Bible in Brief: Recent Episodes
Rebecca Foster
Bible verses and reflection from an Australian female speaker, Rebecca Foster. Songs accompanying the Psalms by The Psalms Project - www.thepsalmsproject.com
From: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+10&version=NIV Psalm 10[a]
1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by[b] him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;
he covers his face and never sees.”
12 Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account”?
14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.
16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.
Footnotes
- Psalm 10:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
- Psalm 10:5 See Septuagint; Hebrew / they are haughty, and your laws are far from
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Psalm 9[a][b]
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.
1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
3 My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
4 For you have upheld my right and my cause,
sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.
7 The Lord reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.
12 For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.
13 Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may declare your praises
in the gates of Daughter Zion,
and there rejoice in your salvation.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.[c]
17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
all the nations that forget God.
18 But God will never forget the needy;
the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
19 Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
20 Strike them with terror, Lord;
let the nations know they are only mortal.
Footnotes
- Psalm 9:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
- Psalm 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1-20 is numbered 9:2-21.
- Psalm 9:16 The Hebrew has Higgaion and Selah (words of uncertain meaning) here; Selah occurs also at the end of verse 20.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%209&version=NIV
Welcome to Bible in Brief. I’m Rebecca Foster and today’s Podcast is titled “He Calls you Daughter”. This concept is explored with Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Strength is lacking in today’s world where you might be a working Mum, an active participant at church and a volunteer in your community. That’s a lot right? I am that and yet it’s not all me …instead of doing it all in my own strength… I need to tap into living water to refresh me. I can’t do it all alone. Can you?
He calls you daughter.
Did you have a loving biological father who encouraged you, giving you emotional strength? Or propped you up on his shoulders when the walk was too long? If you did, you are much closer to knowing the loving father we have in heaven. My biological father was absent but I learnt to pray early and my heavenly Father gave me strength to keep walking and emotionally keep going when I wanted to give up.
He calls you daughter.
This reference to being a daughter is in Mark 5 - my Bible group is reading Mark – and I’m studying Philippians with Alphacrucis College and unpacking the concepts – culturally and contextually. Philippians is undisputed as written by Paul.[1] Many verses are quoted out of context like cliches[2] as there is a wealth of wisdom but there’s wealth in understanding the context too. The NKJV is more specific in revealing the “he” who gives us strength:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
There is joy in this relationship with Christ. Paul encouraged the Philippians to know this too. Paul journeyed to Macedonia on the strength of a dream.[3] How often do we have dreams but we don’t take them seriously?
I am inspired by the strength of Paul and his care for women – Lydia was a business woman who was instrumental in the church at Philippi.[4] The slave girl who was held in captivity by a spirit (in Acts 16) was freed. Paul references other women too, albeit there is friction mentioned in chapter 4 – Paul calls for unity in the church. Paul alludes to unity with Christ and others where strength is gained. Disunity with others depletes our strength … This letter reveals the body of Christ as us – His people - but without Christ there is no unity… we need that relationship… that core relationship with Christ to be His body of believers and to have unity with others… even when there are disputes, as Paul references in 4:2. How to operate with unity is to be united with Christ first: in 1:27, we are called, just like the early church, to “stand firm in the one Spirit” and in 2:1-2, to be “united with Christ… make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” Again in 4:1-2 “… my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for…stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! …be of the same mind in the Lord.”
He calls for anxiety to be replaced by prayer and gratitude. Paul models this prayer and gratitude as he himself is imprisoned and writing about being grateful for everything he has – physically, not much, but spiritually, abundantly wealthy. This letter is an inspiration. Anxiety is always beckoning at my door! Paul admits to being anxious[5] and yet knows that by witnessing other people’s joy, this anaesthetises the anxiety. Women know this: loving their families and making sacrifices; in their children’s smiles and laughter, many women are relieved of anxiety.
Philippians was written to the church at Philippi, Macedonia. There is some dispute about the dates, depending upon which location one believes Paul was imprisoned. Paul was either imprisoned in Caesarea, Rome or Ephesus, with N.T. Wright arguing for Ephesus with the dates “early t
Welcome to Bible in Brief. May you know the Lord Loves You.
May you feel lighter knowing that He can carry any burden for you.
I’m Rebecca Foster and this podcast season 1 includes readings from the Psalms, reflection and a musical rendition from the Psalms Project based on the Psalm.
Psalm 34[a][b]
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1
I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2
I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4
I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9
Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19
The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20
he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21
Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22
The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Psalm 33
1
Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2
Praise the Lord with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
4
For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5
The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
6
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7
He gathers the waters of the sea into jars[a];
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the people of the world revere him.
9
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10
The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
13
From heaven the Lord looks down
and sees all mankind;
14
from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
15
he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
16
No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19
to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20
We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.
Welcome to Bible in Brief. May you know the Lord Loves You.
May you feel lighter knowing that He can carry any burden for you.
I’m Rebecca Foster and this podcast season 1 includes readings from the Psalms, reflection and a musical rendition from the Psalms Project based on the Psalm.
Psalm 32
Of David. A maskil.[a]
1
Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4
For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.[b]
5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
6
Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7
You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9
Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10
Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the Lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
11
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Welcome to Bible in Brief. May you know the Lord Loves You.
May you feel lighter knowing that He can carry any burden for you. I’m Rebecca Foster and this podcast season 1 includes readings from the Psalms, reflection and a musical rendition from the Psalms Project based on the Psalm.
Psalm 31
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me. 3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.
5
Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
...
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10
My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,[b]
and my bones grow weak.
11
Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12
I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13
For I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14
But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15
My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16
Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
17
Let me not be put to shame, Lord,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent in the realm of the dead.
18
Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19
How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
20
In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.
21
Praise be to the Lord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
Psalm 3[a]
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1 Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”[b]
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.
7 Arise, Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the Lord comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire[a]
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with a rod of iron[b];
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Welcome to Bible in Brief. May you know the Lord Loves You. May you feel lighter knowing that He can carry any burden for you. I’m Rebecca Foster and this podcast season 1 includes readings from the Psalms, reflection and a musical rendition from the Psalms Project based on the Psalm. Psalm 30[a]
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.[b] Of David.
1
I will exalt you, Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2
Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
3
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.
4
Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
5
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
6
When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7
Lord, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
8
To you, Lord, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9
“What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10
Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
Lord, be my help.”
11
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
REFLECTION
This Psalm has a very famous quote within:
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
I have heard this so many times, even in the secular world but never knew where it came from - Psalm 30.
This tells us that weeping is but for a season. We all go through a season of weeping. But at the end of every season of weeping, there will be joy. There will be a new day. There will be a new start. For you. For all of us.
The previous psalms - 28 and 29 - encouraged me to reflect on how God speaks to us or doesn’t speak to us. This Psalm, Psalm 30, refers to how we speak to God … it’s a good question - is this relationship that we have with God a two way thing? Does he spark? Do we? Or is it a one way monologue? Relationships don't work like that… they are two ways. God speaks to us and we are meant to hear and reciprocate. To hear him and to speak to him.
Welcome to Bible in Brief. May you know the Lord Loves You.
May you feel lighter knowing that He can carry any burden for you.
**I’m Rebecca Foster and this podcast season 1 includes readings from the Psalms, reflection and a musical rendition from the Psalms Project based on the Psalm.
Psalm 29**
A psalm of David.
1
Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness.
3
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6
He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion[b] like a young wild ox.
7
The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks[c]
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
11
The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
8
The Lord is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
9
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked advance against me to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Saviour.
Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.2He makes me to lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters.3He restores my soul;He leads me in the paths of righteousnessFor His name’s sake.4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil;For You are with me;Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;You anoint my head with oil;My cup runs over.6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow meAll the days of my life;And I will dwell in the house of the LordForever.
Psalm 21 - There is VICTORY and UNFAILING LOVE. May you have victory and unfailing love in your life today. Reading of the Psalm by Rebecca Foster with Musical Rendition by The Psalms Project - www.thepsalmsproject.com