This entry covers three days of reading and introduces us to Dr. F. LaGard Smith’s method of putting the Psalms in topical order (also included is A PRAYER FOR EXPECTANT MOTHERS). Imperfect as he was, David had a pure heart. Just as we have experienced his humility as we followed his life in the preceding entries, so we can witness David's humble "inner life" as we read, pray and sing his psalms.
ENTRY FIFTY-SEVEN – APRIL 20, 2008
57 – Intro to "THE PSALMS" + Psalms of the Troubled Soul PART I
Psalm 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 17, 23, 26, 28, 31, 35, 41, 43, 46, 55, 61, 62
This entry covers three days of reading and introduces us to Dr. F. LaGard Smith’s method of putting the Psalms in topical order (also included is A PRAYER FOR EXPECTANT MOTHERS). Imperfect as he was, David had a pure heart. Just as we have experienced his humility as we followed his life in the preceding entries, so we can witness David's humble "inner life" as we read, pray and sing his psalms. There are 150 psalms in all, 17 of which have already appeared in the historical account of David's life. Another 21 psalms, called Psalms of the Exile, will appear later. The remaining 112 are presented here, and Mr. F. LaGard Smith, the author/editor of the Narrated Bible, has taken these psalms and divided them topically into five major categories. Not all were written by David, but since he and his singers wrote almost all of them, it is only appropriate that they appear at this point in the chronological bible.
The five topics are:
- Psalms of the Troubled Soul
- Psalms About Righteousness and Wickedness
- Psalms of Joy and Praise
- Psalms Expressing a Variety of Sentiments
- Psalms of the Messiah
Psalms of the Troubled Soul - In this first grouping of 35 psalms, the fears of one whose enemies beset him on every hand are reflected. The enemy not only threatens physical harm, but also brings mockery, jeers, slander and lies. Often the writer doubts that God hears his prayers; at other times he thanks God for hearing his supplications! And though David sometimes wishes evil on his enemies, in real life David continually extended grace and mercy to Saul and his family. These psalms speak to anyone who has ever known persecution for righteousness, or anyone who feels betrayed or alone in the midst of a hostile world. To me personally, these psalms have meant different things at different times in my life, as I was always going through different challenges! I'll be sharing specifically as I go along.
PSALM 5
When I was a very young Christian, I listened to a Christian radio station that taught me some beautiful scripture songs. One of my favourites became a song taken from this psalm, and I still sing it sometimes at the beginning of my morning prayer time.
"Give ear to my words, O Lord. Consider my meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry, my king and my God. For unto thee do I pray. My voice will thou hear in the morning.
O Lord, in the morning when I submit my prayers, Unto thee do I look up." I call it "The Quiet Time Psalm". David's words here are a beautiful way to view prayer: I lay my requests before you every morning and wait in expectation. David felt better after talking to God about the difference between how God deals with his faithful versus how God deals with unrepentant sinners. Sometimes that's all we need to do - pray about what we know God has already said and we will feel better!! We've all dealt with people who lie and deceive, sometimes in relation to our Christianity or sometimes just because they lie. It is natural to cry out for justice and feel angry. David had a good attitude here, and, as angry as he was, he ended his prayer claiming the blessings God has promised to the righteous. (For those of us from
PSALM 6 David felt that he was alone. He was really sad and depressed. He even felt like perhaps God was rebuking him by allowing the difficult circumstances, in which case, he was begging for mercy. If you have ever felt worn out from groaning, you can relate to this psalm. In David's case, we know that his enemies were truly oppressing him, but sometimes we can feel like this when we are in self-pity. However, we will all go through times in our lives when these words are very appropriate. I have felt this depressed on two occasions, and it wasn't pleasant. The good news is to cling on to the belief which David expressed at the end - God has heard my cry for mercy and he accepts my prayer. Amen!! (I also like David's creativity: "God, don't let me die…how can you hear my prayers of praise if I am in the grave?!!")
PSALM 7 Here is another prayer of one who feels unjustly treated. Unlike in Psalm 6, where he thought that perhaps God was rebuking him, in this psalm, David was so confident of his own righteousness that he told God to let his enemies triumph if he were guilty. We must be careful when praying such a prayer, because sometimes we are not very self-aware, but if we are willing to open our eyes and see the truth, then it is great to pray this prayer.
PSALM 10 David was tired of seeing "God-hating" enemies prosper while he suffered, yet he trusted in the God of the oppressed to avenge the wrong. What an observation: "In his pride the wicked does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." Does this sound like someone you know? Maybe David was thinking of Absalom? David cried out for major revenge, even though in reality he usually showed mercy and compassion, even on his enemies.
PSALM 11 There are two beautiful songs taken from this psalm, which are in an old songbook but which we haven't sung in
PSALM 13 This is a prayer for the discouraged who feel wronged or misunderstood. David began in despair but ended by rejoicing in God's salvation and goodness. Yes, sometimes it does feel like God has forgotten us, but that is probably when God is saying, "No" or "Wait" for our own good.
PSALM 17 As in Psalm 7, David appeals to God on the basis of his own personal righteousness. Even though we will never be perfect, we can hate sin enough to live a life like David. This is a powerful prayer. "I have resolved that my mouth will not sin!" WOW! What a strong testimony to David's life. We all want God to deal with us as "the apple of his eye". When we are tempted to focus on the negative, we must remember God's promises!
PSALM 23
This is probably the most famous psalm and definitely the most famous of the troubled soul variety. Shawn Wooten preached a great sermon on this a while back – you may still be able to download it from the Singapore website at www.seachurches.org I won't say much about this well known Psalm, other than to type out a prayer I wrote next to this psalm in my bible back in 1992 when I was pregnant with Sonia: "You are my shepherd. You take care of me always, just the way I'll take care of my small child, only you are thinking of my spiritual needs right now. You give me a beautiful life, full of rest from this world, and full of beauty and peace. You help me to feel quiet when my soul inside is afraid or at war with itself. You bring me back to you. You guide me with your words and with people who speak your words. You want me to feel your faithfulness in our relationship and you want me to be faithful to you. Because you are my shepherd, I do not need to fear, even death, because you are with me. I died at baptism, and you will never let me die again. You prod me and urge me with your Holy Spirit to follow you, and to remind me of your presence, which gives me great comfort. Even when I have enemies, you always bless me and exalt me, to show them that you are with me. You honour me and pour so much love out on me that my only reaction is to give that love to others, because I am overflowing with your love. Because you are my shepherd, goodness and love will follow me forever!! And I will walk with you, talk with you, and dwell with you for eternity. Thank you, O God."
PSALM 26 As in earlier psalms, David spoke of his own righteousness. As he did, he asked God for deliverance. We should strive to have this mindset - "Your love is ever before me and I walk continually in your truth." I personally find that I love to deceive myself in order to justify my "Pet Sin" of overeating or eating comfort food that hurts my health. I love to justify a reason why I can eat something. Focusing on walking in the truth is helpful to me - it is a great upward call so that I can pledge my life to God one day at a time and not live in a state of deceitfulness. One thing I do to assist myself in this is to email what I plan to eat every day to a friend who struggles with the same thing, with a promise to confess if I go off the plan. You may find that pledging a decision you've made to someone else helps you to stick to it. Whatever we need to walk in the truth!
PSALM 28
This psalm has some great lines. I will focus on that, since the theme is basically the same as the previous ones. Look at verse 3: David says that wicked people speak cordially with their neighbours, but harbour malice in their hearts. When I read that, of course I thought of people that I have interacted with who say one thing to your face and then another to someone else. However, it also made me think of some of the Christians in our church, who no longer "speak the truth in love" but are content to speak nicely to your face and then have an attitude to you in their heart. This is wrong. I know this because I have been guilty of this in the past. However, I have decided (now that I am older, I feel like life is too short to not tell people what I think!) to tell people the truth. I hope that if you are guilty of doing this, you will make a decision to love as Jesus loves, which means speaking the truth in love, even when it makes you uncomfortable to do so.
Verse 7 is amazing as well: when was the last time your heart "leapt for joy"? David wasn't joyful because of his circumstances - he was crying out to God about how horrible things were going for him!! He was joyful because of his trust in God and his relationship with him. If you are short in the joy department, get your relationship with God going, trust him and believe his words. You'll be glad you did! And so will everyone else around you!!
PSALM 31 This is a prayer specifically for when you feel like you are being pursued by others and slandered. David prayed to the GOD OF TRUTH, and that is all you can do when people are lying about you. David possibly wrote this when he was in the besieged city of
PSALM 35 When we are persecuted, we don't fight back with earthly weapons. During our court case, we prayed that God would frustrate the testimony of those who said things against his people, and that their words would sound foolish. Prayer was the only weapon we had, and God answered those prayers. (Someday we'll write a book!!) David felt so betrayed - the people who were persecuting him were people he had prayed and fasted for, and what thanks did he get? Yes, this will happen to us, but God will always fight for us. Our sense of justice and fairness begs God to put an end to their gloating, but it doesn't always happen in our time frame! But it sure is extra fun to praise God when the critics have been shut up!
PSALM 41 Again, David is sad and angered by his so-called friends who betrayed him. This psalm begins with a sweet verse that reminds me of Jesus in Matt 12:20. Yes, we are all sinners, but that doesn't mean we deserve betrayal by friends and family. However, it will come, sometimes even from the most trusted. Verse 9 is a prophecy of Judas, but it will probably remind us all of at least one person in our past - the trusted friend with whom we ate that turned on us. So sad. As usual, David ends with praise to God.
PSALM 43
David FELT rejected by God, but knew that he WASN'T rejected by God. He FELT depressed but he didn't WANT TO BE depressed. He wanted to get out of his predicament and start joyfully praising God again. When we want to be delivered, what is the motive? David's was so he could worship God better. This psalm is the first in this topical section to include what I call "The Soul Talk". Modern psychologists call it "Self-Talk". David asked himself why he felt so down. And he talked to himself, telling himself about God's goodness. Positive self-talk is not just a modern invention of self-help books; rather, it was invented by godly men who knew that sometimes the head repents quicker than the heart and our head needs to talk to our heart to help the heart to feel better and hopefully act better.
PSALM 46
This is a psalm about being quiet before God in times of crisis, and just remembering who is really in control. I wrote myself a note by this passage once, "Karen, don't fear no matter what is happening around you cause God is our refuge and our strength." The Stephen Curtis Chapman song, "Be Still and Know that He is God" is such a beautiful reference to the famous verse from this chapter.
PSALM 55
In this psalm, David prayed for the speech of his enemies to be confounded. Perhaps he felt this way about Ahithophel, his loyal advisor who deserted him for Absalom (see 2 Sam 15:30-37). We certainly felt this during the court case. It was great to see that way that God answered our prayers and really did make those who spoke out against us say the most stupid and contradicting things. God is amazing. Again, David was specifically heart sick about the fact that a trusted friend had betrayed him, someone with whom he had once enjoyed "sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God", and whose "speech is smooth as butter…yet they are like drawn swords." He ended his psalm with the simple statement, "But as for me, I will trust in you."
PSALM 61
Whenever David felt weak, he would call on God to be his strength and his shelter.
PSALM 62
This is known as a "sister psalm" with 61, and is also about gaining strength from God. I wrote a poem from this psalm years ago. I don't remember how it went, but the first bit was something like:
"My soul finds rest in God alone;
salvation comes from him.
God, my fortress and my rock; In him I'll ne'er be shaken."
It is such a beautiful and moving psalm, you just want it to rhyme! This prayer was a heartfelt one that resonates with the anguish of being on the receiving end of slander and lies, and of dealing with unspiritual people. It ends with a beautiful thought - that God alone is strength and love. Stay tuned for more in "Psalms of the Troubled Soul, Part II".
ENTRY FIFTY-EIGHT – APRIL 23, 2008
58 – Psalms of the Troubled Soul PART II Psalm 64, 69, 70, 71, 77, 83, 86, 88, 91, 95, 108, 109, 120, 121, 140, 143, 144
(Just for the sake of curiosity, besides the ones in this section, the other psalms that fit into this category but have been included elsewhere in the chronological bible are Psalms 3, 54, 56, 59, 63, and 142.) FOUR DAYS’
PSALM 64 David here disclosed that sometimes the worst kind of persecution isn't the physical but the verbal. However, in the end, those who live for God and who fear him will prevail.
PSALM 69 It seems likely that this would have been written when fleeing from Absalom and his men. The feeling of drowning accompanies hopelessness, and surely David felt that when being pursued by his own son. It was a lose-lose situation. Whenever we are facing opposition, either real or imagined, we can feel this kind of drowning situation. How sad for David that he, a man who had tried to be righteous for MOST of the years of his life, had to endure this. We will probably all feel this kind of hopelessness in life at different times (I have) but we can be godly like David and put our hope in God. This psalm contains a prophecy of Jesus, in that they did put vinegar in his drink. Unlike Jesus, David wanted revenge. But he still ended with praising God!!
PSALM 70 In this psalm, we can see David really trying to be positive, and dying for God to help him NOW, urgently!
PSALM 71 This is a psalm either written by David in his old age, or written by David while he was going through a trial and worrying about what would happen to him in his old age. He begged God to help, as always, and appealed to God to not forsake him when his hair turned grey. He also is overflowing with praise, even during the hard times, as usual.
PSALM 77
Asaph wrote this psalm, and he must have learned from David, because it sounds so much like one of David's laments. This prayer appeals to God's nature based on all of his past deeds. Whenever we are tempted to doubt or get close to being in self-pity, we should remember all of the good things God has done!!
PSALM 83
This psalm is all about Asaph wanting revenge on the enemies of God's people, so that other nations will see it and know that God is God!
PSALM 86
David showed his humility here as he cried out for help and mercy. He appealed to God's goodness and asked God to give him a better heart. I love that part: "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name" (verse 11).
PSALM 88
This psalm was written by the sons of Korah, and it is so depressing - it is the only psalm out of all 150 that ends on a negative note! I call it the totally depressed and insecure psalm! This prayer reflects how we feel when we don't believe that God is listening to us and that we are truly in a pit. The positive side to this is that the writer didn't give up and didn't stop believing in God. When we are this low, we should keep praying and get help from others.
PSALM 91
This is a beautiful and reassuring psalm - you've almost got to read it aloud to appreciate it!! It is worthy of memorization, in the same way that Psalm 23 is. What a psalm to quote when you are going through really hard times, or how about this - when you are dying? Although many of us will not know when we are about to die, many others of us will realize that we are close to death because of illness or whatever, and it would be so comforting to have this psalm in our heads at that time. Of course it is not literally true that God doesn't actually let anything bad happen to us, but certainly it is true in a spiritual sense. This psalm inspires us with God's love for us, and it should also inspire us to love God!!
PSALM 95
I am not sure why this psalm is included in this section because it strikes me more as a song of praise (and warning) than of a troubled soul, but never mind…..Anyway, this brings back my old campus ministry days as we used to sing a song from this psalm at our devos: "Come let us sing with joy to the Lord,
let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving,
And extol him with music and song.
For the Lord is a great God, a great king above all gods,
In his hands are the depths of the earth,
And the mountain tops belong to him; the sea is his - he made it;
And his hands formed the dry land."
When we understand WHO GOD IS, it is hard not to shout out loud about God! And, after reading the second section of the prayer, which is quoted in the New Testament in Hebrews 3 and 4, it should also help us to lead a godly life. r
PSALM 108
This is another of my favourite quiet time prayer songs that I learned as a young Christian. I think I mentioned it in entry 58 but I'll repeat it:
"My heart is steadfast, O God.
My heart is steadfast, I will sing.
Awake my soul.
Let them hear my voice.
Let your glory shine over all the earth."
David did have a troubled soul here, he just began by singing and praising God and reminding God of all the good things that God had done and the promises that God had kept in the past. Good strategy when asking for help!! It ends like Psalm 60: "with God we will gain the victory".
PSALM 109
This is the psalm of revenge, a prayer of David's when he was obviously so mad that he could only pray for God's immediate and harsh vengeance on all who had hurt him and lied about him. I have felt this way before about certain individuals, but in the end, I had to resolve my heart and forgive them, as well as pray for them.
PSALM 120
This is a prayer regarding the lying Gentiles that were pressing for war with
PSALM 121
This is another of those beautiful psalms that you just have to put to music. I know at least two different tunes to this one, and I write it out sometimes for people who are in pain and suffering. It is a very comforting song during any kind of trouble. The Lord will not only not harm us but he will watch over all of our comings and goings - what a wonderful thought!
PSALM 140
If taken literally, this psalm is about God protecting us from physical attackers. However, it can also be applied figuratively, to those who wish us evil, or who may be planning to hurt us some way, or who are trying to stop what we are doing for God's glory. I love David's specific requests for God to "not let their plans succeed, or they will become proud. Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble that their lips have caused!" Boy, have I ever felt this way!
PSALM 143 I call this the psalm of maturity, because, unlike in his youth, when David would ask God to vindicate him according to his own righteousness, here he asks God to come to his aid because of GOD'S righteousness, since "no one living is righteous before you." David is still just as desperate, but there is a new vulnerability and humility here. Read this one aloud - it is so pure and sweet and needy.
PSALM 144 Only King David could pray, "Praise be to God…who trains my hands for war!" he wants the all powerful God to save him from and vindicate him in front of lying men. It ends on a victorious note: "Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord." AMEN!!
ENTRY FIFTY-NINE – APRIL 27, 2008
59 – PSALMS ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS AND WICKEDNESS Psalm 1, 14, 15, 36, 37, 39, 40, 49, 50, 73, 76, 82, 84, 90, 92, 112, 115
THREE DAYS’
One of the consistent themes of the Scriptures is the inherent superiority of righteousness over wickedness. Even though the wicked sometimes SEEM to escape punishment, it should be enough for us to know that GOD KNOWS. Besides, those who follow God know that behind the façade of wealth and power is often discontent and misery. Certainly those of us who have been on God's earth for a while know that the Law of Sowing and Reaping is true! (Or, as others would put it, "what goes round comes round!") And, of course, the wicked will receive their just reward in due time anyway! Look for these ideas and more in the next 17 psalms!
PSALM 1 The first psalm is beautiful in its simplicity. Truth is truth. We reap what we sow. You will probably already be familiar with the message of this psalm from songs at church. In particular, "Rejoice, rejoice, in the law of the Lord, rejoice, rejoice in the Law of the Lord, meditate on his words all the day and the night, meditate on his words all the day and the night."
PSALM 14 If this isn't the way of so-called "modern man"! I love the opening, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Doesn't that sound familiar? Paul later quoted part of this in the third chapter of Romans. And I love the question, "Will evil doers never learn?"
PSALM 15 This is one of my all time favourite psalms. I have used it for bible talks and even for a Women's Day speech. Basic truth and righteousness - there is no escaping it. Let's look at a few of the timeless qualities of someone who is pleasing God mentioned in this psalm:
- does what is righteous = your Christianity should change your life. There is no such thing as a Christian life and a separate personal life.
- speaks the truth from his heart = not a deceitful type, but also includes speaking the truth in love and being open.
- has no slander on his tongue = Eph 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome word come out of your mouth but only that which is …useful for the building up of others."
- honours those who fear the Lord = even if you don't know a Christian but if you know that they are a Christian and don't know any reason to not believe them, you should honour them for just being a Christian. This includes hospitality and serving. e-keeps his oath even when it hurts = I find this one especially challenging! I like things the easy way in my sinful nature; I like to be "comfortable", but this verse cuts through all excuses! The closing message is short and sweet: "He who does these things will never be shaken."
PSALM 36 I call this one the arrogant psalm. This one is scary but true: "There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin."
God, on the other hand, is loving, just and righteous. "Spare me, O God, from becoming so arrogant that I am too deceived to see my own sin. And please give me good friends who will tell me the truth if they see me becoming this way."
PSALM 37
This is another of my personal favourites. (Ok, Ok , I know I always say that, but I can't help it!!) This is a great psalm for children going into primary school who may be dealing with injustice for the first time. This prayer highlights what a wonderfully positive God we have, and reminds us that we shouldn't even waste our time worrying about the wicked but instead spend our time doing what it right, such as: Trusting, dwelling, enjoying, delighting, committing, trusting, and also, being still, waiting, not fretting, etc. My favourite line: "Trust in the Lord and do good". This is also a great psalm to counter worldly thinking.
PSALM 39
This psalm is a crack up! It is basically raw indignation at the injustices of life. And boy, is life unjust. Sorry. Welcome to the world. I am sure we have all needed to have a "muzzle on our mouth" at times.
PSALM 40
David captured the feeling we all have when we see our sin - I was in the slimy pit but God came and placed me on a rock and gave me a new song to sing! What a brilliant description of salvation, and of all the times we repent of major sins! And what a classic line, "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." As usual, David was focusing on the heart and knew that was what God wanted.
PSALM 49
Spiritual insight is better than wealth that disappears when you die. That is the sentiment of the Sons of Korah, who penned this prayer. Excerpts from verses 16-20 read, "Do not be overawed when a man grows rich…for he will take nothing with him when he dies…a man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish." I have an old note by these verses which reads, "from
PSALM 50 This psalm contains several notable thoughts: God is perfect and powerful; he needs nothing from us (the cattle on a thousand hills belong to him); the wicked have no part of him; those who sacrifice out of gratitude give honour to God and will be saved.
PSALM 73 And yes, once again I must say that this is one of my favourite, favourite psalms!! I first became familiar with this psalm when Mike Hammonds, my campus minister back in 1980, (no chuckling, please) taught us this during our bible talk leaders' meeting as a great passage for helping non believers. I've never forgotten that lesson. I learned a lot in those 7am bible talk leaders' meetings…But I digress…
Here we read of Asaph, the old song leader in David's court, who got a roaring bad attitude when he saw the "prosperity of the wicked." He admitted how he almost "lost his foothold", and by that I assume he meant that he almost gave up on God and considered tossing in the towel as an active Jew. Asaph recounted at length all the blessings of the prideful sinners he knew and how they seemed to be getting away with everything just fine while he had struggled to keep his heart pure over the years - had it all been in vain?? Had his life in service to God been a punishment?? He felt like telling others but he knew if he did it would cause them to stumble, so he mulled over his depressing thoughts with a grieved heart and a bitter spirit. He likened himself to a senseless and ignorant brute beast. But then, he finally got spiritual, AMEN!! He "entered the sanctuary of God" and finally understood everything from an eternal perspective - the wicked may look happy now, but they won't be happy for long once we hit the judgment day. Coming out of his bad attitude, he then wrote one of the most beautiful passages in the bible: "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
This is agreat passage to read if you ever envy sinners, and it also really does make for an interesting bible talk!
PSALM 76 God is great, his wrath is to be feared, and if you make a vow, please fulfill it!
PSALM 82 Many people act like they are God, but THE GOD will judge them one day!
PSALM 84 This is another favourite!! Smile. And I can't read this one without thinking of Jim Blough and the message he preached from this psalm on the nature of pilgrimage, but more on that later.
This is a psalm about being emotionally close to God. I would love to feel this way everyday. I don't. But I have more days like this when I am really in the word, really engaged in the spiritual battle and LIVING ACCORDING TO THE WORD than when I am just drifting along on auto pilot. The sons of Korah wrote this one as well - I hope they wrote it AFTER they wrote Psalm 88 (the depressed one, remember?). Look at these lines -"my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God; blessed are those who dwell in your house; blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage". This captures the idea that until we get to heaven, we are all just pilgrims here and we should have our hearts and minds on getting to our real home, which is heaven, and not be sidetracked by the trappings of this world. I have a note in my bible that says, "Karen, set your heart on going wherever God needs you!" And who could forget John's lesson on the
"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."
When we have the attitude of this psalm, we will find true peace and happiness. And of us the last verse will be true: "Blessed is the man who trusts in you."
PSALM 90 Now, if you want to be legalistic, then this psalm shouldn't be here, because it was written by Moses and he sure as heck didn't live during the time of David. Oh well…. This is a great psalm. But beware if my husband reads this psalm to you - he usually reads this to people who are dying in the hospital. (Seriously! And I am not trying to be disrespectful - if he read this to a relative of yours who died, please forgive me.) Back to the psalm… I figure that Moses had to have written this before he went back to
PSALM 92 The bible is full of understatements. What about the first verse of psalm 92, "It is good to praise the Lord." I love it. This psalm says that it was particularly written for the Sabbath day. Maybe it was always sung on those days in later years. Who knows? But it sure has some great teachings for us:
- it is great to praise the Lord.
- it is great to sing to him both at morning and at night.
- God's works should make us glad.
- even His THOUGHTS are awesome.
- the righteous will flourish eventually.
PSALM 112 Righteous living brings security and blessings; if not material blessings, then certainly spiritual blessings. Fearing the Lord will cause us to find delight in God's teachings, which will in turn spur us on to righteous living. No wonder we will then be blessed. "Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely." This is a biblical principle that is repeated over and over because God is generous, therefore, when we are generous, we are imitating God and we will be blessed. And the righteous and generous man will be so secure that HE WILL HAVE NO FEAR OF BAD NEWS. Wow, this is an incredible promise.
PSALM 115 This is the final psalm in this chapter on Psalms about Righteousness and Wickedness. I call this one the "To God be the Glory" psalm. The opening verse is amazing, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to YOUR NAME be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." We could stop right there! This is a great psalm to remember whenever you are tempted to take the glory for yourself in a situation - just remind yourself that you are an unworthy servant and that all the glory goes to God. It sounds cliché. But it is true. The writer of this prayer juxtaposes the trust that God's people have in him with the futility of those who worship idols and ends with more praise of an awesome and glorious God.
ENTRY SIXTY – APRIL 30, 2008
60 – PSALMS OF JOY AND PRAISE Part One Psalm 8, 9, 16, 19, 21, 24, 29, 33, 65, 66, 67, 68, 75, 93, 94, 97, 98, 99, 100, 103, 104, 113, 114, 117
In the following group of 36 psalms, spread out over the next three entries, there is unbounded praise for the Lord of creation and the many wonders he has performed. There is profound gratitude for the many blessings bestowed on man and exultation of the king who rules over all nature. But most importantly, there is thanksgiving for the personal concern this loving God has for each individual and his special needs. (Today’s entry covers four days’ reading.)
PSALM 8 We sing at least two songs based on the words of this psalm by King David:
"Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
Oh Lord, we praise your name. Oh Lord, we magnify your name,
Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Oh Lord God Almighty."
And the more stately,
"Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent thy name,
how excellent is thy name in all the earth.
Who has set thy glory above the heavens,
we'll praise thy holy name forever evermore.
We will praise thy name forevermore, how excellent thy glorious name.
we will praise thy name forevermore, how excellent thy glorious name.
We will praise thy name forevermore, we will praise thy name forever more,
We'll laud and praise thy holy name forevermore.
Forever, and ever we will magnify thy name.
Forever, and ever we will magnify thy name.
Forevermore, forevermore, amen and amen!"
Wow, you can't help but to have energy after that! I love to sing that in my prayer walk, but it draws some strange looks from passers-by when reaching the high notes! Years ago in my bible I have written next to this psalm, "take time to consider God." When I think of how awesome God is and how sinful I am, it is truly a miracle that he cares for and exalts us! What a great psalm to read at the beginning of a P.A.R.T. (Praise, Admit, Request, Thank) prayer time.
PSALM 9 David here was praising God again, this time for his justice against David's oppressors. I assume that David prayed this after God had answered one of the many melancholy prayers David had offered up which we read about in the Troubled Soul section. At any rate, this one is full of praise and gratitude. "You have upheld my cause" must have been sweet music on David's lips. Verse 10 is my favourite: "THOSE WHO KNOW YOUR NAME WILL TRUST IN YOU, FOR YOU, LORD, HAVE NEVER FORSAKEN THOSE WHO SEEK YOU."
PSALM 16 Another one of my so-called "fave from Dave"…this is a song about the joy of salvation and the joy of the resurrection! "To whom do I look for refuge? GOD! Who is first in my life? GOD! (Karen, live your life in such a way where you can honestly say, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing!") Which people matter the most to me? GOD'S PEOPLE! When I do your will I am happy and secure. If I meditate on your word all day and even when I wake up in the middle of the night, you are at my right hand and I will not be shaken, not even when faced with death. Therefore, your joy overflows in me eternally."
PSALM 19 David was meditating on how God revealed himself first in creation and then in his word. And it is all perfect!! This is another psalm that we sing a lot, "The Law of the Lord is perfect…..more to be desired are they than gold…." If you are having trouble learning how to praise God, take a nature walk and praise him through the first part of this song. And then read the bible and praise him through the second. I have written several prayers next to this psalm over the years: "God, your words are so pure and holy - no one can describe how magnificent they are." "Your words, O God, are the only thing that can really change me and have a lasting impact on me. Only they can change my heart, make me wise, revive my soul, give me joy, show me the way, and bring me eternal happiness." The third section of this psalm is also awesome. Here is the abbreviated version: "Please forgive my hidden faults, but please keep me from willful sins. May they not rule over me….May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O GOD."
PSALM 21 David prayed this while he was a king, but we can pray this and talk about how God treats us like royalty! David didn't take his blessings for granted and we shouldn't either. All of our victories come from God.
PSALM 24 This psalm is similar to Psalm 15 about living on God's holy hill, but in this one, David focuses even more on having a clean heart and also on making sure that God knows that David knows that God is the only TRUE king. Read this to remind yourself that God desires a righteous life and pure motivation.
PSALM 29 This is a beautiful prayer to the God of the Storm. You can almost visualize David standing at the cliffs, witnessing the sea in turmoil and you can definitely "hear" the waves crashing as you read this aloud!
PSALM 33 This psalm praises God for his creation, his power, his strength, and emphasizes the realization that there is NO HOPE outside of God! In verse 16, all of our worldly security blankets are shown to be rubbish: "No king is saved by the size of his army…but the eyes are on those who fear HIM."
PSALM 65 David was in a grateful mood when he wrote this one - it is all about acknowledging that everything good comes from God - spiritual blessings, the workings of nature, and our physical blessings as well.
PSALM 66 This is THE JOY PSALM!! You can't read this one aloud and stay in a bad mood!! We have so much reason for joy in our lives - God forgives us and hears our prayers! The imagery of this is awesome! Verse 18 is the well known "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened…" implying that we must not be living in a state of willfully sinning but constantly trying to be righteous, and when failing, being open about it (with safe people who will lovingly help us).
PSALM 67 Praise for God's blessings and a desire for all nations to praise God!
PSALM 68 This Davidic psalm praises God for being a God of power who cared about individual problems. It celebrates with beautiful imagery a triumphant, loving God. Picture all of this - our problems being blown away as smoke in the wind, God riding on the clouds, God being a father to the fatherless, defending the widows, setting the lonely in families, leading forth the prisoners with singing. It is really like a celebration!
PSALM 75 This is a psalm of Asaph that praises God as the Judge of the earth!
PSALM 93 This song praises God for his majesty and holiness. It exalts God as the one who reigns supremely, even speaking through the ocean.
PSALM 94 The message here is that justice will be bad news for the wicked but good news for the righteous, especially since God knows our hearts! Also, God's love supports us in times of trouble and anxiety.
PSALM 97 This is another psalm celebrating God's righteousness and justice. Again, great imagery! You HAVE to read this aloud and almost act it out. God is so awesome! The message here is that when we see God in his greatness and power, we can more easily have faith in his deliverance, which leads to joy!!
PSALM 98 Using imagery again, this psalm beautifully describes God's love for us and his gift of salvation. I particularly love the visual of the rivers clapping their hands in praise to God.
PSALM 99 "The Lord reigns - let the nations tremble," cries this song in exultation of the God who is holy and just.
PSALM 100 We can learn to worship God by reading these few short verses: Shout aloud, sing with joy, come to his temple, enter his courts, praise and thank him… And don't forget, HE is God, and we are not! We are his people and we should follow him joyfully because he is a good shepherd whose love endures forever.
PSALM 103 I've had this particular bible for a long time, and there is a note next to v5 (he satisfies your desires with good things) which reads, "In one week I will be married to John Louis!" I guess I wrote that in Sept 1987! Almost 20 years ago! At any rate, this is another of my favourites, with so many insights that I can't begin to write them all. This psalm begins with a "Soul Talk" - "Praise the Lord, o my soul". David was reciting so many of God's blessings here. What does God do for us? He forgives our sins, heals our diseases, redeems our lives from the pit (amen!!) crowns us with love and compassion, satisfies our desires with good things, and renews our youth like an eagle's. Wow!! And that is not all…David wrote many more lines on God's blessings! Again, you can't read this without getting fired up!! All of our Christian lives, we will navigate the waters of truth and grace, of love and reverent fear, and it is important that we do. If we go too far to one extreme, we have lost the truth of the gospel. This psalm captures both concepts well - Please read every verse slowly and out loud! It is awesome!!
PSALM 104 This psalm uses descriptive language to help us see God's beauty. Read each verse and close your eyes to see God wrapping himself in light as a garment, etc. This psalm praises God in detail for his creation and helps us to see him in all of his power and splendor. It is reminiscent of the end of Job when God is reminding Job of his power. The psalmists conclusion? "I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him as I rejoice in the Lord." AMEN!!
PSALM 113 The writer of this song praises God not just for the "big things", like creation, but the "small things", like helping the poor… One writer called it "Praise for the Lord of heaven who is sensitive!" God stoops down to see us and raises the poor up from the heap. I bet Mary the mother of Jesus was thinking of this psalm when she wrote her song to God found in Luke 1.
PSALM 114 This psalm helps us to be acutely aware of God's power and tells us that even nature trembles before God!! Again, the imagery is awesome: "the mountains skipped like rams"…I love it! If even nature trembles before God, how much more should I!!!
PSALM 117 This tiny psalm is beautiful in its simplicity: "Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord."
This entry ended with the shortest psalm and the next entry will begin with the longest psalm, 119. Until then… (next entry on May 4)
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ENTRY SIXTY-ONE – MAY 4, 2008
61 – PSALMS OF JOY AND PRAISE Part Two Psalm 119
This amazing psalm deserves an entry all its own (one day of reading), partly because it is the longest chapter in the bible, and partly because it just has too many wonderful lessons too gloss over. This is an acrostic poem, which means that the first letter of each paragraph was significant. In this case, I believe the first letters match the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 sections in all; each one with its own theme, with the overall message of the psalm being MEDITATIONS and PRAYERS RELATING TO and PRAISING GOD FOR HIS LAW, even when going through hard times. I have attempted to focus on the theme of each paragraph, as well as highlight favourite illuminations, insights and personal applications. (There are more insights in the beginning sections because I tried to not be repetitive.) Enjoy!
1) "Aleph" v1-8 Theme - The Way of Obedience
v1 The obedient's way v3 God's ways v5 My ways What kind of obedience? v1 blameless obedience v2 wholehearted obedience v4 full obedience v5 consistent obedience v6 thoughtful obedience v7 praise-filled obedience
Blessed means, "o how abundantly happy". We are truly happy when we are obedient. Just as a waterfall is beautiful as it observes the laws of nature and physics, so man, as God's creation, is beautiful when submissive to God's Laws.
Verse 8 holds the key to growth - decision! We must decide to obey! Wow, I'm convicted after the first section!
2) "Beth" v9-16 Theme - Eliminating Sin
This section reminds me of Paul's writings to Timothy, the young evangelist. Paul told him to "flee the evil desires of youth" (2 Timothy 2:22) and here, in Ps 119, we see how to do that -"by living according to your word." Just as we have seen all through the Old Testament, God wants our hearts! We are to treasure his word in our hearts as well. Does the word of God mean as much to me now as it did when I was a young Christian? If so, I must rejoice and delight IN it, meditate ON it, and not FORGET it! In other words, I need to enjoy reading it, thinking about it, talking about it and, most importantly, obeying it!
3) "Gimel" v17-24 Theme - Tuning in the Spiritual
I look at this section as telling me to follow the word no matter what others do. I especially love v18, "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." Sometimes we may struggle to get insights but God will answer a prayer like this! Even if others in positions of influence make fun of us for our stand, we should still delight in God's word and let it be our counsellor!
4) "Daleth" v25-32 Theme - Deep Dependency
Sometimes we are filled with grief at life's events, or at how people are treating us, but at these times we should cling to God and his word more than ever. His word is the answer to everything. When I ask God to keep me from deceitful ways, I am saying that his words and ways are true. "Holding fast to God's statutes" reminds me of Deut 11:22 "If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him..." and also John 8:31a-32, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Not surprising that this section of 119 concludes with the phrase, "for you have set my heart free." In times of trouble, we must HOLD FAST! Only then will we feel free!
5) "He" v33-40 Theme - God is The Teacher
The writer of this psalm knew that God was his teacher. He knew that only God gives understanding and again refers to the importance of the heart! Remember the old memory
verse about repentance from 2Cor 7:11? "what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what LONGING, what concern, what readiness to see justice done..."
Sounds like the way this writer felt about God's laws!
6) "Vav" v41-48 Theme - Boldness
When we are daily in God's word, reading it, meditating on it, growing in our understanding of it, and ultimately becoming more Christ-like by practicing it, we will naturally be BOLD! The reason we can walk in freedom (v45) is that when we are following God's commandments, we don't have a guilty conscience and we therefore aren't living in fear of others.
7) "Zayin" v49-56 Theme - Comfort of the Word
God's word gives hope, brings comfort and revives us. This comes when we know the bible so well that we sing scriptural songs and think of God's word whenever we wake up in the middle of the night (also see v62 for a passage on "midnight meditation").
8) "Heth" v57-64 Theme - Enthusiastic Response
The writer of this psalm wrote, "The Lord is my portion," in v57. I have a note in my bible which says, "Don't starve yourself!" This section emphasizes the need to repent without delay. I AM GUILTY HERE. I am so good at making excuses about why I can't repent today or how I'll repent tomorrow. Help me to keep the words of Ps 119 in my heart. I was also moved by the part about seeking God’s face. I don’t usually think along that line – to seek God’s face. It is an upward call to me.
9) "Teth" v65-72 Theme - Right Attitude It seems that the psalmist is saying that he has been through hard times and that those difficulties were good for him because they helped him to learn obedience. Reminds me of Hebrews 5:7f about Jesus learning from his suffering and Romans 5:3-5, which tells us that suffering helps us. Also, the writer asks that God does good to him, “according to your word, O Lord”. When we know the bible well, we can ask God to keep his promises, the way that David and Moses did asked him.
10) "Yodh" v73-80 Theme - Molding the Heart
By acknowledging God as our creator, we humble ourselves and can put our hope in his words even more. God's love & compassion comfort us when we delight in his laws.
11) "Kaph" v81-88 Theme - Faithful Through Adversity
When our mortal lives are so wonderful or when we are too enamored with and consumed by this life on earth, our souls don't languish for God! When we go through hard times, we feel desperate for God's words and truly rely on Him!
12) "Lamedh" v89-96 Theme - Scope of the Word
God's word is eternal, everlasting, established, and, unlike other "perfect" things, it is limitless!
13) "Mem" v97-104 Theme - God's Word Brings Wisdom
I have always enjoyed showing this passage to disciples in the campus ministry - "I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes" (v99). Knowledge is one thing, but wisdom and insight come firstly when we LEARN the word and secondly, APPLY it! I also have a note from a previous reading of this bible which reads, “Karen, keep your feet from every evil path – especially food pleasure – and let yourself be satisfied with God’s word which is sweeter than honey!! Hate compulsive eating!!”
14) "Nun" v105-112 Theme - The Shining Light
Verse 105 is one of the most well-known verses, thanks to Amy Grant's gospel hit in the early 1980s. Her song, taken from the KJV, says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." This section ends by saying how the statutes of God should be the joy of our hearts.
15) "Samekh" v113-120 Theme - Separation from the Ungodly
The Psalmist wrote of his strong feelings against those who don't obey God's word. He hates the double-minded, banishes evildoers, rejects those who wander, and knows their ultimate outcome is destruction. Why such antipathy? Because he fears God and doesn't want anyone to lead him astray.
16) "Ayin" v121-128 Theme - Loving the Truth, Hating what is False
The writer here is concerned again with justice. He loves the word more than all else, and hates everything false.
17) "Pe" v129-136 Theme - The Beatitudes of Ps 119
I feel that many of concepts taught by Jesus in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) appear in this section -being poor in spirit, mourning over sin, being meek and humble, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and needing mercy.
18) "Tsadhe" v137-144 Theme - The Refined Truth
The psalmist uses the language of refining gold, which gets purified and tested until it is pure. God's word is pure and true! We must have this attitude with God's word! This takes reading, meditating, considering and applying.
19) "Qoph" v145-152 Theme - Reliance on God
In times of trouble, we must pray for help, crying out to God for intervention as we read and obey his words. This section reminds us that we should wake up early to pray and read our bible, but that we should think of God during those times that we can’t sleep in the middle of the night! Midnight meditations!!
20) "Resh" v153-160 Theme - The Word Revives
Focusing on God's precepts gives hope when being persecuted, especially when we know "the sum of Thy word is truth" (v160 in the New American Standard Version).
21) "Shin" v161-168 Theme - The Value of God's Word
Love for and obedience of the law causes us to stand up under persecution, hate falsehood and praise God continually.
22) "Tav" v169-176 (The last section) Theme - A Closing Prayer
The Psalmist ends his song with a closing prayer, asking God to help him, as he cries out to God, signing off with the admission that, "I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands." What a great way for us to end our study of this amazing psalm. "O God, please hear our prayers. Give us understanding of your word. We delight in your law and will praise you. Help us to long for your salvation. We are but lost sheep, but we will never forget your commands."
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ENTRY SIXTY-TWO – MAY 5, 2008
62 – PSALMS OF JOY AND PRAISE Part Three Psalm 122, 124, 133, 134, 135, 136, 138, 139, 145, 148, 150
This entry, which covers two days of reading, contains personal sharing about KINGDOM UNITY, and a lesson/prayer re SELF-ESTEEM for WOMEN.
PSALM 122 David praised God for
PSALM 124 David acknowledged that his health and safety was a gift from God and he is grateful.
PSALM 133 I call this “The Unity Psalm” – “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” The ICOC started with this as a major foundational principle. Unfortunately, human ego, pride, sin and unforgiveness have prevented us from living up to such a high calling. I was discouraged by this for a while. Now I am no longer down about this, and I have tried to do what I could for unity around the world. At the same time, I do pray that we can grow up and mature and overlook the faults of others while still holding to sound doctrine. May God bless the desire for Unity among our people and help us to trust each other again with the love of Christ.
PSALM 134 This psalm is short and sweet, and is a specific psalm written for those who serve in the house of God by night. Asaph and David wanted the temple servants to love and worship God from their hearts.
PSALM 135 This psalm continues on with the idea of the temple servants praising God and is a longer version of the above psalm. It emphasizes the need for the servants to love and worship God with their hearts and not just seeing their service as a “job”. Just as the writer of this psalm gave the temple servants ideas for the many things for which they could praise God, we, too, can praise God for many things. There is also a great verse about idolatry stuck in close to the end: “Those who make them (idols) will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.” It is the same for today with modern day idols.
PSALM 136 This has always been one of my favourite psalms! This is a song of thanksgiving, and after every line of gratitude, there is a line which says, “His love endures forever.” For those of us in
PSALM 138 God truly takes care of those who love him and of the humble. David must have written this on one of his “feel good” days. I especially love the line, “You have made me bold and stouthearted.”
PSALM 139 Another favourite here!!! This reminds me of a friend in the campus ministry who taught this to college age girls that were lacking in the self-esteem department. (And what girl in college isn’t insecure about something?) David wrote this as he marveled about how well God knew him and yet still loved him! Ain’t it the truth??!! And he praised God for that! Let’s examine this one more closely – I have written a “Prayer from a Single Woman”:
“God, you know everything about me – where I am, what I’m doing and what I’m thinking!! And even though you know me so well, you still love and protect me! Wow, that kind of love is so hard for me to imagine!! Of course, that means that you are there even when I wish you weren’t…Everyone from Adam and Eve and Cain down to us measly 21st Century types have learned that the hard way. The great thing is, after we have tried to run away, you are still there to guide us. Wow! Why do you care so much? Well, I know that you created me. You’ve known me from the moment I was first conceived! I PRAISE YOU, O GOD, BECAUSE I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE!! (This reminds me that you were in the room when my parents made me – and why not? You invented the sex act and want me to know that it is a spiritual act as well as a physical one, so I better not dabble in that lightly before marriage, if that is in your plan for me.) Everything you do is wonderful. You have known what path I would choose and you know what I am doing even right now! O God, my Father, I know that you live in a dimension way outside of what I can comprehend, and your thoughts are so much bigger than mine and so vast – just thinking about that makes my eyes water! What this tells me is that if you, who are so big and perfect and wonderful and powerful, can care about me, so insignificant and sinful and powerless, than that must mean I am worth something. And if you think I have worth, than I should respect myself and not degrade myself by mixing with those who would use me for their own agenda, whether that be in my relationships with men or people at work or whoever. You have given me worth and for that I thank you. Sadly, there are many who try to do bad things to your people and who say bad things about you and your word – sometimes I wish evil things on them, but I know that the true enemy is the evil one. I pray that you will search me every day, and know my heart, and that you will test me and know my anxious thoughts. Please see if there is any thing in my which offends you and let me know, so that you can lead me along the eternal stream of everlasting life.”
In closing, I will say that I prayed verses 23 and 24 almost daily thinking that God would expose something in my life about a personal sin (I was, as usual, working on discipline with exercise and eating) and instead, after praying that prayer for a whole year, God exposed my self-righteousness toward my husband! (I mentioned this in the entry about Saul and 1 Samuel 15.)
PSALM 145 This is another sweet psalm of praise from David. God is great and awesome and we should praise him every day!! Let us begin all of our prayers with praise of the Almighty!! God is a loving God full of compassion, slow to anger and rich in love. Isn’t it wonderful to serve a God like this?? No wonder we are supposed to be evangelizing – it is natural to praise such a wonderful God and tell of his wonders. God, you are so faithful in keeping your promises! I love this verse – “The Lord is near to all who call on him; to all who call on him in truth!” and David ends with, “Let every creature praise his holy name forever and ever.”
PSALM 148 We sing an old hymn at church that is taken straight from this psalm: “Let them praises, sing Jehovah, for his name alone is high. And his glory is exalted, and his glory is exalted, and his glory is exalted far above the earth and sky.” This psalm shouts out that everyone and everything that God made should praise him - a stirring exaltation to God!
PSALM 150 This, the last of the psalms in the order of the bible, is similar to the one above, but it mentions specifically the instruments that the Israelites used when praising God and how the instruments themselves should praise God! The closing line has been prayed by many, but my favourite version is the Ron Kenoly worship song, “Let Everything That Has Breath Praise the Lord”. Thank you God for talented musicians who spread their love for you to others through the making of music!
So ends the third installment of Psalms of Praise. The next entry on May 7th will be about a new topic of psalms. Until then…
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ENTRY SIXTY-THREE – MAY 7, 2008
63 – PSALMS EXPRESSING A VARIETY OF SENTIMENTS Psalm 4, 12, 20, 25, 32, 38, 42, 53, 58, 81, 101, 111, 130, 131, 141, 146
The next 16 psalms, covering three days of reading, contain a variety of sentiments from the heart of a believer to his God. In this grouping is an indication of the complexity of human nature and the acknowledgement of a God who answers every need.
PSALM 4 David cried out to God for mercy in this prayer, and then he penned one of the most difficult to obey passages in the bible: “In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.” This is quoted in Eph 4 as a part of taking off our old sinful selves and putting on the new life in Christ. But how hard it is to be silent and not sin when we are angry!! The good news is that anger is not a sin, so we are not necessarily wrong for having the feelings. Fits of rage are wrong and holding it in forever is also not good. Being quiet on our beds is, I believe, a way of getting us to be calm and trust in God before we take action. There are many good books to help you with anger. Feel free to ask me or look in the church library.
PSALM 12 Misuse of the gift of speech is the topic of this psalm. David bemoaned the fact that so many people were lying and boastful. This contrasts with God’s speech, which is always pure, flawless and refined. And doesn’t the closing verse sound like the 21st Century? “The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honoured among men.”
PSALM 20 This is a prayer for others’ welfare and an expression of trust. David must have written this for some friends that he really loved. It is so sweet. I think I will add it onto my prayer request list. Try reading it aloud as you pray for your friends. As David had learned the hard way, “some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
PSALM 25 We sing this song often in church: “Unto thee O Lord, do I lift up my soul. Unto thee O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee, Let me not be ashamed; let not my enemy triumph over me. Remember not the sins of my youth. Remember not the sins of my youth. O my God, I trust in thee, Let me not be ashamed; let not my enemy triumph over me.” Etc etc….. This is a beautiful prayer of praise to a God who can save.
PSALM 32 I call this one my “Twelve Step Psalm”, because the opening of the psalm reminds me of “the fourth step” which talks about making a “searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves”. In addition, the Alcoholics Anonymous book, known as the Big Book, contains numerous references to truthfulness and talks frequently about how addiction (to anything, which could include any kind of sin, not just being an alcoholic) is a deceitful condition. The first paragraph of the chapter about how the program works has three references to the rigorous honesty needed to work the program. Well, it’s the same when we are trying to get sin out of our lives and be truthful to God. It ain’t easy, but it’s the only hope we have. This psalm is such a celebration of why living in honesty is important. I especially love the New Living Translation (NLT) of this psalm and have included the first two verses. “Oh what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin, WHOSE LIVES ARE LIVED IN COMPLETE HONESTY!” Lying to ourselves and to God and to others about our sin is really rebelling against God. When we live like that, it has physical consequences. David talked about how he suffered physically because of his sin, but that when he finally confessed to God he felt so much better. He warns us today, “Pray to God now while he may be found!!” and exhorts us to not be like the stubborn mule! David closes with, “The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.” Amen! I love it!!!
(For inquiry into any twelve step program outside of
PSALM 38 This psalm is also from David and related to the one above, only it is even more intense about the physical symptoms of sin. This is a psalm that I believe that David prayed during the week he was fasting and praying for his child not to die after his sin with Bathsheba and the rebuke from Nathan. David felt pierced by God’s arrows and felt no health in his bones. He was groaning in anguish and feeling like even his friends avoided him.
PSALM 42 A psalm of the Sons of Korah which is similar to David’s 63 with beautiful imagery: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. When can I go and meet with God?” The singer of this lament remembers happier times, and now he prays himself out of depression by talking to himself – positive self-talk, or “soul talks”. This psalm underlines the importance of going to God when we are depressed. This is hard for me because I hate feeling sad and would rather stuff down negative feelings with doing good things for others, or by distracting myself with TV or food. That is what my sinful nature likes to do. When I am spiritual, and close to God, I let myself feel my feelings and go to the One who gave me my feelings for meaning and affirmation. I love the line, “By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.” Amen!
PSALM 53 David sang about the universality of sin and its consequences. He began this one asserting that only a fool would say there isn’t a God, or perhaps he was observing that fools very arrogantly and quietly say in their heart that there isn’t a God (since no one in that day would dare to say out loud that there wasn’t a God). Either way, he was correct. And everyone who opposes God will eventually be brought down.
PSALM 58 David is downright mad, filled with outrage at leaders who promote injustice. And well he should be. Of course, he did it himself with Bathsheba, but this may have been before
he stooped so low, or even after he had been forgiven, because it is often easier to forgive oneself than another, especially if that “other” is a leader or someone in authority. Anyway, I do believe that God gets angry with leaders who lie and have bad motives, and God is no fool – the truth will out, as they say, and, as David said at the end of his rant, “Surely there is a God who judges the earth.”
PSALM 81 Asaph wrote this psalm, speaking as if he were God telling
PSALM 101 Another Davidic psalm, this time about how he wanted to live righteously and promote righteous living among the land. David promised to be careful to lead a blameless life and to try to have a blameless heart, vowing to “set before (his) eyes no vile thing.” As in the case of many other psalms, he decries deceitfulness.
PSALM 111 This psalm teaches us that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is especially useful as a psalm of promises and if you are feeling discouraged, it is sure to get you fired up about God and his goodness.
PSALM 130 Simply put, there is no forgiveness and no hope outside of God! Favourite quote: “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?” How true!!!
PSALM 131 David expressed real humility when he penned this prayer – I wonder if he was already the king? I have prayed this at times when I caught myself falling into gossip or wanting to know what was going on, etc. I am tempted with “busy-body-itis” at times, and this psalm puts me in my place!!
PSALM 141 On the other hand, I have prayed THIS psalm when I have had an attack of “open-mouthinsert-foot-itis” (in other words, when I have opened my big mouth one too many times and blurted out things I should not have)! This is a prayer asking God to help me to not sin with my speech and begging him to send someone to rebuke me when I need it. I think I need to pray it again!!
PSALM 146 God cares for the underdog – the humble will be exalted, so put your trust in God!! (next entry in three days)
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ENTRY SIXTY-FOUR – MAY 10, 2008
64 – PSALMS OF THE MESSIAH Psalm 2, 22, 27, 45, 47, 48, 87, 110
There have been hints of One who will come as a Saviour, and the idea of Messiah has appeared in some of the psalms we have already seen, but in these next eight psalms, covering two days of reading, the coming Messiah is the central subject. I just watched the movie, The Passion, again a few days ago, and I was able to pick up various references to and quotes from these psalms during my second viewing of that amazing film.
PSALM 2 The Coming Messiah and a warning to earthly rulers is the topic for this psalm. I love the opening question: “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” It was a good question then and it is a good question now! You can’t fight God! He laughs at men who think they are powerful! And then he terrifies them with his wrath! Therefore, if you wish to be a wise ruler (or business man, etc) you’ll pay homage to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and serve Him with fear and trembling!
PSALM 22 David wrote this most dark of prophecies about the coming Saviour. He was probably lamenting the persecution in his own life, but was inspired by God to use words that would ultimately reveal something more. (By the way, if I remember correctly, the Romans invented crucifixion but the Romans weren’t around until hundreds of years after David wrote this!) We all recognize the opening words, spoken by Jesus in Aramaic while he was hanging on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This passage is such an amazingly accurate prophecy of what happened to Jesus on and around the cross – the mocking, even the pulling of his bones out of joint! Remember the scene in The Passion when the Roman guard purposely disconnected Jesus’ shoulder so that his hand could be nailed properly? Also in the movie, we saw Jesus’ ribs, and we saw the guards gambling for his clothes. Of course, we know that truly God the Father did not despise his suffering one. And the psalm ends with these words, “For he has done it.” As Jesus said, “It is finished.”
PSALM 27 The king of
PSALM 45 Written by the Sons of Korah, they wrote of an earthly wedding and an earthly king with a beautiful earthly bride. However, God uses this psalm to be an inspired part of Scripture about a heavenly king, a heavenly bride (which is us, the church) and to paint gorgeous imagery about our relationship with God as a lover or husband. What a great king we serve! Read this aloud and be inspired!
PSALM 47 The Sons of Korah gave us the perfect way to respond to God’s “awesomeness” as our King of Kings – clapping, shouting, praising and singing! He is the only true king, there is no other. He is awesome and we should be encouraged to know that he has chosen us and allowed us (for some unknown reason) to be his people!!
PSALM 48 The Sons of Korah were on a roll – this time they are exalting the City of
PSALM 87 Of course, the city belongs to the Messiah, who will be born there and come as the Saviour. An old hymn, “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” is taken from this psalm. If you are like me and you like to sing, click on this link:
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/g/l/glorious.htm
Or go to Google and enter the name of the hymn, then click on the first website that comes up and you’ll hear the tune of the song plus get the words below and you can sing along! I have included only two verses. It is a great song for a Quiet Time Praising God session!!
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
He, Whose Word cannot be broken,
Formed thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.
Savior, if of
I through grace a member am,
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in Thy Name.
Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasure
None but
PSALM 110 Jesus quoted this psalm to tease the Pharisees. What a smile that should put on our faces, to know that our Lord and King was also a joker with a sense of humour! Incidentally, if my knowledge is correct, The LORD in verse one refers to Jehovah God, while the Lord refers to Jesus. He is the true king above all kings and he will crush all kings who haven’t bowed before him on the judgment day.
And if you enjoyed that last time of singing, I’ll give you another song about the High King of Heaven: Be Thou My Vision. Find it the same way, either by clicking on the link below or by googling the song title! However, I recommend singing it much slower than the tune played on the internet link. If you remember, our church choir performed this recently with some of the members doing backup on the violin and cello. That was awesome, but it was so beautiful that I couldn’t sing because I was crying. In fact, I am crying now as I type this. I LOVE the words of this song.
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/t/btmvison.htm
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
This ends our study of the psalms of David. The next entry picks up with David’s death and Solomon’s ascension to the throne.
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For a list of all these studies, see the Introduction.
