Introduction While Psalms 1 and 2 are written in more general terms, Psalm 3 has a very specific context from which it originated. King David’s son Absalom was in pursuit and David had to flee. This is described in 2 Samuel 15:13-17. The situation and outcome did not look promising. Not only his kingdom, but also his life was […]
Think about this. He is the God of the covenant. In Christ He confirmed His covenant. And through saving you, He included you in His covenant. And ultimately, you will rest forever in His presence, which is the ultimate goal of His covenant.
Gideon’s faith did result in victory, accomplishing God’s purposes through him. I this, his faith was victorious. But his carelessness for his own soul and the souls of those who followed him, caused him to become prideful and conceited and to lead a free people back into slavery.
God put Himself on display in these events described in chapters 4 & 5. We come to know Him as the Living God speaking living words, crushing the enemy as the ultimate Lord and Deliverer. Deborah and Barak’s response were praise (5:2-3).
The book of Judges makes the reality of human depravity and its consequences clear and looks for the answer to this problem in the most unexpected place. For the author of Judges, the solution is not found in human systems and rules or other man-made solutions. The answer lies in a person, a king, who will deal with the problem of sin and depravity. Therefore, it presents us with the judges, or deliverers, individuals who would be a partial answer to the immediate problem, but a foreshadow of the ultimate King and Deliverer.
f Psalm 1 teaches is about being blessed, Psalm 2 teaches us about being safe. The last verse of Psalm 2 ties the two together, to imply that true blessedness and being safe in your relationship with God are directly related. Together the two psalms form a very fitting introduction to the Book of Psalms. Taking into account the purpose of the Wisdom Literature, namely living wisely as God’s people, we can conclude that not only does it entails continually meditating on God’s Word, but also living safely before God.
Intro In our first sermon on the Book of Judges, we learnt that Judges kindles in us a longing for the true King. To this end each of the 12 Judges we encounter in this book points us. Their stories were written down as shadows of the perfect King to come; pointers that would show […]
[This sermon was preached on Judges chapters 1 and 2 on Sunday, December 3, 2017, at Christ Church Paarl by William King. The audio version can be found here.] Introduction Every now and again we come to a sign post in Scripture that forces us to a standstill. This is where we need to consider in […]
The Psalmist presents the journey of humanity as a life lived either with wisdom as presented in the Scriptures or one wasted by being a fool, choosing life or death, blessedness or curse. The starting point is only to be found in the words God spoke through His servants who wrote them down. Sin, wickedness, scoffing has no share in the eternal life God wishes to give. It only leads to death and eternal judgment.
The reality is before us every day. The hostile world wishes to devour. Will you obey the commands of our Lord and fight for the Faith so that the generations that follow will have a sure foundation from which they can take this fight further?
