“God” or YOUR God?

Posted on 2014/03/25 by Shawn Thomas

David begins the prayer of Psalm 7:1 by saying, “LORD my God …”. In Hebrew this is literally, “Yahweh Elohe”. “Yahweh Elohim” is a familiar Old Testament expression for God: “Yahweh” is His personal name (often translated “LORD” but is the “I AM” personal, covenant name which God gave Moses and used throughout the Old Testament), and “Elohim” means “God.”

But it is significant that David does not use the term “Yahweh Elohim”, but “Yahweh Elohe” — this variation on the ending of “Elohim” means “MY God.” While ostensibly a small change, it has huge implications.

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The Leadership We Deserve (3-24-13)

Posted on 2014/03/24 by Shawn Thomas

In II Samuel 24:1 it says “The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.'” This decision by King David led to punishment by God upon the people. There are many questions, perhaps rightly so, about this episode, but what should be instructive to us presently is that this verse attributes the cause of David’s decision to GOD, who incited him to do what he did regarding the census. God was angry with the people, so He sought an occasion for David to make a poor decision, which would bring punishment upon them.

Among other things, this reflects again upon the concept that people generally get the kind of leadership they deserve. (See previous devotions on Psalm 125:3 here, and I Samuel 12:14 here)

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Holy Gratitude

Posted on 2014/03/21 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 6:8 David says: “Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, for Yahweh has heard the voice of my weeping.” It is interesting (and instructive for us) that David’s response to the fact that God heard his prayer was a call for the workers of iniquity to depart from him. When we have seen God work, holiness should be our response. Unfortunately this is not always the case.

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“Because”

Posted on 2014/03/20 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 6:2 says, “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.” There is a key word in this verse which may help explain many of the difficult things we face:

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Your Praise: Better Dead or Alive?

Posted on 2014/03/19 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 6:5 David protests to God: “For there is no mention of you in death; in Sheol who will give You thanks?” He is objecting to his potential death, saying in effect, what good would that do? One might submit that there IS remembrance and praise of God after death — we will worship Him in heaven forever! But perhaps David’s point here is that God would not be praised by him PUBLICLY, where people could see and hear and benefit from the testimony of his praise. This serves to remind us that one of the functions of our praise and thanks here on earth is to witness to OTHERS how great our God is.

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Relationship With God 101

Posted on 2014/03/18 by Shawn Thomas

When David cried out to God in Psalm 6:2, he demonstrated for us the most basic nature of a person’s relationship with God: “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.” In Hebrew it is literally: “Show me favor YHWH, because frail/feeble I. Heal me, YHWH, because they are disturbed/dismayed/terrified my bones.”

While this is in a sense a very simple verse, we find it some of the most basic theology of our relationship with God:

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“The Morning Watch” (Psalm 5:3 Sermon)

Posted on 2014/03/17 by Shawn Thomas

One of the best articles I have ever read is “The Tyranny of the Urgent” by Charles Hummel. In it he writes that many people often wish for a 30-hour day, so they could get more done. But Hummel says if we had it, we would soon be filling it up with more of the things with which we are already squandering our present 24-hour day! His solution? Do what Jesus did, and get up and spend time with the Heavenly Father to begin the day. Get HIS direction and priorities for the day, and then follow that. But the whole plan hinges on getting up and spending time with God first thing in the morning.

This morning we talked about how important it is, in “the times that try our souls”, to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord. One of the most important habits we can establish which can help us do that is to begin every day by walking with God in His word & prayer. I want us to turn tonight to a passage of scripture in which David models for us a commitment to walk with God in the morning, Psalm 5:

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The Times That Try Our Souls (Psalm 11 Sermon)

Posted on 2014/03/17 by Shawn Thomas

In 1776 Thomas Paine wrote, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” These words were written in a pamphlet entitled: “The American Crisis” — and America was indeed in a time of crisis which would determine our future for generations to come. I believe those words “These are the times that try men’s souls” could be applied to our country again today, for our nation is again engulfed in a crisis — perhaps not as overtly as during the war for independence from England, but one which is being waged for the heart and soul of our nation. From all outward appearances, it looks like the battle is being lost, on multiple fronts. Many of us might also say that we personally are in “times which are trying our souls.” How should God’s people respond in such times? Continue reading →

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The Merit of Another

Posted on 2014/03/17 by Shawn Thomas

In II Samuel 19:31-38 we find the seldom-told story of Barzillai and Chimham, which serves as another Biblical example of favor to one on the basis of the merit of another:

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Rescued From Darkness

Posted on 2014/03/14 by Shawn Thomas

Colossians 1:13 calls God the One “Who rescued us from the domain of darkness …” (NASB). This verse teaches us that when we were lost, we were under the “domain” — the Greek word is “exousia”: the authority, the jurisdiction, the power — of darkness. Continue reading →

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