“A Song About Jesus?”
DISCUSSION “The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool” -Psalm 110.1 Psalm 110 is a very special psalm and has a great deal of importance to the eternal kingdom of God. The passage begins with “LORD”, which is translated as Yahweh (the name of God) speaking to “Lord” which is translated as “sovereign, controller or master”. This is the…
“Baiting Our Hooks”
DISCUSSION When I was child I remember going fishing with my father in our pond that we had in the pasture. Fishing is something that I enjoyed as a boy, but as a boy there were a couple of things I wasn’t good at: patience and putting the worm on the hook. I always hated putting that slimy worm on that hook, as all of its gooey insides got all over my fingers. To…
“Psalms as Songs”
DISCUSSION It is important for us to remember that as David penned Psalms 95, 97-99, he penned them with the idea that they would be sung. These words were sung by various believers all throughout the kingdom of Israel. It would have been nice to know what these songs would have sounded like as they would have sung them in the Hebrew. However, today we continue to sing many of these psalms;…
“Trust God”
DISCUSSION In 2 Samuel 22-23, we find David running from Saul. In 22:1 David gives credit to God for delivering him from the hands of his enemies. It is interesting to note that King Saul could not find David. This brings to mind two great truths. 1) With all his resources, Saul could not find David. Saul was the king and had everything at his disposal. He had the…
“INVITED HOME WITH THE KING”
DISCUSSION As David returned from hiding out in the mountains for fear of Absalom, there was one man that David wanted to see. You see, as David was away there were several people, like Shimei and Sheba, that were detractors of his; but there was at least one man who was willing to help. Barzillai, the Gileadite met the King as he crossed over the Jordan. He was eighty years old, but…
“HIDE ME”
Superhero movies are very popular these days. I think part of the reason is that so many of us as children fantasized about having a superpower. If asked, most people would want the power to fly. But, according to Psalm 64, if David had been asked that question, I think he would have wanted to be invisible so it would be easier to hide. In verse 2, he says, “Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,…
“ACTION vs. REACTION”
DISCUSSION One of the hardest life lessons to learn is that you can’t please everyone. As David is being driven out of Jerusalem due to the threat of Absalom, he is greeted with a not so happy camper. The Bible says that Shimei curses David continually, hurling stones and insults at him as he leaves. We must not forget that there is no Second Amendment protecting Shimei giving him freedom of speech. His behavior and outburst were…
“AM I THE ONLY ONE?”
DISCUSSION Have you ever felt like you were the only person who was trying to do the right thing? No matter how hard you tried, you still felt alone in your efforts to serve God. I think we have all been there at some point in time, whether it was at school or at work. We aren’t the only ones, but we so seem to be…
“KEEP YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER”
DISCUSSION Batman had the Joker, Superman had Lex Luthor and Peter Pan had Captain Hook. In every situation, this person would be a thorn in the side of the hero. David was no different; he also had his own nemesis. One might think it was Goliath, but that was too easy for David to defeat because he was always the bad guy. Then one might think it was Saul, who constantly sought David’s life, but that too…
“ANSWER ME”
Psalm 86 is known as A Prayer of David. Within the first ten words of this psalm, we read words written by David that express a sentiment often felt by many of us. David writes, “Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.” When you read that line, you can almost envision David stomping his foot and yelling “ANSWER ME!” Don’t many of us feel that way…
“SAVE ME, O GOD!”
DISCUSSION I have a confession to make. I am not a very good swimmer, although the thought of being in a pool on a hot summer day is relaxing and refreshing. The thought of being dropped off in the middle of the river terrifies me. One of the reasons that swimming is not my “thing”, is that I panic! The moment the waters begin to rise above my neck and my feet are…
“TRUSTING IN GOD FOR SUCCESS”
DISCUSSION During David’s rule the Israelites faced many different enemies. In almost every battle the Israelites were out manned and out resourced, yet they continued to succeed. In Psalm 20 David writes a song that offers an explanation on how they continued to thrive in battle against their enemies. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.”…