Dignoscentia

This psalm is a typical, almost formulaic, prayer for help. These sorts of prayers are a common theme in many of the psalms, and they all follow a sort of pattern. There is praise involved; it could also be called flattery. God is praised for being wonderful, and powerful, and helpful, and everything one would […]

The Israelites have returned to their lands after a period of captivity, and they are asking for God’s help in this psalm. They feel that they are still not right with Him, and are begging for His forgiveness. What makes this psalm interesting is the supposed dialog between God and the people of Israel.
God replies […]

This is one of those psalms where the NJB footnotes prove very useful. From them, we are able to see that it is a pilgrimage song used by those on the way to Jerusalem. Even more, from the reference to “early rain” in verse 6, we can ascertain that it was likely used during the […]

I was struck by the clear message of tolerance espoused in Romans 14 when I read it a few days ago. I can’t quote the entire chapter here, although all of it is relevant, but I do encourage you to read it from your Bibles. Again, I would recommend the New Jerusalem Bible, for its […]

Although I had a couple of Mormon friends over the years, something always bothered me about their religion, and it’s this: why do they have to have a different Bible? Why do they insist that Christ visited the US when there is absolutely no Biblical proof for it? Even though their family values are great, […]

There is a passage in Romans chapter 7 that had a huge impact on me during a recent reading. I have to share it, because I think it represents perfectly every Christian’s struggle to stay close to God and obey His Law. The words resonated deeply with me, even though I read that passage plenty […]

The more I read the psalms, the more I realize that many of them whistle a familiar tune — one I’d rather not hear. They keep talking about revenge. This psalm continues down that same path, and things get pretty nasty.
Clearly, the author of the psalm is full of anger toward the nations he mentions […]