The abiding value of the Psalter

According to my commentary:
1. The Psalter is a living testimony to Israel's faith. They echo the aspirations and hopes of men and women in every era of Israel's history.
2. The Psalms form an important background for Jesus' ministry. He learned them in his Jewish home. They are quoted more frequently in the NT than any other book of the OT.
3. The Psalms have proved to be an indispensable source of devotional material to Christians around the world.
4. The Psalter has become the hymnbook of the ages. No other book of hymns has been used so long by so many people. It is read, chanted, or sung every day of year. In the age of informality they provide an indispensable language for worship.

What verses jumped out to you in the first book of Psalms that we have just read.

Digesting Deuteronomy

What did you find in this book. I feel as if I was reading for the first time. Some things I saw/felt:

• Moses actually pleaded with God to let him cross over the Jordan and God's response was "That is enough . . . do not speak to me anymore about this matter." Deut. 3
• Deut. 4 and other places--teaching the truth of what they had seen and heard to their children was very important.
• Throughout the book--God's love for his people is his motivation.
• A holy people must worship and live in a holy way.
• God wants his people to care for the poor.
• Honesty and justice are God's priorities.--and it's not just what other people can see you doing.

Please add what YOU saw.

It's March--what have been learning?

I told you we'd get through Numbers . . .

Here are some of my favorite quotes--what are yours?

1. God to Moses: "Is the Lord's arm too short?" (this was after Moses wails about not being able to provide meat)
2. God to Aaron "I am your share and your inheritance." (instead of getting any land)
3. Moses to God: (after asking that God appoint someone to take his place) "so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd"

Next week--we are on to Deuteronomy, which is Moses' last speech.