Feb 3 2013

Cancer – My Neighbor’s Hope for the Cure

Dear friends, family, brothers and sisters,

This year in April, I am joining in with Relay for life in a fundraising effort for which proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. It is a most worthy cause, and one dear to my heart.  Most of us know of know someone whose life has been touched by cancer. In my family, my son is our latest survivor of lung cancer. In January of 2009 , I lost my father, Bob, who was also my best friend to mouth cancer. The nature of radiation treatment when necessary for the mouth or throat is such that it often requires a “feeding tube” to be surgically inserted to the stomach because the tongue, mouth and throat become too raw and the tongue itself often stops functioning correctly as a result.

On December 23, 2008 after 39 treatments of radiation to the mouth and throat, Dad suffered  a stroke that would claim his life in just a few short days after Christmas.  My mother would become a collateral casualty that same autumn, loneliness staking its claim as much as all of any of several maladies that began to afflict her.

Dad left me the most precious gift a father can give a son – to bring me up “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”  And when I strayed, I thank the lord every day for my Dad’s persistence in never giving up on me as a Christian, for I was as lost I could be. God never gave up on me either, though I certainly deserved none of his grace. February 01, 2013 would have been 66 years of wedded bliss for that special couple.  By God’s grace my wife and myself have had over three decades together – and it is their example that has kept our love strong, understanding how important that union is to those who love us as well as to ourselves.

Today, I have a monument just like those who crossed the Jordan so long ago had for their children. It is a tattered envelope in a frame much too large in my Daddy’s handwriting, urging me to return to what he taught me all the days of his life. It is my most cherished worldly possession, for it speaks to me as nobody else will, and when it seems nobody else cares; and it tells me how much he cared for me. One day He will take me in his loving arms and share in the joy of knowing that at last I came home.

I cry for you sometimes Dad, though I never have fear; but Daddy, oh Daddy how I wish you were here. When last we were together, you could no longer speak.  Your mouth was so damaged, your tongue so weak.  Just one more moment would I ask of the Lord – to tell you I love you, but not ask for a word. Though you are weary no longer, and your tongue not so tired, that same twinkling in your eye is all my heart desires.

Please make a donation to support my effort in the Relay for life for the American Cancer Society.  Your donation does so much to help survivors, as well as care-givers, and it tells them that they are not alone in this fight.  You can find my page at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/bobsboy, Then please send an email message to lovethelord@withallyoursoul.com stating the amount of donation you made, in order to receive a special thank you message.

I remain,

/Bob’s boy

Matthew Chapter 22
37And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Please make your donation to this cause in support of my part in this relay at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/bobsboy, Then please send an email message to mailto://lovethelord@withallyoursoul.com to confirm your donation. In that message, you may choose whether to accept a purple “Find the cure” magnet, a purple satin pin, or simply donate the ribbon or magnet back to us out of the goodness of your heart. (pictures below).

The fruits of these efforts do so much to support weary loved ones, caregivers,survivors, and so much more.

Dear Bob’s boy,
I made a donation to in support of you in the amount of $25.00

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Purple ribbon $50.00 donation

Purple ribbon $25.00 donation – This satin purple ribbon pin is perfect to give to people who make a donation. Approximately 3 inches tall by 2 inches wide. Each purple ribbon pin has a small gold ribbon in the middle of the pin.

Bob’s boy, I’m super-supporter. I made donation to in support of you in the amount of $100.00 Please send my Purple ribbon magnet to
Purple ribbon magnet - $50 donation.These purple ribbon magnets are approximately 8 inches tall. Perfect for the refrigerator or car. Each purple ribbon magnet says Find The Cure.

Purple ribbon magnet – $50 donation.These purple ribbon magnets are approximately 8 inches tall. Perfect for the refrigerator or car. Each purple ribbon magnet says Find The Cure.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
image © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog. All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility. When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com. For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 1 2013

Psalm 10 – Why Do You Hide Yourself?

A drawing of balances, or scales, of Bible times. A standard weight was placed on one side, and the object or objects to be weighed were placed on the other side.

A drawing of balances, or scales, of Bible times. A standard weight was placed on one side, and the object or objects to be weighed were placed on the other side.

Psalm 10 is often considered to be an acrostic continuation of Psalm 9, and differences aside there is some merit in that view beginning with the fact that the psalmist in chapter 10 recounts the deeds of the wicked and speaks of his denial of God (verse 4) in the third person.  And he reminds us that the wicked who oppress the poor will “be caught in the schemes that they have devised”. – always an abomination to the Lord.  God has always cared deeply about the poor (Micah 6:9-11, Leviticus 19:9-11).

It is not the psalmist himself that believes the wicked will continue to prosper forever, nor that God himself does not know , for he says of their attitude in verse 11 “He says in his heart, ‘God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.'”.

But God does see and he will mete out his vengeance one day, just as HE has before in His own time”

 “O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jan 31 2013

Job 3 – Whatever I dread befalls me

Job finally breaks the silence of the last week as it would seem he can no longer bear it.    We have no way of knowing what has been going through his mind in the last week, but surely he has been tempted to turn his anger toward God.  Still, he does not sin and curse God, as God  in His wisdom already knew he would not.  True enough that he did greatly lament his own birth, but even the great prophet Jeremiah did so (Jeremiah 20:14-18) in his sorrow over his persecution.

Still, it is all too easy for us to be tempted to judge Job and others, for who among us has not himself suffered?  And is our suffering not just as severe for us at times?  When we have been hurt, do we cry out and long for death?  If we do not, does that make our grief and pain less significant?

We all do suffer – some more than others – at times, and if we are truthful, as great as our pain may be; and as bad as it may get for many of us, it is doubtful that we go through the degree of anguish and pain that Job has already experienced in the first two chapters of this book.

Job's happy days.

Job’s happy days.

But who is anyone else to judge this, and what yardstick will they use to do so?  That of what we read of Job – or (more likely) their own?  We will get to know Job’s friends much better in the coming days, but if you cut through all of the criticism that we and others direct at those friends (and truly they will show their own flaws as well), we should not lose sight of the fact that they came and stayed with Job when he was at his lowest, spoke not a word until he spoke, and only now will speak as they believe they may be able to help him understand why these terrible things have happened to him – as well how he might “fix it.”

Our desire to think of ourselves as compassionate, and “being there” for our friends as Job’s three friends are there is admirable, but we must not presume to “know how they feel.”  No matter how seemingly large or small the trial or pain, no two people handle grief, depression, or pain in the same way.  All Job knows, is that when all that he has lost began to go wrong, it just kept coming!  And his worst fears and dreads became realized again and again (verse 25-26):

“For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
and what I dread befalls me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

Re: Job 2:10 “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”  He epitomized Jesus’ words; and with of all their faults, Job’s friends did show compassion, for as much as he still obeyed Matthew 22:37 (cited from Deuteronomy 6:5), they demonstrated their love for him as in Matthew 22:39: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jan 30 2013

Psalm 7 – In You Do I Take Refuge

The superscript for this psalm calls it a Shiggaion of David.  The term is only used again in plural form in Habakkuk 3:1.  The best that we can surmise is that it may be a type of instrument or liturgical description pertaining to the psalm.  Cush the Benjamin had likely accused David concerning treason against Saul.  David is languishing here and it seems likely that he is experiencing guilt on his own part (see verses 3-5), possibly for his anguish over what his part had been in Doeg the Edominte’s betrayal and the resulting slaughter of the priests of Nob (1 Samuel 22:11-23)?

Nob, Shufat from north, the Tabernacle was here for awhile. David visited the priest Ahimelech here (1 Samuel 21). Because the priests helped David, Saul destroyed the priests and their city.

Nob, Shufat from north, the Tabernacle was here for awhile. David visited the priest Ahimelech here (1 Samuel 21). Because the priests helped David, Saul destroyed the priests and their city.

David’s guilt, though tempered with his anger with Doeg in Psalm 52, does not give him pause to absolve himself, but rather to pray to God for justice, even if that means his own complicity should result in his death at the hands of his pursuers.  He places his fate in the hand of his God in whom he places his confidence in His judgment of David’s heart and integrity (verse 8-16).  He expresses his certainty that God will do justly with the wicked in Verses 14-16: B

Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
and is pregnant with mischief
and gives birth to lies.
He makes a pit, digging it out,
and falls into the hole that he has made.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jan 29 2013

Proverbs 12 – The Way of a Fool

Because of the nature of the book of Proverbs, and the impossibly of commenting on all of a single chapter in these short paragraphs,we choose to pick one or two verses on which to focus.. Please see our  previous post on study tips for Proverbs.

Today this blog will focus on a single short verse from chapter 12. verse 15 reads:

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”  

This has been the plague of men (and women) since  time began; and the more learned we become the worse it gets.  During the cycle of the Judges 17:6 and 21:25 in Israel,  the text says “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  The people would fall into apostasy over and over again until God rescued them and they would start the cycle all over again.   People worshiped their idols and turned away from God until things got so bad that they ended up crying out to him, and then he would save and deliver them.  This continued throughout the kingship of David and even the author of this book.

Even Solomon allowed the women that he turned to lead him into idolatry.  God often has tolerated foolishness by the self-deception of man since time immemorial and has allowed him to continue to make those kinds of mistakes because we have our own freedom to make our mistakes.The wise man listens to the advice and wisdom of our God, His son, and the Holy Spirit.

We are brought up in a world that teaches our children macro-evolution that we are no more than advanced animals that, this world is all there is, and that the Bible is little more than a book of fables.  So-called educated men make it their purpose in life to convince people who there is no purpose in life.  But His evidence is all around us, including His attributes (Romans 1:20).  We exchange the wisdom of God for the foolishness of man that we call wisdom, in order to justify our own unrighteousness and worship our own idols of sin and depravity (Romans 1:22-23). We tell the child there is no God and that he was foolish to believe there is and then we  wonder why so many lose heart and hope.

We must give true wisdom to our children though God’s word to combat the lies that this world tells them about who we are and where we come from; and teach them where they can go.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jan 28 2013

Psalm 119:17-24, Psalm 11 – A Sojourner on the Earth

Today’s reading of Psalm 119 begins with verse 17 and begins each line with the letter gimel.   The psalmist calls upon the lord to “deal bountifully” with him – knowing that he is undeserving and asks for his grace and mercy.  He acknowledges that this world is not his home (John 15:19).  He is just passing through. He says the Lord rebukes the insolent accursed ones, these would be the unfaithful.  The princes that plot against him are rulers among God’s people that might plot against him Though we do not know the author, one could apply this to many as in Daniel 6:4.  They tried to find something to charge him with, but could not.

Saul anointed king by Samuel.

Saul anointed king by Samuel.

Some have seen Psalm 11 as the advice to David  to flee, probably from Saul to the mountains.  He may have been advised to do so by those surrounding him, which is where the question comes.  That is about as good of a guess as any, but it has also been suggested that this was from David’s plight in 1 Samuel 23:9-14, when he had asked the Lord if the men of Keilah would surrender him to Saul.  When he was told of this, he prayed to God , and God told him they indeed would surrender him.

His friends had advised him of the impending attack, and were moved for him to hide himself in the hills.  But he had done so, he could have been guilty of not trusting the Lord following his prayer.  We can guess that under the lawless rule of Saul, the very foundations of society and of moral order were viewed as swept away. Then he recognizes that the Lord is in his holy temple (Habakuk 2:20).  He sees the righteous and will deal with the wicked.  The “upright shall behold his face” should be understood as to see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jan 27 2013

Reading the Psalms

The book of Psalms is 150 poems written for our instruction, pleasure and benefit in prayer and praise to God.  They were used by the Jews and early Christians for songs of praise, and indeed many of the songs we sing in worship today God come from these pages.  Traditionally, they have been divided into five books, perhaps to signify the five books of the Pentateuch. It has the most authors of any book in the Bible.  Many we know or surmise by the superscripts, which though not inspired are ancient.  David is ascribed as the author of  73 of these and the new Testament also credits him with Psalm 2 (Acts 4:25) and Psalm 95 (Hebrews 4:7).

 

English: The Psalms scroll, one of the Dead Se...

English: The Psalms scroll, one of the Dead Sea scrolls. Hebrew transcription included. English translation available here. Français : le rouleau des Psaumes, l’un des manuscrits de la mer Morte. Une transcription en hébreu moderne est incluse. Une traduction anglaise est disponible ici. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

This aligns very well with what the Book of Samuel tells us.  He was brought to Saul when he was king by his servants because of his skill in playing the Lyre (1 Samuel 16:16-23).  He was an accomplished songwriter, having written the song of the Bow lament in 2 Samuel 1:17-27, and his song of deliverance in 2 Samuel 22:1:23:7.   2 Samuel 23:1 calls him the sweet psalmist of Israel. The sons of Korah are attributed with about 25 psalms.  Korah was the grandson of Kohath who along with some of the Reubenites, rebelled against God, challenging Moses in Numbers 16. After his death, his sons were spared in Numbers 26:9-11, and under King David became great leaders of song and praise in the Temple and Tabernacle (1 Chronicles 6:31-39), responsible for such lines as “As the Deer Panteth for the Water.”   They are not in chronological order, else Psalm 95 would likely be first, as it is attributed to Moses.

 

More to come in another blog, but I will leave you with a link to an article that has tips for studying a Psalm, that I think are quite useful.  Please see “8 steps to Study a Psalm” and download the PDF for reference.

 

Summing Up

 

Each weekend, I post a small PDF of one week of chapter summaries (on the website’s “Summaries” page), current to the beginning of the previous week.  I have posted the summary for Week 3 (January 2013 Week 3) of the schedule I am following this year.  This short PDF documents contains condensed comments about Psalm 119:1-8, Psalm 1, Proverbs 10, Psalms 3-4, Job 1, and Psalm 9, with hyperlinks to the ESV version of each chapter for listening or reading, and joins the summaries for other weeks already posted there.

 

/Bob’s boy

 

___________________

 

image © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

 

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

 

Jan 25 2013

Psalm 8 – How Majestic Is Your Name

Isaac Watts wrote hymns from this psalm. It is also a great example of chiastic structure (ABC, CBA). The first sentence and last are identical.  Sandwiched in between, first comes God’s greatness, followed by the main points in verses 4 and 5, and then man’s position in the world because of God.   It is also a great passage written about God’s created man that is so easily applied to Jesus – this time by the Hebrew writer (Hebrews 2:6-8).  Jesus quotes verse two (“out of the mouths of babes”) in Matthew 21:16, when the chief priests and scribes became indignant from the shouts of the children of “Hosanna to the Son of David!” when he cleansed the Temple after his triumphal entry.

moneychangers

Jesus cleanses the temple; throwing moneychangers out and upsetting the tables with animals and birds –John 2: 12-22.

Verse two also clearly indicates that the psalmist’s praise to God comes on the heels of some victory over foes, but the psalm praises God’s majesty because of his creation of the heavens and the moon and stars which he set in place (Genesis 1:17).   Then he expresses wonder that this same great God made man “a little lower” than the heavenly beings (Genesis 1:26), and gave him dominion over all his works.

But Hebrews 2:10 ties both Old and New Testament together with such grace and beauty that we can only marvel:

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jan 24 2013

Job 2 ( or Just When You Thought Things Were Bad Enough…)

"Job covered in boils" - from Martin Luther's Bible

“Job covered in boils” – from Martin Luther’s Bible

The opening of the second chapter of Job is exactly as written in Job 1:6-8.  These encounters between God and Satan, especially when one interjects the “sons of God,” are the subject of lots of varying interpretations among commentators; and trying to sort through those may well overwhelm you as much as it does this blogger.  Some see these “sons of God” as angels, and some see them as worshipers.  It is pointed out that in no part of the scriptures does it say that these events take place in heaven.  The righteous are said to come before the Lord every time we worship him.  It is also true that Jesus said that the angels see the face of God every day (Matthew 18:10), so they would hardly need to “present” themselves before Him.

Matthew Poole saw these encounters between God and Satan as parabolic, and it is also possible that he could be partially right about that.   But the question in the end is – Does it really matter?  Okay so here, admittedly, is one more opinion.  <Insert disclaimer here> The discourse between God and Satan is told in the word of God by His inspired writer, just as a prophet would tell us in a book that is both history and poetry.

The conversations between God and Satan in Job have three purposes in my view.  First, they tell us that Satan is a real adversary.  (“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8).   Secondly, they serve to demonstrate that although God does not cause us to suffer, it is not His will to prevent evil from be-falling us at all times.  Third,  they assure us that Satan’s power is not unlimited.  God does have dominion over him.

So Satan struck Job with “loathsome sores” (some versions say “boils”) literally from head to toe.  Attempts have been made to assign a medical condition using the description of the breath and other symptoms in other chapters.  But again, does it matter?  The point is that he was in so much agony that he was using broken pottery to “scrape” himself (verse 8).  And he was so disfigured that his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who we will get to know better) did not even recognize him, cried when they saw how bad he really was, and sat with him for a week without anyone even speaking.

The question of why Satan did not take the life of Job’s wife is answered in verse nine, as she tries to persuade Job to curse God, to give up, and to take his own life.

We will resume Job’s story next Thursday.  I think I need me some Psalms and Proverbs before then.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jan 23 2013

Psalm 5-6 – Lead Me In Your Righteousness

Both of these Psalms are regarded generally as Psalms of Lament.  Both have the quite frequent musical direction in the superscript.  In Psalm 5, some versions say that it is “for the flute(s),” but that is far from settled.  The Hebrew word is “Nehiloth.”  Easton’s Bible Dictionary says: “It is probably derived from a root meaning “to bore,” “perforate,” and hence denotes perforated wind instruments of all kinds. The psalm may be thus regarded as addressed to the conductor of the temple choir which played on flutes and such-like instruments.”

Psalm 5’s label as a lament, though technically correct is unfortunate.  It is ascribed to David, and we do not know the time or circumstances that it occurred in his life, but like many other “Lament” psalms, it does contain pleas for deliverance from enemies.  But it is often called a “morning prayer” because of verse three, where he tells the Lord that He hears his voice in the morning as he offers his sacrifice – his worship to the Lord.

Nathan condemns David because of Bathsheba.

Nathan condemns David because of Bathsheba.

It is a reminder for us of the importance of personal prayer, and of worship.  Notice the repeated use (six times) of the word “my” in the first three verses – “give ear to my words…the sound of my cry…my King and my God…”   In verses 4-6, he acknowledges how God hates wickedness, the deceitful, the proud or boastful – all evildoers – and how they will not stand before him as the righteous (see also Psalm 1:5).  Clearly in verse 7, he considers the privilege he has to be able to come and worship Him, because of the Lord’s “steadfast love.”

Psalm 6 is one that many classify as one of penitence, although we are not told of what sin for which he is repenting.  It seems clear in verses 2-5 that he is ill – so much so that he believes he could die from whatever the illness might be.   It may, as some are often prone to think, that he feared his illness was God’s punishment for that sin (Job’s friends being a case in point).  In any case, he is not only gravely ill, and possibly in peril from his enemies (verses 8, 10), but he is also deeply ashamed of whatever wrong he has done.  But he knows that now that he has repented, “the Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.” 

Both psalms serve as models of prayer and the privilege we have to worship the Lord and to receive His forgiveness and His care in times of trouble because of His “steadfast love” (5:7, 6:9).

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.