"King David," by Peter Paul Rubens, When God gives us responsibilities, He also provides power to help us fulfill them. That assurance returns time and time again in the last 50 psalms. Melchizedek received the eternal priesthood power of God (Psalm 110:4). Joseph became resilient through the trials he experienced (Psalm 105:17-18). And parents are... Continue Reading →

"David Playing the Harp," by Jan de Bray, 1670 What is contrition? The English word descends from the Latin word contritus, which means literally “worn out” or “ground to pieces.” (See “contrite,” Online Etymology Dictionary.) In many of the psalms we are studying this week, we see David's overwhelming feelings of guilt for his sins and his... Continue Reading →

"King David," by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), 1651 You can learn a lot from sacred music. The book of Psalms, the hymnbook of the Israelites, is packed with powerful spiritual truths. Jesus quoted from the book of Psalms more than from any other book of scripture. (See Jeffrey R. Holland, For Times of Trouble :... Continue Reading →

"Job and His Friends" (detail), by Ilya Repin One of the features of mortal life is that we experience suffering we don't deserve. Why does God allow that to happen? The book of Job explores this question through an extreme example: a good man who loses nearly everything—wealth, family, and health—in a short period of... Continue Reading →

"Esther," by Jean-François Portaels When I think of Queen Esther, I remember how little control we have over our circumstances, but how much control we have over our actions within those circumstances. Esther's people were a minority ethnic and religious community scattered across the Persian Empire. Through a sequence of events that she could not... Continue Reading →

"Nehemiah Inspects The Walls of Jerusalem," by Robert Theodore Barrett Seventy years after being taken captive by the Babylonians, the former inhabitants of Judah were permitted to return. Jeremiah had prophesied, "After seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place" (Jeremiah 29:10). About a... Continue Reading →

"The Flight of the Prisoners," by Jacques Joseph Tissot Even before the Israelites inherited their promised land, the Lord warned them that they would be scattered if they persistently rebelled against Him. (See Leviticus 26:33, Deuteronomy 4:27, Deuteronomy 28:25, 37, 64.) But God also promised that even after they were scattered, He would remember His... Continue Reading →

"The Prophet Elisha and the Woman of Shunem" (detail) by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout In a Whirlwind Elijah didn't die. Instead, he was carried to heaven by a whirlwind in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). This places him in a unique category of prophets who were translated, changed into a state where they... Continue Reading →

"Widow of Zarephath," by James Johnson "Jehovah is God." That's the meaning of the name Elijah (אֵלִיָּה) in Hebrew. His very name is a testimony. Elijah was a Tishbite, which might indicate where he is from, or it might be a variant of the Hebrew word toshab (תּוֹשָׁב), which means a stranger or a sojourner.... Continue Reading →

"King David Playing the Harp," by Gerard van Honthorst (1622) This week, we are studying the reigns of King David and King Solomon. Here are some of the major themes: The City of David (2 Samuel 5-7) Jerusalem has deep symbolic significance. Soon after David became king, he took possession of the city, made it... Continue Reading →