Reforming our nation seems impossible from a natural perspective, because the electoral system is rigged against God’s law. But the church has overturned kings and kingdoms in the past, when the levers of power available to it were even smaller. This is because our power does not come from political maneuvering, but liturgical action. It is through psalm-singing that we wield God’s sword to execute vengeance on nations and bind their kings.

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God provides strict qualifications, which we must discern, before he permits us to set up any man as a judge for ourselves—whether in “institutional politics,” or “influencer politics.” But how can we obey his command to “perceive” and “know” that the men we choose really are fitting candidates, if we have no relationship with them? How can we tell if a man has substance, fears God, loves truth, and hates profit?

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Christians should only ever use their vote to endorse a man or party that Christ would endorse as his representative. Electing Satan’s sons can only ever invite God’s judgment—and will never bring about righteousness or advance Christ’s kingdom. Christians are not free to vote for evil, even if it is the lesser of two, and our disobedience in this has caused the name of Jesus to be blasphemed in our nations. Though there is the appearance of wisdom in the pragmatic voting philosophy, true wisdom is justified of her children.

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Do you feel like your sin makes you a disappointment to God? But Psalm 149 tells us that he delights in us. There is no sweeter thing than to feel the pleasure of God shining down on us, and this is the reason given that we should praise him. Because God is glad when we come to worship, we sing anew the songs he has given us. Our window for praising God in the flesh is closing, so make the most of it!

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God has given us nine acrostic psalms, yet modern songwriting sensibilities do not include this form. Why would God make alphabetical lines a priority for poetic expression? Why limit himself to having his message dictated by the order of the Hebrew alphabet? What profound truth does the form and nature of this poetry communicate about God’s love for his covenant people?

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Being discipled by chick flicks and pop songs, we tend to think of love as the initial flames set ablaze when we meet the person of our dreams. But the “flame of Yah”—true love as God designed it—is a cultivated fire from start to finish. To keep this marital fire burning brightly, Song of Songs depicts key elements of romance which we can cultivate in our own marriages.

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If Song of Songs is truly named, then it is the best and most important song ever written. Yet the modern reader finds its poetry awkward, unsatisfying, and confusing. What help does God offer through this song for cultivating romantic affection in our own marriages—and how can we train our modern ears to find it profitable? Three elements contribute to poetic excellence, and help us to discern the value in Solomon’s work.

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Psalm 47 is a psalm that grounds all of time, drawing history together into a meaningful whole. Always it has been true, always it is true, and always it will be true. It is the great foundation of the past; the great promise of the future; the linchpin of yesterday, today, and tomorrow: King is God over the nations; very ascended is he.

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Despite the celebrations, Christmas is a time of many mundane hardships and difficulties — from annoying relatives to stretched finances. Since it is easy for us to feel set-upon and inconvenienced, it is helpful to reflect on how the first Christmas is a story of stress and anxiety, confusion and unknowns for Mary and Joseph, who had their expectations, hopes, and plans for their lives completely upended.

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We might expect that when Gideon leads Israel out of enslavement to Ba’al worship, he will reestablish true worship. But turning from worshiping false gods leads easily into the other ditch of worshiping God falsely. Scripture describes both errors as “whoring”—and this is not mere metaphor. Religious whoring leads naturally into marital whoring. Such whoredom is a seed that always bears bitter fruit, and so it is with Gideon, whose legacy will be civil war through his b*****d son of a Canaanite slavewife.

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