Maybe you’re like me? I can’t read this psalm without a host of beautiful images flooding my mind. Here we view nature at its best – a thunderstorm racing across the prairies, a waterfall cascading down a verdant mountainside, wildlife bounding across the African savannah, the mystery and bounty of the ocean depths. The psalmist sees it all – portrays it all within this psalm.
Read More creation, praiseShort, but powerful and evocative–that’s my description of Psalm 133. I might also add, easily read, but difficult to put into practice. Unity among the people of God is that great allusive goal that seems to always disappear around the next bend in the road. But there God has commanded his blessing, if we could only reach that blessed state.
The psalmist uses two metaphors to portray this good and pleasant state of affairs.
Read More Unity, loveLike many psalms, Psalm 106 begins with praise, but in verse three it transitions to this opening thought, “Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.”
Now there’s a mind-blowing concept. Talk about setting the bar completely out of reach! Nobody – I repeat – nobody always does right and acts justly in every situation. Human fallibility and self-interest dictate to the contrary.
Read More rebellion @en, forgivenessThis psalm is different. It’s unique among the 150 psalms in the Bible because it presents us with various vignettes of redemption—brief stories or scenes where the Lord rains down his mercy and rescues the wayward and downtrodden.
In verse two the psalmist declares, “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.”
Read More mercy, redemptionHave you ever noticed the prominent role that trees play in the Bible? The creation account in Genesis begins with God planting two very special trees in the Garden of Eden: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After our first parent’s disobedience, we were banned from access to the Tree of Life. But the amazing, good news of the Bible is that at the end of the book, in the last chapter of the Book of Revelation, God restores our access to the Tree of Life (Revelation 22:1-5).
Read More forgiveness, righteousnessKisses are so close-up and personal, so intimate. I don’t know about you, but I don’t kiss everyone I meet. Kisses are reserved for those special people in my life – people I know and trust, people I love.
Here in Psalm 2, kings and rulers are commanded to kiss the Son of God.
Read More submissionWhere are you living? Please note, I did not ask, “What is your address?”
For the Old Testament believer, God had an address. He lived in the Tent of Meeting on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Later this was the location of the great temple built by Solomon.
This entire psalm is based on the premise that we can live in the presence of God.
Read More omnipresentDo you believe in prophecy?
Psalm 22 is the most graphic description of Christ’s crucifixion found anywhere in the Bible. Yet here it is, tucked away among the Psalms, written 900 years before the birth of Christ.
How could this be? During David’s time, crucifixion as a form of execution had not yet been invented.
Read More prophecy, crucifixionIf there is a biblical recipe or prescription for the good life, it can be found in the words of this psalm. This is a psalm full of satisfaction. It oozes with the very fullness of life; it overflows with a quiet peace. There is a mellow ripeness to these words that runs down your chin, lights a spark in your eye, and puts a spring in your step.
The first line is the key to it all. Is the Lord your shepherd?
Read More shepherdPsalm 24 is a psalm of anticipation. David, the shepherd king, is anticipating the arrival of the Lord. The Lord is coming to his city, to His temple. Have you prepared your heart and your mind for the moment of his arrival? He often shows up at the moment we least expect him.
Undoubtedly, David, the warrior King, was reflecting on his own triumphant entry into the city after the defeat of his enemies in battle.
Read More prophecy, Palm Sunday