These are familiar words. As familiar words, they have much in common with other well-traveled passages. One common feature is the fact that the promise is not well-understood. The word to us is very clear — “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.“ A blessing is pronounced upon a certain kind of …
The Shepherd Lord/Psalm 23
INTRODUCTION This passage is one of the most famous scriptural passages, and rightly so. The only real problem with it is that people are so familiar with it that it is easy to assume too readily that you have grasped the full import of what is being said. But this psalm has wonderful depths. THE …
Christus Victor/Psalm 22
INTRODUCTION This psalm contains one of the great Old Testament portrayals of the Gospel. Along with Isaiah 53, we learn here that the death of Christ for the sins of the world was no afterthought. The Lamb of God was indeed slain from before the foundations of the world. THE TEXTS My God, my God, …
The Law of Liberty
Understanding the nature and purpose of God’s law is central to our Christian lives. If we misunderstand or disobey what God requires of us, we have sinned grievously. If we understand it and obey, we receive tremendous blessing. To misunderstand law is to misunderstand grace. We see this in the preface to the Ten Commandments. …
Friends of God/Psalm 15
Who may be considered a friend of God? The question is one of the most important that can be posed in this life. The answer requires development, but an accurate summary requires us to remember that a man is a friend of God only when he is a friend of God’s character and attributes. The …
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
As we consider the context of this next blessing, we must understand that Jesus is not pronouncing an indiscriminate blessing on all forms of sorrow and mourning. Just as the previous blessing was reserved for those who are poor in spirit, so this blessing is for those who spiritually mourn. Christ teaches us: “Blessed are …
Spiritual Bankrupts
The Beatitudes taken together begin the Sermon on the Mount, and this Beatitude is the introduction to the rest of the Beatitudes. Poverty of spirit is the introduction to the introduction. As we shall see, this is the place where understanding of Christ’s message must begin. Christ teaches us that “Blessed are the poor in …
Secret Atheism/Psalm 14
Just as covenant keeping begins in the heart, so does covenant breaking. Christians are far too often exercised over displays of overt atheism, when we ought to be more concerned over the existence of practical atheism in the hearts of covenant members. The fool says in his heart that there is no God. With his …
Christ the Doctor
Those who are citizens of Christ’s kingdom have certain, well-defined responsibilities — Christ teaches us how we are required to live before Him. These requirements are not idealistic — “something to shoot for,” and they are not “for somebody else” — the Jews of the Old Covenant, say. The teaching is a pattern of living …
An Argument God Loves/Psalm 13
In the language of the old proverb, troubles arrive on horseback but depart on foot. This is a psalm offered up in the midst of troubles at the point of despair, and it gives us a pattern or example to follow in similar circumstances. “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how …