By Grant Luton
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The podcast currently has 245 episodes available.
Psalm 58 is a unique psalm which I call Song of the Sociopath. It describes the intractability of certain souls who resist the righteous path and are bent on persecuting the innocent. Such a person was King Saul's counselor, Abner, who, traditions teaches, was the inspiration for this psalm. (Read 1Samuel 26.) On a different note, this psalm is one of the most difficult to translate. Hence, I present here three translations: The English Standard Version, the Robert Alter translation, and the Artscroll Publishers translation. We should not be surprised that grappling this psalm is as difficult as understanding the twisted mind of the sociopath.
This is the sixth psalm (in a series of nine) where David prays for deliverance. But in this psalm, David does something completely different. Can you discover what it is? We also learn something fascinating about the Hebrew word for "dawn". We will learn about these and many other valuable insights in this short but powerful psalm.
Everyone knows the story of Noah and the Ark. But there are some details of the story that you may have missed, like the release of the raven, and then the dove, and then the dove again, and then the dove a third time. What is this all about? And what is God trying to teach us through this account of the birds? And what connection does Noah’s ark have with the Tabernacle? Join us for a lively discussion of these and other topics.
Psalm 56 begins a series of five psalms called "Michtams". It is uncertain what this term means, but it is somehow related to fine gold, thus making these "golden" psalms, or maybe David's favorite psalms. Psalm 56 is also the second psalm inspired by the time David disguised his sanity while behind enemy lines. (See also Psalm 34.) In this psalm David expresses his loneliness while under persecution. He set this psalm to a tune called "The Mute Dove of Distant Places". But, as David's powerful psalms often do, this one ends on a high note of hope in God.
What do you do when you discover that your closest friend on earth - a friend in whom you have confided for years - has secretly turned against you and is plotting to kill you? That is what David is dealing with in this psalm, and it echoes Yeshua's emotions when He was betrayed by Judas. This psalm also introduces us to the first two aspects of Jewish prayer as reflected by Paul in Philippians 4:6. Psalm 55 contains powerful lessons in how to deal with rebellion in one's inner circle and how to cast our cares upon the Lord.
This short psalm describes David's betrayal by the Ziphites - a mob of fellow Judeans - men who should have been loyal to their brother, David. Verses 1-3 are David's prayer for help; verses 4-7 are David's words of praise and commitment to God. A short, powerful psalm that teaches us to never give up hope even when there is not hope!
The Bible uses the word tziporen only two times. The first time, it is translated "fingernail" (Deuteronomy 21:12). The second time, it is translated as a "nib" of diamond on an iron pen. What might God be trying to teach us by these two odd appearances of this unique Hebrew word? Join us in this episode of The Hebrew Key to gain a beautiful insight into God's Word.
Throughout the Bible, the olive tree, the fig tree, and the grapevine are used as symbols of God's people. But why have these three (and a few others) when one should do?! Join us for a fascinating discussion of the unique properties of these three species of plant and the lessons that each has to teach us about our own lives and walk with God.
In Psalm 52 we discussed the wicked and villainous Doeg. But in this plans we ask the question, what makes a wicked person "tick"? What makes a villain a villain? But David, too, had committed the horrible sins of adultery and murder, and yet he is considered a righteous king - a prefiguring of King Messiah Himself. So, what is the difference between Doeg and David? Psalm 53 is almost identical to Psalm 14, but with some profound difference which provide some valuable insights into this question.
Psalms 51 and 52 form a pair. Both psalms resulted from a rather involved background story involving terrible sins, but the two sinners could not have been more different! David was the sinner in Psalm 51, and Doeg was the sinner in Psalm 52. How are they alike? And how are they profoundly different? What was it about Doeg that makes him one of the most despised and reviled characters in the entire Bible?
The podcast currently has 245 episodes available.
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