Serve the Lord with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Picture Perfect
Imagine if you will a placid beautiful lake. The lake is surrounded by rolling hills, fruit orchards, and lush fields. Animals play in the fields and birds fill the air. You and others are in boats of some kind; canoes, sailboats, paddle-boards, all enjoying the water and the sunshine.
At the far end of the lake stands a large figure. In our imaginary world, this is God, the Lord. He rules the land and the people on the lake. At his feet there is a cleft in the rock and the lake flows into a narrow ravine. The Lord guards the way and has commanded all the people to stay away from this place, to enjoy the lake and the surrounding hills, but to avoid the river.
Many people serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. The Lord’s Son walks among the people and those who honor the Lord honor the Son. But the Serpent, the Prince of Lies, has convinced some of the people to question the Lord’s commands. They rebel, and in defiance they paddle or sail their small boats to the forbidden cleft in the rock.
They are convinced that something to their benefit is hiding around the corner. What they find is quite different. The water that flows from the lake disappears over the edge of a waterfall that has no bottom. Once committed, there is no turning back. Having rejected God’s command, they are drawn towards the edge no matter how hard they paddle the opposite direction. In a blink they are over the edge, falling in terror for all eternity.
Application: Serve the Lord, Kiss his Son! Celebrate his rule!
Food for Thought: Does the picture painted in this Psalm fit with the Gospel message we read in the New Testament?
Yes, I think it does. Especially when we look at verses such as John 3:36 and Revelation 19:11-16. Jesus’ arms or hell often as an eternal place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Yes always warning us but also showing our Gods grace. I believe if you are being pulled closer to the waterfall there is a way to ask for forgiveness and turn your boat around and with his help you can make it back to safety. He’s giving us time to warn others before it’s too late.