Today’s Reading: Psalm 60-62, Romans 5
Today’s Reflection: Psalm 60:4 Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
Any time you see the word “Selah”, it likely indicates a pause or suspension in the musical construct of the original Psalm for the purpose of emphasizing or accenting its meaning. By doing so, the music is designed to lift up or exalt the truth being presented therein.
Having said that, look with me at what the Psalmist is emphasizing by instruction of the Holy Spirit in our selected text today. “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.” I love this passage, and particularly this verse, because banners are designed to STAND OUT against a vastly contrasting backdrop for sake of grabbing the attention of the onlookers.
The backdrop of Psalm 60 starts out in verse one speaking of how God had cast off His people, and scattered them because He was displeased with them. It said in verse two that He had made the earth to tremble, broken it, and that it was shaking and in need of healing. In verse three, it said that God had shown His people hard things, and had made them to drink the wine of astonishment.
Essentially, you might say that God had put His people in time out because of their mis-behavior and had undoubtedly gotten their attention to the degree that they were beginning to pray and ask Him to heal them again. It is with THIS backdrop that those who feared God were given a banner, “that it may be displayed because of the truth.”
In other words, God allowed the Earth around His people to get very dark and surreal, in order that those who had the TRUTH (the answers as to what was happening, why it was happening, and what could be done in proper response) could lift their banners of truth. Then the contrast of the banner against the backdrop of the darkness would be so vastly different that the banner would be seen clearly by all looking to it.
Does this sound familiar to you today? The world in which we live is growing ever darker around us, seemingly by the day. However, those that fear The Lord, have the TRUTH to declare to the world!! And what is that banner? Solomon said that “his banner over me was love.” The TRUTH is, the only hope for this world is found in the Love of God shed abroad through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Wave His banner high today!
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Floodgates of Heaven
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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill
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