How do you deal with confusing passages of Scripture you come across in the Bible? Do you move on to other passages that are less confusing or do you sit down and meditate upon the passage that seems confusing? What is Psalm 45 talking about? I’ll admit that I am a little confused after reading through Psalm 45. What is being discussed? What key people are talked about within this Psalm? It would be easy to run to the ‘helpful’ commentaries at the bottom of my Bible to get a better understanding of this chapter but I would lose out from the time spent meditating on the Bible in fellowship with God. Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - The Story
Out of confusion springs fellowship with God: Psalm 45
Hope and promise found in God: Psalm 34
Why would a humble person rejoice with David’s boasting in the Lord? What is there to cause David to call us to magnify the name of the Lord? In Psalm 34 David speaks about hope for the believer that is overwhelmed by situations and adversaries that seek to destroy. How is this hope relayed to the reader? We are given a first hand account of God’s faithfulness and deliverance from David. David’s life was filled with many moments of great joy and others of great despair but he continually set his heart, mind, soul and strength toward God. “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4 David knew first hand that his dependance upon God brought hope, strength and peace to his soul. The language David uses in Psalm 34 brings hope to the hurting, strength to the weak and joy to despairing because of God’s faithfulness. Continue Reading…
Dive into the God’s wondrous love story: Psalm 33
How would you describe your view of God? Is God praiseworthy? Do awe and wonder fill your soul as you ponder all God has done? Is God the wellspring of all strength and endurance in your life? How do we gain the perspective of God that places Him as the supreme ruler of our lives? In Psalm 33 we are given many wonderful reasons to worship God in adoration. Will these deeds of God fill us with wonder if we do not know the complete story of scripture? In Psalm 33:6,9 the creation of heaven and earth is mentioned, do you remember the story? In Psalm 33:7 it states that God gathers the water in a heap, do you remember the story? There are many marvelous stories contained throughout Scripture, which stories encourage you? Continue Reading…
Lesson from the life of a toddler and the joy of a puppy: Psalm 28
I love the lessons that we learn from babies. Their nature is completely raw and laid bare as they express their feelings. How often does a toddler require assurance that they are safe? I have often observed young children happily playing only to suddenly express worry and cry out looking for their parents. The child is longing for the assurance that they are safe and that help is readily available. This same need for assurance can be seen in the behavior of a newborn puppy who is eagerly playing one moment and in an instant they are looking about them making sure that their owner is at hand. There is an inherent need found with in all of creation for security, rest and peace. As we grow up we continue to seek out assurance that we are safe. Many times the item we seek out for assurance becomes an idol that doesn’t truly give any lasting security, rest or peace. Continue Reading…
Live as the priceless jewel you are: Psalm 8
Why? Why has God chosen to care about mankind? The majestic God of creation who made heaven and earth cares about us. The fact that God has chosen to love me is unfathomable. How can the infinite care about the finite? It is an amazing truth to know that God so loved us that He sent Jesus Christ as the ultimate expression of His love. Can you fathom that truth? Was this same mystery seen through out the story of God’s expression of love?
In Psalm 8 we see this awe and wonder of God expressed by David. Everywhere David looked he could see the fingerprint of God at work. The heavens, moon and stars all proclaim the work of God. Did David feel infinitely small when he thought of the vastness of creation compared to his own simple life? Continue Reading…
Failure of Judah foreshadows The Deliverer: 2 Chronicles Summary
Can man ever be truly faithful to God? When there are brilliant expressions of men being faithful to God only to see the spectacular failure of their sons who wholeheartedly turn away from God, where will we find hope? 2 Chronicles builds its foundation upon the history of the kingdom of Judah. The events detailed in 1 and 2 Kings are told again in 2 Chronicles but with an emphasis on the actions of the kings of Judah. The storyline of Judah that is told in 2 Chronicles has a mostly positive feel compared to 2 Kings and 1 Chronicles. The people of Judah remain steadfast in their resolve to worship God while the people in Israel are turning away from God. Continue Reading…
Context, perspective, and history: 1 Chronicles Summary
How would you summarize the story of God at work in the Old Testament? There are many ways you can talk about how God has interacted with mankind. The book of 1 Chronicles uses the genealogies of men from Adam through David to portray the story. Emphasis was given to the people who were present at key events throughout the history of the descendants of Israel. What is the importance of the history of Israel given through the genealogy of men? What is gained when you know your history?
The relationship between God and Israel can be summarized by His faithfulness and the peoples collective inability to follow Him. The foremost command that the people were given was to love God with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength as they clung to God from day to day. Continue Reading…
Lineage of Ruben and Levi: 1 Chronicles 5 and 6
The detailed genealogy of the sons of Israel continues in 1 Chronicles chapters 5 and 6 with the lineage of Ruben and Levi. It is amazing to see the connectedness of all the people from the Bible stories. I’ll be honest that I have dreaded reading through the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles because I knew from my previous times glancing through them that they are filled with so many names that didn’t have a connection with. Thankfully I was wrong about how impacting these book of the Bible are.
Ruben’s sinfulness by sleeping with one of Israel’s concubines happened in Genesis and see how that act of sinfulness had effects a many generations after Ruben. What acts do we choose to commit today that will have lasting effects for good or bad for generations? Continue Reading…
Knowledge of who you are is found in your past: 1 Chronicles 1 and 2
Why are all of these names given in 1 Chronicles 1 and 2? What is the point? It seems redundant to repeat these names that are all given throughout the first twelve books of the Old testament. Does difficulty in understanding the importance of the genealogy come from your own perspective? Many of us live in urbanized cities where we go about our daily activities as anonymously as we can taking refuge in our secluded homes. We do not have the understanding of a culture where genealogy is critically valued.
You can make the argument that the genealogies are given to trace the lineage of Jesus Christ but what other reason would compel the Israelites to want such a detailed genealogy? Continue Reading…
Choices show the quality of relationship with God: 1 Samuel Summary
The book 1 Samuel in its most simplistic form is the fulfillment of the words spoken by Moses and Joseph to the Israelites encouraging everyone to cling to God and to love Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. The continued lack of regard for God that was evident in the book of Judges is continuing in the book of 1 Samuel with people choosing to whatever they want to the point of rejecting God as king over Israel. The blessing that was bestowed upon Israel has been removed and they are under the curse that God promised would follow if they did not follow all of His statutes. The Philistine occupation of Israel is a direct result of the Israelites inability and lack of desire to drive out the nations from within the promised land. It is critical to remember that 1 Samuel directly ties into the story that is present through out scripture of God working to redeem humanity. Continue Reading…
