Psalm 119 encourages the believer to pray for open eyes. We are able to pray for open eyes because of the bountiful grace of our master. We need open eyes because we are strangers in the earth. And the benefit of open eyes is that we can behold wonderful things out of God’s law: the wonderful character of God; the wonderful promises of Christ; the wonderful rule of life; and … [Read more...]
Sanctification (Psalm 119:9–16)
Christians often wonder what God’s will for their lives is, and how can they find it. Usually, questions about God’s will are asked in terms of very specific circumstances: Whom should I marry? What career should I pursue? Should I take this job promotion that I’ve been offered? John MacArthur has authored a little 60-page booklet titled Found: God’s Will in which he argues … [Read more...]
Integrity (Psalm 119:1–8)
In the world of numbers, an integer is a number that can be written without a fractional component. That is, an integer is a whole number. For example, the number 4 is an integer; the number 4¼ (4.25) is not. In fact, “integer” comes from a Latin word that means “whole.” That same Latin word is the root word for the English word “integrity,” which speaks of being whole and … [Read more...]
Knowing God (Psalm 36:1–12)
For several years now at BBC, we have promoted a “prayer psalm of the week.” We simply follow the Psalms systematically, and each week we encourage the church to use the psalm for that week as a means to pattern their prayers. In August 2014, to help the church understand how the psalms can guide our prayers, we made the decision that, when one of our own elders preached a … [Read more...]
Behaving Sanely (Psalm 34:1–22)
Psalm 34 was written, according to its inscription, by David “when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.” The historical background to this psalm is found in 1 Samuel 21:1–22:2. David was on the run from Saul, who had begun to seek David’s life. He came to Nob, where he met Ahimelech the priest, and asked for food. The only food available … [Read more...]