For a full description of the (Y3) reading plan, see the “About” page.
- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Ps. 14
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There’s no God’…they do not call on the LORD.” (PS. 14:1a, 4c). If there are none who seek God, how are there any righteous for Him to be with? I think we find the answer in verse 7. “Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion!” Well, He did, and His name is Jesus. And He tells us in Luke 19:10 that He came to seek and to save the lost. So, in spite of the fact that we did not seek Him, God sought us. Leaving the big question to be, what did we do when He found us? Did we acknowledge Him as God and call on His name? Or were we fools.
Ps. 16
I see all kinds of references to Jesus in this Psalm. As poetic prophecy, however, they are far from crystal clear. Still, I see reference to Him as our priest in the mention of not pouring out the drink offerings of those who serve another god. Also I see reference to Him as our sacrifice in the statement, “LORD, you are my portion” (Ps. 16:5a). And I see reference of Him as our inheritance. It is because of Jesus that we dwell in the presence of God.
Ps. 19
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of His hands.” (Ps. 19:1). This verse took on a whole different meaning for me while reading through Brock and Bodie Thoene’s book series, “The A.D. Chronicles”. As the story in the books leads up to the birth of Jesus, there is a parallel story of the wise men who came to worship Him after His birth. Whoever these men were, it is clear that they studied the stars. Hence, when they saw the star of the Messiah, they came.
The Theone’s books are fascinating, as they show how the movements of the various constellations in the sky tell of Jesus’ arrival. While poking around this morning, I also found an interesting series of articles discussing the message and meaning of the constellations as a group. It is quite reasonable to me to think, especially given the names of the constellations, that God put those specific stars in place and tracks their paths to do exactly what this Psalm says – to declare His glory and the work of His hands. In other words, the stars, too, tell the story of God’s redemption plan for mankind. Pretty impressive.
Ps. 21
In this Psalm, David rejoiced in victory. He praised God for giving him his heart’s desire; the request of his lips. Though he then mentions his crown of gold, this isn’t what he declares as his heart’s desire. Instead he says, “He asked you for life, and you gave it to him – length of days forever and ever.” (Ps. 21:4). Life – the never ending presence of God. If we were wise, this would be the true desire of our hearts as well.