Content related to Old Testament

Home » Old Testament » Page 23

Psalm 130

Lent 5A

This poem is labeled a “Psalm of Ascent” but it starts as a Psalm of Descent.  It is called De Profundis in older Bibles—the Latin for “from the depths.”   When last this came up for the Lectionary Year A Fifth Sunday in Lent in 2020, the initial COVID lockdown was in its second week.  Some…

Read More

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Lent 4A

“Then the Lord regretted he had made Saul king.”  That’s the last line in 1 Samuel 15.  Apparently, however, God got over his regret sooner than did Samuel.  Because as chapter 16 opens, Samuel appears to still be moping around in grief whereas God comes to him and says, “Chin up!  Let’s get past this…

Read More

Psalm 23

Lent 4A

Psalm 23 is hands-down the most famous of the 150 psalms in the Psalter.  In terms of recognizability, Psalm 23 is probably right up there with popular ditties like “Roses are red, violets are blue,” with Shakespearean sonnets like “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day,” and well-known song lyrics like “Happy birthday to…

Read More

Exodus 17:1-7

Lent 3A

It’s the kind of thing that could become a family inside joke.  Perhaps years before, the family had taken a Spring Break trip somewhere.  Except that on this particular trip the weather was disastrously bad the whole week.  No outdoor activities were possible.  Instead the family got stuck inside a hotel room where arguments over…

Read More

Psalm 95

Lent 3A

Growing up in a tradition that had once upon a time been founded on Psalm singing only in church, I sang lots of psalms in my boyhood church even long, long after my Reformed tradition had added also hymns to our standard Psalter Hymnal songbook.  Even as a young boy, though, I was struck by…

Read More

Psalm 121

Lent 2A

For the second week in a row the Year A RCL has assigned a psalm that was also the Year C Psalm lection just a few months ago in October 2022.  So with modest modifications, here is a bit of a rerun on my recent thoughts on preaching this well-known—and very lovely—Hebrew poem. When I…

Read More

Genesis 12:1-4a

Lent 2A

 “Go!” That is God’s first word to Abram.  And it sets up what will become a curious dynamic for the people of God forever after.  The people of God are a traveling people.  Wherever “home” might be for us, it is as often as not something still up ahead of us rather than something we…

Read More

Psalm 32

Lent 1A

It was only a few short months ago that the Year C Lectionary assigned most of Psalm 32 as the Psalm Lection.  Now here it is again assigned in its entirety for the First Sunday in Lent in the Year A Lectionary.  Since I only have just so many insights into Psalm 32—and since some…

Read More

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7

Lent 1A

It is one of the more important questions you could ever pose. Perhaps that is also why it is one of the most-asked questions in history: Where does evil come from? As Christians, we perhaps think that surely the answer to this vital inquiry must be somewhere in the Bible. But it’s not there. Everywhere…

Read More

Exodus 24:12-18

Epiphany 7A

No one in Exodus 24 gets transfigured in this Old Testament Transfiguration Sunday Lectionary text, but it’s exceedingly easy to see why this text is featured for this particular Sunday.  The whole thing is all about mountains and glory and the shining effulgence of God, and if that does not remind you at least a…

Read More