ReEngage Devotional | day 2
God’s Kingship in Justice
Psalm 146:1-10
“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The LORD will reign forever, your God O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!”
A while back, I (Alex) was on a trip to the Netherlands where I made a friend who was willing to talk with me about almost anything, including religion. His family was Muslim but he did not believe in their faith, and he was curious but non-committal about Christianity (which I very openly commended to him). Because of this, we would often have conversations about the differences between those two belief systems as we talked about all the topics of life, from friendship to education to art to politics.
In fact, while I was on that trip there was an election in the Netherlands which my friend thought went poorly. One day as we were walking through his neighborhood, he told me something like, “People put a lot of their hope in the government today, but it seems like we’re in a cycle. When someone new is elected, they may make positive changes, but it doesn’t ultimately seem to fix the underlying problems we have in our world; and even with the improvements, other things still get worse. Does the Bible say anything about this?” This was a golden opportunity! But I don’t follow politics very closely, and certainly didn’t know anything helpful about the Dutch government. However, by God’s grace, Psalm 146 came to mind.
Psalm 146 is, in one sense, a political song. Yet, it is not like many chants or anthems behind which people rally, in our day: rather than championing a party or cause, the focus of the psalm is how God is in control, greater than, and working his good plan in all these things. The psalmist says, “Put not your trust in princes:” we might also rephrase, “Do not place hope in politicians,” or “Do not rest your confidence in institutions.” These things can be good, and can be used by God to produce great results for positive change in the world. We are also told that we should submit to the government (Rom. 13). However, our ultimate hope, not only for salvation but also for justice, is in God’s sovereignty over the world. So, rather than saying “Join this cause!” or “Sign this petition!”, in hopes that they can be our saviors, Psalm 146 urges us to look toward God, who has already won and established his good and mighty rule over all the earth. Praise him for his eternity, his compassion and support, his sovereignty, his healing, his mercy, his righteous justice!
Pray to God about the psalm and reflect on the following questions:
1 - Verse 3 says, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.” In America, we do not live under a human sovereign, but it is still easy for us sinfully to place hope for salvation in other sources.
What is the reason that v. 4 describes for not putting our trust in princes?
What do you think our culture trusts in, rather than God, for fulfillment, purpose, happiness, salvation?
What are you tempted to trust in rather than God? Why is that a temptation for you?
2 - Pray and repent from placing faith in other things, and pray for opportunities this semester to remind yourself and others that God is the only one who is worth our ultimate trust.
3 - Human governments ultimately will fail when it comes to the provisions in verses 5-9, but this psalm says that God does them all perfectly and “will reign forever” (v. 10)!
Which concepts in verses 5-9 stand out to you the most?
What is an example in Scripture of how God does those things?
Have you seen examples in your life, or heard stories from others’, about God doing these things in our day?
4 - Pray to God in reflection on this psalm. Ask for strength from his Spirit to trust him when:
(v. 7) you are “oppressed” or a “prisoner” - because He “executes justice” for you!
(v. 8) you are physically unwell or “bowed down” - because He “lifts [you] up”!
(v. 9) you are a “sojourner” or alone and unsupported - because He “watches over” and “upholds” you!