The Psalms

Psalms 3: 1-8

Dan

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom

3: 1-2 God! Look! Enemies past counting!

Enemies sprouting like mushrooms,

Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery:

“Hah! No help for him from God!”

3-4 But you, God, shield me on all sides;

You ground my feet, you lift my head high;

With all my might I shout up to God,

His answers thunder from the holy mountain.

5-6 I stretch myself out. I sleep.

Then I’m up again—rested, tall and steady,

Fearless before the enemy mobs

Coming at me from all sides.

7 Up, God! My God, help me!

Slap their faces,

First this cheek, then the other,

Your fist hard in their teeth!

8 Real help comes from God.

Your blessing clothes your people!

King David was the third king of the United Kingdom of Israel. In the Middle Ages, King David was the author of Psalms 1. Their words and illustrations were often linked to the story of David’s journey of redemption from shepherd and sinner to divinely chosen king.

Angels all Around Us

Dan

Pepper asked me a few weeks ago – “What exactly is an Angel?”  I did not have much of an answer. So, a few days ago I scribbled the word Angel on a blank page and started learning afresh. Here is a portion of what tumbled out of scripture. There will be more from me in other missives soon to be written on this topic. Read more →

God is Self Sufficient

Dan

It has been my observation while reading Psalms 50 that God is fully self-sufficient. He says – “I know every bird in the mountains, the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in the world” (Psalms 50:11-12). In this single observation a core truth of God quietly appears. Asaph is telling us that God is self-sufficient (self-contained, stand-alone, all-encompassing). The one true living God is contained within himself. All life is in God and from God, whether we are discussing the lowly simple prokaryotes, the light from the sun, or intelligent life force of an angel, everything emanates from God. This life that God has, was not given to him, it was not a gift to him, he did not take it from something else, it simply exists in Him always – period. If there was another being that granted the gift of life to the one true living God, or any other gift, then the other being that granted the gift to God would be superior to the one true living God. Our God would not be whom we think he is. Read more →

God Is Infinite

Dan

Some days, when I head out for my morning walkabout, I look north at the Catalina Mountains; I am reminded of Psalm 121 – “to whom do I look, where do I look, what will I see?”  In those hills I see and hear the voice of God who is talking to me. Of all the things that I have written about, His infinite nature is immensely challenging. Everything we know, feel, smell, see and imagine has limits and boundaries. I suspect the notion of infinite is a bit contradictory to the way that we process information. But try we must, for scriptures is noticeably clear that God is infinite. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (implied in Isaiah 55:9); God has no boundaries, no limits – Period. Read more →