[Brother V]

Psalm 81-85

Psalm 81

1 Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

Exactly why they are saying Jacob instead of the name that he was changed to, is beyond me. Why they aren't saying the God of Abraham, is also a mystery. I understand that he may not want to say the God of Israel, and confuse everyone thinking that God is only for Israel, but still, it's a little confusing, when God changes your name, you should really just be called that name.

3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

Blow, up the trumpet...

not

Blowup the trumpet.

8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;

Here, Israel obviously means the country, not the guy.

10 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

This psalm switches between someone talking about God, and then him talking AS God.

13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

Israel the place, not the guy.

14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

Now the guy as God, is saying what HE would have done, were he God.

15 The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.

Don't be hatin!

Psalm 82

1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.

This is odd, if we look back to the verses from yesterday, which I don't believe I highlighted the one in particular, we'll see something interesting.
Psalm 77: 13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

*I didn't change any capitalization* You'll note today, "he judgeth among the gods." gods is lower case. Yesterday, "who is so great a God as our God?" the first use of God is uppercase, but it's not talking about God (THE God) so it should be lowercase.

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

Interestingly, in the rest of this psalm, the word god is used a bit. It's used like the word judge, leader, ruler, lord.

Psalm 83

1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

The OT God is sometimes very hands off. When bad things happen to Israel, they claim he abandoned them, (but he'll come back... eventually). If you think of other religions, like some christians, or muslims, they believe that all bad things are actions of an angry God, not that he's just allowing bad things to happen. Why did that happen? Because I (we) wasn't (weren't) fervent enough in trying to convert everyone. The Jews, on the other hand, have bad things happen to them because they've been abandoned. Bad things from a passive God, instead of bad things from an active God.

17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

That's not very hippie lovey dovey... oh yeah, Neither is God.

Psalm 84

2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Please God, take me now.

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

Them? we haven't been introduced to the trinity yet.

10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Spoken like a man who's never been a doorkeeper.

Psalm 85

1 Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

Jacob was never in captivity. Jacob abandoned his homeland to go live in Egypt, then his family multiplied like rodents and became as powerful as their gracious hosts.

3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

God's back, and he's happy.

6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

He'll give you back your country in the 20th century, now, all you have to do is remove the people who live in it, like you did under Joshua.

12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

If not, we'll just import from the U.S.

So what have we learned today?

1. God is sometimes around other Gods, and sometimes other gods.

2. It's better to be the guy who announces the guests "Ladies and Gentlemen, Brother V" in heaven, than to be announced in hell.

3. Jacob is used to represent the guy, Israel the country, unless it's not.


YIC
V

[SUV]

Originally Posted by Brother V

Spoken like a man who's never been a doorkeeper.

Speaking of which, Brother V, if Job ever did get a job, I Hope it wasn't as a Walmart Greeter. It's one thing to Die for ones' Faith and another altogether to get trampled to Death in the Holiday Rush

[Deaner]

Originally Posted by Brother V

The OT God is sometimes very hands off. When bad things happen to Israel, they claim he abandoned them, (but he'll come back... eventually). If you think of other religions, like some christians, or muslims, they believe that all bad things are actions of an angry God, not that he's just allowing bad things to happen. Why did that happen? Because I (we) wasn't (weren't) fervent enough in trying to convert everyone. The Jews, on the other hand, have bad things happen to them because they've been abandoned. Bad things from a passive God, instead of bad things from an active God.

I found this part very interesting Brother V; and something we see right up to this day.

A good Christian will always ask forgiveness. Being pious and contrite "Oh Baby Jesus please forgive my failure to follow you as you have decreed". We accept responsiblilty.

A jew on the other hand, plays the victim. "Oh God, why did you not prevent this terrible thing from happening to me? You have abandoned your people"!

So what we see is a clear demonstration of what God requires. He wants you to take the blame for whatever happens to you, even if you don't know why. He wants you to realize it's your fault no matter what. We must remain in a state of perpetual self-hatred to receive His love; and what better way to receive it then when we hate ourselves. We will welcome His love with open arms and not remain a whiney, snivelling hook-nosed yid.