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CloseLast week, in Psalm 1, we joined with God’s people in seeing where the good life lay, what the good life is! This week, in Psalm 2, we have the second part of the introduction to the book of Psalms – ‘Where is our God?’ The twin pillars of God’s people were God’s word and God’s rule (God’s king). With God’s word (his ‘torah’) the soil of the good life, Psalm 2 reminds God’s people that their God remains in control: his king is enthroned, and they have nothing to fear. And just as Jesus IS Psalm 1, so too he IS Psalm 2: Jesus is the king that God promised – for his people and this world. Their hope is answered in him. Our fear is dealt with by his rule. We can join in singing Psalm 2.
Scripture References: Psalms 2:1-12, Matthew 17:1-8, 2 Samuel 7:10-17
Related Topics: Psalms, Trust | More Messages from Bernard Gabbott | Download Audio
Isaiah 11 - Will we trust God with our lives | John Chapman | Thursday, 2 January 1997 | Listen | ||
Isaiah 01-06 - In whom will we place our trust | John Chapman | Wednesday, 1 January 1997 | Listen | ||
Evangelism 5 - Personal Evangelism | John Chapman | Tuesday, 5 January 1982 | Listen | ||
Evangelism 4 - Gods place in evangelism | John Chapman | Monday, 4 January 1982 | Listen | ||
Evangelism 3 - How will you evaluate your evangelism | John Chapman | Sunday, 3 January 1982 | Listen | ||
Evangelism 2 - What is the role of minister, congregation and evangelism? | John Chapman | Saturday, 2 January 1982 | Listen | ||
Evangelism 1 - What is the Gospel? | John Chapman | Friday, 1 January 1982 | Listen |
We love a turning point. Whether it is a story or a football game. Hope dawning at the darkest time. Where is the great turning point in Esther? It could be our memory verse, when Esther is persuaded by Mordecai to act to save her people. It could be when the king looks with favour upon Esther and holds out the golden scepter to her. It could be when Haman is forced to lead Mordecai through the city mounted on the king’s horse and proclaims that he is the man the king delights to honour. They are major events in the story of Esther. They are turning points of a sort. But the writer of Esther points us to another event. That looks so trivial.
Esther is such an exciting story! There are evil plots. There are interesting yet flawed characters. There is risk and sacrifice. There is heroism and villainy. Today, we are introduced to the villain of the plot, and what an evil scheming villain he is! He spins lies and concocts murderous plans to do away with the Jews, God’s covenant people. How will the people respond? Will he get away with his evil plan? Will God, who is not mentioned at all, intervene to protect His people, to live up to the promises He made to Abraham, the people at Mt Sinai, and to David?
There is so much that sounds familiar in these first two chapters of Esther: the world is dominated by loud and brash and imposing and degraded power, the people of God are small and struggling and faced with ambiguous decisions and actions and God seems so far away he is almost absent (at least to our minds and hearts). As we read this book, we will need God’s revelation to help us navigate its strangeness, its ambiguity, and its confrontational narrative. In this, we have the key to the book—the lack of God’s name in letters does not mean the lack of God’s presence.
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