Archive for April 2022

Judges 9, Psalm 86, Mark 6:30-44, 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 Psalm 86: A prayer for help—“Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy” (86:1). Perhaps you feel like that this morning. You are in need. Listen to this psalm and let its word encourage you to pray to God for help. First, remember…

Judges 8, Psalm 85, Mark 6:14-29, 1 Corinthians 10:14-33   Psalm 85: A few years ago Christians around the world would be found regularly praying for revival. Since then, that habit of asking God to restore his people—which is the theme of this psalm—seems to have waned. Why is that? One of the reasons, I suspect, is because…

Judges 6-7, Psalm 84, Mark 6:1-13, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Psalm 84: One of the most compelling natural instincts we have is for “home.” You see it with the way that ex-patriots struggle to accommodate themselves to new cultures, with how missionaries on furlough sometimes feel quite disorientated, with that longing we have for the place where we grew…

Judges 4-5, Psalm 83, Mark 5:21-43, 1 Corinthians 9:13-27  Psalm 83:  These kind of Psalms are hard for us to read, much less to interpret. We are not used to the idea of God’s judgment in any shape or form being expressed with confidence and certitude. And it is especially hard for us to read of this appeal for…

Judges 1-3, Psalm 82, Mark 5:1-20, 1 Corinthians 9:1-12 Psalm 82: Have you ever wondered why it is that religion can seem so corrupt? Hardly a day goes by, it seems, that we do not hear of some crisis or other in the world of religion. And then we are told that religion is the cause of all…

Joshua 24, Psalm 81, Mark 4:21-41, 1 Corinthians 8 Psalm 81: The psalm begins with praise and ends with appeal. This morning, begin your day with praise, and then listen to the appeal that this psalm makes. The praise is loud! “Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!” (81:1). No moderate,…

Joshua 22-23, Psalm 80, Mark 4:1-2, 1 Corinthians 7:17-40 Psalm 80: When you are faced with a situation that is apparently beyond your ability to influence, what do you do? In this psalm we find a man calling out to God to ask God to “restore”; God is the only one who can do it, and so it…

Joshua 20-21, Psalm 79, Mark 3:20-35, 1 Corinthians 7:1-16 Psalm 79: Calamity breeds its own kind of despair. It is difficult to know how to respond when something tragic and terrible occurs. How can we answer the cries of those who are brought low? How can we find strength to help those trod down under foot? How can…

Joshua 18-19, Psalm 78:40-72, Mark 3:1-19, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Psalm 78:40-72: The psalm continues with a description of the capitulation of God’s people to sin and rebellion against God. It is a sad lament. Why does the psalmist spend so much time telling us of these things? The answer is that he writes these things to warn us.…

Joshua 15-17, Psalm 78:1-39, Mark 2:18-28, 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 Psalm 78:1-39: Family histories are normally replete with messages affirming the preeminence of that family’s particular genetic heritage. Sure, there are a few nuts in every family, but by and large it is natural for us to prefer the testimony of our family—with all its foibles—over that of any…