All Episodes
Displaying 41 - 60 of 83 in total
Episode 41: Let the redeemed tell their story
Psalm 107 presents four stories of redemption. We’ll begin with the fourth, which takes place at sea. Sailors on a merchant vessel are caught in a terrible storm, and ...
Episode 42: Grace and mercy
In the previous episode, we explored the fourth of Psalm 107’s four stories. Here, we look at the second and third, which share something unusual in common. One is a g...
Episode 43: Homeless and hungry
Homelessness is not just a modern problem; some form of it has probably existed throughout history. The first of the four stories of redemption in Psalm 107 seems to d...
Episode 44: A choir of cursing?
When we sing words from the Psalms in church, we typically sing praise songs, not laments. And we do not sing songs of cursing, known as imprecatory psalms. But much o...
Episode 45: Cursing, with a vengeance
In Psalm 109, the psalmist has been the victim of injustice. One or more people have brought charges against the psalmist, and are willing to tell any lie to get a con...
Episode 46: You are what you speak
As an example of an imprecatory psalm, Psalm 109 shows the depth to which the psalmists will sometimes go to call for God’s justice and curse their enemies. Read anoth...
Episode 47: Bless, don’t curse
If you’ve ever been unjustly accused, you may understand the sentiment of Psalm 109. But given the teaching of Jesus, and even of Paul, is it ever appropriate for a Ch...
Episode 48: Why sing “hallelujah”?
The gospel of Matthew tells us that when Jesus and his disciples finished their Passover meal in the Upper Room, they sang a hymn before leaving for the Mount of Olive...
Episode 49: The prayer of a grateful mother
Psalm 113 comes to us in three parts. In the first, we’re directed to praise God forever and everywhere. In the second, we’re told to praise God for who he is. But at ...
Episode 50: Let the earth tremble
The Hallel is sometimes known as the Egyptian Hallel because of Psalm 114, a short psalm which begins with a reference to the exodus from Egypt. The verses that follow...
Episode 51: Not to us
In the Old Testament, a war or other conflict between nations was war between their gods. The second verse of Psalm 115 sets forth the question with which the psalm as...
Episode 52: You are what you worship?
In Psalm 115, the nations have questioned Israel’s God. The psalmist responds by saying not only that God is the one who rules from heaven, but that the gods of other ...
Episode 53: In God we trust
The writer of Psalm 115 insists that it’s useless to worship and put your trust in mere idols, which are completely impotent. By contrast, in what reads like a liturgy...
Episode 54: Maker of heaven and earth
In earlier episodes, we’ve explored creation psalms the celebrate the sovereignty and majesty of God. By contrast, Psalm 115 declares the “gods” of other nations to be...
Episode 55: The cup of salvation
As I’ve suggested, Jesus would probably have sung all or part of the Hallel with his disciples at the Last Supper. The link between the Passover and the Hallel may be ...
Episode 56: With love and thanks
How many psalms begin with a personal declaration of love for God? Just one: Psalm 116. The psalmist was in dire distress, cried out for mercy, and was rescued by God....
Episode 57: Blessed to be a blessing
Psalm 119, which comes right after the Hallel, is the longest chapter in the Bible. Psalm 117, which comes just before the final psalm in the Hallel, is the shortest, ...
Episode 58: The cornerstone
In the days just before his crucifixion, Jesus was publicly debating the Pharisees in the temple courts. He asked them if they had read the verse about the stone which...
Episode 59: A call to worship
On the one hand, Psalm 118 is a personal prayer of gratitude. On the other hand, it is also a summons to God’s people to join in praise and thanksgiving; the psalm con...
Episode 60: God is my refuge
We don’t know who wrote Psalm 118, but parts of it read as if written by a king. There is language reminiscent of battles between nations; there is language reminiscen...