Psalm 50

In verse 5 of Psalm 50 God calls together his people. He says that they ratified their covenant with him through the act of sacrifice. I wonder if this is what Paul had in mind when he told the Roman believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1)?
Stuart

Psalm 49

Is there any hope among the dead? The answer of this psalm seems to say, "No." But the words of hope in verse 15 stand in contrast to the despair of the rest of the psalm. ". . .certainly, he will pull me to safety." Those who lacked a clear understanding of the coming resurrection still believed that God still held sway over the grave. We are witnesses of his power in greater measures. Christians should hold an even greater confidence in God's power over the grave.
Stuart

Psalm 48

This psalm focuses on the fortifications of Jerusalem. God has woven his protection into the defenses of his chosen city. Though his protection is supernatural the appearance is natural which is a demonstration of his providential work. So is there any reason to think that he won't act in the same way toward his church; the new Zion?
Stuart

Deuteronmy 29-30

As Moses repeats the Law to Israel he tells that God's words are not hidden away in Heaven  (Deut 30:12) nor are they far away in some remote country(Deut 30:13). Quite to the contrary he has placed them very near to them  (Deut 30:14) it is easily within your grasp. As a matter of fact it will fall off your tongue. That promise is for us as well.
Stuart

Psalm 47

God has impressed on us a reflection of his creativity. So he calls for his people to honor him by imitating him. A song sung to a loved one is one of the dearest forms of public expressions of affection. Why shouldn't we do the same to God? But it is not the only public display of affection.
Stuart

Deuteronmy 23-25

In Deuteronmy 23:3 God says that for ten generation no one descended from a Moabite may come into God's assembly. How does that apply to David? His great-grandmother was Ruth, a Moabite. One note I read said that the 10 generations could be a euphemism for "never" though not necessarily eternity.  For some reason God allowed David and his descendants not only into his presence but to build his temple.
Stuart

Deuteronomy 20-22

When I read passages like this I often struggle to find the message for me as well as those who first heard this message. Moses reminds the Israelites of the application of all of the laws that God has laid out as a part of their covenant. But these rules seem to have nothing to do with worshiping God. They dictate civility among the people of covenant. So we run into the danger of separating life into religious and secular domains. But these rules indicate that God does not expect the hearts of his people in matters that deal with their relationship with him. God is making it plain that part of his covenant with us defines how we interact with those in his community. Everything about life is an expression of our relationship with God. Maybe this thought is what John had in mind when he wrote; "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." (1 Jn 4:20)
Stuart

Psalm 44

Does God look away from those being mistreated? In Psalm 44:24-25 the psalmist says that it sure feels that way. When people are abusing and insulting a believer the question the comes out is; "Why is God allowing this?" The Israelite slaves asked this. Gideon asked that question. Habakkuk asked why. Many who were carried into exile asked the same question. And believers today ask it as well. The only reason I can grab a hold of is from James 1:2-4.
Stuart

Deuteronmy 17-19

In Deuteronmy 18:15 Moses tells Israel about The Prophet. His message to those primitive believers about this man was simple; ". . .you must listen to him." God did not change that message through the ages. When the transfigured Jesus met with Elijah and Moses echoed that same charge; "Listen to him."(Matt 17:5)
Stuart

Deuteronomy 8-10

In Deuteronomy 10:12-13 Moses identified five expressions of faith that the LORD God expects from his people.  To revere him, to obey all his commands, to love him, to serve him, and to keep the LORD’s commands and statutes. 

Stuart

Deuteronomy 11-13

Deuteronomy 13 is a difficult chapter to internalize.  Its message is a call for purity within the community of faith and the expectation of the body to hold individuals accountable to that standard of holiness.  Those people of the covenant who reject God’s Law and introduce “new laws” that do not display the holiness that God dictated (being notably different from the pagan cultures surrounding Israel) do so to their own peril.  Because they violate the commands of God, the intended response to being in covenant with the Almighty,  they forfeit the life of blessing that God has promised them.  Is this a truth that modern believers can still apply?  I believe that because of Jesus’ sinless life God moved the judgment of the community of man into the capable hands of Jesus the man.  Therefore, I believe that the church no longer has the authority to execute heretics within the church.  The replacement to this action is excommunication from the body of faith (A nearly impossible task today with the breadth of denominations and schisms in the church).  We also need to keep in mind that modern violators are not those whose message is disagreeable to us, but those who introduce a “new gospel” (Such as Paul addresses in Galatians).  I believe the goal of accountability has also shifted with the covenant of grace.  It is no longer to rid the community of the one introducing the heresy, as was stated in the Law of Moses.  Instead the Christian focus should be to eliminate the false teaching while retaining and reintegrating the individual(s) into the church.  With the tendency, at least in the church of America, to elevate individuality and personal beliefs the shift of emphasis from the foundational truths of the Gospel to personal preferences or charismatic personalities and their opinions is a constant challenge that church leaders faces.

Stuart

Psalm 43

In verses 3 and 10 the writer is taunted with the question; "Where is your God?" In order for a believer to find comfort in times of trials we have to know the answer to that question is Imanuel. God is with us. He went with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. He was with Moses, and Joshua. He stayed by David and his sons until Jesus. Then Imanuel promised to never leave us alone.
Stuart

Psalm 41

It must have been difficult to be the second king of Israel. Those who allied themselves with Saul hated David because their privileges were gone. When David became sick his enemies spread rumors of his demise. They longed for his death and looked forward to the change of a new ruler; changes that they expected to weigh in their favor. But God was on David's side. Though even some close to him would betray their king, God would not. That is where David put his hope.
Stuart

Deuteronmy 1-4

In Deuteronmy 4:31 Moses gives a reassurance to the people of Israel; it is not in God's nature to forget a promise he has made.  That is an assurance that modern Christians need to hear as well. What has he promised us? Forgiveness, freedom from guilt, an eternal inheritance, the presence of the Holy Spirit. We need to remember that it is not in God's nature to forget a promise he has made
Stuart

Galatians 4-6

What are the things we mention in conversation that makes us feel better about ourselves?  Our past accomplishments, our current activities, and our future goals. We also like to connect ourselves to other prominent events and people. We may reason that as long as we don't drone on and on about these things that we are not boasting. But maybe boasting is much more subtle than obnoxious self-proclamation. Maybe the boasting Paul speaks about in Galatians 6:14 is merely claiming something as our own. The only thing Paul calls us to focus on is the work of Christ in our life that was accomplished at the cross.
Stuart

Psalm 38

Have you ever considered the impact of sin in your life? David did. He sung about his miserable state because of his sin in Psalm 38:1-8. Whether he is speaking literally or metaphorically his description is anything but pleasant. The pain of separation and the stench of death permeate the first half of the psalm. His description also sets the stage for the glorious contrast of God's work in his life.
Stuart

Numbers 34-36

In chapter 35 of Numbers God explains to Moses the process of assigning cities for the Levites. In verse 8 God makes it plain; every tribe will provide some cities. "Each must contribute some of its own towns to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance allocated to each." Everyone in the family of God is given an inheritance. No one in the body of Faith is exempt from providing for those who's vocation is the ministry of the covenant. This sounds strangely similar to Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 16:2. So I don't think it is a wrong application to apply this truth from Numbers to the practice of 21st century Christians.
Stuart

Psalm 37

In verse 28 God makes a promise to never abandon his people. That does not mean his presence will be obvious without faith. He will preserve his people in ways that honor him. And God will respond with a confidence of his security in the lives of his believers.
Stuart

Numbers 28-30

In Numbers 28 and 29 there is a repetition of the description of the daily sacrifices. God went into great detail to describe the burnt sacrifices that were to be made on every day of the year, including the holidays. Over and over and over again the daily sacrifice was offered up. That reminded me of Jesus' challenge to his followers in Luke 9:23; "If anyone wants to become my follower he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." Just like Israel's need to offer daily sacrifices the Christian must die to self daily.
Stuart

Psalm 34

To whom does God stay near? Who attracts his attention the quickest? In this psalm David said it is the broken hearted and discouraged(vs 18). There is only one way that I can think of that would enable David to make such a claim; he had been both. And in the brokenness of his life he understood that God was near. When he was most discouraged, like he was when he acted insane before Abimelech in an attempt to save his life, he witnessed God's deliverance. It take coming through the despair in order for most of us to understand how God works.
Stuart

Numbers 22-24

Balak’s faith was similar to the faith of many people today; he believed in a god made in his own image.  He believed in a god who would bend his rule to accommodate the affections of men.  He believed in a god who would approve of his actions and attitudes.  He wanted a god who would change his mind to meet Balak’s expectations.    Balaam showed him the true God.  Who is unbending in justice and uncompromising on his promises.  Balaam shared the words of the God who only approves of righteousness and truth.  The revelation of God that Balak received left an awful taste in his mouth.  If somebody rejects truth it doesn’t mean that it is no longer truth.  It does display the foolishness of the heart that rejects the one true God.

Stuart

Psalm 33

Waiting is not something I do well. I have learned to "do" things that helps me not wait. When I go to the doctor's office I take a book to read. When I've waited on the plane to board I've focused on study material. My favorite Dilbert strip ends with the line; "Engineers don't idle well." But God intends for us to wait on him. The focus of verse 22 of psalm 33 is that when we wait on God to act we will experience his righteousness in action. So my distraction may help me with waiting I'm not sure they help me prepare to see God's righteousness displayed for me.
Stuart

Psalm 32

I have been told that I am as stubborn as a mule. This psalm offers a warning to people like me; a bit makes the mule move. When God is leading he wants us to follow his path by our choice. There may be times that he puts the bit in my mouth but it is because of his love for me. I trust that he won't leave it there (though there have been times when I had wished that he would). Because he wants my obedience to be an expression of my love for him. 
Stuart

Psalm 31

When my situation looks dire I tend to give up hope. When the obstacles set up against me prove to be immovable I surrender to their limitations. I guess I'm a little like David. In psalm 31:22 that is what he said he did. But when he wasn't paying attention God stepped in and changed history. He didn't act that way only in the life of David king of Israel. We know he also moved in that way in the life of the Son of David, the King of kings. Yet we need to remember that he is equally engaged in our lives, as believers, in the same way. We should never surrender to our circumstances.
Stuart

Numbers 11-14

Israel had learned a valuable lesson while Moses was hidden on Mount Sinai for 40 days; don’t give up hope.  So when the spies were in the Promised Land for the same amount of time they did not consider them dead or captured.  I wonder how many people in Israel dreamed of gardens and pastures and houses during those days of waiting?  Did grandpa’s tell stories to their little ones of how God would provide them with houses and fruit?  Were the clutches of wives talking about the new meal they could prepare from fresh fruit and vegetables?  Did the young men wonder if they would face battles before they married?  What was daily life like during those 40 days?  The men returned bearing the fruits of the land and a unanimous report; We can’t defeat the people who inherit the land.  But the words of Caleb and Joshua added an important footnote; Our God can!  Our God will!  The second message was drowned in the wails of sorrow and rebellion.  While dreaming of an easy life during their 40 day wait the people didn’t grow in their faith in God.  They didn’t trust him to provide.  They didn’t see him as their provider.  They gave up all of their hopes because they couldn’t see how it could happen. 

Stuart

Psalm 30

We call out to God for help in our times of struggles. We reach out to eternity in our weakness and hope for a response of favor. In verse 10 the request is for deliverance. But verse 11 points out that God provides more than we request. In the middle of our sorrow he gives us happy feet. When our outer countenance is mourning he dresses us in festive garb. He not only provides the rescue we need he rearranges our perspective on life and fills us with a song and a voice to sing.
Stuart

Numbers 4-7

Most of the 7th chapter of numbers is a repetition of the offerings made by each of the tribes of Israel for the dedication of the altar. Knowing that each leader made an identical offering for each tribe adds no excitement or anticipation to the chapter. But is there an important message hidden in the tedium of this reading? I wonder why each tribe didn't try to "out give" their predecessor? Our selfish nature is bound up in elevating self. I think that God told them exactly what to bring as an offering; nothing more or less would be acceptable. The message to Israel was that all are equal before me. The message to us is the same. All believers are equal before God and we are to give exactly what God requires; our very life.
Stuart

Psalm 27

There are times when believers have a burden to pray. Whether it is intercession or petition or thanksgiving or praise we experience the urge to pray. In verse 8 that is exactly what David experienced. He was moved to pray and so he prayed. We should never under estimate to purpose behind God's call for us to pray.
Stuart

Hebrews 11-13

We have all looked forward to the fulfillment of promises only to be met with the disappointment when they fell through.  It is difficult to maintain relationships based upon failed promises.  We could look at the lives of those mentioned in Hebrews 11 and understand their sense of loss at not seeing the realization of the promises God made to them.  But that it not what they did, or how the lived.  While it is true that they did not see the completion of God’s promises they did see the fruit as he was working them out.  He wove their lives into the fabric of the promises in making and they keep the sights grounded in their faith.  They did not give up on God’s promises, even when they did not live to see them actualized.  The Hebrew writer is telling us that we need to follow their example; not giving up on our faith.

Stuart

Hebrews 7-10

In Hebrews 10:25 the readers are challenged to persist in the pursuit of the value of frequently meeting with other believers. Did the writer have Sunday morning gatherings in mind? I think that is a much narrower focus then was intended. What purpose might the author had been guided to highlight through this challenge? I think one point is the assurance in our common faith (vs22). In a society where Christians were the minority regular gatherings would be like breathing fresh air. To be around people that speak of God's love and his faithfulness in our work would be a pleasant contrast to the attitudes of the world. In verse 23 there is the sharing of God's hope among a desperate people. When the world is hopeless we need the refreshment of hope that come from many people joining together. The greater the persecution the sweeter the rewards of the gathering. Then in verse 24 is the accountability to other believers for our works of faithfulness. When we occupy ourselves with these things we replace our self-serving sinfulness with a holy lifestyle that honors God.
Stuart