The Family Bible Journey Podcast

Towards the end of the psalms, in the middle of psalms of pure praise, we have our last Messianic psalm, a psalm of deliverance. Here we confront the evil of lies. We learn how God delivered His Son Jesus from lying lips and how He promises to rescue us from the same.

God loves you even when you don't love yourself! He made you and knows you inside and out. This classic psalm extols Him for His wisdom and love.

When we set our hearts and minds on things above, we are practicing for eternity. It is good for us to pursue godliness for the sake of those we serve. There is also the blessing of knowing that godly love gives us a preview of heaven.

Paul's legendary words, "if there is no resurrection, then we are of all people to be pitied," are recorded in this chapter. We learn how the reality of the physical resurrection of the death transforms every aspect of this life, while giving us unwavering hope for the next.

In these psalms, we are reminded that God's love endures forever! It is the reason for every good thing we enjoy, and the source of the redemption we've received from God.

Like a small child, in a mother's lap, are those who know the love of our Heavenly Father! These psalms remind us of the perfect peace we have in Christ Jesus. If God is for us, there's nothing that the world can do to take away our eternal peace and joy!

The ancient Greeks had a deep tradition of prophecy, focused on the Pythia, Apollo's spokeswoman at Delphi. No surprise then, that the Corinthian Christians got a little confused about the role of prophecy in the life of the Church. We will work to understand, and untangle their mess, so that we can be clear about the role of prophecy in the Church today.

When we gather in worship, we receive God's eternal blessings. We are made more aware of His eternal love and purpose. If this wasn't reason enough to love the Lord, He also invites us to share in His work, knowing that when we do, the work of our hands will endure forever.

The psalms of ascent were likely sung by throngs of worshippers who processed to the Temple twice a year for Passover and the Day of Atonement. They celebrate God's redemption. We join in these praises, knowing that God's promised salvation is for now and forever!

The great love chapter of the Bible expounds on the blessings of "agape" love. The Cornithian understanding of love was polluted by temple prostitution, where worshippers had sex to honor Aphrodite the goddess of "love." Here we learn of God's more excellent love.

How many thousands of people and countless TV shows feature people giving up all they have to find gold or other buried treasure? Too many. Instead of wasting our time and lives looking for lost loot, let us spend our time mining the blessings of God's Word and Wisdom!

Not only is this the longest psalm and chapter in the Bible, it is a treasure of world literature. It is a 176 verse acrostic psalm, beautifully inspired to extol the blessings of God' Word in our lives.

There was a fascinating practice of the Corinthians where they offered clay replicas of hurting or diseased body parts to Aesclepias for healing. They understood the connections between body parts better than most ancients. Paul builds on their understanding to make a case for unity and building each other up in the Church, instead of taking each other for granted.

We rejoice in the God Who has become our Salvation! These psalms of praise have more beautiful promises of God that were fulfilled in Jesus. We are made even more confident in our salvation because God told us how Jesus would redeem us hundreds of years before He was born!

In Psalm 116, God gives us a glimpse into His perspective on death. Instead of something to be feared, death is but the portal for His people into His eternal presence.

Christ comes to us in His Supper, to forgive us, strengthen our faith, and encourage all who commune together. We learn how the Corinthian cultural context led these Christians astray, and lessons we can learn from their struggles.

True godliness is possible only when we do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons. But we are free to practice these things very differently. Apparently, in Corinth, head coverings had become a divisive issue. We learn why we should, and how we can encourage others in faith, even if their practice is quite different from ours.

Each of these psalms encourage us to join in the unending and eternal praise of God Almighty. All the false gods of this life are products of human imagination. We are focused on the all-surpassing God, Who's surpassing greatness and love are ever on the lips of his creatures.

Even though the Old Testament saints didn't know the Name of their Savior, they knew much about Who He Is, and what He would do for them. These psalms moves us to praise the God Who so clearly laid out His plan of salvation in advance, for our encouragement.

We learn how specific types of Christ from the Old Testament are great encouragements to us in our life of faith. It is so much easier learning from the mistakes of others than making them ourselves. Here we are reminded of the enduring value of types from the Old Testament.

What gets you excited? Not jsut a little excited. So excited that you would go out of your way to experience it? A favorite artist? Your favorite team? In this psalm we hear what gets God really excited.

The last book of psalms begins with confident assertions that God is always with His people. We can never outrun God and His love. He is ever with us to defend and protect us.

Paul challenges both pastors and people in this chapter. He challenges the people who were not supporting the workers in the church, expecting them to serve them for free. He also challenged pastors who would lord over their people. In this chapter, we see that we all have room for growth, as we aspire to be all things to all people.

This psalm reminds Israel of the many times their ancestors had strayed from God and how poorly things went when they did. When we learn from the mistakes of others, we are spared from suffering many consequences. The psalm ends with a plea for salvation and by blessing the God who saves His people.

God made the world for us to enjoy! So, let us live knowing we are blessed by God to enjoy beauty, food and the work we do.

God gives us freedom, as He does every other good gift, to benefit others. If we think it is ok to needlessly offend others, we are the fools. Instead of pleasing ourselves, we are called to please God by lifting each other up.

A psalm of repentance is followed by a classic psalm of praise that describes God's unlimited love in unequivocal terms. How did the psalmist know how to accurately describe God's love by using two perfect measures of God's love? Only by inspiration of the Holy Spirit is this possible!

These psalms of praise are capped off with an encouragement to live into the Lord's way of purity. What we fill our time and eyes and mind with is determinative in the character and quality of our life. Recognizing God's wisdom and love, we are encouraged to live pure and decent lives in all we say and do.

Paul talks about the real blessings and burdens of marriage. Being wed to another human being gives us ample opportunity to practice godly virtues. But whether or not we are married, we are called to godliness. Here we consider the real-life applications of our faith, whether we are married or single.

These psalms describe humanity and all of creation praising God for Who He Is! All other gods are figments of human imagination. When we praise the Lord for Who He Is, we join in the unending chorus of all creation.

God's people had been exiled, at least in part, because their leaders had embraced ungodliness instead of righteousness. In these psalms, leaders are reminded that God is not a fool, and will not be mocked, even if we fool ourselves or others. At the same time, the righteous are encouraged in godliness, because godly virtues will never grow old.

Sex is the most intimate of human connections. Used according to God's design, it's a great blessing. Taken out of marriage, it causes great harm. Here we are encouraged to lead pure and decent lives in all we say and do.

In this fourth book of the psalms, our focus shifts to God as an eternal king. It is likely that many, if not all of these psalms were written after the monarchies of Israel and Judah had fallen. Living under other rulers, God's people long for the righteous reign of God.

A fitting end to the third book of the psalms, this is an easter psalm. It rejoices in God's victory for His people. We sing it today, mindful of all the promises Jesus fulfilled for us.

Sexual scandals, such as the one in this chapter, have caused untold damage to the Church. Victims are further victimized when we tolerate such evil, and outsiders are fair when they lose faith in those caught up in such scandals. As Christians, we must confront sexual immorality in our ranks, while repenting of the evils of our age, and pursuing godliness in our relationships.

This solitary psalm of David in the third book of the psalms is a plea that God would preserve Him. Even though David was soiled with sin and had nothing to offer God, he knew God loved Him. When we are brought low, we too can pray to God, knowing that He loves to lift us up!

Paul uses a pretty gross analogy to help us understand how the world views us. Our faith isn't just a little different than worldly ways. It is completely incompatible with worldly wisdom. But that's ok if our theology far surpasses the so-called "wisdom" of today.

We are encouraged in this psalm to seek the Lord where He may be found, in worship and His Word. The world seeks validation in dollar signs and followers, but we seek the signs of God's love where He promises to bless us. When we do, we are blessed, as we walk in His way.

It stinks when God's people are oppressed. Sometimes, people even conspire against us. When we find ourselves suffering, even unjustly, we have comfort in knowing that God will make all things right in the end.

In a world where people are tempted to divide themselves into smaller and smaller factions, Paul reminds us that in Christ jesus, we are united. Why then is it so easy for us to be divided? Because we often inadvertently fall into looking at each other in mere human ways. But the hope for our human relationships is found in Jesus. He Who reconciled us with His Heavenly Father can most certainly reconcile us one to another.

Sometimes God chastises us by giving us what we ask for. In this way, he shows us a few things. The foolishness of sin. The wisdom of His way. The depth of his love when He forgives us.

In these two psalms, we hear the prayers of God's people when he allows them to suffer for their folly, followed by a plea for his love and forgiveness. In these twin psalms, we hear a beautiful expression of God's love for His people in the Hebrew phrase translated as, "may your face shine upon us." This is a tender expression of God's unending love which we can never outrun.

Paul spent months of his life peddling his tents and preaching the gospel in the shadow of the ancient Temple of Apollo. He took the Greek god of wisdom to task, by proclaiming the surpassing wisdom of the God Who is rich in mercy and love.

The enduring faithfulness described in this psalm works two ways. First, there is a detailed account of the Lord's enduring faithfulness to His people, despite their stubbornness towards Him. Second, it encourages us to endure in faithfulness by sharing Christ with coming generations. For those who are journaling with us through the Bible, it is a great double blessing!

Sleepless nights are the worst! When we are oppressed spiritually, and greatly distressed, it's good for us to remember God's deliverance of His people of old. He didn't save them because they were any better than you, but simply because He loved them. He will also deliver you and use your time of distress to draw you ever closer to Himself in love.

First century Corinth was so similar to our current age that there are innumerable applications to our lives. In our Corinthian episodes, we will learn how poignant these lessons are as we hear how deeply rooted Paul's preaching was in the life of this thriving ancient metropolis.

As Asaph wrestles with the terrifying reality of God's wrath, he finds hope in the Lord's promises. St. Paul echoes this sentiment in Romans 3:25-26, where we see how God makes a way for His faithful people to enter His kingdom in Christ. Only in Jesus can we make sense of the forgiveness of sins, and the God Who will judge all in equity and justice.

There are times when it seems the whole world is falling apart. These times, that try our souls, God uses to bring our hearts and attention back to Him. But how do we pray, when it seems all is lost? By calling upon God's promises and remember his unchanging love.

Paul encourages us to embrace the victory we have over satan in Christ Jesus by bringing people together and encouraging them in Christ. When we invest our time, energy and financial resources in the Lord's kingdom, we are a blessing to others as He is a blessing to us. We also experience a measure of love, joy and peace that the world can not take away.