# 52 2021 Dev. Psalm 128:1. The Blessing! Read all of Psalm 128 first. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 128:1 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”

Intro. Ps. 120-137 is a series of Psalms that include 15 “songs of ascent.” Songs of ascent were sung at the temple by the Priests walking up the 15 steps entering the sanctuary, also sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for the three feasts required, Pentecost, Passover and Tabernacles, as well as during the return from Babylon back to Jerusalem.

Psalm 128 is a two stanza psalm of ascent and speaks to the very essence of our lives on earth. Songs of ascents are the anticipation of worship in the congregations but they shape individual worship as well.

V.1 Begs the question, how are we blessed and what does that mean for us personally? Answer: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.” Blessings come by worship, blessings come by radical faith and by absolute obedience to God.

V.2 Blessings mean; “You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” The importance of work and the result of work is highlighted. Does that mean one will be rich? No, not necessarily, but our needs will be met. It is good to remember David’s prayer, (paraphrased) “Lord don’t bless me so much that I forget about you, give me enough so that I do not need to steal.” I believe that those who live that prayer; by keeping just enough for themselves and giving away the excess are the happiest people in the world.

V.3 Next the Psalmist moves to the other half of our lives; “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house. Your children will be like olive shoots…” Here we look to the Epilogue of Proverbs: “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” Read the rest (Proverbs 31: 10-31.) Amen! God blessed me with a wife like that.

V.4 “Yes, this will be the blessings for the man who fears the Lord”The Psalmist confirms the blessings given to men and women who fear the Lord. He might as well be talking to Joseph and Mary here; he is not but they are included just as we are as followers of Jesus.

V.5-6 Here the Psalmist pronounces a blessing on all who read this Psalm and practice the precepts of the Lord. It is a Christmas Blessing; The blessing of Jesus who joined us in our humanity as a child born in Israel, bringing great joy, peace on earth, salvation for all who believe and call on His Name and live the life the Psalmist calls us to live. We also send this blessing in this Christmas season from our house to yours, Amen and Amen.

 © cgvanwyk, all rights reserved

# 51 2021 Dev. Revelation 10:8. God’s Word! Read all of chapter ten first. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Revelation 10:8 “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel…”

Intro. This vision that John sees is put into the words of men so that those who believe will understand by the power of the Holy Spirit. What is being described here is from eternity to eternity. God, who is outside of time, operates in the eternal present, represents to us what is about to happen in time, as long as time lasts.

In Rev.10 we have another interlude, this comes right after the Ch.9 evaluation of the judgments of the 5^th and 6^th trumpet. These judgments / tribulations / plagues, cover all of history, including the plague we are in now. The evaluation is: no impact on the actions of men, no repentance but an increase of wrong doing. Many people are seeing that today. Also, read Ezek. 2- 3:3 to put Rev.10 into a clearer light.

 Vs. 1-4 “Than I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven” he has a rainbow above him, there is a rainbow around the throne of God and speaks of the faithfulness, compassion and grace of God to His people as we see it in the time of Noah and what we celebrate at this time of the year. He is described much like Christ in Ch.1 but he is a different being. He is huge, he stands on the land and the sea, his authority covers all of God’s creation.  “He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand.” It is open, not like the scroll in Ch.5 but open, as if it has been already revealed. He roared like a lion and “the voices of the seven thunders spoke.” John wanted to write it down but he is prevented from writing it.

Vs.5-7 The powerful angel “raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever,” the creator of of all things including the universe. ‘There will be no more delay! The mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.’” The mystery of God has moved throughout the Old Test. time and is revealed in the New Test. Paul speaks of the mystery of God: Rom. 16: 25-27, Eph. 3:1-6 and Col. 1:26,27 Quoted here (²⁶ the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. ²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.) Since the fall, God’s intention is to reconcile all creation to himself. But only those who believe and have faith will be reconciled to God. Praise Him!

V.8 The voice said to John: “Go, take the scroll…” John obeys and moves to the angel to ask him for the Word of God. The Word of God is what makes a follower of Jesus, that is our standard, our guide, and our mandate, the true unadulterated Word of God. Not defiled by the pressure of the world, the world does not interpret the Word but rebels against that standard and wants to make it according to its own image.

 Vs.9-11 “So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll.  He said to me, ‘take it and eat it.” He wanted John, and us, who love the Word, to do more than read, but to become one with it, to devour it daily, that it may be an integral part of our daily living. John ate the scroll it was “as sweet as honey.” The Gospel is sweet, it revives the soul, it sets us free from sin, it heals us spiritually, it brings our lives back to God. “but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.” John is told to “prophesy again about many people, nations, languages and kings.” That is the church’s mandate and the mandate of all who follow Jesus. What about that sour stomach? That is the persecution that comes from speaking and living God’s truth. That has been going on since Cain and Abel and will continue until the end of time. But God is good, he saves His people and brings us into His presence and says: “well done, good and faithful servant, come and share your master’s happiness!” Praise the Lord!

© cgvanwyk, all rights reserved.

# 50 2021 Dev. Psalm 127:3. A Reward! Read all of Psalm 127 first. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 127:3 “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”

Intro. Ps. 120-137 is a series of Psalms that include 15 “songs of ascent.” Songs of ascent were sung at the temple by the Priests walking up the 15 steps entering the sanctuary, also sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for the three feasts required, Pentecost, Passover and Tabernacles, as well as during the return from Babylon back to Jerusalem.

Psalm 127 is a two stanza, (vs.1,2 and vs.3-5) “song of ascents. Of Solomon.” Not all commentators accept Solomon as the author. The Psalm is closely connected to Ps.128 in structure and theme.

V.1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” Houses built without the fear of God will never be a home: prayer, peace, love, hope, joy, forgiveness, kindness, respect and Salvation finish a real home.  

“Unless the Lord watches over the city the guards stand watch in vain.” Is that true? Are we not seeing that today? You decide. Take a look at cities that have defunded the police, or where the prosecutors do not prosecute. The guards (the system of justice and the police) “stand watch in vain.” Innocent people suffer!

V.2 “In vain you rise early and stay up late toiling for food to eat…” This has never been more true for people with small businesses today. No free and democratic country will survive for long in these conditions.  “for he (God) grants sleep to those he loves.”  See footnote a. (for while they sleep he provides for) God loves those who seek Him!

V.3 “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” Children are a gift from God and grand children are a double gift from God.

V.4 “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.” The Psalmist here uses a metaphor of a well armed soldier. Children are a family’s strength. 

V.5 “Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” An upright man with upright children find favor in the eyes of God in every situation. Children are a gift from God, sadly not everyone receives that gift and only God can tell you why not. But if you have that gift, thank God everyday and make every effort to keep children close to Jesus. Amen  

© cgvanwyk, all rights reserved

# 49 2021 Dev. Revelation 9:20. Bad News! Read all of chapter nine first. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Revelation 9: 20“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands…”

Intro. This vision that John sees is put into the words of men so that those who believe will understand by the power of the Holy Spirit. What is being described here is from eternity to eternity. God, who is outside of time, operates in the eternal present, represents to us what is about to happen in time, as long as time lasts.

We need to go back a bit; Chapter 8 brings us to the trumpet blasts of the first four angels but three more trumpet blast are coming. Where the first four blasts harmed the earth, the next three blasts are directed at people; “Woe! Woe! Woe! To the inhabitants of the earth,” All the judgments we now are reading about are not a one-time event. Like the sealing of God’s people that covers all of God’s people from the beginning of time to the end of time; judgments in Revelation follow that truth and are executed over all of human history.

Chapter 9 begins a higher level of judgment, “the fifth angel sounded his trumpet and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.” Who or what is this star? It is the same being Jesus saw falling from heaven, Satan (Lk.10:18).

He does not have free reign; he is given a key; it is important for us to know that God is in control. He opens the abyss, smoke and fumes billow out hanging over the earth blocking the sun. “Out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like the scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” There are limits on what they could do and only for five months. What is the meaning of all this? The abyss represents hell presently, the smoke is the power of deception, delusion, of sin and moral darkness, that Satan brings upon the earth from the fall to this day.  The locusts are symbols for all the evil of hell in this world. I have seen locust blocking out the sun and devour a large area of forest near our house in Africa, overwhelming to the point of helplessness and hopelessness. Scorpion bites, only one, is painful and lasts for three days. I can’t imagine multiple bites. The description of the beings is hellish, they have animal and human men and female features, they symbolize demons, fallen angels and they have a leader over them named, Destroyer. Beginning with the fall, Satan is hell bent on destroying God’s creation but they are not allowed to touch God’s people, only if God allows it.

V.19-13 “The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God.” The voice said; ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’” God is following His plan, “the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.” A huge number of mounted troops are mentioned. Again, there is a hellish description of the horses and riders. This is a description of all war; we have already experienced terrible wars and with the huge stock piles of nuclear and conventional weapons the destruction of future wars will increase. When the world is at war all people suffer including God’s people.  In the past peoples east of the Euphrates river were considered evil and godless. They have played a large role in God’s punishment of His people and they have been punished accordingly. In our time how can we forget the atrocities inflicted on the people of the middle east that continues to this day.

Vs.20-21 is a reflection on these events, and it is a reflection on current events as well. “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent. The current plague we are in right now is part of God’s warning to us. Yet, people are not listening, lawlessness has increased, immorality is rampant. Do we really think we will get on top of this virus with all the discord, disunity, racial hatred, disrespect and selfishness that now defines our country, our world? I think not! Yet, God is in control, He will take care of his people. “In this world you will have trouble, Jesus said, but do not despair, I have overcome the world.” Thank you Lord Jesus!   

 © cgvanwyk, all rights reserved.

# 47 2021 Dev. Revelation 8:1. Silence! Read all of chapter eight first. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Revelation 8:1 “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

Intro. This vision that John sees is put into the words of men so that those who believe will understand by the power of the Holy Spirit. What is being described here is from eternity to eternity. God, who is outside of time, operates in the eternal present, represents to us what is about to happen in time, as long as time lasts.

We need to go back a bit; Chapter 6 brings us to the end of the world; “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” (Rev.6:15-17) We now expect the beginning of judgment, but no, chapter 7 shows us the sealing of all of God’s children from the beginning of time to the end of time.

Chapter 8 is the beginning of judgment; the seventh seal is opened and there is a great calm, silence, where before we saw constant praise and worship. God’s answer to Habakkuk 2:20 “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” It is the quiet before the storm but the stillness has a purpose. We see seven angels, standing before the throne of God, mentioned only here in all of scripture, are given trumpets, ready to blow the warning of the judgments of God. But not yet, there appears another angel holding a golden censer standing at the altar. “He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne.” This is a vision of all the prayers of God’s people from the beginning of time up to the end of time. Prayers, validated by the Atonement of Jesus and the Intercession of Jesus, that is the meaning of the incense. After the offering the angel fills the censer with coals from the altar and hurls it on the earth, “causing peals of thunder, flashes of lighting and an earthquake,” as if God begins to answer some of the prayers of the saints. Particularly, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true… ” Rev. 6:9-11.

The first trumpet is sounded, “hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up”. This covers all of time. Fires we have experienced, is it the result of climate change, or is it a lack of forest management, or is it a warning about the beginning judgment of God? You choose.

The second trumpet is sounded, “and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea.” A third of the water is polluted, a third of the sea creatures died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. Think about all the damage to shipping and coastal areas by great storms, think about depletion of whales, tuna and other species, think about all the plastic and oil polluting our oceans. Climate change, or the result of greed and over fishing, and / or a warning from God?

The third trumpet is sounded, “and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water – the name of the star is Wormwood”. Many people died. Who or what is this star? Luke 10:18, Jesus says: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” The pollution of the water on earth (rivers) is due to greed, lack of awareness about lead, PFAS, or name the chemicals, but it is all rooted in the evil brought on by the subtle influence of the evil one. Even so, God is warning us.

The fourth trumpet is sounded, a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, Jesus gives us the signs of the end of time Matt. 24:29 ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’” We are seeing the beginnings of those signs, the sun, moon and stars are darkened by the air pollution of many major cities, or blocked out by huge fires, it is caused by man, by greed, by disregard for God’s creation but all this is a warning from God.

Is there any hope? Yes, there is! The first 4 trumpets are a warning; full judgment is not yet poured out. There is opportunity to change, to repent, to turn back to God. For the followers of Jesus, we know that God is in control, we have been sealed, Rev. 7. God is answering our prayers, there will be persecution, but our spiritual life is with God from the day we believed into eternity. Praise the Lord!  

 © cgvanwyk, all rights reserved.

# 46 2021 Dev. Psalm 125:4. Do Good! Read all of Psalm 125 first. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 125:4 “Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart.”

Intro. Ps. 120-137 is a series of Psalms that include 15 “songs of ascent.” Songs of ascent were sung at the temple by the Priests walking up the 15 steps entering the sanctuary, also sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for the three feasts required, Pentecost, Passover and Tabernacles, as well as during the return from Babylon back to Jerusalem.

Psalm 125 is a liturgical praise song of ascent praising God for His care in the past, in the day, and into eternity. Mount Zion is a physical mountain.  The name may have been used for the Jebusite stronghold in the city of Salam (Melchizedek Gen. 14) that became Jerusalem when David made it it his city. The name Zion depicted three different locations in Jerusalem in the past, but today, Mount Zion means the Western mount, the site of Solomon’s temple.   

Vs.1-2 “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion…” While only the retaining wall is preserved from Solomon’s Temple, Mount Zion is a spiritual reference to God Most High. According to Melchizedek: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.” Hence, “which cannot be shaken but endures forever”. We are surrounded by the Mountain’s of Zion so to speak.We are safe, fully protected today and forever

V.3 “The scepter (rule) of the wicked will not remain…” Who are the wicked? Well, liars, thieves, murderers, adulterers, some of which are leaders, but wickedness is subtler today; miss information, ignoring the negative effect of poor decisions, breaking promises, denying justice, bringing false witness, secret agendas, and collusion with the enemy.  That kind of rule must not remain, “for the righteous might use their hands to do evil.” That is what we are seeing right now, murders are out of control, thieves are immediately released only to do it again and again, people, normally law abiding are breaking the law. Evil rulers and evil rules brings evil upon the land. 

 Vs.4-5 is an appeal to God Almighty; “Lord, do good to those who are good”.Many people want to do good, are they good? Not necessarily, it depends on the motivation; seeking praise, recognition, or tax breaks may not be good. The Psalmist qualifies it, “to those who are upright in heart”, whose hearts are with God, with Jesus.

Verse 5 is revealing; the psalmist is talking about those formerly righteous. But that only happens with willful disregard for God’s law, some of which are the righteous laws of the land (Rm. 13) and of course, if there is no repentance. We end with a prayer, Lord may your peace be upon us and upon our land, amen!

© cgvanwyk, all rights reserve

# 45 2021 Dev. Revelation 7:10. Uncountable! Read all of chapter seven first. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Revelation 7:10 “And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”

Intro. This vision that John sees is put into the words of men so that those who believe will understand by the power of the Holy Spirit. What is being described here is from eternity to eternity. God, who is outside of time, operates in the eternal present, represents to us what is about to happen in time, as long as time lasts.

At the end of Ch. 6 we have the impression that the Great Judgment is emminent, but no, not yet. Rev. 7 gives us a different vision, a vision of comfort, a vision of victory, a vision of God’s calling and love for His people.

We see four angels holding back the four winds, “at the four corners” as the world was understood in the day. The four horsemen (God’s judgments) were held back as well, there was to be a seal placed on the forehead of the servants of God. Today we see baptism as a sign and seal of forgiveness and God’s grace by His Holy Spirit. 144,000 sealed, that is not a literal number, v. 9 tells us that 144,000 are the “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne…”

But why the tribes of Israel? God’s intention in calling Abraham was to impact all people, that is clear from God’s Covenant with him, “I will make you a great nation” offspring like the “sand of the sea, like the stars in the sky and through     you and your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,” (Gen. 26:14). All believers are children of Abraham. Some tribes are not mentioned, Ephraim, one of Joseph sons, but Manasseh is included as well as Joseph not normally considered a tribe. Also, Dan is not included. There is a lot of speculation, like Ephraim was instrumental in the two and ten tribal split which may be a reason and like Jacob’s blessing and prophecy on Dan as on Jacob’s other sons (Gen.49). But there is no consensus.

The question arises what is the timeline of this vision? Since this is before the judgment the indication is before the beginning of time. That is in line with Eph 1:3-4 ; Rm 8: 28-30 God operates outside of time but He created time moving linearly to a predetermined conclusion that is highlighted in Ch.7. Living in our world today, it sometimes seems to be coming to the end of time, more than likely not yet, no one knows. But vs.15 gives us great comfort, God is in control and those who follow Jesus are heading for His presence, spiritually and eventually physically. V.16 those who suffered hunger and thirst, lack of shelter and suffered scorching heat will no longer suffer under persecution. V.17 Our Shepherd, Jesus, ‘will lead them (us) to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear (out of) from their (our) eyes,’ spiritually now but physically in eternity. Amen and Amen

 © cgvanwyk, all rights reserved.

# 45 2021 Dev. Revelation 7:10. Uncountable! Read all of chapter seven first. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Revelation 7:10 “And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”

Intro. This vision that John sees is put into the words of men so that those who believe will understand by the power of the Holy Spirit. What is being described here is from eternity to eternity. God, who is outside of time, operates in the eternal present, represents to us what is about to happen in time, as long as time lasts.

At the end of Ch. 6 we have the impression that the Great Judgment is emminent, but no, not yet. Rev. 7 gives us a different vision, a vision of comfort, a vision of victory, a vision of God’s calling and love for His people.

We see four angels holding back the four winds, “at the four corners” as the world was understood in the day. The four horsemen (God’s judgments) were held back as well, there was to be a seal placed on the forehead of the servants of God. Today we see baptism as a sign and seal of forgiveness and God’s grace by His Holy Spirit. 144,000 sealed, that is not a literal number, v. 9 tells us that 144,000 are the “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne…”

But why the tribes of Israel? God’s intention in calling Abraham was to impact all people, that is clear from God’s Covenant with him, “I will make you a great nation” offspring like the “sand of the sea, like the stars in the sky and through     you and your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,” (Gen. 26:14). All believers are children of Abraham. Some tribes are not mentioned, Ephraim, one of Joseph sons, but Manasseh is included as well as Joseph not normally considered a tribe. Also, Dan is not included. There is a lot of speculation, like Ephraim was instrumental in the two and ten tribal split which may be a reason and like Jacob’s blessing and prophecy on Dan as on Jacob’s other sons (Gen.49). But there is no consensus.

The question arises what is the timeline of this vision? Since this is before the judgment the indication is before the beginning of time. That is in line with Rm. 8:28-30 and Eph.1:3-4. God operates outside of time but He created time moving linearly to a predetermined conclusion that is highlighted in Ch.7. Living in our world today, it sometimes seems to be coming to the end of time, more than likely not yet, no one knows. But vs.15 gives us great comfort, God is in control and those who follow Jesus are heading for His presence, spiritually and eventually physically. V.16 those who suffered hunger and thirst, lack of shelter and suffered scorching heat will no longer suffer under persecution. V.17 Our Shepherd, Jesus, ‘will lead them (us) to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear (out of) from their (our) eyes,’ spiritually now but physically in eternity. Amen and Amen

 © cgvanwyk, all rights reserved.