Home » Old Testament »
1 Kings 19:4-8
Proper 14B
Sermon Illustration: During the recent Paris Olympics, I was reminded again of the acronym: G.O.A.T., which stands for Greatest of All Time. While many athletes have claimed the title and a few of them have even earned it, I think the GOAT-iest GOAT in sports is American gymnast, Simone Biles. Her gold medals in Paris…
Psalm 34:1-8
Proper 14B
Let’s say you are going through a tough season in your life. Too much has gone wrong of late and in your head you find yourself returning again and again to that line from the hymn “Abide with Me”: “Death and decay in all around I see.” And let’s say further that one of the…
2 Samuel 11:26-12:13
Proper 13B
It’s possible you got to the end of last week’s text deeply dissatisfied. Uriah, for all his integrity, is dead. David, for all his duplicity, has gotten his way. If this were the end, we might despair of justice and righteousness but, as it turns out, last week’s ending was just the cliff-hanger in a…
Psalm 78:23-29
Proper 13B
The seven verses the Lectionary carves out of Psalm 78 for us represents about 10% of this fairly long historical psalm. But as historical overview psalms go, Psalm 78 definitely counts as one of the more downbeat ones among the lot. Although this poem recounts many positive things and events from the history of Israel,…
Psalm 145:10-18
Proper 12B
Psalm 145:15 claims that the eyes of everyone look to God and when they do, God provides everyone with the food they need. It’s a curious claim considering that as a matter of fact, the eyes of plenty of people do not turn to God when they are hungry or at most any other time…
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Proper 12B
Previously, in the Life of David… Before we proceed and in order that we can proceed well, it’s important to review where we’ve been in the life of David. When last we met our hero, he had wanted to build a temple for God’s dwelling place. Although it wasn’t the right move, we can easily…
2 Samuel 7:1-14
Proper 11B
Spoke Too Soon In last week’s Old Testament reading, we had a shocking example of how politicians and public figures can use the Name of the Lord in vain, using it to baptize their causes and leadership. This week’s text is far more subtle but, in a sense, the transgression against the 3rd commandment remains. …
Psalm 23
Proper 11B
Lately I have been in a phase of life where green pastures and still waters seem far away. And though dark-ish valleys have seemed all-too-real, the prospect of being exalted over my foes likewise seems a ways off just now. Maybe you as a preacher feel this way too. I have been out of the…
2 Samuel 6:1-19
Proper 10B
Comments, Observations and Questions: There is a lot going on in these not-quite-20 verses of King David’s story. The pieces feel disparate but if you sting them together in the right way, you may actually find a somewhat convincing tale of failure —> redemption or sin —> salvation. Why Now? In at least one commentary,…
Psalm 85:8-13
Proper 10B
It could be pretty easy, one supposes, to glide over the concluding verses of Psalm 85 and not take much notice of what they are actually conveying. This is just how the psalms go, we might think. The kind of language being employed at the end is nothing terribly unusual. This is poetry and poetry…
Content related to Old Testament