Reading with M’Cheyne

A Prayer from Psalm 91 John Calvin: "Those who dwell in the secret place of God are here said by the Psalmist to dwell under his shadow, in the sense that they experience to what a rich extent his protection reaches. Men generally seek out a great variety of hiding places, having recourse to one or...

A Prayer from Psalm 90 John Calvin: "Moses makes mention of the anger of God advisedly; for it is necessary that men be touched with the feeling of this, in order to their considering in good earnest, what experience constrains them to acknowledge, how soon they finish their course and pass away...

A Prayer from Psalm 88 John Calvin: "It is common for all men to complain when under the pressure of grief, but they are far from pouring out their groanings before God. Instead of this, the majority of mankind court retirement that they may murmur against God, and accuse him of undue severity...

A Prayer from Psalm 87 John Calvin: "What we are taught in this psalm may be summed up in this: That the Church of God far excels all the kingdoms and politics of the world, inasmuch as she is watched over, and protected by Him in all her interests, and placed under his government; that, in the...

the sweep of redemption As Paul begins his doxology in the opening verses of Ephesians, he pens a marvelous sentence which gives us a panorama of redemption. Every spiritual blessing is ours in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). There is nothing we need that God by his grace does not supply...

the watchman's duty In this remarkable passage, Ezekiel's office as a prophet in Israel is compared to the position of a watchman: 'So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel' (Ezekiel 33:7). The comparison is an apt one; like the watchman, the office of the prophet is one...

The Vine and its Fruit Psalm 80 contains a beautiful image of God's work of redemption. Israel is compared to a vine, growing in Egypt, but transplanted and settled in a different soil. God's work of grace was the work of a master vinedresser: God is pictured as preparing the ground for the vine,...

When counting people can be a sin... One would think that it would be no big deal for a king to take a census of his people. That is what we find David doing in 2 Samuel 24; but for some reason - a reason that is not given in the text itself - this was a sin. 2 Samuel 24:1 says that God's anger was...

"The best way to die" The 'words of David' appear copiously throughout the Scriptures. Many of them are in the Book of Psalms, of course, and many of these, in turn, appear in the New Testament, where their ultimate meaning is brought to light, and we are shown how their meaning is fulfilled in the...

Among the nations that Ezekiel singles out for attention in chapter 25 is Edom (25:12-14). 'Edom' or 'Seir' (25:8) was where Jacob's twin brother, Esau, went, and 'Edomites' is the Bible's name for Esau's descendants (Gen. 32:3). Following the siege of Jerusalem, Judah was powerless to prevent...