Preliminary Thoughts on Psalms 2007 June 8^th for July 6^th

When dad died we were at a church-provided meal following the funeral service when the wife of one of the preachers, not knowing what to say to me, a near stranger, to make conversation, nearly blurted out, “Do you love the Psalms?”

I didn’t really know how to reply. I said something like, “Well, of course, among other things,” or something to that effect. Not very convincing. Although Christians and Jews are supposed to love the Psalms, my impression of what happened there was that she was used to dad talking about loving the Psalms and preaching from them himself and she thought I might be the same.

Good guess, but not very accurate, at least not on that day.

We now enter into the part of the Old Testament that will be difficult for me. The Psalms, songs of praise and lament for whom the actual music has been lost, are used widely throughout worship and theology but they have always been to me, well, poetry in a foreign language and I’m not strong at poetry or foreign languages.

Later will come the major and minor prophets. These were the spokesmen of God to Israel during some of the periods whose history we have already covered. Most of what they wrote, that is, prophesied, is poetry in a foreign language as well. But the Psalms, in addition to being poetry in a foreign language, have the connotation of being, like music, ecstatic and emotional. Not that I don’t have ecstasy or depth of emotion, but, well, as a musician, I’m mostly into the music, not the words. At great length, I’ve concluded that this can be OK. But now, here we are with the Psalms. Words only, as they have come down to us.

There are scholars on the Psalms such as Dr. Leslie Allen who attends our church and preaches occasionally. He understands the language, the poetry, and the scholarship of the Psalms quite well. Well enough, in fact, to teach it at the graduate level at Fuller Seminary. I find what he has to say enlightening and he moves me towards connecting as far as one can intellectually, but I’m still not there. Perhaps this will change over the next several months.

We now plow into the Psalms, a page at a time. Even at that rate we will be here for several months, pretty much for the remainder of 2007. There will be one or two of them per day on average, though some are somewhat longer (and acrostic, to aid in memory, for those who memorize) and so will be divided over two or three days.

Psalms 1 – 2 2007 June 11^th for July 9^th

Book I.

The book of Psalms that comes to us is actually a collection of five books, or “hymnbooks.” We begin with the first.

Remember the protestations of Job and his friends? Psalm 1: The man is blessed who is not wicked, a sinner, or a mocker but who majors in God’s law, thinking about it day and night. He is like a tree by a stream, never wanting, bearing fruit in season, prospering.

The wicked blow away like chaff in the wind. They fall in the judgment. Sinners do not keep company with the righteous. God watches over the righteous, but the wicked perish.

Psalm 2: Why do the nations who are under the domination of God’s appointed king try to break away? It is useless; God scoffs. God installed his king; he is like a father to him; no one can resist. God gives him everything to rule to the “ends of the earth.”

Conquered kings, take this advice: “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.” Kiss up! Avoid destruction! “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

Psalms 3 – 4 2007 June 12^th for July 10^th

3: A Psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.

David feels overwhelmed by the sheer number of his enemies who are saying that God will not save him. But he trusts God who is his shield and sustainer. He can sleep at night and get up in the morning because of God, no matter how many enemies are around him. David prays, “Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.” Deliverance and blessing come from God.

4: A Psalm Of David, to include stringed instruments.

David cries out for relief from distress. He asks for mercy. He cannot bear his glory being turned to shame by men who follow false gods. Don’t sin, offer “right sacrifices,” “search your hearts and be silent.” Even though many are asking what good can anyone testify about, David can “sleep in peace” because safety is from God.

Psalm 5 2007 June 13^th for July 11^th

The psalmist prays to his God, his king every morning and asks God to hear his sighing. God is described through what he detests and will not tolerate: lying, evil, wickedness, arrogance, deceit, and the bloodthirsty.

The psalmist is reverent, bowing down toward God’s house. He is under God’s merciful protection. He asks that his ways be made straight, in contrast to those of his many enemies.

These wicked enemies are now described: “Their throat is an open grave,” they cannot be trusted, they are deceitful, they engage in intrigues and should be banished for their rebellion against God.

But those who take refuge with God are protected with his shield of righteousness. They will “ever sing for joy.”

Psalms 6 – 7 2007 June 16^th for July 12^th

Psalm 6 is a lament. Show mercy God! I am in dire distress and excruciating pain. I lie in bed crying and weeping all night. Don’t punish me further but deliver me. On my salvation my enemies will turn away in shame. All those who do evil will flee.

“No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?”

Or, put another way, save me and I’ll praise you. Don’t and I won’t be able to. Dead men tell no tales and give no praises to their God. If you want praise, save!

Psalm 7: I take refuge in God; he delivers me. My enemies will then be the ones without protection. But if I am guilty, if I have dealt with someone unfairly, then I take the punishment and will flee before those enemies. But, I call upon God to do justice, acknowledge my righteousness and integrity. Make people like me secure by putting an end to the wicked.

God can do this. He is a righteous judge; he has all the power. He sits and sharpens his sword and strings his arrows. Conversely, a person who sits around and thinks up evil all the time will fall prey to it. He digs a hole and falls into it himself. For my part I give thanks and sing praise to God.

Psalm 8 2007 June 16^th for July 13^th

Although I usually don’t quote verbatim and have stated that I am not attempting to improve on the poetry but only to summarize the meaning, this Psalm is famous for having its verses set in several popular songs, familiar sayings, and significant liturgies.

Psalm 8:

“O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth!

“You have set your glory above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise

because of your enemies to silence the foe and the avenger.

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

“You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:

All flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Psalm 9 2007 June 18^th for July 16^th

This is a song of praise; the psalmist praises his God with “all his heart.”

Because the psalmist is righteous, God turns his enemies back and makes them stumble and perish. God is eternal and rules with justice. He is a “refuge for the oppressed.”

God! Look at how my enemies persecute me. Ensnare them in their own traps. Dash them to pieces. Remind them not to forget you. Strike them with terror. Remind them that they are only men even though they are banded into nations.

Psalm 10 2007 June 19^th for July 17^th

This Psalm asks God a question.

“Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

The wicked man gets away with murder. He gloats over his lusts, he oppresses the weak, he laughs in the face of virtue, he brags about not needing God. He lays in wait and attacks without fear. He thinks that God isn’t paying attention, or isn’t there. He prospers.

Heaven forbid!

So, God, what’s up with this? Who enforces the rules?

Please, God, do what you should, uphold the helpless, soothe those who have grief. “Break the arm of the evil man” and care for orphans.

The last stanza is of praise. God is king over everything. He clears his land of his enemies and the earth of the wicked. He takes care of the helpless and afflicted.

But… why indeed do the wicked get away with murder?

Psalms 11 – 12 2007 June 20^th for July 18^th

Psalm 11: Why flee to the mountains when enemies are all around? I don’t take that advice because the Lord is my refuge. He is in his holy temple on his heavenly throne. He examines all men and his soul hates the wicked.

“The Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.”

Psalm 12 is a prayer: “The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.” Help us with this Lord! There aren’t any more faithful people. “Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.”

May God cut this off! May he arise and protect the weak and oppressed from those who malign them.

“The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.”

An interesting collection of varied thoughts here: pleas with God to do needed justice among claims that he is perfect.

Psalms 13 – 14 2007 June 22^nd for July 19^th

Psalm 13 is a lament: I am troubled and have disturbing thoughts. How long will you remain apart from me? Yet, “I will trust in your unfailing love,” rejoice and sing.

Psalm 14: Some do not believe there is a God. They are foolish. They are corrupt and vile. God looks down on them to see if there is anyone who understands about him.

“Will evildoers never learn---?” They frustrate the plans of the good people. Nonetheless, God is the refuge of the good people; he is in company with them.

“Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!”

The psalmist has not lost site of the goal anyway.

Psalms 15 – 16 2007 June 23^rd for July 20^th

Psalm 15 is a proverb: The question is, “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?”

One who is blameless, righteous, truthful from the heart and without slander, doesn’t do vile things or speak slurs and despises those who do. God is with one who honors others who fear God and “keeps his oath even when it hurts,” who lend without interest (literally “usury”) and doesn’t take bribes.

“He who does these things will never be shaken.”

There is some question as to the distinction between usury and interest. Earlier we saw Nehemiah condemning countrymen who charged one percent interest as usurers under this law. Today we consider interest rates up to ten percent per annum as normal. Usury for us starts in the twenties or thirties (credit card rates). Legally, I don’t know what our definitions are, but a strict reading of Bible has no place for commerce as we experience it today in lending (that is, “saving”) with interest, that is, the foundation of Capitalism.

A reading that might work for us would be “does not take advantage of” relative to local norms. I see the pitfalls in this argument, but it seems to me to be a choice between that, complete isolation, or just not taking religion seriously or acknowledging it at all, which is the consensus choice today.

Psalm 16:

I am safe because God is my refuge. I delight in the “saints of the land.” Those who worship other gods will increase their sorrows, but I won’t do that. God has made me secure. My life is pleasant.

“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.” I am glad and rejoice in pleasures, “because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”

This last was quoted in connection with Christ’s resurrection.

Psalm 17 2007 June 26^th for July 23^rd

Listen to my plea God; I am not lying. You see what is right; you vindicate.

I have not sinned or acted like other men. I have not slipped into violence. Hear me. “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.”

My mortal enemies are arrogant and merciless like a hungry lion. Confront them God! Rescue me! “O Lord, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life.”

You take care of those who “you cherish.” They are not hungry. I am righteous. I will see your face and be satisfied.

Psalm 18:1 – 24 2007 June 27^th for July 24^th

This is another psalm that starts out in distress. God is my strength, deliverer, and refuge. When I am about to go under, when “the cords of death entangled me;” and the grave is rising up and I am overwhelmed by torrents of destruction, I call out to God for help. He hears from his holy place; the earth trembles as he comes out riding on the cherubim, on dark clouds.

His power was beyond description, he parted the sky; his breath exposed the bottom of the sea. “The foundations of the earth were laid bare.” His eyes flashed and he breathed fire. “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”

I was rescued from enemies and brought to a good place. God did this because of my righteousness. I did not do evil, that is, I never turned away from God. (Turning way from God is the definition of evil. Turning toward God is apparently the definition of righteousness.) I have kept his rules and been blameless and God has rewarded me.

Psalm 18:25 – 50 2007 June 30^th for July 25^th

God mirrors the qualities of those who are faithful, blameless and pure, but it is a different story for the crooked. “You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.”

God’s ways are perfect and flawless. There is no other like him.

He arms me with strength and speed, he shields and sustains me, he makes my path something I can follow without injury.

I went after my enemies and prevailed. They fled, they were destroyed; they became my servants. They cried for help, even to God himself, but there was no help for my enemies. People who I didn’t even know are now my subjects. “Foreigners cringe before me. They all lose heart.”

David is speaking here as the king.

Praise God! He is alive! He is the Rock! He exalted and saved me. He will establish me (David) and my descendants forever.

Psalm 19 2007 June 30^th for July 26^th

Every verse of this famous psalm is familiar. Much of it has been set to music and used in theology.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

It is obvious from the very creation itself that God is alive and at work.

The sun gets up every morning like a bridegroom coming out of his tent for the celebration. (Note that it says the sun is like the bridegroom, not that the bridegroom is like the sun.) He travels across the heavens and departs on the other side of the sky. Nothing escapes his heat.

“The law of the Lord is perfect.” His statutes are trustworthy. His precepts are right. His commands are radiant. “The fear of the Lord is pure.” His ordinances are sure. They bring wisdom, joy, light, and revival. They are more precious than gold or honey.

“Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.

Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.”

In other words: Lord keep me away from sin.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalms 20 – 21 2007 July 3^rd for 27^th

Psalm 20 is a benediction upon a friend: “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.”

May he send help and support, remember your sacrifices and offerings. “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” We will rejoice when you win!

“Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.” Some people trust in military armaments but “we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Our enemies fail. Our king is saved. God answers our prayer.

Psalm 21: “O Lord, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give!”

Everything the king desired has been granted. He has a crown of gold, long life, and many victories over enemies. God’s name is held as great because of these victories. “For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.”

There is no hope for the enemies of the king. They are burned up. They and their offspring are destroyed. Their wicked plans fail. When God takes aim they turn and run away.

“Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.”

Psalm 22 2007 July 4^th for 30^th

This is a psalm of despair but transitions to a long discussion of what the psalmist will do nonetheless for God and the future for the unchanging God.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

You are the king on the throne and I am nothing but a worm. You do not hear me. I have been dependent on you from before birth; don’t be far away. I am surrounded by enemies: bulls, lions, and dogs. I melt and faint in fear.

I doubt that we, who have never seen a lion except safely in captivity, can appreciate the degree and immediacy of this fear.

“I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.

They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

Both quotes are later treated as prophecy, fulfilled by Jesus on the cross.

Rescue me, God! Be there! I will declare, praise, revere, and fear. “For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.”

All in the earth will worship and bow down, both now and in posterity. The rich and the poor will eat and be blessed. God’s righteousness will be proclaimed through future generations.

Psalm 23 2007 July 4^th for 31^st

Although this most famous of the Psalms does not take an entire page, we spend a day on it alone because of the degree to which it is familiar and studied. In a sense it is the master Psalm of comfort.

God is my leader. I have everything that I need. He takes care of my needs for rest. He shows me how to be righteous. Even when I am in danger or near death there is no fear because of God’s protection and comfort. Even when my enemies are near I am taken care of and treated like a child of God. “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

This psalm encapsulates the psalms of comfort better than any other, but the psalms of comfort are not the majority of the Psalms. Nonetheless, if a person knows anything about Christianity or Judaism, it is this psalm. This is unfortunate in the sense that it does not represent the full picture of God that the entire Bible does, just one important dimension of it. It is fortunate in the sense that if you only had one good thing to say and be known about God, this would be a good choice.

Psalm 24 2007 July 6^th for August 1^st

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

He put it here and established it. Who can go to his heights? The answer:

“He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.”

Such a person receives blessing and vindication.

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” “The Lord Almighty – he is the King of glory.”

Psalm 25 2007 July 6^th for August 2^nd

This is a psalm asking for assurance and protection: “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.”

Don’t let me or other righteous people be overwhelmed by evil enemies, but instead overwhelm those enemies because of their treachery. Show me what is right and I’ll do it. Forget about my rebellious youth.

“All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.”

One who fears God will be instructed and protected and will prosper. “For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.” Only God can get me out of the trap.

Take care of me though I am afflicted and my enemies are increasing. Don’t allow me to be put to shame; it’s your reputation on the line! “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.”

“Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!”

Psalm 26 2007 July 7^th for August 3^rd

Because I have been righteous and haven’t hung out with the wicked, I ask God for vindication. I have been sincere, trustworthy, and innocent and I praise God and love his house.

Don’t kill me with the sinners and the bloodthirsty. As I have set you apart God, set me apart, because I am blameless.

“My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the Lord.”

Psalm 27 2007 July 9^th for August 6^th

This psalm is similar to the 23^rd, but longer. “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”

The psalmist desires God, his word and his temple and asks to be enabled to live with God in that place. As a result he also asks to be exalted above his enemies and prevail, to be high above them and without fear.

He then turns to pleas for God not to turn away from him, or to be angry with him or to cease helping him. “Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.”

He is still confident that God is with him and that he will experience this good while still living. “…be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 28 2007 July 10^th for August 7^th

This psalm is in the same form as the last one. It begins with a plea for help.

“To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me.

For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.”

“Do not drag me away with the wicked….” The wicked are then described in detail. They speak nicely with neighbors while planning malice. They don’t regard anything God has done. He should give them what they deserve, “tear them down and never build them up again.”

But, Praise God, he did hear my cry. He did save me. God is strength and salvation for his people, their inheritance, and their shepherd forever.

Psalm 29 2007 July 11^th for August 8^th

This psalm describes what God is like. He is glorious, strong, holy, and splendid. He speaks and the thunder shatters the cedars of Lebanon. He strikes like lightning and shakes the Desert of Kadesh. His voice twists oaks and strips forests bare.

This sounds like an asteroid impact, or a mere thunderstorm.

He is enthroned over the flood, King forever.

“The Lord gives strength to his people, the Lord blesses his people with peace.”

This psalm doubtless gives comfort to people who are terrified at their smallness against the power of nature by ascribing that power to God.

Psalm 30 2007 July 12^th for August 9^th

This is a psalm David wrote for the dedication of the Temple, straight up praise.

God, you spared me from the grave, from the pit, from ill health, from my enemies, and from the depths of despair. All saints are commanded to sing your praises. When you are angry it is brief, but your favor lasts a lifetime. When I cried out for mercy God responded and saved me from death. God is faithful.

“You turned my wailing [mourning] into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.”

(Sackcloth was particularly rough clothing worn during mourning or lamentation. Think “gunny sack.”)

Psalm 31 2007 July 14^th for August 10^th

This psalm is a plea of supplication by the mortal to his God.

“In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.”

The psalmist sees God as protection from shame.

“Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.”

Idols are worthless: “I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the Lord.” There is an arrogant feel to this. But, God is in control, not the mortal. The mortal prays for relief from his affliction.

“My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.

Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors.”

Wait, I thought that because we belonged to God we were protected from this shame. I thought that God “preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.”

Nonetheless, the psalmist goes on saying he trusts in God, he is in God’s hands, asking for deliverance from those enemies and the experience of God’s unfailing love. The psalmist does have unfailing devotion. “Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave.”

God is good and to be praised. He has saved us when we were besieged in our city and has come to our aid. So, ultimately, “The Lord preserves the faithful.”

We do not see the child of God as always in perfect peace, harmony, safety, and ascendancy, but he always asks for those things and hopes for them and ultimately receives them.

Psalm 32 2007 July 16^th for August 13^th

This is a psalm of thanksgiving. It is a blessing to have one’s transgressions forgiven. (Iniquities and transgressions are different types of sins.)

If I said nothing I groaned in misery day and night but when I acknowledged my sin it was forgiven and my guilt was taken away. Anyone who is godly should do this. God protects me from trouble. He is my “hiding place.”

God will instruct. Don’t be like a horse or mule that has to be led around by a bit. Understand and act accordingly! The woes of the wicked are many. “The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts him.”

Rejoice! Sing!

Psalm 33 2007 July 17^th for August 14^th

This psalm is for rejoicing in the protection and ownership of God.

The righteous people praise him. He is praised with harp and lyre with skillful songs and shouts.

God is faithful and true. All things vast are nothing to him. He can put the ocean in kitchen jars; he can frustrate the plans of nations. A king is not safe regardless of the size of his army if God is not with him. No one trusting in strength or in a horse has a chance without God’s ownership and protection. The nation that was chosen by him is blessed.

God “is our help and shield.” He watches over those who hope in him.

“May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”

Psalm 34 2007 July 18^th for August 15^th

“I will extol the Lord at all times.” Join me in praise!

When I searched for him he answered and delivered me. “This poor man called and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.”

God is good. It is a blessing to be protected by him. “Those who fear him lack nothing.” Fear God by doing good, staying away from evil and lies. This is how to live long and prosper.

God takes care of the righteous; “he delivers them from all their troubles.”

“A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;

he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”

This was quoted at the cross when they decided that it was unnecessary to break Jesus’ bones to hasten death, as he was already dead. Job’s friends must also have been familiar with this theology.

Psalm 35 2007 July 21^st for August 16^th

This psalm deals with the relationship of the psalmist with God in the presence of his enemies.

“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.” Be on my side. Bring disgrace to those who are against me. Make their path “dark and slippery,” make them like “chaff on the wind.” They set traps unfairly but when I prevailed, I praised God. I praised the God who rescues the weak. (The weak, that is, the psalmist David.)

Enemies oppress me. When my prayers go unanswered, I mope around like I was in mourning for a brother while these enemies gloat. They pile on the false accusations. Why do you let this go on, God?

“O Lord, you have seen this; be not silent. Do not be far from me, O Lord.

Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.”

Don’t let those crooks think they’ve won. Don’t let them continue to think they are right. Protect your servant and vindicate him with these dishonorable people. “My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.”

Psalm 36 2007 July 21^st for August 17^th

David has figured out something about the “sinfulness of the wicked.” “In his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.” He is unwise. At leisure he plots evil.

God’s love reaches everywhere. It is like the “mighty mountains.” His justice is like the “great deep.” His wings are a refuge for all, the high and the low. His goodness is a feast, a river of delight.

“Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.”

But not the proud, not the evildoers, crush them.

Psalm 37 2007 July 24^th for August 20^th

This psalm is a proverb, mostly extolling the benefits of a godly life but sometimes contrasting with the godlessness and futility of the wicked.

Don’t worry about evil men; they will soon be gone. Follow the ways of God and trust him and your pasture will be peaceful and productive. Be still and wait on God. “Turn away from wrath.”

“The Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.”

The wicked attacks the weak but his schemes will ultimately backfire and he will die. Meanwhile, “the days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever.”

“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”

I know a man who believes this and believed this while he was a child living on the streets. Contemplating this, I guess it depends on what you mean by “forsaken.” He is alive and productive today….

While God upholds the righteous and provides for him, the wicked seem to prosper too, but their end is near. “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;” he saves them from the wicked.

Psalm 38 2007 July 25^th for August 21^st

This is a psalm that speaks despair after punishment from God. It ends:

“O Lord, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.

Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.”

God has afflicted me. Don’t punish me in anger. I have lost all my health due to God’s anger.

“My back is filled with searing pain.” My friends avoid me; my enemies set their traps. I am deaf and also unable to speak. I hate my sins and confess them. I have slipped but please God, don’t let my enemies get the upper hand. “Those who repay good with evil slander me when I pursue what is good.”

Psalm 39 2007 July 25^th for August 22^nd

This psalm is by David for Jeduthun, the director of music.

I am trying to be good, trying to control my tongue, but even when I do this I get more anxious.

“Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.”

A man’s life is like nothing before God. He scurries about accumulating things, not even knowing who will end up owning them after he is gone. Keep me straight.

“You rebuke and discipline men for their sin; you consume their wealth like a moth – each man is but a breath.”

God, hear me when I pray. I am like a foreigner here, as were my fathers. “Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more.”

There is no notion of eternal life in this wording.

Psalm 40 2007 July 27^th for August 23^rd

“[God] lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire.” When I patiently waited on him, he noticed and set me up on solid ground.

A man who trusts this God and no other god is blessed. His blessings and provisions are countless. He didn’t want sacrifices; he wanted me to belong to him. My name was written in his book. I declare this in the assembly; he knows that I am not silent. His law is written on my heart.

My sins and my troubles and my enemies are countless but I plead with God to overlook this and save me anyway. I am in a pitiful condition waiting for him to deliver me.

Psalm 41 2007 July 28^th for August 24^th

God delivers me in times of trouble but my enemies sit around and hope for me to have a bad illness. Even my friends join with them in pessimism.

“The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.”

Be merciful Lord! Forget my sins!

My enemy does not triumph over me because God is with me.

“In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.”

Praise God! Amen!

Psalm 42 2007 July 29^th for August 27^th

We now enter Book II of the Psalms with what I would call a lament of the sons of Korah.

My desire for God is like thirst. When can I meet him? I used to lead the procession in worship, now I am depressed. Meanwhile, men continuously say, “Where is your God?”

Why am I depressed?

“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers have swept over me.”

God is the God of my life, my rock. He is with me day and night.

Why do I suffer? Why do I go around in mourning? Why do men continuously say to me, “Where is your God?”

Why be depressed? My hope is in God. I will praise him.

Psalm 43 2007 July 30^th for August 28^th

Why do I go about mourning and feeling oppressed? God, make my case against ungodly nations, against wicked and deceitful men. Send your light and truth so I can find my way to you. I will come to your altar and praise you with music.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Even the people who wrote the Bible had trouble experiencing God in the ways that they wanted to. This theme occurs over and over: “Come rescue me! What’s up?” Those who argue God’s absence now are intentionally ignoring this much more complex dimension of faith.

Psalm 44 2007 August 1^st for 29^th

This is a psalm of confusion from the sons of Korah. Why isn’t God helping us when we are being faithful to him?

I resonate, identify with, and follow the psalms of the sons of Korah more so than the psalms of David.

Our forefathers told stories about how you drove our enemies out before us. We didn’t trust in our weapons but in our God. We boasted in God all day long and praised his name.

Now we are being humbled. We flee before our enemies. Our nation has become a byword to other nations. The ruler is shamed. We have not forgotten about you, however, nor have we gone after other gods. If that had happened, sure, we should be abandoned and left to ruin, but that’s not the case.

“Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

“Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.”

“We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.

Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love.”

Psalm 45 2007 August 2^nd for 30^th

This is a royal wedding song, “To the tune of ‘Lilies,’” another attributed to the “Sons of Korah.” Sad that the tune ‘Lillies’ is lost to us.

It is interesting in what it shows that the culture valued: Nobility, skillful poetry, grace, excellence, blessing from God, military prowess, truth, humility and righteousness. “Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies.”

The groom’s robes are fragrant with perfumes. The bride is adorned in woven gold. She is brought to the king who is “enthralled by [her] beauty.” She is attended by virgins. Foreign royalty comes with gifts.

The sons succeed the fathers, all the family are made princess. The memory of this king will last through all generations.

Psalms 46 – 47 2007 August 4^th for 31^st

The earth is in chaos, nations war against each other. But:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”

God is with us in the river that makes “glad the city of God.” He is with us at the “break of day.”

God is with us. He ends wars. He destroys weapons. He is our fortress.

Because “the kings of the earth belong to God, he is greatly exalted.”

Praise God with shouts and cries of joy. He is awesome. He is a great king over the whole earth. He put nations under us and secured our inheritance. God, seated on his holy throne, reigns over all.

Psalm 48 2007 August 7^th for September 3^rd

This psalm is in praise of Mt. Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in the citadels and fortresses. When enemies saw this they fled. They were in pain like a woman in labor. They were in terror. The enemies were destroyed.

This is God’s city. He secures it forever. God’s name reaches to the ends of the earth. Those in the cities of Judah rejoice in his judgments there. We go around surveying the city, viewing the ramparts telling the stories and teaching our children. We rejoice in God, our guide forever.

Psalm 49 2007 August 9^th for September 4^th

Here is another realistic and pragmatic psalm from the sons of Korah.

Everybody listen to this wisdom:

What is there to fear from evil violent enemies? No one can redeem another. No price is high enough to buy endless life without decay. Wise men die. The foolish also die. All men regardless of station will be housed in their tombs forever.

Men are just like beasts. They all die. It doesn’t matter the comfort or wealth they have, it still comes to an end. It doesn’t matter how much land they own or how much territory is named for them, they (you!) will still cease to exist. You might count yourself blessed in this life but you will eventually join your ancestors.

“A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.”

Psalm 50 2007 August 11^th for September 5^th

This Psalm is from Asaph.

Our God comes in terrifying power. Fire consumes in front of him. His beauty is perfect. He has a covenant with us that we acknowledge through sacrifice.

But does God need sacrifices? He owns everything in the world. If he were hungry he wouldn’t bother to inform us. Does he need our animals? Every animal alive belongs to him. He has seas and forests full of them.

Keep your vows to God. Make thank offerings.

As for the wicked, God asks why they bother reciting his laws. What part do they have in this since they hate God’s statutes and put in with adulterers and other sinners. They use their mouth for slander and deceit even against their own family. God will rebuke them.

“Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:

He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”

Psalm 51 2007 August 11^th for September 6^th

This is the psalm of David composed right after he was confronted by Nathan about adultery with Bathsheba. In other psalms, David has had the attitude that God was on his side and all who weren’t were to be crushed into the dust. Here he realizes that his sin has put him opposed to God and he intensely feels God’s absence.

Have mercy! Cleanse me! I was sinful from conception but you desire truth from within my being.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Please do not take the Holy Spirit away but restore me to salvation, to the joy of being sustained by you.

“Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.”

David is no longer defeating transgressors and killing them in their despair, he is one of them now and vows to lead them back to God as he returns to God himself. It is much different being one of the sinners than being superior to them.

God, you don’t care anything about sacrifice. A broken spirit and contrite heart are the sacrifice you want.

Nonetheless, make Zion your holy place and we will offer sacrifices and burnt offerings there.

Psalm 52 2007 August 11^th for September 7^th

David wrote this psalm after the foreigner Doeg gave away his whereabouts to Saul, who sought David’s life.

“Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?” This is a disgrace before God. You plan deceit and destruction, loving and relishing evil rather than good.

“Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin; He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living.”

Righteous people will see this and laugh and sneer.

“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.” I will praise God for his deeds forever and in the view of the saints.

Psalms 53 – 54 2007 August 13^th for September 10^th

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” But this is corrupt and vile. God looks down from heaven and sees that no one is good, not one. Everyone has turned away from God. They are all corrupt.

“Will the evildoers never learn—those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God?” They were full of dread when there was nothing to be afraid of. God scattered their bones.

“Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people; let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!”

Psalm 54 is another distress call from David who has been sold out to Saul by other enemies.

“Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.” Hear me! Strangers attack! They seek my life! They do not fear God!

God is my help; he sustains me. Be faithful to me and destroy them. I will give offerings and look on my deliverance.

Psalm 55 2007 August 14^th for September 11^th

“My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught.” The wicked stare at me and bring me trouble. I anguish and am terrified of death. I wish I were like a dove who could fly away and hide in the desert.

There is strife and violence in the city, “threats and lies never leave its streets.”

And now we have an interlude hinting at betrayal:

“If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it;

if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.

But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,

with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.”

Surprise my enemies; kill them! “Let them go down alive to the grave.”

The everlasting God saves me any time of day when I call him regardless of how many enemies come out against me. He will do this for you too.

“Bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days.”

“But a for me, I trust in you.”

Psalm 56 2007 August 15^th for September 12^th

David wrote this psalm when the Philistines had seized him in Gath. Gath had been the hometown of the Philistine champion, Goliath who David had killed long ago when he was a boy.

God have mercy. Proud slanderers hotly pursue me. They attack me all day long.

“When I am afraid I will trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”

They conspire, they lurk, they twist my words, and they are eager to take my life.

Fight for me God. Don’t forget my enemies. Don’t let them escape. Write down my lament, my tears, in your record. When I cry for help make them turn back. When this happens I will know God is for me and with me.

“I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you.

For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling,

That I may walk before God in the light of life.”

Psalm 57 2007 August 16^th for September 13^th

David wrote this psalm when he was hiding in a cave having fled from Saul. The tune is “Do Not Destroy.”

God have mercy! I hide in the shadow of your wings until the disaster is over. I cry out for God to fulfill his purpose in me.

“I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts.” They spread nets and dug pits to capture me but now they have fallen into these themselves. I praise God. “My heart is steadfast.” I sing.

“Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre. I will awaken the dawn.”

Praise God!

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

Psalm 58 2007 August 20^th for September 14^th

Another psalm to the “Do Not Destroy” tune. David is angry.

“Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.”

Surely.

Are rulers just? Honest? Upright? No, they “devise injustice.” They “mete out violence on the earth.” The wicked stray beginning at their birth. They are like snake venom. They are like a deaf cobra who cannot hear his charmer.

“Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; tear out, O Lord, the fangs of the lions!”

Make them like stillborn children, like melted slugs. Sweep them away like thorns. Blunt their arrows before they even shoot.

“The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.”

Yes, the righteous will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked. Indeed.

Psalm 59 2007 August 22^nd for September 17^th

David had lots of troubles, particularly during the reign of Saul. This psalm was written while Saul had people watching his house to do him in.

“Deliver me from my enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me.”

They do evil. They snarl like wild animals, they conspire against me but for no sin of mine, nothing I’ve done wrong. They go around town spewing lies and slander.

I am waiting for you to do something God. Laugh at them!

Don’t kill them, then they and their evil will be forgotten. Make an example of them; make them wander around in the desert. “For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride.”

“Consume them in wrath, consume them until they are no more.”

... ok, so do kill them.

They return in the evening like snarling, hungry dogs, but I depend on you, God.

“O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.”

Psalm 60 2007 August 24^th for September 18^th

This is a psalm of David for the purpose of teaching. Doesn’t say whether this is teaching music, teaching about psalms or teaching about God.

“You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been angry – now restore us!”

The land has quaked and broken. The people have experienced desperation. “You have given us wine that makes us stagger.”

“But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.”

God owns all the lands and tribes of Israel. He parcels them out as he sees fit. We call on him to save and deliver us.

Who can save us except God? If he rejects us, if he does not go out with our armies, all is lost. With God we win. “He will trample down our enemies.” The help of any men is, by comparison, worthless.

Psalms 61 – 62 2007 August 25^th for September 19^th

I notice as I put these psalms into my own words that they use the first person heavily. Perhaps this is the style, or the king’s prerogative. It notes in my Bible that the phrase in 61 asking for the king’s life to be extended might have been spoken by the king himself, but in third person, or it might have been a chorus of, for instance, Levites.

Psalm 61:

“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.”

I grow faint – “lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

You are a protection, a tower. I wish I could stay with you forever. You have put me over all those who fear you (that is, Israel). Make my (the king’s) life span many generations. Then I will praise God and “fulfill my vows day after day.”

Psalm 62:

I can only be at peace in God. In God I can never be shaken. How long will the wicked prevail with assaults, lies, and curses? They threaten. I can only rest in God. Only God saves me. “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.” The people can trust only God.

“Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie.” All together they add up to, essentially, nothing. Don’t depend on extortion or wealth. Depend on God. He is strong and loving and rewards according to a person’s deeds.

Psalms 63 – 64 2007 August 27^th for September 20^th

David was in the desert when he wrote Psalm 63.

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

I will glorify and praise you as long as I live. I have seen you in the sanctuary. Your love is better than life. Your praise is better than food. I think of you all night long and lay your shadow.

Destroy my enemies. Put them in the depths of the earth. Feed them to jackals.

The king will rejoice in God but “liars will be silenced.”

Psalm 64.

Hear me! Protect me from my enemy. They go around plotting evil, setting their snares, saying that they have “the perfect plan.” Silence them! Shoot them! Turn their own words against them!

“All mankind will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.”

Those with upright hearts will praise him.

Psalm 65 2007 August 29^th for September 21^st

This psalm of David pictures life as it should be.

God is to be praised. All men come to him with their sins and transgressions and are forgiven and filled with good things from the house of God.

God’s strength is awesome. He formed the mountains and the seas as far as they go in all directions. He can make them still if he likes; he can still the nations too. Everywhere where there is morning and evening God brings songs of joy.

God enriches the land and waters it abundantly. The streams are full; the furrows are drenched. The ridges are leveled; the crops are blessed with soft showers.

“You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.

The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.

The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.”

Psalm 66 2007 August 31^st for September 24^th

This psalm, by David, is about the people’s relationship with their God.

Shout and sing God’s glory! His deeds are awesome; all in the earth who know about them praise his name. Here are some of the things he did: He made the sea into dry land and we walked across. He tested and refined us. He brought us to prison and put us under burdens. We were tried in fire and water but came out in a place of abundance. He preserved our life and kept us from slipping. He rules in power. We should not rebel!

I come to the temple with offerings, to fulfill my vows, when I am in trouble, or to tell the stories of the good things God has done for me. He has heard me because I did not cherish sin in my heart. He has loved and accepted me.

Psalm 67 2007 August 31^st for September 25^th

This is a short psalm among long psalms (which is why I haven’t grouped it with another). It reads like a benediction and would be a popular “praise chorus” if it were contemporary to us.

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his fact shine upon us,” so that you and your ways of salvation will be known throughout the earth.

May the people, the nations, praise you. Your rule is just, this is joyful. “Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.”

“Our God,” that is, and don’t forget it!

Psalm 68 2007 September 3^rd for 26^th

Praise be to God! When he gets up his enemies are scattered like wax near fire, like smoke in wind.

He defends widows and the fatherless. When he goes out the mountains shake and the rain pours down. He leads the prisoners out of captivity and refreshes their inherited land with plenty of water.

God reigns from the highest mountains. Enemies flee at night in confusion at his hand. He has more chariots and soldiers than any king on earth.

This is the God who bears our burdens. This is the god who crushes the heads of our enemies. Do they go on in their sins? They die and are eaten by dogs!

But when God comes into his sanctuary there is great celebration with music and maidens and all the tribes parading and rejoicing. The conquered bring gifts to Jerusalem, precious metals and great animals.

God rides through the skies with thunder!

Psalm 69:1 – 18 2007 September 3^rd for 27^th

The author of this psalm feels like he is in quicksand. He is sinking and has yelled himself hoarse crying for help. Worse, “Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head.”

He does not claim to be sinless. “My guilt is not hidden from you.” But, those who trust in God should be upheld. Their salvation goes to God’s credit even when they endure scorn, insults, weeping, and fasting. “Zeal for your house consumes me.” (This was quoted about Jesus when he cleared the temple of the business people but not obviously in this context.)

Favor me God. Rescue me from this mire, from those who hate me. Don’t hide; bestow your great mercy. I am in trouble and need a quick response!

Psalm 69:19 – 36 2007 September 3^rd for 28^th

Continuing from yesterday, we are mired and scorned and need help quickly. We have found no sympathy or comfort.

“They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” (This was quoted about Christ on the cross.)

I pray for God to pour out his wrath on them. Make their tents empty; charge them with crimes. “May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.”

Despite my pain and distress, “I will praise God’s name in song.” This is more pleasing to God than all the prescribed animal sacrifices. This encourages the people, the poor and the needy.

“Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion.” Our children will settle in this our inheritance.

Psalm 70 2007 September 4^th for October 1^st

A petition of David: “I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God.” You are my only hope.

I pray that those who would kill me will be put to confusion, shame, and disgrace. Conversely, “may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, ‘Let God be exalted!’”

Psalm 71 2007 September 4^th for October 2^nd

This is a longer Psalm, a lifelong petition.

I have depended on you, God, since I was born. You have been my refuge; I have never been shamed. Save me from those who would kill me.

I will depend on you when I am old. Those who would harm me will believe you are not there, that you will not save me, and that they can just attack me and prevail. Show them to be wrong. Preserve me until I can proclaim your name to the next generations.

I will make these proclamations all day long. I will tell all the stories of your greatness even though I do not know the full extent of it.

“Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.”

With my tongue, with my shouts, and with my harp, I will praise you, “for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.”

Psalm 72 2007 September 5^th for October 3^rd

This is a psalm of Solomon, son of David but at the end it says, “This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.”

“Endow the king with your justice, O God.” He will judge in righteousness and bring mountains of prosperity to the people. Oppressors will be crushed while the needy and afflicted are upheld and saved from death. He will reign until “the moon is no more” and his rule will extend “from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” All the people in the desert and all the neighboring kingdoms will bring tribute and bow down. The nations will serve him.

Let his life and the national prosperity be long and abundant. “Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway.” And may his name last forever.

Praise God who does great and marvelous things and brings all this about for his people.

Psalm 73 2007 September 6^th for October 4^th

We now enter Book III of the Psalms with a psalm of Asaph. We have seen elsewhere that Asaph was a major musician in the time of David.

“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.”

But I nearly slipped. I looked at how well off the arrogant and wicked seemed to be. They were strong and healthy and had no suffering and seemed to be getting rich without effort and I wondered why I should bother about God.

Because they seemed to get away with scoffing and malice, people said that maybe God wasn’t paying attention. Maybe the Almighty had no interest in us.

So had I kept my heart pure in vain, just so I could be punished every day and plagued every morning?

Then I went to the sanctuary and understood. It is they who were slipping, not me. They would be destroyed terribly, suddenly. I was a beast before God but he was always faithful to me and held me close, “and afterward you will take me into glory.” The earth has nothing that I want.

“Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.” But I will stay close to God and tell about what he has done.

Psalm 74 2007 September 8^th for October 5^th

Asaph: God, it seems like you have rejected us forever. Don’t you remember the price you paid when you bought us back in the old days? Look at what has happened to the sanctuary. Our enemies have come in and hacked up its beauty as if they were chopping wood. Then they burned it to the ground. Meanwhile, we received no miraculous signs and no deliverance.

Your enemies mock you! Why don’t you take your hand out of your cloak and whack them to destruction?

We recall your power, God. You control the sea and the sky. Leviathan is merely your pet. You make the streams, springs, and rivers work. You set up the day and night, the sun and the moon, the seasons, the boundaries of the earth.

The enemies have mocked you. “Foolish people have reviled your name.” Don’t forget us! Don’t leave us to the wild beasts! Don’t let those enemies disgrace you!

“Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.

Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.”

Psalm 75 – 76 2007 September 10^th for October 8^th

Psalm 75, of Asaph. Give thanks to God. He decides when the earth will quake and he is the one to hold on to when it happens. He is firm. He puts down the arrogant and wicked. No one from anywhere can exalt a man, only God can. Some he puts up, some he puts down. All drink their cups to the dregs. As for me I will praise God and “cut off the horns of the wicked,” while lifting up the horns of the righteous.

Psalm 76. Jerusalem, also known as Zion and Salem, is the well known home of the real God. “You are resplendent with light.” Valiant man cannot overcome it. When God rebukes, everyone stops. No one can stand before God’s anger. The afflicted are saved. The survivors praise you. Make vows in God’s name and keep them. Bring him gifts. Kings fear him.

Psalm 77 2007 September 11^th for October 9^th

As we read the Psalms, we see one after another that laments the apparent absence of the God that the author knows to be there. The psalmist is suffering and wishes God would help him, or is under siege and wishes God would stick up for him, or because someone is being evil and himself denies God’s existence the psalmist wishes that God would put him in his place. We see lament after lament on these themes.

In this one, “I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.” I groaned, mused, and grew faint. I remembered the happy past.

“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again?

Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?”

Well, while I wait, I will remember the miracles from long ago, consider God’s mighty deeds. In God’s holiness he performed miracles. “The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed.” Water poured out of clouds, thunder was in the sky, arrows of lightning flashed to and from the earth. Your light lit up the world, your thunder convulsed it. “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.”

Through Moses and Aaron, you led your people were led through the sea like a flock.

Maybe this is where Cecile B. DeMille got ideas for special effects.

Psalm 78:1 – 16 2007 September 13^th for October 10^th

This is a long psalm. It reads like an epic poem, something the crowds would gather around on a special occasion to hear recited, especially the children. It’s like going to the movies for us, sort of, or like telling the Christmas story.

Listen everybody; gather around! We will tell the stories of our history; we won’t keep them from the children. We promised to pass these down to generations even before they were born, and now to future generations before they are born. It’s all about our God and his decrees and laws that he handed down for our benefit and the wonderful things he did to save us so we would be free to follow them. We tell the story so that the children will trust God and put their faith in him, so that they won’t be rebellious like some generations have been.

The men of Ephraim, they were armed and ready to go into battle, but when the day came they turned back. They rebelled against God and forgot about his wonderful deeds and protections. They forgot that “He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall.” God guided them through the desert day and night and provided food and water for them abundantly. They forgot all this.

… to be continued.

Psalm 78:17 – 39 2007 September 14^th for October 11^th

Last time… We had begun the epic story of Israel in which they had lost courage because they had forgotten the power of their God.

They rebelled against God, sinning in the desert. “They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.”

So, we see that it is sinful to willfully test God by demanding craved sustenance. The question (quite probably sinful since it puts God in the dock) that comes immediately to mind is, “Who made this situation? Who made the desert? The people? The cravings? What is the appropriate, non-sinful response to a craving for a necessity under the protection of an all-powerful God? Is craving itself the sin? How, then, could anyone fail to sin?”

Continuing with their sin: They questioned whether God could give them water in the desert. At God’s command, Moses struck a rock with his staff and water came out to satisfy the people. But, could God also feed them in the desert?

God sent a wind and manna rained down from heaven. Birds came and were eaten. All the people had all they could stand. “He rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the seashore.”

“But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths,

God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.”

Today, we would interpret this as mass poisoning or predictable disease. We have health regulations and common mores that prevent us from eating whatever falls from the sky or whatever birds happen by, unprepared and un-sterilized. The people on the spot in this story, or at least the ones who wrote the story, were of the mindset, however, that the good and the bad come from the hand of God in response to the people’s needs and sins. Food is good; disease and death are bad. God brought them both about, one in his mercy, the other in his anger. After all, they were sinning:

“In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.”

Does anyone ever fail to sin? Can anyone ever fail to sin? What constitutes belief?

When God would kill some of them, they would turn back to him and remember that he was their Rock and their strength. But they would also lie and flatter him and not be loyal either to God or his covenant with them.

“Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.

He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.”

“… a passing breeze that does not return.” No notion of everlasting life here.

An essay…

Some four thousand years ago, give or take, a remarkable thing happened in the Middle East. A family totaling about seventy people came to Egypt during a famine and survived due to protection from one of the great civilizations of the time. This was the family of Jacob (Israel), invited by his son Joseph who, although an outcast from his own family and a foreigner in Egypt, had risen to second in command of that great civilization. (This is probably roughly equivalent to being mayor of New York today.)

After a few generations the good relations were forgotten and racial differences were used to justify the few powerful Egyptians enslaving the numerous Hebrews. This lasted for hundreds of years. Egypt became even greater, on the cruel forced labor of those Hebrews.

Then the remarkable thing happened. A Hebrew leader, Moses, trained in Egypt and exiled to the desert re-appeared and led the Hebrews to freedom. The family of Israel, now millions of people, were born from the harsh womb of Egypt and moved en masse into the desert.

These millions of people, survived in the desert for forty years, being friendly to some of the pre-existing residents, and conquering others. (Everything that happened in those forty years was interpreted in the same way. The good was God’s provision, the bad was God’s wrath. There were significant examples of both.) Later, they gradually settled the region on the east shore of the Mediterranean and, for a time, consolidated power in the region and were eventually a dominant world power themselves, under Solomon. But, the consolidation was neither perfect nor lasting and the strife in the region remains to this day.

These historic facts are indeed miraculous and are credited to the leadership and power of the God of Israel, through Moses, David, Solomon, and others. It is hard not to believe that divine intervention would be required to extract a million foreign sub-class workers from an economy. It is hard not to believe that their survival for forty years in the desert required multiple divine interventions. Indeed, this is the way that Jews and Christians, to this day, understand these events. They are God’s grand entrance onto the world stage, from the point of view of most of humanity.

So, what happened? God, speaking through his prophets and seers, said that Israeli world dominance would last forever, that a descendant of David would always rule on the throne. What does “forever” mean, then? As for the throne, the Christians believe that Jesus, a descendant of David, does rule on the throne of David forever and that there will be (can be) no more succession. The modern Jews still await the Messiah. But to the other point, world domination in perpetuity? No one ever experiences that. Not Egypt, Greece, Israel, Rome, Great Britain, or the United States. There were some “if clauses” in those promises to David and Solomon. If your successors will follow my statutes….

Well, that was not going to happen. That never happens. No one, it seems, is incapable of sinning constantly, save Jesus.

Why is that the case?

Psalm 78:40 – 55 2007 September 14^th for October 12^th

This portion of the epic story recounts the flight from Egypt.

The Israelites continually rebelled against God in the desert, testing him over and over and forgetting the great power that he had displayed.

To free them from Egypt, for example, he brought plagues: rivers turned to blood followed by frogs, locust, hail, and finally the death of all their firstborn.

The people came out of Egypt like a flock. Even though enemies surrounded them, they came out safely. The sea devoured those enemies. God then brought them to the land prepared for them.

Psalm 78: 56 – 72 2007 September 17^th for October 15^th

In the Promised Land, the people tested and rebelled against God. “Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow.”

A faulty bow would be a pain if you were depending on it.

They were faithless and set up high places to worship other things besides the true God. He became angry when he heard this and rejected them and abandoned them. The ark of the Covenant went into captivity.

“Fire consumed their young men, and their maidens had no wedding songs.

Their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep.”

The widows could not weep because it would be sinful to mourn someone who had died in defiance of God.

But then God returned: “The Lord awoke as from sleep, as a man wakes from the stupor of wine.”

This is a new image to me: God waking up with a hangover.

He turned back the enemies and put them in their place. He rejected some tribes – Joseph and Benjamin, but he chose Judah and made a young herder of sheep, David, the shepherd of the entire nation of Israel.

“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart, and with skillful hands he led them.”

Psalm 79 2007 September 19^th for October 16^th

The inheritance of God’s people has been invaded by foreigners. Jerusalem is rubble. Wild beasts and birds eat the bodies. Blood runs like water. No one has survived to bury the dead.

How long will you be mad at us? “Pour our your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you.” (My emphasis.)

Don’t hold our father’s sins against us. Come to us in our despair!

For the sake of your own name, avenge us. “Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’” Pay them back seven times over and we, your sheep, will praise you forever!

Psalm 80 2007 September 20^th for October 17^th

“Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock.” Engage your strength; save us. Make your face shine on us. “How long will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people?”

We have drunk our tears by the bowlful and eaten them like bread. Our neighbors fight over us and our enemies mock us. You brought us out of Egypt and planted us like a vine here in this place. You cleared the land in front of us and we spread across the land from the sea to the desert. We even had shoots to the River (Nile). The mountains shaded us. But now, the walls are broken down. Whoever walks by picks our fruit. Wild animals ravage us. We are burned in the fire. “At your rebuke your people perish.”

“Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand.” We will not turn away; we will call on you.

Restore us! Save us!

Psalm 81 2007 September 21^st for October 18^th

Celebrate! “Sing for joy to God our strength!” Turn on the music! Sound the horn of the festival! This is God’s order.

He established it when he brought us up out of Egypt where the people spoke a language we did not understand. He took away our burdens and set us free. We called out in distress and he answered. He led us out. He fed us.

Then God tested us at Meribah. The people wouldn’t listen to God about being faithful to him and not worshiping foreign gods. They wouldn’t listen. They were stubborn. They followed their own desires.

If they would listen, God would subdue their enemies quickly. “Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.”

“But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;” with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Psalm 82 2007 September 22^nd for October 19^th

“God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the ‘gods.’”

Don’t show partiality to the wicked and unjust. They don’t know anything. They understand nothing. They walk in darkness while the earth shakes around them. They think they are gods, but they die just like other men. They fall just like all rulers.

Rather, “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.”

“Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.”

It is often claimed that the Bible speaks considerably more about the poor and downtrodden than it does about other issues of morality, such as money or sexuality. This psalm is one case in point.

Psalm 83 2007 September 24^th for October 22^nd

The enemies of Israel conspire together to remove the nation and its memory from the face of the earth. They form alliances, all the usual characters: Edom, Philistia, Ishmael, Moab, Amalek, Ammon, and even Tyre.

“Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

Who perished at Endor and became like refuse on the ground.”

Make their leaders like other enemies who you colorfully defeated in our past.

“Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind.” Or a forest fire, or a storm at sea. Let them know who is God here so that they will be shamed and cover their faces.

Psalm 85 2007 September 27^th for October 24^th

God favored his people and their land, restoring their fortunes. He forgave their sins and iniquities.

Don’t be angry with us forever! Restore us again. “Put away your displeasure toward us.” Revive us; show us your unfailing love. We will rejoice. We will listen to what God has to say. He promises peace.

“Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” God will give things that are good and prepare the way for the righteous.

Psalm 86 2007 September 28^th for October 25^th

Although we finished with the psalms of David some time ago, this is a Psalm of David.

Hear my plea and guard me, Lord. Have mercy and bring joy. I lift up my soul to you.

Hear my prayer. You forgive and answer in time of trouble. No other god does deeds like you do. All the nations, your creations, worship you. “You alone are God.”

“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

You have delivered me from the grave, from arrogant attackers, from ruthless bands, but you are good and compassionate and gracious. You are good and merciful. Give a sign of goodness, God, so that my enemies will see it and be shamed. This will comfort me.

Psalms 87 – 88 2007 September 29^th for October 26^th

Psalm 87 is in praise of the Holy City, “Zion.”

God loves Zion. He put her foundations on the holy mountain. All the neighboring kingdoms and cities will be recorded among those who acknowledge the greatness of Zion.

Whoever is born there is special. God will make notation in his book of all people which ones were born in Zion.

Psalm 88 is one of despair.

I am in trouble; I am numbered among those about to go to the pit. I am in the lowest, deepest pit, away from light, away from your care, away from my friends. I cry to you daily. “Why, O Lord, do you reject me and hide your face from me?”

“Do you show your wonders to the dead?” Do the dead praise you? Is your love declared to the grave, to destruction? Are your wonders known in the darkness? (If I am dead, what good will that be to you?)

I have been close to death from my youth. “Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me.” It’s like being in a flood. My companions are gone too. “Darkness is my closest friend.”

Psalm 89:1 - 18 2007 October 1^st for 29^th

Book III of Psalms concludes with this lengthy maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. It begins with praise of the God of Israel.

God’s name and love stand forever. It is established in heaven. I will proclaim it. Also, God has made a covenant with his servant David whose throne will endure forever. Nothing in the skies compares to God. He is feared by all, even those in the “council of the holy ones.” He is mighty and he is faithful.

Everything in creation is under his control. When the seas surge, he quiets them. With his strong arm he can crush anything or anyone including his worst, definitive enemies (called here, “Rahab”). Enemies are scattered. Creation exults in God’s name. His arm is powerful. His throne is founded on righteousness and justice. Love and faithfulness go ahead of him. Those who are in his presence, those who call on his name, those who are owned by him rejoice and are blessed. “Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.”

Psalm 89:19 – 37 2007 October 2^nd for 30^th

The maskil of Ethan continues with a long stanza praising the chosen son, David.

He was picked out and anointed as a warrior as a young boy. He was exalted and sustained by God. He never paid tribute to an enemy and his enemies were crushed. God’s name and strength were exalted through David’s appointment. He ruled over the rivers and the sea. He called God his father, “the Rock my Savior.” He was the most exalted king on the earth and God’s promise was that his throne would be established forever.

If the occupants of that throne disobeyed God, they would be punished, but God’s love would never leave David.

“Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness – and I will not lie to David –

that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;

it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.”

Psalm 89:38 – 52 2007 October 3^rd for 31^st

The lengthy psalm of Ethan concludes.

Despite God’s goodness and the goodness of his appointment of David, God has rejected, spurned, and renounced the covenant. He has ground David’s crown in the dirt and breached his walls. “All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.”

His throne is on the ground, he has not been supported against his enemies, and the days of his youth are cut short.

“How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?”

My life is fleeting; the creation of all men consists of futility. All men see and know death. The power of the grave is insurmountable.

“O Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?” Your servant has been mocked. The nations have taunted the anointed one of God.

“Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.”

… In other words, ‘Good show people.’

Psalm 90 2007 October 4^th for November 1^st

Book IV opens with “A prayer of Moses the man of God.”

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.” This was true eternally into the past and into the future. Men just come and go, returning to dust when their days are over. “For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”

Your anger and indignation consume and frighten us. All of our secret iniquities are in front of you as in broad daylight. Our days are lived under your wrath and they end in a moan. We live seventy years, or eighty if we are strong, “yet their span is but trouble and sorrow; for they quickly pass, and we fly away.”

Your power is huge. Teach us so we may become wise. “Relent, O Lord! How long will it be?” Make us glad for as long as we were afflicted. Show us your favor, “establish the work of our hands.”

Psalm 91 2007 October 6^th for November 2^nd

This psalm has many familiar excerpts. It deals with the breadth of the protection of God for his chosen one.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”

He saves from the snare and from pestilence; it is like being under the feathers of his wings. He is a shield and rampart. You will not be afraid in the night or of “the arrow that flies by day,” or of plague.

“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.”

If you make God your dwelling, “no harm will befall you.” You will experience no disaster.

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

You will walk on lions and snakes without harm.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” I will answer when he calls. I will honor him and get him out of trouble. He will be saved. He will have long life.

When the devil suggested to Jesus that he test this word, “they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone,” Jesus did not take the bait. He did not perform the test.

Psalm 92 - 93 2007 October 9^th for November 5^th

Psalm 92 is a song for the Sabbath.

“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High.” It is good to proclaim your love and faithfulness around the clock, on fancy instruments like the ten stringed lyre and harp.

Your accomplishments make us glad. We sing for joy at them. The senseless and foolish do not understand this. They do not understand that the wicked come up like grass and flourish but will then be destroyed forever.

God, by contrast, is forever and is exalted forever.

God is my strength but God’s enemies and evildoers will be defeated and scattered. The righteous will flourish in the places of God. He is their strength. There is no wickedness in God.

Psalm 93 is straight praise.

God reigns. He is majestic and strong. “The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.” God’s throne is from eternity.

God is greater than the loud, pounding breakers of the sea. God is holy and eternal and his statutes stand firm.

Psalm 94 2007 October 10^th for November 6^th

God is the judge of the earth, the avenger, the One who pays back. So, “How long will the wicked, O Lord, how long will the wicked be jubilant?”

Those evildoers are arrogant. They boast. They crush God’s people, his inheritance. They kill widows and aliens and orphans. “They say, ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.’”

Do you think that the Creator of the ear doesn’t hear? Do you think that the Creator of the eye doesn’t see? Do you think that the One who disciplines nations doesn’t punish wrong? It is a blessing to be disciplined by God, to learn his law. This gives relief while waiting for the wicked to be punished.

If God had not helped me I would be dead and silent now. When my foot slipped and I cried out, God’s love supported me. The corrupt cannot be allied with God. Rather, God, who is my fortress, destroys them.

Psalm 95 2007 October 11^th for November 7^th

A familiar praise chorus is based on this text:

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”

Let us sing and shout for joy and come before God with thanksgiving. He is above everything in the earth, “King above all gods.” Everything belongs to him because he made it, mountains, seas, and dry lands.

If you hear God’s voice today “do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah.” The people who did that were sentenced to wander in the desert for a generation, for forty years.

“I said, ’They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’

So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

Psalm 96 2007 October 13^th for November 8^th

In a place where people were just muddling along best they could, victims to the powerful who had no conscience, the idea of a God above everything who would judge fairly would be very comforting.

God is marvelous to everyone. All nations sing a new song to his glory, praising his name and proclaiming his salvation. God is worthy of such praise. He made the heavens and the earth and everything that is in both of them. The gods of the other nations are inert idols.

“Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.” Bring offerings to his courts. “Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness, tremble before him, all the earth.”

God judges with equity. The earth that he made cannot be moved. Everything on earth resounds with joy, the trees, the fields, the seas, and the heavens, and everything that is in them. “He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.”

Psalm 97 2007 October 15^th for November 9^th

God reigns, everything in the earth should be glad. He is righteous and just and enormously powerful. He lights up the world with lightning and melts mountains like wax. The heavens and earth proclaim his glory.

“All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods!”

God is exalted above all. “Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of [God’s] judgments.”

Rejoice and praise God who sheds light on the righteous and guards the lives of the faithful but who hates evil.

Psalm 98 - 99 2007 October 17^th for November 12^th

Psalm 98: God has done marvelous, holy things. He brings about salvation and made it known to the nations. He is loving and faithful to Israel.

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;

make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,

with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn – shout for joy before the Lord, the King.”

The seas and mountains and rivers clap their hands and sing for joy when God comes to judge the earth with equity.

Psalm 99: God reigns over all nations. The earth shakes. He is mighty and just and does right.

“Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.”

The priests of God included Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. He answered them and gave them decrees for Israel to follow. God forgave Israel although he punished their misdeeds. Everyone exalt God at the holy mountain!

(Although the earth is considered to be God’s footstool, sometimes Jerusalem is referred to in that metaphor too.)

Psalm 100 – 101 2007 October 19^th for November 13^th

Psalm 100:

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 101: God is loving and just. I sing and praise him. “I will be careful to lead a blameless life – when will you come to me?” I and my house will be blameless and not vile. I hate the actions of faithless or perverse men. “I will have nothing to do with evil.”

I will silence the slanderer; I will not endure the proud or haughty. My friends, my helpers will be the faithful, not the deceivers or the liars.

“Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land;

I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord.”

Psalm 102 2007 October 19^th for November 14^th

This is “A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.”

God, hear my cry for help! Answer quickly!

“For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers.” I forget to eat and am reduced to “skin and bones.” I am taunted by my enemies. I am like a lone bird on a roof. My name is a curse. I eat ashes mixed with tears. “My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass.”

God is on his throne forever. All generations know him. All kings and nations know him. At the appropriate time you will have compassion on Zion.

“For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.

He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.”

Someone write down for future generations not yet born that the Lord looked down on the earth and heard the groaning of the prisoners and released the condemned. Those in Jerusalem will praise him.

My strength was cut off in the middle of my life. “So I said, ‘Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days.’” God was there from the beginning. He made everything. Everything will perish and end but God will still be there. The creation is like clothing that you change from day to day and it wears out but God is the same from the distant past to the distant future.

“The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.”

Psalm 103 2007 October 20^th for November 15^th

This is a Psalm of praise.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—“

God forgives sin, heals disease, redeems life, and gives love and compassion. He satisfies you so that your youth is renewed.

“The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.”

He gets angry slowly and does not always bring accusations. He does not always punish sin as deserved. His love for us is as great as the heavens are above the earth. He removes sin as far as east is from west. He knows we are like dust, like grass that is here today and gone and forgotten tomorrow.

God’s love for his children, those who follow his ways, is everlasting. His throne is in heaven and he rules over everything. Everything in heaven praises him. Everything in the creation praises him. “Praise the Lord, O my soul.”

Psalm 104:1 – 18 2007 October 22^nd for November 16^th

This psalm is descriptive of God.

God is very great, majestic, and splendid. His cloak is made of light; the heavens are his tent. He rides the wind on the clouds and uses wind and fire as messengers. Because he set up the earth, it cannot be moved.

Once water covered the mountains like a bed spread but God rebuked it and set a limit above which it could never go again. He said of the waters, “never again will they cover the earth.” They receded into valleys. Now there are springs there. The water is used to water crops and animals and wild birds. It grows grass and cultivated plants, wine, oil, and trees. These trees are home to birds, the mountains are home to wild goats and coneys.

(Coneys are rabbits or small, furry rabbit-like animals.)

Psalm 104:19 – 35 2007 October 23^rd for November 19^th

Continuing the description of God and his creation.

The moon marks the seasons and the sun knows when to come and go. When God brings darkness, the beasts in the forest know it is time to prowl for prey. When the sun comes up they retire to their dens while men get up and go to work for the day.

God, all your works and words are wisdom. The earth teams with creatures everywhere. Ships go to and fro on the ocean while Leviathan swims underneath.

“These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.

When you give it to them, they gather it up;

When you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.

When you hide your face, they are terrified;

When you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.

When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.”

God’s glory endures forever. When he looks at the earth it shakes; when he touches the mountains they smoke.

I will sing praise to this God all my life, praying that my meditations will be pleasing. But, I also petition that sinners “vanish from the earth,” and the wicked too.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul.

“Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 105:1 – 22 2007 October 24^th for November 20^th

This is the first half of another psalm in praise of God and recounting the history of Israel.

Give thanks to, sing about, and praise God because of everything he has done for the nation. He has done miracles. He made a covenant with Abraham, then Isaac his son and Jacob his son. He remembers these covenants forever, for a thousand generations.

They started out as a relatively small family and one of the sons of Jacob, Joseph, was sold into slavery and taken to a far land. He was imprisoned and oppressed for a time, but then when his word came true because it was from God, they put him in charge of the nation, over everyone except the ruler himself. He did as he pleased. He saved that nation and his own family from famine.

Psalm 105:23 – 45 2007 October 26^th for November 21^st

The epic of Israel in Egypt continues through the exodus.

“Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.”

God made them very “fruitful,” they soon outnumbered their foes, that is, the Egyptians, who God caused to hate them. God sent Moses and Aaron to deliver them. They brought many miraculous demonstrations to show that God was almighty. They brought darkness; they turned water into blood; the fish died. Frogs came and infested even the bedrooms of the rulers, a supreme insult. Then flies and gnats; hail and lightning; and grasshoppers destroyed everything. Finally, God destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt, from the top rulers to the cattle.

Israel came out of Egypt laden with wealth and the Egyptians were glad to see them go. God led them by fire at night and by cloud during the day. He gave them manna and quail in the desert and water came out of rocks to provision them.

“For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.

He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;

He gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—

that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws.

“Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 106:1 – 28 2007 October 25^th for November 22^nd

This is another epic psalm, another history of Israel.

“Praise to the Lord.”

Can any mortal adequately recount the miracles of God? Those who continually do justice are blessed, yet, all sin and act wickedly.

In Egypt, for example, our ancestors did not regard God’s miracles as anything special but griped at Moses for what they did not have. They rebelled at the Sea of Reeds even though God dried it up and they walked across the bottom like they were on a desert.

Even though God saved them from their enemies that day, they soon forgot and were sitting around in their tents griping about being hungry and thirsty in the desert. God became angry. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan and the company of Abiram. Flames consumed some of the rest.

The people had food but they also had disease. At length, they made a calf out of metal and worshipped it. God said he would destroy them but “Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.”

They also despised the pleasant lands they were moving through. God swore that he would destroy them in the desert and scatter their descendants throughout other countries.

Sounds like a stormy relationship.

Psalm 106:29 – 48 2007 October 28^th for November 23^rd

The people become involved with local gods, such as Baal, and “ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.” This made the real God angry and he brought diseases among them. They also angered God at the water’s of Meribah, rebelled, and said rash things.

God told them to utterly destroy the peoples of the land so they wouldn’t be corrupted by their gods and religious practices but they did not do it and this made God angry too. Instead, they worshipped those idols that they were supposed to displace and sacrificed their sons and daughters to them. “… the land was desecrated by their blood. / They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.”

God, in his anger, handed the people, his inheritance, over to their enemies and then, many times, delivered them, but they continued to rebel. Even then, he heard their cries in captivity and relented and, in his love, “caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive.”

“Save us, O Lord our God and gather us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

“Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 107:1 – 22 2007 October 29^th for November 26^th

We now begin the final book in the collection of psalms, Book V.

This psalm is a collection of the things that can go wrong with people, usually attributed to rebellion against God, and how God saved them when they cried out.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say this – those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

Those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.”

Some were wanderers, finding no place to eat, drink, or stop. They were in the desert afraid they would die and called out to God. He led them directly to a place where they could be sustained.

Some were prisoners in chains in dark dungeons due to rebellion. They cried out and God saved them and brought them out of darkness and took away their chains. God can even break gates of bronze (then thought to be the strongest gates possible).

Some were rebellious and became foolish. They cried out and God saved them, sending his Word to them so they could be healed. Let all these peoples offer sacrifices of thanks to God.

Psalm 107:23 – 43 2007 October 30^th for November 27^th

Continuing with the list of things that can go wrong for people and how God helps them when they cry out:

Some travel about in ships and see God’s great works in the depths of the sea.

“For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves.

They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.

They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end.”

Then they cried out to God and he brought calm to the waves and the weather and brought them to where they were going safely and they were glad. They praised him in the assembly of the elders.

God turns nice, watered land into a desert when the people there are evil and he turns parched desert into land that can be comfortably settled by his people. When they “pour contempt on nobles” he makes them wander and makes their numbers decrease. He shuts the mouth of the wicked but he takes care of the needy and they rejoice.

To be wise, pay attention to these things that God does and consider his great love.

Psalm 108 2007 October 31^st for November 28^th

A Psalm of David.

“My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.”

Awaken the instruments; awaken the dawn. Praise God among the nations for his love and faithfulness, glory and exaltation. Save us with your strong right hand.

“Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.

Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

Who brings us victory except God who has, for the time being, rejected us? Come help us again against our enemies. With God we will be victorious.

Psalm 109:1 – 15 2007 November 1^st for 29^th

Having begun on 2004 August 16, sometime around now we are half way through this review of all the material in the Bible. I am beginning to outline an essay on how different the Christianity we practice and what is often proclaimed on its behalf is from what we actually find here.

Working ahead, I just found in Psalm 120 a stanza that the Christian President should use in his next speech, that his Christian supporters should contemplate as the inerrant, spirit-breathed word of God:

“Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.

I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war.”

Resuming with the first part of Psalm 109:

Another Psalm of David.

God, don’t overlook the injustice done to me by “wicked and deceitful men.” When I was their friend, they returned hatred. When I was good they repaid evil. They have accused me with lies and attacked without any reason.

Bring these curses: Pick another evil person to oppose them. Let them be found guilty at trial. Let accusers stand beside them. Let their lives be short. “May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.” May their homes be ruined and creditors take anything that is left. Then, let no one have pity or extend them any kindness. Do not blot out their sins, or their children’s or their parents. If their sins remain before you then you will remove even the memory of them from the earth.

These are the first half of the prayers of David on those who oppose him unjustly. Not an upbeat economic forecast, this.

Psalm 109:16 – 31 2007 November 2^nd for 30^th

David continues to ask God to deal with his enemies.

These people never think of being kind but they hound the poor to death. They have no pleasure in blessings but are rich in curses. Curses pervade their bodies and clothing. May they end up being tied up in their own curses! “May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.”

But, although I am weak, needy, wounded, faint from fasting, and an object of scorn to my detractors, God will take care of me. He blesses me and puts them to shame when they attack. Those attackers will be put to shame and disgrace.

“With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng I will praise him.

For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him.”

Psalm 110 – 111 2007 November 6^th for December 3^rd

Psalm 110 appears to be Messianic.

“The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’”

God will extend your rule from Zion to the midst of your enemies. Your army is ready for the day of battle in their holy cause. God has sworn irrevocably, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

God is at your right side, crushing nations, “heaping up the dead,” lifting up his head to drink from a brook on the way.

Psalm 111 enumerates the attributes and benefits of God.

His works are great and majestic. “His righteousness endures forever.” His wonders are memorable. He is compassionate and gracious and remembers his covenants forever. His people know his power, his justice, and his faithfulness. He redeems his people.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”

Psalm 112 2007 November 7^th for December 4^th

This is a crisp “good gets rewarded” Psalm.

The man who fears God and delights in his commands is blessed. (Not the man who is diligent about them, but the one who delights in them.)

His children will have stature; he will be just. “He will have no fear of bad news.” He will be secure; he will have no fear of anything, except God.

He will prevail over his enemies and give gifts to the poor. He will be strong and honored forever.

“The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.”

Psalm 113 – 114 2007 November 8^th for December 5^th

Psalm 113:

God is to be praised for everything and at all times, from sunrise to sunset. No one is like him. He raises the poor and makes them princes. “He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children.” Praise God!

Psalm 114:

“When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.”

The sea fled; the Jordan turned back; the mountains skipped away like rams; and the hills like lambs. Why did all this happen? Because the earth trembles at God’s presence. He turned rock into water and hard rocks into springs.

Psalm 115 2007 November 9^th for December 6^th

Glory is for God, not the nation of Israel. Why do the other nations question even the presence of our God? He is in heaven and does what he wants! Their idols are just made of metal. There is nothing in them. They have eyes but don’t see, ears but don’t hear, noses but don’t smell, mouths but don’t speak, hands but don’t feel. They can’t even walk or utter any sound at all. The people who make gods like that will end up like that: inert.

As for Israel, trust God, he is your “help and shield.” He remembers us and blesses us, both the great and the small. He makes us increase.

“The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to man.

It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to silence;

It is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore.”

Psalm 116 - 117 2007 November 10^th for December 7^th

Psalm 116:

I was in despair, near death and called out to God. He saved me and I love him for it.

“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.” He is good. He protects the “simple-hearted.”

God has delivered me from death, tears, and stumbling. This enables me to walk before him as one in the land of the living. “In my dismay I said, ‘All men are liars.’” But God’s goodness to me is more than I can repay. I will do what I can, fulfill my vows in public. I am God’s servant and will sacrifice to him and praise him.

Psalm 117 is possibly the shortest chapter of the Bible:

“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.”

Psalm 118 2007 November 12^th for December 10^th

God is good; his love endures forever. Let everyone be thankful and acknowledge this.

I was in anguish, surrounded. Because God was with me I did not need to fear. I triumphed. “They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off.”

Because of these mighty things I will live and not die. “The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.” I will give thanks and be righteous because of this salvation.

“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;

the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

This verse was quoted by Jesus regarding his own sacrifice.

God saved us and gave us success. We will have a festive procession up to his very altar where we will give thanks and exalt him.

“Give thanks to the Lord; for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Psalm 119:1 – 24 2007 November 13^th for December 11^th

This is the longest chapter in the Bible; we will spend eight days here. It is divided up into twenty-two eight verse “paragraphs,” one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Aleph

“Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.”

They fully obey all precepts; they do nothing wrong. They praise and are not shamed. Seeking God with all their heart, they follow each statute.

Beth

“How can a young man keep his way pure?”

He lives according to God’s word, seeking after it wholeheartedly. He memorizes each decree so as to avoid sin and rejoices in doing so. He meditates and delights in this.

Gimel

“Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word.”

Make it possible for me to see and understand your words. Correct me when I err or stray. Take scorn and contempt away from me, rather, let me delight and meditate on your statutes all the time.

Psalm 119:25 – 48 2007 November 14^th for December 12^th

Daleth

“I am laid low in the dust;”

“My soul is weary with sorrow.”

Preserve and strengthen me with your word. Keep me away from deceitful ways. I choose truth; I hold fast; preserve me!

He

Teach me and give me understanding. Show me the right path to walk in and make my heart want to walk in it. Take away disgrace and turn me away from worthless things.

Waw

“May your unfailing love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise.”

Your commands delight me. I will proclaim them to kings and not have shame. Your law is where my hope is; I will always obey.

Psalm 119:49 – 72 2007 November 15^th for December 13^th

Zayin

I am comforted from your word when in suffering. Don’t forget it! The arrogant mock but I don’t forget your law. I am indignant due to the wicked, the ones who have forsaken it. I keep your laws at night; this is my practice.

Heth

I have sought with all my heart to do your laws. Don’t forget me. I will obey quickly and not forget. I will mold my ways to yours. Even in the middle of the night I will get up and be thankful for this.

“The earth is filled with your love, O Lord; teach me your decrees.”

Teth

Keep your word and be good to me; I am your servant. I went astray and was afflicted but now have returned to your word. “You are good, and what you do is good.”

I have been smeared with lies. The arrogant whose hearts are callous and unfeeling have done this.

“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”

The law you have spoken is worth more to me than any amount of money.

Psalm 119:73 – 96 2007 November 17^th for December 14^th

Yodh

You made me. The fact that I can even understand your law is from this. Your laws are righteous. Bring me comfort through your unfailing love. Put to shame the arrogant who wrong me without cause. I desire to meditate on your precepts and be blameless.

Kaph

I grow faint longing for your word. Even as I fail and continue to be persecuted, I wait. “How long must your servant wait?” I was almost wiped out! Preserve my life!

Lamedh

“Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” Your faithfulness endures. Everything you establish endures. “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in affliction.” But “I will never forget your precepts for by them you have preserved my life.”

Although the wicked wait to destroy me, I call out for you to save me.

“To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.”

Psalm 119:97 – 120 2007 November 19^th for December 17^th

Mem

“Your commands make me wiser than my enemies.”

“I have more insight than all my teachers,” “more understanding than the elders.”

Your law keeps me from evil. It is sweet; I love it and meditate on it all the time.

Nun

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

I have sworn that I will always follow your law, even to the very end. Even though the wicked set traps for me; even though I suffer and take my own life into my hands all the time, accept my praise, O Lord.

Samekh

“I hate double-minded men, but I love your law.”

God discards the wicked from the earth. Keep them away from me too. “Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!” Sustain me and I will live; uphold me and I will be delivered.

I am in awe of God and his laws.

Psalm 119:121 – 144 2007 November 21^st for December 18^th

Ayin

“Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold,

and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.”

Don’t abandon me to my oppressors but ensure my well being. “My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise.”

Love me and teach me so I will understand. “It is time for you to act, O Lord; your law is being broken.”

Pe

I obey your wonderful statutes. They give light and understanding. I pant for them. Direct me in right ways, away from sin. Redeem me from oppression. “Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.”

Tsadhe

You, God, are righteous. Your laws are right. They last forever. They have been thoroughly tested. Though I am “lowly and despised” I do not forget about them. When I am in trouble I do not forget about you or your law. “Give me understanding that I may live.”

Psalm 119:145 – 168 2007 November 21^st for December 19^th

Qoph

“Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.”

I get up early and I lay awake at night just to meditate on your law, to stay close to you. My enemies, those who devise wickedness, are far from it. Preserve my life.

Resh

Notice and deliver me from suffering. “Defend my cause and redeem me.” God, you have great compassion. I have many enemies but I have not changed in my allegiance to you and your law. “I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word.”

Sin and Shin

I am persecuted without cause even by rulers, but it is your law that I fear. I hate falsehood. I praise you seven times a day. Love for your law brings great peace and patience for salvation. Nothing can make me stumble.

“All my ways are known to you.”

Psalm 119:169 – 176 2007 November 23^rd for December 20^th

Taw

“May my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word.

May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise.

May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees.

May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.

May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.

I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight.

Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.

I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.”

Thus concludes the longest Psalm, the longest chapter in the Bible. The actual words are, as usual, better than my summary, presented here due to their flow and consistent meter throughout the subject matter.

We have seen several major themes:

God’s law is the right way to live; I am fortunate to have it. I spend all my energy trying to remember it and to do it. Evil men who have no knowledge of or no regard for this law do bad things to me. I wait patiently in affliction for salvation from the Law Giver. I am his servant and pray that he will keep me in the right way, though I often stray. The righteous will be buoyed up and the wicked destroyed, Job notwithstanding. Well, OK, ultimately.

Psalm 120 – 121 2007 November 28^th for December 21^st

Psalm 120 is a “song of ascents” meaning that it was used to enter worship (ascending the stairs to the Temple) or while traveling there for a festival.

God answers me when I call in distress. Save me from lies and deceit. Punish the deceitful with sharp arrows and burning coals.

“Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.

I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war.”

Sounds contemporary.

Another song of ascents, Psalm 121 is famous:

“I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

“He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

“The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

“The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Note the consistency of form among the stanzas. Note the progression from “God of Israel” to “you.”

Psalm 122 – 123 2007 November 29^th for December 26^th

Two more songs of ascents:

Psalm 122:

I rejoiced when we decided to go up to Jerusalem. I was happy when we stood there in the city. It is a compact, cozy city, the place where the tribes of Israel go up to worship and praise God. David’s throne of judgment is there too.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” for security inside the city walls and citadels.

“For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.”

Psalm 123:

When I lift my eyes to God, it is in the same way that a slave lifts his eyes to his master, or a maiden to her mistress, “till he shows us his mercy.”

“Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.

We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.”

Psalm 124 – 125 2007 November 30^th for December 27^th

Psalm 124 is a song of ascents of David. It describes a narrow escape.

“If he Lord had not been on our side – let Israel say –

if the lord had not been on our side when men attacked us,”

… then we would be dead. We would be dead as if engulfed in a flood, a torrent of disaster.

But, Praise God, we escaped from their teeth like a bird escapes from a fowler’s snare.

“Our help is in the name of the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Psalm 125:

Trust God and you are like an unshakable mountain, like Mount Zion. The rule of the wicked will not remain over the land of the righteous because the righteous might do evil.

God, bless those who are good but turn away from and banish those who are evil.

“Peace be upon Israel.”

Psalm 126 – 127 2007 December 2^nd for 28^th

Psalm 126 is the one that the hymn “Bringing in the Sheaves” (George Minor, #165, Cokesbury Hymnal) is based on, but it is much more profound than a mere celebration of harvest. It is the celebration of the ability to have harvest.

“When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”

(They had been in captivity for 70 years.)

The nations said among themselves that God had done great things for Israel. They were filled with joy.

“Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev.

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow,

Will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”

Both of these psalms are of ascents, 127 is of Solomon and is also famous.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”

You get up early and stay up late “toiling for food” but God allows those who he loves to get some sleep. Your sustenance comes from God, not from your toil.

Children, also, are a reward, a heritage from God.

“Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.”

It is a blessing to have lots of them. When you have issues with their neighbors, you will not be shamed.

Psalm 128 – 129 2007 December 3^rd for 31^st

Psalm 128 is of ascents, of blessings:

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways.” They eat the fruit of their labor, their wives are fruitful, their sons are like olive shoots. “This is the man blessed who fears the Lord.”

May God bless you from Zion all your days. May you live to see your children’s children.

“Peace be upon Israel.”

The Word of the Lord indeed!

Psalm 129, of ascents, has the same rhythmic opening figure as Psalm 124. I wish we knew what it was. Maybe something modern could be written to fit this pattern:

“They have greatly oppressed me from my youth – let Israel say –

they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me.”

Plowmen have plowed my back with long furrows but God has cut me loose from the “cords of the wicked.” People who hate Zion? They should be like this: They should be like grass growing on the roof that withers before it grows. They should be like reapers who come back without enough harvest. They should not discuss or offer the blessings of God to each other!

Psalm 130 – 131 2007 December 4^th for 2008 January 1^st

These are two more songs of ascents.

130:

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.”

Hear my cry for mercy. If you keep a record of sins, no one will be able to stand! We wait for your mercy.

“My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen wait for the morning.”

Put your hope in God Israel. He redeems us from sin.

131:

I am not proud or haughty. I am not concerned with great things that are beyond me.

“But I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother.”

From now on put your hope in God, Israel!

Psalm 132 2007 December 5^th for 2008 January 2^nd

“O Lord, remember David and all the hardships he endured.”

But, David swore that he would not go to his house, or his own bed, until he had a place for God, where God would be worshiped.

“Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool –

arise, O Lord, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.”

For David’s sake, do not reject him. Let the people sing in joy and the priests be righteous. God swore to David that he would have a descendant on the throne forever – if he would teach them God’s statutes and if those statutes were kept.

Zion is the dwelling place of God. He rests and rules there. All there will be provisioned and saved. God’s anointed one will rule and his enemies will be shamed.

Psalm 133 – 134 2007 December 8^th for 2008 January 3^rd

Psalm 133, of ascents, is of David. A piece in which there is enormous imagery, irony, and metaphor in only five lines.

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard,

Running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.

It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.

For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”

Mount Hermon, at high altitude, was known for moist greenery, a pleasant contrast to the desert. The image of Aaron’s consecration is one of total devotion to God but Aaron and David both headed distressed families, brother against brother.

Psalm 134, of ascents, is very brief:

“Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.

“May the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth bless you from Zion.”

Psalm 135 2007 December 8^th for 2008 January 4^th

This is a psalm of Praise.

“Praise the Lord.”

Servants who minister in God’s house praise him. They praise him because he is good, because he chose Jacob as a treasured possession. God is greater than any other gods. He does what he pleases everywhere, on earth, in heaven, in the seas, and with the weather. He showed many signs and wonders to the Egyptians, even striking down all the firstborn in the land. He also struck down many kings who were enemies of Israel in order to give their lands to Israel as an inheritance.

God will be known to all generations. The gods of the other nations are just made of metal, wood, or stone. They have no breath, no life. They are inert. People who worship and follow them will become like them, lifeless. It is downhill for them.

But we praise God, Aaron, the house of Levi, and all Israelites praise God.

“Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 136 2007 December 10^th for 2008 January 7^th

This is a “call and response psalm;” each of twenty-six verses ends with “His love endures forever.” For example:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords;

His love endures forever.”

and so on.

He does great wonders. He made the heavens. He made the earth on the waters and put the lights in the sky, ones to rule day and one to rule night. He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, brought Israel out of slavery through his strength, and parted the sea before them. Then he swept Pharaoh and his army, the superpower of the day, into that same sea.

He then led his people through the desert, striking down other great kings as he went, including Sihon of the Amorites and Og of Bashan. He cleared the land to be an inheritance for Israel.

“to the One who remembered us in our low estate

His love endures forever.

And freed us from our enemies,

His love endures forever.

And who gives food to every creature.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven.

His love endures forever.”

You can easily see how this recital of praise and history could be set to music, a praise chorus!

Psalm 137 – 138 2007 December 11^th for 2008 January 8^th

Psalm 137 was set to music in Godspell. It is poetry, a song of the exile; I will repeat it verbatim. It contains beauty, melancholy, and ugliness, all parts of the real life.

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

There on the poplars we hung our harps,

For there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’

“How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?

If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.

May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you,

if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

“Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell.

‘Tear it down,’ they cried, ‘tear it down to its foundations!’

“O Daughters of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us –

he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.”

No further comment….

Psalm 138 is of David.

I praise you and sing your praise and bow down in your holy temple. You are loving and faithful and exalted above everything. “Your name is your word.” You answered me when I called on you and made me brave.

All the kings of the earth should praise you when they hear your words, when they perceive your glory.

God, when on high, considers those who are low. He knows where the proud are. When my foes are against me, he stretches out his strong arm and preserves me. This is his purpose and he fulfills it. He doesn’t abandon his creations.

Psalm 139 2007 December 12^th for 2008 January 9^th

Of David.

God knows everything about me. He knows everything that has happened to and will happen to me, even before it happens. He knows everything I will say and do.

There is nowhere I can go where this is not true. Not to the heavens or the depths of the earth or sea. God is in all these places. It may be dark at night, too dark for me to see, but I am not hidden from God and nothing about me is hidden from God. The darkness is like broad daylight to him.

God put me together inside my mother; in a hidden place he knew everything about how I was constructed before I was even born. All my days were already written in his book before one of them occurred.

Your thoughts are precious to me, God. They are numerous like the grains of sand. When I wake up you are still there.

“If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.”

God, I hate the people you hate. They are my enemies. They rise up against you. But, test my thoughts God, ensure that there is nothing offensive in me, “and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalm 140 2007 December 13^th for 2008 January 10^th

Of David.

“I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

Surely the righteous will praise your name and the upright will live before you.”

Rescue me from evil men! They make plans for war and violence in their hearts. Their tongues are like snakes and their speech is poison. They plan to trip me up and trap me. But you are my God; hear my cry for mercy. Be my strong deliverer. Shield me in battle.

Don’t grant the desires of the wicked or give them success. Rain coals of fire on them. Mire them in the pit, never to return. Don’t establish slanderers in the land of Israel. Bring disaster on the violent!

Psalm 141 2007 December 14^th for 2008 January 11^th

Of David.

Come quickly, God, when I call. My prayer is like incense, like the evening sacrifice. Set guard over what I say and over my heart that I won’t be drawn to evil and wickedness or those who practice such things. “[L]et me not eat of their delicacies.”

If a righteous man strikes or rebukes me, it is a blessing, a kindness, like anointing with oil. My prayer is against those who do evil. “[T]heir rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs.” Their bones will be scattered at the mouths of graves like clods of plowed earth.

My eyes are fixed on you God. I take refuge in you. Don’t yield me to death. Protect me from their snares and traps. Let them be ensnared by their own snares but let me go by them safely.

Psalm 142 2007 December 17^th for 2008 January 14^th

This is a prayer of David when he was in a cave.

“Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name.”

I cry out to God for mercy. I air my complaint to him and tell him all my troubles.

I grow faint; I don’t know where the traps are. You keep me going; you guide me safely. No one else cares for my life but you are my refuge when I am in despair. Those who pursue me are too strong for me. Save me!

“Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.”

Psalm 143 2007 December 18^th for 2008 January 15^th

Another plea of David.

God, don’t bring me to judgment because “no one living is righteous before you.” Hear my cry for mercy. My enemy is upon me to crush me. My spirit grows faint. I nearly wish I were dead.

A long time ago I used to relish meditating on everything you had done. I thirst for this again. “Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails.” I trust you; I wait for your unfailing love; I hide in you, wanting to be rescued. Put me on level ground and give me your Spirit.

“For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.”

Psalm 144 2007 December 19^th for 2008 January 16^th

“Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.”

God is my fortress, my shield, and my refuge.

“O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?

A man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.”

Come down from the heavens, God, touch down on the mountains, scatter the enemies, and rain weapons on them.

“Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me

from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners

whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.”

I will write and sing a new ten stringed lyre song about this.

When God does this for us, our sons and daughters will be well nurtured and beautiful, our barns will be full, our animals will increase in number and power.

“There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.”

“Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.”

This is why David is thankful that God trains him for war, so that this peace and prosperity can be achieved.

Psalm 145 2007 December 21^st for 2008 January 17^th

A psalm of David, of praise.

God is exalted and eternal. He has done great things; his stories pass down through generations. He is powerful and good. This is joyous to the righteous.

God has compassion on his creation; he is rich in love. All he has created praises him. Mighty acts and splendor come from his everlasting kingdom.

God keeps his promises and picks up those who fall down. He provisions his creations at the proper time with what they desire.

God is righteous, loving, and near “to those who call on him in truth.” He saves the righteous and truthful but destroys the wicked.

“My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.”

Psalm 146 2007 December 22^nd for 2008 January 18^th

Not a psalm of David but inasmuch as this psalm provides an outline of much of our claimed theology, I quote it verbatim.

“Praise the Lord.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

The Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them – the Lord, who remains faithful forever.

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind,

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

“The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.

“Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 147 2007 December 24^th for 2008 January 21^st

“How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”

God builds Jerusalem, gathering and healing the exiles. He numbers and names the stars, each one; “his understanding has no limit.”

Praise God with harp music. He brings the clouds and rain that grows the grass and feeds the cattle and birds. God does not delight in strength like horses or fast runners; “the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

God strengthens the gates of Jerusalem and brings blessings and peace. He “satisfies you with the finest of wheat.” He sends his commands to the earth quickly. “He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.” He throws down hail like pebbles. Who can withstand it?

“He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel.

He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws.”

“Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 148 2007 December 26^th for 2008 January 22^nd

Everything in the cosmology is to praise God: All in the heavens and in the heights; the angels and heavenly hosts; sun, moon, and stars; the highest heavens and the “waters above the skies.” Because they were all created at his command and he put them where they belong permanently, they are to praise him.

All in the earth are to praise him: All the sea creatures in the depths; lightning, hail, snow, clouds, and stormy winds; mountains, hills, fruit trees and cedars; wild animals, cattle, small creatures and birds; kings, princes, rulers, young men, maidens, old men, and children.

“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.

“Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 149 2007 December 27^th for 2008 January 23^rd

This psalm of praise is in the standard two-part form: worship directed to God and an enumeration of the benefits of being his people on earth.

“Praise the Lord.

“Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.

Let Israel rejoice in her Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.

Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.

Let the saints rejoice in his honor and sing for joy on their beds.”

“May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,

to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,

to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron,

to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints.

“Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 150 2007 December 27^th for 2008 January 24^th

The final psalm in the canon is also famous. We have acted it out kinesthetically in our own worship services.

Praise the Lord.

“Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

Praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,

Praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

“Praise the Lord.”

Concluding Thoughts on Psalms 2007 December 29^th for 2008 January 25^th

After nearly seven months we come to the end of the Psalms. By page count, this central book of praises takes up more than ten percent of the Bible. I fear that in my daily summaries, I’ve done little but remove the music and poetry from this profound literature.

There are many themes in these praises. One of the main ones is that God is larger than anything in our experience, or even the totality of our experience; he is much larger. As such, he is far above any people, even the highest rulers, and is not the peer of people or answerable to people. In fact, he is peerless; there are no other gods.

Much theology is built on the Psalms: comfort for the downtrodden, God’s concern for the oppressed, God’s goodness, God’s power, and so on. In some places it seems simplistic, in contradiction to, for instance, the theology developed in Job where God does not bless and enrich but punishes, tests, and impoverishes without any cause except his own sovereign need for a demonstration. Perhaps some of the psalmists were unfamiliar with the trials of Job or chose to see things differently while writing for worship settings. Perhaps the difficulties do not exist except from our point of view that is somewhat different from the point of view of the warrior shepherds of the ancient Middle East.

A point is made throughout that God’s wrath is not being invoked on evil, but is only being requested by the righteous people to be enforced on evil. This is a form of reminding God of his promises of justice, fervent reminding in most cases. “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.”

Often God seems remote, even absent, to the psalmists as he often does to us and to any who have followed him throughout the ages in which he has been known. “How long O Lord, how long?” is a common refrain.

And so we are left with a body of work intended for use in praise of a supreme Creator and Ruler, the First Cause, who is so large and powerful compared to our mortal, finite existence, that he is also invisible. Invisible except for the obvious signs everywhere. Existence itself. Life itself. Any goodness present in the obviously mixed reality that we actually experience.

Did the psalmists, particularly David, know God personally as Moses did? Do we? Does anyone? Does our reading of the Bible form our theology or does our theology inform and direct our understanding of the Bible? Psalm 144, for example, begins, “Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” A warlike God? This clashes with our image of an all-loving-protecting parent of all creatures in the creation. As a result, the Bible I am currently using devoted an extensive footnote to explaining this problem. It boiled down to, ‘It was a rough neighborhood. God is just being gracious by preparing David to take care of himself.’ No mention is made of the same David being one of the most expert and efficient ethnic cleansers of all time, wiping out “everything that breathed” time after time while he made his pre-coronation living as a leader of fierce mercenary warriors. Where is the notion that all of those “things that breathed” were precious creations of David’s God then? It’s still a rough neighborhood too.

But David himself sees it differently. Probably from experiences far back into his youth where he stood alone against fierce wild animals and perceived that he was saved by his God, then alone faced a giant and was again saved and made victorious by his God, then, leading his own army faced many other armies, he saw God as being on his side and those who were not under his God and God’s statutes as dangerous, disposable enemies, suitable only for Sheol.

There is much here that we do not see. Those who lie, slander, and murder are indeed enemies, not only of David’s God but also of ‘decent’ people everywhere and of all time. But David, of whom Christ is the ultimate fulfillment, we are taught, is not a simple, sheep petting, gentleman king of unabashed honor and justice. He failed often, even by his own standards, sometimes in huge and irreparable ways and so, through David, we also learn of the God of mercy, a God who does not always exact justice but sometimes lets us be sorry and carry on, undeserved. David’s psalms out of his periods of great failure say nothing about destroying any evil people; they only beg the supreme God for clemency.

Thus, the psalms are still not my favorite parts of the Bible. If I were a simpler man who could be more in the moment, perhaps they could be. They do provide beautiful ways in which to simply praise the supreme Creator, but they, like much poetry, like much in human thought, lead to cognitive difficulties not easily dismissed.

© 2007, 2008 Courtney B. Duncan