O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, …
Continue reading O LORD, My Heart Is Not Lifted Up | Psalm 131
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the …
Continue reading Out of the Depths I Cry to You, O LORD | Psalm 130
Serious study of any ancient document will require resources and tools that help to enrich one's understanding of the text. The Bible is no different. As both a cohesive and complete revelation of God to humanity and a library of literary masterpieces, the Bible has consumed the lifetime focus of some of history's most brilliant …
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are …
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your …
Continue reading Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the LORD | Psalm 128
Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children …
Continue reading Unless the LORD Builds the House | Psalm 127
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their …
Having observed the ordination of the first seven deacons in our previous study, we constructed a biblical portrait of what deacons’ responsibilities are in the church, namely that they are servants, ministers, and guardians of church unity. As we did with elders, we now proceed to study what the qualifications are for being a deacon. …
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say— if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept …
Continue reading Our Help Is in the Name of the LORD | Psalm 124
A man stands on the street corner, proclaiming despite the murmur, "come and drink the living water that the Most Holy Potter blessedly offers to sinners bound for the slaughter!" His message is one of good news, of redemption if we so choose to forsake all else for the Savior's cause, but often i fear …
Continue reading Blessings & Curses (a meditation on Deuteronomy 29)
B. C. Newton 