Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. Luke 2:29-32 ESV After being visited by the shepherds, Luke …
Continue reading Depart in Peace: The Song of Simeon | Luke 2:29-32
Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. Luke 2:14 ESV The story continues in chapter two of Luke's Gospel with the birth of Mary's son, Jesus. She journeyed with Joseph to Bethlehem for Caesar's census, and upon their arrival, they could find no place to stay …
Continue reading Glory to God in the Highest: The Song of Heaven | Luke 2:14
And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of the prophets …
Continue reading Blessed Be the Lord: The Song of Zechariah | Luke 1:67-79
And Mary said,"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.And his mercy is for …
Continue reading My Soul Magnifies the Lord: The Song of Mary | Luke 1:46-55
And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22 ESV Even before 1 Samuel 15, God had already promised another king in Saul's place …
Continue reading To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice | 1 Samuel 15:22
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. John 5:39-40 ESV The Pharisees of Jesus’ day held the Scriptures in high esteem. They believed them to be the …
The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love;teach me your statutes! Psalm 119:64 ESV Now that we come to the end of this stanza, let us briefly take one last glance at how it is structured. The first half, verses 57-60, focused on the psalmist’s resolution to obey God’s law, while the second …
Continue reading The Earth Is Full of Your Steadfast Love | Psalm 119:64
I am a companion of all who fear you,of those who keep your precepts. Psalm 119:63 ESV Given the psalmist’s previous statements that he considers how his ways deviate from God’s testimonies, hastens to obey God’s commandments, devotes himself obedience even when the wicked ensnare him, and rises at midnight to praise the LORD, we …
Continue reading I Am a Companion of All Who Fear You | Psalm 119:63
At midnight I rise to praise you,because of your righteous rules. Psalm 119:62 ESV Having meditated upon his ways and resolved to keep God's law even though the cords of the wicked ensnared him, the psalmist now turns again to praising God for His righteous rules. Praise is fittingly the theme not only of this …
Continue reading At Midnight I Rise to Praise You | Psalm 119:62
Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,I do not forget your law. Psalm 119:61 ESV We might borrow the language of the author of Hebrews and say that time would fail us if we were to recount all the lives of our brothers and sisters who displayed these words with their very lives. Of …
Continue reading Though the Cords of the Wicked Ensnare Me | Psalm 119:61
B. C. Newton 