Posts by Josh Moody

Genesis 46-47, Psalm 21, Matthew 9:1-13, Acts 13:1-25   Psalm 21: “The King Rejoices in the LORD’s Strength”—such is the title given to this psalm in one Bible translation. And rightly so. The first half of the psalm is all about exactly that. How the king, this King David, rejoices because he has God’s strength, because God has…

Genesis 44-45, Psalm 20, Matthew 8:23-34, Acts 12 Psalm 20: This is a prayer of blessing, and in particular a prayer of blessing for the king. In our day and age, we are so used to being suspicious of people in authority that it is hard for us to imagine asking God to bless the authority figures of…

Genesis 42-43, Psalm 19, Matthew 8:14-22, Acts 11:19-30    Psalm 19: Another of the great psalms of David. In Psalm 19, David moves from a declaration of God’s revelation of his glory in creation, to his revelation in the Bible, to call us, therefore, to be personally acceptable in God’s sight. First, David shows God’s revelation of his glory in creation. Sometimes people say…

Genesis 41, Psalm 18:25-50, Matthew 8:1-13, Acts 11:1-18  Psalm 18:25-50: David continues his psalm of praise to God as his “strength” (18:1). Many people have wondered what is the secret of the success of the “great” man, or the source of his “strength.” Well, here David tells us. It is not where we think it is, not what…

Genesis 39-40, Psalm 18:1-24, Matthew 7:15-29, Acts 10:24-48 Psalm 18:1-24: Looking back when the dark night of the soul is over, or when the very real battle is finished, it is easy to forget just how hard it was. This psalm recalls the experience of God rescuing David from his enemies, even from the hand of Saul, and…

Genesis 37-38, Psalm 17, Matthew 7:1-14, Acts 10:1-23 Psalm 17: Oh, what a beautiful psalm! And how hard was the time that caused this psalm to be written! “Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!” He is surrounded by enemies seeking him harm, and this consideration may be causing him a sleepless night (verse 3:…

Genesis 36, Psalm 16, Matthew 6:25-34, Acts 9:20-43   Psalm 16: David is asking to be saved, or for his life to be “preserved.” He senses the need of rescue. Perhaps he is in some dire situation or other. Perhaps he is overwhelmed with responsibility and feels as if the burden is about to kill him. Perhaps there…

Genesis 34-35, Psalm 15, Matthew 6:16-24, Acts 9:1-19 Psalm 15: The question of Psalm 15 relates to the experience of being in the presence of the holy God. “Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” (15:1). In other words, who, as a sinner, can possibly relate to the holy God in intimate fellowship? We know from the rest…

Genesis 32-33, Psalm 14, Matthew 6:1-15, Acts 8:26-40 Psalm 14: This psalm is paralleled in Psalm 53 and is memorably called “a hymn to the atheist” by the preacher Dick Lucas. It is in three parts: what the fool says, what the LORD sees, and what the Lord does. First, what the fool says, verse 1. “The fool…

Genesis 31, Psalm 13, Matthew 5:33-46, Acts 8:1-25   Psalm 13: David felt as if God had forgotten him. It seemed to be a condition that was going on forever: “How long, O LORD?” It had left him depressed: “sorrow in my heart all day long.” He turns to God for help. “Consider and answer me, O LORD…