Christ in the Psalms: Psalm 68

Posted inChrist in the Psalms
Psalm 68 seems to be related to three events in the Old Testament and two in the New Testament. The three in the Old Testament are Israel's journey in the wilderness on the way to Canaan, the return of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, and the transfer of the ark from the tent…

Speaking to One Another in Psalms

Posted inPsalms Commentary
We think of our singing in worship as singing to the Lord, offering him our praise and thanks and bringing to him our petitions. He is, indeed, the main object of our sung speech, and that rightly. We come together to worship, and whatever we say in worship is before him. He is our primary…

Christ in the Psalms: Psalm 10

Posted inChrist in the Psalms
Psalm 10 is the cry of a righteous man against a wicked man attacking him. The names "wicked" and "poor" and their synonyms are singular in number, with the exception of verses 2b (them), 10b (helpless, NKJV), 12b (humble) and 17 (humble, their heart), and in these verses the psalmist is applying to himself principles…

Christ in the Psalms: Psalm 9

Posted inChrist in the Psalms, Psalms Commentary
We can never go wrong by reminding ourselves that our Lord sang and prayed the psalms during his earthly ministry. He made them his own. He experienced what David and the other psalmists experienced. Their praise and thanksgiving, both for who God is and what he has done, are his. Their cries for help are…

Psalm 119: Keeping His Testimonies

Posted inPsalms Commentary
One theme that appears again and again in Psalm 119 is keeping the testimonies of the Lord. The psalm uses two Hebrew words for keep, both of which appear in verse 34: Cause me to understand, and I will observe [natsar] your law, and I will keep [shamar] it with my whole heart. The second…

The Structure of Psalm 26

Posted inPsalm Translations, Psalms Commentary
of David1. Judge me, Yahweh, For I in my integrity walk, and in Yahweh I trust. I will not slip.2. Examine me, Yahweh, and test me. Try my kidneys and my heart.3. For your lovingkindness [is] before my eyes, and I walk in your truth.4. I do not sit with men of vanity, and with…

Does God Love the Wicked?

Posted inGod's Love
Many would say in answer to the question, does God love the wicked?, He loves the sinner but hates the sin. Some might also say, he loves the wicked but not with the same special love that he has for his people. This is, at best, a conclusion drawn from certain other Scriptures (such as…

Structure of Galatians 6:6-10

Posted inGalatians
In my previous post I pointed out that Galatians 6:1-5 has the structure ABCAB. The next 5 verses have a slightly different structure: ABBAC. Verses 6 and 9 go together because they are both exhortations, verses 7 and 8 go together because they give us the reasons for the exhortations, and verse 10 is the…

The Structure of Galatians 6:1-5

Posted inGalatians
According to his usual custom, the Apostle Paul divided his letter to the Galatians into two parts, a theological part (chapters 1-4) and a practical, or hortatory, part (chapters 5-6). Chapters 5 and 6 have four main sections. In 5:1-15, God instructs us in the proper use of our liberty and in verses 16-26 about…