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All posts by Randall Johnson
To You I Lift My Eyes – Psalm 123
In Psalm 120 the pilgrim lifted up his eyes to the hills of Jerusalem, an indirect way of saying he was looking to Yahweh. But here, he speaks more directly, looking to Yahweh whose throne, represented
Continue reading...Let’s Go to the House of Yahweh – Psalm 122
Did David write this psalm? Remember that the temple was not built by David but by his son Solomon. However, it was still normal to speak of the place where the tabernacle was as the house of Yahweh.
Continue reading...I Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills – Psalm 121
As to the hills the psalmist is lifting his eyes towards, the commentators are united: The hills are those on which Jerusalem is built….This gaze of hope does not absolutely decide the standpoint
Continue reading...Deceitful Tongues – Psalm 120
A song of ascents is one sung by pilgrims on their way up (ascending, literally) to Jerusalem for one of the festivals of Yahweh, whether Passover, Weeks or Tabernacles. But why this one about the problem
Continue reading...I Have Gone Astray Like a Lost Sheep – Psalm 119:169-176
The one who knows Yahweh, who loves Yahweh’s law, is not incapable of straying from Yahweh. The psalmist confesses that this is his experience, that he has left Yahweh’s precepts. But it
Continue reading...Great Peace Have Those Who Love Your Law – Psalm 119:161-168
Where does peace come from in the midst of persecution and injustice? It comes from knowing that my reward is certain because of my love for God’s law. It comes from knowing that justice will
Continue reading...I Look at the Faithless With Disgust – Psalm 119:153-160
The psalmist declares that he looks on the faithless, the wicked, with disgust. Is this permission to hate unbelievers? Should we avoid them at all costs? Should we condemn them publicly for their
Continue reading...I Rise Before Dawn – Psalm 119:145-152
I like how, on search functions, they often include questions. For example, “What does 24/7 support really mean?” and the answer searched is, “In an IT context, 24/7 support means a support
Continue reading...I Am Small and Despised – Psalm 119:137-144
TinyBuddha.com has an inspiring story of a Laotian who survived the Vietnam war and became a refugee in Thailand, feeling very small but knowing this was not where she was meant to be. She gives several
Continue reading...Your Way With Those Who Love Your Name – Psalm 119:129-136
“And lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one.” Pe Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts
Continue reading...Give Your Servant a Pledge of Good – Psalm 119:121-128
The yearning for a promise that our future will be good is at the heart of the book of Ecclesiastes, and the Preacher’s perspective is that there is no such promise, that there is no way to guarantee
Continue reading...Hold Me Up – Psalm 119:113-120
Gordon Mote, blind composer and pianist, has a lovely song, Hold Me Up, a modern day psalm that paraphrases this portion of Psalm 119. Samekh I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. You
Continue reading...Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet – Psalm 119:105-112
A taste of some classic commentary on this passage: Matthew Henry: The word of God directs us in our work and way, and a dark place indeed the world would be without it. The commandment is a lamp kept
Continue reading...Your Commandment Makes Me Wiser – Psalm 119:97-104
There are personal benefits to knowing God’s Word. Mem Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I
Continue reading...A Limit to All Perfection – Psalm 119:89-96
It is the yearning of the human heart…perfection. How can we make our marriage perfect? How can we make our government perfect? How can we make our community perfect? How can we make ourselves
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