Psalms Blog

This blog is authored by Garth, a retired pastor of our church. He started the blog while still working and produced blogs for Psalms 1 thru 79. He has volunteered to continue providing (try) weekly blogs on the Psalms as his time allows. We accept, with sincere thanks, his contribution of these writings to our website. Here is his introduction, from September 8, 2021, to this series of blogs on the psalms. Psalms

The whole series can be found in the Blog Archive, under the Blogs tab on the main menu above.

October 9th

Psalm 121

It is one of the most dramatic stories in the OT.

Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the one who troubles Israel?”

October 2nd

Psalm 120

SONGS OF ASCENTS

Psalms 120-134 are known as ‘Songs of Ascents’, that is, songs for the way up to Jerusalem. They were songs sung by pilgrims as they travelled to Jerusalem (which lies about 2300 feet above sea-level) in order to attend one of the Covenant festivals. It is a kind of book of devotions for those ‘on the way’ to worship and give thanks to Yahweh, the Covenant God.

September 25th

Psalm 119 (3)

‘THE INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE OF THE GUILTY’

“Self-justification is the most prevalent source of error.” (theologian H. Richard Niebuhr).

What does it mean? Why does it matter? “Self-justification” is making the case for yourself, for your importance, worthiness, your value.

We get caught up in our own self-justifications. It happens in personal relationships, often with those closest to us. We try to make our own case . . . .

September 17th

Psalm 119 (2)

Jonathan Haidt is an American scholar who has recently written a book that is getting a lot of attention. It is called The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. The book takes dead aim at a generation who has been influenced and shaped by the advent of the smart phone which really took off in 2012.*