Psalms / chapter 140 (read the chapter)
Fire and brimstone. We hear quite a bit of that from the Christian pulpit these days, and we find it (or at least a request for it) in this psalm, too: “Those who surround me proudly rear their heads; may the mischief of their lips engulf them. May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire.” (vs 9-10) Continue Reading »
Psalms / chapter 139 (read the chapter)
And so we’ve finally come to this—my most favorite psalm in the Bible, possibly my most favorite chapter in the Bible. I just love how the picture of God in it is all-pervasive. There is nowhere we can go to outrun Him. He is everywhere—even with us in the womb, long before we are capable of perceiving Him. Continue Reading »
Psalms / chapter 138 (read the chapter)
Have you ever felt it? That moment when it seems like nothing else in the world matters except God, and at that moment, you would go anywhere and do anything—no matter the cost—if He called you to it? What happens to those moments? They come suddenly and go just as quickly, as the world and all its glittering promises come flooding back in. Continue Reading »
Psalms / chapter 137 (read the chapter)
This is a very sad psalm. Not only was it written when the Israelites were in Babylonian exile, but you can almost feel their despair as they are mocked by their captors: “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’” (vs 1-3) Continue Reading »
Psalms / chapter 136 (read the chapter)
Well, the author of this particular psalm didn’t make it very difficult for me to come up with a theme about God. Every single verse in this chapter ends with the declaration: His love endures forever. Continue Reading »
Psalms / chapter 135 (read the chapter)
After recounting some of the amazing feats of the God of Israel, the psalmist said this: “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.” (vs 15-18) Continue Reading »
Psalms / chapter 134 (read the chapter)
This short and sweet little psalm is all about blessing: our blessing God, and His blessing us:
Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD
who minister by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the LORD.
May the LORD bless you from Zion,
he who is the Maker of heaven and earth. Continue Reading »
Psalms / chapter 133 (read the chapter)
I have heard the first verse of this psalm many times in my life as a Christian: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” As far as I can recollect, I have never actually heard the remainder of the psalm. How do I know that? Because I was somewhat taken aback by similes used to describe this unity—especially the first one. Unity is like precious oil running down an old man’s beard? Huh? Continue Reading »
Psalms / chapter 132 (read the chapter)
Just a few chapters ago, we read, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” (Ps 127:1) And now, we get a chance to see this principle in action. God is the builder. We may be good helpers (when we aren’t trying to take over the project!), but we should never lose sight of Who is actually doing the building. Continue Reading »
Psalms / chapter 131 (read the chapter)
The great theologian Charles Spurgeon said this about Psalm 131: “It is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.” Continue Reading »
