Today’s readings are Psalms 59, 63, and 64, read by Brandon Reagor, Lead Pastor at Mountain Bible Church. Brandon is reading from Christian Standard Bible published by Holman Bible Publishers.
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Today’s readings are Psalms 56, 57, 58, and 60, read by Jannah Vander Houwen, Ministry Assistant and Ladies Ministry Director at Mountain Bible Church. Jannah is reading from Robert Alter’s translation of the Psalms published by W. W. Norton & Co.
Today’s readings are Psalms 52-55, read by Kimberly Reagor, the Next Gen Director at Mountain Bible Church. Kimberly is reading from the Christian Standard Bible published by Holman Bible Publishers.
Today’s readings are Psalms 50-51, read by Brandon Reagor, Lead Pastor at Mountain Bible Church. Brandon is reading from Christian Standard Bible published by Holman Bible Publishers.
Today’s readings are Psalms 47-49, read by Kyle Mallard, Associate Pastor at Mountain Bible Church. Kyle is reading from the English Standard Version published by Crossway.
Today’s readings are Psalms 45-46, read by Kyle Mallard, Associate Pastor at Mountain Bible Church. Kyle is reading from the English Standard Version published by Crossway.
Today’s readings are Psalms 42-44, read by Brandon Reagor, Lead Pastor at Mountain Bible Church. Brandon is reading from Christian Standard Bible published by Holman Bible Publishers, with some words or phrases based on his own translation of the Hebrew.
As the biblical psalms teach us to pray, they also train our imaginations to see God’s story at work in the world. This story is presented to us in the Psalter through poetry, not narrative. Such poetry enables a kind of imaginative seeing that can be more powerful and immersive than other forms of storytelling. For instance, consider the ways that Exodus 14 and Exodus 15 each recount the same event, the crossing of the Red Sea. Exodus 14 tells the story in narrative fashion while Exodus 15 retells the same story through song. Both versions of the story are important and helpful, but the poetry of Exodus 15 leads readers to imagine the scene in a way that captures the mind, heart, and emotions. This poetic retelling is ultimately meant to lead readers into a state of praise to the Lord for his powerful act of deliverance:
Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted; he has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. (Ex 15:21) It is easier to follow the story that each psalm tells when we understand the broader structure into which each psalm fits. Remember, the Psalter that we have in our Bibles today is a collection of songs, poems, prayers, etc. carefully edited and organized for liturgical worship. This structure organizes the collection into five books which each emphasize particular theological themes and are meant to evoke a certain response in God’s people. These themes are intertwined and recur throughout the entire Psalter, but knowing the main themes in each book of psalms helps us to pay better attention to these these themes in the individual psalms and how these themes contribute to the grand story that the Psalms are telling. Ultimately, this story is about how God as King of the Universe is leading his royal representatives on earth (humans) to follow the wisdom he offers through his instructions (Torah) and set their hope on God’s final and ultimate deliverance that will set the world right once and for all. The Psalter tells this story by capturing our imaginations with visions of God’s glory, illustrations of the the blessedness of living life under God’s reign, warnings of the self-destruction that comes with rejecting God’s kingship, and dramatic pictures of the age to come when God brings ultimate rescue and deliverance to his people. In our sixty day journey through reading and praying the Psalms, we have now come to the second book of the Psalter. The first two books of the Psalms are mostly Davidic psalms, either written by David or inspired by him. This section of the Psalter ends with a reminder that these psalms have emphasized God’s covenant with the royal line of King David: “The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.” (72:20) You have probably already noticed that many of these psalms have biographical headings that frame the psalm within the context of David’s life. You can find these headings in Book Two especially in Psalms 51-72. This literary emphasis on David’s kingship points to a grander theological emphasis on God’s kingship. God is presented as faithful to his chosen king, even in that king’s moments of distress. And it also clear that the king’s authority is a stewarded authority. The king is meant to be a royal representative of God on earth, living in integrity and exercising faithfulness to God’s instructions. This royal representation was, of course, God’s intention for all humans from the beginning, to be image-bearers of the divine king on earth. Just as the first humans failed in their high calling, so does the ideal king of Israel (see David’s confession in Psalm 51). However, this failure of human kings (and humans in general) does not deter God’s steadfast love or his faithfulness to his promises. These psalms anticipate a king that will come who will enact God’s justice on earth and who will be vindicated from humanity’s greatest enemy, death. This King will bring deliverance to the oppressed, establish righteousness on earth, and inaugurate an eternal rule over all nations (see e.g. Psalm 72). As you read and pray through this collection of psalms, consider how Jesus has inaugurated God’s kingdom on earth. Even amidst the injustice and suffering of life in an old creation that is passing away, how is the work of Jesus good news for those who put their trust in the Lord? How can we daily run to the help of God as the psalmists model in this collection (e.g., 46:1-3)? - Pastor Brandon
Today’s readings are Psalms 40, 39, and 41, read by Brandon Reagor, Lead Pastor at Mountain Bible Church, Brandon is reading Psalm 40 from Eugene Peterson’s The Message published by NavPress. Psalms 39 and 41 are read from the Christian Standard Bible published by Holman Bible Publishers.
Today’s reading is Psalm 37, read by Kyle Mallard, Associate Pastor at Mountain Bible Church. Kyle is reading from the English Standard Version published by Crossway.
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