A Song of Praise “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalms 145:8-9). By Len Griehs Psalm 145 is solely designated in the text as “David’s song of praise.” However, the remainder, 146-150, might be so classified as well, each beginning with the translated word, “Hallelujah!” or “Praise Ye Jehovah” (RVIC). This provides inspiration for reading them together as […]
Thanks Under Duress “Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Jeremiah 33:11, scriptures from Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted). By Jeff Earl Jeremiah chapter 32 describes the siege of Jerusalem by the army of Babylon and Jeremiah’s prophecy that the city would be taken, and King Zedekiah captured and taken to Babylon. Jeremiah was directed by God to buy the field at Anathoth from his cousin, with the deed of […]
A Song of Thanksgiving “What shall I render unto Jehovah for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of Jehovah” (Psalms 116:12-13, scriptures from RVIC, unless otherwise noted). By Keith Belhumeur The 116th Psalm is a love song of thanksgiving and praise to Jehovah for deliverance from a personal life and death situation, most likely experienced by King David himself. It is one of the Egyptian Hallel Psalms (Psalms 113-118) which came […]
Cause For Gratitude “Be thankful, whatever the circumstances may be. If you follow this advice you will be working out the will of God expressed to you in Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, scriptures from J.B. Phillips translation unless otherwise noted). By Ninan Andrews Worldly people may attribute favorable events to good luck, but a consecrated student of the Bible knows differently (Matthew 5:45). For them, they become a time for gratitude (Acts 14:17, Psalm 116:12-14). Pastor Russell writes, “If the goodness […]
No Graven Image “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, nor any likeness of any thing that isin heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth”(Exodus 20:4). By Micah Hess The second commandment builds upon the principle in the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The ban on crafting graven images includes not only the things in the earth, but also extends upward to the heavens, […]