v1: Through Jesus Christ's shed blood, according to God's mercy and lovingkindness, don't Christians have their sins blotted out?
v2: Aren't we washed and cleansed from our sin and iniquity?
v10: Don't God's saints have new hearts and the Holy Spirit living within them?
v11: Didn't God promise he would in no wise cast us out?
v12: Don't we live in the joy of salvation and aren't we continuously held up by the Lord?
v14: Didn't Jesus take our guilt on the cross?
David wrote this psalm to show that Yahweh is God, not Baal the storm god of the Canaanites.
v1-2: In the first few chapters of Revelation, we see the angels in the third heaven praise God all the time.
v3: Also in Revelation, waters symbolizes people. God is speaking to the people of Earth and all those who won't listen will spend eternity in Hell.
v4: The Lord is the one full of power and majesty, not Baal or any other so-called god man can come up with.
v5-6: Windstorm imagery.
v7: Lightning imagery.
v8: More windstorm imagery.
v9: The Lord causes fertility, strips the forests bare and God's people praise Him for it.
v10: The Lord rules over everything, even natural disasters and will never stop being king of the universe.
v11: This same God of all that is also cares enough about individual believers to strengthen us and give us that peace that passes all understanding when we're going through difficult times. His having strengthened and given us peace in past tough circumstances ought to enable us to more easily tap into those two things the next time we face a trial.
The psalmist saw the wicked prospering off the backs of the Lord's people and complained to God, one could even say violently, about how unfair it was that the wicked had everything they could ever want and no problems to boot. Yet, when the psalmist truly communed with God, he saw how ignorant and foolish he'd been and how wrong he was. For one thing, rich, ungodly people are constantly worried about losing their status and possessions. For another, God is going to judge those rich oppressors. (See the epistle of James.) People should desire to be like Jesus and live a life pleasing to the Heavenly Father, because, firstly, God is the ruler of the universe and, second, it is in Him we have our eternal reward.
v1: Who gets to live with the Lord, both now and forever?
v2: Christians need to live lives of doing the right thing and perform specific acts that are the right thing. The way to obey these two commandments is to have a love of God's truth.
v3: Don't talk about people behind their back and don't commit any evil against your neighbour, which means everyone, according to the parable of the good Samaritan. Don't get all bent out of shape over something that was done to someone else to the degree that it is as if they had done it to you. In other words, don't spend an inordinate amount of time dwelling on wrongs done to others. I think soul ties might come into play here.
v4: We should despise the vile in their current state but also see, with the eyes of the Lord, who they could be if they came to Acts 2 38 salvation. We shouldn't want to be like the vile, but we should rather look up to and whish to be like people who are further along in their walk with God than us.
Also, if a Christian makes a commitment to someone or something, then a better thing comes along, the Christian should honour the first commitment they made.
v5: I really don't think interest is a good idea.
Followers of Christ shouldn't move up in the world at the expense of innocent people getting hurt.
Of course, the only way believers can obey these things and never stop doing so is by the Lord working within them.
v1: It begins with you listening to the ungodly people you encounter in your everyday life. Then you're standing still, so you can listen closer. Then you're sitting down so you can listen and follow the unbelievers even more closely.
v2: Rather than heeding the ungodly, scornful sinners, a Christian should learn and delight in God's laws and ways and think about them constantly. This isn't meant to be a legalistic requirement. The closer a believer gets to Christ, through studying God's Word, praying, and fellowshipping with other believers, the more he'll be inclined to mull over the things of God.
v3: The Christian who does this won't give up on their faith when persecution or temptation come along. (See the parable of the sower.) They'll also bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit (See Galatians 5 16-23.) Christians will live lives of spiritual strength and vitality, though there can certainly also be the blessing of physical strength and vitality in a believer's life as a result of obedience to God. Another result of this can be physical prosperity, but more importantly, God will reward the deeds done by that person of God when that man or woman gets to Heaven. (See Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount about laying up treasure in Heaven.)
v4: One day, those ungodly people you're listening to will be gone as if they were blown away by a good wind. Like chaff, they are worth nothing, so long as they continue in their sin.
v5: On that day, the ungodly are going to perish in the final judgment spoken of at the end of Revelation. They will not be where the righteous are. (See the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16.)
v6: See Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount about "depart from me ye worker of iniquity. I never knew you."
New York Post
Two-headed gecko named Simon and Garfunkel defies odds of survival
By Reda Wigle
Published July 29, 2026, 11:33 a.m. ET
The Keystone State is twice as nice after a rare two-headed gecko was hatched this summer.
The tiny, twin-headed crested gecko made its debut on June 29th at Rockstar Geckos, a breeding business based in northeastern Pennsylvania.
“This little one was a surprise!” Rockstar Geckos posted on Instagram, alongside a video of the dual-domed gecko.
Multiple heads, also known as polycephaly, is generally caused by malformation of a developing embryo due to either genetic or environmental factors.
“We’ve only had this happen once before in all our years hatching babies. Unfortunately, they don’t often live that long, but we will do our best,” the reptile dealer continued.
Christened Simon and Garfunkel, the geckos have defied the odds by surviving.
“They move around pretty well even though it appears they each want to go in separate directions sometimes,” Rockstar Geckos said in a two-week update posted in early July.
In cases of polycephalic animals, each animal has its own brain, and control of the organs and limbs is shared.
In addition, vital organs are often malformed or strained.
Often, the brains “argue” with one another in an attempt to establish dominance, resulting in disoriented movement that makes them easy targets for predators.
However, according to the most recent update, Simon and Garfunkel are living their best lizard lives and have begun coordinating their movements, and neither head currently appears dominant.
“Here they are at 4 weeks old!” posted Rockstar Geckos, explaining that Simon and Garfunkel are still just1.8 grams, roughly 0.063 ounces.
“‘It’s hard to grasp until you see them next to a fingernail,” they added to illustrate.
Native to New Caledonia, crested geckos are tree-dwelling lizards that can reach 8-10 inches and 35 to 45 grams when fully grown.
Rockstar Geckos shared that both Simon and Garfunkel are eating independently and without assistance.
Further, they reported that there is no fighting between the two and that the heads are positioned so they can’t attack each other.
Animal fans have flooded the comments section with words of encouragement.
“I’m rooting for these babies! I’ve been following their story since day one!” said one
“I’m completely obsessed with the twins; they are just so adorable, and it’s great seeing them doing so well,” said another.
“Hoping they live a healthy, long life!!” underscored a third.
The company has promised to share more when the geckos reach five weeks.
Although most commonly observed in turtles and snakes — such as the two-headed rat snake, Tiger-Lily, whose ovarian surgery ordeal was broadcast to the world earlier this year — polycephaly has been documented in every critter from fish to pigs.
One of the most remarkable examples in the annals of zoological oddities was a bilobed billy goat that became a worldwide sensation due to its resemblance to the Greek god Janus.
PEOPLE
Brewery That Promised Free Beer on the Day Trump Dies Is Stripped of Alcohol Permit
By Janey Wetzel Published on July 30, 2026 02:01PM EDT
Wisconsin state officials confirmed on Wednesday, July 29, that a small-town brewery with plans to celebrate President Donald Trump’s death will soon lose its alcohol permit.
Minocqua Brewing Company, owned by outspoken progressive activist Kirk Bangstad, is scheduled to have its license revoked on Aug. 4. The revocation comes months after Bangstad vowed to host a Free Beer Day for customers whenever Trump dies.
Bangstad has repeatedly garnered attention for using his business platform to criticize the Trump administration and other Republicans with whom he disagrees.
Operating a liberal super PAC and selling “progressive beer” frequently themed around Democratic politicians, Bangstad has long claimed that his liberal politics have made him the target of unfair treatment within the state’s heavily conservative Northwoods region.
“Our brewery is very popular among progressives throughout the Upper Midwest because we actively fight against right-wing authoritarianism and corruption. As a result of our political activism, we’ve been boycotted by beer distributors and major grocery chains,” Bagstad wrote on the company’s Substack account.
The license revocation comes after a raid on the brewery in June, during which state officials confiscated beer based on allegations that it was moved across state lines without necessary permits.
“Wisconsin practically invented the term ‘craft beer,’ yet Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue is trying to shut down the state’s most progressive brewery for violations that can only be described as laughable,” Bangstad wrote in response to the latest news.
As for his next steps, Bangstad says he is not taking the “heavy-handed” action “lying down.”
“We’re going to fight the state of Wisconsin tooth and nail,” he continued, “and once again, they’ll have to pry me out of my taprooms before I stop selling beer to thirsty progressives who come to visit us.”
In April, FBI agents interviewed Bangstad over a social media post that they characterized as a violent threat toward Trump in the wake of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, when an armed man allegedly targeting the president got past security and attempted to breach the ballroom.
“Well, we almost got #freebeerday,” the brewery posted at the time. “Either a brother or sister in the Resistance needs to work on their marksmanship or he faked another assassination to get a positive news cycle. We’ll never know.”
“The FBI and Secret Service together followed up on information received and conducted further investigative steps, which included a voluntary interview with the individual,” the U.S. Secret Service and FBI said in a statement at the time, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Following his conversation with authorities, Bangstad posted a cell phone number on social media allegedly belonging to one of the agents and suggested followers call it.
It was back in January when Minocqua Brewing Company took to Facebook to say they would offer free beer “all day long, the day he dies,” appearing to refer to Trump but not by name. “Show us this post when it happens in a few months and we’ll make good on that promise.”
Bangstad also sells shirts that read, “I Wish It Was Free Beer Day At Minocqua Brewing Company,” along with shirts that say things like, “Vive La Resistance,” “Impeach, Convict, Remove” and “Protest is Patriotic.”
According to the company’s website, the decision to begin selling “snarky” progressive merchandise was prompted by threats of fines from the conservative Wisconsin county board over a Biden support sign deemed “too big.” The company reportedly pushed $100,000 in merchandise sales within a single week, and they have continued selling ever since.
“Regardless of who I think is behind this,” Bangstad continued on the Substack post, “attempting to shut down a brewery that has the largest social media following in the state, and that sells over $2 million dollars worth of beer and merchandise throughout the country, is anti-American and anti-Wisconsin.
Statements made to agents by Bangstad and his legal team insisted that he did not have any intention or desire to cause harm to Trump or Vice President JD Vance, nor any affiliation with organizations that promote violence.
