Verse of the Day (November 20, 2019)

Verse of the Day (November 20, 2019) #BMSeminary – God’s grace as “the rock of our salvation” (v. 1) provokes the believer to joyful and humble worship. The first sign of joyful worship is singing, which expresses the full range of human emotion, especially love (vv. 1–2; Eph. 5:19–21; Col. 3:16). Humble prayer also characterizes godly worship. Kneeling (Ps. 95:6) is a common posture for prayer in the Bible because it is a physical expression of humility before someone great, especially one greater than demons (v. 3), creation (vv. 4–5), and all people (v. 6). The believer bows to God out of a heart overflowing with gratefulness for who God is and what he has done (vv. 3–7; Eph. 3:14). At the same time, God will not be presumed upon by our adopting any practice that becomes superficial or superstitious. The psalmist reminds the worshipers of the “test” at Massah, when the Israelites grumbled that they had no water (Ps. 95:7b–11). Commenting on this passage, the writer of Hebrews interprets “today” to mean whenever someone hears the call to repentance and “rest” as referring to eternal salvation through Jesus Christ (Heb. 3:7–15; 4:3–7). The opposite of repentance (i.e., turning from sin to God) is going “astray” (Ps. 95:10). Straying begins with discontentment and ends in direct disobedience. Straying sinners do the opposite of what they know God commands. In contrast, joyful obedience results from worshiping God as the great King, Maker, and Shepherd. And it will be the remembrance of his abundant kindness that will melt ungrateful hearts (cf. v. 7; Rom. 2:4)—kindness that finds supreme expression in the sending of his own Son in the fullness of time. (Gospel Transformation Study Bible)