Welcome to Day 2594 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2589 – Wisdom Nuggets – Old Testament Orientation – Staying Loyal to God: Poetry, Theodicy, Salvation, and Afterlife – Psalm 119:9-16 Putnam Church Message – 03/23/2025 Sermon Series: Old Testament Orientation Message 11: Staying Loyal to God: Poetry, Theodicy, Salvation, Afterlife   Last week, we continued our Old Testament Orientation series and explored the Books of Wisdom: Knowing God and Being Loyal to Him. These books are my favorite genre in the Old Testament. We explored from an ancient Israelite worldview. This week, we will investigate the concept of Staying Loyal to God as we consider Poetry, Theodicy (understanding the ways of God), Salvation, and Afterlife. These concepts allow us to view the Old Testament from an Ancient Israelite worldview. Opening Prayer Heavenly Father, Creator of all things, we humbly gather in Your presence today to open our hearts and minds to the richness of Your Word. God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, You have spoken to us through stories, poems, wisdom, and prophecy, all revealing Your character and guiding us into deeper loyalty toward You. Help us today, O Lord, to understand the poetry that reflects our deepest feelings, to wrestle honestly with God’s ways with questions of suffering and justice, to grasp the nature of Salvation as You have revealed it through Your faithful servants, and to trust in Your promises regarding life beyond death. Enlighten us by Your Spirit. We humbly come before You to dive deeply into Your timeless truths. Speak to us clearly, gracious God, and mold our lives according to Your Word. In Your Holy Name, we pray, Amen. Introduction Today, we gather to explore poetry, theodicy (the ways of God), what is Salvation, and the afterlife from the eyes and hearts of our ancient Israelite brothers and sisters. More than 50% of the Old Testament is written in Hebrew poetry, and yet it does not reveal itself in that manner using our English translations. Imagine yourselves living in a time when poetry was the primary language of your heart’s deepest cries,/ when wrestling with God’s justice was your constant reality,/ when Salvation hinged on loyalty rather than ritual,/ and when the afterlife was a shadowy unknown./ Let us journey through these truths, with Psalm 119:9-16 as our anchor. Psalm 119:9-16 (NLT) “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. I have tried hard to find you—don’t let me wander from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. I praise you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us. I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.” Main Points with Object Lessons, Stories, and Illustrations

1. Poetry: Speaking Honestly to God Ancient Israelites used poetry as a heartfelt dialogue with Yahweh, full of honesty and passion. Like David in Psalm 69, their words weren’t always polite but always genuine.

...

Welcome to Day 2593 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2593 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 54:1-7 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2593 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2593 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In today’s Wisdom Nugget, we’re looking at Psalm 54, a heartfelt prayer of David recorded during a time of deep distress and danger. Specifically, Psalm 54 was written when the Ziphites betrayed David to King Saul. Imagine the pain of betrayal, the anxiety of being hunted, and the loneliness of feeling surrounded by enemies—yet still turning confidently toward God. That’s precisely the scene unfolding in today’s Scripture. Let’s read Psalm 54:1-7 from the New Living Translation: 1 Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might. 2 Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea. 3 For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God. 4 But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive! 5 May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them. Do as you promised and put an end to them. 6 I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7 For you have rescued me from my troubles and helped me to triumph over my enemies.

• A Desperate Cry for Help (Verses 1-2)

David begins Psalm 54 with an urgent appeal to God: “Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might. Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea.” Notice David’s desperate honesty. He does not pretend everything is fine. He doesn’t mask his fear or try to handle the crisis alone. Instead, he openly acknowledges his vulnerability and urgently cries out to God. From an Ancient Israelite perspective, this plea makes perfect sense. God was not distant or indifferent. He was a warrior and defender—someone who actively fought for and protected His people. David calls specifically on God’s “great power” and “might,” knowing God’s strength is infinitely greater than that of any enemy. Illustration: Imagine a child who’s trapped, frightened, or in danger, immediately crying out, “Dad, help me!” The child doesn’t stop to explain carefully or calmly—they just cry out instinctively. This is precisely what David is doing here. He’s God’s child, crying out instinctively because he trusts that God hears and will respond swiftly. Application: How do we react in crisis? Do we try to handle everything ourselves, or do we immediately turn to God, openly and honestly seeking His intervention? Psalm 54 reminds us there’s no shame in vulnerability. God invites us to come to Him urgently, openly, honestly, knowing He hears and responds to our cries.

• The Pain of Betrayal (Verse 3)

David clarifies the source of his anguish in verse 3: “For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God.” These “strangers” refer specifically to the Ziphites, inhabitants of the wilderness town of Ziph. Though fellow Israelites, they...

Welcome to Day 2592 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2592 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 53:1-6 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2592 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2592 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In today’s Wisdom Nugget, we’re exploring Psalm 53, specifically verses 1 through 6. This Psalm is intriguing because it closely resembles Psalm 14, almost word for word, emphasizing the importance and seriousness of its message. Psalm 53 confronts the human heart’s tendency to reject God, describing the universal impact of such rejection and emphasizing our deep need for God’s salvation. First, let’s read Psalm 53:1-6 from the New Living Translation: 1 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! 2 God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. 3 But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one! 4 Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to God. 5 Terror will grip them, terror like they have never known before. God will scatter the bones of your enemies. You will put them to shame, for God has rejected them. 6 Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel? When God restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.

• The Heart of Foolishness (Verse 1)

David begins Psalm 53 with a strong statement: “Only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!” In the ancient Israelite worldview, calling someone a “fool” wasn’t merely an insult—it described a serious moral failing. The Hebrew word for fool here is “nabal,” meaning someone spiritually insensitive, morally bankrupt, or willfully blind to truth. Such a person isn’t simply ignorant—they deliberately reject God and choose a life defined by self-centeredness and evil. When the fool declares, “There is no God,” he isn’t always openly denying God’s existence intellectually. Rather, he’s living as though God does not exist, behaving as if there are no consequences or accountability. His decisions and actions show practical atheism—a life lived ignoring God’s presence, authority, and moral order. Illustration: Think of someone driving recklessly on a highway, ignoring speed limits, stop signs, and safety warnings, convinced that rules simply don’t apply to them. Eventually, consequences catch up. Similarly, the person who denies God’s authority eventually faces consequences because moral laws, like traffic laws, are not optional—they’re woven into the fabric of creation itself. Application: This verse challenges us: Are we living practically as though God doesn’t exist—making decisions without prayer, without seeking His guidance, and without honoring Him in our daily actions? It’s not only the vocal atheist who can fall into this trap. Even those who claim faith can slip into foolishness by living as though God were distant...

Welcome to Day 2591 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – How Many Times Is Jesus Coming Back? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2591 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2591 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.   Today is the 48th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God’s redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it’s also a book that seems strange to us. While God’s Word was written for us, it wasn’t written to us. Today’s lesson is: “How Many Times is Jesus Coming Back?” [Few things in the Bible attract more attention than prophecies about the end times. Even people with only a passing acquaintance with the Bible know that it foretells a second coming of Jesus. Those who study the Bible know the book of Revelation reveals that the second coming brings an end to the reign of the antichrist (the "beast"; Rev 19:11-21). The risen Christ, the incarnation of God, returns to earth not as a suffering Savior, but as the glorious warrior- king. But does the Bible describe an earlier return of Jesus—one that precedes this triumphant arrival? The “Rapture” Some Christians believe that 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 describes how all believers will be taken from earth, dead or alive, at an appearing of Jesus before the second coming described in Revelation 19. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord (1 Thess 4:16-17). This earlier return of Jesus is called the "rapture" by believers who embrace this idea. The term is derived from the Latin word rapiemur (from rapio, meaning "to carry off") used by the translator of the Latin Vulgate for the Greek word harpazõ (drtráw), translated "caught up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Other Christians, however, reject the idea that 1 Thessalonians 4 speaks of a different event than the return of Jesus to earth described in Revelation 19. For them, there will only be one return of Jesus in the future. So, who’s right? Harmonizing The answer to the question is "it depends." If we were to read all the passages in the New Testament that speak of Jesus’ future return, along with Old Testament passages that speak of a final, climactic visitation by God on earth that will put an end to evil ("the Day of the LORD"), we would notice immediately that they do not agree in the details or descriptions. For example, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 seemingly has Jesus returning in the air, gathering believers into the clouds, whereas the prophet Zechariah foretold the physical arrival of the pierced Lord on the Mount of Olives...

Welcome to Day 2590 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2590 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 52:1-5 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2590 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2590 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In today’s Wisdom Nugget, we’ll finish our study of Psalm 52, focusing specifically on verses 6 through 9. In the first part of this Psalm, we saw King David boldly confronting the arrogance and destructive speech of Doeg the Edomite—a man who used his tongue as a weapon, betraying David and slaughtering innocent people. David declared confidently that God would bring justice to the wicked. Now, in verses 6-9, David turns his attention to how the righteous will respond to God’s judgment. This portion contrasts the secure fate of those who trust God with the tragic end of those who rely on their own power and wealth. Let’s read Psalm 52:6-9 from the New Living Translation: 6 The righteous will see it and be amazed. They will laugh and say, 7 “Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.” 8 But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love. 9 I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people.

• The Amazement of the Righteous (Verses 6-7)

Let’s begin by looking closely at verses 6 and 7 again: “The righteous will see it and be amazed. They will laugh and say, ‘Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.’” These verses describe the ultimate reaction of the righteous when they see God’s judgment finally unfold upon the wicked. David paints a picture here of surprise, astonishment, and even a kind of ironic laughter—not because they rejoice over someone’s suffering, but because justice has triumphed after appearing delayed or even absent. In the Ancient Israelite worldview, such amazement came from witnessing God’s sudden reversal of what seemed inevitable. The wicked, like Doeg, often appear to have the upper hand for a time. They boast about their power and wealth, seeming untouchable. They become more arrogant, trusting in their own resources rather than in God. However, the righteous know a profound truth that escapes the wicked: security built apart from God is always temporary. This idea resonates throughout Scripture. In Proverbs 16:18, we read, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” The righteous understand that no matter how powerful someone appears, without God their foundation is fragile and ultimately doomed to collapse. Illustration: Consider the story of the Titanic—hailed as “unsinkable” because of its impressive engineering and luxurious design. Yet, as history tells us, on its maiden voyage, it tragically sank. Passengers and crew placed their complete confidence in human innovation, wealth, and strength, only to discover painfully how quickly it all could fail. In a...

Welcome to Day 2589 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2589 – Wisdom Nuggets – Old Testament Orientation – Books of Wisdom: Knowing God and Being Loyal to Him – Ecclesiastes 34:13-14 Putnam Church Message – 03/16/2025 Sermon Series: Old Testament Orientation Message 10: Books of Wisdom: Knowing God and Being Loyal to Him   Last week, we continued our Old Testament Orientation series and reviewed Prophecy, Idolatry, the Day of the Lord, Loyalty, and Messiah. We explored from an ancient Israelite worldview. This week, we will explore the Books of Wisdom: Knowing God and Being Loyal to Him. These books are my favorite genre in the Old Testament. So let us think like an Ancient Israelite and their worldview of the Wisdom books. Opening Prayer Heavenly Father, Creator of heaven and earth, we humbly come before You today to seek Your wisdom and guidance. Just as You once walked with Adam and Eve in Eden, may You walk with us today through the gardens of Your Word. Grant us open hearts and receptive spirits to hear Your voice through the wisdom of the Scriptures. May the ancient words of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon awaken within us a renewed passion for knowing You intimately. Let our hearts not merely gather knowledge, but let our lives demonstrate steadfast faithfulness and loyalty to You. May our understanding deepen, and our love for You grow stronger with each word we hear. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen. Introduction Let’s climb back into the imagination station. Today, we are an ancient Israelite living in the flourishing kingdom of Israel under King Solomon. The land is peaceful, your fields are productive, and the nation is prospering like never before. Yet, despite material wealth, you sense a more profound emptiness within your community. The priests offer sacrifices daily, and the temple is bustling>with activity, yet people’s hearts seem distant from Yahweh. Then, one day, you hear a wise teacher speaking openly at the city gate, challenging people to think differently, to move beyond mere ritual to a deeper understanding and loyalty to God. He shares wisdom not just about how to be successful in life, but about what truly matters>knowing God and living faithfully for Him./ Even today, people seek wisdom and true knowledge that wealth alone cannot provide. The sages and teachers call out to people in the streets and city gates: “Seek wisdom! Seek God above all else!” Today, we journey through the wisdom literature of the Old Testament—Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon—to explore the ancient path of knowing God intimately and remaining loyal to Him. Let’s briefly examine the concepts found in each of these books. (Bulletin Insert)     Main Points

1. The Wisdom of Job: Trusting God in Times of Suffering

Expanded Narrative: In ancient Israel, the story of Job was both inspiring and troubling. The book of Job shows a very clear picture of God and His interaction with His Divine Council. Let me read Job 1: 6-9 6 One day the members of the heavenly...

Welcome to Day 2588 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2588 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 52:1-5 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2588 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2588 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In today’s Wisdom Nugget, we’re stepping into Psalm 52, specifically focusing on verses 1 through 5. This Psalm provides a vivid contrast between those who boast in wickedness and the righteous judgment of God. In these verses, King David boldly confronts a man whose pride, deceit, and misuse of power have brought harm upon others. Let’s first read Psalm 52:1-5 from the New Living Translation: 1 Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior? Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever? 2 All day long you plot destruction. Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor; you’re an expert at telling lies. 3 You love evil more than good and lies more than truth. 4 You love to destroy others with your words, you liar! 5 But God will strike you down once and for all. He will pull you from your home and uproot you from the land of the living. As we begin, it’s helpful to understand the context behind this Psalm. Psalm 52 was written during a particularly dark moment in David’s life. According to 1 Samuel chapters 21 and 22, David was fleeing from King Saul, who was jealous and desperate to kill him. During his escape, David sought refuge from Ahimelech, the priest at Nob. Ahimelech provided food and the sword of Goliath to David, unaware that David was fleeing from Saul. Unfortunately, this act of kindness was witnessed by a man named Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman. Doeg maliciously informed Saul about Ahimelech’s aid to David, deliberately misrepresenting the priest’s intentions. Saul, in his paranoia and rage, ordered Doeg to kill Ahimelech and the priests—an action so brutal that Doeg slaughtered eighty-five innocent priests and destroyed their families and their entire town. This event left a deep scar on David’s heart, leading him to pen the words of Psalm 52 as an expression of grief, anger, and ultimate trust in God’s justice.

• A Heart of Arrogance (Verse 1)

Let’s look again at verse 1: “Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior? Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?” Here David directly confronts the arrogance of Doeg. Notice how David ironically calls him a “great warrior.” It’s a stinging sarcasm. Doeg’s “bravery” wasn’t noble or heroic—it was wicked, cowardly, and unjust. He had used his position of trust and authority not to protect the innocent, but to destroy them. Doeg’s boasting reflects a deeply distorted worldview—one in which power and manipulation appear to triumph. But David’s question is piercing: “Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?” From an Ancient Israelite perspective, this is a profound truth. They deeply believed that while wickedness might temporarily succeed, God’s righteousness and justice ultimately prevail. Evil men might think they’ve gotten away with their crimes, but God sees...

Welcome to Day 2587 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2587 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 51:16-19 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2587 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2587 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In today’s Wisdom Nugget, we conclude our study of Psalm 51, focusing on verses 16-19. This psalm is one of the most well-known prayers of repentance in Scripture. It was written by King David after his grievous sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David’s response was not one of denial or excuses, but of genuine sorrow and a heartfelt plea for God’s mercy. In the previous verses, we saw David begging for cleansing, renewal, and restoration. Now, in these final verses, he reveals a profound truth about what God truly desires—not just outward religious actions, but a heart that is broken and humble before Him. From an Ancient Israelite perspective, this was a revolutionary understanding of worship. The sacrificial system was central to their religious life. Yet David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, realizes that God does not just want sacrifices—He wants genuine repentance and obedience. Let’s begin by reading Psalm 51:16-19 from the New Living Translation: Psalm 51:16-19 (NLT) 16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 18 Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then You will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit— with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on Your altar. God Desires True Repentance, Not Empty Rituals (Verses 16-17) David begins with a profound realization: “You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.” (Verse 16) This is a striking statement. The entire religious system of Israel revolved around sacrifices—burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings were all required under the Law of Moses. However, David understands something deeper: God is not primarily interested in rituals—He desires a heart that is truly repentant. Verse 17 expands on this thought: “The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” In Ancient Israel, sacrifices were meant to symbolize atonement and reconciliation. But David realizes that without a humble, repentant heart, those sacrifices are meaningless. God wants sincerity, not religious performance. This aligns with what the prophet...

Welcome to Day 2586 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – When Abraham Met Jesus – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2586 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2586 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.   Today is the 47th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God’s redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it’s also a book that seems strange to us. While God’s Word was written for us, it wasn’t written to us. Today’s lesson is: “When Abraham Met Jesus.” Some of the most startling things in the Bible are hidden in plain sight. Galatians 3:7-9 is a case in point. Amid the predictable focus on law, grace, and the gospel, Paul blindsides us: 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. 8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”[a] 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. But Abraham lived two millennia before Jesus. There’s nothing about a crucified Savior in the stories about Abraham. What is Paul thinking? To correctly process Galatians 3:7-9, we need to think about the gospel in different terms. We typically think of the gospel in terms of the crucified Savior, Jesus, dying for our sins. But the work of Christ was just the means to accomplish what God sought. God wanted a sinless, holy, human family. The sacrifice of Jesus —fully God and fully human—was the necessary mechanism to achieve that larger goal. The gospel is God’s plan to become a man so He could have that holy, human family. Could Abraham have grasped that? God’s decision to produce His family through Abraham is described in Genesis 12:1-3: The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Paul quoted part of that passage in Galatians 3:7-9. Paul believed that as a result of that divine encounter, Abraham came away with the knowledge of the gospel: God would become a man to provide the means for a...

Welcome to Day 2585 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2585 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 51:7-15 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2585 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2585 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In today’s Wisdom Nugget, we continue exploring Psalm 51, focusing on verses 7-15. Psalm 51 is one of the most profound prayers of repentance in all of Scripture. As we discussed in our last episode, this psalm was written by King David after his sin with Bathsheba and his attempt to cover it up by orchestrating the death of her husband, Uriah. When the prophet Nathan confronted him, David responded not with excuses but with genuine sorrow and a cry for cleansing and restoration. In these next verses, we see David’s deep longing for forgiveness. He not only asks for God’s mercy but also pleads for renewal—a fresh start, a restored relationship with God, and a transformed heart. From an Ancient Israelite worldview, this is significant. In their culture, purity laws and ritual cleansing were essential for restoring one’s standing before God and the community. However, David recognizes that external cleansing is not enough—he needs a heart that is purified and renewed by God’s Spirit. Let’s begin by reading Psalm 51:7-15 from the New Living Translation:

• Psalm 51:7-15 (NLT)

7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Oh, give me back my joy again; You have broken me— now let me rejoice. 9 Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from Your presence, and don’t take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You. 13 Then I will teach Your ways to rebels, and they will return to You. 14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness. 15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise You.

• The Plea for Cleansing (Verses 7-9)

David begins with a vivid request for cleansing and renewal: “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Verse 7) In Ancient Israel, purification rituals involved hyssop, a plant used for sprinkling blood or water to symbolize cleansing (see Leviticus 14:6-7). David’s request is not about physical purity but about spiritual cleansing—removing the deep stain of sin from his soul. He continues:...