Psalm 113:1-9
Hebrews 10:18-25
Praising God, corrupting creation seems like opposites, and they are, but
that is the way most “religious people” live.
Praising God is the same as honoring God, and to honor God, we should be
doing everything in our power to live according to His heavenly will.
If we are truly praising God, we cannot do anything to harm His creation
intent or heavenly will, for to do so would be ungodly.
God’s creation intent is for us to eat only plant foods (Genesis 1:29-30),
and His heavenly will says that there will be no death in heaven (Revelation
21:4), and Jesus taught us to pray for God’s heavenly will to be done on
earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Therefore, to kill and eat animals cannot be in God’s creation intent or
heavenly will, and that means that those who kill or eat or wear animal
products are part of the corrupt ways of this world, which further corrupts
creation, and we are instructed to help free creation from its present
corruption.
With these things in mind, let’s take a look at one of the praise psalms,
Psalm 113:1-9…
1. Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD.
Praise the name of the LORD.
Praising God is wonderful if we really mean it.
To just say “praise God”, or “God is good”, and then go off and kill another
living being (human or animal), or have someone else kill another living
being for us can never be in the heavenly will of God, but this is exactly
what is happening all around the world.
We hear it in the midst of warring madness, and we see it in the lives of
people who eat and wear animal products.
So instead of praising God with their lives as well as their mouths, they
are really cursing God by further corrupting His creation.
2. Blessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and forever.
3. From the rising of the sun to its setting
The name of the LORD is to be praised.
This means that every moment of every day we should be praising God with
everything we say and do.
If we see a deer and thank God for our encounter, we are praising God, and
if we ask God to protect him or her, we are adding even more praise.
If we are thankful in our hearts and souls for everything we have that is
not part of corrupting creation, we are praising God.
On the other hand, if we thank God for evil things, and for killed beings in
this world, we are actually cursing God, and further corrupting creation.
4. The LORD is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.
No human being or nation is above God, no matter what they say or do.
If someone says that God wants us to kill another living being (human or
animal) they are of their father the devil and have no part of God in them.
5. Who is like the LORD our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
The simple answer is “no one”; only God is supreme.
6. Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?
And we can be like the Lord, too, by praising God with a pure heart and soul, and repent for our former ways of corrupting creation, and resolve to do everything we can to help free creation from its present corruption.
7. He raises the poor from the dust,
And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8. To make them sit with princes,
With the princes of His people.
9. He makes the barren woman abide in the house
As a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!
NASB
God can do all of these things, but we need to remember that God put us
humans in charge of His creation to peacefully protect it from evil and care
for it and all who live in it.
If we do this, we are truly praising God with our whole lives.
Let’s keep these things in mind as we look at Hebrews 10:18-25…
18. Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
God is always faithful to forgive us when we are truly repentant.
God requires nothing more, and He never has, and as this verse implies, He
never desired the sacrifice of any animal; all God has ever wanted was our
love and obedience, for it is our love and obedience that gives us a
repentant spirit, which is how we naturally become children of God who live
in His heavenly will.
19. Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by
the blood of Jesus,
20. by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil,
that is, His flesh,
Let’s pause for a moment and think about something:
If we had remained obedient to God from the beginning, and truly loved God,
none of this would have been necessary, which makes it beyond God’s original
creation intent and heavenly will; it was only a way of countering the evil
ways of this corrupt world.
We believe that Jesus took this burden upon Himself as a way of ending all
animal sacrifice, and the killing, eating, and wearing of animal by products
for all times.
When we do this we are no longer corrupting creation, and everything we do
becomes a way or expression of praising God.
21. and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22. let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed
with pure water.
See, when we live as true children of God, we only need to be cleansed with pure water, for God’s forgiveness has already been granted, and most importantly, without an animal sacrifice.
23. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who
promised is faithful;
24. and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25. not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but
encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.
NASB
If we really do this, we are no longer corrupting creation.
If we really do this, we are praising God as His children.
Amen.
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