Author: Dr Jito Vanualailai

The New Catholic Bible provides an insightful commentary on Psalm 96:

All peoples are invited to acknowledge him (God) as the sovereign Master; all are summoned to the liturgy, to adoration. Deep emotion will grip the entire universe when God comes as Judge; he who has brought into being an unshakable world will establish all human beings in justice and righteousness.

This song of universal joy is always new with the newness of God himself; the New Testament (see Acts 17:31; Rev 19:11) refers to verse 13 in announcing the final coming of Christ on the day of judgment, when he will make all things new. Thus, by means of it, Christians call upon the whole universe to praise God the Father as well as the risen Jesus, whom the Father has made “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36), “leader and Savior” (Acts 5:31), and “ruler of the kings of the earth” (Rev 1:5).

Verse 3 reads “Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous deeds to every people.”

There are 203 primes less than or equal to 1245; that is, the Prime Pi estimated at 1245 is 203. The Euler Totient of 203 is 168. That is, there are 168 positive integers (less than 230) that are coprime with 203. But 168 is the identifier of the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Luke.

Conclusion. The Lord’s Prayer is a means to declare our heavenly Father’s glory among the nations and His wondrous deeds to every people.

Discussions

Psalm 96:3, with its exhortation to “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples,” and the Lord’s Prayer are both profound calls to recognize and proclaim the sovereignty and providence of God.

The Psalm urges believers to share the glory of God and His wondrous deeds with every nation, emphasizing the universality of God’s dominion and the inclusivity of His love. It’s a call to evangelize, to spread the good news of God’s greatness and His mighty works to every corner of the earth.

This call to proclaim God’s glory to all nations harmonizes with the petition in the Lord’s Prayer that says, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This line from the Lord’s Prayer is a plea for God’s sovereign rule to be established across the world, reflecting the same universal scope as the Psalm’s call for God’s glory to be known among all nations.

Furthermore, the Lord’s Prayer begins with “Our Father,” implying a collective relationship with God that transcends national or ethnic boundaries, embracing all of humanity. This universality is mirrored in Psalm 96:3’s emphasis on reaching “all peoples,” suggesting that the message of God’s glory and His deeds is for every human being, irrespective of their background.

Both texts also share a common theme of worship and acknowledgment of God’s mighty works as a basis for praise. The proclamation of God’s deeds in the Psalm can be seen as a form of prayer and worship, akin to the prayerful reverence shown in the Lord’s Prayer.

In essence, both Psalm 96:3 and the Lord’s Prayer encourage believers to live out their faith in a way that glorifies God not just in private devotion, but also through active declaration and demonstration of His love and majesty to others. They are linked by a mission that is both worshipful and evangelical, aimed at bringing the reality of God’s kingdom to people everywhere.

Psalm 64 is a powerful prayer to God, voicing our complaint against those who are unjustifiably plotting against us, and threatening and attacking us:

¹ Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;
    protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

² Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
    from the plots of evildoers.
³ They sharpen their tongues like swords
    and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.

⁴ They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
    they shoot suddenly, without fear.

⁵ They encourage each other in evil plans,
    they talk about hiding their snares;
    they say, “Who will see it?”
⁶ They plot injustice and say,
    “We have devised a perfect plan!”
    Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

⁷ But God will shoot them with his arrows;
    they will suddenly be struck down.
⁸ He will turn their own tongues against them
    and bring them to ruin;
    all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
⁹ All people will fear;
    they will proclaim the works of God
    and ponder what he has done.

¹⁰ The righteous will rejoice in the Lord
    and take refuge in him;
    all the upright in heart will glory in him!

Since the Book of Psalms is the 19th book of the Bible, the identifier of Psalm 64 is 885.

There are exactly 153 prime numbers less than or equal to 885. Hence, we have the following result.

Conclusion. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, our Father in Heaven hears and answers our complaints against our enemies; He delivers us from evil.

Discussions

Psalm 64 and the Lord’s Prayer intersect in their mutual recognition of God’s sovereignty in the face of adversity and the deliverance from evil that only God can provide.

In Psalm 64, the psalmist is calling out to God for protection and justice, expressing a deep need for divine intervention against the plots of the wicked. This is a heartfelt plea for God’s shielding presence against unjust attacks and a cry for the righteous judgment that God alone can administer.

The Lord’s Prayer, specifically in the petition “deliver us from evil,” echoes this theme of seeking God’s protection. It acknowledges God’s power to preserve us from the dangers and evils that we may face in life. Just as the psalmist seeks refuge from the “threat of the enemy,” the Lord’s Prayer requests deliverance from the evils that surround us.

Moreover, the Lord’s Prayer opens with the invocation “Our Father,” indicating a personal and communal relationship with God. This relationship is characterized by trust in God’s care and providence, which is also evident in Psalm 64, where the psalmist shows trust in God’s ability to protect and vindicate the righteous.

Both passages also end with a note of hope and praise. Psalm 64 concludes with the righteous rejoicing and taking refuge in the Lord, while the Lord’s Prayer ends with a doxology in some traditions: “For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” This doxology is a statement of confidence in God’s eternal reign and His ultimate victory over all forms of evil, aligning with the psalmist’s assertion that people will recognize and fear the works of God.

The link between Psalm 64 and the Lord’s Prayer is found in their common appeal to God’s justice and protection, their affirmation of trust in God’s righteous rule, and their assurance that ultimately, God’s purposes will prevail, leading the faithful to rejoice and find their refuge in Him.

This is the awe-inspiring proclamation by our Almighty God recorded in the Book of Leviticus. The context is provided in Leviticus 10:1-3:

The Profane Fire of Nadab and Abihu

10 Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. ² So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. 

‘³ And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying:

By those who come near Me
I must be regarded as holy;
And before all the people
I must be glorified.’ ”

So Aaron held his peace.

It is clear that to regard our God the Almighty as holy means following all His commandments. We shall show that furthermore, the Lord’s Prayer is an acknowledgment of His holiness and a means to glorify Him before all people.

As shown in the table below (sourced from Bible Hub), the values of the proclamation of God sum to 1157.

The number 1157 has 4 divisors {1, 13, 89, 1157}. The sum of the divisors is 1260. Thus, the arithmetic mean of the divisors is 1260/4 = 315.

Conclusion. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we proclaim that our Father in Heaven is holy, and we glorify Him.

Discussions

Leviticus 10:3 and the Lord’s Prayer can be linked through their shared themes of sanctity and the glorification of God, both personally and communally.

In Leviticus 10:3, the principle of God’s holiness is paramount. The verse comes after a grave incident where Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them, and they were consumed by divine fire as a result. God speaks to Aaron, emphasizing that those who serve Him must regard Him as holy and that He must be glorified before all the people. This verse sets a precedent for the Israelites that God’s holiness is not to be taken lightly, and His commands are to be followed with the utmost reverence.

The Lord’s Prayer, taught by Jesus in the Gospels, begins with “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” This opening acknowledges the holiness of God—“hallowed” means holy or sanctified—and sets the tone for the reverence due to God. It’s a recognition of God’s absolute otherness and sanctity, paralleling the call in Leviticus for God to be regarded as holy by those who come near Him.

Furthermore, both texts concern the glorification of God. Leviticus speaks of God being glorified before all the people, a community-wide acknowledgment of His majesty and righteousness. The Lord’s Prayer, while a personal prayer, is also a communal one—it is recited by groups of believers and seeks the establishment of God’s kingdom and will “on earth as it is in heaven.” This is a call for God’s righteous order to be manifested in the world, glorifying Him in the public sphere as well as in the private hearts of believers.

In essence, both passages invite a posture of reverence towards God. They underscore the necessity of approaching God with an attitude that befits His holiness and the importance of acknowledging His glory, both in the acts of worship and in the fabric of daily life. The Lord’s Prayer is a daily affirmation of the principles laid out in Leviticus 10:3, reminding the faithful to live in a way that honors and glorifies God in all things.

In a report titled “Why does Christianity have so many denominations?” published by Live Science on July 30, 2022, the author, Donavyn Coffey, wrote that there were more than 45,000 denominations globally today! With this knowledge, we can now appreciate why Jesus prayed for our unity towards the end of His Last Supper before He entered the Garden of Gethsemane.

²⁰ “My prayer is not for them [disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²⁰ “My prayer is not for them [disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. 

 May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

²⁵ “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I have made you^[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

How can Christian’s be united? In His prayer for unity, Jesus also provided the answer, and that is, He gave us His glory (verse 22). This is His set of qualities such as prayerful life, unconditional love, forgiveness, humility, compassion, self-control, authority and obedience. A list is provided by Susan Nelson at her blog site.

Now in Psalm 33:1, we read: How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Since the Book of Psalms is the 19th book of the bible, the identifier of Psalm 133:1 is (19+133+1=153).

CONCLUSION. By praying the Lord’s Prayer daily at the prescribed times {10.35am, 10.53am, 1.35pm, 1.53pm, 3.15pm, 3.51pm, 5.13pm, 5.31pm}, we can all be united spiritually and in the truth of Jesus Christ, and become prayerful like Him.

Discussions

The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 133:1, which highlights the beauty of unity among God’s people, can be linked through their emphasis on communal harmony and the expression of God’s will.

Psalm 133:1, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” celebrates the ideal of communal fellowship and peace. It reflects a state of collective well-being and the blessings that come from living in harmony. This unity is not just a social or emotional state; it is deeply spiritual, reflecting the unity and oneness found in the nature of God Himself.

The Lord’s Prayer, while it is often recited by individuals, is inherently communal. The very words “Our Father” indicate a collective relationship with God shared by a community of believers. The prayer proceeds with petitions that are plural in nature, such as “give us this day our daily bread,” which is a request for communal provision, and “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” which implies a community living in mutual forgiveness and grace.

Both the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 133:1 express ideals that are central to the life of the faith community. The prayer Jesus taught his disciples is a model not only for individual devotion but also for how believers are to live together and treat one another. It speaks to a life of shared values, mutual support, and collective worship, all of which are intrinsic to the unity that Psalm 133:1 finds so good and pleasant.

Moreover, the Lord’s Prayer’s final doxology in some traditions, “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever,” echoes the sentiment of Psalm 133:1 by acknowledging that the ultimate goal of unity among God’s people is the glorification of God. When believers live together in unity, they reflect God’s kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven, and this is a testament to His sovereign power and glory.

The link, therefore, is in the shared vision of a community living out the will of God in harmonious relationship, which both glorifies God and fulfills the prayerful petition for God’s kingdom to be realized on earth.

Psalm 17 is a most fitting prayer to our Father in heaven for protection from the wicked and deadly enemies. In verses 8 and 9, we know why: we are the apple of His eye!

⁸ Guard me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings
⁹ from the wicked who treat me with violence,
    from deadly enemies who surround me.

It is so humbling to know we are the apple of His eye!.

Since the Book of Psalm is the 19th book of the Bible, the identifier of chapter 17 verse 8 is (19+17+8=44) and that of verse 9 is therefore 45. The sum is 44+45=89. The 89th sphenic number is 670. Note that a sphenic number is a positive integer that is the product of three distinct prime numbers. In our case, 670=2 x 5 x 67. The number 670 has 8 divisors given in the set {1, 2, 5, 10, 67, 134, 335, 670}. The sum of the divisors is 1224. Hence, the arithmetic mean of the divisors is 1224/8=153.

CONCLUSION. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we petition our Father in heaven to guard us as the apple of His eye and hide us in the shadow of His wings from the wicked who treat us with violence and from deadly enemies who surround us.

Discussions

The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 17 can be linked through their invocation of God’s protective care and the intimate relationship between God and His faithful.

In Psalm 17, particularly verses 8 and 9, the psalmist asks for God’s protection, using the metaphor of being the “apple of [God’s] eye” to express a sense of cherished value in God’s sight. The request to be hidden “in the shadow of [God’s] wings” evokes a powerful image of refuge and safety, reminiscent of a bird shielding its young. This passage conveys a deep trust in God’s willingness and power to protect and preserve the psalmist from harm and adversaries.

The Lord’s Prayer, taught by Jesus, includes a petition for deliverance: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” While the phrasing is more general than the specific pleas of Psalm 17, the underlying desire is the same—a request for God’s guiding hand to provide safety and to steer the believer away from harm and the influence of evil.

The phrase “the apple of your eye” in Psalm 17:8 implies a special, watchful care that God extends to His people, which correlates with the assurance sought in the Lord’s Prayer. When believers pray “deliver us from evil,” they are acknowledging their vulnerability and God’s role as their ultimate protector, much like the psalmist does.

Both passages also reinforce the notion of dependency on God’s providential care. Just as the psalmist seeks refuge in the protective presence of God, believers reciting the Lord’s Prayer seek daily sustenance and guidance from their heavenly Father. They express faith that God is both attentive to their needs and capable of shielding them from the dangers that surround them.

Therefore, the link between the two is rooted in the themes of divine guardianship, the preciousness of God’s people in His sight, and the trust in God’s power to protect and sustain His followers in the midst of a world that can be hostile and threatening. Through both the psalmist’s cry and the disciple’s prayer, the faithful call upon God, the Father, to guard and deliver them because of their special place as His cherished children.