Feb 9
What Day Is It?
we
will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day…..What day?
Is the psalmist talking about Sunday, or the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday)
or the day the cornerstone was laid in Ezra 3:10 or another day?
Ezr 3:10 And when the builders laid the foundation
of the
temple of the LORD,…
11 And they sang
together by course in praising and
giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is
good,
for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel.
And all the people shouted
with a great shout,
when they praised the LORD, because the
foundation of the
house of the LORD was laid.
In Ezra 3:11 the phrase “for his
mercy endureth forever” is found in the first 4 verses and also in the last
verse of psalm 118. There would have been great rejoicing, joy unspeakable, and
unrestrained thanksgiving for that day when the temple was being rebuilt.
But this is the last of the Psalms that make up the Hallel. The Hallel usually included Psalms
115-118. It was sung for Feasts, the
Passover and other times of Victory and celebration. See Ezra 3:11 above to note they sang in
courses. One group would sing a phrase and the other would respond. You can
almost hear the response “…and his mercy endureth forever…” I have been in a
church where one side of the congregation would read part of a verse and the
other side would answer back. One of the
most obvious things in these psalms is they are Messianic. They contain
language that would apply to the Messiah. (Christ) If you have time browse
through these Psalms and note the prophetic utterances.
I like to think of everyday as a day the
Lord has made with a special emphasis on Sunday. This Sunday as my wife and I sat at the table
and listed prayer requests we became so aware of God’s mercy and grace to us
that we could not think of anything we needed. All we could think of was how
blessed we were. I admit we did not shout or bang on cymbals as in Ezra’s day
but we were pretty thankful none the less. It was a reminder to us that we
needed to be that thankful every day.
There have been Sundays I was not so thankful. When I mechanically went
through the motions of getting ready for church, mindlessly singing hymns I
knew by heart and using the preaching time to organize my thoughts, the only fleeting joy I had was that the
service had ended. Shame on me!
Other Sundays were wonderful, joyful times. What made the difference?
Me! When I had prepared my heart prior
to the service, asked God for a blessing, and meditated on the words in the
hymns I discovered the preacher delivered a better message. Or perhaps I was
more receptive having prepared myself. Oh, one other thing I do now. When I
hear someone say “Well I didn’t get much from that service” I am reminded we
should be going to church to give, not get. A worship service is just that. We
go to give worship. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Oh dear! I hope no one goes to
get worship! “People will really notice
my new dress” (Do women still wear
dresses to church?) “When I sing my solo
they are going to just love it” Etc. I
think you get the idea. If we go with the idea of getting praise instead of giving praise we
will often leave empty handed. But if we
do our best to give God the worship He deserves we will get a blessing.
Years ago I prepared my heart for several days prior to the Sunday
services. I specifically asked God to give me a blessing. I was filled with
expectation about what blessing God had in store for me. Just as I entered the
auditorium I was asked to help out in children’s church. Disappointment filled my mind. I had so
wanted a blessing, but now would have to wait until next Sunday. During prayer time a very young boy asked for
pray for his knee. “Why should we pray for your knee” the director asked. “Because it hurts!” The simplicity of his answer was my blessing.
His childlike faith reminded me that God’s simple truths can fill our hearts
with more joy than the deepest doctrinal study. That was a day that I
rejoiced and was glad in it.
Dear friend, why do you go to
church? Is it because you always go and
it is a habit. Some people never go to
church. They stay home for exactly the
same reason you go. It has become a
habit for both of you. Now going to
church is a good habit unless you do what I used to do; mindlessly sing hymns
and mentally escape during the sermon.
Let us daily rejoice that God has given us another day. Let us rejoice
and be glad in it. When you prepare your
heart, attend church so you can give
worship and meditate on what is sung and said, you will not be able to do
anything less than to tell people “This is a good day” Happiness really is a choice.
This is the day
which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
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