Views from an Evangelist

Psalm summary:

Psalm 116: This Palm of praise begins with:

¹ I love the Lord, because He hears
My voice and my pleas.
² Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

When you read the Psalms you can see that the nature of the Lord and how He responds to His people leads to His people praising the Lord. The verses after and between the praises provide you with details regarding why that particular Psalm was written; or what specifically is the reason that the Psalmist is praising the Lord.

Thus Psalm 116 concludes with these verses. Read the entire Psalm to see the details.
¹⁷ I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
¹⁸ I will pay my vows to the Lord,
May it be in the presence of all His people,
¹⁹ In the courtyards of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, Jerusalem!
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 117: This two verse Psalm is another Psalm of praise to the Lord for His everlasting truth and mercy.

Psalm 118: Another Psalm of praise. Praising the Lord for His everlasting goodness and mercy. These two attributes are manifested in the Lord hearing our prayers and being our refuge; even when the nations surround you the Lord is your protector.

The Psalm declares he will tell of the wonderful works of the Lord even though he has been severely disciplined by the Lord. The gates of righteousness are open to the Psalmist and he will walk into them.

The final cry of the Psalmist is for the Lord to save them and send prosperity. Psalm 118 concludes with this verse, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His mercy is everlasting.” (vs. 29)

Scripture summary:

Proverbs 14:9-27: Again you have a listing of the attributes of the righteous, the wicked, the naive, the sensible, the gracious, those who devise evil, and the liar. The reading ends with verse 27, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, By which one may avoid the snares of death”. The fear of the Lord leads us to learn and keep His word, to seek His wisdom through His word for living life and to seek to know Him through the study of His word.

Acts 24: Paul is brought to trial before Governor Felix. The attorney for the Jews is names Tertullus. Apparently both Tertullus and Paul have an appreciation for Governor Felix who rules over Jerusalem in addition to other territory.

Tertullus’s accusations consist of Paul: being a public menace, stirring up dissensions amongst Jews throughout the world, a ring leader of the sect called the Nazarenes and finally an attempt to desecrate the Temple for which he was arrested. Tertullus then defers to Governor to interview Paul himself and assures the Governor he will find Paul guilty. Governor Felix nods to Paul to make his case of innocence.

Paul’s defense: he admits he went to the Temple twelve days ago to worship and the he did not converse with anyone nor cause a riot at the Temple nor in the synagogues nor in the city. However, Paul does admit to being a follower of The Way, and in that respect he serves the God of His Fathers believing the Law and the Prophets. Paul acknowledged his hope in God and believed in the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked.

Governor Felix said he would return to judge the case when Lysias the Roman Commander in Jerusalem arrived. However, several days later Governor Felix and his wife Drusilla, a Jewess, returned to hear Paul speak of his faith. The Governor never made a decision, apparently he wanted a bribe, and left Paul in jail.