Leave me, all you who practice injustice, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my pleading, the Lord receives my prayer. Psalm 6:8-9 NASB Receives – Does God really care? Perhaps just asking the question seems monstrously irreverent, but I’m pretty sure that at least a hint of this has crossed your mind once…
Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb. Psalm 37:1-2 NASB Wither quickly – Stop! Before you read my homily on Psalm 37:1-2, read the entire psalm. It will only take a minute or so. I’ll wait. Ready? What was your…
I said, “I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence.” Psalm 39:1 NASB In my presence – Listen! We’re surrounded by wickedness. Pick up any newspaper. Turn on any news channel. Listen to the gossip and rumors. …
O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer. Psalm 31:23 NASB Proud doer– There’s a problem here. The Hebrew ‘ose(h) gaʾăwâ can be translated as “proud doer” (NASB) or as “the one who acts in pride” (ESV). The NIV reorders the words as “the proud he pays back in full.” …
The wicked will see it and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish. Psalm 112:10 NASB See it – What’s “it”? What will the wicked see? Will they see the revenge of the man of God, as might be suggested by adding a few words to verse 8? Will…
When the wicked perish there is rejoicing Proverbs 11:10 (Jonathan Sacks translation) When – Do you have a religious duty to report and testify against a criminal? While most of us might say, “Yes,” when it comes to actually following through, we are often much more hesitant. We imagine the protracted process of the courts,…
“They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we entreat Him?’” Job 21:14-15 NASB Do not even desire – Job suffers. So do you. If God is so good, why should…
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1:6 NASB Wicked – It is a laughable fact that statistically most people believe they are above average. It is a very sad fact that most people believe they are not among the wicked. Despite considerable warnings…
“And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will…
Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, so as to cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do iniquity. Psalm 101:8 NASB Every morning – When you walk the streets of Jerusalem as the sun rises, you are likely to say, “Boqer tov” to those you meet. “Good…
