Psalm 39 – I will watch, the psalm begins. But what is the writer watching? And why? Psalm 39 – I Will watch my Ways Psalm 39 is another lament psalm, attributed to David. The first line of Psalm 39 – “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a […]
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The Hebrew community was a blessed nation, a people chosen by God and blessed by God. We are blessed as well. As blessed, we are called to bless our God in return, as indicated by the first line of Psalm 34 – I will bless the Lord at all times. Historical Context of Psalm 34 […]
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“I love a parade,” or so the song goes. Outdoor, live action involving music and people in costumes—what’s not to like? As a child, all it took was to come upon the high school marching band practicing in the street, and I would follow along. To happen upon a parade while visiting a small town […]
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We are less than a year away from the next presidential election, but have been inundated with political posturing and debates for the past year. These candidates might well take note of the tips for leadership found in Psalm 101, attributed to King David. David successfully led his army in battle and united the tribes […]
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“Those who don’t learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” (George Santayana) And sometimes, even when we know our history, we repeat it! Psalm 78 is a loose accounting of the history of the Hebrew nation up to the time of David. It is a story we continue to repeat; a history of our […]
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Psalm 51, the most well-known of the Penitential Psalms, is a psalm commonly associated with Lent. The writer prays for the removal of personal and social sin. So what does Psalm 51 have to say to us in the midst of this holiday season? Psalm 51 Psalm 51 is attributed to King David after being […]
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Have you ever wanted to fly away, get away from all of your problems or hide where no-one can find you? I know I have. As a single mother when I was raising three small children I would dream of running away to some place where I could sleep non-stop. Hiding can seem like an […]
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The image of God as a shield is found throughout the Old Testament. Clearly it was an important image to the early Hebrew community. But what does it mean to say God is our Shield? God as Shield in the Psalms The image of God as a shield appears eleven times in the Psalms. 3:3 […]
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In response to God’s call for “no bull” in Psalm 50, we hear Psalm 51, the most well-known of the Penitential Psalms where the writer comes before God with a contrite heart and prays for the removal of personal and social sin, a psalm commonly associated with Lent. Attributed to King David after being confronted […]
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