READ: Ps. 92:1-16: … I will triumph in the works of Your hands … a senseless man does not know this … in old age … they shall be fresh and flourishing … to declare that the LORD is upright …
For the believer, the Sabbath day is not a day of compulsory restriction but a day of delighting in the LORD, on which He is honoured and sanctified (Isa. 58:13,14). This was already the purpose of the seventh day in paradise, when God rested from all His work (see also Heb. 4:4).
That resting on the seventh day meant that God, Who had made everything very good, delighted in His work. At the same time, the human being whom He had created was given the task of delighting in Him and praising and glorifying Him for all His great deeds of creation.
After the coming of Christ, God’s works of re-creation, as accomplished through Christ, have been added to these. Therefore, on the Day of Pentecost, the church proclaimed the great things of God.
Peter writes: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). We therefore have every reason to delight in the Lord on the day of rest (Eph. 1:6,12,14; 2:10; Col. 2:16).
Thus, when attending church, joy in the Lord will also set the tone.
The psalmist points out the greatness of the deeds and thoughts of the LORD as the reason for such joy (vv.5,6). In contrast to believers, unbelievers understand none of this. They are focused on themselves and not on Him. Though they may prosper materially on earth, their end is destruction (vv.7-10).
In our own time, too, the majority live without God, which leads to a dreadful judgment for them. But for the church that follows, worships, honours, praises, and exalts the Lord, a blessed future is prepared. Until their death, they will continue to honour Him as the fruit of their faith for His faithfulness and great deeds. Despite opposition, they continue to trust in Him.
What does the phrase “fresh and flourishing” (v.15) point to?
Sing: Ps. 92:1,2,6