A String of Selah Pearls - Psalm 76:1-3

Positioned gracefully across the Book of Psalms is a string of seventy-one pearls, lovely beads of wisdom followed by the admonition SELAH which means, “Pause, think on these things, meditate.”   

Psalm 76:1-3 “In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel.  His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.  There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.  Selah.”

Meditation

I confess.  When I came to this pearl, I hit a wall.  What did it mean . . . to me?  What personal application could I make? For several days I stewed over it.  Then I came upon Psalm 125:1 which says, “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” (NKJV)

That means . . . when I trust in the LORD, I am like Mount Zion, God’s dwelling place.  He dwells in me.  Think about it!

               No flashing arrows or shields,  
               no swords or weapons of war, 
               not even fiery darts can get through.

      I am assured of victory!

And so is everyone who trusts in him.  Turns out this pearl means a great deal to me.

SELAH

Look up: Psalm 27: 4; 55:22; 66:9; Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 26:3

A String of Selah Pearls (continued)

Positioned gracefully across the Book of Psalms is a string of seventy-one pearls, lovely beads of wisdom followed by the admonition SELAH which means, “Pause, think on these things, meditate.”

Psalm 21:1-2 “O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give! You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.”

Meditation:

In this pearl, King David rejoices in God’s strength and power to grant victory. He credits the Lord with giving him the desires of his heart and answering his prayers.

You might be thinking, “How nice. But, of course, David was a king.” King, shming! What matters here is not “his highness” but his “lowliness of heart,” his humility. David had a heart after God, rejoicing in God’s strength and in God’s salvation—not his own. And in David’s meekness, he shows a Christlikeness that we are to emulate.

It is identification with Christ that reveals a heart after God and opens the doors of heaven to us . . . all of us, no matter our social status

SELAH

Look up: 1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 37:4; Matthew 11:28-29; Romans 8:32; Philippians 2:5-8