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PSALM 147 - Jerusalem's Builder 28 Mar 2020
He (Yahweh) reveals his word to Israel (vs. 19/20.) Jerusalem is supposed to be the city of peace. Thus God seeks peacemakers. I can praise God day by day with songs. But if I am not a peace builder, I may not be pleasing God.
Model City
Below is a picture of a model railway. It is beautiful, but in fact it is dead, not realistic. In my humanity I am not perfect. And then ... my imperfections cause such a lively chaos. Life springs forth from chaos. God is above it all and maintains me. In this life there is no perfection.
Psalm 147
1 Alleluia! Praise Yahweh
-- it is good to sing psalms to our God --
how pleasant to praise him.
2 Yahweh, Builder of Jerusalem!
He gathers together the exiles of Israel,
3 healing the broken-hearted
and binding up their wounds;
4 he counts out the number of the stars,
and gives each one of them a name.
5 Our Lord is great, all-powerful,
his wisdom beyond all telling.
6 Yahweh sustains the poor,
and humbles the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to Yahweh in thanksgiving,
play the harp for our God.
8 He veils the sky with clouds,
and provides the earth with rain,
makes grass grow on the hills
and plants for people to use,
9 gives fodder to cattle
and to young ravens when they cry.
10 He takes no delight in the power of horses,
no pleasure in human sturdiness;
11 his pleasure is in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his faithful love.
12 Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem,
Zion, praise your God.
13 For he gives strength to the bars of your gates,
he blesses your children within you,
14 he maintains the peace of your frontiers,
gives you your fill of finest wheat.
15 He sends his word to the earth, his command runs quickly,
16 he spreads the snow like flax,
strews hoarfrost like ashes,
17 he sends ice-crystals like breadcrumbs,
and who can withstand that cold?
18 When he sends his word it thaws them,
when he makes his wind blow,
the waters are unstopped.
19 He reveals his word to Jacob,
his statutes and judgements to Israel.
20 For no other nation has he done this,
no other has known his judgements.
Excerpt from THE NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1985 by
Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division
of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.
Model Railway (Duesseldorf Hbf)