It is good for me that I was afflicted,that I might learn your statutes. Psalm 119:71 ESV The psalmist here draws together and makes explicit what the first four verses of this stanza implied. Recall that he began by rejoicing that the LORD has dealt well with him in accordance with His Word. He then …
Continue reading It Is Good for Me That I Was Afflicted | Psalm 119:71
Their heart is unfeeling like fat,but I delight in your law. Psalm 119:70 ESV This verse is a continuation of the previous verse, making the subject of the first half the insolent who smeared the psalmist with lies. Now the psalmist explains that they hurl their lies at him because of their unfeeling hearts. We …
Look among the nations, and see;wonder and be astounded.For I am doing a work in your daysthat you would not believe if told. Habakkuk 1:5 ESV We must carefully observe this verse within its context because many have taken it to mean something entirely different then what it originally meant. The thought that God is …
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They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons …
Continue reading They Did Not Destroy the Peoples | Psalm 106:34-39
He determines the number of the stars;He gives to all of them their names.Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;His understanding is beyond measure. Psalm 147:4-5 ESV It is said that there are more stars in the universe than there are words spoken by all humans throughout all of history. That means that the …
The insolent smear me with lies,but with my whole heart I keep your precepts; Psalm 119:69 ESV The insolent in this verse are those who lord themselves over God's Word. Like scoffers, they mock and belittle the testimonies of the Most High, rejecting His authority over them as their Creator. Indeed, like the fools that …
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When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,but the righteous is established forever. Proverbs 10:25 ESV We do right to compare suffering and affliction to storms. Like a tempest, trials often race across the horizon and overshadow us in a moment, and the destruction that they leave in their wake can be devastating. Indeed, …
You are good and do good;teach me your statutes. Psalm 119:68 ESV This is a marvelous verse and a mighty confession for all of God's people to make alongside the psalmist. First, he confesses a deep truth regarding God's nature: God is good. As with all of God’s attributes, we must take care not to …
Before I was afflicted I went astray,but now I keep your word. Psalm 119:67 ESV A painful reality is expressed by the psalmist in this verse. God afflicts His people for their own good. A strain of hedonistic thought has wormed its way into the church that if God is truly good then He will …
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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6 ESV Life is one gigantic string of endless possibilities. We all make plans, but none of them are set in stone. Someone may desire to live a long, healthy life …
B. C. Newton 