evil is not a problem of God's ability, but of His timing. The wicked may prosper for a season, and they may delude themselves into thinking God is blind, but the logic of creation proves otherwise. The God who made the eye sees every act of oppression. The God who made the ear hears every cry of the widow. And the God of Vengeance is preparing to shine forth.

 

If you found this podcast insightful, please subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.   As we take this Trek of life together, let us always: Live Abundantly.   Love Unconditionally.   Listen Intentionally.   Learn Continuously.   Lend to others Generously.   Lead with Integrity.   Leave a Living Legacy Each Day.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, reminding you to’ Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!

Putnam Church Message – 10/19/2025

Last week, we continued through the letter of 1 John and explored how to have “A Discerning Life: Distinguishing Truth from Error.”

This week, we continue through the letter of 1 John, and we will explore how to have “A Confident Life: The Supremacy of Love” from 1 John 4:7-21 from the NIV, which is found on page 1902 of your Pew Bibles.

If I were to say, “Turn to the ‘love chapter’ in the New Testament,” most people would probably flip straight to 1 Corinthians 13. That “ode to love” has earned the honorific title “Love Chapter” for a reason. Its thirteen verses mention agapē eight times. And its poetic description of selfless love is fit for framing:

8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[a] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! (1 Cor. 13:4–8)

However, without detracting from the beauty and power of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians, let me suggest that a far stronger case can be made for a different passage of Scripture earning the title “Love Chapter”—the fourth chapter of 1 John. The noun “love” (agapē) and the verb “to love” (agapaō) appear a combined twenty-seven times in 1 JOHN 4:7-21 alone. No other chapter in the Bible comes close to such a direct and sustained emphasis on love.

This Christlike, self-sacrificial, others-focused love transformed the apostle John’s life. In the Gospel of John, he referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26; 21:7, 20). This self-identification wasn’t a way of pointing out how great he was to earn Christ’s love, not with this kind of love. Rather, I think John couldn’t stop marveling that Jesus would express such unconditional, selfless love to anyone, particularly him. John viewed himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved, not because of who he was, but in spite of it.

This jaw-dropping wonder at the love of God fuels John’s “love chapter” in 1 JOHN 4:7-21. This is the third time in this letter that John touches on the subject of loving one another (2:7–10; 3:11–18). But in this passage, he builds his strongest case for the central place of love in the Christian life.

As a congregation grows in size and significance and its leadership passes from the passionate founders to the next generation, one of the first things to suffer is not sound doctrine, solid preaching, or the priority of evangelism. One of the first things to wane is love (see Rev. 2:4). Already in John’s day, only a generation after the gospel of Jesus Christ went forth from Jerusalem and churches were established throughout the Roman world, the love of the brethren had begun to cool.

Apparently, the problem of a weakening love for one another had become so acute that John saw fit to repeat his appeal to love several times in his letter and to highlight, underscore, and circle it in chapter 4. He begins this section with a straightforward but gentle command, one he’s written before: “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another” (1 Jn. 4:7; see 2:10; 3:11, 23). In the next handful of verses, he’ll say it two more times (4:11, 12). This wasn’t the mindless repetition of an old man teetering at the brink of senility. He said it over and over again because his readers needed to hear it over and over again. Clearly, their lackluster love broke John’s heart.

To urge his readers to take seriously the command to “love one another,” John provides three reasons for his imperative: a theological reason (4:7–10), a reciprocal reason (4:11), and a practical reason (4:12).

A theological reason for loving one another (4:7–10). John begins his persuasive apologetic for loving one another by pointing to the nature of God and its implications for our intimate union with Him. “Love comes from God” (4:7), and “God is love” (4:8). Self-giving, other-centered agapē love is God’s very nature. It’s the essence of His person. When we know Him personally through the new birth and are indwelt by the Spirit, we are in union with Him. Since this is true—we are in God and He is in us—then the same loving character of God should flow through us.

John touches on the negative aspect of this truth in 4:8. But anyone who does not love does not know God because love is of the very essence of God’s character—“God is love.” If a hose is connected to a water supply, water will flow through the hose. If a wire is connected to an electrical source, power will flow through the wire. If a branch of a tree is connected to the root and trunk system, the sap of the tree will flow through the branch. And if a man or woman is genuinely connected to the loving Father, through the Son, by the indwelling Spirit, the love of God will flow through his or her life toward others.

John takes the theological reason further in 4:9–10, focusing on the ultimate expression of God’s agapē love: Jesus Christ. God’s love was made clear, visible, and observable among us when God sent His only Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Through Him we have complete forgiveness and eternal life. God didn’t have to do this. After all, we hadn’t earned it, and He didn’t owe it to us as a reward. Instead, the act of sending His Son as our Savior was purely by grace—selfless, sacrificial, other-centered love. Jesus Himself said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13). Jesus did precisely that, according to the plan and purpose of God the Father.

The theological reason for loving one another is that other-focused love is of the very essence of God, which He demonstrated clearly by sending Jesus Christ to earth to die for the sins of undeserving sinners (John 3:16).

A reciprocal reason for loving one another (1 Jn. 4:11). To “reciprocate” means to return a favor—if somebody scratches your back, you should scratch theirs; if somebody treats you to a meal, you should treat them back. But in the divine economy, reciprocation for God’s loving, gracious actions toward us can’t be paid back to God. He doesn’t need anything from us, and we couldn’t think, feel, say, or do anything that would benefit Him in any way. When it comes to personally responding to God’s love shown to us through Christ, God desires not that we “pay it back,” but that we “pay it forward.”

What a clear picture of the absolute other-centeredness of God’s love! He shows unconditional love toward us and, in return, expects us to direct unconditional love toward others. How contrary to typical human nature, driven by a karmic approach to life in which “one good turn deserves another.” God’s will that we reciprocate His love by loving others isn’t karma—it’s grace! It topples the whole basis of spiritual manipulation, pagan magic, and religious rituals in which we must do something for God to get something from Him. The reciprocal reason for loving one another turns the worldly quid pro quo approach to the spiritual life on its head and makes God’s recipients of love a conduit for His grace.

A practical reason for loving one another (4:12). This isn’t the first time John has asserted that “no one has seen God at any time.” He affirmed the same thing in his Gospel: “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God,[a] is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” (John 1:18). John’s point in the Gospel is this: Had Jesus not manifested God to people, God the Father’s character would have remained hidden in abstraction. The coming of Christ revealed the invisible things of God, even though the divine nature itself cannot be observed by physical eyes.

But in 1 John 4:12, John adds another way—besides the coming of Christ—that God reveals His character to the world: “No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. The term translated “full expression or perfected” in 4:12 (and later in 4:17) is teleioō, which means “complete, bring to an end, finish, accomplish.” The love of God is brought to fruition in us and is brought to its intended purpose when we love one another. And this “full expression or perfected” love reveals God to the world.

The apostle John was one of the few people who saw, heard, and even touched the incarnate God-man, Jesus (1:1). Since the second century, no one alive has encountered Jesus like that. We read the accounts of those who had, and we believe in Him, but we can’t experience Him physically in the same way. This fact makes this second means of revealing God’s character so important today. Because we can’t see, hear, and handle the incarnate Son of God, the only evidence of God’s character/as love on earth/ is the Christlike love of believers—God’s love flowing through them. God has chosen to abide in us and work out His will through us, and in the process, we become more like Christ. We become the visible messengers of the invisible, loving God.

Considering Christ’s unparalleled example of selfless love and the high calling to be extensions of God’s perfect love in the world, it would be natural for us to throw our hands in the air and say, “What? I surrender! Nobody can live up to that kind of love but Christ alone!”

Perfect. You’re just where you need to be. That attitude of surrender is where John leads us in 4:13-16. On our own, we are entirely unable to manifest this kind of love. But God hasn’t left us on our own. When we trusted Christ, God gave us the third member of the Trinity to indwell us and empower us. The Holy Spirit enlightens our minds to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ; He also opens our hearts and empowers our wills to accept it.

But the Spirit doesn’t stop there. The permanent presence of the Holy Spirit, who unites us to the life of God, continues to enable us to confess Jesus as the Son of God (4:15). This same Spirit who unites us to the life of God also unites us to the love of God, so that we’re not only recipients of His love but also conduits of His love (4:16). In 4:17, John makes it clear: And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. By what? By God abiding in us through the personal, permanent presence of the Holy Spirit. In short, we’re not left on our own to live up to the love of God in our own strength. In fact, that would be utterly impossible. We must never forget that in our flesh—our fallen condition with its sinful tendencies—we can’t produce the kind of agapē love that God manifests. However, this love is one aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, who abides in every believer (Gal. 5:22–23). He will work in us to fulfill God’s command to love one another.

Baptizing into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13)

Regenerating for life (John 6:63; 2 Cor. 3:6)

Sealing for redemption (Eph. 1:13–14)

Indwelling for relationship (John 14:16–17; 1 Cor. 6:19)

Filling for transformation (Eph. 5:18–21)

Empowering for obedience (Gal. 5:22–23; Phil. 2:12–13)

We’ve already seen that the term “Full Expression or perfected” in 1 John 4:12, and here in 4:17, means to bring something to its intended purpose. The love of God is somehow made complete in us when we express that love toward one another by the power of the Holy Spirit. When this love grows to maturity in our lives and we love one another more and more, several things happen.

First, we can face him with confidence (4:17). Because we reflect His character in the world and thus demonstrate the genuineness of our relationship with Him, we have “confidence in the day of judgment.” This promise echoes what John said earlier in 2:28: “remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.” One day each of us must give an account to God (Rom. 14:12). This isn’t a trial to determine whether we have earned eternal life but an evaluation of our fruitfulness to determine our reward in Christ’s kingdom (1 Cor. 3:10–15). We who are saved and indwelled by the Spirit do not need to fear the coming of Christ. If we are loving one another by His power, we should long for His return with confidence.

Second, we are free from fear of punishment (1 Jn. 4:18). When we have a mature love of fellow Christians, there should be no fear in our lives. As light instantly drives out darkness, the life that flows with the love of God casts out fear. But the opposite is also true: If a person dwells in fear of hell, fear of the return of Christ, or fear of God’s wrath or punishment, that person either doesn’t have a saving knowledge of Christ or has wandered far from walking in the light.

Third, we continue to grow in our love for one another (4:19–21). Why do we love? “Because He loved us first.” It’s not the other way around. As Paul wrote, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Rom. 5:8). God took the initiative. His love came first. Our love is a response to His, is enabled by His Spirit, and is modeled by the example of Christ. This means that as we grow in Christlikeness, we will also grow in our love for one another.

Can a person truly love God but harbor hatred for their brother or sister in Christ? Is it possible to truly receive the vertical love of God through salvation and reciprocate that love vertically, directing all of our attention and affection heavenward? This is the supreme goal of the mystic—to ascend into the heights of the love of God personally, privately, and profoundly; to be lost, as it were, in an indescribable experience of loving God and being loved by Him. In that kind of vertical pursuit, the horizontal things of this world—even the people of this world—are a distraction from loving God.

The apostle John completely rules out this kind of mystical, personal, private love of God that ignores, neglects, rejects, or hates a brother or sister in Christ (1 Jn. 4:20). Such a person who “hates his brother” while claiming to love God “is a liar.” The reason? The brother or sister in Christ right before our eyes should be the first, natural object of our mercy, grace, charity, affection, and unconditional love. God is