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The Good Samaritan text for this Sunday is the equivalent of a fastball right down the middle, and most preachers will want to take a swing at it! But the lectionary also assigns some other texts for the day, including Psalm 25, which can provide some fresh insight into this well-known story. The psalm contains … Continue reading “Psalm 25:1-10 Commentary by James Limburg”

The psalms immediately preceding Psalm 25 form a collection that is arranged in a chiastic pattern as follows: A Psalm 15: entrance liturgy B Psalm 16: psalm of assurance C Psalm 17: individual lament D Psalm 18: royal psalm E Psalm 19: torah psalm D’ Psalms 20-21: royal psalms C’ Psalm 22: individual lament B’ … Continue reading “Psalm 25:1-10 Commentary by J. Clinton McCann”

At first blush, Psalm 25 may seem an odd song for Advent. At this time of year, the songs of Advent and Christmas fill the airwaves and are heard constantly in malls, stores, and homes. But here is Psalm 25 — an ancient, acrostic song that pleads for honor in the face of enemies, of … Continue reading “Psalm 25:1-10 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

Psalm 25 may qualify as a poetic epitome of teaching ministry of the church. The psalmist, who desires to learn the ways of the LORD, has a meaningful response to the first lesson from Deuteronomy 30:9-14, which reiterates the desirability and feasibility of life that lives by the word of God. The epistle lesson from … Continue reading “Psalm 25:1-10 Commentary by Jin H. Han”

The first lesson makes it clear that God will neither require children to pay for the sins of their parents nor allow them to rest satisfied in their parents’ goodness; rather, God will judge each person according to his or her own deeds: righteous or wicked. Psalm 25 responds by voicing a prayer that might … Continue reading “Psalm 25:1-9 Commentary by Henry Langknecht”

Are we teachable? Can we change? Can we grow into the image of God in which we are created? Each text for the 16th Sunday after Pentecost asks these questions. Psalm 25 puts them in the form of a prayer: “Lead me in your truth and teach me.” In the first lesson (Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32) … Continue reading “Psalm 25:1-9 Commentary by Nancy Koester”

Psalm 24 is an entrance liturgy. It is very likely that the liturgy was designed to accompany a procession into the Temple.1  The theme of entrance unifies the poem–it describes humans entering in God’s space (“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?” verse 3) and God entering human space (“Lift up your heads, O … Continue reading “Psalm 24 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

Like Psalm 46, last week’s psalm, Psalm 24 is related to Jerusalem (see Psalm 46, Reformation Sunday). Its content, structure, and movement strongly suggest that it was used in ancient times by worshipers as they entered the Temple, perhaps as part of a liturgical procession. An initial profession of faith (verses 1-2) is followed by … Continue reading “Psalm 24 Commentary by J. Clinton McCann”

Psalm 24 is notoriously difficult to interpret. While virtually everyone sees that it falls into three parts: vv. 1-2; vv. 3-6; and vv. 7-10, their disparate nature renders most attempts to explain their interrelationship conjectural at best and speculative at worst. Oh well … here goes! By far the most common approach to Psalm 24 … Continue reading “Psalm 24 Commentary by Mark Throntveit”

The 23rd Psalm is a perennial favorite. And yet for all its familiarity, there may be some nuances to the Psalm we have missed, some reflections scholars might share to deepen our sense of the most comforting words ever composed. Consider one four letter word in verse four: thou. The second-person pronoun “thou” is old … Continue reading “Psalm 23 Commentary by James Howell”