PSALMS
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Psalms 149 and 150
Psalms 150
A psalm of praise.
We are here stirred, up to praise GOD. Praise GOD for His sanctuary, and the privileges we enjoy by having it among us; praise HIM because of HIS power and glory in the firmament. Those who praise the LORD in heaven, behold displays of HIS power and glory which we cannot now conceive. But the greatest of all HIS mighty acts is known in His earthly sanctuary. The holiness and the love of our GOD are more displayed in man’s redemption, than in all His other works. Let us praise our GOD and SAVIOUR for it. We need not care to know what instruments of music are mentioned. Hereby is meant that in serving GOD we should spare no cost or pains.

Praise GOD with strong faith; praise HIM with holy love and delight; praise HIM with entire confidence in CHRIST; praise HIM with believing triumph over the powers of darkness; praise HIM by universal respect to all His commands; praise HIM by cheerful submission to all His disposals; praise HIM by rejoicing in HIS love, and comforting ourselves in HIS goodness; praise HIM by promoting the interests of the kingdom of HIS grace; praise HIM by lively hope and expectation of the kingdom of HIS glory. Since we must shortly breathe our last, while we have breath let us praise the LORD; then we shall breathe our last with comfort. Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Such is the very suitable end of a book inspired by the Spirit of GOD, written for the work of praise; a book which has supplied the songs of the church for more than three thousand years; a book which is quoted more frequently than any other by CHRIST and His apostles; a book which presents the loftiest ideas of GOD and HIS government, which is fitted to every state of human life, which sets forth every state of religious experience, and which bears simple and clear marks of its Divine origin.

OLD TESTAMENT
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Nehemiah 11: 1 – 36
Nehemiah 11
The distribution of the people.

In all ages, men have preferred their own ease and advantage to the public good. Even the professors of religion too commonly seek their own, and not the things of CHRIST. Few have had such attachment to holy things and holy places, as to renounce pleasure for their sake.

Yet surely, our souls should delight to dwell where holy persons and opportunities of spiritual improvement most abound. If we have not this love to the city of our GOD, and to everything that assists our communion with the SAVIOUR, how shall we be willing to depart hence; to be absent from the body, that we may be present with the LORD?

To the carnal-minded, the perfect holiness of the New Jerusalem would be still harder to bear than the holiness of GOD’s church on earth. Let us seek first the favour of GOD, and HIS glory; let us study to be patient, contented, and useful in our several stations, and wait, with cheerful hope, for admission into the holy city of GOD.

NEW TESTAMENT
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Revelation 8: 6 – 9: 6
Revelation 9: 6
Seek death but shall not find it.
The pain inflicted by the demonic locusts will be so severe that the people will want to die, but will not be able to. This judgement reveals, that evil and impenitence will most certainly receive divine retribution, that when people oppose GOD and HIS truth and seek evil, they become prey of the demonic. Evil will possess their very nature, soul and life.