Posts by Josh Moody

Judges 17-18, Psalm 89:19-52, Mark 8:1-13, 1 Corinthians 13  Psalm 89:19-52: The vision and the promise are clear. But where are the results? This is a confusing disjunction with which to be faced at the best of times, but especially when the vision belongs to God (verse 19), and the promise is guaranteed also by God (verse 35).…

Judges 16, Psalm 89:1-18, Mark 7:24-37, 1 Corinthians 12:14-31 Psalm 89:1-18: Do you want to give your life something that lasts forever? So many people down through the years have attempted to make a name for themselves that lasts beyond the merely temporal and immediate. Great works of art. Military conquest. The list goes on. And yet the…

Judges 13-15, Psalm 88, Mark 7:1-23, 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 Psalm 88: “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.” This and other similar “old saws” suggest that we are most at threat from physical danger. Certainly, physical danger is not to be eschewed or ignored as if it were nothing. Only those who…

Judges 10-12, Psalm 87, Mark 6:45-56, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Psalm 87: This psalm gave inspiration to one of the great hymns of the Christian faith. Written by John Newton in 1779, the hymn well expresses the essence of this psalm: Glorious things of thee are spoken Zion, city of our God… Savior, since of Zion’s city I through…

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 the…

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,…