DECEMBER 14, 2024 Psalm 72:4 He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces the oppressor. Scripture, and I believe history, teaches that those in powerful positions should never govern people exclusively by a rigid code of law. In other words, a […]
DECEMBER 13, 2024 Psalm 72:1-2 Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice. As we previously mentioned, Jewish tradition teaches that David wrote this prayer on behalf of his son, Solomon, as the elder’s reign came to […]
DECEMBER 12 2024 Psalm 72:1-2 Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice. While there are some who believe this psalm was written by Solomon, Jewish tradition says that David composed this prayer very near the end […]
DECEMBER 11, 2024 Psalm 71:19-20 Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again. Things that are elevated, whether high mountains or the celestial bodies, by nature of their lofty state, provoke us to look up to […]
DECEMBER 10, 2024 Psalm 71:18 Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. In the previous devotion, we highlighted the desire exhibited by David to proclaim to others the truths he had learned as a boy and young man. As […]
DECEMBER 9, 2024 Psalm 71:18 Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. According to one esteemed Jewish writer, lessons mastered in childhood are like ink written on fresh paper. In other words, key events in our youth leave indelible […]
December 6, 2024 Psalm 71:14-15 I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day. A notable Jewish sage once made this observation: the most eloquent praise which man can offer God is to continually hope, in spite of all, with […]
DECEMBER 5, 2024 Psalm 71:10-12 My enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.” O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! If we regard David as a […]
DECEMBER 3, 2024 Psalm 71:1-3 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock […]
DECEMBER 2, 2024 Psalm 70:4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!” Here is a fundamental truth: whatever we choose to focus upon, we will fear and/or revere. For instance, as long as Peter kept his eyes […]
DECEMBER 1, 2024 Psalm 70:2 Let them be ashamed and confounded who seek my life; let them be turned back and confused who desire my hurt. You may recall that we pointed out recently that this psalm is believed to have been written by David when he was fleeing from Absalom. That is interesting considering that […]
NOVEMBER 30, 2024 Psalm 70:1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord! In recent devotions, I have mentioned that rabbinical commentators consider the previous psalm to be prophetic in nature. Specifically, David’s prayer is interpreted as being both a petition for and an acknowledgement of the day when God would […]
