Category Archives: bible

Psalm 101

A psalm of David, you might imagine he wrote this as a vow upon ascending to the throne of Israel. However, it is rooted much farther back in David’s life when he was just a shepherd boy. The shepherd is … Continue reading

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Psalm 100

This processional hymn has long been the source of a great many Christian songs of worship. For something so brief, the imagery carries a lasting message that resounds in faithful hearts across the ages. Picture in your mind some periodic … Continue reading

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Psalm 99

While this is another coronation song, it’s not something you read and them meditate. You should jump up, shout and sing, run around in circles and do cartwheels. We poorly grasp the kind of genuine enthusiasm that saw people do … Continue reading

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Psalm 98

This is another coronation song. The wording suggests a rather impromptu celebration of Jehovah’s reign based on some recent miraculous deliverance. In the Ancient Near East, a ruler asserted his dominion in the form of giving laws. However, it was … Continue reading

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Bible History Note: Invasions

What we see in the Bible as historical narrative is hardly the only thing happening in those places at that time. There is a wealth of historical background that the writers assumed readers would know. They wrote for their own … Continue reading

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Biding Our Time

A heavy rain pattern stands over the land where I live, so there won’t be any bike rides and pictures. Instead, I’m trying to be a good steward of the day and work on revising one of my Bible study … Continue reading

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Psalm 97

This is a coronation hymn for Jehovah as sovereign God over all Creation. It sounds exactly like what you might hear when a parade makes a ceremonial march before the ruler from the gate of the capital to the doors … Continue reading

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Psalm 96

This is a Restoration hymn. It’s very hard to argue against the Septuagint’s comment that this was written on the occasion of the rebuilding of the Temple after the Exile. It reflects too much the rather unique viewpoint of the … Continue reading

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Psalm 95

This is another very popular psalm, the basis for several contemporary songs and quotations in the New Testament. It’s also the first of a half-dozen poems celebrating divine sovereignty. They fit into the general type of processional hymns. We can … Continue reading

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Psalm 94

It stood as a basic assumption in Hebrew minds that God’s sense of timing was not like theirs. In the ancient protocol of the Divine Sheikh’s court, asking “how long” did not mean for them what it means to us. … Continue reading

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