Psalm 104- Fiery Angels

 Psalm 104- Chariots of Fire

Psalms 104:1-5 (NKJV) 

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2 Who cover [Yourself] with light as [with] a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, 4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. 5 [You who] laid the foundations of the earth, So [that] it should not be moved forever,

Hebrews 1:6-8

6 And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,

“AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.”

7 And of the angels He says,

“WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS,

AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE.”

8 But of the Son He says,

“YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER,

AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.

2 Kings 2:11 (NKJV)

11Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire [appeared] with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

2 Kings 6:17 (NKJV)

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and hesaw. And behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Ezekiel 1:13 (NKJV)

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance [was] like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.

2 Kings 2:11 (NKJV)

11Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire [appeared] with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

2 Kings 6:17 (NKJV)

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Ezekiel 1:13 (NKJV)

13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance [was] like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.

Exodus 3:2 (KJV)

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burnedwith fire, and the bush [was] not consumed.

Acts 7:29-31 (NKJV) 

29 “Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons. 30 “And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. 31 “When Moses saw [it,] he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him,

What are we to make of the scriptures that speak of angels appearing like flames of fire? I have a personal take on his. I’ll let the passages above speak for themselves, but let me tell you a personal story. You don’t have to take this as the “gospel truth”, but just as my personal experience.

In the summer of 1994, we preparing to go on a mission trip to Costa Rica. Before we left, I had a dream. In the dream we were all on a bus, driving through mountains and jungles of Central America, and an angel was flying over the bus. It’s appearance was like flames of fire. It was as large as the bus, covering it as we drove, and it was covered in red feathers, that had the appearance of flames of fire as they moved and and shimmered as he flew. The message in the dream was that I was not to worry, the angel was going with us to protect us.

When we got to Costa Rica, all seemed to be going well. We drove a bus to the Pacific coast and helped build a church building in a small village there. I was helping one of the local men install a metal roof (lamina). We were done and were coming down. I thought that all the metal panels were securely attached, but one was still loose. It slid out from under me and I came through the roof head first. The concrete floor was 15 to 20 feet below and I went hurtling down. Somewhere, before I hit the floor, a hand grabbed me and turned me so that I landed flat on the floor. I was somewhat dazed, but discovered after a bit that not a single bone was broken. I did however have bruises on my arm that looked like a feather covered hand had grabbed my arm and laid me down!

Since that day, I have had other visions and dreams of this fiery angle, or one like it. I don’t know if you can prove it from scripture, but I believe that this is the same sort of angel that Moses saw in the burning bush, and that Elijah and Ezekiel saw when they received assistance and messages from the Lord.

Popular lore has it that we all have guardian angels. Perhaps mine is of the fiery variety. In any case, we can all know that the Lord watches over us and protects us, and His angels are there to protect and guide us. They are messengers from God and perhaps they sometimes lend a hand, a fiery hand, to protect us.

 

Psalm 100- Enter His Gates

 Psalm 100- Enter His Gates

Psalms 100:1-5 (NKJV) 1 A Psalm of Thanksgiving. 

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the LORD, He [is] God; [It is] He [who] has made us, and not we ourselves; [We are ]His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gateswith thanksgiving, [And] into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, [and] bless His name. 5 For the LORD [is] good; His mercy [is] everlasting, And His truth [endures] to all generations.

Psalm 100 is one of the most beloved of all the Psalms. You will find some version of this psalm in most hymnals and psalters used throughoutchurch history. In the Methodist Hymnal, there is a version of “Old 100” that was written around 1551. One reason that this psalmhas such enduring popularity is that it contains the key to entering into the presence of God.

4Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, [And] into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, [and] bless His name

In Old Testament times, these worshipers approached the temple in a spirit of thanksgiving and praise, but they also came bearing blood offerings for the alter. This is no longer the case. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews explained how  it is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that gives us the right to approach the Lord with thanksgiving and praise in New Covenant times.

Hebrews 13:10-12 (NKJV) 

10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is broughtinto the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV) 

Thereforeby Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of [our] lips, giving thanks to His name.

Therefore, we now may approach the presence of the Lord with thanksgiving for what Jesus has done, and offering the sacrifice of praise, which is the only sacrifice now required. The blood of the lamb, that is Jesus, has paid the price for our redemption, so we may now freely enter into the pretense of the Lord with thanksgiving and praise only. No longer do we need to bring the blood of bulls and rams to be able to enter the holy place.

So indeed, we make a joyful noise to the Lord. And not just a select few, but all nations and people groups may now enter when they have accepted the salvation purchased by the blood of Jesus.  We see the culmination of this worship and praise in the book of Revelations.

Revelation 5:9-14 (NKJV)

9And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power [Be] to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” 14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

How glorious will it be when we see those from every tribe and nation join with all the angels and living creatures and the elders of old, all gathered around the throne, praising God, giving thanks, and entering into true worship. It will be a great and glorious day indeed! And it all started with a humble psalm about entering his gates with thanksgiving and entering his courts with praise.

Psalm 84- Doorkeepers in the House of the LORD

 Psalm 84- Doorkeeper

Psalms 84:1 (NET Bible)

For the music director; according to the gittith style; written by the Korahites, a psalm.

1 How lovely is the place where you live,

O LORD WHO RULES OVER ALL!

2 I desperately want to be

in the courts of the LORDʼs temple.

My heart and my entire being shout for joy

to the living God.

3 Even the birds find a home there,

and the swallow builds a nest,

where she can protect her young

near your altars, O LORD WHO RULES OVER ALL,

my king and my God.

4 How blessed are those who live in your temple

and praise you continually! (Selah)

5 How blessed are those who find their strength in you,

and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple!

6 As they pass through the Baca Valley,

he provides a spring for them.

The rain even covers it with pools of water.

7 They are sustained as they travel along;

each one appears before God in Zion.

8 O LORD, sovereign God,

hear my prayer!

Listen, O God of Jacob! (Selah)

9 O God, take notice of our shield!

Show concern for your chosen king!

10 Certainly spending just one day in your temple courts is better

than spending a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather stand at the entrance to the temple of my God

than live in the tents of the wicked.

11 For the LORD God is our sovereign protector.

The LORD bestows favor and honor;

he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.

12 O LORD WHO RULES OVER ALL,

how blessed are those who trust in you!

Psalms 84:10 (NKJV)

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

There are many ways to minister to the Lord. Of course, when we hear the word “minister”, we tend to think of the glamorous or more visible positions. That is those who preach and teach and play music before the congregation. And the Sons of Korah were in this category, as Levites, ministering the Psalms and other songs before the congregation. In the modern Jewish congregation they would be the cantors that sing the psalms and prayers before the people.

But the psalmist is saying that there are other ways to minister to the Lord. Just being in His presence is a blessing. We can just rest in the presence of God and bless the Lord in that way. Even if we were only a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord, we would be blessed to be in the presence of the Lord.

Now let us examine that a little more. Who were the doorkeepers who stood at the entrance of the temple? In our day, we have ushers, greeters and child care workers that speak to the incoming people, make sure that they can find their place and help them get their children settled. That is a pretty humble position, even now. But imaging, if you will, what other duties the temple doorkeepers must have had. Modern ushers collect and count the offering, but the offering in the temple came in on hoof and wing! Each of these animals had to be shepherded to their proper location and then led to the alter, one by one. There was certainly mess to clean up as the frightened animals were led into the temple, but even more mess to take care of as the offal and ashes had to be hauled out after the sacrifices were performed. Now that was certainly not glamorous ministry!

Even so, the psalmist proclaims that that type of ministry was far preferable to being left outside of the house of the Lord. Even if you had to clean up cow and sheep manure, just being in the presence of the Lord was far better than being one of the lost souls outside the temple. Do we have the same zeal to be in the Lord’s presence? Do we desire to spend time with the Lord, no matter the cost?   If we do, the psalmist proclaims the rewards that are due:

Psalms 84:11-12

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

The LORD will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

12 O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!