Lord’s Day, Vol. 3 No. 24

Delight in the Sabbath

Psalm 92 is a psalm or song for the Sabbath. The praise of God is the theme. Aptly stated in verse 1, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High.”

The psalmist experienced the abiding presence and unfailing care of God. He gave thanks unto God, sang praises with a solemn sound (v1-3). He set the Sabbath day as a day of joyful rest and worship.

There was a believer who shared about the struggles life when he asked this question, “What comes from human when God is not in his life? The answer is, “Worry”.

He asked another question, “What comes from God for it is impossible for human to manufacture it? “Wisdom”.

Finally, he asked, “And what is it that brings wisdom and dispels worry?” The answer is, “Worship”.

There he concluded his assessment of the blessed Christian life when he said, ‘Let nothing alarms you…nothing from yesterday’s past, today’s present, or tomorrow’s future, when the Lord is your Saviour whom you worship.”

A Christian brother gave this testimony before he went home to be with the Lord several years ago. He said, “Before I become a Christian, I worked 7 days a week with no rest. But after I come to know Jesus, I do not work on the Lord’s Day but go to church to remember Jesus. And his friend said to him, “So foolish, you will lose one day of income.” He testified, “But the Lord blessed me and I earn more in the six days than in the seven days I used to work.”

When Israel was in the wilderness, God gave them a double portion of manna on the sixth day so that on the seventh day, they need not go out to gather food. This is the same God, our Lord Jesus, whom we worship! He was faithful then, He is faithful now.

Come personally with your testimony of the LORD’S goodness in your life, to remember what God has done for you (v4-5). A foolish man, the man described as brutish (v6), is one who does not know God and therefore has no spiritual understanding.

Come despite opposition (v7-11). The hymn writer Isaac Watts gave a good summary when he wrote.

When as the grass the wicked grow,

When sinners flourish here below,

Then is there endless ruin nigh,

But Thou, O Lord, art throned on high;

Thy foes shall fall before Thy might,

The wicked shall be put to flight.

Man in the world seems to go about with his busyness, keeping God out of his mind, until God arrest his attention. You may recall the 2010 volcanic eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland that caused enormous disruption to air travel across Europe in April 2010. About 20 countries closed their airspace to commercial jet traffic and it affected some 10 million travellers.

The godless and self-sufficient man will not flourish! The word “iniquity” (v7) is from the root word “crooked”, describing a crooked life. The wicked and workers of iniquity are as fleeting grass that would soon perish.

Verse 10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. 

The “exalting of the horn” speaks of God’s favour in a believer’s life. The horn is a symbol of power and strength. The believer thrives with God’s help while the ungodly is cut off. The unicorn or ox is prized for its great strength.

The anointing of oil is the spiritual refreshment that God gives to His people, to speed them along the pilgrim journey.

Come and be richly blessed of God (v12-15). When we are faithful in observing the Lord’s Day, He will bless us in ways we cannot imagine. Here we are speaking of spiritual blessings though it does not preclude physical blessings. We shall bring forth spiritual fruit even in old age – love, joy, peace…(Gal. 5:22-23), we shall be spiritually healthy and prospering.

The blessings of God’s children who honour Him by setting aside the Lord’s Day for spiritual and physical rest and worship are heavenly treasures. May God’s people delight in the weekly Sabbath even as we look towards the eternal Sabbath where we will forever be with the LORD in eternal rest!

Yours lovingly,

Pr. Lek Aik Wee