Psalm 21 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Psalms 20 and 21 are meant to be read together, representing a prayer on behalf of the king before and after an important battle. In Psalm 20, the people pray that God would answer the prayers of their king and help him in the day of trouble. In Psalm 21, they give praise to God for saving their king and giving him strength in battle. In Psalm 20:4, they…

Psalm 20 Pastor Mark Hudson Ps 20 seems like such a happy Psalm.  It appears to be a royal Psalm that is said before the king goes off to battle.  You can discern breaks like 1-5     Congregation to the king/ a corporate invocation of blessing 6-8     The certainty of God’s answer from the king 9        Final prayer for the king (Derek Kidner) Or 1-5     Intercessory prayer for the king 6        Declaration from a priest,…

Psalm 19 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Systematic theologians carefully distinguish between natural and supernatural revelation. Natural revelation refers to God's glory manifested "naturally" in His creation, while supernatural revelation refers to what has been revealed by God through prophecy in the Holy Scriptures. In this wisdom psalm, David praises the Lord for both aspects of His revelation, focusing on the former in vv. 1-6 and the latter in vv. 7-11, then concluding with a corresponding…

Psalm 18 Pastor Mark Hudson Psalm 18 is the longest Psalm of Book One (1-72).  We have this same Psalm in II Samuel 22.  This is a Psalms of praise beginning with praise to God in vs. 1-6 and ending in vs. 46-50 (Robert Godfrey).  There are many ways to divide the Psalm up.  Kidner sees: 1-3               The refuge 4-19             The rescue 20-30           His way is perfect 31-45           Victory and rout 46-50           Doxology Godfrey’s outline…

Psalm 17 Pastor David Groendyk David prays in this psalm for vindication. As the ESV Study Bible says, this appears to be occasioned by suffering from an unjust accusation of wrongdoing by a worldly enemy. Although we may not all experience that exact situation, this psalm is quite instructive for how all of us can pray to God for rescue. Meshing together a couple of different commentaries, there is a striking pattern in this prayer,…

Psalm 16 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Even though the first and only petition David offers in this psalm is one of protection or deliverance from some unspoken threat that could potentially end in his death, the vast majority of it seems to be a prayer of praise in joyous confidence that the Lord will continue to be his delight in life. Initially, he asks God to preserve his life for He knows that God is…

Psalm 15 Pastor Mark Hudson The question of who may worship God might strike many of us as unusual.  We are always welcoming people, inviting any and all to join the church.  For us, the more the merrier.  We also have a theological bent that includes everyone.  To be a follower of Jesus Christ, one does not have to keep kosher, be circumcised, or obey a long list of commands and rules.  In fact, this…

Psalm 14 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence In this wisdom meditation, David follows a pattern similar to Psalm 1 differentiating between the righteous and the wicked, however his primary focus here is on the wicked or the foolish man. By this designation he does not have in mind merely someone of low intelligence or one lacking common sense but rather a person who has little to no regard for God’s Word regardless of intellect or education.…

Psalm 13 Pastor David Groendyk There are a number of ways each of us three pastors at Tyrone are different from each other. One way that I am unlike Pastors Lawrence and Mark is that I have not yet been able to see the Grand Canyon with my own two eyes. I’m told the sight is magnificent but that the climb from the bottom to the top is grueling. Well, Derek Kidner describes Psalm 13…

Psalm 12 Pastor David Groendyk One of the most classic episodes of the 1960s surreal, sci-fi, horror television series The Twilight Zone was about a man named Henry Bemis. Henry Bemis loved books but was always bothered by people and work so that he was never able to spend time reading. One day, as he is quietly taking a lunch break at his job, an atomic bomb explodes outside. Henry Bemis survives, but apparently nuclear…

Psalm 11 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Is the common belief that "God hates the sin but loves the sinner" really supported by Scripture? We've already heard David's strong language in Psalm 5:5-6, where he states that God "hates" and "abhors" evildoers. In our passage today, verse 5 reinforces this sentiment, declaring that God's "soul hates the wicked and those who love violence." Some argue that God can hate the wicked, but godly individuals should not.…

Psalm 10 Pastor Mark Hudson I probably have too many commentaries, but I am greatly helped by the insight of others. I have a number of commentaries  on Psalms but one of the best is a series of 3 small paperbacks by Derek Kidner.  He is consistently insightful and helpful.  He titles his comments on this Psalm as Man: predator and prey.  His first few comments are worth quoting in whole. “It is the arrogance…

Psalm 9 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, Psalms 9 and 10 are taken together as one unit or psalm. This is because the two psalms together form an acrostic in the original Hebrew language, with each stanza beginning with the consecutive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Interestingly, Psalm 9 strikes a more triumphant note overall, while Psalm 10 is primarily a lament that only seems to…

Psalm 8 Pastor David Groendyk Psalm 8 is surely many Christians’ favorite psalm. Allen Ross summarizes this psalm well: “The psalmist marvels that the glorious Lord of heaven whose name is excellent in every way should even give thought to a human let alone exalt him and give him dominion over all creation.” Psalm 8 highlights both God’s greatness and man’s importance. First, God’s greatness bookends this psalm in verse 1 and verse 9. Above…

Psalm 7 Pastor David Groendyk As has been the theme for the past few psalms, Psalm 7 is a cry for justice. Someone or some people have wronged and persecuted David. Many have speculated about who Cush the Benjaminite is in the superscription of this psalm, perhaps being one of Saul’s lackeys back when Saul was trying to hunt David down (remember Saul himself was from the tribe of Benjamin), but ultimately we do not…

Psalm 6 Devotion By Pastor Lawrence How long? That is a question often asked by those wrestling in prayer, especially those suffering under the most severe injustice and persecution. As with many of these psalms, the reader isn’t provided the particular details surrounding the events causing such an outburst of emotion. Clearly, David is beside himself with grief. In verses 6-7, he describes a ‘flood’ of tears upon his bed, how he ‘drenches’ his couch…

Psalm 5 Pastor Mark Hudson Psalm 5 is a morning psalm that contrasts God’s differing relationship with the wicked and the righteous.  The Psalmist is a man of prayer who recognizes his dependence on God.  First, he is praying which is a signal that he is looking outside himself to Someone greater.  He looks away from himself and he looks toward God.  This indicates he knows his place in the universe and knows something of…

Psalm 4 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Does God answer our prayers? Perhaps not always in the way we expect or precisely when we desire it, but unquestionably, He does respond to the supplications of His people. In this brief psalm, David fervently implores the Lord to graciously heed his prayers. He repeats this plea twice in verse 1, acknowledging God's past assistance. Then, in verse 3, he assures his adversaries that the Lord listens when…

Psalm 3 Pastor Mark Hudson Psalms 3 is one of the 14 Psalms that refer to an actual incident in David’s life.  The other Psalms are 7, 18, 30, 34, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 63, 142. These introductions are included in the Hebrew Bible’s numbering.  So, for us, verse 1 begins with, “O Lord, how many . . . .” but in the Hebrew Bible verse one begins with “A Psalm of…

Joshua 24 Pastor Mark Hudson We arrive at the end of the book of Joshua which also includes a brief mention of his death at the age of 110.  The majority of this chapter is Joshua’s speech to the people of Israel, but we will also mention vs. 29-33 which mean seem insignificant to the modern reader but are important to the author. Joshua gathers everyone together at Shechem and delivers his last and most…

Joshua 23 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence This chapter serves as a prologue to the final chapter in which Joshua renews Israel's covenant with the Lord. Before gathering all of Israel at Shechem for this solemn purpose, he summons all the leaders of Israel to give them a special exhortation in light of all that the Lord had done for them. This moment in time is one of the high-water marks in the history of Israel,…