“God Comes to Rescue David” – Psalm 18:4-19
David now recounts how God delivered him. The Valley of Death David does not forget where he was when God delivered him. He was close to death; everywhere he looked he only saw death. Where could David have gone? David was so pressed by Saul that he had to go into a cave to hide, a cave which the entire army came to the entrance of and Saul himself entered. Imagine being David as you see rank after rank of…
“David’s Song of Praise” – Psalm 18:1-3
Psalm 18 is the song that David wrote when he became king. From the background and introduction there is much we can learn about the Christian faith. God keeps His promises As a boy David was anointed to be the next king of Israel. This appeared on the surface to be nothing more than a pipe dream that could never come true. However, over the next few years it looked as if God would fulfill His promise to David. David…
“A Prayer for Deliverance” – Psalm 17:7-15
The last time we looked at Psalm 17 we saw David was being attacked by men who were falsely accusing him. He turns to the Lord for his defense and does not lash out at those who are attacking him. We pick up today in verse 7. A prayer for mercy David cries out to God for His love and mercy to be poured out on him. He knows that God saves those who believe in Him, clearly showing salvation…
“A Savior from Sin” – Matthew 1:18-25
As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we can quickly forget why He came. His life’s purpose is found in His name, Jesus. His name means “Yah saves” of “Yah’s salvation.” Yah is the shortened form of Yahweh, God’s name. Jesus literally means, God’s salvation. This is His purpose for coming. In verse 21 we have the first promise in the New Testament, a promise that declares the purpose for which Jesus was born. He In Greek the definite article…
“A Prayer When Falsely Accused” – Psalm 17:1-6
We know nothing of the background of this Psalm except that it was written by David. It is very clear from the context that David has been falsely accused. David writes this Psalm as his response to these accusations. A Prayer for Justice Instead of making a public defense David instead turns to the Lord. He cries out to God for deliverance as opposed to looking to men. He is very clear in his prayer that he is not trying…
“The Golden Psalm” (Part Two) – Psalm 16:6-11
In the first part of this Psalm we saw many of the principles by which David lived his life. In the latter part of the Psalm we see David’s reflection on the goodness of God. This leads into more and more joy in God. The end of the Psalm shows David’s faith in the resurrection of the Messiah. Reflecting on God’s blessings David now considers the lot in life that God has bestowed upon him and sees that it is…
“The Golden Psalm” – Psalm 16:1-5
Perhaps the greatest question of religion is “How do I get to heaven?” A subset of this question is this “What does God require of me?” In general terms most religions have adopted the answer that God requires a sincere attempt on your part to do your best to follow his rules. However, is this what is actually taught in the Bible? Psalm 15 gives us the answer. An Important Question Psalm 15 begins with David asking God an important…
“The Righteousness God Requires” – Psalm 15:1-5
Perhaps the greatest question of religion is “How do I get to heaven?” A subset of this question is this “What does God require of me?” In general terms most religions have adopted the answer that God requires a sincere attempt on your part to do your best to follow his rules. However, is this what is actually taught in the Bible? Psalm 15 gives us the answer. An Important Question Psalm 15 begins with David asking God an important…
“Glorifying God by Giving Thanks” – Luke 17:11-19
As we approach Thanksgiving this week, it is fitting that we take some time to look at being thankful for God’s mercies in our life. This passage in Luke is very fitting for where we find ourselves today. The Horror of Leprosy Leprosy was not the most horrific of diseases. It was a disease where you slowly wasted away, but life expectancy could be several decades. The true horror of leprosy was that you would be a societal outcast. You…
“Even so, Come, Lord Jesus” – Psalm 14:4-7
Last week we saw the sinfulness of man. We saw that all human beings are sinners and do not seek God. Today we continue this train of thought. No thoughts of God David is almost in shock at the depravity he sees. How can men not have any knowledge of the coming judgment of God. How can men and women live as if God does not see? David sees them hurting the people of God. The wicked seem to value…
Total Depravity – Psalm 14:1-3
“The depravity of man is at once the most empirically verifiable reality but at the same time the most intellectually resisted fact.” – Malcolm Muggeridge Why is this so? Why is human sinfulness such a big deal in the Bible? Why do we resist it so much? Is it really an essential doctrine? In Psalm 14 David repeatedly emphasizes the unchanging reality that all men are sinners. Practical atheism The most accurate translation of the phrase “There is no God”…
“Hope in Darkness” – Psalm 13:1-6
Although we do not know the background of this Psalm of David we do know that David is struggling spiritually. This is a good psalm for those who feel like God has forgotten them. How Long? In the first stanza of the psalm there is a recurring theme. “How long” is mentioned four times. The psalmist asks four questions: when is God going to remember him, when is God going to show Himself, when is his sorrow going to end,…