O How I Love Your Law!

When Will You Comfort Me? | Psalm 119:82-83

My eyes long for your promise;I ask, “When will you comfort me?”For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,yet I have not forgotten your statutes Psalm 119:82-83 ESV The psalmist began this stanza with a desire for salvation: "My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word." Given the context of …

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O How I Love Your Law!

My Soul Longs for Your Salvation | Psalm 119:81

My soul longs for your salvation;I hope in your word. Psalm 119:81 ESV A new stanza is begun with this verse, wherein each line begins with the Hebrew letter kaph. And the psalmist begins with his soul: My soul longs for your salvation. In Hebrew, soul (nephesh) is not only the spiritual component of a …

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O How I Love Your Law!

May My Heart Be Blameless | Psalm 119:80

May my heart be blameless in your statutes,that I may not be put to shame! Psalm 119:80 ESV In the last two verses, the psalmist focused on the insolent and the godly. In 78, he prayed that the insolent would be put to shame because they wronged him with falsehood. In 79, he prayed for …

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O How I Love Your Law!

Let Those Who Fear You Turn to Me | Psalm 119:79

Let those who fear you turn to me,that they may know your testimonies. Psalm 119:79 ESV In the preceding verses, the psalmist has made a series of appeals to God. In verse 76, he asked for God's steadfast love to comfort him. In verse 77, he pleaded for God's mercy, that he might live. And …

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O How I Love Your Law!

Let the Insolent Be Put to Shame | Psalm 119:78

Let the insolent be put to shame,because they have wronged me with falsehood;as for me, I will meditate on your precepts. Psalm 119:78 ESV Having just appealed to the LORD in the previous two verses for steadfast love to comfort him and mercy to give him life, the psalmist now turns his attention on the …

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O How I Love Your Law!

Let Your Mercy Come to Me | Psalm 119:77

Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;for your law is my delight. Psalm 119:77 ESV In the previous verse, the psalmist made a similar request: "Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant." Just as he appealed for God's steadfast love there, he now petitions for God's …

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Question 52: What Hope Does Everlasting Life Hold for Us?

The hope of eternal life is at the very center of the Christian faith. Christ said, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). Indeed, in John 17:3, Jesus says that eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. That is why Christ …

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Question 51: Of What Advantage to Us Is Christ’s Ascension?

In both the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, which are the most widely confessed creeds in Christianity, a large portion focuses upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. And rightly so. We are Christians, after all. When we speak of Christ's work, we marvel at the incarnation, which Packer once claimed is the …

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The Fear of Jacob

Having just finished rereading Genesis, I am struck once more by the life of Jacob. Although all the patriarchs were flawed, Jacob is incredibly so. He is a grasping man, always reaching for his own way whenever the opportunity presents itself. But this reading, I have also noticed Jacob's great fear. Of all the patriarchs, …

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Question 50: What Does Christ’s Resurrection Mean For Us?

The opening line beautifully captures the heart of the resurrection: Christ triumphed over sin and death by being physically resurrected. That final phrase physically resurrected is crucial. There are some who are fond of the Christ's teaching but deny the physical resurrection, saying instead that His resurrection was metaphorical. That is not the Christian confession. …

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