Joe Ogilvie

The question asks,

Every Line is a comfort. The Lord is my shepherd My Lord and I have a lasting, intimate relationship

In Psalm 131 David states that he has "quieted his 'inner person' before the Lord" by resolving to not concern himself with "great matters" or "things too wonderful for me". In Philippians 4:12 Paul states this concept as, "I have learned to secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." In Matthew 18:4, Christ says, ".... whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Accepting God's teaching and will humbly and as child before Him is repeated again and again in various forms throughout the scriptures. I must admit to have some reservations when those scriptures are applied in such a manner as to impede human development and thought, or worse, as a tool to justify oppression or enslavement of others, whether individuals or whole peoples. Applying those statements as one who stands before God is one thing, applying them to one who stands before "his betters" is inexcusable. The elements mentioned in the Psalm by David compare himself to a "weaned child" who no longer has a constant need to be fed by its mother. I am bothered by that statement in that, while humble contentment in the Lord is one thing; to eschew all desire for understanding and knowledge by abandoning intellectual curiosity or desire for a deeper relationship with God is not acceptable. That is an act of waste and unforgiveable dismissal of God's gifts and capabilities that renders an individual as an incomplete worshiper and follower of God. I recognize that my response is not in the spirit of the question, but I feel so strongly about those who would use such statements from the scriptures as tools to intimidate, browbeat, threaten, or oppress others that I simply cannot speak otherwise. Ignorance in the Lord is not necessarily bliss. In Matthew 5:17-18 Christ tells us "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." This is a statement that requires our study, understanding and acceptance not only of the Law and the Prophets but of Christ and His message and mission. That cannot be accomplished by mistaking ignorance for humbleness before the Lord.

Psalm 121 reads very much like a farewell blessing such as Numbers 6:24-26:

Psalm 91 promises the protection of God in times of danger in much the same way as God promised protection to the children of Israel prior to the Exodus, (Exodus 7: 1-5) The words are different;

The images by Psalm 61 are clearly important to understanding the message of the Psalm. The first is that of a

How would I word it? I would say things such as,

Old Testament Faith, as defined by the Zondervan Pictoral Bible Dictionary,

Having been told all my life that God loves me, I

Psalm 98 is a song of deliverance. It

By offering praise in connection with lamentations of overwhelming problems we weak humans simply respond to the invitations God has given us. A case in point is Psalm 8 verse 2, where the Psalmist says;

Psalm 69 reflects feelings of great anguish, of persecution, and overwhelming troubles. The question implies that these feelings come from retributions experienced following David

The directions given in Psalm 95 are not simply to

What does this Psalm teach us about praise? It teaches that praise of God should be exuberant, without timid simpering, and passionate. That it should recognize his attributes of power, greatness and majesty, and that it should be heard.Where should praise occur? The psalm says

The apparent appeal of this psalm is the ideal of total peace and love between brothers (and sisters) in Gods