Psalm 38 Continued… If God disciplines his children – and David in our Psalm clearly thinks he does – what is the purpose of God’s discipline? It obviously varies from occasion to occasion, and from person to person, and probably no one but the individual involved is able to state God’s purpose with a great […]

Psalm 38 Continued… Psalm 38:1-4 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. My […]

Psalm 38 Continued… Psalm 38:1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. As we have already discussed, David deals with the Lord’s discipline in this Psalm. He connects his sickness to his sin (which he confesses). But an interesting note is the attitude that David has about […]

Psalm 38 Continued… Psalm 38 keys in to a common theme in the ancient Near East, which explains sin as the cause of suffering. Even though this was not the exclusive explanation for sickness, it was a shared one in that world, Israel included. Job’s friends represent the view that sin and sickness are linked […]

Psalm 38 Psalm 38 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. My guilt […]

Psalm 37 Continued… One of my favorite movies is the 1995 movie, Braveheart. The film is the story of the historical character William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson), a commoner who begins a revolt against the cruel English tyrant who rules Scotland. Wallace was motivated by his passion for a free Scotland, as well as […]

Psalm 37 Continued… As stated before, this Psalm wrestles with an important question related to the seeming success of the wicked. It prompts us, at times, to ask: Is God just? But Psalm 37 doesn’t really focus on that question. It, instead deals with how do we live with these questions as the are in […]

Psalm 37 Continued… Psalm 37:11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. In the sermon on the mount Jesus takes verse 11 from Psalm 37 and turns it into the third beatitude. Jesus said… Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Jesus’ point here is that […]

Psalm 37 Continued… Psalm 37 is a wisdom Psalm that David composed pondering the question, that many of us also ponder: why do the wicked prosper? He takes up this same question in Psalm 73. It is an appropriate question. But the ultimate conclusion David draws is that God’s justice will prevail in the end. […]

Psalm 37 Psalm 37 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord […]