Category: Old Testament
-
Excellent Wife: Intro
Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. (Proverbs 31:29) Even as a small girl, I have always been drawn to the passage of scripture where this verse is found. I loved the idea of being a good, wise wife one day. In fact, to the complete dismay of one of the guys…
-
To be near God
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. (Psalm 73:25) What a great verse! And one we are probably too quick to quote and sing, without carefully thinking through what it says. Do we really mean these words when we say them? The first part is…
-
Keep the faith
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. (Psalm 69:6) David is surrounded by enemies who would love to see him fall. They are actively seeking his destruction and…
-
Affliction
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. (Psalm 119:67) It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statues. (Psalm 119:71) Affliction, be it sickness or another type of trial, can be our teacher. These are not things we desire, or even should desire, but…
-
Flattery will get you nowhere
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. (Psalm 66:18) If you’re like me, you want to know that God hears your prayers. If I don’t have confidence that God hears and cares about my prayers, then what’s the point in praying? So I’m always on the look out…
-
Watching (for) God
O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. (Psalm 59:9) In this psalm, David is under hostile surveillance. King Saul has sent men to watch David, to spy out an opportunity to kill him. He describes these men as evil, bloodthirsty, and fierce. This is no idle threat…
-
Rejoicing In Who God Is
The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. (Psalm 58:10) This is not a popular sentiment. It strikes us as wrong somehow. Yet here it is, in scripture. The context of the entire psalm makes clear this is God’s vengeance against the wicked.…
-
Awake the Dawn
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! (Psalm 57:7-8) Here’s a guy who intends to make so much noise praising God, as to “awake the dawn”. Notice he didn’t say he was going…
-
Our Words Matter
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Proverbs 12:18) We have all experienced rash words aimed at us. And truly, they can cut deeply into our hearts, like a sword thrust into the flesh. They can cut so deep and be so painful at…
-
Tears in a Bottle
You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? (Psalm 56:8) David experienced some rough times. He was betrayed. He had enemies. He experienced a lot of unsettled time both before, and during, his kingship. In this psalm, he has enemies coming at him from…