Archive for March 2022

Numbers 12-14, Psalm 53, Matthew 23:1-12, Romans 5:1-11 Psalm 53: Once again, the Psalms sing to us the hymn to an atheist. Why is it repeated? (See Psalm 14). In the end, we do not know. But it is possible that God in his sovereignty is emphasizing the importance of the message of this psalm by ensuring it…

Numbers 9-11, Psalm 52, Matthew 22:34-46, Romans 4 Psalm 52: The story that apparently gave rise to this psalm is a terrifying one. Doeg betrayed the priests for helping David escape from Saul. Later he was asked by Saul to put the priests to death. He killed eighty-five people in one day. “And Nob, the city of the…

Numbers 7-8, Psalm 51, Matthew 22:15-33, Romans 3 Psalm 51: The most famous of all the penitential Psalms, Psalm 51 is of perennial brilliance. It comes out of the fire of the personal experience of David and his sin of adultery and of murder. The prophet Nathan had confronted him and now David confessed his sin. Perhaps there…

Numbers 5-6, Psalm 50, Matthew 22:1-14, Romans 2 Psalm 50: Have you ever thought that God is silent? You can’t hear him or know what it is that he is saying? Perhaps you have a problem for which you are looking for an answer. Or perhaps you are longing to know what God is saying to you about…

Numbers 3-4, Psalm 49, Matthew 21:33-46, Romans 1:18-32 Psalm 49: “Hear this, all peoples!” (49:1). What is about to follow is very important. Will you listen? The psalmist wants to make sure that we hear this, pay attention to it, and give it our full attention. “Hear this, all peoples!” It is so easy to be distracted, and…

Numbers 1-2, Psalm 48, Matthew 21:23-32, Romans 1:1-17 Psalm 48: Today it is not uncommon to think that the institution of the church is unappealing. People may be in favor of Jesus, but they are less enamored by Jesus’ church. But in the Bible the connection between God and the corporate identity of God’s people—the city of Jerusalem,…