Psalm 84: Typhoons in Asia A pair of Typhoons struck Taiwan, China and Japan. Psalm 84 Theoretical Time: 13000-07-21 DH 16:7:20 AA 2009-08-10 09:56:51 TMMT 2009-08-10 07:35:57 GMT 2009-08-10 03:35:57 EDT Psalms 84 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. 1How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! 2My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. 3Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. 4Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. 5Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. 6Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. 7They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. 8¶O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. 9Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. 10For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 12O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. PALBRBESVNRSVNIVRSVASVKJVWLC/SYP Typhoon Morakot In Thai language Morakot means Emerald. The storm by this name crossed the island of Taiwan and then struck the main land along the cost of China. About 2.5 Meters of rain fell on Taiwan, wiping out roads and destroying bridges, causing numerous mud slides. This was the largest single rainfall from a typhoon ever recorded in Taiwan. An estimated $100M in damage was cauesd by this storm. In China, 1,000,000 people had to be evacuated as flood waters battered the coast lines. In some areas the flood waters were so deep only tree tops remained. $320M damage was caused by this storm. Landfall time on the mainland was 8:20 GMT on Sunday, about 24 hours earlier than theory, but severe winds were expected in the area for another 3 days, spanning the theoretical time nicely. Typhoon Etau In the Palauan language Etau means storm cloud. This Typhoon skirted the south western shore line of Japan, causing considerable damage there. The timing of this second storm was much closer to theoretical, skirting along the coast of Japan at the expected theoretical time. Matches For the 1,000,000 or so refugees of these storms living in tents the wish is to be back in their house, or any house, for that matter. This Psalm opens with references to Gods tent in verse 1, a match. Verse 2 discusses the longing that someone in this situation naturally has for a better house when faced with a storm like this. Verse 3 uses the illustration of a bird finding a house. Of course boats and planes had to be sheltered from this storm, but deeper sense is one who has taken flight needs to find a home. Again, a reference to those 1,000,000 refugees. Verse 4 discusses the difference between houses, the house of God is not the same as houses here, His cannot be shaken, and there is a blessing for those who live there. Verses 5 and 6 liken the process of getting to Gods house as one who has passed through a valley of weeping. Weeping here is like Etau, a Storm Cloud. The point is that finding refuge in Jesus is about as much work as finding refuge from an approaching Typhoon. But, when found, it is as wonderful as a refuge from a storm. Matthew 7:24-27 24¶Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. PALBRBESVNRSVNIVRSVASVKJVWLC/SYP Verse 8 now turns to prayer, to explaining what is going on. Verse 9 seeks a response. Verse 10 plays to the numbers and nature of this disaster. The Psalm uses the number 1,000. The headlines use 1,000 * 1,000. (1,000 squared.) The same squaring quality is used in the Gospels, where 100 is used as a short hand for 100 * 100, or 10,000 the year of Solomon. So 1,000 is a reasonable Biblical short hand for the 1,000,000 displaced in tents on mainland China. Verse 10 goes on and says that those tents are simply the tents of the wicked, and that living there is not the same as living in Gods courts. It is at this point that the Psalm begins to explain what is going on with this storm. Verse 11 makes the point that God does not withhold good things from those who walk uprightly. This storm is of course not a good thing, and suggests that at the level of the population at large that the people effected do not generally walk uprightly. Verse 12 closes on the thought that there is blessing for trusting in God. (Presumably there is 1 in 1000 who do.) More Though not the single largest storm ever, it came close...
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 08:04:36 +0000
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