Psalms 46-48 Dear RTB’ers, No doubt, thousand of scholars (possibly hundreds of thousands) have studied the Psalms through the years. I am not one of them. The Psalms are difficult for me. Maybe it’s poetry, in general? Maybe it’s an unknown context for which a particular psalm was written? Maybe it’s a metaphorical tool used …
Author Archives: Fred
July 26 / Psalm 45
Psalm 45 Dear RTB’ers, Psalm 45 is … confusing. Not “strange”, but certainly confusing. Is this Psalm about a royal marriage or is it Messianic? Go online and type “Is Psalm 45 Messianic?” and see for yourself. Many scholars, both Christian and Jewish read this Psalm as Messianic. For me that was quickly an issue …
July 25 / Psalm 44
Psalm 44 Folks, Today’s Psalm 44 is strange – to me. In the first eight verses the psalmist praises God and thanks Him for His deliverance of Israel in the days of old (v. 1) and current distresses (v. 5). It’s all about Him, summed up in verses 6 and 7: For not in my …
July 24 / Psalms 42-43
Psalms 42-43 Dear RTB’ers, Back to the Psalms for a bit. It was around Thanksgiving last year when we last read the Psalms, when we closed Book 1 with Psalm 41. Today we begin Book 2 with two psalms that apparently (according to my Study Bible) are actually one psalm, somehow split into two along …
July 23 / Job 1-42; Review
Job 1-42 Today’s STS reading list calls for a review of the book of Job. I suggest, as I have all along, that there’s no better place to start than John’s posts from 2022 (one chapter at a time) and 2023 (multiple chapters daily). His posts are deep, insightful, and challenging to our faith and …
July 22 / Job 42:7-17; Epilogue
Job 42:7-17; Epilogue Dear RTB’ers, In addition to our eleven verses today, our STS authors have given us two days to rethink the book of Job. We had a really good discussion at our RTB gathering this past Sunday, covering many of the main points that readers typically point out about the book. So, what …
July 21 / Job 40:6-42:6
Job 40:6-42:6 Dear RTB’ers, God continues his discourse from yesterday. All but seven of today’s 59 verses have God speaking – and in most of those verses God is speaking of two creatures, Behemoth (hippopotamus, elephant?) and Leviathan (crocodile?), challenging Job to control these creatures the way that God Himself does it. For example, God …
July 20 / Job 38:1-40:5
Job 38:1-40:5 Dear RTB’ers, Finally, the three friends are silent, Elihu is silent, Job is silent and God speaks. He quickly sets the tone: I will question you, and you make it known to Me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. (vv. 38:3b-4) Then …
July 19 / Job 36-37
Job 36-37 Dear RTB’ers, Elihu continues, again. Elihu sums up today’s reading with his first verse: Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God’s behalf. (v. 36:1) Then he says it, mostly today about God’s power and His justice: Behold, God is mighty and …
July 18 / Job 34-35
Job 34-35 Dear RTB’ers, Elihu continues. He argues that God is just, that He would not favor one person over another, but that He would reward or punish according to man’s actions: For according to the work of a man He will repay him, and according to his ways He will make it befall him. …