Category: FiGS

Psalm 91: Trusting God’s protection

God saves those who trust him.

Psalm 91 is a psalm of trust. There’s only half a dozen of these, and all the others in Books 1 and 2 (Psalms 11, 16, 23, 62, 63).

Now David is no longer teaching his people to pray, “The Lord is my shepherd.” David is gone, leaving them under foreign powers (Psalm 89). Moses prays the Lord to take pity on his people (Psalm 90). Psalm 91 affirms they are still in God’s care. Even without David’s reign, the Lord reigns (Psalms 93:1; 95:3; 96:10; 97:1; 98:6; 99:1). They’re still a flock shepherded by the Lord (95:7; 100:3). That’s the context of this psalm of trust.

Psalm 91:1-2 (NIV)
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

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Psalm 89: The Lord’s reign through David has died

The final psalm in Book 3 is the low point of the Psalter. Jerusalem has fallen. Judah is captive to Babylon. There is no longer any nation to show the nations the wonder of belonging to God. The kingdom of God and the reign of David no longer exist.

Psalm 89 is attributed to Ethan the Ezrahite, but we don’t know who he was. He speaks for a people grappling with contradictory realities: God is faithful, but we’re not experiencing it.

Psalm 89 takes us up to the heights, and down to the depths. In summary:

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Psalm 72: Prayer for the king

How does Israel’s prayer for their king (Psalm 72) relate to us today?

As we saw in Psalm 48, Israel prayed to and honoured the Great King who lived in the temple they provided for him in the capital. In Psalm 72, God’s people pray for the king who mediates God’s reign to his nation.

These were the two ways Israel experienced the reign of their heavenly sovereign:

  • the temple was God’s house, with his throne (the ark) in his private chamber;
  • the king was God’s viceregent, the living expression of heaven’s reign on earth.

In Psalm 72 (the final one of Book 2) the kingship transitions from David to his son, as his people pray for his reign to endure forever.

First we’ll see what this meant for Israel, so we can understand what it means for us.

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Psalm 48: The praise of Zion

What does “Zion” mean to you?

Psalm 48 is a song of praise, from the Korahites (Levites who assisted with worship). They celebrate Mount Zion, the hill in Jerusalem where God’s house was. We’ll begin by asking what this psalm meant to them, before we ask what it means for us.

For Israel

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Psalm 22: David’s “defeat”

Update 2024-08-09: Added podcast on Psalm 22.

We saw in Psalm 3 that “of David” refers to the Davidic kings who were God’s anointed throughout the generations (not just the individual from the tenth century BC). Now we’re ready to approach Psalm 22.

The opening words may sound familiar: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These were the words on Jesus’ lips at his crucifixion (Matthew 27:46 || Mark 15:34).

But before we ask why Jesus reused the opening words of Psalm 22, what did those words mean in their Old Testament setting?

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Psalm 3: David’s enemies

Why am I constantly confronted with David’s enemies in the Psalms? What relevance does that have for us?

Update 2024-08-09: Added podcast on Psalm 3.

The first thing you’ll notice about Psalm 3 is the comment before verse 1. This is the first psalm “of David.”

The first two psalms didn’t have a title like this. They set the foundation for the relationship between the Lord and his people. That relationship was established by the Law of the Lord (Psalm 1), and implemented in the reign of the Lord and his anointed (Psalm 2).

Now in Psalm 3, we turn to the Lord’s Anointed. All the remaining psalms in Book 1 are “of David,” with one exception (Psalm 33).

So, are you ready for the privilege of listening in on the king’s prayers?

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Psalm 2: The Lord’s reign

Update 2024-08-01: Added Podcast on Psalm 2.

Without Psalm 2, you’ll get bogged down when the Psalms talk about “enemies.” Book 1 talks about enemies and foes fifty times in 41 Psalms. Some people just skip these psalms, looking for something more joyful.

Psalm 2 is the missing piece of the puzzle. David’s enemies are God’s enemies. As the Lord’s anointed (verse 2), David represents God’s reign on earth. So, any enemy of David is an enemy of the one who appointed him.

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The story of the Psalms

Do you know the story that spans the five books of the Psalms?

Welcome to Psalms. This is an amazing book that feels so relevant. When you’re joyful, sing Hallelujah psalms. When life is terrible, use a lament Psalm to express your anguish to God. The Psalms shine God’s light into every facet of our existence.

Do you have some favourite Psalms? Which ones do you turn to most often?

In the coming weeks, we’ll take you through 12 of 150 psalms, sampling different kinds. Some taste like bitter tears; others like joyful praise. Psalms of trust taste like soft-centred chocolate, while wisdom psalms are more like a nougat that takes time to chew.

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Formed in God’s Story: Psalms

Twelve Psalms in six weeks.

Update 2024-09-12: All notes and podcasts are now linked.

Interested in the Psalms? Do you know what they meant to Israel as their story unfolded in the five books of the Psalms? Why was David so central? Does that have anything to do with Jesus? What do the Psalms mean to us?

We’ll take two Psalms each week for six weeks, selecting different genres from across the five books within the Psalms, so that you’ll know how to treat the Psalms well.

We’ll add notes and podcasts here each week. We’re meeting on Wednesday evenings (7–9 pm) from 31 July to 11 September 2024 (except 14 August):

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Formed in God’s Story: Acts

Notes and podcasts on the Book of Acts

Updated 2024-06-20: Final notes and podcasts added.

Interested in a 7-week journey through Acts?

Each Wednesday evening we cover 2 chapters, take a coffee break, and then the next 2 chapters. At four chapters each week, we cover the 28 chapters in seven weeks.

The full notes for Acts 1-28 are here (PDF, 17MB). Alternatively, you can download the podcasts and notes for each week:

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Formed in God’s Story: Old Testament Prophets

Here are the notes and podcasts you need to understand the setting of the Old Testament prophets: Isaiah – Malachi.

[Update 2024-03-21: Full notes and final podcasts added]

The Old Testament concludes with the major and minor prophets. Do you know how each of these books fits into the Bible’s story? I mean, if we don’t know the situation they were addressing, it’s hard to make sense of what God was saying through them.

Here’s your opportunity to put the Prophets in perspective. Over the next six weeks, we’ll provide you with notes and a podcast covering the background of each one so you can read them for yourself.

You can download the full set of notes (60-page PDF), or the weekly notes for the six-week course (held Feb/Mar 2024), with two podcasts each week:

Notes will be available ahead of time, and the podcasts afterwards. The sessions are at Riverview Church in Perth Western Australia on Wednesday evenings.

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Formed in God’s Story: Matthew 15–28

Free course in Matthew’s Gospel, with notes and podcasts

Update 2023-11-18: Notes and podcasts added.

The second half of Matthews’ Gospel resumes over seven Wednesdays from 18 October 2023 (7–9 pm) at Riverview Church (Perth, Western Australia).

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Formed in God’s story: Leviticus – Joshua

This is part 3 of a survey of the Torah and historical books, looking at how we are Formed in God’s Story: Genesis–Esther.

We saw that all people belong to God, but in response to the nations going their own way God promised his own nation to show what they’re missing (Genesis).

We saw God freeing Jacob’s descendants from bondage to human rule, forming them into a nation under his leadership through the Sinai covenant (Exodus).

This third part describes life in the kingdom led by the Lord:

  • How were the people to live as a nation that honours its sovereign? Leviticus answers the holiness question.
  • What if his people don’t follow him? Won’t that wreck God’s plans? Numbers addresses the faithlessness question.
  • What about the next generation? Deuteronomy deals with the generational issue.
  • What about the nations that already occupied the land God promised them? Joshua confronts the territorial issue.

So, here are the notes for part 3, covering these four books:

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Formed in God’s story: Exodus

[Updated 2023-05-05: Podcasts added]

God desires to rescue his earthly realm from the powers that oppress us because of lust for power. Pharaoh is the example in Exodus. God saves the descendants of Jacob, forming them in a nation to show the other nations what God intends for us all: how it works when we live under his wise and caring leadership.

But not long after his people agreed to live in covenant relationship with their heavenly sovereign, the whole relationship was compromised by their unfaithfulness. That’s when they discovered the faithfulness of God: his persistent, caring, uncompromising faithfulness kept on rescuing them.

Eventually they provided the holy space for God to live among them and lead them. The final chapter of Exodus celebrates God’s glorious presence as he leads the people who recognize his kingship.

It’s how the world should always have been: God living among us and leading us.

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Formed in God’s story (Genesis – Esther)

[Updated: Notes and podcasts added.]

How well could you explain the big arc of the Bible’s narrative? Could you piece together the Old Testament story from its creative beginning in Genesis to the postexilic Persian pressure of Esther’s time?

I’m preparing a sweeping 6-week overview of the Torah and historical books, and you’re invited. If you’re in Perth Western Australia, let’s get together. If not, you can still download the notes each week to catch the wind of what God is doing.

Formed in God’s Story: Genesis to Esther covers the 17 foundational books that provide context for the Psalms and Prophets. This is the backstory for Jesus’ mission (Matthew – John), our mission (Acts – Jude), and the restoration of all things (Revelation).

This is God’s story, but we’re not merely binge watching it. We’re living in it. We’re being formed in God’s story.

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