July 30 / Psalm 51

Psalm 51

As the superscription for today’s psalm indicates, the backdrop for Psalm 51 is David’s adultery with Bathsheba, the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite, and the subsequent confrontation of David by Nathan the prophet. You can find that story in II Samuel 11-12. You might also want to see our commentary on it from 2023.

I expect this psalm is somewhat familiar to many or most of us, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t read it afresh. And read it afresh we must in order that we, too, might come before our Most Holy God in repentance, confessing our sin with a broken and contrite heart. No amount of sacrifice can substitute for repentance. So read Psalm 51 today in your own voice in true repentance, confessing your own sin, presenting your own contrite heart to the Lord, asking for His Holy Spirit and the cleansing that only He can provide.

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July 29 / Psalm 50

Psalm 50

Dear RTB’ers,

God addressing the Israelis – first His people (vv. 7-15), then the wicked (vv. 16-22). To His people He talks of their sacrifices. Although not rejecting those sacrifices, He seems to be suggesting that their hearts may not be right, but that their devotion to Him would be more important to Him than their physical sacrifices (God speaking): Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. (vv. 14-15)

Then to the wicked His focus is on their speech (again, God speaking): What right have you to recite My statutes or take My covenant on your lips? You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. (vv. 16b, 19-20) I posted yesterday that I did not readily consider myself one of the “fools” (or the “foolish”) to whom God was speaking – then quickly reasoned how foolish I truly am. Today, however, again I quickly denied my association with the wicked – I do not condone thievery or adultery (Ps. 50:18). But with God’s focus on the speech of the wicked, I am right there again! The tongue…!! At this point it’s worth reading James 3:1-12.

I particularly like one of God’s closing lines to the wicked: …you thought that I was one like yourself. (v. 21b) It sounds almost like God is being sarcastic, but I think there is a lot of truth in that line, that we all too often “humanize” God, make Him like us, in His behaviors and in His decisions. In Freedom Road we often have to remind ourselves that “God is God and I am not”. Thankfully, He is not like me!

Finally, I have often lightheartedly cited verse 10, suggesting no shortage of wealth in my family, but that, in fact, “My Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills.” Truly, I am quite wealthy!!

Blessings!

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July 28 / Psalm 49

Psalms 49

Dear RTB’ers,

Today’s Psalm 49 reads more like a Proverb than a Psalm: Let’s not fret over the wealthy, the powerful and what they can do to us; death awaits them, just like anyone else. Even the wise and the foolish die and leave their wealth to others. Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away… (vv. 16-17a)

I have a sad tendency that whenever I see the words “fool” and “foolish”, my immediate reaction is a mental image of “them”, whoever they may be. That is, I do not number myself alongside “them”. Then, almost as quickly, I catch myself and realize that I am certainly among the foolish – maybe not as foolish today as I have been in the past, but clearly foolish – all too often trusting in my own efforts and not seeking God enough. In the end, when it’s all said and done, I number myself with the apostle Paul and his own confession: So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25) Or, “Foolish man that I am…”! Sad.

Blessings!

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July 27 / Psalms 46-48

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 by many psalms to speak of the God whom they can never fully know? For whatever reason, I find the Psalms to be difficult. It’s why John and I focused on the Psalms and the Wisdom literature back in 2022, to help us (me!) get a better grip on this more difficult literature. However, returning a few years later, I am not much wiser and the Psalms remain difficult for me.

So, what of today’s reading? Both STS and my Study Bible suggest that these three psalms form a trilogy, with the praise of Psalm 47 in the middle connecting the other two psalms. Psalm 46 and Psalm 48 both speak of the city of (our) God … the city of the great King … the city of the Lord of Hosts … (Ps. 46:1,4; 48:1,2,8), presumably Jerusalem. Or possibly a later heavenly Jerusalem? A bulwark against all enemies! God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved. … Within her citadels. God has made Himself known as a fortress. (vv. 46:5a, 48:3) But Jerusalem was destroyed – in Jeremiah’s time (the Exile) by the Babylonians and again in A.D. 70 by the Romans. So, these two psalms must be speaking of the future heavenly Jerusalem? Yes, I am not a Psalms scholar!

There is one verse, however, that I can read and understand more clearly: Be still, and know that I am God .. I will be exalted in the earth. (v. 46:10) Yes, that I understand. Be still…

Blessings!

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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 because my primary Bible translation, my first reading daily is the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which capitalizes deific pronouns (You, Him, His, etc.). For me this Psalm was Messianic from the beginning. The English Standard Version (ESV), the translation that we use at St. Andrew’s does not capitalize deific pronouns. So if you read Psalm 45 in the ESV, until you get to verses 6 and 7 you can read it as a royal wedding, complete with the bride beginning in verse 10. [NOTE: Verses 6 and 7 are quoted in Hebrews 1:8-9 as referring to Jesus.]

However, if you read Psalm 45 in the NASB, you will see the King in the first verse as referring to Jesus, then you can see Jesus is all the first nine verses. Then beginning in verse 10 you can read the bride as the church, Jesus’ bride. If you read Psalm 45 in the NASB, the Psalm becomes very Messianic throughout! [NOTE: Verse 16 in the NASB is confusing – the pronouns are not capitalized, so who is the psalmist addressing in this verse?]

Yes, Psalm 45 is, to me, confusing, but only because I read two very different translations!  

Blessings!

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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 bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But You have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.

Then the psalmist continues his focus on God in the next eight verses, but now he blames God for their current difficulties. In six continuous verses we have the words “You have…” repeated, seemingly blaming God for what is happening – or at a minimum, faulting Him for His failure to deliver them. Then in next six verses, in the midst of their misfortune the writer proclaims his/their innocence. Finally, in the final four verses the psalmist cries out to God for help.

So, God has delivered us in the past, but He is failing us now – even though we are innocent. Please help.

Am I missing something?

Blessings!

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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 the way. There is repetition between the two psalms. We see verses 5 and 11 in Psalm 42 repeated in verse 5 in Psalm 43. We also see the phrase, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” twice in Psalm 42, in verses 3 and 10.

It seems to me like the author has been captured by an enemy and is far from home, far from the Promised Land. In Psalm 42 he speaks of “the oppression of the enemy” (v. 9) and “my adversaries” (v. 10). Then Psalm 43 mentions “an ungodly people” (v. 1) and, again, “the oppression of the enemy” (v. 2). These phrases seem like more than just the taunts from a group of people in his hometown. He also misses the temple worship, where he was one of the leaders: These things I remember … how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. (v. 42:4) Finally he mentions one location, Hermon (presumably, Mt. Hermon), which is in a mountain range far north from Israel, even further north than Caesarea Philippi.

Beyond geography we have the psalmist’s words, clearly a lament over his current situation. Like Job, he feels almost abandoned by God: I say to God, my rock: “Why have You forgotten me?” (v. 42:9) Yet he has hope for deliverance, as cited in those three identical verses mentioned above: Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.

Finally a personal note – one verse stuck out for me: Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy… (v. 43:4a). When I was in Boy Scouts years ago, one of the merit badges that a Catholic boy could earn was the Ad Altare Dei badge, referring back to this exact verse, I will go to the altar of God. Sweet!

Blessings!

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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 our behavior. Most of his 2023 posts simply offer a “See also” back to his 2022 posts, so if you want to be serious about a Job “Review”, begin with his August 26 (2023) post, following all the links back to 2022, then continue with the “Next Post” link and so on through the book. Even if you don’t actually read the daily chapter readings, you will get a lot out of the book of Job just reading his posts and the associated comments.

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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 to say further? I think I’ll cover that tomorrow.

For today we have God commending Job (spoken of Me what is right) and railing out against Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar (a “not” added to the verse just cited), with no mention of Elihu. Much of what the three friends had said about Job was downright wrong. Presumably that’s what displeased God about them; then again, it may have simply been their attitude toward Job. God looks at the heart, right? But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7) And their hearts, apparently, were not “pure”!

God is silent regarding Elihu. Does that signify approval? I tend to think so. Then I ask myself, if I sense that God has been silent in my life, does that signify His approval? Or, has He really been silent? Maybe I’m not a good listener? I know that I’m hard-of-hearing, but all of us need to learn to recognize those “still small voices” through which He speaks. (I Kings 19:12, KJV) Listen carefully; maybe He is asking you to comment today…??

Blessings!

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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 asks Job, Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak to you soft words? (vv. 41:1-3) Obviously, Job is at a loss for words and acknowledges his human frailty: I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (vv. 42:5-6)

I was intrigued by God’s challenge to Job to save himself: Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked where they stand. … Then will I also acknowledge to you that your own right hand can save you. (vv. 40:12, 14) By implication, God has done these things Himself – and Job cannot! That’s also a reminder for us: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Yes, Jesus has done it all; we simply trust in His work. However, I also like to add Eph. 2:10 to these two verses: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. We do have work to do!

One item for clarity – quotation marks are important in today’s final paragraph. In your ESV you will see a distinction between single quotation marks (‘) and double quotation marks (“). The single quotation marks in verses 3a and 4 are Job quoting God. The rest of 42:2-6 is Job speaking for himself. Just that…

Blessings!

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