As we have noted before, the psalms provide us with direction and encouragement in every conceivable human situation. Just as in the next psalm (21), we have thanksgiving in the aftermath of victory in battle, so in this psalm we have a cry of faith prior to the battle. And of course, battle and danger …
Bitterness and Baptism
You are not here at the Table by yourself. Seated here with you are all the saints of God, throughout the world, and throughout history. We are called upon to discern the body, and not just the body here in this room. But this does not exclude those who are here in this room. And …
A Covenant Lord
Father of all covenant kindness, we thank You for what You have bestowed upon us. You have given us a covenant Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ, and we rest today, on this day of rest, in His obedience. We praise You that You have made it so that we can come before You in simple …
More on Robbins
In a recent Trinity Review, John Robbins tackles the work of Richard Gaffin, and spends quite a bit of energy fulminating about the departures of said theologian from the traditional Reformed ordo salutis. In the course of his discussion, Robbins says, “Believers do not die with Christ ‘existentially’ or ‘experimentally,’ but legally. They do not …
We Preach Not Ourselves/Psalm 26
INTRODUCTION Without the confession of sin found in the previous psalm, this psalm taken by itself could be seen as arrogant or self-righteous. We always need the whole counsel of God. But in our day, we are far more likely to ignore the sentiments found here than we are to neglect the sentiments that urge …
The Sins of My Youth/Psalm 25
INTRODUCTION The twenty-fifth psalm is a sustained plea for help, although it contains some things that we might have trouble reconciling. This again is one of the reasons why we need to be trained to pray as the psalmist prays. This is the second penitential psalm, and it is the first that is composed as …
Ingratitude and Health
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 18 When it comes to health issues, we are not mindful enough of optical illusions. One of the basic illusions proceeds from the progress that God has given to us, and the reason we fall for the illusion is our …
Three Books/Psalm 19
During the French Revolution, one revolutionary said to a peasant: “I will have all your steeples pulled down, that you may no longer have any object by which you may be reminded of your old superstitions.” “But,” replied the peasant, “you cannot help leaving us the stars.” It is not possible, by any device, to …
Sabbath Rest
The Puritan John Owen once remarked that through various controversies the Sabbath itself had been given very little rest. We should pray that this will not be the case in our treatment of it. In this installment, we will outline some of the basic principles concerning the Lord’s Day, and in the next we will …
The Pure in Heart
We must continue to remember the progression of the Beatitudes. We do not come now to a person who is pure in his own authority and power, rather, we come to someone who realized the impurity of his heart, cried out for forgiveness, and through Christ was heard. But even when we have come to …