by Susan Barnes | 2 Oct 2023 | Bible Study
In the first three verses people are plotting evil against God and God’s response in v.4 is rather surprising. He laughs. I guess it is a bit like the parent who laughs when their four year old stamps their foot and says, I’m leaving home! The parent knows...
by Susan Barnes | 12 May 2020 | Devotions OT
“O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble. They have left the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.”...
by Susan Barnes | 7 Feb 2019 | Book Reviews
The subtitle for, War Psalms of the Prince of Peace, is Lessons from the Imprecatory Psalms. I found this a very helpful book as it looks at the book of Psalms in a new light. In fact, James Adams’ thoughts were so new to me, that I actually read the book a couple of...
by Susan Barnes | 14 Dec 2018 | Devotions OT
To the arrogant I say, “Boast no more,” and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horns. Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak so defiantly.” Psalm 75:4-5 God hates arrogance and defiant speech. Arrogance comes from pride and is a refusal to acknowledge...
by Susan Barnes | 7 Dec 2018 | Devotions OT
When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Psalm 73:16-17 So often we don’t understand God’s ways and it troubles us deeply. We see good people suffering and wicked people...
by Susan Barnes | 30 Nov 2018 | Devotions OT
May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him. Psalm 67:7 The psalmist asks for blessings so that people will come to know God. God’s blessings leads to repentance. “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and...
by Susan Barnes | 23 Nov 2018 | Devotions OT
But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down. Psalm 64:7 It’s interesting to consider some of the “suddenlies” in the Bible: “Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the...
by Susan Barnes | 16 Nov 2018 | Devotions OT
Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:2 In Jewish thinking, rock always means bedrock, every other kind of rock is a stone because it’s movable. An example of this can be seen when Jesus responds to his...