Bless the LORD!

"Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!"

Psalm 103:1

Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD, and all who know Him ought to bless Him.  What does this mean, to bless the LORD?  The word "bless" means to kneel, to bless God in adoration, to salute, praise and thank.  The U.S. military has many regulations around saluting and an article reads,  "All military enlisted personnel in uniform are required to salute when they meet and recognize a commissioned or warrant officer."  It is important therefore enlisted personnel in uniform learn and recognise the different ranks and when, how and who to extend a hand salute to show due respect.  Not being a member of the military I am largely ignorant of the traditions and decorum around saluting, but children of God ought not to be ignorant on how to bless the LORD who created, saves and reigns supreme over all.

We bless God by recognising who He is, the living God whom we serve.  Another aspect of blessing God is recalling and saying out loud the wondrous things He has done for others and ourselves.  When a dignitary is introduced in a public assembly, their name, title and accomplishments are rehearsed before all the attendees so they will bestow the honour of listening attentively with respect:  how much more ought we to speak of the goodness and greatness of God in public and private?  The speaker or honoured guest being introduced does not need reminding of their position or accomplishments, but the introduction is necessary because many of the listeners remain in the dark.  We bless the LORD, not to remind God of why He is worthy or to make Him proud (for He is without pride), because it is we who need reminding and the re-alignment of our perspective by faith in who He is, what He has promised and all He has done.

Psalm 103 gives us an example of what blessing the LORD looks like.  David continued in Psalm 103:2-12, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: ³ Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, ⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, ⁵ Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. ⁶ The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. ⁷ He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. ⁸  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. ⁹ He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. ¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

We are quick to ask God for blessing, whether it be a meal or the works of our hands:  are we quick to bless the LORD?  Reading Nehemiah 9:5-6 this morning prompted me to consider this question myself:  "And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: "Stand up and bless the LORD your God forever and ever! "Blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! ⁶ You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You."  Though God has put us at ease by His grace, love and mercy, let us never neglect His worthiness to be worshiped, praised and blessed.  He has been good to mankind as the Bible testifies, and He has been good to us as well.  Let us bless the LORD so today we will remember His goodness and benefits.

The Spiritual Priority

There are many things parents want for their children because they care about their development and future.  Whilst all people are different and parenting styles are unique, children are raised according to what the parents believe is most important.  For instance, some parents require children to sit at the table during set mealtimes to eat food together.  Parents who are fine to eat dinner separately, with one child on the lounge watching TV and another a device in their bedroom, can be strict about going to bed at a particular hour.  Some parents carefully monitor the diets of their children or their internet browsing, and others make a strong emphasis on education and preparation for life away from the family home.  And in many cases, the cliche rings true that there is more "caught than taught," as kids quickly pick up on structure their parents will adhere to without fail and is not open for debate.

For me growing up, going to school was not optional:  it was something I was required to do and held responsible by my parents to take seriously.  Going to church was also something we did as a family that was non-negotiable, for my parents believed hearing God's word and being in Christian fellowship was as important as eating nutritious food for our growing bodies.  Today I read a passage in the book of Nehemiah that shows the emphasis my parents had on our relationship with God was embraced long before Jesus came to the earth in Nehemiah 8:2-3:  "So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. ³ Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law."  The reading of the Law of Moses was for men, women and "all who could hear with understanding."  This does not mean to hear the Law one needed to be a university student or lawyer, but included children who knew the difference between "Yes" and "No."  Those who returned to Jerusalem after the captivity and rebuilt the wall of the city knew the importance of everyone hearing God's word, for He would hold them all accountable to do it:  according to their level of understanding, God holds man responsible.  Willful ignorance of God's law is no defense, just like ignorance of the law does not make a guilty man innocent.

This is a good example for parents who love the LORD, to lead by example in drawing near to hear the word of God for the purpose of walking in light of it.  Is not godliness profitable in this life and that which is to come for eternity?  If we will emphasise the importance of eating vegetables and avoiding too many sugary treats, if we will make our children go to bed at a set hour, to engage in education, to say "Please and "Thank You," how much more important is the spiritual guidance and wisdom from God who has given us life?  Since we do care about our children, the health of their bodies, the development of their minds and their future, why not model for them lives lived in submission to God?  Every parent has the God-given responsibility to prioritise what is most important, and for those who have tasted and seen that God is good our call is to direct them to hear Him.

Parents play an influential role in a child deciding to follow Jesus into adulthood.  Let us not imagine that without the reading and hearing of scripture Nehemiah 8:6 would have happened by itself without the knowledge of God from His word:  "And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. Then all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground."  If our aim is to bless the LORD and have our children do likewise, we ought to do what we can to introduce them to God when they can first understand.  If a child understands how to use an electronic device and be occupied with it, I believe they can be taught to hear and treasure God and His word.  We expect our children to pay attention in class, and they ought to listen to God too.  It is for parents to prioritise the spiritual well-being of their children as well as their physical health and development.  May it be our children will say, "Amen, Amen!" in response to hearing the word of God rather than seeing "Amen" as a rote conclusion to prayer so we can be done waiting and finally eat.

The LORD is God

One aspect of God I love is that nothing is hard for Him.  In fact, He intentionally stacks all the odds against Himself so there is no doubt He is the only One who could be responsible for miraculously doing the impossible.  For instance when it came time for Elijah to offer a sacrifice to God on Mt. Carmel, before he prayed for God to send fire from heaven he commanded the wood and sacrifice be drenched with water and to fill a trench around it.  When the fire of God fell in response to Elijah's prayer, it consumed the offering and even licked up the water that was in the trench.  Everyone who witnessed the event shouted, "The LORD, He is God!" and fell on their faces in worship.  The God who created the natural laws we perceive and understand, and what we know in part helps us define what is truly miraculous.  Hezekiah saw it as a little thing for the shadow of the sundial to go down 10 degrees, so he requested God made the sundial return backward 10 degrees (2 Kings 20:11).  It was nothing for God to heal Hezekiah of a deadly illness or to make the sun and earth obey His command.  God is the LORD of all.

After God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt with mighty plagues and wonders, He caused them to pass through the Red Sea unharmed while the army of Egypt was drowned and overthrown.  When it came time to cross the Jordan into Canaan, it was the season when the river flooded its banks--not a time any sensible person would think of crossing it with their little ones and livestock.  But this is exactly when God led His people into the land, and their safe passage was not only proof of His power and protection but a promise of His future deliverance.  Joshua 3:9-13 says, "So Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God." ¹⁰ And Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: ¹¹ behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. ¹² Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. ¹³ And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap."  And that is exactly what happened:  the children of Israel passed over on dry ground in the time of harvest, and God did not fail in driving out the enemies of Israel before them.

Jesus did many things which showed God indeed was among men as Nicodemus the Pharisee said, "No one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Him" (John 3:2).  It is true God was with Jesus, yet it would be much more accurate to say based on all evidence provided and the testimony of God's word that Jesus is God.  Many times during His time on earth Jesus claimed to be equal to God the Father, drawing the ire of the Jewish religious leaders.  When they asked Jesus for a sign after He just healed a man with a withered hand and delivered a man from a demon who rendered him blind and dumb, Matthew 12:39-40, "But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."  Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead, buried and decomposing before raising him to life, and after being crucified Jesus rose from the dead three days later.  His resurrection, in addition to proving His identity and power, reveals He is able to forgive sins and grant eternal life to all who trust in Him.  Admiring Jesus in worship--who does what only God can do--may we declare, "The LORD, He is God!"

The Earnest Servant

I'm always drawn to Nehemiah's description of Baruch when the walls and gates of Jerusalem were being repaired in the KJV rendering of Nehemiah 3:20:  "After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other piece, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest."  The NKJV uses "carefully" instead of "earnestly," and "earnestly" seems to better convey the zeal Baruch demonstrated in his efforts.  Of all the workers, Baruch is the only one where an adverb was used to describe how he worked and thus clearly stood out.  The Hebrew word "hara" is only translated "earnestly" on this one occasion, and the Strong's Concordance noted other uses in English as, "kindled (44 times), wroth (13), hot (10), angry (9), displease (4), fret (4), incensed (2) and burn (1).  Baruch was a man on fire, one who attacked the task with fervency and unrivaled earnestness.

Since "earnestly" is not a word spoken often, I also looked up the definition in the 1828 Webster's Dictionary:

EARNESTLY, adverb ern'estly. Warmly; zealously; importunately; eagerly; with real desire.

"Being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly." Luke 22:44.

"That ye should earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints." Jude 1:3.

2. With fixed attention; with eagerness.

"A certain maid looked earnestly upon him." Luke 22:44.

The examples used by Webster from scripture are Jesus agonising earnestly in prayer, how believers are to contend for the faith and the thoughtful, intense stare of a maid at Peter because she recognised him.  Baruch took to the task of repairing a portion of the wall earnestly, though he worked alone.  Many workers are mentioned who teamed up together, and even sons and daughters pitched in as one to make progress.  Whilst it is possible and probable Baruch had many helpers, his earnestness in working was fit to be distinguished as distinct and recorded.  The nobles of the Tekoa did not put their necks to the work of the LORD (Neh. 3:5), but Baruch maintained singular focus to do this work with great effort.  While people day-dreamed about how good it would be to have their portion of the wall built so they could be done and relax, Baruch's earnest labour suggests he would be one who, after finishing his bit, would volunteer to assist others until the whole job was done.

If there was a man besides Christ who laboured for the LORD earnestly in the New Testament, my pick would be Paul.  Like Jesus did not come to be served but to serve and give His life for mankind, Paul worked with his own hands to provide for himself and others so no one could say he was greedy for financial gain or shared the Gospel for profit.  By day he worked sewing tents and all other hours were consumed in labouring in the word and teaching.  As a servant of God he gave an exhortation he followed himself in Colossians 3:22-24:  "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."  Servants of the LORD were not just to work, but work heartily--exceedingly, abundantly even vehemently--as unto the LORD.  Their "secular" job was to be sanctified with the holy aim of serving God himself in their earnest efforts.

Are you a Baruch, believer?  Are you like Paul who obeyed his master according to the flesh in sincerity of heart, fearing God, working heartily as to the LORD on and off the clock?  Paul received wages but he did not set his heart or hopes on them:  he looked to the reward of the inheritance he would receive as a servant of Jesus Christ.  Baruch repaired earnestly, not to impress the high priest or Nehemiah who watched him, but did the work of the LORD as if the success of the whole project depended upon him.  It was God's work He would see done with the help of many willing servants from various backgrounds and skill levels.  Among many men and women Baruch stood out who earnestly repaired, and thus the way he worked made a difference God saw fit to note for our benefit.  Let us be this sort of servant, brothers and sisters, who serve the LORD earnestly knowing He has promised us eternal rewards by His grace.