Year 8, Day 223: Psalms 87-88

Theological Commentary: Click Here

These psalms focus on the relationship between God and His people.  Start with the more obvious psalm, Psalm 88.  Here we have another psalm about a man who feels persecution and is struggling to find a way out.  Here we have a man calling out to God not just for salvation but for relent.  The psalmist feels as though God has joined the attack against him.

There is a powerful thought to make are it remains in us.  God is for is people, not against us.  If we are truly walking with the Lord, we shouldn’t think that He is against us!  God does not walk away from us.  God will allow us to feel the consequences of our own actions, but He will not walk away from us.  He is always there for us.  We simply need to turn to Him.

Now look to Psalm 87.  At first, this psalm appears to be about a profound love for Jerusalem.  Naturally, it is that.  But there is a subplot in this short psalm that is important to catch.  While the psalm is focused on Jerusalem, we get to see who it is that knows Jerusalem.  Who are the ones considered to be born there?

Notice how much time the psalmist spends speaking about non-Hebrews.  Rahab is mentioned.  Babylon is mentioned!  Phylistia, Tyre, and Cush are mentioned.  These nations draw a pretty large circle around the Hebrew nations.

There is a very simple lesson here.  The people who know God are defined by their heart, not their biology.  God’s people are claimed by Him because their heart is inclined to Him, not because they live in a geographic boundary.  As Christians, this is our position, too.  Is the status of a person’s heart, not the status of their citizenship, that matters most.

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