Matthew 10(24–42)

Introduction I said last week that, in the section of Matthew's gospel which runs from verse 35 of chapter 9 to the end of chapter 10, the Lord is speaking to his disciples about their mission at that time. However, while much of what he said to them was for them at that time, nevertheless … Continue reading Matthew 10(24–42) →

Esther 05+06

Introduction The very existence of God's people is in danger because Haman persuaded King Xerxes to issue an order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews throughout the empire, an empire that stretched from India to Ethiopia. When the Jews, including Mordecai, heard the news, they fasted, wept and wailed. Mordecai then sent word … Continue reading Esther 05+06 →

Matthew 09(35)–10(23)

Introduction Today we come to a new section of Matthew's gospel which runs from verse 35 of chapter 9 to the end of chapter 10. And in this section, Matthew records for us what the Lord said to his disciples about mission. So, in the first part of this section, the Lord tells us that … Continue reading Matthew 09(35)–10(23) →

Psalm 051

Introduction Psalm 51 is a penitential psalm in which the psalmist confesses his sin to the Lord and seeks God's mercy and forgiveness. You'll see from the title that the background to the psalm is the time when Nathan the prophet confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba; and … Continue reading Psalm 051 →

Psalm 050

Introduction Worship can be a contentious issue in the church; and from time to time people talk about the worship wars. And we have worship wars because people have strong views on worship and on the kind of thing we should sing in church. And we learn from this psalm that the Lord himself takes … Continue reading Psalm 050 →

Psalm 049

Introduction The message of this wisdom psalm is very simple and straightforward: everyone will die. Everyone will die. And the richest people in the world cannot buy their way out of death and the grave. In this life, the rich may live in splendour and luxury in princely mansions; and they can do whatever they … Continue reading Psalm 049 →

Psalm 048

Introduction What we have today in psalm 48 is a song of praise to the Lord. And the psalmist praises the Lord because the Lord has made the city of Jerusalem secure. And since the city of Jerusalem symbolises the people of God, then we can read the psalm as a song of praise to … Continue reading Psalm 048 →

Psalm 047

Introduction Psalm 47 is a hymn of praise to the Lord, who is the great King over all. It's not entirely clear how the psalm should be divided; and the commentators make various suggestions. Perhaps the most straightforward way to divide the psalm is to divide it into two parts: verses 1 to 5 and … Continue reading Psalm 047 →

Psalm 046

Introduction Psalm 46 is a well-known and well-loved psalm. Martin Luther, the great reformer, used Psalm 46 as the basis of his hymn: A mighty fortress is our God a bulwark never failing; Our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. We often sing a version written by Richard Bewes which begins with … Continue reading Psalm 046 →

Psalm 045

Introduction Psalm 45 records the wedding of a king and his bride. After the introduction in verse 1, we read about the king in verses 2 to 9; and then we read about his bride in verses 10 to 15; and then we have the conclusion in verses 16 and 17. Now, when I read … Continue reading Psalm 045 →