I love the capabilities of the site at which my blog resides! For the past two weeks, I have been part of a team on a mission trip to the Philippines. 

Because internet access is limited where we were stationed, the ten blog entries previous to this one were written before I set foot on the plane. I have programmed my blog to update the site every weekday automatically. In fact, at the moment I am most likely asleep because of exhaustion and jet lag (the Philippines is 13 hours ahead of CST). I can update my blog in this matter because cyberspace never sleeps.

The blessing that we have as believers is that the Lord never sleeps because He is all-powerful. We can pray to Him any time of the day and trust Him in every situation because He is never tired and never too busy! 

¹ I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? ² My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. ³ He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. ⁴ Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ⁵ The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. ⁶ The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. ⁷ The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. ⁸ The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever. (Psalm 121)

Two Messianic Prophecies in Psalm 22

• My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. (Ps. 22:1)

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "  ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "  MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"   (Matt. 27:46)

• They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots. (Ps. 22:18)

So they said to one another, "  Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be"; this was to fulfill the Scripture: "  THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS."  (John 19:24)

The Messianic Content of Psalm 16

For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. (Ps. 16:10)

In Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he explains that the prophet David prophesied concerning Christ in Psalm 16:10: 

 2:30 And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, 2:31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. 2:32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. (Acts 2:30-32)

Psalm 2: The Messianic Reign of the Lord's Anointed

I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You (Ps. 2:7).

Psalm 2:7 refers to the anointed descendant of King David as God's Son, in accordance with the prophecy of 2 Samuel 7:14: I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod  of men and the strokes of the sons of men.

This is the basis of Nathanael's messianic statement in John 1:49: Nathanael answered Him, "  Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel."

A Short Introduction to 1-2 Chronicles

The Unity of 1-2 Chronicles: 1-2 Chronicles originally consisted of one book instead of two. Not until the Book of Chronicles was translated into Greek did itbecome two books. The reason for this is that Hebrew has no vowels, and its translation into a language with vowels meant that it doubled in size, thus no longerfitting onto one scroll.

Author: Ezra the priest traditionally is considered the author.

"Ezra wrote the book that bears his name and the genealogies of the Book of Chronicles up to his own time" (Baba Bathra 15a).

Date: After 539 B.C. (cf. 2 Chron. 36:20), and written in the 5th cent. B.C. 

Recipients: Those who returned from the exile.

Purpose: To provide a historical account of the nation of Israel from the perspective of a priest.

A Short Introduction to 1-2 Kings

 The Unity of 1-2 Kings: 1-2 Kings originally consisted of one book

instead of two. Not until the Book of Kings was translated into Greek did it become two books. The reason for this is that Hebrew has no vowels, andits translation into a language with vowels meant that it doubled in size,thus no longer fitting onto one scroll.

Author: The prophet Jeremiah traditionally is considered the author. "Jeremiah wrote the book which bears his name, the Book of

Kings, and Lamentations" (Baba Bathra 15a).[1]

Date: 1-2 Kings cover a period of about 400 years, beginning with

Solomon's accession to the throne (970 B.C.), and ending with Jehoiachin,an exiled king of Judah, receiving mercy after a thirty-seven year imprisonment (ca. 597-560 B.C.). Jeremiah perhaps wrote 1-2 Kingsaround 550 B.C.

Recipients: Those who survived the Babylonian Exile.

Purpose

• Historically, to give an account of Solomon's kingship, the dividing of the nation into the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and to chronicle the conquests of Israel by Assyrian, and Judah by Babylon.

• Spiritually, to demonstrate that the conquests of Israel and Judah  

were the result of unfaithfulness to God.

[1] Baba Bathra, in The Hebrew-English Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, rev. ed.,  2 vols., trans. Maurice Simon, Israel W. Slotki, ed. I. Epstein (London: Soncino Press, 1976), np.