Daily Lesson for Wednesday 31st of January 2024

Psalms 77:1-20 begins with a plea to God for help that is filled with lament and painful remembering of the past (Psalms 77:1-6). The psalmist’s whole being is mournfully turned to God. He refuses to be comforted by any relief except the one coming from God.

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However, remembering God appears to intensify his anguish. “When I remember God, I moan” (Psalms 77:3, ESV). Hebrew hamah, “moan,” often depicts the roar of raging waters (Psalms 46:3). Similarly, the psalmist’s whole being is in a state of intense unrest.

How can remembering God produce such strong feelings of distress? A series of troubling questions betray the cause of his anguish (Psalms 77:7-9): Has God changed? Can God possibly betray His covenant?

The stark contrast between God’s saving acts in the past and God’s apparent absence in the present causes the psalmist to feel abandoned by God. If God has changed, then the psalmist has no hope, a conclusion that he struggles to reject.

Meanwhile, the psalmist cannot sleep because the Lord keeps him awake (Psalms 77:4). This recalls other biblical characters whose insomnia was providentially used by God to advance His purposes (Genesis 41:1-8, Esther 6:1, Daniel 2:1-3). The long sleepless night causes the psalmist to consider the Lord’s past acts of deliverance but with new resolve (Psalms 77:5,10).

The assurance that the psalmist receives from God does not consist of explanations about his personal situation but rather a confirmation of God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness (like Job). The psalmist is encouraged to wait on the Lord in faith, knowing that He is the same God who performed miracles in Israel’s past (Psalms 77:11-18). The psalmist also realizes that “Your footsteps were not known” (Psalms 77:19, NKJV), recognizing God’s guidance, even in situations in which His presence is not obvious to human eyes. The psalmist acknowledges that God is simultaneously revealed and hidden, and so, he offers praise to the Lord’s mysterious and sovereign ways.

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The post Wednesday: Has His Promise Failed Forevermore? appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-05-has-his-promise-failed-forevermore/