Posts by Josh Moody

1 Kings 15-16, Psalm 119:73-80, Luke 3:21-38, Ephesians 5:1-21 Psalm 119:73-80: This part of the psalm continues with the psalmist’s reflection upon and resolution regarding his own suffering. Consider: “I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me” (119:75). Or again: “Let the insolent be put to shame, because they…

1 Kings 13-14, Psalm 119:65-72, Luke 3:1-20, Ephesians 4:25-32 Psalm 119:65-72: The problem of suffering is one of the great perennial questions posed to Christians. How can a good God allow bad things to happen to good people? Asked like that, the question appears to be unsolvable. Either God is not really God (omnipotent), or he is not…

1 Kings 12, Psalm 119:57-64, Luke 2:41-52, Ephesians 4:17-24 Psalm 119:57-64: In some ways life is all about decisions. You cannot be everything. If you do not decide to be something, life will force upon you a something that you may not have wanted. You have to decide—to cut off yourself from various options and potentials in order…

1 Kings 11, Psalm 119:49-56, Luke 2:21-40, Ephesians 4:1-16 Psalm 119:49-56: The author of this great, as well as lengthy, psalm is clearly in some sort of difficulty at a personal level. There are various hints of this throughout the psalm, but one of the most pertinent and clear is in this section of the psalm in particular.…

1 Kings 9-10, Psalm 119:41-48, Luke 2:1-20, Ephesians 3:14-21 Psalm 119:41-48: Indubitably, the thing we most need is: love. And in particular, the love of God. His love, when all other loves fail, does not fail. And so this section of the psalm begins with this earnest cry: “Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord”(119:41). Would…

1 Kings 8, Psalm 119:33-40, Luke 1:67-80, Ephesians 3:1-13  Psalm 119:33-40: This section of this psalm once again gives the lie to the idea that the desire to keep the law (or God’s Word) in the way it is expressed here or in the Bible is in anyway legalistic. No, instead, the psalmist is ardently praying that God would…

1 Kings 6-7, Psalm 119:25-32, Luke 1:57-66, Ephesians 2:11-22  Psalm 119:25-32: What do you do when you don’t feel like studying the Bible? All of us at some point or other find that our feelings do not match our commitments. Worse still, what do you do when you find that you don’t feel like seeking God at all?…

1 Kings 4-5, Psalm 119:17-24, Luke 1:39-56, Ephesians 2:1-10 Psalm 119:17-24: One of the primary mistakes that we tend to make when we think of studying God’s Word is to under-emphasize its supernatural quality. That is, we treat the Bible too much as a puzzle to interpret by our own strength, instead of doing the truly hard work…

1 Kings 2-3, Psalm 119:9-16, Luke 1:26-38, Ephesians 1:15-23 Psalm 119:9-16: The question with which this part of Psalm 119 opens is a question that has troubled young men from time immemorial. It is ever pertinent and important, and sometimes for some people seemingly unattainable. “How can a young man keep his way pure?” (119:9). While the psalmist…

1 Kings 1, Psalm 119:1-8, Luke 1:1-25, Ephesians 1:1-14 Psalm 119:1-8: We begin a journey through one of the most famous Psalms—as well as the longest chapter—in the Bible. It is well-known for its advocacy for God’s law. This strikes a strange note to many people today because they view law as equivalent to legalism, but the two…