8 Bless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept our soul among the living
and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net;
you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
12 you let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
I will perform my vows to you,
14 that which my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
Comment: In the first two verses David continues the line of yesterday’s devotion calling on ‘people’ to recognize God for who He is. Then he suddenly changes course and lists the ways in which God has harshly dealt with Israel – tried them in fire as silver is refined; made them subject to harsh other kingdoms; fire and floods. In the end, however, God has rescued them! In times of hardship people promise a lot. David admits that they did this but now he promises to carry out every promise that they made. Since God doesn’t eat meat, He is Spirit, why offer these things? Firstly they are costly (the best animals!), costly action to what may be cheap words; and secondly remember that most of a sacrifice went to feed the priests and the people of God. The people rejoiced in the presence of God.
Prayer: Help me to fulfill my promised vows to You, and keep me honest with my fellow beings.
As I read it! 