Month: June 2019

In Psalm 76, Asaph raises our “fear” of the LORD to a new level. Some claim the “fear” of the LORD is merely respect, or perhaps awe. It is those things, but here in this psalm, Asaph reminds us the fear of the LORD is fear and ought to be terror, because He can and does take on the armies of the earth. He is greater than any person and any group of people. He rules over Judah and Israel, and He alone is worthy of all worship and praise.

In Psalm 77, Asaph was going through a time of crying out to the LORD during a season of despair. Again, Asaph raises the question, “Why was the LORD with us in previous times, but not now?” Then He recalled the power of the LORD in Israel’s past, and calls on the LORD to show up in the same way again. Then he closes with the trust and assurance that the LORD will be with us now, as He was then.  This is such a crucial reminder, and we read it time and again in the psalms. As the old saying goes, “When you’re up to your neck in alligators, it’s hard to remember your goal was to drain the swamp.” Even in moments such as that, the LORD is with us!

Psalm 78 is one of the longer psalms, and in it Asaph calls on the people of Judah to look back over their history.  The purpose of that stroll through memory lane, all the way back to the time when the LORD delivered His people from slavery in Egypt through the time when David became king is so they would remain faithful.  As Asaph pointed out: The LORD showed the people of Israel amazing miracles time after time, yet they didn’t follow Him.  They rebelled against Him over and over.  The fickle nature of human beings and the unchangeable nature of the LORD show us how important it is to trust in the LORD instead of in ourselves.

As we turn to Luke 16, we find Jesus telling one of the more challenging parables for us to understand.  It is frequently called the Parable of the Dishonest Steward.  As the parable unfolds, the main character is a steward who has misused his master’s funds. The master calls him to account.  The steward realizes he is going to be out on the street, so he calls all those who owe his master money, and cuts deals with them to settle the debts for far less than they owed.  Because the steward represented the master, the deals were legally binding.  We would think the master would be incredibly upset, but he affirmed the “shrewdness” of the steward.  By ingratiating himself to all his master’s debtors, the steward was ensuring himself a future job with one of them. Jesus was not affirming dishonesty.  He was affirming using “unrighteous wealth” to advance the Kingdom of God.  In another place, He told us to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves.  Jesus’ followers must not be naive, because we live in an evil world.

Next, Jesus underlined the reality we cannot serve two masters, and the chief rival to God in our lives will be money.  This reality is also presented in Matthew 6:19 and following.  Luke tells us the Pharisees were lovers of money, so they ridiculed Jesus for these sayings, but Jesus turned the matter on them and pointed out in the end His teaching was consistent with the Law, while theirs was not.

Jesus moved on to talk briefly about marriage and divorce.  As in Matthew and Mark’s gospels Jesus condemned divorce, but here He does it categorically and swiftly and moves on to other matters.

Luke 16 closes with the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.  The parable focuses once again on how we steward the blessings God entrusts to us.  The rich man in the parable lived a life of ease, while Lazarus was a poor beggar who begged outside the gates of the rich man’s house.  When both died, the beggar went to heaven, while the rich man went to hell.  Realizing the situation, the rich man attempted to get permission from Abraham (who was “holding” the poor man in his bosom), for Lazarus to bring him some water. Abraham pointed out this was impossible, because the chasm between heaven and hell is fixed and no one can cross.  Then the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to his brothers who were still alive so they would repent. Abraham responded they had Moses and the Prophets, and if that wasn’t enough to change their hearts, neither would a man coming back from the dead. That last statement may or may not be referring to Jesus who was going to be coming back from the dead.  It certainly makes clear the weight God’s written word is to have in convincing us of His salvation in our lives.  The “punchline” of this parable is to be rich toward God and others with the resources God entrusts to us, and not to use them only for ourselves.

Psalm 72 is interesting in that it is attributed to King Solomon, but at the end of it there’s a note that reads, “This concludes the Psalms of David, Son of Jesse.” The psalm itself is a “royal” psalm, and King Solomon calls on the LORD to bless the king, because of the king’s righteous actions toward his subjects. This is a longer psalm, and Solomon lists many aspects of how the king blesses others, as well as calling on the LORD to bless that obedience.

In Psalm 73, Asaph raises a poignant prayer to the LORD. Poignant because in the end, Asaph realizes the many blessings of the LORD, he realizes the LORD is always with him, and the LORD is always worthy of praise, but at the start he tells us “my foot had almost slipped.” What does that mean? It means Asaph had nearly abandoned his pursuit of the LORD. Why? Because he saw evil people prospering. Asaph wasn’t so concerned at the moment with why bad things happen to good people, but rather with why good things happen to bad people. Asaph wanted life to be fair and just. He wanted the good to be blessed and the evil to be cursed. It wasn’t working out that way, so he assumed a lack of faithfulness on the LORD’s part. In the end, he came around and realized the LORD’s goodness and faithfulness are beyond our understanding at times, but they are always sure. That’s such a helpful reminder for us when we are ranting about good things happening to bad people, and our getting the short end of the stick. In the end, the Lord’s holiness, justice, and mercy are always apportioned in a way that glorifies Him, and builds up His people.

In Psalm 74, Asaph calls on the LORD to deliver His people from their suffering. They were going through a time of great despair and devastation. Asaph forgets one important detail: they were suffering for their abandonment of the LORD and His Law. Yet Asaph calls on the LORD, “reminding” Him of His covenant and of how He had been with Israel in the past. Asaph calls on the LORD’s faithfulness and recognizes, He will deliver His people in the end.

In Psalm 75, Asaph’s tune has changed. He is extolling the virtues of the LORD and reminding us of all He has done. The LORD is God forever, and Asaph calls us all to remember that. As with every book of the Bible, we need to see one verse in light of the rest, then one chapter in light of the rest. We also need to see each book in light of the others. In this way, we let the Bible interpret the Bible rather than taking every statement or chapter, or book as an isolated offering. When we let the verses, chapters, and books stand alone, we can come up with some strange understandings of the LORD and His will, but when we gain an understanding of His written word as a whole, and then compare and contrast one part with another, each part becomes more understandable and the whole is seen as the integrated testimony to God it is.

As we turn to Luke 15, we turn to one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. In it Luke tells us the context first. Jesus had gathered with a group of tax collectors and other “sinners.”  Jesus did this often and it frustrated the religious leaders so much, because they would not associate with “those” people. Jesus showed us we are all “those” people, which means all people are sinners.  As Jesus gathered with the outcasts, the Pharisees gathered around, too.  By this time, they were always present, watching to see if they could catch Jesus in some word or action through which they could accuse Him.  Jesus tells us three parables about things which become lost: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son.  In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus tells us about a shepherd who leaves his ninety-nine sheep in a field to go look for one lost sheep.  This is significant, because when the shepherd left the ninety-nine, there was great potential for them to wander off. Nevertheless, the value of the one was so great to the shepherd, he went and searched for it until he found it.  When he found the sheep, the celebration was out of all proportion to what had happened. He called all his friends and threw a party.  Then Jesus offered the punchline: ⁷I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:7 (NIV)  Remember the audience: “sinners” and Pharisees.  At the end of the story, some of the “sinners” would perhaps dare to hope Jesus was talking about them.  The Pharisees would be shaking their heads.

Next, Jesus told a story of a woman who had ten coins and lost one.  Just as the shepherd before her, she made a diligent search throughout her house until she found it. When she found it her response was again extravagant, as it was with the shepherd.  She called her friends and threw a party. Once again Jesus offered the punchline:¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10 (NIV)  By this time the “sinners” had to have been thinking, “He is telling these stories for us.”

Finally, Jesus told the story of a man who had two sons.  The younger came to the man and said, “Drop dead.”  Jesus doesn’t put it that dramatically, but the younger son wanted his share of the inheritance, which one only gets after one’s parents die.  In that culture such a request would have been so offensive the father would have cut the son off from the family.  Instead, the father gives the son the money.  He leaves and wastes it all on wild living.  When he is broke, his friends leave, because they weren’t really friends.  They were only there for the party the younger son provided.  He found himself feeding pigs, which for a Jew, was the lowest it gets.  As he was watching the pigs eat, while he starved, he “came to himself.”  In that moment of self-remembrance, he realized his father’s servants had more than enough to eat.  He had forfeited his right to be a son, but perhaps if he returned to his father, he would be given the position of servant.  He rehearsed his apology as he returned, but while he was still a long way off his father saw him and went running to him. (Note: The only way the father could have seen the son from a long way off, is if he were on top of his house watching the horizon for the son’s return.  Also, in that culture a father never ran to his son.  We would think especially not this son, who had told him to drop dead.)

As the son attempted to apologize, the father fell on his son’s neck, hugged him, kissed him, and then called for a robe to be brought, sandals, and a ring.  While these might seem like “nice” gifts to us, they were symbols of the son’s belonging as a son, not as a servant.  The father was reinstating him in full.  Then he killed the fattened calf and threw a party.  We might think, “Wow! Now the ‘sinners’ really know God loves them!” But there’s more.

The older son comes in from a hard day’s work in the field and asks one of the servants what is happening? One of the servants tell him his brother has come home and their father was throwing a party.  The older son was indignant.  Somehow the father heard about the son’s unwillingness to join the party and went out to him.  (No father in that culture went out to a son.  Spoiler alert: the older brother represents the Pharisees.) The older brother pitches a fit, and complains he had “slaved” all these years for his father, and not once did he even receive a goat to have a party with his friends, but this “son of yours” (not brother of mine) who wasted all your money on “prostitutes” (While that might have been the case, Jesus made no mention of it in telling of what the younger son did in the far country.  We would assume the older brother’s body had been in the field all those years, but his mind was with his brother.)  you throw him a party. The brother was right from a legal standpoint, but his father’s response goes far beyond what was right.

The father said, “Son, everything I have is yours.”  (This was literally true, because when the father divided his property between the two sons, the younger son would have received one third, and the older brother the other two. He was now the “owner” of his father’s property but in his mind, he was acting as a slave.) Then he got to the point: “We had to rejoice and be glad. This brother of yours (not son of mine) was lost, but has been found, was dead but is now alive” The story ends there.  We don’t know whether the older son went into the party.  We don’t know whether the younger brother got up the next day and went and worked in the fields with his brother.  Jesus left it that way on purpose.  The Pharisees had to realize they were the older brother.  The “sinners” had to realize they were the younger brother.  Now, they all had to choose whether to receive the truth and love of the father and respond accordingly.

Many times, when I have preached this passage of Scripture at the end I ask, “With which of the characters in the story do you identify most?” Typically, people will either say, “The older brother,” or “The younger brother.”  But there is another character: the father.  After fifty years of following Jesus, I still have plenty of both the older and young brother in me, but the one in the story with whom I identify the most is the father.  I have come to understand how important it is to welcome the younger brothers/sisters who return after coming to themselves.  I understand how important it is to implore the older brothers/sisters to remember their relationship to their other siblings, and to remember that those relationships are more important than what is right or fair.  By the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we become more and more like the father over time, and we are more and more able to speak the truth in love to folks whether they are “sinners” or Pharisees.  Many people have said to me, “What right do I have to tell someone else what to do, when I have sinned so often myself?”  We not only have a right to tell others what is right according to the LORD’s teaching, but an obligation. Otherwise, how will anyone learn what is true?  At the same time, we must offer the truth in love.  When we rail against the sin of others, but show no compassion, even though we are also sinners, people rightly reject our hypocrisy.  When we admit we are also sinners, who have fallen short of God’s glory, and show others that doesn’t excuse us from repenting, turning back to the LORD, and calling on Him for restoration, we give them the path they need to return.

It isn’t older brother or younger brother. Although when we recognize Jesus’ salvation was provided for both, we move closer to becoming like the father.  That is Jesus’ will for each of us, that we move from where we are whether we’re more like the older brother or more like the younger brother, and let the father’s truth and love transform us to being more like Him!

Psalm 69 is another of King David’s desperate cries to the LORD for deliverance in a difficult time. It starts with extreme desperation. He tells us he is in a flood up to his neck. Most likely this is a metaphor, but given the extreme circumstances David lived through, it could be an actual event. Some of the events David describes also happened to Jesus on the cross, so some see this as a prophetic psalm. As David does so often, he ends the psalm with an affirmation of the LORD’s goodness and deliverance in His life.

Psalm 70 is a brief psalm of King David similar in content to the much longer Psalm 69. Again, David cries out in desperation to the LORD, and in the end, he affirms the LORD’s work in his life.

Psalm 71 is a Psalm of David, and though he mentions his adversaries, much more of this psalm is devoted to affirming the LORD’s presence in his life from the time of his birth to his old age. David makes it clear the LORD has been his foundation and stronghold throughout his life, and he is never worried in the ultimate sense that the LORD will abandon him, or fail to provide his deliverance.

As we turn to Luke 14, Jesus heals another man on the Sabbath. He does it in a Pharisee’s home, so He knew this would cause problems. Then Jesus told those around Him not to choose the best seats at a banquet, because the one in charge might move you to a lesser place. Rather start at the lesser place and let the one in charge move you to the greater position. This was certainly directed at the Pharisees’ predisposition to value their positions. Jesus continued by speaking directly to the man who had invited Him to the dinner, and told him not to invite his friends, relatives, and others who could pay him back by inviting him to their home for dinner, but rather to invite the poor and crippled, because then he would receive the reward from God.

Next, Jesus told the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, in which the guests invited first made excuses for why they couldn’t come. Then the host invited everyone who would come. What an analogy for the Kingdom of God! God chose the Jews, and when many of them rejected Him by rejecting Jesus, He opened the door to everyone. Now, through Jesus, each of us can enter.

Finally, Jesus uses several illustrations to remind us how precious the Kingdom of God is, and how we must put Him and His Kingdom before anything else in our lives: before our families, our work, even ourselves. When we do, everything will fall into its intended place, but if we don’t we will forfeit the greatest gift of all–eternal life. Always remember: do not forfeit what is eternal for what is temporary!

We’re told Psalm 65 is a song of King David. What a song of praise it is! In this brief song, David covers virtually every attribute of God. He tells us of God’s worthiness to be praised, of God’s forgiveness, of God’s creative power, of God’s love for us. Psalm 65 is worth remembering and maybe even singing!

We’re not told who authored Psalm 66, although it is reminiscent of many of King David’s psalms of praise. We are told it, too, is a song. It resounds with praise of the LORD and also makes brief mention of various aspects of Israel’s history including the crossing of the Red Sea (or the Jordan River), times the Israelites spent “in prison,” (which could have been in Egypt or during the times of the judges in Israel), and time spent worshiping the LORD in His Temple.  The psalm offers us a heavy dose of praise to God and a brief history lesson to go along with it!

Psalm 67 is a brief, anonymous psalm, which is also labeled as a song. While the psalm is so brief it is difficult to tell where it was going, one noticeable point is when we bring our praises to God, His response is to pour out blessing in our lives. This is a general truth found throughout Scripture, and while Job would call it into question, at least during the suffering portion of his life, putting God in His proper place–first, generally leads to blessing.

Psalm 68 is an extended psalm of praise written by King David. It is also called a song. The psalm flows back and forth between telling us of the LORD’s blessing His people, and punishing His enemies. We must always remember the LORD has a chosen people, and while that chosen people was quite obviously Israel in the Old Testament, His holy people are now any who trust His Son, Jesus, as Savior and Lord, and follow in His ways in the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we turn to Luke 13, in the first five verses, Jesus tells of two incidents where people were killed by Pilate, the Roman governor, and others who died when a tower fell on them. He asked the people whether they thought this happened because their sin was worse than others? His answer was brief, “No, but unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Here Jesus sounds more like John the Baptist than we typically think of Jesus, but always remember: Jesus’ first message was a message of repentance!

Next Jesus told a parable about a vinedresser who had a plant that bore no fruit. The owner wanted to cut it down, but the servant asked for more time to fertilize it and if it didn’t produce after another year, he would cut it down. The message here seems clear: Jesus expects “fruit” from us His “plants.”

Jesus then went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and healed a woman who had been bound with an illness for eighteen years. The religious leaders were upset, but Jesus pointed out they would free one of their animals if it were bound on the Sabbath, and shouldn’t this child of God be freed? The question put them all to shame.

Jesus told two quick parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. He compared the Kingdom to a mustard seed, that grows to be a massive tree, in which many birds and animals can shelter, and yeast of which a little can leaven a whole lump of dough. In other words, it doesn’t take “much” of the Kingdom of Heaven to impact a great deal. Even a little of the Kingdom in our hearts can make an eternal difference.

Jesus was asked whether many would be saved? His response was the door is narrow that leads to life and we must strive for it. That doesn’t mean we can earn salvation. It does mean once we have received salvation, we are to work that salvation out in our lives in such a way that we glorify God and help others to find it, too.

Psalm 60 is a different kind of Psalm of King David than we have read. The difference is David starts by stating God has not been with them, that they have been defeated in battle, that God has given them wine that has made them stagger. It’s as if God is their enemy. But David calls on God to restore them, to give them victory over their enemies as He has done in the past. David “reminds” God once again of the victories He has given Israel before, and the promises He has made to them. He concludes with confidence God will deliver them from their enemies. This pattern is helpful for us, because we all go through times in our lives when we have been defeated. When that happens, David helps us remember the LORD has been with us in the past, and He is with us now. We must trust in His faithfulness, and call out in confidence based on who He is, regardless of our circumstances. That challenge “says easy and does hard,” when we’re in the midst of it, which is why it’s always helpful to learn these truths in easier times, so they will be there for us to remember in the difficult ones. To sum it up succinctly, “Don’t doubt in the darkness, what you’ve seen in the light.”

In Psalm 61, King David praises the LORD and calls on Him to bless “the king,” who would be himself, forever. We might think, “What a selfish prayer.” Not at all. It is not selfish to desire the LORD’s blessing in our lives forever. Indeed, unless we experience that blessing our lives will never be what He created them to be. It’s helpful for us to thank the LORD for His blessings, and to call on Him to continue those blessings, and as important as our relationship with Him–forever!

In Psalm 62, King David praises the LORD and reminds us of a vital truth: it doesn’t matter whether we are “lowborn” or “highborn” our end is the same. What matters in each person’s life is to trust the LORD, to praise and honor Him. As we do that, each life becomes valuable.

Psalm 63 is another Psalm of praise from King David. He extols the LORD and reminds us His loving kindness is better than life. This psalm is one we ought to turn to when our lives are going well, and we want to offer the LORD our thanks and praise for watching over us and providing us all we need.

Psalm 64 starts with King David writing, “Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint.” This tells us no subject is off limits for us as we turn to God in prayer.  As usual, David states his case before God, tells of God’s goodness, and closes with assurance that God will vindicate him and other righteous people.  This message has become clear to us by now!

As we turn to Luke 12, Jesus devotes the first twelve verses to warning His disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, to encouraging them not to worry about those who could kill their bodies, but not their souls, and to remember the Holy Spirit would tell them what to say in future times when they were arrested for serving Him.  He closes out the section by warning them about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which is attributing to Satan the work of Jesus.

As we move to verse 13 and following, Luke records Jesus interaction with a man who asked Jesus to divide his father’s property between him and his brother.  This seems odd on the surface, but rabbis were used often for such matters.  Jesus showed He wasn’t a typical rabbi, by saying He was not a judge between them.  Then He used the opportunity to tell a parable about a rich man, whose arrogance left him with the assumption the biggest thing he had to worry about in life was where to store his riches. The LORD showed the man he was a fool, when he told him, “This very night your soul is required of you.” Jesus’ punchline was “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself, but is not rich toward God.” We must always remember our financial resources are not ours.  They have been entrusted to us by God, and He expects us to manage them wisely, to meet our needs, and to advance His Kingdom.

Next, Jesus told His disciples the same thing He told them in Matthew 6:19-34: not to worry about their needs, but to seek God and His Kingdom first.  Then they would have everything they needed.  Here in Luke 12, Jesus went on to remind the disciples both to store up their treasures in heaven, and to steward their master’s good’s well, because the reward for such behavior is great blessing from their master.  Luke seems to have combined Matthew 6 and Matthew 25 in this passage, or it could well be Jesus instructed the disciples on this matter more than once, because it is so important, and matters pertaining to stewardship are often challenging for us to remember in life with only one hearing!

The phrase David repeats in Psalm 56 is “I will trust in You.” David found himself being pursued by the Philistines, and he did what he always did: he called out to the LORD for help and he confessed his trust in the LORD. It’s important for us to do both when we find ourselves in trouble. After all, if we’re going to call on the LORD when we’re in trouble, it needs to be from a position of our trust in Him.

Psalm 57 is another brief psalm in which David calls out to the LORD for help, this time in escaping once again from King Saul, and calls out in trust to the LORD. David found himself in the position time and time again before he became the King of Israel of avoiding King Saul, and other enemies. In the middle of that, David was always praying–calling out to God in trust and in petition for deliverance. Once again, we do well to emulate such faith, a faith that recognizes opposition and calls out to God for help to overcome it, and a sure trust that God hears us and is already at work on our behalf.

In Psalm 58, King David speaks frankly about his desire for the LORD to deal with evil rulers and evil people in general severely. He calls on the LORD to break their teeth. While we might find such a “prayer” offensive, few, if any of us, have ever dealt with ongoing assault in our lives as David did. He once again speaks of how the LORD will deal favorably with those who honor Him, but calls for judgment on those who don’t. We live in a culture that has stands against any type of judgment for all but the most heinous behavior, but David lived with a strong sense of justice, and often called on the LORD’s holiness and justice to judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous.

In Psalm 59, David calls out to the LORD to judge the evil men who lie in wait for him for no cause. We read in the notes at the top of the psalm this particular time the evil men were sent by Saul to capture him at his own house. Those notes show us the psalms of David are not presented in chronological order. We don’t know why the psalms are presented in the order we find them, but it’s clear chronology wasn’t the key concern. Once again, David calls out to the LORD for deliverance and affirms his trust that the LORD will deliver him. This recurrent theme offers us the challenge to do the same in our lives.

As we turn to Luke 11 the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray as John taught his disciples. In Jesus’ day, rabbis typically taught their disciples prayers to deal with various aspects of life. Jesus offers what we call the Lord’s Prayer in response. Then Jesus continued His instruction on prayer with several illustrations. First, He used the example of a man who went to his friend’s door at midnight to borrow some bread. He said even though the friend wouldn’t get up because of their friendship, he would eventually get up if the guy kept knocking. Wow! What Jesus was not saying, was: God doesn’t want to answer our prayers, so we need to nag Him until He does. He was saying we need to be persistent in prayer. Next, Jesus told us to keep on asking, seeking and knocking, once again telling us to persist in prayer. He reminded us that we, as human beings, even though we’re evil know how to give good gifts to our children, so how much more does our Heavenly Father want to give the Holy Spirit to us when we ask Him. Luke’s statement is a bit different than Matthew’s, because Luke made it clear what our Heavenly Father wants to give us is the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to live as Jesus, so it’s a helpful reminder for us to ask our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to us.

Next, we’re told Jesus cast an unclean spirit out of someone, and the religious leaders said Jesus was able to do this by the authority of Satan. Jesus responded immediately by making it clear that idea makes no sense. After all, a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Jesus continued on the offensive stating His casting out of demons was a sign that the Kingdom of God was coming. He then challenged them by saying whoever is not for Me is against Me.

Jesus offered another illustration, a vital one, about what happens when an evil spirit is cast out of a person. He said the man’s “house,” or soul, is swept clean, but the spirit will travel over arid places and find more spirits who will come back and possess the man again, and the last state of the man is worse than the first. The point here is if a person is freed of an evil spirit, the “emptiness” must be filled with the Holy Spirit.

As Jesus spoke these words of wisdom, someone in the crowd shouted a blessing on His mother. Jesus responded the blessed one is the one who does the will of God. Jesus wasn’t discounting His mother, but emphasizing that more than one person is blessed–all are blessed who obey God.

Jesus went on the offensive once again, telling the crowd it was an evil generation and wanted a sign. He said no sign would be given, but the sign of Jonah, which was a reference to His three days in the tomb after His crucifixion. Then he said the Queen of Sheba would testify against this generation, because she showed proper honor to the LORD in her time.

Luke 11 closes out with Jesus being invited to dinner by a Pharisee. While He was there, Jesus pronounced woe after woe on the Pharisees for their practices, which didn’t honor God, nor lead people to God. When the lawyers said Jesus’ words offended them, too, Jesus was not impressed. He spoke similar words of judgment on them. The end result of all this was the religious leaders determined to find a way to catch Him in His words, and ultimately arrest Him.

As we read Luke 11, we see Jesus’ concern to teach His disciples, and to correct the Pharisees. This is helpful for us, because we want to remain in the position of disciples throughout our lives. Disciples are learners. As long as we remain teachable, we are useful to ourselves and to Jesus. When we think we know it all, we become Pharisaic, and we move to dangerous ground.

Psalm 52 shows us King David wrote psalms not only to praise the LORD, or to petition him for some overarching challenge in his life, but even concerning individual events that on the surface don’t seem important. Here, David wrote about Doeg the Edomite, who told King Saul where David was. While the event itself was not that important in the grand scheme of things, it resulted in Saul executing many priests. The psalm reminds us, we can go to God with any event in our lives the “big” and the “small.”

Psalm 53 is a brief “maskil” of King David. We believe maskil is a musical term, but no one knows for certain. In it, David points out two facts regarding those who don’t believe in God, and all of us when it comes to sin: 1) The fool says in his heart there is no God; and 2) no one does what is good, not even one. It is, indeed, foolish not to believe in God, given the abundance of evidence for His existence. David didn’t have the clear example of Jesus’ life, teaching, death, and resurrection, but even in his day, ample evidence existed for God’s existence. David’s acknowledgement that all of us are sinners, was picked up on by the Apostle Paul in his teaching, and used to show us all the universal need for salvation in and through Jesus.

Psalm 54 comes from another time in David’s life before he was king, and Saul was chasing him. This time the Ziphites told Saul where David was. David relied on the LORD for his deliverance, and called on the LORD to protect him from his enemies. David’s faith in the LORD reminds us in every situation, whether good or evil, we must rely on the LORD. He is the only one who will not betray us.

In Psalm 55, David cries out to the LORD to deliver him from his enemies. That is a common theme in David’s psalms, but what differs in this one, is the enemy is a former friend, one who was his companion, who fought at David’s side. The cry for deliverance is familiar, but the pain in David’s words over the identity of this enemy is obvious. In the end, David acknowledges once again the LORD will deliver him.

As we turn to Luke 10, the first half is devoted to Jesus sending out 70 (or 72 depending on the translation and the manuscripts used by the English translators of the passage) to preach, teach, heal and cast out demons in the towns He was about to visit in Israel. In His instructions to them, Jesus called on them to pray for the LORD of the Harvest to send workers into the harvest. He told them not to take anything extra as they went, but to rely on the generosity of the people in the places they would go. Where they were received, they were to stay and minister, where they were rejected, they were to wipe the dust off their sandals as a sign against the place. Jesus pronounced judgment against several towns in northern Israel for their rejection of Jesus and His message. When the group returned, they told of the wonderful things done in Jesus’ name. Jesus told them He had seen Satan fall like lightning from the sky, and then made a vital statement about the response the group had experienced: Don’t rejoice that the demons are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in the book of Life. We must always have an eternal view in our daily lives. Even when we experience miracles in Jesus’ name, the greater miracle is we get to be with Him for eternity, because of His great to us.

In the next section, we’re told of a teacher of the Law who came to test Jesus. The “test” was to state which teaching in the Law of Moses was greatest. Jesus turned the test on the lawyer and asked him what he thought. Jesus often did this, and in this case the lawyer couldn’t resist the opportunity to show off his knowledge. He said it was the command to love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said he had answered rightly. Test over. But the lawyer wanted to “justify” himself, so he asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus responded with a parable. We call it the Parable of the Good Samaritan, but to the Jews the idea that a Samaritan could be good, kind, and compassionate was beyond comprehension. Even so, Jesus told of a man who had fallen among thieves, was beaten and left for dead. Three men came along with an opportunity to help him: a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. To the shock of all His listeners, it was the Samaritan who proved to be the neighbor, the one who helped him. Jesus asked the lawyer who had proven to be neighbor to the one in need? The lawyer had to respond, “The one who helped.” He wouldn’t even say Samaritan. Jesus then told him to go and do the same. What an amazing turn around. Rather than Jesus looking foolish for not knowing the answer, or giving the wrong answer. The lawyer had just been challenged to act like a Samaritan!

In the final event of chapter 10, Jesus visited the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. As Jesus sat talking and teaching, Martha busied herself with preparing a meal for the group, while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening. Eventually, Martha was fed up and came to Jesus challenging Him to tell her sister to help her with the food preparation. Jesus, told Martha she was worried and troubled about so many things, but only one thing was necessary, and Mary had chosen it. So, what was the “one thing”? Being with Jesus. Not serving Jesus through work, but being with Jesus is the necessary thing. We know from Jesus’ former miracles, He could have “prepared” the meal even if thousands were there, but investing time with Jesus is the more important matter. It’s interesting that Luke placed this event immediately after the one in which Jesus told about the 72 going out and doing ministry, and the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The first two tell us of powerful activity for good, while the final one tells us there is also a time for rest, renewal and sitting at Jesus’ feet. We must ensure we take time for both in our lives. We cannot only sit at Jesus’ feet listening, but we dare not engage in frenetic activity in His name without having first done that.

Psalm 48, another psalm of the Sons of Korah praises the LORD with an affirmation of His presiding over His holy Temple. The LORD is seen as the King over all other kings.

Psalm 49 another psalm of the Sons of Korah, focuses on the brevity of life, and the reality that we can’t take it with us when we die. They remind us whether we’re rich or poor what we have will be left to someone else. We are also reminded honoring the LORD is the way we show ourselves wise, but it is foolish not to honor Him.

Psalm 50 is a psalm of Asaph. The psalm reminds us to honor the LORD.  Much of the psalm is written in the LORD’s voice. He tells us He doesn’t need our sacrifices, and we dare not take the side of thieves. He tells us He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and He would never tell us if He needed anything from us, yet He does tell us to offer our sacrifices to Him, and honor Him.

Psalm 51 is a powerful psalm of King David. It was his response to God after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan, for his sin with Bathsheba. David started by confessing his sin. He told the LORD it was against Him and Him alone he sinned. He also confessed he was a sinner from his birth, and was conceived in sin. David makd no attempt to make excuses, or to cast blame on anyone else. This is a great model for us, when we sin. The first step is to confess our guilt. Next, David asked the Lord to “forget” his iniquity, and also to create in him a pure heart and to renew a right spirit within him. This, too, is so vital for us to remember. It isn’t enough for us to feel bad when we sin, or even to confess we have sinned. We must ask God to forgive us, to restore us, and to renew our spirits. That is a prayer the LORD is most willing to answer. David asks the LORD to restore the Holy Spirit to him. When David was anointed king by the prophet Samuel, we are told the Holy Spirit came on David and remained with him. Here David acknowledges sin can “quench” the Holy Spirit in our lives, and thus asks for the LORD to restore the Spirit to him. David told the Lord if he restored him, he would tell others of His restoration, and instruct them in the Lord’s ways.

As we turn to Luke 9, Jesus gives the apostles authority to preach, teach, heal and cast out demons and sends them out. Nearly as an aside, while the apostles were out doing their work, we’re told King Herod believed Jesus to be John the Baptist resurrected from the dead. That’s because of the amazing miracles Jesus performed. Then we’re told the apostles came back and told Jesus all they had done. Jesus took them away to the town of Bethsaida. This is instructive. After a productive ministry “tour,” Jesus gave the apostles a break. He wanted them to have a time of reflection and restoration. The time was short-lived, though, as the crowds found them. Jesus healed some, and then started teaching. He taught all day, and at the end of the day told the apostles to feed the group. Jesus ended up being the source of the meal, as He turned five loaves of bread and two fish into a meal for 5,000 men along with all the women and children. Immediately, following this event, we’re told Jesus took time alone to pray.  Following this, Jesus asked the apostles who the crowds said He was. This question is so vital–Who is Jesus? It doesn’t matter, though, who the crowds say Jesus is.  As we see, Jesus then asked the apostles, who they thought He was? Peter gave the right answer, as we know from reading Matthew and Mark. Jesus is the Messiah. In Luke’s account, after Jesus tells the apostles He is going to be crucified, Peter does not rebuke Him as he does in Matthew and Mark. Instead, Jesus tells the crowd immediately how important it is to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Him.

The events that follow start with Jesus being transfigured with Moses and Elijah, and then Jesus healing a demon-possessed boy. Following this, Jesus told the apostles again He was going to be crucified. This time the apostles argued about who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom of God. Jesus brought a small child into their midst and said to be great one must turn and become like a child. Following this John told Jesus of a man who was casting demons out of people in Jesus’ name, but they told the man to stop, because he wasn’t one of them. Jesus told them not to stop such activity, because whoever isn’t against them is for them. This is an important principle to remember. Everyone doesn’t have to be or think exactly as we do to be on our side. Next, Jesus “set His face” to go to Jerusalem. He sent some folks on ahead, because He wanted to travel through Samaria, but the Samaritans weren’t going to permit Him to pass, because He was heading to Jerusalem. This incensed James and John, who asked Jesus whether He wanted them to call lightning down from the sky on them. Jesus rebuked them. The chapter closes with three different men coming to Jesus and each one was potentially a follower, but each one had a reason why he couldn’t do follow Jesus at that moment. Jesus made it clear delayed obedience, is disobedience, and He wasn’t interested in having someone who wanted to serve Jesus “later.” As we reflect on that reality, consider whether there’s any area in your life where you are delaying your obedience to Jesus.

We’re told Psalm 44 was written by the Sons of Korah. They were Levites, members of the priestly family. The psalm’s purpose is to “remind” God of His faithfulness in times past, and to petition Him to remember that faithfulness in current times. The Sons of Korah start with history. They remind God of how He delivered the people from their enemies, how He fought for them. Then the psalm turns. They ask God, why do our enemies defeat us? They are confused and deeply grieved, because they tell God they have not turned from Him. They have been faithful, but they aren’t experiencing His faithfulness. The psalm closes with a brief petition for God to restore them, because of His nature and His faithfulness. We could ask, “Were the Sons of Korah right? Were they faithful, and yet still overcome by their enemies?” Or “Were they wrong? Was their current situation, simply God fulfilling His promises to turn them over to their enemies, for their disobedience?” Either could be true. We know from Job’s life, the righteous are sometimes subjected to terrible situations, and sometimes their enemies prosper for no good reason. We also know, human beings tend to exaggerate our innocence before God. Whichever it was, the psalm pleads for God to restore His people. It is a cry God’s people have offered in every generation. We do well to remember our part in fulfilling this cry: being obedient to Him in the power of the Holy Spirit. The rest is up to Him, and we know His nature: He is holy, righteous, and good.

Psalm 45 was also written by the Sons of Korah.  It was a “wedding song.” As we read it, we see three major aspects of the psalm: 1) praise for the king; 2) praise for the LORD; and 3) a call for the bride to recognize the blessing of her situation. At some points in the psalm it is difficult to discern whether we are reading about the king or about the LORD, but the key to this psalm is to remember the kings in Israel were given their place by a promise the LORD made to King David, and the LORD always keeps His promises. That is a helpful reminder to us, when we are not going through joyful moments in our lives, and we wonder whether the LORD will be faithful in our circumstances.

Psalm 46, also a psalm of the Sons of Korah, is a powerful song of praise and affirmation of who the LORD is and what He does. It starts with this reminder “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” We’re reminded that even if the foundations of the earth would be shaken or moved, the LORD is with us. This psalm is often read at funeral services, because of its focus on the LORD’s presence with us in even the most difficult situations of life.

Psalm 47 was also written by the Sons of Korah. Although brief, it is a joyous psalm of praise to the LORD. The psalm reminds all the nations to clap our hands, because of who the LORD is and all He does for us. As we read it, or sing it, the psalm offers glory to the LORD and brings joy to our hearts.

As we turn to Luke 8, Luke tells us Jesus not only had twelve disciples who followed Him, a number of women, whom Luke names, also traveled with Him. These women provided for the group financially out of their own means. While, we might be inclined to zip right past this brief detail, having women in the group was a major departure from tradition. Rabbis in Jesus’ day often wouldn’t even look at women in public, but Jesus had them in His group. He gave them the opportunity to provide financial support, which was always a “man’s responsibility.” This was a major affirmation of women by Jesus, and a reminder to us that all people have an opportunity to serve Jesus.

After Luke’s brief account of women being part of Jesus’ ministry, he recorded Jesus telling the parable of the Sower, and then explaining it for the disciples. This was followed by Jesus’ parable of the Lamp, and a reminder to be careful how we hear, because depending on how we listen and respond, what we have of God’s truth will be multiplied or removed. What a vital reminder! Next, Luke tells us Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him, but they couldn’t get near because of the crowd. When the crowd told Jesus His family was seeking Him, Jesus responded by telling the crowd those who do His Father’s will are His mothers, sisters, and brothers. Jesus was not minimizing His biological family. He reinterpreted how we are to see family as His followers. Our relationship as “spiritual parents, siblings, and children” is as important as our biological relationships. In reality, they might be more important, because we will be with our spiritual family for eternity, while we will only be with our biological family members for eternity, if they, too, become Jesus’ followers.

The remainder of chapter 8 records familiar events for us, because we find them in Matthew and Mark’s gospels as well. First, Luke records Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee when He had been asleep in the boat.  Next, we have the accounts of Jesus’ healing the Geresene demoniac, Jesus’ healing the woman with the issue of blood, (or rather the woman taking the initiative to be healed by Jesus by touching His robe), and Jesus’ raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead. These amazing events demonstrate again Jesus has power over nature, over the spiritual realm, over physical ailments and even death. With those areas of life covered, Jesus is truly Savior and Lord of all!

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, wife, children, 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, his enemies 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 too 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 life’s circumstances, 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 Baptist’s 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 ultimately 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 have been 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 feet 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.