1 Chronicles 12 by Pastor David Groendyk One fun fact you may not know about 1–2 Chronicles is that they are actually the very last books of the Hebrew Old Testament. In other words, if Jesus were reading his Bible while on earth, 2 Chronicles would’ve been at the very end of the Old Testament before turning to Matthew. There’s a reason it was last. These two books cover the entirety of human history from…

1 Chronicles 11 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence One of the primary themes found in the book of Chronicles is loyalty to the true king of Israel as a sign of one’s loyalty unto God. So unlike in the book of Kings, the Chronicler omits most of the material surrounding the reign of King Saul which was rescinded by the Lord due to his own disloyalty to God. He also skips over the ensuing civil war…

1 Chronicles 10 by Pastor Mark Hudson Why study I Chronicles? I would like to provide a summary of a teaching by Philip Kayser from Dominion Covenant Church in Omaha NE I heard on sermon audio.  Why should I read or study this book?  After all there are 8 chapters of genealogies that begin this book.  That is no way to grab an audience! Chronicles is much different than Samuel and Kings.  This is not…

 1 John 5 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson First John is a helpful letter due to the if/then statements.  John will often say if … then.  He gives us categories to think through if a person is a believer.  If a person is an unbeliever and so on.  Notice the many ways John helps us with his many if/then statements.  Looking at the entire boo, one outline is found in Stephen S Smalley’s commentary in…

1 John 3 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence A child of God will naturally reflect the character of the family of God and particularly that of the patriarch of the household. Because the children have spent so much time with their father in the word, in prayer, and in fellowship, they will naturally begin to reflect something of his character even speaking in the same manner. Because God is pure, John says that everyone who is…

1 John 2 by Pastor Mark Hudson First John is an example of great profundity utilizing simple language. One outline (showing the section relating to our passage) is found in Stephen S Smalley’s commentary in the Word series: I Preface: the Word of Life 1:1-4 II. Live in the Light 1:5-2:29 a. God is Light 1:5-7 b. First condition for living in the light: renounce sin 1:8-2:2 c. Second condition: be obedient 2:3-11 d. Third…

1 John 1 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Written originally to defend the true gospel against a new heresy entering into the church, an incipient Gnosticism that touted a secret knowledge that wasn’t available to all and that denied the bodily incarnation of Christ, John’s first epistle seeks to distinguish between the true fellowship of Christ’s church and those who seek to disrupt that fellowship in some way. He tells us in the beginning of his…

Psalm 150 by Pastor Mark Hudson Does one need to read a devotional to comprehend this Psalm?  Need? No.  But hopefully this may aid you in some small measure.  This Psalm, of course, ends the entire Psalter. A W. Robert Godfrey points out, “Thirteen times the call to praise is repeated.  (Learning to Love the Psalms p. 249).  As we have pointed out, from Ps 146-150, each Psalms begins with “Praise the Lord!” and ends…

Psalm 149 by Pastor David Groendyk As has been pointed out previously, Psalms 146–150 constitute one grand ‘Hallelujah!’ to end the book of Psalms. Psalms 146 and 147 highlighted why we should praise God, and Psalms 148 and 149 emphasize who does the praising, namely, all of Creation (148) but especially God’s chosen people (149). Verses 1–5 are simply a happy celebration of God, his glory, and his salvation! It looks very much like David…

Psalm 147 by Pastor Mark Hudson We are in the section of the Psalms that explodes with praise.  From Ps 146-150 each Psalm begins with the phrase “Praise the Lord” and ends with the same.  We all know that often people mock Christians by saying, “Praise the Lord” but I am thankful God has changed my heart so I want to say that.  When I utter that phrase, by God’s grace, I mean it. Derek…

Psalm 146 by Pastor Lawrence The last five chapters in the book of Psalms (146-150) are often referred to as the Hallelujah Psalms for each of these psalms begins and ends with the exclamatory phrase “praise the Lord,” which is the English translation of the Hebrew word “Hallelujah!” This psalm seems to serve a liturgical function in the corporate worship of the Lord for the psalmist first exhorts God’s people in the plural to worship…

Psalm 145 by Pastor Mark Hudson We continue to read and reflect on the most read, the most studied, and the book that has engendered more books, more speeches, more articles, more schools than any book ever. People all over the world read this book over and over.  Day after day.  Year after year.  And we get to read it in our own language on any device we have. John Stott divides this Psalm very…

Psalm 144 by Pastor David Groendyk The first 11 verses of this psalm are all spoken in a singular voice. King David is asking the Lord for protection, rescue, and action for himself. It’s very similar to Psalm 18, which David also wrote, both of which are psalms fit for a warrior, as Derek Kidner says. They’re bold, they’ve got war on the mind, they invoke God’s terrifying presence, and they confidently call for deliverance.…

Psalm 143 by Pastor Lawrence If you’ve read all of the psalms prior to this one, most of the phrasing that is used here by David should sound familiar to you, for he uses the same expressions on a number of other occasions, which is actually helpful for us in interpreting his meaning in this passage, since there are many other contexts for us to pull from. David is still being pursued by his enemies,…

Psalm 142 by Pastor David Groendyk The title of this psalm is similar to Psalm 57. Both bear in their inscriptions “in the cave.” Probably this points back to 1 Samuel 22 when David was on the run from Saul. Take a moment to read Psalm 57, then come back to read Psalm 142 and notice the similarities and differences in David’s two psalms both in terms of the language he uses and the tone.…

Psalm 141 by Pastor Lawrence This psalm doesn’t fit neatly into any of the major types normally used to categorize the psalms. It is very unique in it approach as David at first lifts up his cry to God for help which is typical of a lament, then transitions into what might seem like a wisdom psalm before ending on an imprecatory note. This psalm was likely composed by David when he was being pursued…

Psalm 140 by Pastor David Groendyk Psalm 140 is both a song and a prayer, and it is a lament from the psalmist regarding conspirators and enemies who are hunting him down. The ESV Study Bible helpfully points out a back-and-forth pattern to this psalm in which the psalmist asks for help, then expresses confidence, asks for help, then expresses confidence. The pattern can be prescriptive for us as we seek the Lord’s protection in…

Psalm 139 by Pastor David Groendyk Derek Kidner opens his short commentary on this psalm by saying, “Any small thoughts that we may have of God are magnificently transcended by this psalm.” Yet our God is not too wonderful or high for us, but, as this psalm so magnificently reminds us, he personally and intimately knows each one of his children. Each section of this psalm says something lofty about God as well as something…

Psalm 138 by Pastor Lawrence This psalm of thanksgiving appears to be written intentionally as a response to answered prayer (see v.3). On many occasions in the psalms, the psalmists would express their intention to keep their vow of rendering a thank offering to God when their prayer is answered (see Psalm 56:12), and this psalm is a good example of a man who fulfilled such a vow. Surely the Lord is regularly due such…

Psalm 136 Devotion By Pastor Lawrence A Babylon Bee article once stated satirically that a local youth group in Alabama had been singing the same popular song for over eighteen years nonstop. The title of the song was 'I Could Sing of Your Love Forever' which is well known for its overly repetitious and tiring chorus that seemingly never ends. Well, if there is anything worth singing about repeatedly, surely it is God’s love. Psalm…

Psalm 137 by Pastor David Groendyk Coming off the heels of the beloved and glorious Psalm 136, most Christians probably don’t know what to do with Psalm 137. This is not the kind of song we typically sing in our Sunday services. Some believers may even feel embarrassed by what verse 9 has to say about brutally destroying the enemy. Is this psalm out of place in the Bible? Should we shy away from texts…