Verse of the Day (February 29, 2020)

Verse of the Day (February 29, 2019) #BMSeminary – Psalm 120 begins by recalling prior distresses and God’s faithfulness and deliverance. Evidently, the psalmist has been exiled and is living with pagan peoples who do not worship the God of Israel (see vv. 5–7). Furthermore, these foreigners promote war instead of peace, and the psalmist has cried out to the God of peace to frustrate their plans for war and oppression. Due to God’s past faithfulness in answering when called upon (v. 1), the psalmist now is emboldened to cry out for deliverance once again. That God alone is Savior, and faithful, and powerful gives the psalmist confidence over the deception of his opponents. God’s power and grace, in the end, are what will bring victory to God’s people; God can be relied upon to bring the lasting and permanent peace the psalmist longs to experience. Jesus himself is the supreme instance of a man who came in peace but who experienced undeserved hostility. And yet in a marvel of God’s providence and grace, the act of hostility that put Christ to death is the very means by which sinners, naturally hostile to God, can be reconciled to God and receive undeserved peace. (Gospel Transformation Study Bible)