Pg. 89: A word from the Lord…”Restore your brothers”

A word from the Lord…”Restore your brothers” (and the Ironwood dream)

“Restore your brothers.”

  • A word from the Lord (2-22-17′).

The following  word came after repenting of sin with a broken heart, and then surrendering to the Lord the question, “Should I give up the internet?”

  • Then a word came from the Lord…

“It’s up to you…that’s how you judge.”

  • this in the form of a “word.”
  • Inaudible, comfortable, recognizable in holiness, strength and love.
  • Spoken clearly in my heart.
  • (Instantly I was strengthened).

Then He said…

“Restore your brothers.” 

  • (The same, inaudible, comfortable, holy and loving, recognizable tone).

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalms 34:18 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.34.18.NASB1995

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:3 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.10.3.NASB1995

I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, John 10:14 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.10.14.NASB1995

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; John 10:27 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.10.27.NASB1995

Ironwood is hard to cut (but Jesus is able):

  • A relevant dream of the night…(7-31-20).
  • I prayed for the interpretation of this dream.

Then they said to him, “We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.”  Genesis 40:8 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.40.8.NAS

Dream cont…

  • When I saw the leaf in the dream I also saw that a substance like tobacco, made from this leaf, was found in the pockets of a human corpse.
  • …and I was given to understand that people were smoking this leafy substance.
  • …and that once a taste for this product (a product that was imbued/infused with the properties of a corpse) was acquired, it would be very hard to quit (or cut…like ironwood).
  • (…like how certain foods, that are essentially rotten, become aquired tastes in some cultures).
  • The corpse = someone dead in their tresspasses and sins.* (Their “body of sin/death”** )

*And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,  Ephesians 2:1 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/eph.2.1.NASB

**knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;  Romans 6:6 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/rom.6.6.NASBdeath

 **Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?  Romans 7:24 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/rom.7.24.NASB

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:25 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/rom.7.25.NASB

  • Sins are rotten yet sinners acquire a taste for their sins (I should know).
  • Sins, once a taste for them has been acquired, are very hard to quit/cut.
  • Jesus however is a master carpenter¹ who would know very well how to cut Ironwood, and, make something very useful out of it…like a saved sinner’s testimony of salvation and deliverance from sin.
  • Jesus Christ, the Son of God saved me,  and delivered me, from my sins…
  • He delivered me from alcohol and drug abuse.
  • He saved me from sexual immorality and pornography and many other sins.
  • Not to say, though, that I’m no longer tempted at times, or don’t need more work. We are all put to the test² and have to deal with temptations, and are not yet fully matured.³
  • If we fall, we can confess our sins and receive forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, the perfect One4 And get back up and press on to the mark.3

¹ Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?  Matthew 13:55 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.13.55.NASB

² I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did, or not.” So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.  Judges 2:21-23 NASB  https://bible.com/bible/100/jdg.2.21-23.NASB

³ Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14 NASB  https://bible.com/bible/100/php.3.12-14.NASB

4 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 NASB  https://bible.com/bible/100/1jn.1.8-9.NASB

The Lord has compassion on His children (Psalm 103:13) He is tenderhearted toward us…

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.  The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.  He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.  He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.  As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.  Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.  For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.  As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.  When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer.  But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,  To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them.  The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.  Bless the Lord , you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!  Bless the Lord , all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will.  Bless the Lord , all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the Lord , O my soul!  Psalms 103:7-22 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.103.7-22.NASB

7-11-20 Sa. 1:17pm:  from today’s daily reading of A Year with C.S. Lewis…

  • Was just thinking of a conversation I might have, of encouragement, with a brother being restored and next I turned to this reading and felt it resonated well with the work…

11 JULY: 

All or Nothing

On the one hand, God’s demand for perfection need not discourage you in the least in your present attempts to be good, or even in your present failures. 

Each time you fall He will pick you up again. And He knows perfectly well that your own efforts are never going to bring you anywhere near perfection. 

On the other hand, you must realise from the outset that the goal towards which He is beginning to guide you is absolute perfection; and no power in the whole universe, except you yourself, can prevent Him from taking you to that goal. 

That is what you are in for. And it is very important to realise that. If we do not, then we are very likely to start pulling back and resisting Him after a certain point. ~ C. S. Lewis (from Mere Christianity in: A Year with C. S. Lewis edited by Patricia S. Klein)

Healing for the Backslider:

I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”  Isaiah 44:22NASB  https://bible.com/bible/100/isa.44.22.NASB

Isaiah 57:14-21 NKJV: And one shall say, “Heap it up! Heap it up! Prepare the way, Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.” For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls which I have made. For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him; I hid and was angry, And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, And restore comforts to him And to his mourners. “I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him  who  is far off and to him  who  is near,” Says the Lord , “And I will heal him.” But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. “ There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.” http://bible.com/114/isa.57.14-21.NKJV

Hosea 11:8-11 NASB: How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled. I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath. They will walk after the Lord , He will roar like a lion; Indeed He will roar And His sons will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling like birds from Egypt And like doves from the land of Assyria; And I will settle them in their houses, declares the Lord. https://bible.com/bible/100/hos.11.8-11.NASB

Hosea 14:4 NKJV: “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him. http://bible.com/114/hos.14.4.NKJV

Psalms 103:3-6 NKJV: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So  that  your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed. http://bible.com/114/psa.103.3-6.NKJV

Zechariah 10:6 NASB: “I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph, And I will bring them back, Because I have had compassion on them; And they will be as though I had not rejected them, For I am the Lord their God and I will answer them. http://bible.com/100/zec.10.6.NASB

II Corinthians 7:10 NKJV: For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.  https://bible.com/bible/114/2co.7.10.NKJV

For the Lord will not reject forever, For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion According to His abundant lovingkindness. Lamentations 3:31-32 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/lam.3.31-32.NASB1995

To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.  Daniel 9:9 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/dan.9.9.NKJV

Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” Isaiah 35:3-4 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/isa.35.3-4.NASB1995

Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/mic.7.18-19.NASB1995

There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord, “And your children will return to their own territory. I have surely heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained calf; Bring me back that I may be restored, For You are the Lord my God. For after I turned back, I repented; And after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh; I was ashamed and also humiliated Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him,” declares the Lord. “Set up for yourself roadmarks, Place for yourself guideposts; Direct your mind to the highway, The way by which you went. Return, O virgin of Israel, Return to these your cities. How long will you go here and there, O faithless daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth— A woman will encompass a man.” Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I restore their fortunes, ‘The Lord bless you, O abode of righteousness, O holy hill!’ Judah and all its cities will dwell together in it, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes.” At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me. Jeremiah 31:17-26 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jer.31.17-26.NASB1995

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise. For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, In burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar. Psalms 51:1-19 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.51.1-19.NASB1995

Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord. Psalms 27:14 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.27.14.NASB1995

“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes.”  Psalm 119:9-12 https://ref.ly/Ps119.9-12 via the Logos Bible Android app.

And have your mind renewed:

Romans 12:2 (NKJV): And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/1co.10.13.NASB1995

Isaiah 40:1-5 NKJV: “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord ’s hand Double for all her sins.” The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord ; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” http://bible.com/114/isa.40.1-5.NKJV

Christians, abstain from sexual immorality…

I Thessalonians 4:3-4 NKJV: For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, Biblehttp://bible.com/114/1th.4.3-4.NKJV BibleHub http://biblehub.com/1_thessalonians/4-3.htm

A way to abstain:

I Corinthians 7:1-3 NKJV: Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. Biblehttp://bible.com/114/1co.7.1-3.NKJV  BibleHubhttp://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-2.htm

And if you are so gifted:

I Corinthians 7:7-9 NKJV: For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with  passion. Biblehttp://bible.com/114/1co.7.7-9.NKJV                                              

Persist in Christ:                                      I Corinthians10:13 NKJV: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Biblehttp://bible.com/114/1co.10.13.NKJV       

Is porn a viable way of escape? Consider the following:

Ephesians 5:3-4 NKJV: But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. Biblehttp://bible.com/114/eph.5.3-4.NKJV  

The NIV’S interpretation:

Ephesians 5:3-4 NIV: But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. http://bible.com/111/eph.5.3-4.NIV

Do not be overcome by sin, but rule over it:   Genesis 4:7 NKJV: If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Biblehttp://bible.com/114/gen.4.7.NKJV       BibleHubhttp://biblehub.com/genesis/4-7.htm

For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”  Isaiah 30:15 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/isa.30.15.NKJV

C. S. Lewis on souls troubled by temptations:

  • “He knows what a wretched machine you are trying to drive. Keep on. Do what you can. One day (perhaps in another world, but perhaps far sooner than that) He will fling it on the scrap-heap and give you a new one. And then you may astonish us all—not least yourself: for you have learned your driving in a hard school. (Some of the last will be first and some of the first will be last).” ~ Lewis, Mere Christianity

Big problem? Grow like a Root…persevere.

  • 1-1-19 Tu. 10:29am: this thought keeps coming to mind…
  • If there’s a problem, some kind of longstanding or immovable problem that needs overcoming and there is no immediate way past it…
  • Try coming up against it…like a root does at a sidewalk or some other object, and probe it for an opening (study the problem).
  • Be patient like a root…persevere.
  • – If no opening…look for a way around the object.
  • And by all means, the root must at all times be alive and receiving nourishment…the root needs to be growing…
  • Receive the rain and the Son from above.
  • By growth the root makes it’s way through, around, over or under the obstacle.
  • By growth the small tendril of a root will increase to uplift, move or even split rock!
  • And don’t forget to grow deep, for that is from where life will be sustained in the hard times of draught.
  • Spread your branches in the sky and wave them in the Lord, by the breezes of God.
  • And so, in time, there is shade from the heat for the faint…and a strong branch for the nest.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/jer.17.7-8.NKJV

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually. Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,” 1 Chronicles 16:8-12 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/1ch.16.8-12.NASB1995

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary And gathered from the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; They did not find a way to an inhabited city. They were hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses. He led them also by a straight way, To go to an inhabited city. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good. There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains, Because they had rebelled against the words of God And spurned the counsel of the Most High. Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; They stumbled and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death And broke their bands apart. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! For He has shattered gates of bronze And cut bars of iron asunder. Fools, because of their rebellious way, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all kinds of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, And tell of His works with joyful singing. Psalms 107:1-22 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.107.1-22.NASB1995

8-12-21 Th. 8:12am: from Our Daily Bread…

  • Copied and pasted…
  • For revival.

August 12 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 84–86; Romans 12

Listening Matters

I will listen to what God the Lord says. Psalm 85:8

READ Psalm 85

Psalm 85 New American Standard Bible 1995

Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.

For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

85 O Lord, You showed favor to Your land;

You [a]restored the captivity of Jacob.

2 You forgave the iniquity of Your people;

You covered all their sin. [b]Selah.

3 You withdrew all Your fury;

You turned away from Your burning anger.

4 Restore us, O God of our salvation,

And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.

5 Will You be angry with us forever?

Will You prolong Your anger to [c]all generations?

6 Will You not Yourself [d]revive us again,

That Your people may rejoice in You?

7 Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord,

And grant us Your salvation.

8 [e]I will hear what God the Lord will say;

For He will speak peace to His people, [f]to His godly ones;

But let them not turn back to [g]folly.

9 Surely His salvation is near to those who [h]fear Him,

That glory may dwell in our land.

10 Lovingkindness and [i]truth have met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11 [j]Truth springs from the earth,

And righteousness looks down from heaven.

12 Indeed, the Lord will give what is good,

And our land will yield its produce.

13 Righteousness will go before Him

And will make His footsteps into a way.

LISTEN ONLINE

“Come at once. We have struck a berg.” Those were the first words Harold Cottam, the wireless operator on the RMS Carpathia, received from the sinking RMS Titanic at 12:25 a.m. on April 15, 1912. The Carpathia would be the first ship to the disaster scene, saving 706 lives.

In the US Senate hearings days later, the Carpathia’s captain Arthur Rostron testified, “The whole thing was absolutely providential. . . . The wireless operator was in his cabin at the time, not on official business at all, but just simply listening as he was undressing. . . . In ten minutes maybe he would have been in bed, and we would not have heard the message.” 

Listening matters—especially listening to God. The writers of Psalm 85, the sons of Korah, urged attentive obedience when they wrote, “I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—but let them not turn to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him” (vv. 8–9). Their admonition is especially poignant because their ancestor Korah had rebelled against God and had perished in the wilderness (Numbers 16:1–35).

The night the Titanic sank, another ship was much closer, but its wireless operator had gone to bed. Had he heard the distress signal, perhaps more lives would have been saved. When we listen to God by obeying His teaching, He’ll help us navigate even life’s most troubled waters.

By James Banks

REFLECT & PRAY

In what ways will you stay attentive to God and the Scriptures today? How can doing so help you to help others?

Father, help me to stay close to You in my thoughts, words, and actions. Please use me as Your servant to bring Your hope to others.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

When the book of Psalms was being collected, it was organized into five books: 1–41; 42–72; 73–89; 90–106; and 107–150. Each book concludes with a statement of praise or blessing to God Himself. For example, Book III ends with Psalm 89:52: “Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.” David is the most well known of the psalmists and most (though not all) of his psalms are found in Books I and II.

Each book is gathered around a particular theme. Book III, which contains Psalm 85, is one of the shorter books but is heavy with psalms of lament—many of which were composed by Asaph or the sons of Korah. With its emphasis on lament, Psalm 85, written by the sons of Korah as a cry for God’s rescue and renewal, fits very well in Book III.

Bill Crowder

An example of a ministerial restoration…