Psalms

Psalm 135 (Part Four)

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Yesterday, we focused on one of the key verses in Psalm 135 about idols: “Those who make them will be like them” (v18). We saw how idols often start off as good or benign things designed to serve us, but end up enslaving us as they become our source of security and significance.

That was the diagnosis, and it wasn’t pretty. But today, in our final look at Psalm 135, we look at the treatment plan…

The antidote

What’s the antidote to this? How do we take back control? How do we live up to our calling as God’s chosen people—to show the world what it’s like not to be trusting in idols?

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Psalm 135 (Part Three)

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We’re continuing in Psalm 135, which calls God’s people to praise him for his goodness, for he is far greater than the idols we make for ourselves. God is greater because he provides for his people and he rescues his people. Today, we look at the predicament of those who continue to trust in idols they created for themselves rather than the one who created them.

The consequences of idolatry

But what about those who aren’t God’s people? Who don’t renounce idols and worship the one true God—what happens?

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Psalm 135 (Part Two)

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We’re continuing in Psalm 135, which calls God’s people to praise him for his goodness, for he is far greater than the idols we make for ourselves. Yesterday, we looked at the first reason God is greater than idols: he’s the only one who’s able to provide for his people. Today, we look at the second reason the Psalm offers:

God rescues his people

The second reason God is greater than idols is that he’s the one who rescues his people from oppression and invasion. Again, this is something idols were thought to control in the ancient world: your gods protected you against foreign armies.

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Psalm 135 (Part One)

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A couple of weeks ago I was asked to preach on Psalm 135 at my home church. Although I no longer have time to write daily bible study notes, I thought I’d share it here in a few posts this week, since I found it to be more thought-provoking than it appeared on first reading.

Psalm 135:1-7

Psalm 135 starts off with a call to praise God.

135:1 Praise the LORD! [Hebrew: Hallelujah!]
Praise the name of the LORD

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Psalm 34 – Part Three

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Over the past two days we’ve considered Psalm 34: praise for the God who delivers, and testimony about the God who delivers. Today we ask: how, exactly, does God deliver?

How does God deliver?

I mean, now. Sure, he delivered David from the hands of Achish, Goliath, Saul, the Philistines, the list goes on… But I’m unlikely to fall into the clutches of any marauding barbarian kings, at least in the places where I regularly hang out. And if I do, I’ll remember to keep that whole saliva-in-the-beard, faking-insanity strategy up my sleeve. (You can’t accuse the Bible of not containing practical advice.) But what does “God delivers” mean today?

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Psalm 34 – Part Two

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Yesterday, we read Psalm 34 and saw how David praised the God who delivers. Specifically:

  • God delivers those who are weak, yet put their trust in him
  • God delivers those who fear him
  • God delivers more than just individuals

And we spent some time praising God for how he has delivered us. But it doesn’t stop there.

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Psalm 34 – Part One

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Psalm 34 is all about ‘the God who delivers’. The word ‘deliver’ occurs 4 times:

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;

The God who delivers. But what exactly do we mean by that? Because the word “deliver” when used this way tends to be a bit of a Christian jargon word. Certainly we use it quite differently from how the rest of the world understands it.

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Christian Parenting for Everyone – Part Five (Ps 78:1-8)

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In honour of Father’s Day last Sunday, all this week we’ve been looking at Christian parenting. But not just for parents – for everyone. Our text is Psalm 78:1-8, which is the introduction to a very long Psalm that recites the great deeds of God in Israel’s history. But the introduction itself tells us a lot about teaching future generations about God. We’re using John Piper’s six key ideas as our “window” into the Psalm:

(1) God, the central reality in our lives, (2) has given us a fixed deposit of his truth (3) which we are to teach (4) so that our children might know that truth (5) and therefore put their trust in God (6) enabling them to live lives of loyal obedience.

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Christian Parenting for Everyone – Part Four (Ps 78:1-8)

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In honour of Father’s Day last Sunday, all this week we’re looking at Christian parenting. But not just for parents – for everyone. Our text is Psalm 78:1-8, which is the introduction to a very long Psalm that recites the great deeds of God in Israel’s history. But the introduction itself tells us a lot about teaching future generations about God. We’re using John Piper’s six key ideas as our “window” into the Psalm:

(1) God, the central reality in our lives, (2) has given us a fixed deposit of his truth (3) which we are to teach (4) so that our children might know that truth (5) and therefore put their trust in God (6) enabling them to live lives of loyal obedience.

Continue reading →

Christian Parenting for Everyone – Part Three (Ps 78:1-8)

/ timmacbride

In honour of Father’s Day last Sunday, all this week we’re looking at Christian parenting. But not just for parents – for everyone. Our text is Psalm 78:1-8, which is the introduction to a very long Psalm that recites the great deeds of God in Israel’s history. But the introduction itself tells us a lot about teaching future generations about God. We’re using John Piper’s six key ideas as our “window” into the Psalm:

(1) God, the central reality in our lives, (2) has given us a fixed deposit of his truth (3) which we are to teach (4) so that our children might know that truth (5) and therefore put their trust in God (6) enabling them to live lives of loyal obedience.

Continue reading →