Julie
God is once again telling them that he has done all of these things for them, bringing them out of Egypt and saving them comes up a few times in this reading. He is still reminding them of what is to come for them if they continue down their current path, all the while trying to show them that he had made them promises if they chose to follow him.
A righteous man will be taken care of by God and will receive that that God has for him.
Michelle
It sounds like God is asking the people why they keep turning from him, when all he has done is keep his promises and given the people someone to lead them. Yet they are never pleased, and he tells them what they are to do. He says the Lord requires of you to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
The devotional says something that stands out. It says to picture God as the judge in a courtroom and his people are on trial. The charges are that they have turned away from him and forgotten his merciful help in the past and taken his blessing for granted. The people are asking if there is a way to find favor with God thru sacrifice or offerings. But it says they are just trying to pacify him, and God sees their heart and knows they are not genuine in their repentance. That the sacrifices are an attempt to replace approaching God honestly. That last line is moving.
The end of this book had me thinking that people keep doing wrong because they know God will forgive them and restore them. They turn away because they know they can come back. Instead of just sticking it out. It's like they get a free pass for all the bad things they have done. It actually saddened me as I was reading the end of this book.
This psalm is about praise to God for all the little things we forget to praise him for. The devotional reminds us to praise God daily for everything, quite literally. The last paragraph says it all really. "Have you thanked God for gravity lately? For clouds that shade you from the summer sun, provide the rain and glow in sunrise? For your eyes, your nose, your ears? For giving humankind the ability to create penicillin, the electric light, the telephone, the means of preserving food? For loving you enough to claim you as his child? For watching over you even when you are busy or distracted and you forget him? For protecting you and giving you purpose and hope? Make your own checklist. He is worthy of your praise."
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