History repeats itself

September 16, 2009

History repeats itself

Psalm 95

Sonja McCuen

Central Truth

In the first half of this psalm we are urged to praise God and worship Him. At Watermark we call it "making God more famous." The second half shifts to a warning against disobedience from the same God we are admonished to worship.

"For forty years I was continually disgusted with that generation, and I said, 'These people desire to go astray; they do not obey my commands.'" (Psalm 95:10)

Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
8     do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

Isn't it amazing? A people God chose for himself and promised to multiply and bless are described as "a people whose hearts go astray, and [who] have not known my ways." (Psalm 95:10, NIV)

They have not known God's ways? Are you kidding? These were the same people who heard God's promises passed down through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. They had seen a staff turned into a serpent and water from the Nile River turned to blood. Not only did they miraculously leave the oppression of Egypt, but they were given clothes for their children and treasures from the Egyptian people. They didn't know God's ways? Hmmm. . . .

Wait a minute. Before I get too self-righteous, I must stop to think. How am I doing at obeying God's commands? I was raised in the same rich traditions of faith as the Israelites. I have seen God resurrect countless marriages, including mine. I was completely surprised when God gave three children to our family after Matt and I painfully waited three years for the first to arrive. Just as the Israelites, I have seen God show up many times in hopeless situations.

And yet I continually fail to obey His commands as I make selfish choices to satisfy my desires over the needs of my family. I pridefully believe that my solution is the answer to a friend's problem. Or I neglect meaningful time in God's Word and prayer.

Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey my commandments." (John 14:15) Isn't that what God was saying in Psalm 95? Even though we have seen God show up in big ways in our lives and the lives of others, we disobey clear commands of Scripture.

What a blessing when the Holy Spirit reveals my failures and gives me the opportunity to live life differently. I am in the same boat as the Israelites—stiff-necked. It's humbling to acknowledge.

Head-bowing, knee-dropping humility is exactly the posture God would have me take in order to love Him well and serve others.

1. God included the story of the Israelites in the Bible for our instruction. Will we learn from their mistakes, or must we learn for ourselves? Will we be a generation of history repeating itself?

2. How are we doing at loving God? Are we obeying all the commandments we are aware of?

3. Are we loving our neighbor as much as we love ourselves?