“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Thus begins Psalm 23 in the old King James Version. In an age of ever-decreasing biblical literacy, Psalm 23 remains one of the most well-known passages in Scripture. One gets the sense that, besides being . . . Continue reading →
Having given this wonderful text of Psalm 5 an expositional and pastoral survey in the previous two articles, we return one last time for a third installment, wherein we will consider further implications and applications from this marvelous psalm. With great indebtedness . . . Continue reading →
In looking at Psalm 5, you might notice that there is a structure to David’s prayer. Each section begins with David directly addressing the Lord. Verse 1: “Give ear to my words, O Lord.” Verse 4: “For you are not a God . . . Continue reading →
Many of the psalms are about justice or mercy. Some discuss both; others focus on one or the other. Psalm 5, though it has an element of mercy to it, is primarily a psalm calling for justice—God’s justice. Sometimes, psalms like this . . . Continue reading →
In part one of Asaph’s temple turnaround in Psalm 73, we saw that Asaph had not always held to the truth that “God is good to Israel” (v. 1). First, we observed that even the faithful may have doubts (a crisis of . . . Continue reading →
Talking about doubts can seem almost taboo. How many friends have expressed their doubts about faith to you? How many sermons have you heard about doubts? What would your church friends or pastor think if you expressed your doubts to them? Are . . . Continue reading →
In the first section of this survey of Psalm 51, we were rocked by the foul stains of our sin. As sinners, conceived and born in iniquity, sin corrodes and tarnishes every last fiber of the inner person. Our hearts are rotten . . . Continue reading →
When it comes to laundry, some of you have probably become master stain removers. Clothes are not cheap, and stains are inevitable. If you have kids or a dropsy husband, you fight grassy knees, drips of coffee, blots of ink, and those . . . Continue reading →
In Part 1 we saw that Yahweh is the only true God, the one worthy of worship. He is the true storm god, and Baal is nowhere to be found. The LORD is the great King over all things, and his voice . . . Continue reading →
There are few books in the Bible more well-known in the church and the world today than the Book of Psalms. Even unbelievers have Psalm 23 memorized. Psalms 95 and Psalms 100 are mainstays as calls to worship in Reformed and Presbyterian . . . Continue reading →
Having given this wonderful text of Psalm 100 an expositional and pastoral survey in our previous three articles, we return one last time for a fourth installment wherein we consider some further implications and applications from this marvelous psalm. Continue reading →
Similarly, the Davidic lament of Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” belonged on Jesus’ lips (Matt. 27:46) not because the sufferings portrayed in the psalm had no referent in David’s own experience but because David himself—in his . . . Continue reading →
A text like Psalm 100 reminds us of what we were meant to do as a people—what we were created for. Continue reading →
A text like Psalm 100 reminds us of what we were meant to do as a people—what we were created for. Continue reading →
A text like Psalm 100 reminds us of what we were meant to do as a people—what we were created for. Continue reading →
At this point in Psalm 77, Asaph begins to see things in a different light—Yahweh acted to save His people in history, which brought the psalmist comfort in the midst of his present chaos and pain. Specifically, the LORD rescued His people . . . Continue reading →
Asaph was desperate, looking to Yahweh for help in his day of trouble. That is how Psalm 77 begins, but in this second installment, we see things begin to change. The psalmist was looking in the right direction: his desperate cries for . . . Continue reading →
“Now what?” It is the question we would rather not ask. We still find ourselves asking it in different contexts, of course. Sometimes we have acquired knowledge but do not know how to put it into practice, or we have finally obtained . . . Continue reading →
As a father sitting beside a fireplace, David laid out fear of the Lord 101 for us. Those who obey the law are rewarded with long years loaded with good, while the wicked suffer dire days. Besides convicting us for falling short, . . . Continue reading →
A common human experience is to wonder what others are thinking. You are sitting there watching someone and you get this strong curiosity about what is going through their mind. We cannot read minds, which is probably a good thing, but we . . . Continue reading →