Psalm 73

This psalm of Asaph focuses on what God has done in the life of the psalmist. Though he had endured want and remained faithful he begins the conclusion of his psalm with this thought: Psalms 73:28:
"But as for me, God's presence is all I need."
Now my question to myself is can I make the same claim? Is God's presence all that I need and therefore the focus of my every quest? Is God my "One Thing"?




Stuart

Psalm 72

With the closing of this psalm is the note indicating the end of David's prayers. The location of this message at the end of this psalm is confusing. What I find most interesting to the statement that at least this psalm was noted as a prayer. I could see the reference of this and most psalms as songs. Though I recognize the elements of prayer in this psalm I would still not mark it as a prayer. So now I'm wondering how many of these psalms should be viewed as prayers rather than songs?
Stuart

Psalm 70

Psalm 70 is only 5 verses long. It is so short because it is a psalm for those in a hurry. And we know that hurried people don't have time for long prayers or songs. The psalm is attributed to David, to whom is also ascribe some very long psalms. So which trait best describes David? Was he in a hurry or patiently seeking after God? I think he was patient most of the time. But sometimes found his patience wearing thin in God's timing.
Thee times in this psalm (verse 1 and twice in verse 5) David pleads with God to hurry. How did he ask that without testing God? Maybe it was the continual string of prayers that were not recorded before he wrote down these words. Perhaps we don't have a record of the prayer of submission that followed this psalm.
Did the young shepherd sing this while he picked up stones along the river bank. Did these words come to him while he waited on Jonathan's report of king Saul's intentions? Were these the words that he spoke under his breath as he frantically prepared to leave Jerusalem before Absolom arrived?
We don't know the setting. But in spite of David's time crunch he learned that God is always on time.
Stuart

Psalm 69

Psalm 69 begins with the pleading of one about to be overwhelmed. "I've had it up to hear!" This is a common phrase of frustration with circumstances. David is frustrated with the people who surround him. Everyone of them seems to be out to destroy him. I'm sure that there are many times that leaders feel like David. Yet this leader had one to whom he could always trust; the LORD. Surely this wasn't the first prayer for the situation, nor probably the last. But it was a prayer of someone who had given up hope on an equitable resolution in this life. So he turned his fears and frustrations over to God. The bad news is that the psalm doesn't end with the problems resolved. But David does look past his present oppression and anticipates God working in a way to amaze the son of Jesse.
Stuart

Psalm 68

In psalm 68 verse 11 is in a passage of how God provides for his people. In that verse the psalmist points out that God is the source of Good News (I wonder if the Hebrew relates to the Greek for Gospel?). But notice how the news is spread. The NET notes on this verse indicate that the wording indicates that a group of women are the instrument for God's good news to be spoken. This gives us a picture of God's practice of using women to share messages of his hope. Most notably God practiced this at Jesus' tomb with the group of women who initiated the message of the resurrection.
Stuart

Matthew 26-28

Another earthquake. A severe earthquake. An angel of the Lord came to earth and moved the stone away from the entrance to Jesus’ grave. What caused the earthquake: The angel’s footfall? The way the angel “blasted” the stone away from the entrance? Or were the stones crying out again? On Friday the stones shook, maybe they screamed in agony over the death of their creator. But on Sunday why did they shake? Could they no longer contain the excitement of what God had accomplished? The tectonic shift in the fault near Jerusalem was a reflection of the shift of power away from death and back into the hands of grace. But what moved the stones? There can be no question that Heaven knew of the resurrection first. But the second part of creation to realize that God’s plan of redemption was done were not he disciples; it was the same rocks that shook at Jesus’ death. They made sure the world was awake to look for God’s hand moving.

 

Stuart

 

Psalm 66

Psalms 66:12
"You allowed men to ride over our heads; we passed through fire and water, but you brought us out into a wide open place."
Sometimes what God allows into our lives is painful. In psalm 66 the picture of enduring fire and water summarize the difficulty of one part of life. But even in this description of suffering God has placed a message of hope. First he acknowledges that the trials are not continual. We may find such a statement empty for all of those who have lost their lives, but that would be a misunderstanding on life. It is not the duration of this fallen life that matters, but it is the closeness to God and his grace.
And after the trials are past God brings out his people to wide open spaces. Audio Adrenaline's song "Big House" is what comes to my mind as I read this passage. Will there be "open spaces" in this life? There may be. But they cannot compare to what God has in store for us.
Stuart

Psalm 63

Psalm 63 begins with an expression of longing for God. I wonder if this was in Jesus mind as he pronounced the blessing on those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake (Mt 5:6)?
Stuart

Matthew 18-20

In Matthew 19:16 we are introduced to a rich and devout young man. We know that he is young and rich because Matthew tells us so (vs 22). I believe that he is devout because he sought out Jesus for guidance. Were he faithless then why seek spiritual insight?  His question to Jesus is not a trap so unlike the Jewish leaders he does not necessarily have an agenda or a bone to pick with Jesus.
Jesus answer to his first question was a call for the man to follow Moses; obey the commands. That is what God had been calling Israel to do for generation. The rich young seeker could demonstrate his righteous by being faithful to the revelation that he already had. He could have left the teacher content in knowing how to express his faith and please God. But the seeker wasn't satisfied with what he already had. Maybe he had heard Jesus' rejection the Phrases demand to follow the Jewish traditions. The seeker may have taken note of the hypocrisy of the Jewish scholars. He needed more guidance. So he asked the next question; "Which commands?"
Jesus' answer took him back to Moses. He summarized the Law by stating only six commandments. Once again the seeker had his answer. He could have returned home knowing that God uses only the Law as the foundation of his grace. A continued adherence to the Law would demonstrate his devotion.
I imagine there was a pause in the conversation. During that pause there was a stirring in the young man's heart. He had lived out his faith in obedience but there was still an emptiness. He was on his way to Jerusalem, lamb in tow, but he might have feared that it would be another Passover without purpose. He didn't want empty rituals he wanted to connect with God. He didn't want to be a "pew warmer" he hungered for a greater righteousness. The cavern of want was screaming to be filled. He believed it was Jesus who had more. This unusual rabbi was the one who could point him in the direction that he needed. Only this new "Moses" could give him what the ancient Moses' words could not satisfy. In an almost crazed desperation he asked one more question: "What do I still lack?" Obedience to the Law wasn't enough (a point which Paul would argue many times), there HAD to be something else; and there is.
I think Jesus smiled in admiration. Here was one of the lost sheep of Israel who knew he was lost. Jesus saw an empty heart, that knew it was empty, with the longing to be filled. Jesus must have know the pain this heart would face when he gave the answer that needed to be said. There would be a sifting of this young man. Hard truths have always caused faithful people to wrestle. Great hunger is the comrade of great pain. Jesus gave him the message; "Exchange all your treasures for mine."
The seeker had the wind knocked out of him. His look must have offered Jesus the one word question flooding his mind: "Everything?" Sorrow quickly displaced his hunger. The security at home tugged on his heart. "Everything?" The word surely consumed his thoughts as he walked away.
The story ends but yet it doesn't end. Matthew doesn't tell us any more. We don't know if the young man witnessed Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem, but he could have. He could have been in the temple listening to Jesus speak. Matthew does not mention if the young man stopped at Calvary to mourn the suffering of this rabbi on the cross. We don't know if he heard the roaring in Jerusalem on the day of Pentagon. 
I have this question: Did he ever look back?
Stuart

Matthew 15-17

In Matt 15:30-31 we see Jesus teaching the crowds and healing their sick. The end result was that God was praised. That was the continual purpose for Jesus' ministry. That all of his efforts were to bring praise to God. We should do the same.
Stuart

Matthew 9-10

In Matthew 10:17-23 Jesus is speaking to his apostles of the troubles that they will face (I wonder if this list exactly matches what Matthew's community had encountered? That's a different study.) because they follow Jesus. What is not as obvious in most English translations is that Jesus is speaking collectively to his disciples. "Y'all" will be handed over (v 17), "Y'all" will be brought before governors and kings (v 18).  "Y'all" will be hated (v 22). But Jesus is also telling them to respond collectively.  "Y'all" will be given words to speak (v 19).  "Y'all" flee to another place (v 23).  "Y'all" will not tell everyone in Israel (v 23). Though it seems out of place, there is a statement about the individual in verse 22. Though we are to work and support one another we will each individually make the choice of obedience. Matthew finds Jesus' words that demonstrate the call of Jesus to build up every member of the body, so that all who come in will be saved.
Stuart

Matthew 7-9

In Matthew 9:27-31 we hear the story of Jesus healing two blind men. Afterwards he warns them not to tell anyone what happened. We may never know why but there is no way they could keep their restored sight a secret. Before they had encountered Jesus they were helpless and depended on others for their needs. After that encounter they lived empowered by Jesus. Everyone who knew them before would have to ask them what happened. And what would their response be? "I can't tell you."
Stuart

Joshua 22-24

We are all well acquainted with Joshua's proclamation of unwavering faith; "As for me and my house we will serve the LORD." (Josh 24:15) But there is another valuable statement offered from the end of the book named after this leader of the faith. A statement that becomes dearer to me the older I get. In Joshua 23 verse 2 this is written: "So Joshua summoned all Israel, including the elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and told them: 'I am very old.'" Now there is plenty to say if we quit right there. Joshua died at the age of 110 (Josh 24:29). If he spoke not long before his death he was a living demonstration of the fruitfulness of a life of faith regardless of age. Assuming that he and Caleb were very close in age he led Israel across the Jordan at the age of 80. And so he led Israel for another 30 years. He never lost his faith or his courage in the LORD.
Joshua didn't stop talking after he stated his advanced age. He kept talking. Beginning in verse 3 he stopped talking about himself and spoke of God's faithfulness in the past and his faithful plans for the future. Joshua always pointed the people past himself and toward God. That is the example of faith that I want to follow.
Stuart

Joshua 5-7

In Joshua 6 the description of the siege and conquest of Jericho is described. I have heard the story many, many times so I wondered if there was something I had missed. There is. In verse 10 we see the command to the army to withhold the battle cry as they circled the city. So I imagined a silent army encircling the city once then leaving the shaken defenders of Jericho until the next day.
But verse 13 offered a different picture; the seven priests were playing their trumpets. They were not leading the battle cry as they marched so what were they playing? I think they were playing a song. Surely it wasn't a song just to pass the time. These were musical priests. It seems most likely that the song they were playing was a song that praised the LORD. Now if that is what the seven musical priest were playing what was the army of God doing? Singing the words. At least twice during the Exodus the people of Israel were taught a song. First it was after they had crossed the Red Sea (Exo 15). Forty years later Moses taught them another song on the East bank of the Jordan (Deut 32). So I wonder what the song might have been. Imagine the sights and sounds witnessed by the doomed residents of Jericho: Early each morning a rank of soldiers would march out from the camp of Israel. Their arrival would be announced by the singing of a magnificent army/chorus. It was a song about a God who created everything and vanquished his foes. And the song would surround the city until the army disappeared back into their camp. Only on the final day did their song change. It was punctuated with war cry: and the walls came tumbling down.
Stuart

Psalm 51

From the depths of his sorrow David cries out to God. His selfish action had separated the king from his King. When he finally saw his sin he sought out God. He pleaded for the LORD to do the work of grace that the earthly king needed in his life. In verse 1 he asked for mercy. Verse 2 was the request for cleansing. Verse 7 is a repeated request for cleansing while verse 8 is a call for God's gracious joy. Verse 9 is an invitation for the removal of guilt. Verse 10 may have been the most difficult request; replace the broken heart that guides my life. There are probably fewer things that hurt worse than a broken heart. But David knew that the pain in his life would only be resolved through another breaking; this time by the hand of the Almighty.
Stuart

Joshua 1-3

One of the first commands that God gives to Joshua is to memorize the words of his revelation (Josh 1:8). Most often I think of Psalm 119:11 as the passage where God calls his people to commit his word to memory. But here is an example of God's leader being instructed to memorize God's commands. Now that believers have a written message they need to work at integrating it into their thinking. If the leaders of the people was reading, reflecting, and memorizing the Law then the people would follow the same practice.
Stuart

Deuteronomy 31-34

In Deuteronomy 33 Moses pronounces blessings on each of the tribes of Israel. In verse 16, as part of his blessing on the tribe of Joseph, Moses calls for the harvest of Joseph be full an in the pleasure of: "him who resides in the burning bush." All who know the story of Moses' first encounter with the LORD would make the connection. We can see that God wishes to be remembered by his past demonstration of glory. We call him the One who delivered Noah from the flood. He is the Friend of Abraham. Hagar called him the God Who Really Sees. How could we remember him from his past action in our lives? To me he is the One who met me in the Water. He is the whisperer of answers, and the one who hears my words in the secret places. He is also him who receives our songs of praise. We would probably all agree that he is the One lifted up on the cross (not the only one but the most significant one). He is also the one who escaped the grave; never to return. At the time of communion he is the one portrayed in the loaf and cup.
Stuart