The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 3:1-4,
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, 'God will not deliver him.' But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain."
Oftentimes the view from further above something provides interesting patterns, cohesion, and even additional sense and meaning. I believe the book of Psalms provides that very thing. The reading of larger portions of the book (not just a psalm here and there) on a frequent basis provides clearly defined themes not so easily seen otherwise.
I certainly do not advocate for the subordination of word studies, analysis of grammar, identifying figures of speech, historical and cultural context and the other tools typically used to study the Scriptures as these are all very important, but a "bird's eye view" provides some interesting themes that may not be as apparent.
Not all psalms are the same, of course. Different psalms provide different messages or expressions of the heart. Some constitute hymns of praise and worship, some are penitential in nature (confession of sin, expressed sorrow for sin, etc.), some are considered to be "wisdom psalms" that describe and prescribe the way to live life as God designed it, and some are even "imprecatory", that is, they appeal to God to pour out his wrath on enemies, a curse.
Beyond our understanding of the nature and message of each psalm, I believe we see some themes that are expressed throughout the entire collection of psalms (and throughout the entire Bible itself). The first four verses of Psalm 3 express two of these many themes that can be found: the first is that mankind has problems and the second is that God is the very One man needs to flee to for relief, to find a refuge, to bring a solution for his problems. These two themes (as well as others) are developed throughout the entire book and have specific purposes for us.
That purpose, particularly when expressed in so many different ways and circumstances in the book, teach us two things God wants us to know:
1. Mankind is lost and fallen, estranged from God living in a lost and fallen world that is cursed. Consequently we all have problems! Even David who wrote this psalm, whom God himself claimed to be "a man after my own heart", Acts 13:22. You and I have problems as well as every other person.
2. God is our refuge to find relief, protection, a refuge, the solution and the Savior to go to for our problems.
Of course, the big problem we all face (and not explicitly stated in this psalm) is that we have all sinned and face God's looming judgment of us. That is a big problem. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ as our refuge and our deliverer from his Father's judgment. It is this very issue I believe why we see so many psalms providing us these two themes in many ways.
These are not the only themes we see expressing themselves repeatedly in the psalms, but they are some of the most important in my estimation.
Oftentimes the view from further above something provides interesting patterns, cohesion, and even additional sense and meaning. I believe the book of Psalms provides that very thing. The reading of larger portions of the book (not just a psalm here and there) on a frequent basis provides clearly defined themes not so easily seen otherwise.
I certainly do not advocate for the subordination of word studies, analysis of grammar, identifying figures of speech, historical and cultural context and the other tools typically used to study the Scriptures as these are all very important, but a "bird's eye view" provides some interesting themes that may not be as apparent.
Not all psalms are the same, of course. Different psalms provide different messages or expressions of the heart. Some constitute hymns of praise and worship, some are penitential in nature (confession of sin, expressed sorrow for sin, etc.), some are considered to be "wisdom psalms" that describe and prescribe the way to live life as God designed it, and some are even "imprecatory", that is, they appeal to God to pour out his wrath on enemies, a curse.
Beyond our understanding of the nature and message of each psalm, I believe we see some themes that are expressed throughout the entire collection of psalms (and throughout the entire Bible itself). The first four verses of Psalm 3 express two of these many themes that can be found: the first is that mankind has problems and the second is that God is the very One man needs to flee to for relief, to find a refuge, to bring a solution for his problems. These two themes (as well as others) are developed throughout the entire book and have specific purposes for us.
That purpose, particularly when expressed in so many different ways and circumstances in the book, teach us two things God wants us to know:
1. Mankind is lost and fallen, estranged from God living in a lost and fallen world that is cursed. Consequently we all have problems! Even David who wrote this psalm, whom God himself claimed to be "a man after my own heart", Acts 13:22. You and I have problems as well as every other person.
2. God is our refuge to find relief, protection, a refuge, the solution and the Savior to go to for our problems.
Of course, the big problem we all face (and not explicitly stated in this psalm) is that we have all sinned and face God's looming judgment of us. That is a big problem. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ as our refuge and our deliverer from his Father's judgment. It is this very issue I believe why we see so many psalms providing us these two themes in many ways.
These are not the only themes we see expressing themselves repeatedly in the psalms, but they are some of the most important in my estimation.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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