Today, on Christmas eve, we will pause a little to think about that first Christmas eve.  There were no Christmas trees or light displays, just people gathering to be taxed and counted.  For Mary and Joseph, there was no on-line booking, nor even a room when they did finally get to Bethlehem the next day.  For Mary especially it was a very hard journey, but she had no choice but to go.  So, as we look at the lights and the decorated trees today from the comfort of our room or car, let's remember that first Christmas eve and how little people had to celebrate then, before the Savior, the Redeemer of mankind, was born the next day.  

Psalms 104:1

Psalms 104:1 says, Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.  David says that his soul should bless the LORD.  It is our soul, the everlasting part of us, that needs to bless God for His greatness.  Verse two adds, Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:  God does cloth Himself in the light of truth and the heavens are His home.  Verse three continues, Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:  God is above all creation and is in control of it.  I don't believe this means that everything that happens is caused by God, because He has allowed Satan to have temporary power in the world, but God was, is and always will be the ultimate authority.  Verse four states, Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:  The angels are a part of God's creation, and are His ministers, except I believe for those who followed Lucifer in his rebellion against God.  Still, they are limited in power compared to God.  Verse five adds, Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.  God laid the foundations of, or created, the earth by His own design and it will not be destroyed by anything unless God Himself destroys it.  Verse six declares, Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.  David said that the earth was covered with water.  The waters were above the mountains.  We read occasionally that certain places in the world that are now very dry were once under water, and this tells us that this is true.  I don't profess to understand how God created as He did, but I believe that He is the Creator of all.  Verse seven adds, At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.  God set the seas in their boundaries so that they no longer cover the dry land.  Verse eight continues, They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.  God placed the seas in valleys that He created for them.  Verse nine concludes, Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.  God has set boundaries for the seas so that they will never again cover the earth.  God set His creation in order and continues to be in control of it.

Psalms 103:12

Psalms 103:12 says, As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.  David said when we put our faith in God that we are completely separated from our sins.  Verse thirteen adds, Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.  Though this says a father pitieth his children, I believe at means has compassion for his children.  Like earthly fathers, God has a great compassion for His children.  Verse fourteen continues, For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.  God knows the weak state of mankind.  We were created out of dust and we will return to dust.  Verse fifteen states, As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. David continues to speak about the brief physical nature of the life of people, though our soul will live forever.  Verse sixteen adds, For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.  I believe this is saying that when our brief life here on earth is gone that it is gone forever.  We are not coming back in some other form or as someone else. Verse seventeen declares, But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; As opposed to our temporary physical body, God's mercy is everlasting to those who put their faith in Him through accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse eighteen adds, To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.  As followers of Christ, we certainly should remember and obey God's commandments, even though salvation comes through our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse nineteen continues, The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.  God's kingdom is in the heavens, and one day we as Christians will gather around His throne.  Verse twenty says, Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.  This tells us that even the angels are to bless God.  Though some people seem to think so, we will never be angels.  Verse twenty-one adds, Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.  All of creation is called on to worship God, but in this case refers to the angels in particular, as they are ministers of God's will.  Verse twenty-two continues, Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.  We are to bless the LORD for all His works in all places that He has dominion, which is everywhere. 

Psalms 103:1

Psalms 103:1 aays, A Psalm of David.  This is called a psalm of David, then verse one says, Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.  Like David, as Christians we should bless God with all that is within us.  We should hold nothing back. Verse two adds, Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  David said he would bless the LORD and not forget all His benefits, but we serve God for spiritual and not material things.  Verse three continues, Who forgiveth all mine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;  As David said, God forgives all our sins, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse four states, Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;  David said God not only redeems us from destruction, but also crowns us with His lovingkindness and tender mercies.  Verse five adds, Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  David said that God renews our strength, and our faith should renew our strength, even as we get older.  Verse six declares, The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.  Once more, I don't believe that this means all who are oppressed for any reason, but all who are oppressed for their faith in God.  God's righteousness and judgment will set us free from the oppression of sin, if we will only put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seven adds, He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.  God made His ways known to Moses and the people of Israel, and His ways have not changed.  Verse eight continues, The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  God's mercy is available to all, and He is slow to anger and quick to show mercy.  Verse nine says, He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.  Though slow to anger, God will not chide us forever and keep His anger from us if we refuse His gift of salvation. Verse ten adds, He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  God doesn't deal with us based on our sins if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but otherwise one day He will.  Verse eleven continues,  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.  David said God's mercy toward those who feared, or put their faith in God, was even greater than the heavens. 

Psalms 102:13

Psalms 102:13 says, Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.  Zion was in distress, but David said God would have mercy on Zion again, when His timing was right.  We can be certain that God always has mercy on His people, even in times of distress.  Verse fourteen adds, For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.  The people of Israel still took pleasure in the house of God, even if it was reduced to stones.  There was still hope in the things of God, just as there is today even if they seem to be trampled down by the world.  Verse fifteen continues, So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.  David said that the heathen would come to fear the name of God, and when God comes in judgment if not before they certainly will, and even the most powerful people in the world will do so.  Verse sixteen declares, When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.  God would be the One to rebuild Zion. The people of God are established by His actions and kept by His power.  Verse seventeen adds, He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.  God will always hear the prayer of the destitute if they are His people.  Our earthly status does not determine our relationship with God, and even the poorest may come to Him.  Verse eighteen states, This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.  We today read of what David said and if we believe in God's word, beginning by believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will praise the Lord.  Verse nineteen adds, For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;  God has always looked down from above on the earth and always will.  Verse twenty continues, To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;  Simply being a prisoner does not save one,but being a prisoner because of our faith in God, and maybe even being sentenced to death for the same, causes God to hear our mornings.  Of course, we are all prisoners of sin and under its death sentence until we accept the salvation of Christ.  Verse twenty-one says, To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;  God will save His people so that His name will be praised.  Verse twenty-two adds, When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.  We may not be able to gather together all kingdoms to worship God, but we as Christians can certainly gather together to worship Him.  Verse twenty-three states, He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.  The people of Israel were in a weakened state in the world, but God was still the source of their strength and victory.  We may find ourselves in a weakened physical state today, but if our faith in Christ remains strong, that is all that matters.  Verse twenty-four adds, I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. David asked that God not allow him to die while he should still have a lot of years of life remaining.  Whatever age we physically die at, if we are saved by God's grace, our life is everlasting.  Verse twenty-five declares, Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.  God created the universe a long time ago, and His power will never diminish.  Verse twenty-six adds, They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:  Whether we are followers of Christ or His enemies, this is the fate of us all if Christ does not return first.  Verse twenty-seven continues, But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.  God never changes.  Verse twenty-eight concludes, The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.  God's servants, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, will live with God forever. 

Psalms 102:1

Psalms 102:1 says, A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.  This is identified as a prayer of the afflicted who are overcome by the world, then verse one says, Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.  First there is a call for God to hear the prayer, and we can be certain that as followers of Christ God always hears our prayers, especially when we pray for others who are afflicted.  Verse two adds, Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.  When we are in trouble because of our relationship to God, we can be certain that He does not hide from us and that He answers our prayers in the best way at the best time.  Verse three continues, For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.  The psalmist, whom I assume to be David, asks that God answer his prayers quickly because his life is so brief.  Our lifetime on earth may be brief, but we have everlasting life spiritually, so we have all the time in the world for God to answer our prayers as Christians.  Verse four states, My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.  When David said his heart was smitten, he didn't mean that he was in love as we often us the term, but that his heart was failing physically.  His memory also seemed to be going.  As we get older, even if we don't have other afflictions, we may find ourselves to be the same way.  Verse five adds, By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.  David said he was now groaning and basically skin and bones.  Still, the physical life is not what he or we should be focused on, but the spiritual life is.  Verse six says, I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.  David said he felt as out of place as a pelican would be in the wilderness.  As followers of Christ, we really are out of place in this world, whether we are old and afflicted or young and prosperous.  Verse seven adds, I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.  David seemed to be feeling that he was totally alone in life, and at times we may almost feel the same way in our spiritual life.  Verse eight declares, Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.  We like David may feel that our enemies, and I believe this would be those who oppose God, are against us all day long, but as long as God is for us, that is all that matters.   Verse nine adds, For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,  This is a reference to mourning, and even if life seems to be totally against us as Christians we should rejoice in the Lord instead of mourning about our situation.  Verse ten continues, Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.  David then seems to blame God for his situation, and we should never do that.  Verse eleven states, My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.  David again spoke of the shortness of his life, and no matter how long we live on this earth, our life will always be very brief from an everlasting perspective.  Verse twelve adds, But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.  As stated, God will endure forever to be remembered, or known, to all generations. 

Psalms 101:1

Psalms 101:1 says, A Psalm of David.  This is identified as a psalm of David, then verse one says, I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.  David said he would sing of the mercy and judgment of God, and if we don't accept the mercy of God by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then one day we will face the judgment of God.  Verse two adds, I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.  David said he would behave perfectly when God came to him and that he would walk with a perfect heart.  We should strive to behave perfectly when we come to God through faith in Christ and to walk with a perfect heart, but we still too often fail to do so.  We are only made perfect before God through our faith in Jesus Christ and not by our own actions.  Verse three continues, I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.  David said he would set nothing wicked before his eyes and that he hated the work of those who turned aside from God.  As followers of Christ, we should not allow anything other than God's will to become our focus, and we certainly should never turn aside from our faith.  Verse four states, A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.  David said his heart would not stray away from God and that he would not know any wicked person.  Though our heart should never stray away from God, we are called on to reach out to the wicked people of the world with the gospel.  Verse five adds, Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.  David continued to say that he would cut off all those who acted in self satisfying ways instead of following God's leadership, but he was often the same way. I don't believe that we are to claim that we are perfect and above everyone else as Christians.  We are still but sinners saved by grace.  Verse six declares, Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.  David said that he would look to the faithful of the land and that they would serve him.  We should look to other Christians for fellowship, but we should not expect them to serve us.  Verse seven adds, He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.  David said that those who dealt deceitfully would not live in his house.  We often cannot remove all deceitful people from our house or circle of friends, but we can make sure that we are not deceitful ourselves.  Verse eight continues, I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.  Though David said he would quickly destroy all the wicked of the land so that they might be cut off from the city of the LORD, this is not what we are called on to do.  We are to reach out to them with the love of God so that they might put their faith in Christ and become a part of the family of God.