Following the explosiveness of the first nine plagues, we come now to a very short chapter that serves as an interlude before the tenth and final plague is poured out upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Here Moses concludes his dialogue with Pharaoh for good, promising a great wail of death throughout Egypt to come. As …
Blessed are those whose way is blameless,who walk in the law of the LORD. Psalm 119:1 ESV Verses 1-3 are the preamble to this magnificent and glorious psalm, while the remaining 173 verses are a long-form plea to God for this blessed description to become a reality within our hearts and lives. Blessed is the …
On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew …
Thus far, the Preacher has presented before us his investigation to find something under the sun that isn’t vanity. He attempted giving himself to unmitigated pleasure. He studied the rhythms, randomness, and inevitability of time. He observed the necessity of community, while also noting how we each threaten to destroy that community. He has presented …
Continue reading The Life of the Unsatisfied | Ecclesiastes 6
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
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)
SUGGESTED VERSES FOR MEMORIZATION & MEDITATION Ecclesiastes 6:3 | If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than …
Continue reading The Vanity of Blessings Under the Sun | Ecclesiastes 6
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand …
My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you …
SUGGESTED VERSES FOR MEMORIZATION & MEDITATION Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are …
B. C. Newton 