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
When I think on my ways,I turn my feet to your testimonies; Psalm 119:59 ESV Thus far, in our present stanza, the psalmist has confessed that the LORD is his portion and promised to keep His word; however, knowing his sinfulness, he also entreated the LORD’s favor, not according to his good works but according …
The LORD is my portion;I promise to keep your words. Psalm 119:57 ESV Here we arrive at the eighth stanza of Psalm 119, where each of its eight verses begins with the Hebrew letter heth. This first verse begins with two related declarations: The LORD is my portion and I promise to keep your words. …
And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers; …
Continue reading They Neither Marry Nor Are Given in Marriage | Mark 12:18-27
This blessing has fallen to me,that I have kept your precepts. Psalm 119:56 ESV We come now to the final verse of stanza Zayin of Psalm 119, and within the first line we find a difficulty. The psalmist declares, "this blessing has fallen to me..." And the question immediately before us is: which blessing? The …
Continue reading This Blessing Has Fallen to Me | Psalm 119:56
When I think of your rules from of old,I take comfort, O LORD. Psalm 119:52 ESV In general, our roots are shallow. How many know the names of their great-great-grandparents? How many walk about with a knowledge of family history and the weight of a family legacy? In the modern West, we tend to live …
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,but the way of wicked will perish. Psalm 1:6 ESV After all has been said in the first five verses of Psalm 1, this sixth and final verse gives us the fitting concluding contrast between the blessed and the wicked. The blessed, here synonymously called the righteous …
After five sermons upon the Passover night and its deep significance to Israel going forward, the narrative of Exodus now follows the Israelites as they make their way out of Egypt. Here the stubborn, hard-heartedness of Pharaoh will cause the king to chase after his runaway slaves. Though triumphant for a moment, the Israelites will …
Continue reading The LORD Will Fight for You | Exodus 13:17-14:14
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment Psalm 1:5 ESV After giving a three-verse portrait of the blessed, the psalmist gave a terse contrasting image of the wicked. Unlike the blessed, they do not delight in and meditate upon God's Word; thus, they are not rooted in eternal truth like trees beside streams …
B. C. Newton 