God & Evil

September 13, 2020
The Bible deals with problems in the real world, and not questions like “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” If you walk with God for any amount of time you will wonder, “Why do you stand afar off, O Lord?”. People do evil things in this place where we believe God is in charge. If He is both good and all powerful, how can He allow it? This is called the problem of evil. Apart from Him, there is no answer and really no such thing as evil in the first place. But in Him, there is an answer and a sure hope.
The psalms teach us to praise the Lord for things we normally would not. Israel has been attacked by and delivered from pagan nations, but there are more threats on…
Like psalms 81 and 84, Psalm 8 is al Gittith, “upon an instrument of Gath”, which may be a joyful tune to accompany this beautiful meditation. David weaves together God’s…

A Cry for Justice

August 9, 2020
This psalm is the song of a slandered man. It’s a Shiggaion, a wandering or varied song in response to the accusations of Cush the Benjaminite against David. Perhaps Cush…

Godly Grief

August 2, 2020
Psalm 6 is the first penitential psalm, a cry to God for mercy and relief from the consequences of sin. We don’t know David’s exact circumstances, but his pain is…
All the psalms show us how to pray, but in Psalm 5 David marshals his words, makes the case why God should hear him, and declares his confidence He will.…

The God Who Hears

July 12, 2020
There is nothing so satisfying as knowing that God hears your prayers. Many believe Psalm 3 is a morning prayer followed by Psalm 4 in the evening, offered while David…

God Our Shield

July 5, 2020
In King David’s tumultuous life, his flight from Absalom was one his darkest hours. It looked like his sins had finally caught up with him and he would die an…
Whereas Psalm 1 describes the individual’s way with God—either blessed and planted or cursed and scattered—Psalm 2 reveals the plight of nations. Nations rage against God and perish, or they…

The Blessed Man

June 21, 2020
The book of Psalms is the prayer book of the Bible.  Seventy-three psalms are attributed to David, 12 to Asaph the musician, 12 to the sons of Korah, two to…