Green Pastures and Still Waters
The saying is that a picture paints a thousand words. However, I believe a few words can paint a picture. Today we look at merely seven words in Hebrew and fourteen words in Hebrew that paint a glorious picture. I would say this poetic line in Psalm 23 is one of the most famous parts of the Psalm. We love vs 1, for the image of the shepherd, but we love the scene painted in verse 2. You can almost
I Shall Not Want
Veruca Salt is the famous little girl in the novel by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She is the spoilt child, she rarely hears the word no, and if she does then she kicks and screams until she gets what she finally wants. From her parents’ perspective, she is a darling princess who deserves anything and there is no price too high to pay for her. Now in a fictitious story, especially one written for children, and more
The Lord is My Shepherd
I. God as Shepherd The opening word in this Psalm is “YAHWEH.” The name God gives to Moses as he speaks to him from the burning bush (Ex 3:14-16). This does not speak about a god we do not know about but the God of the Bible. The God we worship, the one who made the heavens and earth and all that is within them. The Bible teaches us about God’s greatness. This greatness should drive us to praise and adoration
More than a Poem
Psalm 23 is most likely the most popular Psalm. It is hard to get true statistics on this, but I would think it would even be one of the most popular verses in the bible. Although I do not know the popularity of the Psalm, this Psalm is beautifully rich, theologically deep, and comforting to the sheep of the Lord. Matthew Henry explains, “Many of David's psalms are full of complaints, but this is full of comforts, and the expressions
Sinners and Outsiders
Sinners and Outsiders Have you ever met a person who is so in love with a particular topic that they talk about all the time? They find a way to bring it up in conversation all the time. Everyone else in the conversation begins to sigh as they know it would take a house fire to end this conversation. They talk about their love of a particular TV show, or particular cars, or interest. Sometimes it can feel like this when
Bitter to Blessed
Ruth 4:13-17- Bitter to Blessed In the first five verses in the book of Ruth, we saw the loss of Naomi’s family. She went to the fields of Moab full and came back empty. In the first five verses, she goes through significant loss, which she explained is the Lord dealing with her bitterly (Ruth 1:20). This week, in these five verses, she goes from bitter to blessed. Naomi saw redemption from the hand of Boaz. Boaz was standing at the
The Court Room
Ruth 4:1-12- The Court Room Last week we looked at the promise made by Boaz to Ruth on the threshing floor, that he would redeem her if the relative closer to her would not. The chapter ended with Ruth’s return to her home with Naomi. Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.” Ruth returns home in the early morning, and we will see
The Threshing Floor
Ruth 3:1-18 I. Plan for Redemption (1-5) We continue our study through the book of Ruth. We turn to chapter three, which follows a similar structure to the second chapter. It begins with a conversation between Naomi and Ruth, then moves to the fields where greetings and conversations occur between Boaz and Ruth, then finally returns to Ruth coming home and updating Naomi. The book of Ruth is short yet sweet. It is a literary masterpiece of writing. This week we come
Seeking Shelter, Finding Fruit
Ruth 2:1-23- Seeking Shelter, Finding Fruit Chapter one of Ruth sets the scene for the rest of the book. Naomi and Ruth are now in the land of Judah. Being back in Judah is one significant hurdle to cross. When Sarah and I were engaged, we needed to go through the process of getting a visa for me to come to America. A lot of paperwork and documents, waiting, an expensive medical exam, and an interview at the American embassy. We
Pain and Providence
Ruth 1:19-22- Pain and Providence Last week we looked at this passage briefly, as we saw it in the narrative. This week I would like to study this passage more deeply, within the narrative but theologically. This passage has rich meaning and can teach us a lot about ourselves and the Providence of God. Particularly the providence of God in times of suffering. We began looking at the dark and depressing time that the book was written in and Naomi, who
