The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV) describes this Psalm as “an aged worshipper’s prayer for deliverance from personal enemies”. As someone who is rapidly approaching the validity of the description “aged worshipper” (although maybe not as a “cause of wonder”!) perhaps I can resonate with the pleas for God not to “desert me or leave […]
Daily Devotion 3rd November 2018
David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim. They carried the ark of […]
Daily Devotion 2nd November
Anointed by the prophet Samuel when called from tending his father’s flocks (1 Sam 16), David proved himself as a leader in battles and in respect for God. So the elders of all the tribes at last recognised that the Lord had said David would shepherd his people and become their ruler. This Lord is […]
Daily Devotion 1st November 2018 All Saints’ Day
For all the saints, who from their labours rest,Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.Alleluia, Alleluia! 2. Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.Alleluia, Alleluia! 3. For the Apostles’ glorious […]
Daily Devotion 31st October 2018
David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said: our glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places! How the mighty have fallen!Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not […]
Daily Devotion 30th October 2018
Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard upon Saul; the archers found him, and he was badly […]
Daily Devotion 29th October 2018
When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, ‘David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.’ Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to look for David and his men in the direction of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheepfolds beside the road, […]
Daily Devotions 27th October 2018
Saul heard that David and those who were with him had been located. Saul was sitting at Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the height, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. Saul said to his servants who stood around him, ‘Hear now, you Benjaminites; will the son […]
Daily Devotion 26th October 2018
David rose and fled that day from Saul; he went to King Achish of Gath. The servants of Achish said to him, ‘Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands”?’ David took […]
Daily Devotion 25th October 2018
David came to Nob to the priest Ahimelech. Ahimelech came trembling to meet David, and said to him, ‘Why are you alone, and no one with you?’ David said to the priest Ahimelech, ‘The king has charged me with a matter, and said to me, “No one must know anything of the matter about which […]