Author Archives: A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

Perseverance (1)

Psalm 129 reminds us that despite the hardships they encountered, the righteous in Israel hadn’t gone anywhere. Their oppressors gave them their best shot and when the smoke, dust, and ashes had cleared away—the righteous hadn’t cut and run, they were still standing. Don’t you love that? That was Israel’s story. Whether they were onContinue reading “Perseverance (1)”

They Have Not Gained Victory

Psalm 129 begins with the nation of Israel rehearsing its history as a person would speak of their life. From its youth, it had been “greatly oppressed” (repeated for emphasis – v. 1-2). This could be an illusion to Egypt and the travails the fledgling nation experienced there or perhaps it is a reference toContinue reading “They Have Not Gained Victory”

Seeing Beneath the Surface

There are many people who are building a life without God—and it seems to be working just fine. They live in nice houses, have good jobs, and enjoy excellent health. God isn’t a blip on their radar and yet they are blessed in this manner, in some cases, above and beyond many followers of Jesus. Does thatContinue reading “Seeing Beneath the Surface”

Vindication of Joy

James Mays offers this in regard to Psalm 126: Words for laughter/joy occur five times in the whole, giving the song its dominant emotional tone. The song is about joy remembered and joy anticipated. In both cases the joy is the work of the Lord, in the first through the restoration of Zion and inContinue reading “Vindication of Joy”

Joy for the Journey

Psalm 126 has Israel’s return from Babylon (“When the Lord brought back the captive ones” (v. 1 – NASB) as its starting point. The nation’s response to God’s great deliverance is both poetic and powerful, “Our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy . . . we are filled with joy” (v. 2-3). TheContinue reading “Joy for the Journey”

Surrounded, Stable and Secure

A mountain is no small thing. While that sounds like it’s straight out of the mouth of Captain Obvious, there might be more truth to it than meets the eye (or ear). Although we do hear about small mountains, even those are substantial in terms of size—just try climbing one! But mountains are big inContinue reading “Surrounded, Stable and Secure”

Our Help is in the Name of the Lord

Redeemed how I love to proclaim it . . . Many of us recognize this as the opening line in a familiar song. It’s one that tells our story. We are the redeemed. We’ve been rescued from sin, death and eternal loss. We have been saved from the futility of our thinking and its attendant destructiveContinue reading “Our Help is in the Name of the Lord”

This is where the tribes go up

We all recognize it’s a serious mistake to think that going to church is the biggest or most important part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Such a view overemphasizes our meetings and tends to trivialize all that takes place outside them. At its absolute worst, it can produce the bankruptContinue reading “This is where the tribes go up”

The Joy of Community

Community is a prominent theme in the Psalms of Ascent. As we’ve noted, the background for these psalms are the pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the three annual feasts. These trips were made in the company of others. It was not only a safe way to travel, it was also spiritually enriching. God’s goodness was experiencedContinue reading “The Joy of Community”