Psalm 135 – “Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! . . . Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; celebrate his lovely name with music” (135:1-3).

He is kind and greater than all the gods. “He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses” (135:7).

In Egypt, God “performed miracles and wonders” (135:9). It is God who brings down nations and opens space for His…

Psalm 128 – “Happy are those who obey the Lord, who live by his commands” (128:1). You will work and your needs will be met; you will be prosperous and happy. Your wife will give you children and “your children will be like young olive trees around your table” (128:3).

Psalm 129 – “From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me. Let all Israel repeat this: From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never defeated me. My back is…

Psalm 124 – “What is the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? . . . The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us” (124:2-4).

“Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us apart! We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap is broken, and we are free! Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (124:6-8).

Psalm 125 – “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord…

Psalm 120 – “I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people” (120:1-2). David speaks of the people around him as people who hate peace. Just imagine what it would be like to be a ruler in these days with attacks coming from all sides and having to deal with them.

“I am tired of living among people who hate peace. I search for peace;…

Psalm 114 – “When the Israelites escaped from Egypt—when the family of Jacob left that foreign land—the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary, and Israel became his kingdom. The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!” (114:1-4).

The liberation of God's people from slavery and their dedication to Him made all of nature change - the sea "ran" from them, the…

Psalm 111 – “Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. . . . Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails” (111:2-3).

“All he does is just and good and all his commandments are trustworthy. They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity” (111:7-8).

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom” (111:10).

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Psalm 108 – “My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart! Wake up, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song” (108:1-2).

“I will sing your praises among the nations for your unfailing love is higher than the heavens” (108:3-4).

“I will divide up Shechem with joy. I will measure out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh, too. Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors, and Judah, my…

Psalm 106 – “Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever” (106:1).

“Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty…

Psalm 104 – This Psalm apparently has common elements with Ikhnaton’s Ode to the Sun:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord mu God, you are very great. You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent” (104:1-2).

The clouds are His chariot – “he rides on the wings of the wind”…

Well, the new year is here and it occurred to me yesterday that I was going to have to start to do something NEW in 2013. The cycle for readings is only one year for the New Testament readings, so I am actually posting at least in part some of the posts I did in January of 2012. I thought I might try to put together some thematic commentary on the New Testament readings from the Early Church Fathers or more early Friends' writings. I have done that to some…