PSALMS

The Psalms (Hebrew: “Praise”) are a series of praises and prayers to God and meditations usually set to music such as a harp or lute. Most are attributed to king David, but some were made by men named Korah, Asaph and others.

PSALMS 1:1-6

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

David describes the blessings and promises that the righteous will receive from reading, understanding and following the laws of the Lord. Those who obey Him will prosper in all that they do, but the wicked will inherit trouble and will sow the seeds of their own destruction.

Meditating on the laws of the Lord is good as it reinforces the meaning of the laws in the heart, keeping a person from forgetting and straying from God’s commandments. God Himself had commanded;

DEUTERONOMY 6:6-9

6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Some devout Jews (especially the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox) take these last two verses of Deuteronomy literally, wearing ‘phylacteries’ (small boxes containing Scripture verses) strapped to their foreheads and right hands.

They also place ‘mezuzahs’, (cases containing Rabbinically approved Scripture verses prepared by trained scribes) on the right doorpost of a house and some Rabbis have commanded that Jews kiss the mezuzah or touch it and then kiss the finger that touched it.

God did not mean for phylacteries to be worn or for doorposts to be kissed, He was using these expressions to show the importance of His laws to His people.

PSALMS 2:1-3

1 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”

Note the plural usage for the Godhead here. The ‘anointed’ of the Lord is referred to as equal with God Himself, although the Rabbis tend to refer to this as king David or Israel as a nation. God Himself speaks of His anointed One being equal with Himself when He spoke through king David saying;

PSALMS 45:6-7

6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

Psalms 2:1-3 above concerns the future reign of the Messiah, Jesus Christ when He returns to set up His Earthly kingdom. The wicked hate God’s laws as they are set to restrain Man’s corrupted desires to follow and perform evil. They always resort to wrath and violence to try to destroy anything and anyone, including God Himself, who opposes them.

PSALMS 2:4-6

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision.

5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:

6 “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”

God mocks the futility of those who feel they are strong enough to oppose Him. When Jesus returns He will rule the world from Jerusalem, atop mount Zion where it presently sits.

PSALMS 2:7-9

7 “I will declare the decree: the Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.

8 Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Here God the Father speaks to His Son, Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, foretelling His future birth as the Messiah, the Savior and Redeemer of all who believe in Him. When He sets up His Earthly kingdom, His rule will be restrictive but fair and the nations who oppose Him will be punished.

PSALMS 2:10-12

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Again God speaks of His Son who will rule the Earth at His return. Another expression for ‘kiss the Son’ might be ‘embrace the Son’, as in believing in Him and obeying His commandments lest you be destroyed for your rebellion and disobedience.

PSALMS 3:1-8

1 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. 

2 Many are they who say of me, there is no help for him in God.” Selah

3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.

4 I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.

6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

8 Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

This is listed as king David’s prayer for help when his son Absalom tried to overthrow and kill him (2 Samuel, chapter 15). David made this prayer after he had fled Jerusalem to escape while his army commander Joab waged a civil war against Absalom and his forces.

NOTE: The term ‘Selah’ is unknown but seems to indicate a pause for meditation or contemplation.

PSALMS 4:1-3

1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

2 How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood? Selah

3 But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him.

David, like anyone who worships God and is in a position of authority (like President Trump) had many enemies, ranging from wicked king Saul to his own son Absalom, all of who sought his life. David’s prayer also expresses his hope for salvation from God and gives hope to those similarly oppressed.

PSALMS 4:4-5

4 Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

This is a hard one. There is a form of anger known as ‘righteous anger’ in which you can be angry at sinful behavior but not in judgment against the sinner. Jesus demonstrated this in;

MARK 3:1-6

1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.

2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.”

4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.

5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Jesus was angry because the corrupt Pharisees who considered themselves experts in the Law of Moses had twisted and added many man-made commandments to the Law, making the Law excessively hard and burdensome in accordance to Isaiah’s prophecy as quoted by Jesus;

MATTHEW 15:7-9

7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

9 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

God had forbidden working on the Sabbath, and their corruption of the commandment was so great that they considered healing to be ‘work’ and a violation of the Law. They weren’t even impressed by the fact that a miracle had been performed right before their eyes nor did they care about the undoubted rejoicing of the healed man. They only cared that Jesus had, in their eyes, broken the Law of Moses as they saw it and were angry that Jesus had embarrassed them for their hypocrisy and callousness before the people.

So, in typical fashion of the wicked, rather than repent they began plotting to kill Him to eliminate any future threats to their hypocritical rule. They were so desperate that they plotted with the hated Herodians (devoted followers of wicked king Herod Antipas) in order to try to get rid of Him.

He also demonstrated righteous anger when He drove out the money-changers and animal sellers who were conducting business in the Temple as detailed in:

JOHN 2:13-17

13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.

15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.

16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”

PSALMS 4:6-8

6 There are many who say, “Who will show us any good? Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.

7 You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

This shows the despair of the people, who were depressed and feeling hopeless at their present situation. Yet they refused to turn from their wickedness and confess their sins before God. Jesus quoted Isaiah’s prophecy concerning such people when He said;

MATTHEW 13:14-15

14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’

King David however understood the benefits of following God’s laws and worshiping Him in the midst of an idolatrous nation and had peace as a result.

PSALMS 5:1-6

1 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.

2 Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, for to You I will pray.

3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.

4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You.

5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; you hate all workers of iniquity.

6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

David praises God, recounting His attributes for His glory and to reinforce in his mind assurance of God’s righteousness and justice.

PSALMS 5:7-12

7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.

8 Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face.

9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is destruction; their throat is an open tomb; they flatter with their tongue.

10 Pronounce them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.

11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.

12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.

David pleads with the Lord to keep him safe from his enemies and to lead him in the paths of righteousness. He expresses his anger and disgust with those who delight in wickedness and asks God to judge them accordingly.

He also asks God to reward the righteous with blessings so that they may rejoice and have hope in Him.

PSALMS 6:1-10

1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.

2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

3 My soul also is greatly troubled; but You, O Lord—how long?

4 Return, O Lord, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!

5 For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You thanks?

6 I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.

7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows old because of all my enemies.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.

9 The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.

In the Psalms, numerous times David seeks God’s forgiveness for unspecified sins. He acknowledges his sin and weakness and begs for God’s pardon and for the lifting of God’s punishments which range from illness to assaults by enemies.

God at times punishes us for our sins even though He forgives us, to reinforce the fact that while He is angry at our sins, His punishment is a parent disciplining children, given for our correction and to keep us from sinning in that likeness again.

PSALMS 7:1-5

1 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me,

2 lest they tear me like a lion, rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

3 O Lord my God, if I have done this: if there is iniquity in my hands,

4 if I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, or have plundered my enemy without cause,

5 let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; yes, let him trample my life to the earth, and lay my honor in the dust. Selah

David seeks the Lord’s protection from his enemies. He has been pursued relentlessly by evil king Saul who sought to kill him (1 Samuel, chapter 19) because the Lord had anointed David to replace king Saul after rejecting Saul for his wickedness.

David, on the run and fearing for his life, pours out his fear to God asking God to remember his innocence, but asking that if he is guilty of evil, let God’s judgment be upon him.

PSALMS 7:6-10

6 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded!

7 So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; for their sakes, therefore, return on high.

8 The Lord shall judge the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me.

9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

10 My defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart.

Rather than seek his own revenge, David asks God to judge his enemies and to repay their wickedness. God Himself had said;

LEVITICUS 19:18

18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

And;

DEUTERONOMY 32:35

35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them.’

PSALMS 7:11-17

11 God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

12 If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready.

13 He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

14 Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.

15 He made a pit and dug it out, and has fallen into the ditch which he made.

16 His trouble shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

17 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

God is a just God, and rewards each according to their works. As the prophet Isaiah said;

ISAIAH 3:10-11

10 “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

PSALMS 8:1-9

1 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens!

2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

4 what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?

5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

7 all sheep and oxen— even the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!

This is a Psalm of reverence for God’s handiwork, and awe at His creation of Man. David looked at the heavens and saw the glory of God in His works and wonders at His making of Man as His highest Earthly creation.

While Man is lesser than the angels in power and glory, yet God interacts with us, watching over us, answering our prayers and has subdued all living things to Man’s dominance. He has also promised glory, honor and eternal life to those who believe in Him and keep His commandments.

PSALMS 9:1-5

1 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

3 When my enemies turn back, they shall fall and perish at Your presence.

4 For You have maintained my right and my cause; you sat on the throne judging in righteousness.

5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

David praises God for His righteousness and power, and tells of His protection and care for His servants.

PSALMS 9:6-8

6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; even their memory has perished.

7 But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment.

8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

David speaks to the futility of the wicked, reminding them that they are only here for a short time. Their works, like they themselves, will soon be forgotten, however the Lord and His righteous works will last forever.

PSALMS 9:9-12

9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.

12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble.

David speaks of God’s being a fortress of protection, an avenger of the oppressed, One who remembers those who cry out to Him for help in time of distress.

PSALMS 9:13-16

13 Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death,

14 that I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.

15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; in the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.

16 The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah

David pleads for help from God so that he can tell everyone of God’s salvation and works. David also rejoices in the fact that God causes the wicked to be caught in their own snares that they have set for the righteous and innocent.

NOTE: The meaning of the term ‘Selah’ is unknown.

PSALMS 9:17-20

17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

19 Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight.

20 Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah

David warns the wicked of their fate and reminds the poor and needy that although they may be forgotten by men, God knows and remembers their afflictions and cares for them. David also calls on the Lord to rise in judgment of the wicked that all who see and hear may fear.

PSALMS 10:1

1 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?

David expresses his frustration at God’s seeming inaction concerning the wicked. We need to remember that God is patient, many times waiting in hope that the wicked will repent, sparing themselves from being judged. As God said through the prophet Jeremiah;

JEREMIAH 2:19

19 Your own wickedness will correct you, and your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing that you have forsaken the Lord your God, and the fear of Me is not in you,” says the Lord God of hosts.

PSALMS 10:2-11

2 The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; he blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.

4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.

5 His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; as for all his enemies, he sneers at them.

6 He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.”

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the secret places he murders the innocent; his eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

9 He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; he lies in wait to catch the poor; he catches the poor when he draws him into his net.

10 So he crouches, he lies low, that the helpless may fall by his strength.

11 He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.”

David pours out his complaint concerning the actions and successes of wicked men and their mockery of God and His laws. Like lions, they lie in ambush to destroy the innocent and helpless in order to enrich themselves. They dismiss God from their thoughts, convincing themselves that no one will hold them accountable for their works.

PSALMS 10:12-15

12 Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble.

13 Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account.”

14 But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; seek out his wickedness until You find none.

David recounts the arrogant foolishness of the wicked and expresses his hope and trust in God’s judgments.

PSALMS 10:16-18

16 The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations have perished out of His land.

17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; you will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,

18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may oppress no more.

David praises the Lord for His justice, reminding his readers that God hears and avenges the oppressed and the fatherless who cry out to Him.

PSALMS 11:1-7

1 In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?

2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.

3 If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

4 The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

5 The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.

7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.

David praises the traits of the Lord, recounting how God will test the righteous to show the righteous where their weaknesses lie. This is in a sense like a physical fitness test where you are tested for strength and stamina. The results show where work is needed to strengthen your spirit.

On an interesting note, in verse 6 David seems to describe the conditions in Hell where fire and brimstone rain down and a burning wind sweeps through the place.

PSALMS 12:1-4

1 Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things,

4 Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?”

David condemns the treacherous actions of the wicked. They portray themselves as friendly, but plot evil against their neighbors in their hearts. In verse 3, David is not advocating literal cutting off of lips, he is asking God to silence the lying words of the deceivers.

In verse 4 the wicked say that their mouths are their own, forgetting that God told Moses;

EXODUS 4:11

11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?

PSALMS 12:5-8

5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

7 You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

8 The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

The righteous understand and agree that the words of the Lord are pure and good. But to the wicked, anything that restrains their evil actions is an abomination. And just like today’s many “social justice” , “special interest” groups which promote lawless behavior, violence and wickedness abound through society, their wicked actions being praised as “progressive”.

PSALMS 13:1-6

1 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.

David expresses frustration at God’s seeming inaction concerning his troubles. We need to remember that His timing is not our timing nor are His ways like ours. He sees the end of a matter from the beginning, whereas we can only see the moment.

As He Himself said;

ISAIAH 46:9-10

9 Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,

10 declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’

And;

ISAIAH 55:8-9

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

PSALMS 14:1-4

1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.

2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

3 They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.

4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call on the Lord?

It astounds me that people look about themselves at the incredible order of Creation from the macro-cosmic to the sub-atomic, yet believe that all this came about by random chance or through ‘evolution’. This assumes that small random changes happened successfully countless millions of times without mistakes or errors to produce what we have today.

Try flipping a coin and having it come up with only ‘heads’ or only ‘tails’ 10 times in a row. If the results fail a single time, the whole experiment is a failure. Statistically there will be about a 50 / 50 split between ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ in the results.

Now consider flipping the coin millions of times and getting only ‘heads’ or only ‘tails’ every time without fail. And considering the billions of species of plants, insects, animals, etc. in the world, you’d have to flip billions of coins millions of times each without fail to ‘evolve’ the various species of life from single-celled organisms to what we see today.

The fool and the atheist convince themselves that there is no God to remove the fear that they will be called to account for their sins and wickedness. Fear of Judgment restrains their evil passions, so they harden their hearts and callous their consciences with ‘pseudo-science’ and other philosophical arguments to remove those fears.

Satan works diligently in such people shrouding their hearts with ignorance and unbelief, causing the apostle Paul to observe;

2 CORINTHIANS 4:3-4

3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,

4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

PSALMS 14:5-7

5 There they are in great fear, for God is with the generation of the righteous.

6 You shame the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge.

7 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

Those that reject God live with the deep-rooted fear that He may indeed exist, especially when they see the righteous trusting in Him even though they are poor. They despise the poor in order to elevate themselves in their own eyes and convince themselves that there is no God and that they don’t need God in their lives.

David said of these people;

PSALMS 2:4-5

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision.

5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:

PSALMS 15:1-5

1 Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

2 He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart;

3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, or does he take up a reproach against his friend;

4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 He who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

David describes the person who will dwell with the Lord in Heaven, one who faithfully follows God’s commandments and laws, who treats his neighbor and friends justly, and abides in the truth. Such a person will be blessed by God and will prosper in all his works.

PSALMS 16:1-11

1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

2 O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.”

3 As for the saints who are on the Earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names on my lips.

5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance.

7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.

10 For You will not leave my soul in Hell, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11 You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

This is a fascinating passage of Scripture as it foretells the death of Jesus Christ, God’s Son who willingly gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice to God, the only sacrifice which could remove sin from those who believe in Him and accept God’s plan of salvation through Him.

The innocent animal sacrifices could only cover sin in God’s eyes, they could not remove them.

As David said;

PSALMS 32:1

1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Therefore the righteous dead went to ‘The Pit’, a place of paradise where they waited for the removal of their sins, as they were not yet worthy to enter Heaven.

Sin can only affect Man in the flesh, for without flesh there is no greed, lust, covetousness, envy or any other physical sin. As the apostle Paul wrote;

ROMANS 6:7

7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.

But being freed from sin after death doesn’t free us from the consequences of our sin. The righteous, though still sinners in God’s eyes, went to the part of the Pit to paradise to await their redemption, while the wicked who died unrepentant went to Hell, the other part of the Pit reserved for the fiery torment of the wicked.

Jesus told a story about a rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. Both died and Lazarus went to be with patriarch Abrahamin the part of the Pit known as paradise while the rich man went to Hell.

From Hell, the rich man could see Lazarus and Abraham but could not cross to them because of an uncrossable gulf between Hell and Paradise. He begged Abraham to have Lazarus dip his finger in water to cool the rich man’s tongue for he was tormented by the fires of Hell.

Abraham replied that this was impossible due to the gap between them and indicated that the rich man was suffering for his sins, while Lazarus was comforted.

As sin can only affect the flesh causing death and destruction, and as sin can only be removed by the sacrifice of a sinless life, a perfect life had to be given to remove sin. Man cannot be perfect as we are born in sin and are sinners our entire lives.

Sin passed to mankind through Adam so descendants of Adam are all sinners. Jesus, although born of a human woman had God as His Father meaning He was born without sin. God alluded to this in Genesis, when in speaking to Satan who was inhabiting the serpent, concerning the Savior to come He said;

GENESIS 3:15

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

Note carefully that God said the seed (child) would be from of the woman (Eve), NOT from the man (Adam).

Therefore in His love and mercy, Jesus took upon Himself the full weight of the curse for sin that He laid on all Creation in Genesis chapter 3.

Only Man can sin (animals are sinless), therefore when Jesus died on the cross, the sins of the entire world, for all time, were poured into His sinless body and when that body died, the world’s sins were destroyed with it.

Only Jesus, as God, could have borne the weight of Mankind’s sins and the full wrath of the Father against sin as well as the wrath of Satan and physical torture inflicted upon Him by the Jewish authorities and the Roman soldiers. As a forensic pathologist who studied His torture and crucifixion stated, “The miracle isn’t that Jesus died on the cross, the miracle is that He made it to the cross at all”.

But the punishment for sin still needed to be suffered to satisfy God’s justice.

Therefore, Jesus Christ, God’s perfect Son was sent to the worst part of Hell for 3 days to pay for our sins, suffering the full wrath of the Father. This was what David prophesied in verse 10 above when he said;

PSALMS 16:10

10 For You will not leave my soul in Hell, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

David describes the Messiah’s suffering in Hell for our sins when he said;

PSALMS 88:6-7

6 You have laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the depths.

7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah

And;

PSALMS 88:8-9

8 I am shut up, and I cannot get out;

9 My eye wastes away because of affliction.

During His 3 days in Hell, the tortured, mutilated body of Jesus did not decay and on the third day He was resurrected, His body transformed into a glorified immortal form, becoming the Savior and Judge of all Mankind, having paid the awful price for our redemption.

Once the sins had been paid for, the righteous dead were now worthy to enter Heaven and with Jesus’ resurrection and return to Heaven, the righteous dead were taken with Him to Heaven. Now, believers are taken directly to Heaven when they die.

PSALMS 17:1-5

1 Hear a just cause, O Lord, attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.

2 Let my vindication come from Your presence; let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.

3 You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.

5 Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip.

David expresses his confidence in his integrity, being satisfied that God has tested his heart and has found no wrongdoing in him. As God told the prophet Jeremiah;

JEREMIAH 17:10

I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

PSALMS 17:6-12

6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.

7 Show Your marvelous loving kindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them.

8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings,

9 From the wicked who oppress me, from my deadly enemies who surround me.

10 They have closed up their fat hearts; with their mouths they speak proudly.

11 They have now surrounded us in our steps; they have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,

12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey, and like a young lion lurking in secret places.

David calls on the Lord to save him from his enemies who are stronger than him, trusting that God not only hears and sees, but that He is able to save as well.

David portrays the wicked as being like lions who crouch down and watch their intended victims just before suddenly springing up to attack and kill.

NOTE: the “apple of your eye” refers to the pupil of the eye.

PSALMS 17:13-15

13 Arise, O Lord, confront him, cast him down; deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,

14 with Your hand from men, O Lord, from men of the world who have their portion in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, and leave the rest of their possession for their babes.

15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

David asks God to cast down his enemies and uphold him, believing and trusting that only God can do this.

PSALMS 18:1-6

1 I will love You, O Lord, my strength.

2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

4 The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of Hell surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

David rejoices in God’s deliverance from his enemies, especially from king Saul who relentlessly pursued him, seeking to kill him because God had rejected Saul as king and had chosen David to be the next king of Israel.

David praises God for hearing and responding to him even though He is in Heaven, far above the Earth.

PSALMS 18:7-15

7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, because He was angry.

8 Smoke went up from His nostrils, and devouring fire from His mouth; coals were kindled by it.

9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down with darkness under His feet.

10 And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

12 From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

13 The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire.

14 He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.

15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered at Your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

David seems to describe an earthquake and a violent storm that frightened away his enemies who were pursuing him. It’s not the only time that God used natural phenomena to frighten and destroy enemies;

1 SAMUEL 7:10

10 Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel.

When Joshua was fighting against the Canaanite armies sent from Jerusalem by king Adoni-Zedek, Scripture records;

JOSHUA 10:10-11

10 So the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

11 And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.

PSALMS 18:16-27

16 He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.

19 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all His judgments were before me, and I did not put away His statutes from me.

23 I was also blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.

24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

26 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

27 For You will save the humble people, but will bring down haughty looks.

David praises and exalts God for hearing him and rescuing him from enemies. He holds out hope to his hearers and readers, showing that God hears and rescues those that are righteous and blameless in His sight, but who opposes the proud and wicked.

PSALMS 18:28-31

28 For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

29 For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.

30 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

31 For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?

David understands that his strength does not come from Himself, but from God who gives strength and skill. Remember Samson? But the keys are faith, obedience and trust.

PSALMS 18:32-50

32 It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places.

34 He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great.

36 You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip.

37 I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

38 I have wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.

39 For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

40 You have also given me the necks of my enemies, so that I destroyed those who hated me.

41 They cried out, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.

42 Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations; a people I have not known shall serve me.

44 As soon as they hear of me they obey me; the foreigners submit to me.

45 The foreigners fade away, and come frightened from their hideouts.

46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

47 It is God who avenges me, and subdues the peoples under me;

48 He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.

49 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name.

50 Great deliverance He gives to His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David and his descendants forevermore.

David may seem like a blood-thirsty king, but we cannot judge ancient people by “modern” standards. The nations surrounding Israel were merciless, brutal, cruel, idol-worshiping people who threw their infant children into furnaces while still alive as sacrifices to their pagan gods, who skinned their captives alive and tacked the skins to city walls, place captives on 6-foot sharpened stakes while still alive, letting their own weight drive the stake through their bodies, etc.

Is it any wonder that God wanted them destroyed?

PSALMS 19:1-6

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

2 Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

David uses poetic speech to glorify God’s handiwork which is seen in the heavens. The majesty of the stars, the daily circuit of the sun with it’s life-sustaining heat and light.

PSALMS 19:7-11

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.

God’s laws are perfect and guide the way of the righteous. What good are riches if they cannot save you, or teach you wisdom? It has been truly said that “A fool and his money are soon parted”. Better to be a poor, righteous man than a rich, foolish, Godless man as Solomon observed;

Ecclesiastes 4:13

13 Better a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.

PSALMS 19:12-14

12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.

13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

We are sinners, it is ingrained into every human that walks this Earth. There has only been one Man who was sinless and that is Jesus Christ, God’s Son. When Adam sinned, all of his descendants fell under the curse of sin even though we did not commit Adam’s sin.

As Solomon correctly observed;

ECCLESIASTES 7:20

20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.

We sometimes sin in ignorance, and just because we are not aware of it doesn’t excuse us from that sin. God had commanded that sacrifices be offered for unintentional sins;

EZEKIEL 45:20

20 And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who has sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for the temple.

PSALMS 20:1-9

1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

2 may He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion;

3 may He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah

4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose.

5 We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8 They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright.

9 Save, Lord! May the King answer us when we call.

David expresses a benediction to those who trust in God, understanding that armies and horses will not win a battle, as the Lord decides who will win and by what means it will be won.

PSALMS 21:1-13

1 The King shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

2 You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.

4 He asked life from You, and You gave it to him— length of days forever and ever.

5 His glory is great in Your salvation; honor and majesty You have placed upon him.

6 For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.

7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.

8 Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You.

9 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; the Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

10 Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, and their descendants from among the sons of men.

11 For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot which they are not able to perform.

12 Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces.

13 Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.

King David rejoices in the knowledge of God’s Messiah, the future Jesus Christ, who will rule the Earth when He returns as the King of Kings. David prophetically speaks of the resistance that His enemies will bring against Him (verses 8 -12) and His ultimate triumph over them. 

PSALMS 22:1-2

1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?

2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent.

This is referred to as the “Messiah’s Lament” where David is prophetically expressing the Messiah’s anguish and agony at being separated spiritually from His Father, both while on the cross and while in Hell suffering for our sins.

The Father cannot look upon sin, therefore He had to turn His back on His own Son when His Son was on the cross and needed Him the most. As the prophet Habakkuk stated;

HABAKKUK 1:13

13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.

Therefore when Jesus died, He died completely alone spiritually, suffering the full wrath of the Father against sin.

Because the sins of the world were poured into His flesh at the cross, He literally became the image of sin in God’s eyes. As the apostle Paul wrote;

2 CORINTHIANS 5:21

21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

And for the only time in eternity, the Father and the Son were separated until God’s justice against sin had been satisfied. While Jesus was in agony on the cross, Scripture records;

MARK 15:34

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

The “ninth hour” was 3:00 P.M., the time of the evening sacrifice. and was also the time of His death. Jesus had already been on the cross for 3 hours.

NOTE: Jesus’ words were originally spoken in Aramaic.

PSALMS 22:3-8

3 But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them.

5 They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.

7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

Despite the miracles He performed Jesus faced fierce opposition and ridicule from the religious leaders who should have been the first ones to welcome Him. But He exposed their hypocrisy and corruption and they hated Him, persecuted Him and mocked Him during His three years of ministry.

When He was on the cross,

MATTHEW 27:41- 43

41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said,

42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.

43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

Compare verse 43 of Matthew to the prophetic words of Psalms 22:8 above.

PSALMS 22:9-15

9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.

10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God.

11 Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.

13 They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

Victims who were crucified had their full body weight suspended from the nails in their hands, causing their wrists, elbows and shoulders to be pulled out of joint. The image on the Shroud of Turin which shows the image of a horribly beaten, whipped, crucified man clearly shows an elongation of the man’s right hand from having the wrist pulled out of joint.

Crucifixion also caused tremendous thirst from shock and dehydration.

PSALMS 22:16-18

16 For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;

17 I can count all My bones. they look and stare at Me.

18 They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.

There has been much controversy over the phrase “They pierced My hands and My feet” with the Hebrew Masoretic (Aramaic) version of the Scriptures translating: “pierced” as “Lion”, as there is a vowel whose length of the stroke determines whether the word is “pierced” or “Lion”.

The Masoretic text was translated in about 1,000 A.D. whereas the Dead Sea Scrolls which are far older correctly translate the word as “pierced”, as do the Septuagint, the Vulgate, Syriac, Ethiopian and Arabic versions of the Bible.

And which makes more sense, “they pierced My hands and feet” or “they were as a lion at My hands and feet”?

It has long been suspected that the Masoretic translators deliberately mis-translated the word “pierced” to try to avoid Christians showing it to be prophesying of the crucifixion.

NOTE: Crucifixion victims were stripped and crucified naked. Clothing was quite expensive having been hand-woven and the Roman soldiers would draw lots to see who would get the victims’ clothes. Sometimes cloth was ripped into equal pieces and given to soldiers for selling or other purposes.

As Scripture records;

JOHN 19:23-24

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece.

24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

PSALMS 22:19-21

19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog.

21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.

In ancient times, bodies of criminals and cursed people were thrown into the Valley of Hinnom, used as a garbage dump and a place of pagan sacrifice and were left for the birds and beasts (including wild dogs) to devour. In several places in Scripture this is mentioned.

God said of idolatrous king Jeroboam of the Northern kingdom of Israel;

I KINGS 14:11

11 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the Lord has spoken!” ’

And of equally idolatrous king Baasha of the Northern kingdom of Israel;

1 KINGS 16:4

4 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the fields.”

Accursed, murderous queen Jezebel of the Northern kingdom would suffer the same fate;

I KINGS 21:23

23 And concerning Jezebel the Lord also spoke, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’

And Jezebel’s wicked, husband king Ahab;

1 KINGS 21:24

24 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field.”

PSALMS 22:22-31

22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!

24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard.

25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.

26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!

27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You.

28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship; all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive.

30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,

31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this.

The Messiah praises the greatness of His Father, glorifying His majesty, mercy, and power. He shows that while God is eternal, Man is but dust and is only on Earth temporarily.

PSALM 23:1-6

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is one of the most beautiful and most quoted Psalms in the Bible. David equates God as a Shepherd and believers as His sheep. Shepherds love their sheep, they protect them with their lives and feed them their daily food.

Jesus considered himself as the Shepherd of believers when He said;

JOHN 10:11-16

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Jesus explains that He is the true Messiah, and those who know and believe in God know that He is their Savior and Redeemer. As such, they know the difference between God’s commandments and Man’s vain philosophies and false religions. They also know who the true teachers and pastors are and will not listen to false doctrines.

The Father calls people to repent and those who hear and heed His call and diligently seek the truth will eventually come to Jesus for their redemption and salvation. As Jesus Himself said;

JOHN 6:44-45

44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

David, having been a shepherd himself, understood the duties of a shepherd. The rod of a shepherd was used to defend against predators and the staff was used to gently guide the sheep in the direction the shepherd wished for them to go.

David also expresses that death is not to be feared by believers as God will be with them at the moment of death. As David would later write;

PSALM 116:15

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.

Jesus makes a fascinating comment in John 10:16 above saying that He had “other sheep” to gather. He was referring to opening the door of salvation to the Gentiles, something that angers many Jews as for centuries they had prided themselves as being “God’s chosen people”and now Gentiles have been adopted as God’s children also?

They forget that Abraham, the father of the Jews was an Amorite, a Mesopotamian Gentile when God called him, and Sarah was herself a Hittite from the southern part of modern-day Turkey and was also a Gentile. So was God unrighteous in accepting Gentiles into His family?

The Passover is a sacred commemoration to the Jews, a celebration of their deliverance from 430 years of slavery in Egypt. Yet God had said;

EXODUS 12:48

48 And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.

If God made no distinction between a circumcised Gentile believer and a Jewish believer, is it surprising that God would accept Gentiles into His family?

PSALM 24:1-6

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.

2 For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.

3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face. Selah.

David praises the Lord for His power and creation and describes the blessings of those who believe in Him, who may approach Him with a pure heart of belief and obedience.

PSALM 24:7-10

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.

8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.

10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.

David uses joyous poetic speech to describe the glory of the Lord entering His Temple.

PSALMS 25:1-3

1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, I trust in You; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me.

3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

David affirms his trust and hope in God’s deliverance and asks God to always deliver those who cry out to Him in their distress and to bring righteous judgment on the wicked.

PSALMS 25:4-7

4 Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.

5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.

6 Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindnesses, for they are from of old.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

David, remembering his shepherd roots asks God to lead him as a shepherd leads his sheep and asks God to pardon his youthful, foolish transgressions.

PSALMS 25:8-11

8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

9 The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.

10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

11 For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

David praises the Lord for His willingness to teach the humble His ways, and understands that he, David, is himself a sinner in need of salvation.

PSALMS 25:12-22

12 Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth.

14 The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.

15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

16 Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged; bring me out of my distresses!

18 Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins.

19 Consider my enemies, for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.

20 Keep my soul, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.

21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You.

22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all their troubles!

David describes the benefits of following God’s commandments and seeks His help and deliverance from infirmities and his enemies, trusting in God to save and protect him.

PSALM 26:1-12

1 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip.

2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.

3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.

4 I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, nor will I go in with hypocrites.

5 I have hated the assembly of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.

6 I will wash my hands in innocence; so I will go about Your altar, O Lord,

7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works.

8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.

9 Do not gather my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

10 In whose hands is a sinister scheme, and whose right hand is full of bribes.

11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.

12 My foot stands in an even place; in the congregations I will bless the Lord.

David pleads for God to search is heart, to see if there is hidden sin or fault in him. Sinning in ignorance does not excuse a person from that sin. God had commanded;

DEUTERONOMY 4:1-3

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them,

3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.

David, aware of this, recounts his integrity and behaviors before the Lord, and blesses the Lord for His forgiveness and mercy.

PSALMS 27:1-6

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.

4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.

5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

David rejoices in God’s salvation, protection, deliverance and mercy to him, expressing his hope to dwell with God in His Temple all the days of his life.

PSALMS 27:7-10

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me

8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

9 Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.

David begs God to help him in his distress, pleading God to not get angry with him or turn away from him. He expresses his confidence in God’s faithfulness even if his parents were to forsake him.

PSALMS 27:11-14

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.

12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence.

13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

14 Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!

David again pleads for God’s help against his many enemies. He expresses his hope in God, remembering His help and salvation in past times, and understanding that God’s timing and ours can be far different. He will act in His perfect timing, and we must wait for Him. As He told Moses;

DEUTERONOMY 32:35

35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them.’

PSALM 28:1-5

1 To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock: do not be silent to me, lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.

2 Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

3 Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts.

4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give them according to the work of their hands; render to them what they deserve.

5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them and not build them up.

David pleads with the Lord for answers and asks Him to repay the wicked according to their works. As God told the prophet Isaiah;

ISAIAH 59:18

18 According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; the coastlands He will fully repay.

The Philistines, deadly enemies of Israel, dwelt on the coast.

PSALM 28:6-9

6 Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.

8 The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

9 Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever.

David rejoices in God’s answered prayer and asks Him to guard and guide Israel forever.

PSALMS 29:1-11

1 Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

2 Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is over many waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire.

8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; and in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever.

11 The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

David rejoices in God’s might and majesty, recounting how God can shake the Earth with His presence. When God appeared to Israel on Mount Sinai;

EXODUS 19:18

18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

David recounts that the Lord presided even over the destruction of the Earth by the Flood, showing that he believed that the Flood was a real event.

PSALMS 30:1-5

1 I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

2 O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.

3 O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; you have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the Pit.

4 Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a nigh, but joy comes in the morning.

Again David rejoices in God’s salvation, saving him from death by disease. He thanks God that His anger is momentary, but His favor will endure for a lifetime. And while we may suffer sorrow momentarily due to His anger, God will bring joy afterward.

PSALMS 30:6-12

6 Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.”

7 Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; you hid Your face, and I was troubled.

8 I cried out to You, O Lord; and to the Lord I made supplication:

9 “What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?

10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!”

11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

David apologizes for overconfidence in himself and his strength. Apparently God brought affliction upon him to humble him, causing him to repent and seek God’s forgiveness after which he rejoices and praises God.

PSALMS 31:1-18

1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness.

2 Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me.

3 For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.

4 Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, for You are my strength.

5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

6 I have hated those who regard useless idols; but I trust in the Lord.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, for You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities,

8 And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place.

9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eye wastes away with grief, yes, my soul and my body!

10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.

11 I am a reproach among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and am repulsive to my acquaintances; those who see me outside flee from me.

12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.

13 For I hear the slander of many; fear is on every side; while they take counsel together against me, they scheme to take away my life.

14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

15 My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

16 Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me for Your mercies’ sake.

17 Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You; let the wicked be ashamed; let them be silent in the grave.

18 Let the lying lips be put to silence, which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

Many of David’s Psalms can be attributed to his own troubles and many, such as this one could be prophetically attributed to the sorrows and trials of the Messiah, Jesus Christ during His time here on Earth. Those who know the four Gospels of the New Testament can easily see the parallels between them.

PSALMS 31:19-24

19 Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!

20 You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be the Lord, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!

22 For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to You.

23 Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person.

24 Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

David rejoices in God’s answer to his prayer and offers hope of answered prayer to those who cry to God for help.

PSALMS 32:1-7

1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.

4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah

5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him.

7 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

David contemplates the benefits and blessings of those whose sins have been covered, whose sins are not held against them. He also stresses the consequences of trying to hide sin from the Lord. God will always confront you with it until in your distress you finally turn to Him. He does this out of love so that we do not perish in sin.

PSALMS 32:8-11

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, or they will come near you.

10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.

11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

God commands that we take responsibility for our actions and sins. If we don’t do so, like a mule or horse who need to be broken to the bridle and bit, He will bring about measures to cause us to confess our sins and seek His forgiveness, which He does for our own good.

As king Solomon wrote;

PROVERBS 3:10-11

10 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction;

12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.

The author of Hebrews further explained;

HEBREWS 12:5-10

5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.

PSALMS 33:1-5

1 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.

2 Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.

3 Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.

4 For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth.

5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Praising the Lord for His works, righteousness and majesty honors Him. He promises eternal life, peace and glory to those who love and worship Him, priceless gifts to Mankind.

Jesus said in His final prayer for all of us just before going to the cross;

JOHN 17:22

22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

And the apostle John said;

1 JOHN 3:2

2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Jesus not only promises eternal life, but we will be in glorified bodies just like Him at the resurrection.

Concerning praise, God Himself said;

PSALM 50:23

23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”

And David said;

PSALM 22:3

3 But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.

PSALMS 33:6-15

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

13 The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.

14 From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth;

15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.

David speaks of God’s omnipotence in which He spoke all of Creation into existence, except for Man who was literally hand-made by God Himself. He sees all of history at a glance and knows the hearts of all men, watching all of their actions.

As for His power, Isaiah said;

ISAIAH 40:15

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales; look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

PSALMS 33:16-22

16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy,

19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.

22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You.

David speaks of the futility of those who rely on military might and their own strength to win battles. Remember, Abraham defeated a coalition of 4 Mesopotamian armies with only 318 trained servants (Genesis, chapter 14); Gideon defeated an innumerable army of Midianites with only 300 men (Judges, chapters 6-7).

PSALMS 34:1-7

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.

6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.

David praises and magnifies the Lord for answered prayer. He also shows that the Lord answers the poor and humble when they cry out to Him, and delivers them by His constant presence.

PSALMS 34:8-22

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.

10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.

14 Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

20 He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.

21 Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

David teaches that the righteous in heart and action will be heard and helped by the Lord, while the wicked will perish. Evil pursues and seeks to destroy the righteous, but God helps and delivers them from trouble.

NOTE: Fearing the Lord does not mean to be terrified of Him, it means to show respect and reverence to Him.

PSALMS 35:1-10

1 Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me; fight against those who fight against me.

2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.

3 Also draw out the spear, and stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

4 Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor who seek after my life; let those be turned back and brought to confusion who plot my hurt.

5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, and let the angel of the Lord chase them.

6 Let their way be dark and slippery, and let the angel of the Lord pursue them.

7 For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, which they have dug without cause for my life.

8 Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, and let his net that he has hidden catch himself; into that very destruction let him fall.

9 And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation.

10 All my bones shall say, “Lord, who is like You, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”

Notice that David, rather than seeking his own revenge calls on the Lord to avenge him from his enemies who hate him without cause and seek his destruction. He asks that the Lord return the evil of his enemies on their own heads and that they be caught in their own traps.

NOTE: Pleading his cause means to judge, not to literally plead with his enemies.

PSALMS 35:11-21

11 Fierce witnesses rise up; they ask me things that I do not know.

12 They reward me evil for good, to the sorrow of my soul.

13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; and my prayer would return to my own heart.

14 I paced about as though he were my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.

15 But in my adversity they rejoiced and gathered together; attackers gathered against me, and I did not know it; they tore at me and did not cease;

16 With ungodly mockers at feasts they gnashed at me with their teeth.

17 Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, my precious life from the lions.

18 I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.

19 Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies; nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.

20 For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful matters against the quiet ones in the land.

21 They also opened their mouth wide against me, and said, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it.”

David brings his complaint before the Lord, recounting how those he treated as brothers and friends have returned his goodness with evil. There are always those who will use the goodness of others to further their own agendas, plotting evil even as they pretend friendship.

PSALMS 35:22-28

22 This You have seen, O Lord; do not keep silence. O Lord, do not be far from me.

23 Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication, to my cause, my God and my Lord.

24 Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.

25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, so we would have it!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”

26 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who rejoice at my hurt; let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who exalt themselves against me.

27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

28 And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.

David asks God to preserve him from those who hate him, asking that they be brought to shame and confusion who rejoice in his adversity. He asks that others will see his salvation and rejoice in God’s blessing and protection.

PSALMS 36:1-4

1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: there is no fear of God before his eyes.

2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, when he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.

3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

4 He devises wickedness on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not abhor evil.

David recounts the thoughts and actions of the wicked whose hearts are continually inclined to do evil.

PSALMS 36:5-12

5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

9 For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen; they have been cast down and are not able to rise.

David praises God’s righteousness and goodness, thanking Him and using poetic speech to describe His graciousness and benefits to men.

PSALMS 37:1-8

1 Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.

David counsels to not become envious of the prosperity of the wicked, or be angry at their seeming escape from punishment. As the book of Proverbs says;

PROVERBS 13:22

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

God will bring about the destruction of the wicked in His timing, not ours. And the wicked prosper so that their wealth may be inherited by the righteous.

PSALMS 37:9-17

9 For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the Earth.

10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12 The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth.

13 The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming.

14 The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct.

15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

16 A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

David admonishes us to not fret over the lifestyle of the wicked, for his time will come and they will not escape God’s righteous wrath. Remember, God has already planned the future and His judgments are certain.

We must remember that there are physical riches as well as moral ones, and better is the man who is poor in wealth but rich in peace than a rich person who is morally destitute.

PSALMS 37:18-20

18 The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever.

19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20 But the wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord, like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives.

22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by Him shall be cut off.

God preserves those who trust in Him, even in evil times. Many of the mighty ancient nations that afflicted Israel are now dusty footnotes in history - Assyria, Babylon, Midian, Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines - all have vanished, but Israel remains.

Modern nations - Greece, Rome, Persia (Iran), Egypt, Great Britain - all have lost their great empires after persecuting Israel, but Israel endures.

PSALMS 37:23-33

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.

24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.

26 He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed.

27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forevermore.

28 For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice.

31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

32 The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him.

33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

The righteous will always be afflicted by the wicked, for the acts of a righteous man bring conviction and shame to the wicked, therefore evil men seek to destroy the righteous. The righteous rely on the Lord for their prosperity, accepting what the Lord provides for them, whereas the wicked seek to enrich themselves by whatever means they can.

PSALMS 37:34-40

34 Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree.

36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace.

38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.

40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.

Unfortunately the unGodly believe that you need to get what you can in this life as that is all there is. Therefore they spend their entire lives striving for riches that can vanish in a moment. In the great Wall Street Stock Market crash of 1929, stockbrokers were committing suicide by jumping out of skyscraper windows as their money was gone and they couldn’t live without it.

The Godly don’t trust in riches but rely on God to provide for them, even during hard times. Remember, God fed over 1,000,000 Israelites plus their livestock for 40 years in the harsh, barren desert. If He could take care of them, can He do any less for us today?

PSALMS 38:1-14

1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!

2 For Your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down.

3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin.

4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

5 My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.

6 I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.

7 For my loins are full of inflammation, and there is no soundness in my flesh.

8 I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

9 Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You.

10 My heart pants, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

11 My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, and my relatives stand afar off.

12 Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, and plan deception all the day long.

13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.

14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth is no response.

David bemoans God’s punishment upon him for unnamed sins suffering from illness as a form of God’s punishment. He freely admits that his sins are the cause of God’s wrath against him and petitions God for forgiveness and healing.

PSALMS 38:15-22

15 For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God.

16 For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”

17 For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me.

18 For I will declare my iniquity, I will be in anguish over my sin.

19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; and those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.

20 Those also who render evil for good, they are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

21 Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me!

22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

David expresses his faith and hope in God for recovery and for protection against his enemies who seek to take advantage of his illness to destroy him.

This is an object lesson for the rest of us, as we oftentimes place Biblical figures on a pedestal, such as king Solomon whom Scripture lists as an evil king;

1 KINGS 11:6

6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David.

This Psalm shows that king David was just as human and sinful as any of us are. God does not respect anyone above anyone else, we are all equal in His sight;

ROMANS 2:11

11 For there is no partiality with God.

PSALMS 39:1-6

1 I said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me.”

2 I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up.

3 My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:

4 “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.

5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah

6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.

David seeks for God’s help in remaining humble and not becoming arrogant in word or deed. By contemplating God’s eternal righteousness and power and the frailty and short life span of Man, he can understand that we are but dust. For as king Solomon observed;

ECCLESIASTES 3:20

20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

And as for the futility of accumulating riches, Solomon also observed;

ECCLESIASTES 2:18-19

18 Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.

19 And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

PSALMS 39:7-13

7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.

8 Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish.

9 I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it.

10 Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.

11 When with rebukes You correct Man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; surely every man is vapor. Selah

12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

13 Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, before I go away and am no more.”

David acknowledges his sins and does not complain as he understands why it has happened. He begs for relief from God lest he perish from his illness.

PSALMS 40:1-3

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.

2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.

3 He has put a new song in my mouth— praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.

David uses a good analogy for sin, likening it to being in a muck-filled swamp. Only God can pull us out of such a situation and cleanse us from the spiritual filth of sin.

PSALMS 40:4-5

4 Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5 Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

David speaks of the danger and futility of trusting in men, especially known wicked people whose consciences are so calloused that they see no harm in doing evil to their neighbors if it gains them advantage.

As God told the prophet Jeremiah;

JEREMIAH 9:4-5

4 “Everyone take heed to his neighbor, and do not trust any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanderers.

5 Everyone will deceive his neighbor, and will not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves to commit iniquity.

PSALMS 40:6-10

6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.

7 Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.

8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.”

9 I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know.

10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly.

This is a clear reference to the coming of Jesus Christ, who took on flesh in order to be the only sacrifice for sin that would satisfy God’s justice against sin and would cleanse believers from sins forever, as the animal sacrifices could only cover sins they could not remove them.

The animal sacrifices and burnt offerings required by the Law were only symbolic, a reminder of the awful penalty for sin, a reminder of an innocent life being killed to pay for the sins of the guilty.

PSALMS 40:11-17

11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!

14 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life; let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor who wish me evil.

15 Let them be confounded because of their shame, who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

16 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The Lord be magnified!”

17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.

David pleads for God’s mercy and protection, acknowledging that his sins have brought these calamities upon him and asking that his enemies be put to shame. He also asks for deliverance for those who love the Lord, and reminds his readers that God rescues the poor and needy in their distresses.

PSALMS 41:1-13

1 Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

2 The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; you will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.

3 The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; you will sustain him on his sickbed.

4 I said, “Lord, be merciful to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”

5 My enemies speak evil of me: “When will he die, and his name perish?”

6 And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; his heart gathers iniquity to itself; when he goes out, he tells it.

7 All who hate me whisper together against me; against me they devise my hurt.

8 “An evil disease,” they say, “clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.”

9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

10 But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them.

11 By this I know that You are well pleased with me, because my enemy does not triumph over me.

13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

David speaks of the blessings that God gives to those who follow His commandments, especially helping the poor. Jesus Himself said that upon His return;

MATTHEW 25:31-40

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;

36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

One thing we need to remember is that illness is not always a punishment from God. Sometimes it is just part of the curse that God put on all of His creation in the Garden of Eden, causing animals, fish, birds and insects to become predatory and carnivorous, causing diseases to form, causing the ground to grow weeds, thistles and poisonous plants, etc.

Sometimes God brings illness upon us for reasons known to Him. Elisha, a Godly prophet died of illness;

2 KINGS 13:14

13 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”

Verse 9 prophetically speaks of disciple Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus Christ to the High Priest and his henchmen, resulting in Jesus’ rigged trial followed by His crucifixion. In ancient times and even in some countries today it is disrespectful and insulting to show the bottom of your shoe to someone else.

Just after the Last Supper, Jesus had just spoken to his disciples to care for one another after His coming death. Judas had eaten with them but had left to betray Him to the High Priest in fulfillment of Psalm 41:9 above, when Jesus told them;

JOHN 13:18-19

18 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’

19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.

PSALMS 42:1-11

1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”

4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.

6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar.

7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me.

8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me— a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 As with a breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

David cries out in anguish over his persecution by his enemies, pleading for God’s help as he recounts the mockery of the wicked. He chastises his own soul for being downcast and depressed, expressing his faith and hope in God for rescue.

PSALMS 43:1-5

1 Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!

2 For You are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

In the same measure as the previous psalm, David pleads for God’s help against his enemies, asking God what he has done wrong to be so persecuted by those who hate him. He also encourages himself to trust in God for salvation, waiting for his deliverance.

PSALMS 44:1-3

1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old:

2 You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.

3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them.

Throughout history, especially for the Jewish people, God has left us with object lessons in history and Scripture of His interactions with Mankind, with examples of His power, mercy, wrath and blessings. The lessons learned in the past instruct us concerning future behavior so that we may (hopefully) avoid repeating past mistakes.

For example, God warned Judah through the prophet Jeremiah;

JEREMIAH 7:12-15

12 “But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.

13 And now, because you have done all these works,” says the Lord, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer,

14 therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

15 And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren—the whole posterity of Ephraim.

Approximately 400 years earlier God had brought the Philistines against Shiloh in battle and 4,000 soldiers of Israel had been killed. The Ark of the Covenant had been captured, the 2 sons of the high priest Eli had been killed and Shiloh had been laid waste. (1 Samuel, chapter 4).

And in 701 B.C. God sent the Assyrians to finally destroy the Northern Kingdom of Israel (also called Ephraim) because of their wickedness.

The apostle Paul also confirmed Scripture as a guide when he said;

2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

PSALMS 44:4-16

4 You are my King, O God; command victories for Jacob.

5 Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.

6 For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me.

7 But You have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us.

8 In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever. Selah

9 But You have cast us off and put us to shame, and You do not go out with our armies.

10 You make us turn back from the enemy, and those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.

11 You have given us up like sheep intended for food, and have scattered us among the nations.

12 You sell Your people for next to nothing, and are not enriched by selling them.

13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and a derision to those all around us.

14 You make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.

15 My dishonor is continually before me, and the shame of my face has covered me,

16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, because of the enemy and the avenger.

David bemoans that calamities have befallen Israel. They have been defeated and routed before their enemies because God has removed His protection from them.

PSALMS 44:17-26

17 All this has come upon us; but we have not forgotten You, nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.

18 Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from Your way;

19 But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a foreign god,

21 Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

22 Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever.

24 Why do You hide Your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression?

25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body clings to the ground.

26 Arise for our help, and redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.

David pleads for understanding as to why God has afflicted Israel. Sometimes the sin of one man can cause calamity to befall a nation. When Israel destroyed the Canaanite city of Jericho, God commanded that they were not to take any of the plunder of the city;

JOSHUA 6:18-19

18 And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”

A man named Achan disobeyed the commandment, coveted some items he found there, and hid them in his tent. Later, when Israel attacked a small city named Ai they were defeated and God told them what Achan had done. Achan confessed, was executed, and God’s wrath was appeased, after which Joshua and Israel destroyed Ai (Joshua, chapter 7).

In another case, Satan caused David to sin bringing destruction on Israel;

1 CHRONICLES 21:1-3

1 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

2 So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.”

3 And Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?”

This may not seem to be a bad thing, however it resulted in the sin of pride in which David wanted to know how many soldiers formed his armies to feed his ego, rather than relying on God’s protection and might. This was proven when Scripture recorded;

1 CHRONICLES 21:4-8

4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.

5 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword.

6 But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.

7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel.

8 So David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

An angry God had sent a plague upon Israel which caused the deaths of 74,000 people. David was stunned and grief-stricken when he found out;

1 CHRONICLES 21:17

17 And David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and my father’s house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”

David and all Israel learned a hard lesson concerning pride and relying on military might. The harder the lesson, the longer it will be remembered.

PSALMS 45:1-9

1 My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2 You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever.

3 Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, with Your glory and Your majesty.

4 And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; and Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.

5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies; the peoples fall under You.

6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

8 All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.

9 Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women; at Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

This is a descriptive psalm concerning the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Note that in verse 6 God Himself calls Him “God”, showing that the Messiah is equal to God the Father Himself.

And in verse 7 God calls Himself the Messiah’s God, showing that even though the Messiah is equal to Himself, the Father is still greater as He elevated His son to be equal with Him.

This is much like a king who elevates his son to be equal with himself, yet retains superiority as he had the power to raise his son to be equal in power and authority to Himself. That’s why Jesus said;

JOHN 10:30

30 I and My Father are one.”

PSALMS 45:10-17

10 Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s house;

11 So the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him.

12 And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; the rich among the people will seek your favor.

13 The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; her clothing is woven with gold.

14 She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors; the virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.

15 With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; they shall enter the King’s palace.

16 Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, whom You shall make princes in all the earth.

17 I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.

Verse 10 is not to be taken literally. It means that when you pledge your life to Jesus, you must abandon your old sinful life in order to serve Him and follow His commandments. Unfortunately, you may lose friends and even family when you choose to follow Him.

This happens especially in Jewish culture where people have reported that friends and family were so enraged by their confessing Jesus as their Savior that their friends and family spit in their faces, shunned them and even held “funerals”, showing that they were considered “dead” to them.

Jesus warned of this when He said;

MATTHEW10:34-37

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;

36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’

37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

We are not to love our friends and families any less, we are to put Jesus and His commandments first in our lives. You can love your friends but not carouse with them. You can still love your family but not participate in something that the Bible declares as sinful with them.

PSALMS 46:1-3

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

This says that we should trust in God no matter what we see with our eyes. God is ever-present, even in the midst of disasters and can save us from seemingly impossible situations. Although He may cause disasters to punish the wicked, He will preserve the righteous.

Some examples:

God destroyed all of the firstborn of Egyptians and their animals overnight just before the Exodus but spared the Israelites who lived among them. (Exodus, chapters 11 and 12)

When Assyrian king Sennacherib attacked Jerusalem in 701 B.C. God destroyed 185,000 men of his army overnight with a plague as they camped just outside the walls, but spared the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (2 Kings, chapter 19).

As David sang;

PSALMS 91:7-8

7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.

8 Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.

PSALMS 46:4-11

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

A psalm celebrating the power and majesty of God and the futility of the power of the wicked against Him.

PSALMS 47:1-9

1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

2 For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.

3 He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet.

4 He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.

8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.

9 The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.

A psalm of joy, celebration and thanksgiving for God’s almighty power and blessing over Israel and the whole Earth.

PSALM 48:1-13

1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in His holy mountain.

2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

3 God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.

4 For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together.

5 They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, they hastened away.

6 Fear took hold of them there, and pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,

7 As when You break the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

8 As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah

9 We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, in the midst of Your temple.

10 According to Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.

11 Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Your judgments.

12 Walk about Zion, and go all around her. Count her towers;

13 Mark well her bulwarks; consider her palaces; that you may tell it to the generation following.

14 For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.

David sings in joy over Jerusalem, celebrating it as God’s chosen city, the place where He has set His name. He exalts God’s righteousness and thanks Him for His protection.

PSALMS 49:1-13

1 Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

2 Both low and high, rich and poor together.

3 My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.

4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.

5 Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

6 Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches,

7 none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him—

8 for the redemption of their souls is costly, and it shall cease forever—

9 that he should continue to live eternally, and not see the Pit.

10 For he sees wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

12 Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This is the way of those who are foolish, and of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah

David speaks of the futility of accumulating riches and making monuments to yourself. Both rich and poor die and both they and their works are forgotten and return to the dust. King Solomon spoke of this when he said;

ECCLESIASTES 2:18-21

18 Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.

19 And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

20 Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun.

21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

Author Percy Bysshe Shelley created a fantasy poem concerning Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II in which a traveler finds the remains of a broken stature that lay in the sand of a featureless desert. On the base of the statue was written 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'

‘Ozymandias’ and his works had perished at the touch of time and were forgotten just as mighty ancient city-States (Assyria, Babylon, Uruk, Ebla, Akkad, Ur, and others) are now dusty footnotes in history, they and their rulers being dust-covered ruins today.

As Jesus Christ said of being rich in worldly goods but being destitute towards God;

MATTHEW 16:26

26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

PSALMS 49:14-20

14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling.

15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me. Selah

16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased;

17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him.

18 Though while he lives he blesses himself (for men will praise you when you do well for yourself),

19 he shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

20 A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish. 

The prophet Isaiah wrote;

ISAIAH 40:6-8

6 The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

God is eternal and His words will stand for eternity. He created Man in His image in that our spirits are eternal also, separating us from the animals. Man has a body, a soul (personality) and an eternal spirit; animals have a body and soul, but no spirit.

When a person dies their soul and spirit merge and go to their designated destination (Heaven or Hell) to await their Judgment. When animals die, their soul perishes with the body. As king Solomon observed;

ECCLESIASTES 3:19-21

19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.

20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

Note that David says that even though they may be rich in life, the wicked will go into darkness after death. This is in accordance to Jesus’ description of Hell when He condemned the unbelieving scribes and Pharisees of His time;

MATTHEW 8:11-12

11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

They will leave their glory and riches behind, as the apostle Paul observed;

1 TIMOTHY 6:7

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

PSALMS 50:1-5

1 The Mighty One, God the Lord, Has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down.

2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.

3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.

4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people:

5 “Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”

This speaks prophetically of the return of Jesus Christ during the battle of Armageddon. He will return in power and glory at the End of Days and will destroy the Armageddon armies and bring peace to the Earth.

This is reinforced in several passages of Scripture;

ISAIAH 13:13

13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger.

LUKE 21:25-28

25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;

26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

REVELATION 19:19-21

19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Psalm 50:5 above speaks of the gathering of the righteous, both living and the resurrected dead by Jesus at His return after the Great tribulation;

MARK 13:24-27

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;

25 the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

27 And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

PSALMS 50:6-15

6 Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah

7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God!

8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me.

9 I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds.

10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness.

13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.

15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

This shows that God does not require food as did the gods of the other nations which required food offerings from their worshipers. The sacrifices to God were symbolic which could only cover sin in God’s eyes, and pointed to the perfect sacrifice to come, the atoning death of Jesus Christ whose blood would remove sins forever.

As to paying vows, king Solomon wrote;

ECCLESIASTES 5:4-5

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—

5 better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

PSALMS 50:16-23

16 But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth,

17 seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you?

18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker with adulterers.

19 You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit.

20 You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.

21 These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes.

22 “Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver:

23 whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”

God declares His righteousness and warns the wicked to change their ways or they will experience His wrath.

PSALMS 51:1-19

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight— that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.

6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.

9 Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart— these, O God, You will not despise.

18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

David pleads for God to search his heart for hidden or unconfessed sins, asking that God cleanse his heart and renew his spirit. He also understands that God does not require sacrifice for His pleasure, but as a show of obedience to His commandments. As the prophet Samuel said;

1 SAMUEL 15:22

22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.

Sacrifices to God without obedience is like as God said through the prophet Isaiah;

ISAIAH 1:13-15

13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.

14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.

15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.

PSALMS 52:1-9

1 Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually.

2 Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

3 You love evil more than good, lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah

4 You love all devouring words, you deceitful tongue.

5 God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

6 The righteous also shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying,

7 “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.”

8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

9 I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

This is David’s condemnation of Doeg the Edomite who betrayed David’s location to king Saul, hoping to curry favor from the king who was trying to capture and kill David. David had been hiding among the priests at the village of Nob when Doeg spotted him there.

An enraged Saul ordered Doeg to murder all 85 priests of the city in cold blood. Doeg then attacked the rest of the village of Nob and slaughtered everything there - men, women, children, and all livestock. Only a single priest, Abiathar, escaped to tell David. (1 Samuel, chapter 22)

PSALMS 53:1-6

1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

3 Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.

4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?

5 There they are in great fear where no fear was, for God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you; you have put them to shame, because God has despised them.

6 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary, the mother of Jesus was cleansed of “original sin”, the sin nature inherited by all Mankind when Adam rebelled in the Garden of Eden. The curse of sin then passed on through Adam’s descendants and continues to this day. King David said;

PSALMS 51:5

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.

King Solomon wrote;

ECCLESIASTES 7:20

20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.

The Roman Catholic Church claims that Mary was given a “special dispensation” by God, cleansing her from sin. However God also is not a respecter of persons. He does not favor or view anyone as being better or greater than anyone else, ALL are sinners in His sight. This is reinforced throughout Scripture;

2 CHRONICLES 19:7

7 Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

ROMANS 2:11

11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

1 PETER 1:17-19

17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

NOTE: When David speaks of “bringing back the captivity” of His people, it refers to freeing them from bondage.

PSALMS 54:1-7

1 Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength.

2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my life; they have not set God before them. Selah

4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with those who uphold my life.

5 He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.

6 I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.

7 For He has delivered me out of all trouble; and my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.

David cries out to God to save him from his enemies and expresses his faith and hope in God to punish evildoers.

PSALMS 55:1-8

1 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not hide Yourself from my supplication.

2 Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,

3 because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked; for they bring down trouble upon me, and in wrath they hate me.

4 My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me.

6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.

7 Indeed, I would wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah

8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.”

David wishes that he could just fly away and escape his troubles, but understands that this is impossible so he cries out to God to help him against his enemies.

PSALMS 55:9-14

9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

10 Day and night they go around it on its walls; iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.

11 Destruction is in its midst; oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.

12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him.

13 But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance.

14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng.

David speaks bitterly about an unnamed acquaintance who posed as a friend but betrayed that friendship for unknown reasons. What made the betrayal worse is that David considered him to have been a close friend and confidant.

PSALMS 55:15-23

15 Let death seize them; let them go down alive into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.

16 As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.

17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.

18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me.

19 God will hear, and afflict them, even He who abides from of old. Selah. Because they do not change, therefore they do not fear God.

20 He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; he has broken his covenant.

21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.

22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in You.

David speaks of false friends and betrayers who flatter with their words but who harbor deceit and violence in their hearts. A good historical example are the Bolsheviks in Russia who in 1917 started a civil war, promising the people freedom from the oppressive regime of Czar Nicholas II.

They made glorious promises of freedom and equality to the peasants and the working class and after successfully overthrowing the Czar showed their true agendas, imposing by brutal force and terror a far worse regime (Communism) on the people than that of the Czar.

David’s words in verse 15 may seem excessively harsh, but we need to not judge them by today’s standards. Life back then was harder than it is today, but harsh punishments were also a strong deterrent to restraining evil. Evil flourishes where laws do not provide hard punishments to force evildoers to really consider the cost before they do anything.

God provided our justice system with the authority to punish evil but in many cases our “enlightened” society has taken a soft stance against wickedness, violating God’s commands.

For example, mainstream society wants to banish the death penalty for crimes such as murder. Yet God Himself said;

GENESIS 9:6

6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.”

And concerning murderers;

NUMBERS 35:16-18

16 ‘But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

17 And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

18 Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

We are appalled at the rebellious and at times horrendous conduct of our children today. They are violent, disrespectful, hateful, dishonest and more. Yet the government in its so-called “wisdom” stopped allowing parents to discipline their children because it “hurt their self-esteem” and bad behavior was given the sanitary label of “acting out”.

Yet Scripture says;

PROVERBS 22:15

15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him.

And;

PROVERBS 13:24

24 He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.

God had no tolerance for rebellious children. He commanded concerning such;

DEUTERONOMY 21:18-21

18 “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them,

19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city.

20 And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’

21 Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.

PSALM 56:1-7

1 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; fighting all day he oppresses me.

2 My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

4 In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?

5 All day they twist my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.

6 They gather together, they hide, they mark my steps, when they lie in wait for my life.

7 Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God!

David had many enemies, especially the servants of king Saul who sought to capture or kill David in order to curry favor with the king. Saul would send men to watch David’s house so that they could kill him.

1 SAMUEL 19:11

11 Saul also sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”

PSALM 56:8-13

8 You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?

9 When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me.

10 In God (I will praise His word), in the Lord (I will praise His word),

11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You,

13 For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

Rather than give in to fear, David trusts in God for deliverance. Vows made to God are indeed binding on us. As king Solomon said;

ECCLESIASTES 5:4-6

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—

5 better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

PSALMS 57:1-11

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.

2 I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me.

3 He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.

4 My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth.

6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah

7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.

8 Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.

9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations.

10 For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth.

David had many enemies, both foreign and among his own countrymen. Being a Godly man, Satan roused many men against him and many times David feared for his life. But he put his trust in God and God rescued him from all of his calamities.

PSALMS 58:1-11

1 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?

2 No, in heart you work wickedness; you weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; they are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,

5 Which will not heed the voice of charmers, charming ever so skillfully.

6 Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!

7 Let them flow away as waters which run continually; when he bends his bow, let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.

8 Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes, like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

9 Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, as in His living and burning wrath.

10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,

11 So that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely He is God who judges in the earth.”

David describes the actions and attributes of the wicked, people who will not obey laws and will not listen when rebuked for their wickedness. They are contrary to all men and are only satisfied when they perform the evil in their hearts.

David compares them to ravaging young lions and asks God to take them away in their own wickedness. The comment about the righteous washing their feet in the blood of the wicked is not to be taken literally, David is referring to the righteous triumphing over the wicked.

PSALMS 59:1-4

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend me from those who rise up against me.

2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men.

3 For look, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord.

4 They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me, and behold!

God had chosen David to replace wicked king Saul as king of Israel and Saul, furious and envious of David constantly sought to kill him. Others, hoping to score points with king Saul constantly betrayed David’s hiding places to the king so that David’s life was in constant danger.

PSALMS 59:5-17

5 You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations; do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah

6 At evening they return, they growl like a dog, and go all around the city.

7 Indeed, they belch with their mouth; swords are in their lips; for they say, “Who hears?”

8 But You, O Lord, shall laugh at them; You shall have all the nations in derision.

9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength; for God is my defense.

10 My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

11 Do not slay them, lest my people forget; scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield.

12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which they speak.

13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be; and let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah

14 And at evening they return, they growl like a dog, and go all around the city.

15 They wander up and down for food, and howl if they are not satisfied.

16 But I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.

17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy.

The food of the wicked is to perform their wickedness against the righteous and honest people. They plot deceit and murder against the innocent and cannot rest unless they have satisfied themselves with wicked works.

They convince themselves that no one sees what they do in darkness and congratulate themselves on their cleverness but David knows that God sees all their works and hears their words. And David understands that God will bring down the wicked in the sight of the righteous so that the righteous will see and trust in Him.

PSALMS 60:1-12

1 O God, You have cast us off; You have broken us down; You have been displeased; oh, restore us again!

2 You have made the Earth tremble; You have broken it; heal its breaches, for it is shaking.

3 You have shown Your people hard things; You have made us drink the wine of confusion.

4 You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah

5 That Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and hear me.

6 God has spoken in His holiness: “I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem and measure out the Valley of Succoth.

7 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet for My head; Judah is My lawgiver.

8 Moab is My washpot; over Edom I will cast My shoe; Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me.”

9 Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom?

10 Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?

11 Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless.

12 Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

Davis begs for God’s help in light of an un-named military disaster in which it appears that Israel may have suffered a defeat or setback. He reiterates that the Earth is the Lord’s and He gives its lands to whom He chooses.

The “washpot” comment is a contemptuous referral to clay pots filled with water and used for washing the dust and dirt from the feet of a visitor to a home. And the comment of “casting my shoe” over Edom is an ancient reference to placing your foot on the neck of your enemies.

Verses 9-12 may be referring to a series of battles where David and Israel fought a coalition of Mesopotamian kings and Edomites. Scripture lists 18,000 Edomites as being destroyed in the Dead Sea Valley and it could be referring to the fact that the armies of Israel under commander Joab killed 12,000 of them in a single battle during that time. (1 Chronicles, chapter 18)

PSALMS 61:1-8

1 Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.

4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

5 For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.

6 You will prolong the king’s life, his years as many generations.

7 He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!

8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever, that I may daily perform my vows.

David makes a heartfelt prayer for protection and help, expressing his trust in God and giving Him thanks for answered prayer.

PSALM 62:1-12

1 Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.

2 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

3 How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.

4 They only consult to cast him down from his high position; they delight in lies; they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah

5 My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.

6 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.

7 In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

9 Surely men of low degree are a vapor, men of high degree are a lie; if they are weighed on the scales, they are altogether lighter than vapor.

10 Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

11 God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God.

12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work.

David exhorts his readers to trust in God who alone has salvation, and not trust in wickedness. Hiding wickedness in your heart is useless as God sees what is in the heart and will render to you what is due, goodness for goodness, evil for evil.

As the apostle Paul stated;

ROMANS 2:5-11

5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:

7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;

8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath,

9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

11 For there is no partiality with God.

NOTE: The term “Greek” in this case means the Gentiles a whole.

Riches can vanish in a moment due to bad investments, market crash, theft or disaster. Trusting in riches is like trusting in lifeless idols, they can do nothing in themselves and money isn’t called “cold cash” for nothing. You may love it, but it cannot love you.

The power and might of men are nothing before God. As the prophet Isaiah said;

ISAIAH 40:15

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales; look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

If God can raise dry land from the ocean as a small demonstration of his power, what power does Man have against Him?

PSALMS 63:1-11

1 O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.

3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.

4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.

7 Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul follows close behind You; your right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10 They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him shall glory; but the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

A song of joy, longing and praise to the Lord for His greatness, His power and mercy to those who love him.

PSALMS 64:1-10

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,

3 who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,

4 that they may shoot in secret at the blameless; suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter; they talk of laying snares secretly; they say, “Who will see them?”

6 They devise iniquities: “We have perfected a shrewd scheme.” both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they shall be wounded.

8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; all who see them shall flee away.

9 All men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider His doing.

10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.

The power of words is too often overlooked. James, Jesus’ physical brother put it in perspective when he wrote;

JAMES 3:2-12

2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.

4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by Hell.

7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.

8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Bitter words spoken in secret against others is a form of verbal assassination and is hated by both God and Man. God will cause their own tongues to betray them and they shall fall victim to their own wickedness.

PSALMS 65:1-13

1 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; and to You the vow shall be performed.

2 O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come.

3 Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.

4 Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.

5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of the far-off seas;

6 Who established the mountains by His strength, being clothed with power;

7 You who still the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples.

8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs; You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

9 You visit the earth and water it; You greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it.

10 You water its ridges abundantly; You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.

11 You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.

12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing.

David recounts the blessings and power of God in all the Earth. He relates how God provides abundance and goodness in all His works showing that we should not take abundance for granted but that we should praise and thank Him who provided it for us.

In verse 7 David speaks of God calming the seas. Jesus and His disciples had decided to sail across the Sea of Galilee, when Scripture records;

MARK 4:35-41

35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.

37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.

38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

PSALMS 66:1-7

1 Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!

2 Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious.

3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.

4 All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah

5 Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.

6 He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him.

7 He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

David rejoices in God, praising Him for His past dealings with Israel through His mighty power. He reminds his readers that God brought Israel through the midst of the Red Sea (Exodus, chapter 14) and had them cross the Jordan River during the Spring floods (Joshua, chapter 3) parting the waters so that they crossed on dry ground both times.

PSALMS 66:8-20

8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard,

9 Who keeps our soul among the living, and does not allow our feet to be moved.

10 For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.

11 You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs.

12 You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

13 I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows,

14 Which my lips have uttered and my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.

15 I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, with the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats. Selah

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul.

17 I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue.

18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

19 But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!

David urges people to honor God who gave them life and who preserves them throughout their lives. He acknowledges that God afflicted Israel because of their sins and at times tested their faith, devotion and sincerity to Him through adversity. It is easy to praise Him when things go well, but the proof is shown when hard times and afflictions come.

He invites people to listen to how God has heard him and saved him from troubles so that they may understand His goodness and mercy.

And remember, vows made to God, even when spoken in times of stress are still binding. As Solomon said;

ECCLESIASTES 5:4-6

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—

5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?

PSALMS 67:1-7

1 God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah

2 That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.

4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth. Selah

5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.

6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.

7 God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

A psalm of rejoicing in God and thanksgiving for His blessings throughout the Earth.

PSALMS 68:1-6

1 Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those also who hate Him flee before Him.

2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God; yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.

4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; extol Him who rides on the clouds, by His name Yah, and rejoice before Him.

5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.

6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

David praises the power, righteousness and justice of God over His enemies. And here is one of the few places where God’s name JAH is spoken by itself. It appears in different forms in Hebrew such as YHWH (YahWeh - “I AM”), and Hallelujah (“praise YHWH”).

Oddly enough Jews are taught that this name is too holy for Man to pronounce, yet David urges people to call upon Him by that very name. And if it is too holy to pronounce, why did God reveal to us in the first place?

PSALMS 68:7-8

7 O God, when You went out before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness, Selah

8 The earth shook; the heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

David refers back to God’s appearance atop Mount Sinai when giving the tablets of the Law to Moses. The mountain shook when God spoke and a massive fire burned on the peak (Exodus, chapter 19)

PSALMS 68:9-13

9 You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, when it was weary.

10 Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.

11 The Lord gave the word; great was the company of those who proclaimed it:

12 “Kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who remains at home divides the spoil.

13 Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, you will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.”

David recounts how God scattered Israel’s enemies before them in Canaan, providing them a rich, bountiful land and giving the captured treasures of the enemy to His people.

PSALMS 68:14-17

14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Zalmon.

15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.

16 Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in; yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.

17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of thousands; the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.

David refers to a battle where apparently it had snowed during or before the conflict. Mount Zalmon is located in northern Israel and is also known as Mount Ebal where Moses had Israel recite the curses recorded in the Law (Deuteronomy, chapter 11)

David blesses Mount Zion as being more blessed than other surrounding higher mountains because God chose Mount Zion to put His name there.

PSALMS 68:18

18 You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, even from the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell there.

Before Jesus’ death and resurrection the righteous dead, even though righteous through the Law of Moses were sent to “The Pit”, a place of rest in the same location as Hell but separated by a vast, uncrossable gulf (Luke, chapter 16).

David referred to it;

PSALM 69:15

15 Let not the floodwater overflow me, nor let the deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

They were righteous according to the Law but while their sins had been covered, they had not yet been removed. As David said;

PSALMS 32:1-2

1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

God will not allow imperfection into His kingdom, therefore the righteous dead had to wait for their redemption as the animal sacrifices of the Law could only cover sins, they not remove them.

Sin can only attack the flesh but the spirit pays the consequences. With Jesus’ death, He took the sins of the world in His body and when that body died, the sins were destroyed. He then descended into Hell and suffered the full wrath of the Father to satisfy God’s justice against sin and was resurrected 3 days later, having paid the awful price for sin. As David prophesied;

PSALMS 16:9-10

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.

10 For You will not leave My soul in Hell, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

The righteous dead were now made perfect and when Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He freed the righteous dead in the Pit and took them to Heaven. Now when a person dies they either go to Heaven or Hell.

The fact that no one had yet gone into Heaven before Jesus’ resurrection was made clear by Jesus Himself when He said;

JOHN 3:13

13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

PSALMS 68:19-23

19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah

20 Our God is the God of salvation; and to God the Lord belong escapes from death.

21 But God will wound the head of His enemies, the hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.

22 The Lord said, “I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

23 That your foot may crush them in blood, and the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.”

While this may seem barbaric, we cannot judge the actions of ancient times by our modern “enlightened” standards. Life was more harsh back then, and numerous empires (Assyria, Babylon, Ammon, Amalek) were ruled by brutal cultures. (Examples: The Assyrians would skin their captives alive and nail the skins to a conquered city’s walls. The Babylonians would impale living captives on sharpened stakes and let the victim’s own weight drive the stakes through their bodies.)

In ancient times wild dogs would feed on the corpses after a battle or in places like the Valley of Hinnom (Tophet) outside of Jerusalem where unburied dead bodies of people and animals were cast.

PSALMS 68:24-35

24 They have seen Your procession, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.

25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the maidens playing timbrels.

26 Bless God in the congregations, the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

27 There is little Benjamin, their leader, the princes of Judah and their company, the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.

28 Your God has commanded your strength; strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.

29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, kings will bring presents to You.

30 Rebuke the beasts of the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver. Scatter the peoples who delight in war.

31 Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.

32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah

33 to Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice.

34 Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, and His strength is in the clouds.

35 O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God!

Numerous times processions were made to the house of the Lord, be it in the tabernacle (tent) or later the Temple. There was much singing and music and the leaders of the tribes would lead their tribes in the procession. During one procession, king David danced before the Lord; (2 Samuel, chapter 6). During these processions gifts of money (usually blank silver coins) were given to the treasury for maintenance expenses and for the priests to buy necessary items.

PSALMS 69:1-12

1 Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.

2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; they are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully; though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it.

5 O God, You know my foolishness; and my sins are not hidden from You.

6 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me; let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.

7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; shame has covered my face.

8 I have become a stranger to my brothers, and an alien to my mother’s children;

9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, that became my reproach.

11 I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them.

12 Those who sit in the gate speak against me, and I am the song of the drunkards.

David pleads to God for deliverance from his many enemies. This Psalm is eerily prophetic of the ministry of Jesus Christ while He was on Earth and could very well have been a prayer to His Father.

Some of Jesus’ bitterest and most vehement enemies were the scribes and priests who should have welcomed Him with open arms. But they hated Him for pointing out their hypocrisy, greediness, twisting of the commandments of the Law, teaching their own man-made commandments as if they were God’s laws and their oppression of the people.

There was no place for “political correctness” in His ministry, He told the truth whether His listeners liked it or not which infuriated and embarrassed His enemies. He especially condemned the experts of the Law of Moses because they knew the truth but chose to hide it from the people, thereby keeping them from the knowledge required to enter Heaven. As He said;

LUKE 11:52-54

52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

53 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things,

54 lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

But they condemned themselves as teachers of the Law in the fact that the common people spoke Aramaic rather than Hebrew and required the teachers and priests to read the Law to them as the Law was written in Hebrew.

When one of the Pharisees defended Jesus’ teachings, his fellow Pharisees angrily replied;

JOHN 7:47-49

47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived?

48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?

49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”

If the common people didn’t know the Law it is because the scribes and the Pharisees failed to teach them, or failed to accurately teach them the commandments of the Law.

And calling the people “accursed” shows their haughty elitism, believing themselves to be righteous more than anyone else.

Verse 8 above speaks of David’s estrangement from his brothers. The same happened with Jesus;

JOHN 7:1-5

1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.

2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.

3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.

4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”

5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

Jesus, although sinless Himself carried the sins of Mankind and suffered the hate and wrath of men against the Father and His laws as written in Psalm 69:5-7 above. As Jesus Himself said;

JOHN 15:22-25

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 He who hates Me hates My Father also.

24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.

25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

PSALMS 69:13-21

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

14 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters.

15 Let not the floodwater overflow me, nor let the deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

16 Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.

17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in trouble; hear me speedily.

18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it; deliver me because of my enemies.

19 You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor; my adversaries are all before You.

20 Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

21 They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

David’s troubles again mirror those of Jesus Christ during His time on Earth. As the prophet Isaiah said of Him;

ISAIAH 53:3-6

3 He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

The “gall and vinegar” reference in verse 21 foretells of Jesus’ suffering on the cross

MATTHEW 27:33-37

33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull,

34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”

36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.

37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Division and casting lots for His clothing was in fulfillment of Psalm 22:18 which said;

PSALMS 22:18

18 They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.

Note that David is quoted as being a prophet when he spoke Psalm 22:18 above.

PSALMS 69:22-36

22 Let their table become a snare before them, and their well-being a trap.

23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; and make their loins shake continually.

24 Pour out Your indignation upon them, and let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.

25 Let their dwelling place be desolate; let no one live in their tents.

26 For they persecute the ones You have struck, and talk of the grief of those You have wounded.

27 Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not come into Your righteousness.

28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

29 But I am poor and sorrowful; let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.

30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

31 This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull, which has horns and hooves. 

32 The humble shall see this and be glad; and you who seek God, your hearts shall live.

33 For the Lord hears the poor, and does not despise His prisoners.

34 Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them.

35 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it.

36 Also, the descendants of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His name shall dwell in it.

David ends with a prayer for God’s grace and salvation. The reference to the Lord’s “prisoners” speaks of the righteous who until Jesus’ resurrection were held captive after death in “the Pit” where they awaited their redemption from sin.

PSALMS 70:1-5

1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord!

2 Let them be ashamed and confounded who seek my life; let them be turned back and confused who desire my hurt.

3 Let them be turned back because of their shame, who say, “Aha, aha!”

4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!”

5 But I am poor and needy; make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.

An urgent prayer for God’s speedy salvation. We need to remember that while a matter may be urgent to us, God has already forseen the issue and has determined His response. His timing is perfect and we need to await His timing as hard as that is sometimes.

PSALMS 71:1-24

1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame.

2 Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline Your ear to me, and save me.

3 Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.

4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

5 For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth.

6 By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.

7 I have become as a wonder to many, but You are my strong refuge.

8 Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day.

9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.

10 For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together,

11 Saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”

12 O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!

13 Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.

15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits.

16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

17 O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works.

18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.

19 Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?

20 You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

21 You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

22 Also with the lute I will praise You— and Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, and my soul, which You have redeemed.

24 My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long; for they are confounded, for they are brought to shame who seek my hurt.

A prayer of David for God’s preservation, remembrance and salvation in old age.

PSALMS 72:1-20

1 Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s Son.

2 He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice.

3 The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

4 He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces the oppressor.

5 They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth.

7 In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.

8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

9 Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.

11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him.

12 For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper.

13 He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy.

14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight.

15 And He shall live; and the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; prayer also will be made for Him continually, and daily He shall be praised.

16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, on the top of the mountains; its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; and those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed.

18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things!

19 And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.

20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

This the last of the recorded Psalms of David.

A song of praise and description of the Messiah and His reign. The references to Seba (Ethiopia) and Sheba (Yemen) may refer to the origins of the “wise men” (astrologers) who came to Jerusalem to worship the Messiah child;

MATTHEW 2:1-6

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

(For more information about this event and the possible origin of the “star of Bethlehem”, please see the study on the Star of Bethlehem in this site.)

PSALMS 73:1-20

1 Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.

2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.

3 For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm.

5 They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men.

6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.

7 Their eyes bulge with abundance; they have more than heart could wish.

8 They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak loftily.

9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walks through the earth.

10 Therefore his people return here, and waters of a full cup are drained by them.

11 And they say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?”

12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; they increase in riches.

13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.

14 For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

16 When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me—

17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.

18 Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.

19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.

20 As a dream when one awakes, so, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.

Asaph, the author of this Psalm expresses his frustration with the prosperity of the wicked who seem to travel through life without consequence while the righteous suffer in this world. Asaph realizes that these are unrighteous thoughts and stem from envy. But after worshiping in the sanctuary, he realizes the truth is that the wicked will be destroyed by God and their riches will be left for the righteous;

PROVERBS 13:22

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Jesus said;

MATTHEW 19:23-24

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

And as the apostle Paul said;

1 TIMOTHY 6:7-10

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Jesus put it all in perspective when He said;

MATTHEW 16:26

26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

And while the sufferings of the righteous may be temporary, the sufferings of the wicked after death will be eternal.

PSALMS 73:21-28

21 Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind.

22 I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.

24 You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

26 My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.

28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works.

Riches and health can vanish in a moment and what is left to the rich if that happens? Or when death takes you, what good will your wealth do you? Jesus spoke a parable concerning this;

LUKE 12:16-21

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’

18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’

20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

PSALMS 74:1-11

1 O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, the tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed— this Mount Zion where You have dwelt.

3 Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.

4 Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place; they set up their banners for signs.

5 They seem like men who lift up axes among the thick trees.

6 And now they break down its carved work, all at once, with axes and hammers.

7 They have set fire to Your sanctuary; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.

8 They said in their hearts, “Let us destroy them altogether.” They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.

9 We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet; nor is there any among us who knows how long.

10 O God, how long will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?

11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.

Although no timeframe is given for this Psalm by description it appears to be referring to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the Temple. Asaph wonders when God will intervene to halt the destruction of the nation.

PSALMS 74:12-11

12 For God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

13 You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.

14 You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

15 You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up mighty rivers.

16 The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun.

17 You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter.

18 Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord, and that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.

19 Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast! Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.

20 Have respect to the covenant; for the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.

21 Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed! Let the poor and needy praise Your name.

22 Arise, O God, plead Your own cause; remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily.

23 Do not forget the voice of Your enemies; the tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.

Asaph praises God for His mighty works performed in the past and begs God to remember His covenant with Israel.

PSALMS 75:1-10

1 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.

2 “When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly.

3 The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly. Selah

4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn.

5 Do not lift up your horn on high; do not speak with a stiff neck.’ ”

6 For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. 

7 But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.

8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is fully mixed, and He pours it out; surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth drain and drink down.

9 But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 “All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”

We must remember that God’s timing is perfect and that He sees the past, present and future at the same time whereas we can only see the present. We may not understand why He does what He does at the moment, we can only trust that He knows what He is doing.

In ancient times wine was mixed with spices or honey to sweeten or flavor the drink. The ‘dregs’ were the bitter sediment at the bottom of unfiltered (unrefined) wine and represented the bitterness of God’s wrath.

PSALMS 76:1-12

1 In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel.

2 In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion.

3 There He broke the arrows of the bow, the shield and sword of battle. Selah

4 You are more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.

5 The stouthearted were plundered; they have sunk into their sleep; and none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.

6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

7 You, Yourself, are to be feared; and who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry?

8 You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still,

9 when God arose to judgment, to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah

10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; with the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.

11 Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them; let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.

12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

A psalm of praise to God for His righteous judgements on the Earth and the futility of the wrath of men.

NOTE: ‘Salem’ is another name for Jerusalem, first mentioned when the mysterious eternal king of the city appeared to Abraham after Abraham had defeated 5 Mesopotamian kings in battle (Genesis, chapter 14).

PSALMS 77:1-20

1 I cried out to God with my voice— to God with my voice; and He gave ear to me.

2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; My soul refused to be comforted.

3 I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah

4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.

6 I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.

7 Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more?

8 Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore?

9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah

10 And I said, “This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

11 I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

12 I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.

13 Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God?

14 You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples.

15 You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16 The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were afraid; the depths also trembled.

17 The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; Your arrows also flashed about.

18 The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.

19 Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known.

20 You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Asaph takes comfort when troubles abound by remembering God’s past works and His past works of redemption of Israel. Remembering the past will bring hope and comfort during hard times as God never changes.

And it is good to remember God’s former works, as Moses commanded;

DEUTERONOMY 4:7-10

7 “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?

8 And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?

9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,

10 especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’

PSALMS 78:1-8

1 Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,

3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;

6 That the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children,

7 That they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments;

8 and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Parables are stories used to illustrate a point. Jesus spoke many parables during His ministry on Earth, explaining some of the mysteries of God. As Scripture states;

MATTHEW 13:10-17

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Law had become a meaningless ritual to the people as it had been corrupted by the scribes and religious leaders. They performed the Law and its requirements without conscious thought as to its purpose.

Many rejected Jesus’ teachings or didn’t understand them because;

JOHN 6:63-69

63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.

65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And despite the astounding miracles He performed, the religious leaders still doubted Him;

JOHN 10:22-39

22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.

24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.

26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

30 I and My Father are one.”

31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’?

35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),

36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;

38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”

39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. 

NOTE: the “winter feast” mentioned above is the Hanukkah feast.

PSALMS 78:9-33

9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

10 They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law,

11 and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.

12 Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters stand up like a heap.

14 In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

15 He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink in abundance like the depths.

16 He also brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 But they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.

18 And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy.