The Only Person Able to Solve the Problem
Psalm 96:1-9[1]
1Sing
to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2Sing
to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among
all peoples. 4For great is the LORD and most worthy of
praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 5For all the gods
of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. 6Splendor
and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the
LORD glory and strength. 8Ascribe to the LORD the glory due
his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9Worship
the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the
earth.
Background[2]
King David used this psalm when he brought the Ark of
the Covenant into Jerusalem. This ceremony gave the Jews help in
remembering their past. After David died, his son Solomon built a temple
for the Ark. This became the house of God in Jerusalem. Then the Jews
kept the Ark in the temple. But 400 years later enemies destroyed the
temple. After 70 years, the Jews built it again. They changed the psalm
a bit, to the psalm as we know it. This psalm was used it in their new
temple. David's original psalm is in 1 Chronicles 16:23-33.
Bible Truths
verses 1 - 3, the *LORD's people must tell everybody about him.
God’s people
agree (or made a covenant) to love him, work for him and obey him. So,
LORD is the Covenant Name of God. But, in verses 1 and 3, "all the
world" and "every nation" must sing to the LORD. A nation is a country
with a government. This means that some people from every country have
agreed to love, work for and obey him. "He has made us safe", in verse
2, tell us about the date of the psalm. Bible students suggest three
dates:
1) after David made his country safe, about 1000 B.C.
2) in the time of Isaiah, after Assyria failed to destroy Jerusalem,
about 700 B.C.
3) after the exile, when the *Jews came home from Babylon, about 500
B.C.
The exile was when the Babylonians took the Jews away from Judah. They
took them to Babylon. They were there from 606-536 B.C. B.C. means
"years Before Christ came to the earth". Most Bible students think that
David wrote the psalm, but that someone re-wrote it (changed it) after
the exile. In verse 3, "wonderful things" are things that surprise us.
They make us think, "How did God do that?"
verses 4 - 6, the *LORD is greater than all the gods of the earth.
There are many gods in the world, but they are all false gods. Isaiah
tells us that men "make a god", (Isaiah 44:15). There is only one God
who really is alive, "the LORD (that) made everything", verse 5. Men did
not make him; he made men! Verses 4-6 tell more about God. They tell us
that:
1) he is great, so we should praise him. "Praise him" means "tell him
that he is great".
2) we need not be afraid of other gods, but we should be afraid of God.
3) he is a great king.
This is why the psalm is "a royal psalm”
4) he is strong and powerful.
5) he is
also beautiful. God’s house, the temple, was beautiful. This made people
think that God was beautiful also. The same is true in many of our
churches. Because they are beautiful, they make us remember that God is
beautiful. But God will still be beautiful when there are no more church
buildings!
verses 7 - 9, everyone on earth must say that the LORD is great.
The "families of *nations" in verse 7 makes us think that all people are
as one big family. This is true because God made everybody. But the
psalmist does not mean this. He means that all the people that love,
work for and obey God are as one big family.
Items for Discussion
·
Why do
you think that mankind always tries to create a god as an idol, a
physical thing?
·
Do you
think that mankind has a “built in sense” that there is a God?
·
When
given a choice, some people choose to believe in something dead, others
something alive - why?
·
What do
you think is the big draw toward idolatry?
·
Where do
you see the “family of God” alive and well in our world?
·
How does
idolatry impact that “family of God”?
·
What
proof do you see that we have a “living God?”
Luke
7:1-10
1When
Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he
entered Capernaum. 2There a centurion's servant, whom his
master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3The
centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking
him to come and heal his servant. 4When they came to Jesus,
they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this,
5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue."
6So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when
the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself,
for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is
why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the
word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man
under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he
goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do
this,' and he does it." 9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed
at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I
have not found such great faith even in Israel." 10Then the
men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
Background
The
Roman infantry, centurions initially commanded a
centuria
or "century", which means company or tribe. Centuries, or Centuriae,
developed from the Roman Tribal system could contain anywhere from 80 to
100 men. Later, generals further manipulated these numbers with double
and half-strength units.
Centurions would gradually rise in seniority, commanding centuries with
higher precedence, until commanding the senior century and therefore the
entire military unit called a cohort. The very best centurions were then
promoted to become centurions in the First Cohort, called
Primi Ordines,
commanding one of the ten centuries and also taking on a staff role. The
most senior centurion of the legion was the Primus Pilus who commanded
the first century. All centurions, however senior, had their own
allocated century or group of men.
Centurions had to be literate, have connections (letters of
recommendation), be at least 30 years of age, and had already served a
few years in the military. The centurion in the infantry was chosen for
his size, strength and dexterity in throwing his missile weapons and for
his skill in the use of his sword and shield; in short for his
expertness in all the exercises. He was to be vigilant, temperate,
active and read to execute the orders he receives rather than to talk or
question those orders; Strict in exercising and keeping up proper
discipline among his soldiers, in obliging them to appear clean and
well-dressed and to have their arms constantly rubbed and bright.
The centurion was the best of the best.
Biblical Truths
In
Jesus' time the Jews hated the Romans because they represented
everything they stood against -- including foreign domination and pagan
beliefs and practices. The question we study is why did Jesus not only
warmly receive a Roman centurion but praise him as a model of faith and
confidence in God? In the Roman world the position of centurion was very
important. He was an officer in charge of a hundred soldiers.
In a certain sense, he was the backbone of the Roman army, the cement
which held the army together.
The
centurion who approached Jesus was not only courageous, but faith-filled
as well. He risked the ridicule of his peers by seeking help from
an itinerant preacher from Galilee, and well as mockery from the Jews.
Nonetheless, he approached Jesus with confidence and humility. He
was an extraordinary man because he loved his slave. In the Roman
world slaves were treated more like animals rather than people. The
centurion was also an extraordinary man of faith. He wanted Jesus
to heal his beloved slave. Jesus commends him for his faith and
immediately grants him his request.
Items for Discussion
-
What is faith?
-
How do you see the centurion’s skills as a soldier helping him in
his faith walk?
-
Why are peoples so unwilling to suffer ridiculing in the practice of
their faith?
-
What do you think the impact was on others who observed this?
The slave, the centurion’s troops, bystanders?
-
Based on this story, how would you describe bravery?
-
If we have faith and believe in a “living God” then why are so many
people reluctant to seek help from Him?
Discussion Challenge
-
How do we help our congregation and families approach Jesus as the
centurion did?
[1]
NIV New International Version Translations