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 […]
NOVEMBER 29, 2024 Psalm 70:1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord! There is a belief among some commentators that this psalm is connected to another psalm of David, Psalm 40. The latter is believed to have been written when David was young and fleeing from Saul. This psalm is […]
NOVEMBER 28, 2024 Psalm 69:33 For the Lord hears the poor, and does not despise His prisoners. Though the world may see the poor as helpless, in God’s eyes this is not so. In fact, they have access to something far valuable that any rich man’s gold. Though they lack in material wealth, their so-called affliction endears them […]
NOVEMBER 27, 2024 Psalm 69:32 The humble shall see this and be glad; and you who seek God, your hearts shall live. I believe it is fair to say that, for the most part and for the longest time, God has been hidden from mankind. That is not to say He can’t be detected and found, for as […]
NOVEMBER 26, 2024 Psalm 69:30-31 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull, which has horns and hooves. In an earlier psalm, David had written these words: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears You have opened. Burnt […]
NOVEMBER 25, 2024 Psalm 69:29-30 But I am poor and sorrowful; let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Messiah made it abundantly clear that if we are to faithfully follow Him, then we can expect that there will […]