Devoted to Scripture

Day 164 of the podcast, reading Psalms 21-25 NET, read along at:

This is day 164 of our journey.

Today's reading contains 6 psalms of deliverance.  The psalmists constantly cry for help, but ALWAYS remember that God will deliver.  God graciously gives his followers guidance and instruction.  He upholds them in his power.

Psalm 22 begins with a familiar phrase: "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" This phrase was spoken by Jesus on the cross.  Jesus was pointing back to this Psalm and causing those who were listening to remember the similar cries of despair from David.  As we read through the Psalm, we quickly see the cries of despair turn to shouts of praise and victory.  The Psalmist states: "He has done it!"  Listen to the vivid descriptions that beautifully foreshadow what happened to Jesus Christ on the cross and of the coming Day of the Lord that is only possible because of His great love. 

Join me in Psalms 21-25 and place your trust in the unfailing deliverer!

Key verses:

Psalms 21:1

Psalms 22:31

Psalms 23:6

Psalms 24:8

Psalms 25:14

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 163 of the podcast, reading Psalms 17-20 NET, read along at:

This is day 163 of our journey.

Today we read four Psalms of David. Psalm 17 is a prayer for deliverance where David pleads for protection and affirms that God's presence alone is sufficient to satisfy all his needs.  In Psalm 18, we hear David speak of God as his stronghold in times of trouble.  Reading through 1 Samuel, we saw David often flee to an area called "the stronghold" to escape from King Saul.  This stronghold is what we now call Masada.  It was a highly defensible position that afforded a clear view of its surroundings and the protection that high ground offers from enemies.  But, in Psalm 18, David recognizes that his real defense is in following the Lord and trusting in him.

In Psalm 19, David praises God for the revelation of his goodness and his might through both God's act of creation and the gift of His Law.  Even though we may not literally hear creation praising God, we see His handiwork in all things and "The heavens declare the glory of God."  The most desirable thing that man can seek out is the Word of the Lord so that we may, in all our ways, acknowledge and glorify Him!

Join me in Psalms 17-20 to rejoice in the protection and the glory of God!

Key verses:

Psalms 17:15

Psalms 18:2

Psalms 19:1

Psalms 20:7

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 162 of the podcast, reading Psalms 9-16 NET, read along at:

This is day 162 of our journey.

Today we read eight psalms that discuss the theme of deliverance.  The Psalmists write about suffering under the yoke of oppression, but they rely on the Lord to deliver them.  They are surrounded by evil, but choose to take their stand with the Lord. Their advisors panic, but they are able to remain calm because they know that the Lord is in control of all things. 

On a personal note, Psalm 15 was read at my wedding as a challenge for my wife and I.  Our desire, as Christians, should not only be to dwell in heaven with the Lord but to be His people here on Earth and to consisently serve him with humility, faithfulness, and great love. The question we must ask ourselves is this: How can we, in a post-modern age filled with opposition, hope to accomplish that?  The answer is simple yet profound: We worship our King by walking in accordance to the Laws of the Lord.  His Holy Word is like a lamp unto our feet in uncertain times. When we walk in His ways, we will never be shaken and the Lord will hold us secure, no matter what comes against us.

Join me in Psalms 9-16 to take confidence in the trustworthiness of the Lord!

Key verses:

Psalms 9:11

Psalms 10:17

Psalms 11:1

Psalms 12:6

Psalms 13:5

Psalms 14:3

Psalms 15:1

Psalms 16:11

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 161 of the podcast, reading Psalms 1-8 NET, read along at:

This is day 161 of our journey.

I am very excited to read through the Book of Psalms with you!  I've never been excited by poetry, and Psalms, unfortunately, has been no exception.  However, as I've studied more and learned the book's structure better, I realize that this is NOT just 150 poems, but rather a carefully crafted narrative.  I look forward to experiencing this firsthand as I read through it again as part of our shared journey!  One of the resources that has really helped me with this is an overview video on the book of Psalms by the Bible Project (link in the description).  I highly recommend that you check it out before continuing.

The first chapter of Psalms is, essentially, a foreword to the entire book.  It describes two different paths that we, as humans, must choose between; The way of the wicked or the way of the Law of the Lord.  These paths lead to two different rewards: we will be like a tree planted by streams of water, or we will be like chaff, blown and tossed by the wind.  Choose the right path!

The rest of our reading follows from this idea.  The psalmists go through struggles and cry out before God. They trust in Him and follow in the Lord's path even when all hope seems lost. God answers them and delivers them, destroying the wicked in the process.

Join me in Psalms 1-8 and rejoice in the Law of the Lord!

Key verses:

Psalms 1:2

Psalms 2:8

Psalms 3:3

Psalms 4:8

Psalms 5:8

Psalms 6:9

Psalms 7:17

Psalms 8:3-4

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Check out these links for more thoughts on the topic:

The Bible Project Video:

Overview Chart by Charles Swindoll

Day 160 of the podcast, reading Job 39-42 NET, read along at:

This is day 160 of our journey.

God continues to speak to his servant Job.  He questions Job about the vastness of creation (does Job know about every creature?).  The Lord then brags about the power of Behemoth and Leviathon, two mighty creatures that no man can tame. Twice, Job has the opportunity to respond and he does so with humility and contrition.  Job recognizes that he was speaking without knowledge.  In the end, God turns to the three friends and condemns them for speaking lies to Job. He commands that they make an offering to him through Job.  After this, God chooses to bless Job again, he receives double the wealth that he had at the start as well as another ten children. Job continues to walk before God in integrity!

Join me in Job 39-42 to marvel at the awesome power of God, and recognize our place before him.

Key verses:

Job 39:1

Job 40:5

Job 41:11

Job 42:6

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 159 of the podcast, reading Job 36-38 NET, read along at:

This is day 159 of our journey.

Elihu, the youngest of Job's accusers, continues to speak his words of condemnation.  Elihu has no sense of humility and essentially claims that he is complete in his knowledge and is speaking for God Himself.  He reminds Job of God's great power and majesty and emphasizes the punishments that God enacts on the wicked.  Elihu says nothing new...and he says it with grossly misplaced confidence.

Then, finally, God speaks!  He calls out to Job.  But, he doesn't give Job all of the answers he seeks. Instead, the Lord questions Job.  He asks about Job's wisdom and knowledge regarding all the things that God has done asking "Do you understand all these things?"  God seems to be implying: "If you don't understand these things, how can you claim to understand all my ways?  How can you question any of my actions?"

Join me in Job 36-38 to hear God speak to Job!

Key verses:

Job 36:4

Job 37:5

Job 38:2-3

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 158 of the podcast, reading Job 33-35 NET, read along at:

This is day 158 of our journey.

Elihu continues to speak his self-important "wisdom" to Job.  With many words and much rambling, Elihu restates the arguments of the three older men, but his tone is even more condescending.  He claims that Job is a fool for claiming to be innocent before God (missing Job's statements about his guilt).  He accuses Job of failing to help the weak and poor, accusing him of lying when he claimed otherwise.  He restates the "obvious" fact that man's wickedness cannot be hidden from God and that hardships are used by God to correct.  In all, Elihu speaks with great pride in the wisdom that he thinks he has, not realizing that he really isn't saying anything new.

Join me in Job 33-35 to hear the long-winded rebuke of Elihu.

Key verses:

Job 33:19

Job 34:25

Job 35:16

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 157 of the podcast, reading Job 30-32 NET, read along at:

This is day 157 of our journey.

Job continues by contrasting where he was before his life changed with where his life has taken him now.  The men that were too vile for Job to interact with are now the very men that spit on him and look down on him.  He is in despair yet, instead of extending grace upon their brother, those around him continue to pile more suffering upon him.  He makes his final plea, stating his case for the upright way that he has carried himself.  He looks after the poor and the orphan, he defends the weak and the innocent.  He trusts in God.  He signs off with a cry for God to answer.

But, the answer he receives first comes from a young man named Elihu.  He has waited patiently for the older men to speak, but now that they have finished accusing Job, Elihu feels he must also answer from his "great wisdom."

Join me in Job 30-32 to hear Job's final defense.

Key verses:

Job 30:16

Job 31:35

Job 32:20

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 156 of the podcast, reading Job 26-29 NET, read along at:

This is day 156 of our journey.

Job begins his final defense.  First, he strikes out in sarcasm at the great "wisdom" of Bildad.  But he quickly moves from frusteration to worship as he proclaims the greatness of God and his unknowable nature.  He, once again, expresses his innocence and clings firmly to his integrity while reviling the final state of the wicked man.  He extols the value of wisdom, comparing it to precious stones.  Wisdom is greater and more difficult to find!  Then, he recalls his former glory but, in doing so, he doesn't focus on what he had but rather on the ability he had to help those in need.  He was respected for his wisdom and benevolence.

Join me in Job 26-29 as Job stands firm in his integrity.

Key verses:

Job 26:2

Job 27:5

Job 28:12

Job 29:21

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 155 of the podcast, reading Job 22-25 NET, read along at:

This is day 155 of our journey.

Eliphaz still isn't listening, not only that, he now speculates a list of sins that Job might be guilty of in an attempt to prompt Job's conscience.  Job counters by speaking of all the ways that the wicked are blessed and able to thrive.  They oppress and rob others, but they are not held to account.  He cries out for a place to take his grievances and his questions for God so that he can state his case and be heard.  Bildad responds with a short speech reiterating what Eliphaz has already professed.

Join me in Job 22-25 to see a man crying out for comfort and understanding.

Key verses:

Job 22:5,10

Job 23:7

Job 24:25

Job 25:4

All Scriptures are from the NET.