Month: August 2018

Psalm 40 starts with a statement that has become extremely important to me: ¹I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1 (NIV) I waited. On a daily basis, after I turn to the LORD in praise for who He is, I wait on Him. He is our King, so we wait on Him. We wait for His instruction. We wait for His encouragement, His correction. Whatever it is  He wants to do in our lives, we must wait for it. King David said, “I waited patiently…” Patiently. That’s a big challenge for most of us. We want to get to the tasks of the day, or the appointments of the day, or we’re distracted with the needs of our husband or wife, or children, or parents, or … Life waits for no one the saying goes. But unless we wait for the LORD, how will we know what life is? How will we know who we are, and why we were created in the first place and what we were created to be and do? The remainder of the Psalm speaks of how the LORD delivered David, and how David continue to call on the LORD for deliverance. It all starts with waiting.

Psalm 41 is a blend of King David reminding us the LORD blesses those who are kind to the poor, and a call for the LORD to remember David as he struggles through illness, and his enemies are crying out against him, and even hoping he will die. David asks the LORD to deal with these enemies and closes with his usual affirmation of praise to the LORD.

In Psalm 42, King David offers a powerful image of his great love for the LORD. He tells us “as the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after You.” What a vital reminder! The LORD is the Creator of the universe. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. He sent Jesus to live a perfect life and die in our place, so we might have a restored relationship with Him, and life forever! How can we not long for the LORD in the same manner a wild deer who has been running through the forest on a hot day pants for a drink of cold water? I have often heard preachers say, “If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy,” but what about this, “If we are to busy to long for the LORD, to seek His Kingdom and righteousness in our lives, we are too busy.” King David understood that all of life flowed from the LORD, just as water sustained the panting deer. May we not only understand that, but live it in our lives today.

Psalm 43 is anonymous, no author’s name comes at the top of it. Yet, it is reminiscent of King David’s cries for the LORD to deliver him from his enemies. Indeed, Psalm 43:5 is “cut and pasted” from Psalm 42:11. They are word for word the same. What is the meaning of that? The meaning is simple: when we are downcast in our souls, because of the circumstances of our lives, we must look up to the LORD, because He is always with us, and is always worthy of our praise.

As we turn to Luke 7, Luke recounts for us Jesus’ encounter with the Roman centurion who wanted Jesus to heal his servant. We’re given some details here, we don’t have in the other gospels. We’re told he loved Israel, and had even built the synagogue in the town. Once again, when Jesus responded, and was willing to enter the centurion’s home, even though it would have made Him ceremonially unclean to enter a gentile’s house, the centurion appealed to Jesus’ authority. The centurion understood authority. He knew his soldiers didn’t obey him, because of his authority, but that he had the delegated authority of the emperor, and therefore his men obeyed him. In the same way, the centurion understood Jesus’ power and authority came from God, and trusted that was enough. Jesus marveled or was amazed at the man’s faith, and healed the servant. (Jesus is only recorded being amazed twice in the gospels. He was amazed at the Roman centurion’s faith, a faith greater than any Israelite had displayed in His experience, and He was amazed at the lack of faith of the people in His hometown. Far better to amaze Jesus with our faith in Him than with our doubt!

Next, Luke tells us about Jesus approaching a funeral procession outside the town of Nain. The widow, was mourning the loss of her only son. Jesus’ compassion moved Him to touch the young man and restore him to life. As we would guess, this amazed everyone who saw it, and the people marveled at Him.  Some of John the Baptists disciples were watching Jesus as He did these things, and reported them to John, who was in prison. John sent two of his disciples back to ask Jesus whether He was the one to come–the Messiah, or whether they ought to wait for someone else. John, and many in Israel, expected the Messiah to be a conquering hero, not a traveling miracle worker, who would ultimate sacrifice His life for the people of Israel and the world. Jesus responded by quoting the book of Isaiah, a passage with which John would be well acquainted: ²²And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. Luke 7:22 (ESV)  As John’s disciples left Him, Jesus told the people John was greater than anyone who had come before him, and they ought to receive his message. This pleased the tax collectors and other “sinners” who had responded to John’s message, repented, and prepared their lives to receive Jesus. Not so much with the Pharisees and other religious leaders, who had rejected John and were also rejecting Jesus. Afterward, Jesus told the people they were like children, whose beliefs are fickle. He said this because John had come neither eating nor drinking (John didn’t eat normal food, or drink wine), and they said he had a demon. Then Jesus came eating and drinking, and they said He was a glutton and a drunk. One application of those words of Jesus is not to get our assessments of what is happening around us from the latest poll, but rather from the voice of the LORD.

Luke closes the chapter by telling us the account of Jesus having dinner with a Pharisee who offered Jesus none of the culturally accepted amenities upon His arrival in the home: a kiss on the cheek, water to wash His feet, and oil to anoint His head. Yet, during the meal a prostitute came in and anointed Jesus feed with oil, “washed” them with her tears, and dried them with her hair. The Pharisee was aghast that Jesus didn’t know what kind of woman this was. Jesus offered a parable to the man about two men who owed their master differing amounts of money. One of the men owed a great amount, while the other only a tenth of the amount. The master forgave both debts. Jesus asked the Pharisee, which would love the master more? He answered, the one forgiven the most. Jesus agreed, and then told the Pharisee the woman’s sins, which were many, were forgiven, because of her great love for Him, and the implication was the Pharisee’s sins remained, because he didn’t even show common courtesy to Jesus. We do well to be sure we don’t assume we are better than we are, because the best of us deserve eternal punishment separated from God apart from the grace and mercy we receive from Jesus on the cross. Once we realize how much we have been forgiven, our task is to live that forgiveness forward to others in Jesus’ name.

 

We could call Psalm 36 “King David’s ode to the unworthiness of sinners, and the goodness of God.” The first portion of the psalm describes what sinners are like, and then shifts quickly to David’s praise for God, for His mercy not only to people, but even toward animals. The LORD is good and David wants everyone to know it.

Psalm 37 shows us King David extolling the virtue of loving and serving the Lord. One of the familiar verses of the Bible is found in it:  ⁴Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NIV) David promises goodness and blessing to those who follow the LORD. The promises seem to be without qualification, but several times David does point out we must sometimes wait for our reward. The tone of this psalm affirms the idea that those who follow the LORD will always be blessed. While David has shown us in other psalms that he knew and even experienced times when the righteous were not exalted, Psalm 37 elevates the “rule” that obedience to the Lord brings blessing.

Psalm 38 offers us a quick return to King David’s realization both that his sinfulness has caused him great spiritual and physical pain, and his enemies have rewarded his goodness with evil. David once again confesses his own sin and asks for forgiveness, and then calls on the LORD to vindicate him from experiencing the vindictiveness of his enemies. The psalm ends with an affirmation of the LORD, as is often David’s tendency.

In Psalm 40 King David focuses on the brevity of life. While his tone is quite that we find from his son, King Solomon, in the Book of Ecclesiastes, there is a sense in which David sees a bit of “vanity” in the brief life we live, and then leave our wealth to others, who we might not even know. There is no sense of hopelessness from King David, but he makes us quite aware of the permanence of the LORD and the brevity of our lives.

As we turn to Luke 6, Luke starts by telling us the account of Jesus’ disciples picking grain on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees calling Jesus to take for it. Jesus responds with an example of David “breaking the rules” by eating bread reserved for the priests, and then telling the religious leaders the Sabbath was made for us and not the other way around. That account is followed immediately by Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, and drawing the wrath of the religious leaders. Next, Jesus chooses the twelve disciples. Following that the remainder of the chapter is devoted to what has often been called “The Sermon on the Plain.” If you line up the content of this portion of Luke 7, with Matthew 5-7, you will see a great deal of overlap. While the order differs, many of the points are word-for-word the same as in the Sermon on the Mount. Some biblical scholars contend Luke has just varied the content, because he wasn’t there, while others contend Jesus would have taught this content many times, because it was the core of His teaching. Either way, the content is vital, because it is recorded in both gospels.

Psalm 33 is an “anonymous” psalm, that is we are not told who wrote it. It sounds much like the psalms of King David we have read that extol the virtues of the LORD and offer Him praise.  The psalm emphasizes the LORD’s power and superiority over any army or other force in the world. It focuses on the LORD’s creative power, and in that sense is something of a creation psalm. It also reminds us the LORD is with the righteous, with those who follow His ways. The psalm serves as a helpful reminder to us that the LORD is sovereign and we do well to praise and obey Him.

The introduction to Psalm 34 tells us King David wrote it when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech. David found himself in a difficult position, his own king, Saul, had vowed to kill him, even though David had always been faithful to Saul. David and his men were forced to go on the run. He decided it would be “safer” to go to the land of the Philistines, Israel’s enemy, than to stay in Israel. The plan worked far better than David could have imagined, and for a time he, his men, and their families lived in relative peace. The psalm offers praise to God for protecting those who call out to them, to those who face difficult challenges, who are willing to obey Him.  The circumstances of the writing of Psalm 34 help us to remember we can always praise the LORD, we can always call out to Him, and He is with us in our most difficult challenges as well as in our times of blessing and ease.

In Psalm 35, King David calls on the LORD to protect him from his enemies and to destroy those enemies. David “reminds” the LORD he has shown mercy and compassion to all, even to his enemies, but when they have the opportunity they gloat over David’s misfortune. This psalm petitions the LORD to vindicate David and judge his enemies. While we might assume it is always better to pray for mercy on everyone, David calls on the LORD’s justice in this situation and to respond accordingly. When we offer such a prayer to the LORD, it is vital we are, indeed, walking in His ways ourselves.

As we turn to Luke 5, Luke offers us an account of Jesus interacting with Peter, Andrew, James, and John that differs from the accounts we read in Matthew and Mark, about how Jesus came to call them to follow Him. In Luke’s account, Jesus asks the men to let Him board their boat, and uses it as a “pulpit” from which to teach the crowds. After the message has ended, Jesus calls the men to take their boats out into the lake and lower their nets for a catch. Peter “knows” this is not the time of day to fish. After all, he was a professional fisherman. He protests he and his partners and fished all night (when one is supposed to fish!) and caught nothing, but he obeys Jesus’ command. The result is an unprecedented catch of fish. The boats become so filled with fish they start to sink. On seeing this, Peter exclaims, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Peter called Jesus “Lord.” Peter recognized the power of God in Jesus’ discernment, and in providing the catch of fish. Peter’s response in the presence of such goodness and holiness, is to recognize his own sinfulness.

Jesus’ response is so helpful. He didn’t say, “Peter, your sins are forgiven.” After all, Peter’s protest was that he was a sinful man, implying his unworthiness to be in Jesus’ presence. Yet, Jesus responded, “Do not be afraid…” Jesus realized Peter’s true response was fear. He responded to Peter’s fear and promised they would catch people if they followed Him. Peter and the other’s responded by heading back to shore, leaving their boats, (and possibly the amazing catch of fish, although some biblical scholars believe they sold the fish so their families would be supported while they followed Jesus) and following Jesus. When Jesus calls us to follow Him, we might feel unworthy, and we will certainly feel fear. Peter’s example helps us to realize Jesus is greater than our unworthiness and our fear.

In the rest of Luke 5, we read of events, which are quite familiar to us after reading Matthew and Mark.  Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the “synoptic” gospels, which means “seen together,” because they are so similar in content. As we read them, we see how connected they are, and yet how the details differ–as we would expect, given Luke was not an eyewitness, but a historian, Matthew was one of the disciples, and Mark was most likely recording the events from Peter’s perspective. In the remainder of Luke 5, Jesus touches a leper and heals him. He then heals others. Next, Jesus heals the paralyzed man who was brought to Him by four friends. Before the healing, Jesus forgave the man’s sins, showing He is God’s Son, because only God can forgive sin. Next, Jesus called Levi or Matthew, and finally, Jesus had a discussion about fasting with the religious leaders. Jesus pointed out that His disciples didn’t fast, because no one fasts when the “bridegroom” is present. (Jesus was [and is] the bridegroom!) He pointed out fasting would become part of the disciple’s spiritual discipline after He left. He also pointed out it was a time of new realities, and used an analogy of putting new wine in old wineskins, to show, that such an action ends badly. Thus, Jesus bringing new realities would bring them in “new wineskins.” As we seek to live out our faith in Jesus, we will find ourselves struggling with traditions from our upbringing and even the free-wheeling culture in which we live. In those times, let’s remember Jesus didn’t come to bring us back to where we were, but to give us a whole, new life!

The words that stand out in Psalm 29 are “Ascribe to the LORD…” and “The voice of the Lord…” King David is in full-on praise mode in this brief psalm. He wants everyone to know of God’s worthiness to be praised and of His great power. David recognized it is the voice of the LORD, or His word that has the power to change everything. When Jesus came to earth 1,000 years later, John would remind us Jesus is “The Word.” When we are struggling with anything, how important it is for us to remember the LORD’s worthiness to be praised, and His great power, because He is always good even when our lives aren’t.

In Psalm 30, King David recalls the LORD’s faithfulness in his times of difficulty, and reminds us the LORD is with those who trust Him. While this is a now familiar theme in David’s psalms, we can never be reminded too often of how loving and faithful the LORD is to us!

In parts of Psalm 31, it seems as if King David had taken the place of Job in his distress. He recalls times when he was cast aside, and when he wasn’t regarded by people. Yet the overall tone of the Psalm is one of confidence in the LORD’s deliverance. Once of the truest realities in our lives is life is not all good or bad. When we face the giants of our lives, it is easy to forget the LORD’s provision in the good times, and all the provision of the good times doesn’t erase the reality of a current conflict, illness, loss, or challenge in our lives. Maintaining our faith in times of trouble isn’t easy. Craig Groeschel has recently released a book title Hope In the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Isn’t that takes a serious look at maintaining our faith when we experience the hardest challenges of our lives. It is worth the time to read.

In Psalm 32, King David rejoices in the forgiveness of the LORD. He reminds us when we remain silent before the LORD, when we are guilty of sin, the result can impact us in every area of our lives. But when we confess our sins, God does forgive and restore us. While we know this truth as Jesus’ followers, King David’s reminder helps us to remember to turn to the LORD quickly when we have sinned, because all our sins are against Him.

As we turn to Luke 4, Luke records Jesus 40-day temptation in the wilderness after He was baptized. Luke records the same three major temptations as Matthew, but in a different order.  Both accounts record Satan tempting Jesus to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger after 40 days of fasting. Even though our English translations read, “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread…” we realize Satan knew Jesus was the Son of God, because it wouldn’t be a temptation if he challenged you or me to turn a stone into bread, because we can’t do it. Only the Son of God would find Satan’s temptation to be a temptation! But Jesus saw through it and quoted Scripture to Satan in response. Luke reverses the order of the final two temptations. He tells us Satan offered Jesus the world if He would bow down and worship him, but Jesus would not. Nor would Jesus use His powers to amaze the people by jumping from the Temple and letting angels save Him for death. At the end of this account, we’re told Satan left Jesus “until an opportune time.” We must remember Satan and his minions are always waiting for an opportune time to tempt us. They never quit, but the good news for us is just as Jesus overcame the temptations by remaining strong in the LORD and in His word, so can we.

In the next portion of the chapter, we’re told Jesus returned to Nazareth and was given the opportunity to preach in the synagogue. He read from the prophet Isaiah, a portion of what the Messiah would do when He came, including healing the sick, and preaching the Good News to the poor. After reading the Scripture He put down the scroll and told the people the Scripture had been fulfilled in Him. The people were amazed, but as they were considering Jesus’ words, He told them a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown. Then He reminded them of examples in Israel’s history when the great prophets Elijah and Elisha helped foreigners in times of trouble, but not the people of Israel. At this the people attempted to kill Jesus, but He escaped.

Next, we’re told Jesus went to Capernaum and preached in the synagogue there. He also cast a demon out of man. The people were amazed. Afterwards, Jesus went to Simon’s home. (Luke has not yet told us of the calling of Simon, Andrew, James and John, as Matthew and Mark had done by this time.) Jesus healed her, and then healed the townspeople who were brought to Him that night, thus fulfilling the Scripture He had read in Nazareth. The next morning, instead of the disciples coming to find Jesus as we read in Matthew and Mark, Luke tells us it was “some people.” The same result was offered by Jesus. Rather than stay in that place and do more ministry, He left to preach in the other towns of Israel. We see again, Jesus knew His purpose and His timing. He would not have His agenda set by others, and we can learn an important lesson from this example: when we know God’s purpose and timing in our lives, we must pursue it and not be distracted.

Psalm 25 is a wonderful example of how King David praises the LORD for who He is, calls on Him both to forgive his sin and to restore him, rests on the truth of God’s word, and calls out for God to overtake his enemies, because of His great love and mercy. As we read it, we are reminded that apart from God’s mercy and forgiveness we stand condemned before Him, but because of that mercy and forgiveness we are empowered to live out His truth, and to receive His protection in our lives.

In Psalm 26, King David calls on the LORD to deliver him from his enemies, because of his righteous life. David contrasts his life with those who don’t follow the LORD, and offers in extensive detail the righteousness he has displayed. This psalm reminds us that the LORD does expect His followers to live righteous lives, and we must remember there is only one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We don’t serve a God of mercy, while the King David served a God of works. God has always been a God of mercy, who expects His people to live His truth in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we read David’s account of the righteous deeds of his life, it reminds us to live righteously in the power of the Holy Spirit as well. Jesus reminded us in Matthew 7 not everyone who cries out, “Lord, Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of His Father in heaven. That was not a call to works-righteousness, but rather a call to righteous living in the Holy Spirit’s power.

In Psalm 27, King David calls on the LORD to deliver him from his enemies once again, and reminds himself how the LORD has been faithful already to do so. King David reminds himself (and us!) the LORD has been faithful even when His parents have not. He reminds himself the word of the LORD is faithful and true. He calls on the LORD not to turn away from him in his anger, and at the last he reminds himself to wait on the LORD. How important it is for us to remind ourselves to wait on the LORD. The LORD always hears us, but we must wait for the LORD’s response to our prayers, and even more importantly we must wait for the LORD to reveal Himself to us, and to make His will clear to us. We find the LORD’s will in His written word. He reveals it to us through the Holy Spirit in prayer. He also shows us His will through the circumstances of our lives, and even through the voice of fellow believers. But in all this we must often wait for the LORD to show us what He desires to do in and through us. As the prophet Isaiah reminded us, “Those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings as eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”

In Psalm 28, King David cries out to the LORD for deliverance from his enemies once again. He compares his righteousness with his enemies’ sinfulness and calls on the LORD to deliver him. He makes his trust in the LORD clear, and at the same time demonstrates an urgency to have his life vindicated by the LORD. Sometimes in our lives, as we look around and see those who aren’t following the LORD seeming to prosper and enjoy a “better” life than we do, we need to remind King David’s constant struggle with this reality in his life. Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to “good” people, because we live in a fallen world, where the LORD lets us choose our own way, and when we choose not to follow Him, the results will be contrary to His desire, but that will only be for a time. In the end, the LORD’s will and purpose will be carried out, but for now, we are in the same position King David found Himself: crying out for vindication in the face of his enemies.

As we turn to Luke 3, Luke tells us of God’s’s call to John the Baptist to start his ministry of preparing the way for Jesus. It is interesting to note, Luke roots John’s call in history by telling us who was the Roman emperor, the Roman Governor of Judea, the King of Israel and even the Tetrarch of Iturea, but the word of God didn’t come to any of them. No doubt they were busily going about their work of governing their domains, but the word of God came to John “in the wilderness.” John was waiting on God’s call in his life, and it came to him. John took his work seriously, calling out people of every social strata as they came to him to be baptized. John called everyone to repent of their sins in preparation for Jesus’ coming. John’s word and work were so powerful, people started to wonder whether he was the Messiah. He set the people straight quickly. He told them One was coming after him who was more powerful than he was. When Jesus came, John baptized Him. Luke tells us King Herod arrested John for calling him to account for marrying his brother’s wife. Luke closes out the chapter by recounting Jesus’ genealogy. As we read it and compare it to the genealogy that starts the Gospel of Matthew, we find the two didn’t use exactly the same line of ancestry, and Luke traces Jesus’ ancestry all the way back to Adam, while Matthew only went back to Abraham. That difference in the details shows us a difference in sources between Matthew and Luke. The difference in how far back each went in their record of Jesus ancestry is because Matthew was a Jew, and for him, the key was to show Jesus was in the line of Abraham and David, while Luke was a gentile, who would have wanted all of us who are not of Jewish ancestry to see, Jesus is for us, too, because His ancestry goes all the way back to the very first human being. We are all descendants of him.

Psalm 21 is another royal psalm and in it King David extols the LORD for His blessing and protection over the monarchy. David offers explicit details of the terrors that have and will befall those who have turned against him, but invests most of the time in this brief psalm affirming the LORD’s blessing in his life.

Psalm 22 is a powerful psalm of lament, written by King David, but quoted by Jesus as He hung on the cross. Biblical scholars debate whether Jesus was merely quoting the psalm, which begins, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” as He hung on the cross, because He knew the psalms ending praised the LORD for His faithfulness. But Jesus agony on the cross was far different than David’s. Psalm 22 was definitely written by David to describe times when he felt deserted by the LORD. Yet the vivid details of the psalm also describe clearly what Jesus experienced as He endured crucifixion. This is a time when the psalm was written by David for his life and situation, but also pointed to the future time when Jesus would endure indescribable agony, as He bore our sins in His body on the cross.

Psalm 23 is the most beloved of all the psalms. Written by King David, the psalm describes the LORD as our Shepherd. David, having started his life as a shepherd, was intimately acquainted with the images he portrayed of the LORD’s watchful care in our lives. This brief psalm reminds us of God’s constant love, watchfulness, care, provision, and His constant seeking for us in our lives. The psalm is often read at funeral services, because of its immense comfort for any aspect of our lives, but particularly when we are facing “the valley of the shadow of death.”

Psalm 24 is another creation psalm. In this brief psalm, King David reminds us the earth belongs to the LORD and everything in it. He also reminds us that only those who are pure may ascend to the LORD’s presence.

As we turn to Luke 2, we come to what most people think of when they think of the birth of Jesus.  The first seven verses tell us of a decree that went out from the Roman emperor requiring everyone to return to the home of their ancestors, which is why Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem even though Mary was about to have her child. While they were in Bethlehem, Jesus was born. He was placed in a stable, and laid in a manger–a feeding trough–because there was no place else to stay. The city was crowded past its capacity with all the people in town for the census.

Luke 2:8-20 tells us of the shepherds who were watching their flocks that night, and how the LORD made them aware of Jesus’ birth by sending first an angel to tell them the news, and then a host of angels to glorify God and sing His praises. After the angelic visitation, the shepherds ran to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph and Jesus. They told them what they had seen and been told, and then they told everyone in the town. Afterwards, they returned to their flocks rejoicing and praising God for everything they had seen and heard, which was just as they had been told.

The next nineteen verses record Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to dedicate Him. As the Law of Moses required, they went on the eighth day, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD. While they were there, they were visited by Simeon and Anna. These two servants of the LORD had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Each offered a blessing to the family, and also a prophecy that Jesus would be the cause of the rising and falling of many in Israel. Mary was also told a sword would pierce her own soul.

The remainder of the chapter is devoted to the account of a time when Jesus was twelve years old, and the family went to Jerusalem for Passover. After the celebration, Mary and Joseph started home with their family entourage from Nazareth, which would have included many in their extended family. On the third day, they realized Jesus wasn’t with the group. (It’s challenging for us to understand how that kind of “oversight” could have happened, but it was a different era, when families cared for one another’s children, and Jesus absence wasn’t a cause for alarm.) Joseph and Mary returned to Jerusalem and searched everywhere. Finally, they found Jesus in the Temple talking with the religious leaders. We’re told the religious leaders were amazed at Jesus’ questions. Mary asked Jesus why He had done this to them? Jesus’ answered, they ought to have known He would be in His Father’s house. Jesus returned home with Joseph and Mary, and we’re told that He was obedient to them, and that He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and people. What a wonderful blessing and challenge it must have been to be Jesus’ parents.

In Psalm 17, King David calls on the LORD to protect him from his enemies once again. He describes the tactics of his enemies, and then he acknowledges the LORD will prevail and David will serve Him faithfully as always.

Psalm 18 is the longest psalm we have encountered to this point. In it King David praises the LORD for protecting him from all his enemies. He speaks of the LORD’s fury being poured out on his enemies, and how the LORD protected him at every turn. These words came from the time in David’s life when he was eluding King Saul, and when he was being disparaged by Saul for no reason. David realized the LORD was vindicating him, and he offered the LORD praise and thanksgiving for it.

Psalm 19 starts out as a creation psalm and then in the middle turns to an affirmation of the LORD’s word. King David is consistent in praising God for the wonder of His creation and the amazing truth and power of His word. We do well to emulate King David in this. How often we race here and there without pausing to consider the majesty of the LORD we see in creation. How many times do we rush to read the Bible, so we can check that off our list for the day, without pausing to let the words sink not only into our minds, but also into our hearts? We must not let the busyness of life or even the work of the LORD, keep us from focusing on the LORD of our work!

Psalm 20 is a “royal psalm” that affirms the king and calls on God to protect him. While it was written by King David, it seems to have a bigger purpose, which was to affirm God’s leadership over all the kings who would follow him.

Today, we turn to the Gospel of Luke for the first time. Luke is the only gospel writer who tells us up front why he wrote a gospel. In Luke’s case, he wrote for a friend, most likely a Roman official, name Theophilus. He wrote to assure Theophilus of the certainty and truth of his faith in Jesus. Luke tells us he looked at the available accounts of Jesus’ life, as well as interviewing eyewitnesses. The result was an orderly account of the birth, life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus. As we read through Luke over these coming days, we can be sure Luke, who was a physician, will give us a clear account of who Jesus was, and what He did on our behalf.

After Luke tells us why he wrote his Gospel in Luke 1:1-4, the remainder of this long chapter is devoted to two major events: the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah, who would become the father of John the Baptist and then Gabriel’s appearance to Mary to tell her she would become the mother of Jesus. The chapter is divided into three sections: 1) John receives the news from Gabriel while serving in his priestly duties at the Temple. He doesn’t believe the news, so he isn’t able to speak until the time of John’s birth; 2) Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her she has found favor with God, and will be the mother of the Messiah. Mary, also questions the news, but for a different reason: she is a virgin, and she can’t understand how she will have a son. Gabriel tells her the pregnancy will come about through the power of the Holy Spirit, which will make her son the Son of God. After receiving the news Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was also Zechariah’s wife. As Mary approaches Elizabeth, the child in her womb leaps in recognition of the child in Mary’s womb; and 3) the birth of John takes place, and because Zechariah cannot speak everyone wants to name the child Zechariah. When Elizabeth tells the people the child’s name is John, they turn to Zechariah, who writes the child’s name for all to see: John. At that moment Zechariah’s ability to speak returns and he offers both praise to God and a prophetic pronouncement about John’s future ministry.

 

Psalm 13 is a brief psalm of King David. In it he cries out asking how long God will forget him, how long his enemies will defeat him? Then he closes with a quick affirmation of his love for God, his trust in Him, and how God has shown him favor. As we read the psalm we can either think, “Wow! David had a split personality.” Or we can realize David was being honest. How many times in our own lives do we know in our hearts God’s love is sure, His presence is real, and yet we feel as if we are losing the battle and our enemies are going to win? In psalms such as this one, whether short or long, the common theme is praising God whether in the midst of struggle or in times of victory. Here the struggle was quite real to King David, but he started and ended with the premise that God was worthy of praise.

King David started Psalm 14 with the vital truth: The fool says in his heart there is no God. He continued  by noting the foolishness of turning away from God or denying His existence. He acknowledged the evil often thwart the plans of the poor. Then he concluded, as always, with an acknowledgment of God’s power and in this case a call for God to exert His presence among the people of Israel.

In Psalm 15 King David asks a powerful question, “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?” The answer is brief but equally as powerful: those who are blameless and righteous; those who keep their oaths even when it hurts; those who lend money without charging interest; and those who won’t accept a bribe against the innocent. In a word, those of integrity will dwell with God.

Psalm 16 is another brief psalm of King David. In this one he affirms God’s presence, help, and power in His life. He affirms the goodness of God and the blessings he has received at God’s hand. As we read the psalm, we are reminded of how good God has been to us. We are reminded that in general, when we obey God the result is favorable.

As we return to Matthew 28, we see the power of God at work in the resurrection of Jesus. Matthew’s account tells us an angel caused the earthquake that moved the stone outside Jesus’ tomb. That action caused the soldiers posted outside the entrance to freeze in fright. The women, on the other hand, went inside the tomb and found it empty. They were told by the angel that Jesus had risen. They met Jesus as they returned to tell the disciples what had happened. They worshiped Him, and then returned and told the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee. When the disciples went to Galilee they found Jesus and worshiped Him, but some doubted. I have always appreciated that statement. Even with Jesus alive and standing in front of them, some of the disciples doubted. Rising from the dead is an extremely uncommon feat, and even though Jesus was the Son of God, His return frightened the group, and caused some of them to wonder how it was possible.  Jesus gave the group what we call the Great Commission, reminding them He was transferring His absolute authority to them, and they were to make disciples as they went throughout the world. The discipleship process would include water baptism, and teaching the disciples to do everything Jesus commanded them. He then promised to be with them always, even to the close of the age. As we reflect on this sequence of events, remember the significance of them. Jesus who was dead was not alive. Jesus called the first believers to evangelize the world. That’s an incredible task, but it started with an even more incredible reality–their Master and Friend rose from the dead. When you find yourself frustrated or down about your call as Jesus follower, remember this moment in history, and remember you, too, have been given Jesus’ authority to carry out His work.

 

 

Psalm 9 includes both praise for who God is and a call for God to vindicate the righteous. One of the common themes of the psalms David wrote is David “reminds” the LORD who He is. He reminds the LORD of His goodness, His protection of the weak, and many other traits. Something I have learned from this over the years is when I am praying, I “remind” God who He is, not that He ever forgets, but I do sometimes. When I praise God for being all-powerful, or acknowledge His goodness, the reminder is more for me than for Him. I’m sure that’s the way it was for King David as well.

Psalm 10 calls the LORD to come out of hiding and pronounce judgment on the wicked. The author, who is not identified, reminds the LORD of all the injustices done by the wicked, and particularly the injustices the wicked carry out against the poor. Then he calls on the LORD to judge the wicked and to show the world His righteousness and power.

Psalm 11 is brief, but it reminds us the LORD is in His Holy Temple in heaven and He sees all. He judges the wicked and upholds the righteous. This theme repeats over and over again throughout the psalms.

In Psalm 12, King David calls on God to “show up.” By this I mean David tells the LORD the evil are prospering, and they don’t seem to be judged. David knows the LORD’s righteousness prevails in the end, but at the moment it seems the wicked are more prevalent than the righteous. As we look around in our world, we might think the same thing. The “rewards” of righteousness aren’t always evident in this life, and it seems the wicked often prosper and benefit. The LORD’s justice always prevails, though, and we need to remember as King David did that the LORD has the final word.

As we return to Matthew 27, we read again the account of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, His condemnation by the crowd, His crucifixion and burial. We’ve read this account before several times now. As I reread it, two things stood out to me: 1) Judas “repented” of his sin of turning Jesus over, but he really didn’t. He was sorry for what he had done. He gave the money back to the religious leaders, but he didn’t repent, that is he didn’t change his mind, nor did he turn away from what he had done and back to God. Instead, he languished in his sorrow, and decided to kill himself in his remorse. The devil won twice: first when Judas sinned by betraying Jesus, and then when Judas ended his life rather than being restored from his sin. As we read in John’s gospel, after Jesus’ resurrection He restored Peter to fellowship. Peter had sinned by denying Jesus three times, yet because Peter repented, turned away from the sin, changed his mind about it, and returned to God, he was able to receive restoration. Then he lived a fruitful life for Jesus. We must learn both from Judas’ failure to repent and Peter’s willingness to do so, how important it is to repent and turn back to God when we have sinned.

The second truth that stood out to me in this reading of Matthew 27 is how much it seemed Pilate wanted to do the right thing regarding Jesus, which was to release Him. Yet, in the end Pilate listened to the voice of the crowd. It’s easy to condemn Pilate, but we have all been in a situation where we knew the right thing to do, but the crowd was doing the opposite. I haven’t always done the right thing in that moment, because it’s always the hard thing. It’s hard to stand against the crowd whether the “crowd” is only a handful of people or a huge multitude. Pilate missed the opportunity to act righteously, because he was more concerned with pleasing the crowd. In our lives, we will face the crowd many times, and the only way we will choose what’s right in that moment is to follow Jesus faithfully when it is just Him and us.

Having just completed Job, as we turn to Psalm 5, we see King David held the common view of his day that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. Job reminds us this is not always true, though it is generally true. King David calls on the LORD to remember his righteousness, and to judge his enemies’ wickedness toward him. We can do the same in our lives. The LORD’s code of justice is consistent and sure. As we call on the LORD to judge those who have hurt us, we have an additional step to take, because of Jesus’ coming in our lives: we are called to forgive our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. The principle of the LORD’s justice remains, and in addition to it we have the principle of forgiveness. King David understood forgiveness. As we’ll see when we get to Psalm 51, in particular, David knew his own need for forgiveness and called on the LORD for it. Yet, at other times, he was more likely to lean on the LORD’s justice than to ask for the LORD to forgive His enemies. That will always be our tendency. Forgiveness is the higher calling.

Psalm 6 finds King David crying out to the LORD for protection and deliverance from his enemies. This is no mild petition as he tells us he has cried out day and night and his couch is wet with his tears. David was going through a time of deep pain and affliction. But in the final verse he acknowledges the LORD will ultimately vindicate him. This is a common aspect of David’s psalms of lament, or psalms in which he begins with a strong cry to the LORD concerning his despair, his being abandoned, his sense of hopelessness. While many psalms start with this tone, nearly every one ends with an affirmation of the LORD’s faithfulness, or an affirmation of praise to Him. As I was reminded many years ago in seminary, “Hopeless is not a Christian word.” While King David lived long before Jesus walked the earth, He, too, believed hope was the final word, because He believed in the goodness, faithfulness and steadfast love of the LORD.

In Psalm 7, King David cries out to the LORD to vindicate his righteousness, to examine his life and to judge the wicked. This is another common trend in the psalms, particularly the psalms of David. He asks the LORD to look into his life, to examine it for sin and fault and to judge what he finds. David does acknowledge the need to confess our sins in this psalm, and David’s process is helpful:  Live in righteousness; confess our sins when we fail, and receive God’s restoration.

Psalm 8 is a “creation psalm,” which means it offers us a picture of God’s majestic creation. Indeed, it starts with the words, “O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens!” As the psalm continues, King David wonders at this reality: as wonderful and majestic as the LORD is, He has set humanity at the pinnacle of His creation. He has made us a little than the angels! That is an incredible reality. We aren’t divine. We aren’t majestic, and yet the LORD regards us so highly–amazing!

As we return to Matthew 26, it is the final “countdown” to Jesus’ crucifixion. Indeed, Jesus starts the chapter by telling His disciples He will be arrested and crucified. The events of the chapter are extensive. They start with a woman pouring an expensive bottle of perfume on Jesus, which starts a major discussion among the group. Some were upset at the “waste” of money, but Jesus made it clear the woman’s action was one of great love and sacrifice. It would be remembered throughout history, and it has. Judas left the group to conspire with the religious leaders to betray Jesus. Then the group celebrated what we call the Last Supper together. During that time, Jesus told the group one of them would betray Him. Each wondered if it were he. Then Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper by reinterpreting the Passover meal as a time of remembrance of His establishing a new covenant between the LORD and people sealed in Jesus’ own blood. After the meal the group sang some hymns and went to the Mount of Olives. There Jesus told them they would all desert Him. Peter promised he would never leave Jesus, even if it meant going to prison or death. Jesus told Peter He would deny Him three times. After this, Jesus told all the disciples to pray, and took Peter, James, and John to another place apart from the rest and asked them to pray for Him. Then Jesus went and prayed by Himself with His Heavenly Father. The gist of Jesus prayer was, “I don’t want to die on the cross, but if it’s Your will, then I’m ready.” After praying He returned to the three and found them sleeping. He roused them and told them to pray again. This sequence was repeated three times. Then Judas came with soldiers and they arrested Jesus. One of the disciples cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant, but Jesus put a stop to that approach. He was arrested and taken for a “trial,” by the Jewish religious leaders. They had bribed false witnesses to testify against Jesus, but they couldn’t get their testimony straight. Finally, Jesus was asked if He were the Son of God and said He was. This was all the religious leaders needed to condemn Him. Meanwhile, Peter had followed Jesus at a distance and was waiting outside with others around a fire. In the next period of time, a servant girl and others accused him of being one of Jesus’ followers. He denied it–three times. At the third denial, he remember what Jesus said and went out and wept bitterly.

This rapid sequence of events to us, must have seemed like an eternity to Jesus. He knew He was heading to the cross, and we know from His prayer in Gethsemane He wasn’t looking forward to it. Jesus agony in the garden was not because He was afraid to die. He tells us in the Gospel of John that is why He came. He knew He was going to die, but the agony was caused because He knew He would be enduring the sin of the world on the cross, which would separate Him from His Heavenly Father. We cannot imagine such a situation, but we benefit from it infinitely. Jesus’ exchanged His innocent life for ours, and as a result, we are freed from sin and death now and forever! No wonder Jesus called the new lives we receive from Him being “born again,” in John 3. The change is so dramatic and so radical, nothing else could describe it.