I Kings 7
2 Cor 11
Psalm 95; Psalm 96
Medal of Honor created
12 July 1862
President Abraham Lincoln signs into law a measure calling for the awarding of a U.S. Army Medal of Honor, in the name of Congress, “to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier-like qualities during the present insurrection.” The previous December, Lincoln had approved a provision creating a U.S. Navy Medal of Valor, which was the basis of the Army Medal of Honor created by Congress in July 1862. The first U.S. Army soldiers to receive what would become the nation’s highest military honor were six members of a Union raiding party who in 1862 penetrated deep into Confederate territory to destroy bridges and railroad tracks between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1863, the Medal of Honor was made a permanent military decoration available to all members, including commissioned officers, of the U.S. military. It is conferred upon those who have distinguished themselves in actual combat at risk of life beyond the call of duty.
Psalm 95 is a delightful hymn of praise. I love the Psalms because like Liturgy, they tell us about God.
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods [Psa 95:1-3].
Then He is worshiped as the Creator:
In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker [Psa 95:4-6].
Psalm 96 is another wonderful psalm of praise when the Lord Jehovah, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, shall reign over the whole earth.
O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth [Psa 96:1].
We have already seen that this “new song” is the song of redemption. The Book of Revelation says we will sing it.
Here we have idolatry mentioned:
For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens [Psa 96:4-5].
Idolatry is referred to here because the Millennium will end all idolatry. There are men today who think themselves wondrously wise by turning to all kinds of religions. In fact, as we view the New Age, that not so new religion is a return to Paganistic Platonism. In other words, Naturalism framed by philosophy.
Jesus’ first coming during the Roman empire, and Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill in Acts 17, took on the Greco-Roman paganistic Platonism of that day. Jesus will return when those things are prominent once more… perhaps in our day. A day will come when atheism, deism, polytheism, and all of the Pagan Platonistic cults will be done away with through the preaching of the Gospel and Jesus’ appearance in the sky.
Jay