Sifting artefact from Evidence: Stand to Reason Conference: Cold-case Christianity

Psalm 2 - The Lord laughs at them

¹ Why do the nations conspire^[a]
    and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
³ “Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.”

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
⁶ “I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.”

⁷ I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron^[b];
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.
¹² Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

The foolishness of antagonizing God. Why do people conspire , why do nations plot in vain against God and his anointed one ? Why ? 

  Even 3000 years ago during the time of David , there were people who were plotting against God and his people and his anointed leader. Consider David and Goliath. Goliath was blaspheming God and David saw him challenging God and Israel . David said this famous punch line which I happen to remember when I see someone doing a Goliath act . David said , "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who defies the armies of the living God". The rest is history. Many times we see antagonists arriving and challenging Christianity only to fall away and Christianity and the cause of Christ striding along these 2000 years. Take for example Voltaire the french philosopher . Voltaire predicted that the bible would be extinct and gone in a 100 years time. Voltaire died and the French Bible Society bought his house and starting printing and distributing bibles . So unlike what Voltaire would have ever expected. Take another example of the DaVinci Code. Dan Brown used consipiracy theories and false data to discredit the orthodox Christian faith.But the Christian apologist used it as a platform to present the truth and refute those errors and a lot of books were released against that one book. The result was that the Church was strengthened. People came to know the truth. All these attempts by people did not materialize. 

Can mere men go against God and live ? Can those inflated egos and misinformed minds survive the reality ? Is there any chance that their plans will succeed? History teaches us that God always has the last word. He is in control and brings to pass what he wants. 

The response of God almighty to the conspiracies and antagonisms of mere mortals is this : He laughs; He scoffs at their foolishness ; Rebukes their  hardheartedness and terrifies their proud heart. God terrifies them, by installing his anointed messiah , his agent to bring justice. Justice will be done. They will receive thier due if they don't repent and change their ways. 

He will install his anointed one , Jesus who will establish justice. Remember what happened to Jerusalem and the temple in A.D 70 . Jesus wept over Jerusalem , prophesied the destruction of the temple and the siege of Jerusalem.Titus in A.D 70 came and fulfilled the prophecies of Jesus , destroyed the temple so that there was no one stone over the other.

He is not threatened. His purposes are never threatened. His will accomplish what he has planned. 

So the Psalmist goes on to say , " You rulers be wise and be warned. Serve the Lord and fear him. Accept his anointed one, Jesus . If you do so you will be blessed." It is the goodness of God to always ask people to conform with him and be blessed. An open door is always there , open to those who would repent and return to their creator in humility and submission. To repent is to escape the wrath of God. To resist is to invite the wrath of God. God laughs at those who rise against him.

Psalm 1 - Blessed are those who delight in the law of the Lord

Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Blessed  is the one who does not 
1. Walk in the way of the wicked
2. Stand in the way of sinners
3. Sit in the seat of  mockers 

Blessed is the man who does
1.Delight in the law of the Lord
2. Meditates on His law day and night - When ? Day and Night

That person who lives according to these words will be fruitful in all he does.He will prosper in whatever he does.

Contrary to the obedient who are fruitful , the wicked are like chaff . They will not survive judgement day. They will be burnt up like the chaff.

The Lord God protects the righteous . The way of sinners will lead them to destruction.

Choose today how you will live .

Psalms - Introduction

Psalms declare the glory of God
Psalms speak salvation

Psalm teach faith and trust in God

Psalms is inspired poetry

Psalms is sanctified poetry 

Psalms are musical pieces

Psalms express praise and adoration 

Psalm expression fear and depression 

Psalms express faith during turmoil 

Psalms expel fear

Psalms express thanksgiving

Psalms express love for God

Psalms reveal what blessedness is

Psalms teach how to praise

Psalms give hope in despair

Psalm express the deepest thoughts 

Psalms written by King David 

Psalms written by Asaph

Psalms written by sons of korah 

Psalms written by the Spirit of God

Psalms give counsel 

Psalms speak wisdom

Psalms give expressions

Psalms speak to the situation 

Psalms help refocus on God 

Psalms empathize with us 

Psalms will instruct 

Psalms will inspire 

Psalms will inform

Pslams will transform

Psalms are Salvific , sanctifying the soul.

Psalms are God's chosen words

To heal the broken heart

To give hope

To increase faith 

To inspire worship 

To remind us of his  goodness

To express worship and thanksgiving

To renew

To restore

To transform 

To save

'The word psalms is derived from the Greek Ψαλμοί (Psalmoi), perhaps originally meaning "music of the lyre" or "songs sung to a harp" and then to any piece of music. From psallein "play upon a stringed instrument" and then to "make music in any fashion"'. Wikipedia



There are 150 Psalms , pieces of poetry written by different people including King David , Solomon , Moses , Asaph  and the Sons of Korah .
They are right in the middle of the bible and many a random opening can land one among the psalters. Most of the psalms had musical accompaniment and are being sung in Jewish and Christian congregations for around 3000 years(Moses being  the earliest author of the psalms, Psalm 90)

The themes contained in them are highly practical and directly speak to the reader , ministering to them as God's chosen words in the different seasons of the devotee's life