Tag Archives: Psalm

Mar 4 2013

Psalm 119:57-64; Psalm 32 – The Earth is Full of Thy Mercy

hethToday’s reading of the eighth strophe of Psalm 119 is brought to you by the letter “heth” or “het.”   regarding verse 64, Spurgeon summons this poem

“Why bursts such melody from tree and bush,
The overflowing of each songster’s heart,
So filling mine that it can scarcely hush
Awhile to listen, but would take its part?
It is but one song I hear where ever I rove,
Though countless be the notes, that God is Love.
“Why leaps the streamlet down the mountainside?
Hasting so swiftly to the vale beneath,
To cheer the shepherd’s thirsty flock, or glide
Where the hot sun has left a faded wreath,
Or, rippling, aid the music of a grove?
Its own glad voice replies, that God is Love!”
“Is it a fallen world on which I gaze?
Am I as deeply fallen as the rest,
Yet joys partaking, past my utmost praise,
Instead of wandering forlorn, unblessed?
It is as if an unseen spirit strove
To grave upon my heart, that God is Love!” Thomas Davis, 1864

Psalm 32 is a psalm of thanksgiving for God’s forgiving grace. David speaks in verses 3-4 of how heavily the burden of guilt weighed upon him before he acknowledged his sins to the Lord (verse 5), and he praises God’s steadfast love and forgiveness.  He then turns in verse 8 to those he would instruct, to rejoice and trust in the Lord.  Spurgeon wrote of the forgiveness which David refers to here:

“We may lull the soul asleep with carnal delights, but the virtue of that opium will be soon spent. All those joys are but stolen waters, and bread eaten in secret—a poor sorry peace that dares not come to the light and endure the trial; a sorry peace that is soon disturbed by a few serious and sober thoughts of God and the world to come; but when once sin is pardoned, then you have true joy indeed. ‘Be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee (Matthew 9:2).'”

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Mar 1 2013

Psalm 25 – Remember Not the Sins of My Youth

David's son Absalom plotted to rebel against David, seize his father's throne and become king. To win favor with the people, he bought a beautiful chariot and horses and rode through the streets of Jerusalem in great honor (2 Samuel 15:1-6).

David’s son Absalom plotted to rebel against David, seize his father’s throne and become king. To win favor with the people, he bought a beautiful chariot and horses and rode through the streets of Jerusalem in great honor (2 Samuel 15:1-6).

Because of the line this blog’s title, it is generally thought that David wrote this psalm in his latter years.  Some claim it to not be a psalm of personal penitence, but rather one that was meant to be used by anyone in distress.  But a time frame just before the Absalom conspiracy is quite likely when considering the penitential aspect of David’s sin with Bathsheba, as well as the mention of strength and number of his foes (verse 19).  It is otherwise a very recognizable psalm as one of the more well-known hymns still sung today – “Unto thee O Lord.”  It is one of the acrostic psalms, although some commentators state that it is imperfect.  But Spurgeon disagrees, stating that in the original text, the twenty-two verses follow the Aleph-bet in perfect order.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 25 2013

Psalm 119:49-56; Psalm 26 – Your Promise Gives Me Life

ZayinToday’s stanza of Psalm 119 is brought to you by the seventh letter of the Aleph-Bet, Zayin.  The pictograph is sometimes represented as a sword with a crown or sometimes as a plow or a sickle .   It is interesting that in light of the fact that most commentators disagree on the time frame for authorship of this psalm, some cannot even agree with their own assessment.  Adam Clarke, for example, was convinced at one point that it was written during Babylonian captivity, yet at other times thought that it may well have come from David’s hand after all.  Both views have merit especially in this stanza, or strophe.  Verses 49-50 certainly hint at one who is eagerly looking forward to the promised return from captivity, which is his comfort in this time of affliction.

It is better in our case to apply it to ourselves as was no doubt the intent in the first place.  We take comfort in the promises that God has made to us all in His Son, Jesus Christ.  It is His victory over death that should make the promise of eternal life a burning fire within our souls.    And our love for the Lord should give us righteous indignation at a wicked world that ignores His commandments and glorifies sin as if it were something to be admired.

Psalm 26 is sometimes thought to be written by David when he was accused of treachery against then king, Saul.  He prays to the Lord for vindication against his accusers, and declares his adherence to God’s rule and to his own integrity, which he refers to again in verse 11.  He humbly pleads with the Lord to “Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.”  Integrity is a watchword for David in many of his psalms, and it comes through loud and clear in this one, as he expresses his confidence in his commitment to it, all made possible by the faithfulness of the Lord and His graciousness to his servant.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 20 2013

Psalm 22 – Why Have You Forsaken Me?

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Matthew 27:44

From Halley’s Handbook of the Bible (Halley, Henry H., Zondervan, 1961)

The Crucifixion, seen from the Cross, by James...

The Crucifixion, seen from the Cross, by James Tissot, 19th century. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“This sounds like a cry of anguish from David, but though written a thousand years before Jesus, it is so vivid a description of the crucifixion of Jesus that one would think of the writer as being personally present at the Cross. Jesus’ dying words (Psalms 22:1 Matthew 27:44), the sneers of his enemies (Psalms 22:7-8, Matthew 27:39-40, the piercing of his hands and feet (Psalms 22:16, John 20:25) and the casting of lots for his garments (Psalms 22:18, Matthew 27:39) are some of the events here described. None of these statements are applicable to David, or to any other known event or person in the history of mankind, except the crucifixion of the Son of God.”

Peter (Acts 2:30-35) preached: ‘David, being a prophet … he foresaw and spoke of … the Christ.’ This basic truth is reiterated again and again in the inspired New Testament.  There are than nine New Testament references which tie the meaning of this psalm irrevocably to the prophecy of our Lord’s crucifixion.  And then, regarding the resurrection, Hebrews 2:12 recounts verses 22-24.

But what of Jesus’ cry in verse one to the Lord.  Why would he speak of God forsaking Him? Burton Coffman’s summary of his thoughts on the subject ring very true:

“Jesus’ quoting the first line of this Psalm during his agony upon the Cross has led to many opinions. It has been supposed that Christ here merely quoted these words from the psalm to call attention to the whole bundle of prophecies in it which were being fulfilled literally at that very time. It is also believed by many that God Himself did indeed, for a little while, withdraw his presence from Christ in order to make it possible for Christ to die. There is much in the sacred Scriptures to commend this view.

Christ is spoken of in Heb. 2:9 as the One, who by the grace of God did indeed, ‘Taste of death for every man.’ Isaiah tells us that, ‘God laid upon him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all’ (Isaiah 53:6). Paul mentioned that God Himself ‘Set forth the Christ to be a propitiation’ (Romans 3:25), or an atonement, for the sins of all men. ‘Christ died for our sins’ (1 Corinthians 15:3); and ‘Him (Christ) who knew no sin, God made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The ultimate consequence of sin is separation from God; and, in Christ’s becoming a substitute for sinful men upon the cross, he not only tasted of death, but also tasted the terrible consequences of sin in that soul-torturing experience of separation from the Creator. It is our understanding of Christ’s plaintive cry, ‘My God, why hast thou forsaken me,’ that Jesus did indeed, momentarily, taste the awful agony of separation from the Father. ‘For a moment in that last agony, the Perfect Man was alone with the sins of the whole world.'”

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 18 2013

Psalm 119:41-48; Psalm 29 – The Glory Due His Name

vavThe sixth letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Beth is Waw or Vav.  The pictograph looks like a tent-peg, whereas meaning of the word Vav is “hook,” and is associated with the hooks used for the curtains of the tabernacle in Exodus 27:9-18.  The key memory verse here appears to be in 41-42, where the psalmist remembers that the promise of the Lord’s salvation will give him the answer when he is taunted by the wicked.  as ever, trusting in God’s word is foremost.

Psalm 29 is a hymn of praise to the power and glory of the Lord.  The descriptions of his awesome power throughout these verses have suggested to some that it describes not only a storm that included lightning, but also possibly an earthquake event in the region.  It shakes the wilderness of Kadesh (a key place in Numbers where Moses struck the rock – Numbers 20:2-13).  (“He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,and Sirion like a young wild ox”)  – Sirion is another name for Mount Lebanon.  the psalmist concludes the hymn in verses 10-11 with a description of the Lord in His place enthroned above the majesty of his creation.

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;Kadesh
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 15 2013

Psalm 19 – The Perfect Law of the Lord

Jupiter

Jupiter

This is truly one of the greatest psalms and a magnificent prayer.  It brims with the majesty of God’s creation, His love, and His power.   It opens with the assurance that the very heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above, his handiwork.  The poetry of verses 4-6 brings the sun to the forefront of His creation, pointing the way to all things, as none remain hidden when it rises it the heavens.

Just as His creation of our universe is evident in all we see around us, the truth and beauty of His rules, His commandments come to be understood as the perfection of divine law when we understand that living in His light and be His precepts makes our lives better.  The foolish of heart will never see this, and they are to be pitied, for His way is truly sweeter than honey and more precious than gold.

The prayer of this chapter ends with great awe and perfect reverence, and is a great model for prayer for us today:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 13 2013

Psalm 17 – In the Shadow of Your Wings

Only 5 psalms (17, 86, 90, 102, and 140) are called prayers in the superscript, although many more than that are prayers.  There is no reason to ascribe this one to anyone other than David.  His enemies were varied – the Philistines certainly had no love for him (1 Samuel 18:27), within the kingdom itself there was, of course, Saul (1 Samuel 19:11-20); and within his own family there was Absolam, and all those who conspired with him against David (2 Samuel 15:11-17).

wings-02The prayer asks for God’s assurance that he is in the right, and that his enemies will not prevail against him.  He expresses his faith that God will hear him and will answer.  The symbol of wings as protection in verse 8 is repeated often in scripture, especially the poetry of the psalms, but also in Matthew 23:37.

The psalm continues in verses 6-7 with the translation in the ESV of God’s steadfast love, but the word in Hebrew is “hesed” – which involves great mercy, faithfulness to fulfill promises, and His majestic covenant love.  He proclaims God as his savior, and we are reminded of the saving grace of the Son of God who is our own defender and Savior.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 11 2013

Psalm 119:33-40; Psalm 14 – The Fool Says, There Is No God

heiToday’s reading of Psalm 119 is brought to you by the 5th letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, “He” or “Hei.”   The numeric value is of course, five. The pictograph for Hey looks like a man with his arms raised ().  The meaning of the name “Hey” is “look,” or “behold!”

This stanza, or strophe, brings to us a thought which stands apart from the other eight verses – verse 37 “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things,” which points to the lust of the eyes that has been the ruin of men (and women) for all time.  Proverbs 23:31 warns of looking at wine “when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.”  Isaiah 33:15 reminds that a righteous man “shuts his eyes from looking on evil.”

Verse 36 is cited in  1 Kings 8:58, where Solomon gives his benediction prior to sacrifice before the new temple, and verse 38 may well be pointing to the Davidic promise of 2 Samuel 7:25.

Psalm 14 is almost identical to Psalm 53, and is a “wisdom” psalm in every sense of the word.  The way of the fool, who today would term himself an atheist, is what Coffman referred to when he wrote of the “judicial hardening of man.” What happens when men are hardened? (1) They are blinded (2 Corinthians 4:4), meaning that they are incapable of seeing or understanding the plainest truth. (2) ‘Their foolish heart (the scriptural heart is the mind) is darkened (Romans 1:21), with the meaning that an essential element of human intelligence has been judiciously removed by God Himself. (3) They become vain in their reasonings (Romans 1:21). (4) They become fools (Romans 1:22), and (5) God gives them up (Romans 1:22,26,28).

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 8 2013

Psalms 20-21 – Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God

Megiddo - residence of Solomon's chariot commanders.

Megiddo – residence of Solomon’s chariot commanders.

Psalm 20 is clearly a battle hymn for David.  The suggestion of the absence of chariots and horses points to a time before Solomon (“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God“), for when know that Solomon as king had many of both (1 Kings 10:26). Verse 8’s continuation of the characterization of verse 7 (“They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright”) is a reference to the grace of God, rather than the might of his people.

Psalm 21 is can be divided into two sections at verse 7.  The first half deals with the king’s blessings in the face of his enemies.  The second half, beginning in verse 8 describes God’s vengeance upon them, and his “destroying them” in his wrath.  Verse 13 concludes with praise to God for his strength and power.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 6 2013

Psalm 13, 16 – How Long, O Lord?

Psalm 13 is the “How long” psalm repeated four times in the first two verses; and begins with the question of how long the Lord will leave the psalmist feeling abandoned.  In the end, however, he acknowledges the grace of the Lord, and the many ways He has blessed him.  Unlike many of us, he recognizes how prosperous and happy he is.

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.”

Coffman’s observation was that “It is strange indeed that children of God are not exempt from such feelings of abandonment and despair, and we are left in wondering as to why it should be so. Perhaps the Lord wishes to drive us to our knees repeatedly that we should ever rely upon Him and not upon ourselves.” 

He then notes the connection this psalm has with our prayer life:

‘Prayer is not only the proper reaction of the godly to trouble, it is also the effective medicine against depression in the face of it.’

Just as the Lord has given us freedom of will to serve Him or not, he puts no hedge around us where the cares of the world are concerned (Job 1:10).  In the same vein of thought are these words accredited to Martin Luther:

‘Hope itself despairs, and despair yet hopes, and only that unspeakable groaning is audible with which the Holy Spirit, who moves over the waters covered with darkness, intercedes for us.

The risen Lord: He is not here in the grave.

The risen Lord: He is not here in the grave.

Psalm 16 is unquestionably Messianic in nature, and Peter cites it as such in Acts 2:25-28 and in verse 31, he identifies it his sermon as such.  Paul cited the 10th verse as well when he preached the resurrection of Jesus to the people of Antioch of Pisidia in Acts 13:35.  The presence of the Lord at the psalmist’s right hand is the source of his strength, then followed by the reference to the pleasures forevermore  abounding at the right hand of God.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.