“The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2 ESV). David’s last words began with the assertion that the Spirit of the Lord had spoken by him. He had an awareness that the multitude of psalms he had written were really from God. They were not merely
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2 ESV). Psalm 121 is one of the fifteen “Psalms of Ascent,” so named because they were written to be sung by pilgrims traveling up to Jerusalem to worship
“Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25 ESV). John wrote his gospel account so that its readers might hear and believe. Yet he was aware that there
“Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.” (2 Samuel 18:23 ESV). “Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.” (John 20:4 ESV). In both the Old and New Testament readings today, men ran a race with urgent news tied to
“When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself” (2 Samuel 17:23 ESV). The story of David’s betrayal by Ahithophel foreshadows that of Jesus by Judas. Once a trusted counselor of King David, Ahithophel
“But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered” (2 Samuel 15:30 ESV). When David heard that his son Absalom sought to overthrow him as king, he fled from Jerusalem going East up the slope of the Mount of Olives. As he climbed
“Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’”(John 18:4 ESV). This moment in John 18 is stunning in its clarity and courage. Jesus is not caught off guard. He knows exactly what is about to unfold—the betrayal, the arrest, the denial, the trials, the
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 ESV). True peace is not found in a trouble-free place, but in an overcoming Person. This peace is not about the absence of trouble,
“But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’” (John 15:25 ESV). As Jesus prepared His disciples for the hatred they would face from the world, He pointed them to the Scriptures. He reminded them that the world’s rejection of Him was not a surprise, but