The Bible Bloke

The first Psalm ends with a categorical statement: Defy God and “perish.” Yet here, the Nations seek to do just that. It is clear from the outset that the Psalmist does not understand the rage of the nations. Why? The gravity of the question is important. Why do you question God? Let’s take a moment to understand the position of the Psalmist. If we are to understand it is Kind David who is speaking here, then his question resonates all the more as he is in a position to understand the weight and role of kingship. Without The Lord he, David, would not be king. Everything he has is the result of the actions of God. His relationship with God, his heart, his thoughts, his frustrations, his prayers are on the page for us to read, so that we may feel a deep empathy for this man, who came from such humble beginnings. It is no wonder then that the question has extra weight. Why? It is asked by a king who understands the full weight of earthly sovereignty, a king who had rivals who wanted to ...

Hot on the heels of Psalm 1, with the chaff hardly having settled, and the fate of the wicked stated plainly with the use of the word “perish,” the focus of Psalm 2 shifts from the condition of the individual to that of the national and perhaps even the global situation. The word used for “nations” is goy. The meaning here is “a troop of animals” or “a flight of locusts.” In considering the word in this context I for one am reminded of the plagues of Egypt, firstly because what we have is a challenge against God’s authority, His Sovereignty, which is the crux of the confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses. God wins by such a display of power that nothing Pharaoh does or indeed can do has any hope of success. Of course not, he has set himself against the Creator, against God Almighty. The nations in Psalm 2 are in a very similar position. Set against the Sovereignty of God it’s hardly a surprise that their efforts are “vain.” At the end of Psalm 1 there is a solid atmosphere of judgm...

Charles Wesley wrote: “Thy faithfulness, Lord, each moment we find, So true to Thy word, so loving and kind; Thy mercy so tender to all the lost race, The vilest offender may turn and find grace.”  I have been struck this week by the faithfulness of God. Even though I may wobble in my orbit, He is there to make any correction necessary. To keep me turning around His axis. When we are on our own we are lost, we have no direction do we? Every sideways glance is a slight against us. At least that’s how we might perceive it. But it’s not. Not when God is in charge. And it’s never too late to look for that course correction! “The vilest offender may turn and find grace.” I am reminded here of the story of Nicky Cruz, who came to Christ from the worst situation. He was a murderer, a drug taker, a gang leader, his mother and father were Satanists. And yet The Lord embraced him, showing Love and Grace. God’s great mercy was the catalyst that took Nicky Cruz from the very gates...