Category Old Testament

Oct 4 2013

Psalm 135 – Whatever the Lord Pleases

English: Scroll of the Psalms

English: Scroll of the Psalms (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

This is another “Hallelujah Psalm,” but not to be confused with one of the “Hallel” (Psalms 113-118). It begins and ends by praising and blessing God. The praise covers several times and events in the history of Israel, beginning with God choosing Jacob (Israel) for His own (verse 4).

 

Verses 5-7 praise God for His majesty and power over earth wind, sea and sky. Verses 8-9 contain specific praise for God’s signs and works against Egypt and Pharaoh, while verses 10-12 speak of his victories over the kings in Canaan, giving their land to Israel. Verses 15-18 praise God, while pointing out silliness of worshiping idols, which are unreal, nonliving, and unintelligent.

 

The psalm is called a mosaic (Spurgeon said a “tessellated pavement) because there are so many parts of it that are found or quoted in other books of the Old Testament. Verses 1-2 are taken from Psalm 134:1-3, verse 5 from Exodus 18:11,  verse 7 is like Jeremiah 10:13, and verses 15-18 are like Psalm 115:4-8. There are several others.

 

This harmonious and  poetic arrangement of praise verses was compared also by one writer to flowers arranged in a bouquet. It is a fitting description, and a just reason for the servant of God to present such to the Lord. As Barnes said, “the whole design of the psalm is to excite praise to God, and to show reasons for doing so.” To this end, the psalm does a very good job indeed.

 

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.  

 

Oct 3 2013

Job 34:1-15 – The Almighty Will Not Pervert Justice

Elihu continues his rebuke of Job, beginning with a call for the wise men to test his words with their ears. He says that Job has claimed that he is in the right, and that God has taken that away from him, so that now he is counted as a liar, even though he is right.  At this, Elihu becomes even more insulting to Job that any of the others had been in the previous chapters. Verses 7 and 8 pose the insulting statement/questions:

What man is like Job,
who drinks up scoffing like water,
who travels in company with evildoers
and walks with wicked men?

The Wrath of Elihu, from the Butts set. Pen an...

The Wrath of Elihu, from the Butts set. Pen and black ink, gray wash, and watercolour, over traces of graphite (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Although Job has made the point that the wicked and the righteous suffer the same fates in life on this earth, he did not make the statement that Elihu claims he made in verse 9: “For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.’” He uses this deception to spring into his defense of God, making observations that nobody – not even Job – has dispute with. He says that God does not do wickedly, and will not pervert justice. And it is here that he does sound like the three friends, as he says in verse 11: “For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him.”

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.

Oct 2 2013

Psalm 94 – The Lord Will Not Forsake His People

Babylonian captivity

Babylonian captivity (Photo credit: jimforest)

This psalm appears not to have been written during a time of oppression by a foreign foe, but rather it sounds more like the sufferings due to the wickedness and oppression of Israel’s own rulers. No date or author can be reliably gleaned from the words therein, but if one had to make a guess, then a time preceding the Babylonian captivity would fit the descriptions very well. A time during the reign of Manasseh would fit very well indeed (2 Kings 21).

It describes an arrogant group of sinners that have become so secure in their evil, that they do not believe that God will punish them for such depravity. But it also describes the trust that the faithful have that God will take His vengeance with those evil-doers, and that He will remain faithful to His promises to the righteous who are suffering. Many of the comforting verses are most suitable for prayer today:

For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it

When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
…But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.

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.  

Oct 1 2013

Proverbs 21 – Finding Life, Righteousness, and Honor

The truths proclaimed in the proverbs often can be found in other scriptures, sometimes worded perhaps a little differently, but with the same meaning. That’s the thing about truth – it is consistently true. What a blessing it is that we can depend on God’s word to always be so consistent for the same reasons! Consider verse 21 of this chapter in the Book of Proverbs:

Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor

Church of the Beatitudes, located on one traditional site where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount.

Church of the Beatitudes, located on one traditional site where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount.

Sound familiar? It should. Jesus said it again a bit differently in what we call the Beatitudes – Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Like the Beatitudes, The Book of Proverbs gives us wonderful truths and great instructions for how to navigate through life in a fallen world.

Notice that the verse above includes kindness with righteousness. Jesus spoke of both, but he made it clear that each of them of a necessity includes the other. We were brought into this world to serve – to serve God and to serve each other. There are many such passages that tell us so. One of them is found in Galatians 5:13: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” We are blessed in so many ways, only one of which is that we have a God – a God who knows what is best for us, and what will bring us true happiness.

When we direct our lives about the business of sowing righteousness and kindness, we will reap exactly those things. Honor comes by itself as a gift without seeking it – a further blessing for simply doing the right thing in all that we do.

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.

Sep 29 2013

Psalm 140 – Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men

When Absalom rebelled against his father David, and tried to kill his father to become king, Mephibosheth's servant Ziba brought gifts to David, fleeing for his life (2 Samuel 16:1--17:14).

When Absalom rebelled against his father David, and tried to kill his father to become king, Mephibosheth’s servant Ziba brought gifts to David, fleeing for his life (2 Samuel 16:1–17:14).

Psalm 140 is another short psalm of David, asking for the Lord’s deliverance from the wicked and the unjust. Also considered one of the imprecatory psalms, This song also expresses faith and confidence in the grace, mercy and justness of the Almighty.

I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and will execute justice for the needy.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall dwell in your presence.

The Lord, it says is the deliverer of those who are weak and oppressed and will not let those who continue to do such evil go unpunished. But the song also has the definite “feel” of having been written by David during the rebellion of Absalom (2 Samuel 15-18) – note verses 7-8 in particular.

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.  

Sep 29 2013

Major Prophets (part 4) – Ezekiel, the Captive’s Prophet

Engraved illustration of the "chariot vis...

Engraved illustration of the “chariot vision” of the Biblical book of Ezekiel, chapter 1, after an earlier illustration by Matthaeus (Matthäus) Merian (1593-1650), for his “Icones Biblicae” (a.k.a. “Iconum Biblicarum”). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ezekiel was taken captive by the Babylonians in 597 B.C. and it was there that he was called to be a prophet of God to the other captives. It is uncertain what the “thirtieth year” (spoken of in the first verse) refers to. The best possibility we have heard is that it is the thirtieth year of his life. We learn in Numbers 4:46-49 that the span of a priest’s service is from the ages of thirty to fifty. Separated from the Temple by his captivity, Ezekiel would complete his entire priestly service there. His final vision (Ezekiel 40:1) is dated the 25th year of the exile, which would coincide with the timeline, making him fifty years old.

The first 24 chapters are of his preaching before the fall of Jerusalem. Chapters 25-32 are prophecies of how foreign nations must fall as well. Chapters 33-48 are his preaching and prophecies after the fall of Jerusalem. There were false prophets that were telling the people that the captivity would not last long, and that Jerusalem itself would stand. So the first 24 chapters are Ezekiel’s prophecies that such was not the case at all. Ezekiel continually preached for the full repentance of all, so that there would be some benefit to the years of captivity to come. But his message was not often well received.

Vision of Ezekiel

Vision of Ezekiel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The opening vision in chapters 1-3 describes the awesome picture of the coming of the glory of God (Ezekiel 1:1-28), and his call to prophecy which features the swallowing of the scroll that God gives to him (Ezekiel 3:1-3). This signifies God’s word permeating entirely through him, so that he would speak the will of God. But just as the Lord tells him, they will not listen to his message (Ezekiel 3:4-7).  The destruction that he prophecies to the people concerning Jerusalem is often as symbolic as his visions (see chapter 5 for example), but nonetheless graphic. In Ezekiel 3:16-27, God cast him in his role as “the watchman.”

As much of it is apocalyptic literature, some of Ezekiel’s prophecies in this book can be difficult to understand. As such, they are often misinterpreted and misused – like much of the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation. When reading, one should not lose sight of the intended audience – the captives in Babylon and those remaining free back in Judah. Context, as always, means everything. Though apocalyptic literature would become more popular in later times, there have been some who believe that Ezekiel’s writings made a significant contribution to the formation of such a genre.

Other highlights include the parable of the eagles and the vine (Ezekiel 17), the parable of the swords (Ezekiel 21), the vision of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14), Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39), the vision of the new temple (Ezekiel 40-42), and the flowing river (Ezekiel 46:17-47:12),

For some great reading on the stunning accuracy of Ezekiel’s prophecy of the fate of Tyre in chapter 26, see this article at Apologetics Press.

/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.  

Sep 27 2013

Psalm 132 – If Your Sons Keep My Covenant

David dances in the presence of the ark.

David dances in the presence of the ark. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

This is psalm number 13 of the 15 “Songs of Ascents” (see this previous post for more information). Some have classified this as a post-exillic psalm, but that really does not appear to be the case. If one looks carefully at verses 8-10, it is evident that it was written at a time when the Ark of the Covenant was still in the possession of God’s people:

 

Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.
For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one

 

Also, those verses are quoted at the dedication of Solomon’s temple in 2 Chronicles 6:41. Or perhaps, the passage here is a quotation of that scripture. Either way, the ark seems not to have been missing at the time. In verse 6, Ephrathah, is a district with villages called Bethlehem and Jaar – or Kiriath-jearim, where the ark had been left for a time before coming to Jerusalem (1 Samuel 7:1-2).

 

The song’s lyrics build the pilgrims’ excitement as they journey to Jerusalem for the Passover and other feasts; and gives them pause for remembering the promise of the Lord to have one of David’s line on the throne forever. this was a conditional promise, though, as they were reminded by the psalm itself in verse 12: “If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.”

 

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.  

 

Sep 26 2013

Job 33 – Elihu Rebukes Job

Elihu, the newest addition to the gathering around Job, finally gets into his speech in this chapter and offers up a slightly different point of view from that of Job’s three friends. He tells Job that in spite of his protests of innocence, he is indeed guilty, and that he needs to own up to it and accept God’s punishments for the corrective measures that Elihu claims them to be.

 

The Wrath of Elihu, from the Butts set. Pen an...

The Wrath of Elihu, from the Butts set. Pen and black ink, gray wash, and watercolour, over traces of graphite (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Although Job had never claimed to be completely without sin at all, Elihu makes it sound as if he had, and he rebukes Job sternly for his denial. He launches into a long and involved description of the physical punishments that God brings upon people for their sins, explaining that God is to be praised for doing so because by those actions, he is attempting to bring man “back from the pit.” Of course, Elihu gives no explanation of what the authority is by which he has come to know these things – probably because there is none?

 

All in all, Elihu says nothing in this chapter to improve the assessment that we made of him in the previous chapter. Still, he continues to make such authority claims even in the last verse: “…listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

 

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.

 

Sep 25 2013

Psalm 108 – With God We Shall Do Valiantly

With few variances, most of Psalm 108 can be found in two other psalms. The first 5 verses are practically identical to Psalm 57:7-11. The last eight verses are almost identical to Psalm 60:5-12. So why the combination here repeated? As always, whenever God’s word contains passages that are repeated from another passage, it is a sure sign that they are very important.

David hid in one of the many caves near Adullam, a city 13 miles southwest of Bethlehem (1 Samuel 22: 1-12). David was in this area when three of his mighty men risked their lives to get him a drink of water from Bethlehem (2 Samuel 23: 13-17).

David hid in one of the many caves near Adullam, a city 13 miles southwest of Bethlehem (1 Samuel 22: 1-12). David was in this area when three of his mighty men risked their lives to get him a drink of water from Bethlehem (2 Samuel 23: 13-17).

The first five verses come from a psalm that we are fairly certain refers to David’s time when he had fled to a cave to escape from Saul’s murderous intentions. The coinciding verses are of praise to God for His love and faithfulness, written from the context of David’s thankfulness for being delivered. The last eight verses come from a psalm that appears to have been written on the heels of a great military defeat, in which the psalmist is entreating the Lord to again show His favor to His people.

The two parts were likely put together as a combination for a liturgical purpose during a time of great distress and unease concerning the future. Together, they remind God’s people of His matchless mercy and the care for which He regards His people. They make an outstanding unified plea for God’s help in the fight against “the foe” (Satan). But most importantly, it reminds us first that we cannot fight this enemy alone, and secondly, that we do not have to fight alone, for God is with us.

for vain is the salvation of man!
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes

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.  

Sep 24 2013

Proverbs 20 – The Lamp of the Lord

Creation07Some of the most obvious external evidences to “see” that God exists are the manifestations of the fact that God created man in His own image. The non-believer who truly believes that man is just chemicals and cells that have magically evolved over time into the intricate and intelligent human beings that we are will never be able to adequately explain these things. But we get the answers over and over again from the Bible; and verse 27 is another such example:

The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord,
searching all his innermost parts

The unbeliever cannot account for the concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, beauty, love, or even how we have a conscience. The knowledge of such things are because of the reflection of our Creator; and along with our eternal souls, they are His gifts to us.

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.