JANUARY 6, 2024 Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Several decades ago, I made my first visit to the Holy Land. One of the many interesting sights we visited was a secluded […]
JANUARY 5, 2023 Psalm 23:2-3 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Sometimes life is not all about lush, green pastures and clear running streams; sometimes the ground is parched and the […]
JANUARY 4, 2023 Psalm 23:2-3 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. In these verses, David continued to speak of the LORD as his (and our) shepherd and how, being the Good […]
JANUARY 3, 2023 Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. David makes a simple and profound statement; as long as God is our Shepherd, we will never lack in anything that is necessary to live and fulfill His purpose. On one level, no doubt, David was addressing material necessities — our daily bread as it […]
JANUARY 2, 2024 Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In just these few words, so much is revealed to us about God Himself and what He looks for in His people. In temporal ways, what is more lowly and, some might argue, more degrading than a simple shepherd who walks behind a bunch of […]
JANUARY 1, 2024 Psalm 22:30-31 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, they will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this. As David concludes this psalm, he makes it clear that everything he has expressed — the praise and […]
DECEMBER 31, 2023 Psalm 22:27-28 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations. In most rabbinical writings, commentators go to great lengths to discuss the distinctions between certain Hebrew words that, in our […]
DECEMBER 30, 2023 Psalm 22:22-23 I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! Whether this psalm is to be viewed from David’s perspective, Israel as a […]
DECEMBER 29, 2023 Psalm 22:16-18 For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. In previous devotions we have […]
DECEMBER 28, 2023 Psalm 22:14-15 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. The Bible […]
DECEMBER 27, 2023 Psalm 22:11-13 Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. The area known as Bashan, located in the northern part of Israel, was lush and abundant in pastureland. Consequently, the cattle […]
DECEMBER 26, 2023 Psalm 22:9-10 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. Many rabbinical commentators interpret these verses to speak primarily of Israel as a whole and how, from its very beginning, […]
