Parable means “to throw alongside,” where we use concrete examples to illuminate abstract truth. Psalm 78 must be Asaph’s magnum opus, containing 76 verses. Why so long? For the same reason Mephibosheth lived the longest life and Jeremiah wrote the longest book. They are expressions of the longsuffering grace of God. It is a Maschil psalm, meaning it is […]
JESUS is “THIS MAN.” The officers sent to arrest Jesus said, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (Jn 7:46). The crowd observed, “All the things that John spoke about this Man were true” (Jn 10:41). The Jews marvelled, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?” (Mt 13:54). In one of […]
“Let the proud be ashamed, for they treated me wrongfully with falsehood; but I will meditate on Your precepts. Let those who fear You turn to me, those who know Your testimonies” (Ps 119:78-79). Two groups of people interacted with David: the proud — those seriously impressed with themselves; and the reverential — those seriously […]
“Jesus said, Take away the stone” (Jn 11:39). Sister Abigail tells the story of a girl she met called Annie. She had been treated roughly by her mother and, as a result, her spine was damaged and she was invalided. As she grew, she despised her mother for the damage she had done. Abigail took […]
When your present is unstable and your future unclear, take a quick visit to the past and remember. We all pass through rough times, some more than others. Storms can be very disorienting. In Psalm 77, Asaph explains how he regained his equilibrium after being battered by the winds and waves of trouble. The psalm […]
CHRIST the BELIEVER’S PROSPECT: “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 Jn 3:3). Evangelist T.D.W. Muir, in sharing this bright and certain hope, tied together the following verses. Our hope includes being “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the […]
“I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps 4:8). The human ear controls not only hearing but balance, and those who have suffered from vertigo know it only too well. But did you know that the eyes control more than sight? After passing […]
I came across a website where a questioner asks: “Can anyone share some [illustrations] that they feel are sound theologically but are very gospel-centered?” One responder wrote: “The one that comes to mind is a grave representing spiritual deadness, and that person cannot give birth to themselves.…The person should then ask, ‘Then it’s impossible, isn’t […]
CHRIST IS NOT FAR: “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach)” (Rom 10:8), “so that they should seek the Lord,…and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). T.D.W. Muir, as soon as he was […]