Nathan Whitley's Blog, page 7

Daily Readings in the Bible Psalms 126-132

The Christian life consists of ups and downs, and highs and lows. There are times of joy and weeping. Unfortunately, this reality gets neglected in most evangelistic campaigns. The gospel can change your life, but it isn’t a vaccine for life’s disappointments. Rather, the gospel is the antidote to issues and tribulations. In other words, the gospel changes your perspective, but it doesn’t necessarily immunize you from afflictions. 

Psalm 126 gives us a glimpse into the Christian life. It begins ...

Daily Readings in the Bible Psalms 120-125

Psalm 120 marks the beginning of a group of psalms known as the Psalms of Ascent or Psalms of Degree (Ps. 120-134). These songs were sung by Israelite pilgrims as they journeyed up the hill of Jerusalem to celebrate holidays such as the Feast of Booths, Festival of Weeks, and the Passover. Jerusalem, also known as Mount Zion and the City of David, was the place that God had chosen to put His name (2 Kings 23:27).

In the Old Testament, the first mention of Jerusalem is in reference Melchizedek, k...

Daily Readings in the Bible Psalm 119

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses. This lengthy psalm has one subject: the Word of God. The writer of this amazing psalm was saturated with his subject. If this psalmist was indeed King David, we can understand why he was a man after God’s own heart. For David’s heart delighted in God’s Word. The Scripture, to this writer, was no strange thing. The Word of God was considered great. The doctrines, laws and precepts were not considered to be alien.

There are at least si...

Daily Readings in the Bible Psalms 115-118

Genesis 1:26-27 indicates that God created humans to be His image bearers. Unfortunately, sin ruined humanity’s ability to fully bear the image of God. Sin caused true worship to become distorted. In other words, man began to worship creation more than the Creator (Rom. 1:21-25). Not only did humanity began to worship creation, they began to create their own gods. This is why the Lord commanded Israel not to worship any other gods, whether it was creation or created idols: “Thou shalt have no ot...

Psalms 108-114

Charles Darwin had an exceptional ability to observe and study. During his maiden voyage to South America, he took a copious amount of notes concerning the wildlife he observed. His ability to discover, examine, and think led to the ideas that would shape the world of thinking and science for generations to come. When he returned to England five years later, his family had noticed a physical change in him. His whole manner was different – a seriousness of purpose and sharpness could be read in h...

Daily Readings in the Bible Psalms 106-107

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy” (Psalm 107:2). The Hebrew word for “redeemed” means to “buy back,” “deliver,” “save,” or “reclaim as one’s own.” This is the same word used when God delivered Israel from Egypt (Ex. 6:6). It’s the very word employed when someone redeemed a piece of land, or if a slave was set free (Lev. 25). And it was used in reference to Boaz when he redeemed Ruth, as the kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 3:19-4:14). The theme of rede...

Daily Readings in the Bible Psalm 103-105

There are times, as a pastor, that it can become a chore getting people to worship the Lord. Which, in all honesty, is tragic. I believe one reason people become apathetic towards worship is that they forget who God is. David wrote, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: And all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:1–2). Why is it difficult to keep people enthused about worship? They forget all of His benefits! We need to remind our ...

Psalms 96-102

Psalms 96 is in the middle of a series of psalms that celebrate the worship God (Ps. 93-99). The psalm includes imperatives like “sing,” “declare,” and “give.” Worship involves using your emotions and opening your mouth. Whether you can hold a tune or not, it’s important to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, for He is worthy of such adoration.

The psalmist adds, “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Fear before him, all the earth” (Psalm 96:9). Surely the psalmist is invoking Temple ima...

Daily Readings in the Bible Psalms 90-95

There’s a difference between being a visitor and being an inhabitant. One only visits a place every once in awhile. The other lives at a particular place for a prolonged period of time. When it comes to the secret place of God, are you an inhabitant or merely a visitor? Because in order for you to claim the promises of Psalm 91, then you must be an inhabitant of God’s presence. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…Because thou hast m...

Daily Readings in the Bible Psalms 86-89

There are times we just don’t know how to pray for a situation. The apostle Paul said the Holy Spirit can assist us in praying when we don’t know exactly how to pray for a situation: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with gleanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26).

Then there are simple prayers like we find in Psalm 86: “Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: un...