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 …
Continue reading My Soul Longs for Your Salvation | Psalm 119:81
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 …
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 …
Continue reading Let Those Who Fear You Turn to Me | Psalm 119:79
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 …
Continue reading Let the Insolent Be Put to Shame | Psalm 119:78
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 …
Psalm 45 is a love song. But it may not be the kind of love song that we are expecting. One commentator writes: This psalm is a hymn celebrating a royal wedding. As its title says, it is a love song. The term translated "love" (Hb. yedidot) indicates deep personal attachment but is not in …
The New Year is here. Have you already started a new devotional? A devotional is book of sort, often daily, readings. Many have 365 readings for the whole year. They are usually written to be relatable and encouraging. The more theologically robust ones typically reflect on a particular verse or passage of Scripture, sometimes encouraging …
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote: In many churches the Psalms are read or sung every Sunday, or even daily, in succession. These churches have preserved a priceless treasure, for only with daily use does one appropriate this divine prayerbook. When read only occasionally, these prayers are too overwhelming in design and power and tend to turn …
For the last several weeks leading up to tomorrow's solar eclipse, I have repeatedly seen a post on social media that gives evidence for why the eclipse is a warning of God's judgment upon the United States. To be honest, I haven't read the whole post (nor do I care to), and knowing the Internet, …
Continue reading No, the Eclipse Is Not a Sign of God’s Judgment
Praise the LORD!Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns …
Continue reading Praise in Their Throats & Swords in Their Hands | Psalm 149
B. C. Newton 