January 18, 2010
Off Limits?
Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name. -Psalm 18:49 (NKJV)
"I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the Gentiles." That was a very strange thing for David to write here in Psalm Chapter 18. Why? Because Gentiles, who were non-Jews, were typically regarded by the Israelites as being beyond the promises or even the reach of God. In fact, the term Gentile had become synonymous with "heathen" or "pagan." It just wasn't a word you would associate with the sacred name of God.
So when David declares that he would praise God among the Gentiles, it must have perked up a few ears and raised a few eyebrows. The Gentiles? Why is David dragging them into our special and sacred relationship with God? Why is he mixing the two when they have nothing to do with us?
To be fair, it was understandable why the Israelites viewed their bond with God as something that primarily separated them from everyone else. It had kept them relatively safe and secure from the evil influences of the nations surrounding them. But David reaches a point of praise where he declares that God's goodness is so great that it transcends these divisions. For David, nobody was off limits from hearing about the grace and glory of his God, not even the Gentiles.
Is that our heart, as well? Or do we have a list of those who we consider to be "off limits" when it comes to sharing the goodness of our God? Are there people we instinctively write off as lost causes? The gospel is such Good News that it deserves and needs to be shared with absolutely everyone, even the modern-day Gentiles in our lives.
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
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