Remember Your Congregation - Psalms 74:2

In Psalms chapter seventy-four Asaph asked, “O God, why have you cast us off for ever? why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?”, and in chapter seventy-four and verse two of Psalms Asaph said, “Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old” where we read,

Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old;

the rod of your inheritance, which you have redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein you have dwelt.

The verse begins, “Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old;” Asaph began with the words, “Remember your congregation” or “recall, bring to mind and be reminded of your, the Divine judge Jehovah God's, gathering, assemblage or crowd of people”, “which you have purchased of old” which means “that you, Jehovah God, have acquired, possessed and obtained from antiquity, beforetime or in the earliest of time”. Asaph called upon Jehovah God to bring to mind the gathering of His people that He acquired from antiquity.

The verse continues, “the rod of your inheritance, which you have redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein you have dwelt” Asaph added the words, “the rod or “the staff, branch, offshoot, scepter or club” “of your inheritance” which means “belonging to your, Jehovah God's, possession, property, heritage, portion and share”, “which you have redeemed” or “that you, Jehovah God, have avenged, ransomed and acted as a kinsman”; “this mount Zion” which means “and from this particular rising above the plain and hill called Zion whose name means parched place and is another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books”, “wherein you have dwelt” or “in which you, Jehovah God, have settled down, abode, tabernacled and resided”. Asaph declared the assembled people of Jehovah God to be His possession and heritage in the mountain called “Zion” or “Jerusalem” where He abode.

When we think through the words in this verse, we see how Asaph called upon Jehovah God to bring to mind His assembled people whom He possessed from antiquity. Asaph called God's people the staff or “branch” of Jehovah's possession that He had ransomed and avenged, and “Mount Zion” was the place where He chose to live among His people. God loves us, and His desire is to have a personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus. Jesus was sent into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when we yield our lives to Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and help us to understand that we are among the assembled people whom He has “redeemed”.

Next time Asaph says, “Lift up your feet unto the perpetual desolations”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".