Psalms
Psalm 4:1–8
God’s people in distress, when facing detractors who malign their faith, continue to trust God without wavering, seeking to redirect those carpers towards God, and looking only for the joy God provides, not for material abundance, for with that attitude of heart, they rest in peace and safety.
What exactly the psalmist wants God to do is to relieve him from his “distress” (4:1). The psalmist is in “distress” (literally, “narrowness”) and needs “relieving”
Psalm 3:1–8
Almost in a holy war, God’s people are often in danger of being annihilated by the myriad of their enemies, but their confidence in God is unbounded, their proximity to God unquestionable, and God’s might is unchallengeable, his deliverance inevitable, and his blessing incontrovertible.
Perhaps it is reflection of real life that the beatitude-laden and triumphal opening psalms of the Psalter (Psalms 1–2) are followed by a whole series of laments (Psalms 3–7). Life
Psalm 2:1–12
The refusal of rebelling, conspiring, or opposing rulers anywhere to submit reverentially to divine rule, the scope and extent of which has no bounds, meets with an appropriate response—dismissive, dreadful, and destructive—from God and his personally appointed Son-King with whom he is closely identified.
Psalm 2 is carefully structured with four stanzas of three verses each. Remarkably, there are also four specific references to deity’s representative, once in each
Psalm 1:1–6
The fertile stasis of the righteous—constant, affective intercourse with divine revelation, the outcome of which is fruitfulness—results in the blessing of divine care of their ways; but the futile kinesis of the wicked, the outcome of which is fruitlessness, results in divine judgment, the destruction of their ways.
The Psalter is a book of songs, but Psalm 1 is hardly a representative of that genre. Rather, it is a composition commenting on how life works in God’s
Devotional on Psalm 21
Here’s a devotional I did online for my church (Ninth and O Baptist Church: they call it a “Devotionable”) the other day. On Psalm 21.
Coming soon …!
FYI, for those looking for a commentary on the Psalter—three volumes, dealing with all 150 psalms, a little over 1,000 pages—that aids preaching!
Coming soon … (i.e., should be available for order/purchase the next 3–4 months).
More info (and endorsements) here.
Spread the word … and let me retire!
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching. 