PSALM 17
- “Who is Innocent?”
(Prayer
of David)
[Psalm
17 is one of only five with the title “A
prayer of David”. It is
essentially a prayer for protection.]
Vs. 1-5
– David feels he is being unjustly persecuted and presents his case
before the only One who can declare him righteous... the Heavenly Judge who “tests” our hearts.
💛NUGGET: Jesus – the only one who was ever truly innocent – never defended
His own innocence. Instead, He allowed Himself to be charged
“guilty”, so that we – the truly guilty ones – could be
called saved.
Vs. 8 –
“The Apple of your Eye” and the “Shadow of your Wings” are
powerful pictures of God's care and protection for His people.
Vs. 14 –
David's lament is against men who belong to the world and are
“satisfied” with their portion in THIS life only.
Vs. 15 –
Contrasted with verse 14, David
looks forward to his eternal portion and will be “satisfied”
when he awakens to look upon the face of God.
Our ultimate satisfaction is found in the life to come.
💛💛💛
PSALM 18
- “Blessed Be My Rock”
(Royal
Psalm of David)
[This
superscription contains more information than any other psalm. As well as being a Royal Psalm, it is a Praise Psalm. Though
unspecified, it is set against the backdrop of a military victory
where God fought for David and delivered him from his enemies “and
from the hand of Saul”. (Interesting glimpse into the heart of David
that he did not list Saul among his enemies.) It should also be noted that this psalm is also recorded in the parallel scriptures of 2 Samuel 22.]
Vs. 1-2
– David's Divine Metaphors (describing God in military terms):- Rock
- Fortress
- Deliverer
- Shield
- Horn of
my Salvation
- Stronghold
Vs. 9-17 – God came down in a blaze of glory riding on a chariot of cherubs hurling fire and hailstones. Sorta reminds me of that old 70's margarine commercial about fooling Mother Nature. And if it's not nice to fool Mother Nature, it's downright crazy to anger Father God!
Vs. 19 – God rescued David because He “delighted” in him. How amazing is it to know that God delights in us, too! Want to know how much God loves you? Just count all the times He has delivered you from sin and the darkness of evil. He is crazy about you!
Vs. 46:
The Lord liveth! And blessed be my Rock, and let the God of my
salvation be exalted... let's sing it!
💛💛💛
PSALM 19
- “Sermon of the Stars”
(Creation
Hymn of David)
Vs. 1-4
– “The heavens declare the glory of God...” Day and night
without ceasing, the sermon of the stars go out to the end of the
world, revealing God's presence and glory. Everyone receives it.
Not everyone accepts it. The Apostle Paul explained it best in Romans
1, stating that all men are “without excuse” if they choose to reject the
magnificent and overwhelming evidence of God through His creation.
Vs. 7-9
– In an abrupt shift from extolling the wonders of God's creation,
David suddenly turns his attention to the “instruction of the
Lord”. What's the connection? God not only reveals Himself through His creation, He also reveals Himself through His Word. We can't fully know
God without knowing His revealed Word. And both - His creation AND His Word - inspire worship and awe...
In case you didn't notice, verses 7-9 are chock full of Hebrew poetic parallelism...
SIX
characteristics of GOD'S WORD:
- The law
of the Lord
- The
testimony of the Lord
- The
statutes of the Lord
- The
commandment of the Lord
- The fear
of the Lord
- The
judgments of the Lord
SIX
benefits of GOD'S WORD:
- Renews
the soul
- Makes
the simple wise
- Makes
the heart happy
- Makes
the eyes light up
- Endures
forever
- Warns
God's servant
SIX
attributes of GOD'S WORD- Perfect
- Sure
- Right
- Pure
- Clean
- True
Vs. 10 –
After describing God's Word, David goes on to tell us the value of
God's Word is more valuable than fine gold. (I told you there were
nuggets!!💛)
💛NUGGET: The “GOLD” in God's Word comes from having value not ONLY
in this life, but for our eternal lives, hereafter. “In keeping them there
is an abundant reward.”
Vs.
12-13 – David's goal is to be blameless, just like His Creator.
He specifically asked God to cleanse him from two types of sin:
- HIDDEN
(unintentional; unseen by the sinner)
- PRESUMPTUOUS
(intentional; deliberate)
Vs. 14 - David offers his words of worship before God as a sacrifice. God ultimately answered David's prayer with Jesus... the final fulfillment of both creation and the Law.
💛💛💛
PSALM 20
- “Save, Lord!”
(Royal
Psalm of David)
[When reading this psalm, I picture King David's people gathered around him at the tabernacle to
offer sacrifices and prayers before going out to war. Historically, many scholars
link this psalm with David's battle against the Ammonites
and Syrians (2 Samuel 10).]
Vs. 1-3
– The people pray that God will provide King David protection and help
from the "sanctuary" on Mount Zion.
Vs. 4-5 –
We can be confident that God will give us our desires and purposes
when they are in alignment with His will and plan. The worshippers are so sure of victory that they're ready to lift up
their banners in joyful celebration and give God the glory.
💛NUGGET:
In Exodus 17:15, Moses identified the Lord as Israel's banner.
Vs. 6 –
This is a singular response, likely from David or the High Priest on
his behalf. Although the people prayed that help would come from the earthly sanctuary on Zion, the speaker in this verse
understands that victory comes from the Lord's Heavenly Sanctuary.
Vs. 7-9
– Again, the people respond collectively. They do not put their
trust in chariots or horses, but in the Lord. How tempting it is to
trust in our mighty military power or even political power to protect
us from our enemies. But in this world, we fight not only flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil. Lord, save!
“This
is the language of faith,
not after the battle, but before it.”
(G.
Campbell Morgan)
💛💛💛
READING FOR TOMORROW: Psalms 21-25
LINK TO READING PLAN:
https://bibleplan.org/plans/psalms-in-a-month/
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