Archive for March 2022

Deuteronomy 4-5, Psalm 63, Matthew 26:17-35, Romans 10 Psalm 63: Have you ever felt like God was distant? You believe in him, but he doesn’t seem close, near, present, real? David begins this psalm by saying how much he is seeking God. “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you” (63:1). Even followers of God must…

Deuteronomy 1-3, Psalm 62, Matthew 26:1-16, Romans 9:19-33 Psalm 62: One of the great truths of life—if not the greatest truth—is that when all else fails, when everything else falls apart, there is one and only one person on whom you can rely. And that person is not yourself: it is God. God and God alone. That is…

Numbers 33-36, Psalm 61, Matthew 25:31-46, Romans 9:1-18 Psalm 61: Perhaps you need help today? One biographer of Winston Churchill said that he could imagine Churchill preaching, but he could not imagine him praying. There is something about the act of prayer that for many practically minded, successful people appears to be degrading and abasing—groveling even. We can…

Numbers 31-32, Psalm 60, Matthew 25:14-30, Romans 8:18-30 Psalm 60: This is the record of a series of great victories on the part of David. And the lesson? God did it. “With God we shall do valiantly” (60:12). The psalm starts by giving a fair record of the situation. It’s bad news. Even the theologians have given up.…

Numbers 28-30, Psalm 59, Matthew 25:1-13, Romans 8:1-17 Psalm 59: Yet again, David is in trouble. This time, men have been sent to his house to kill him. Michal, his wife, tells him about the plot, and David escapes out of the window of his house. It is an extraordinary danger, but the kind of danger with which…

Numbers 23-25, Psalm 57, Matthew 24:15-35, Romans 7:1-12 Psalm 57: Once again, David is in trouble. This time he is hiding in a cave from the attacks of King Saul. Who among us has experienced this kind of extreme danger? But whatever the scale of difficulty you have encountered, difficulty it still is. And this psalm—and David’s…

Numbers 21-22, Psalm 56, Matthew 24:1-14, Romans 6:15-23  Psalm 56: David is facing another—or continued—attack. It is, according to the ascription, “when the Philistines seized him in Gath.” Having fled from Saul, he hides in the kingdom of Achish in Gath among the Philistines. They recognize him as the great general who had killed so many Philistines in…

Numbers 18-20, Psalm 55, Matthew 23:25-39, Romans 6:1-14 Psalm 55: David is once again crying out to God in prayer. “Give ear to my prayer, O God” (55:1). This time it is for a particularly pernicious attack on him personally. How do you respond when someone attacks you? Learn from David’s example. He turns to God in prayer.…

Numbers 15-17, Psalm 54, Matthew 23:13-24, Romans 5:12-21 Psalm 54: David had many reasons to despair. He faced enemies determined to kill. He was betrayed and attacked. In this instance “strangers have risen against me” and “ruthless men seek my life” (54:3). What would David do about this? What would you do? If you are faced by opposition,…