In the opening verse of this section, the psalmist feels the rain and sees the sunshine. Verse 161 says, “Princes persecute me without cause.” The psalmist had enemies in high places. Verse 23 says, “Princes sit plotting against me.” Princes have now gone from plotting to persecuting. This statement suggests the psalmist was royalty. But he could have been any believer whose devotion to God’s word threatened the powers that be. And they persecuted him without cause.  John 15:25 says, “But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled, ‘They hated me without a cause.’” Jesus suffered persecution without a cause. Many other faithful men have experienced unjust persecution through the centuries, including the...

As Psalm 119 draws to a close, the psalmist prays with increasingly greater urgency. Throughout this psalm, he maintains his confidence in God’s word to meet. Yet, as the psalm draws to a close, the writer’s difficult circumstances have not changed. In the opening of this stanza, he is still suffering affliction. And his experience both issues us a warning to heed and gives us an example to follow. Devotion to the Lord will not solve all your problems. It may produce new, big, and long problems. The psalmist experienced great affliction. But he did not allow his chronic suffering to become an excuse for forsaking...

This section of Psalm 119 is a prayer with five requests. Supplication is the theme and tone of the text. In this regard, the section is no different than the previous section. Psalm 119 is an ode to the sufficiency of scripture expressed in prayer and praise. This section is different in that the emphasis is not on what the psalmist prayed. It is on the manner the psalmist prayed. He prayed with assurance. As the psalmist prays with earnestness, fervor, and urgency, he prays with confident assurance that God will hear and answer. Answered prayer is a great encouragement...

Psalm 119:137-144 continues the theme of the previous stanza, in which the psalmist magnifies the trustworthiness of God’s word and vows his determination to live by its truth. In verses 131-136, the psalmist focuses on the wonderful nature of God’s word.  In verses 137-144, the psalmist focuses on the righteous character of God’s word.  This section of Psalm 119 is under the heading Tsadhe, the eighteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Every line of this stanza starts with a word that begins with the letter Tsadhe. The first word of this stanza is the most obvious word that would have come to the psalmist that starts with Tsadhe. It is the word tsadek,...

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. - James 5:16 Over the years, it was said that if you wanted to know how popular a church is, visit it on Sunday morning. If you want to know how popular the preacher is, visit on Sunday nights. But if you want to know how popular Jesus is, visit the church’s prayer meeting.   As time has passed, most churches have abandoned both Sunday night services and prayer meetings. Could...

On one occasion, a man told Mark Twain, “I wish I had never read Huckleberry Finn.” Twain, the author of the famous novel, frowned and asked the reason for such a remark. “So that I could have the pleasure again of reading it for the first time,” came the reply. This compliment to Twain’s American classic reminds us why the Bible is better and greater than any other book. Every time you read scripture, it is like reading it for the first time. The word of God is pregnant with truth to be discovered. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, H.B. reflects on the first sermon he preached - forty years ago - August 26, 2024. The sermon was preached at a youth choir musical at the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, where H.B.'s dad - H.B. Charles Sr. - was the pastor.  HBC2 RESOURCES:  On Preaching by H.B. Charles Jr.  On Pastoring by H.B. Charles Jr.  On Worship by H.B. Charles Jr.  It Happens After Prayer by H.B. Charles Jr.  The Difference Jesus Makes by H.B. Charles Jr. Registration for Cutting...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, H.B. discusses the words you should consider in your sermon text for further study. You should note these words in your observation of the text and study them in the interpretation phase of your word work.  What words should you study in the text?  Unfamiliar Words Familiar Words  Technical Words  Repeated Words  Confusing Words  Action Words  Proper Names  Variant Words  Figurative Speech  Quoted Words  HBC2 RESOURCES:  On Preaching by H.B. Charles Jr.  On Pastoring by H.B. Charles Jr.  On Worship by H.B....

On the Ides of March 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated at a meeting of the Roman senate. Sensing a bad omen, his wife urged him to stay home. Yet he pressed his way to the meeting. Within minutes of his arrival, Caesar was stabbed twenty-three times by senators. The final wounds were inflicted by Marcus Julian Brutus, whom Caesar considered a son. His final words were to Brutus, “You too, child?”   The assassination of Julius Caesar is considered the greatest act of betrayal in history. What Judas did to Jesus is infinitely worse than what Brutus did to Caesar.  Brutus betrayed a tyrant in the making.  Judas betrayed the incarnate Son of...

In A Turtle on a Fencepost, Allan Emery tells of accompanying Ken Hansen to visit an employee who was recovering from an eight-hour surgery. Hansen whispered, “You know, I have had several serious operations. I know the pain of trying to talk. I think I know what questions you’re asking. There are two verses I want to give you – Genesis 43:26 and Romans 8:28. We have the options of these two attitudes. We need the perspective of the latter.” He read the passages, prayed, and left.  Every day, we choose one of two attitudes. To say with Jacob in Genesis 42:36: “All these things are against me.”...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. Derek W.H. Thomas, a native of Wales, is the Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology and the recently retired Senior Minister at First Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Columbia, South Carolina. He previously served as the Chairman of the Theology Department at Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson), the Minister of Teaching at First Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Robert Strong Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Atlanta). He is also a Teaching Fellow with Ligonier Ministries and...

This fifteenth stanza of Psalm 119 continues the train of thought from the previous section. In verses 105-112, the psalmist expresses his determination to live for God. That is what we find in this section. But there is a slight yet important difference.  The previous section declares his determination to live for God because of.  This present section declares his determination to live for God in spite of.  The writer was threatened, pursued, and harassed. Yet he maintained a steadfast determination to choose the right and to reject the wrong.  The story is told of a man who stood in the streets of Sodom and Gomorra, calling...