Robin In Da Hood: STUDY OF PSALMS

PSALM 26 – “Test My Heart”

(Lament of David)

David asks God to test him and vindicate him in the eyes of his enemies. Even though he is blameless, David humbly admits he is totally dependent on God's mercy.

Vs. 1-3 – Prayer for Vindication: “Test me and try me.”

Vs. 4-8 – Claim of Innocence: “I do not sit with deceitful men...” I'm betting that David would not have allowed Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to control his values or influence his morality.

(NOTE: The term 'hypocrites” means “the hidden ones” in Hebrew. They hide their true character behind a facade.)

Vs. 9-12 – Plea for Salvation & Redemption

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PSALM 27 – “Overcoming Fear”

(of David)

[Many have suggested that this psalm is actually two different psalms joined together because there is such a difference in “mood” within the entire song. Many people have obviously never been through menopause. Mood changes happen, y'all.]

Overall, this psalm is a plea for God's presence during a time of imminent danger. It can be divided into three sections:

(Vs. 1-6) – The first section expresses the psalmist's trust in the Lord and his desire to dwell in the house of the Lord.
(Vs. 7-12) – The psalmist anxiously pleads for God's mercy and deliverance from his enemies.
(Vs. 13-14) – The psalm ends with a confession that the psalmist would have lost heart without faith in God's goodness.

Vs. 1 – “Although God is often associated with light in the Bible, this verse is the only direct application of the name light to God in the Old Testament.” (Boice)

Vs. 4 – Guys, if I had evildoers coming to devour my flesh (vs.2) and an entire war breaking out against me (vs. 3), the “ONE THING” I would've asked from the Lord is, “GET ME OUTTA HERE!!”. But not David. What does he ask for? “To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” David knows that true deliverance comes from drawing near to God. His relationship with his Lord was above everything else.

Vs. 7-12 – Deliverance would enable David to continue seeking & witnessing for God.

Vs. 13 – This beautiful verse says everything we need to know about overcoming fear and anxiety. It's a way of life: seeking the Lord in certainty that goodness will be found.

Vs. 14 – WAIT. Waiting on the Lord is the true battle. It takes courage and is hardly a passive endeavor. It requires prayers and meditation on God's Word in order to align one's will with His.

💛NUGGET: Notice that David quotes the same words God spoke to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6)

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PSALM 28 – “Silence of God”

(Lament of David)

To paraphrase this psalm:

The Lord's my strength; He is my shield

On Him my heart relies.

So I am helped, my heart exults,

To Him, my thanks arise.

For all His chosen people, too,

The source of strength is He.

And for His blest anointed Son,

His saving strength shall be.

(Anonymous)

Vs. 2 – Here we see the poetic techniques of repetition and parallelism to say the same thing two different ways: “When I cry to You” / “When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary”. David's prayer was a cry to God.

There are three different hearts discussed in this psalm:

The Evil Heart (vs. 3)
The Trusting Heart (vs. 7)
The Rejoicing Heart (vs. 7)

Vs. 3 – The psalmist begs not to be punished with those who have malice in their hearts.

Vs. 7 – The psalmist's heart trusts the Lord for He is his strength and shield. His heart celebrates because of the Lord's protection.

Vs. 9 – David's private prayer for mercy becomes a public prayer. This prayer is a wonderful example of how to pray for others:

Save them
Bless them
Guide and Protect them
Carry them forever

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PSALM 29 - “The Lord”

(Praise Psalm of David)

This psalm is one of the Psalms of Nature, as well as illustrating God's power over all other gods. The the psalmist is concerned with nothing else but praising God. Some commentators say that this poem was often read to children (or the entire congregation) during storms, understanding the storm as the voice and power of God.

Notable in this psalm is the repetition of God's personal name, “The Lord”, eighteen times as well as the phrase “The voice of the Lord” seven times. “The Lord” or (Yahweh) is referred to as the tetragrammation because it is composed of four Hebrew consonants: Y H W H or Y H V H. We write and say the letters as “Jehovah", "Yehovah", etc. However, Jewish believers never pronounce this covenant name of the God of Israel and have replaced it with “Lord”, out of reverence to His Holy Name. The true pronunciation is unknown.

Vs. 1 – The “mighty ones” or “heavenly beings” are literally “sons of gods” and are best understood as angels.

Vs. 3-9: Seven descriptions of The Voice of the Lord:

Above the waters

In power

In splendor

Breaks cedars

Flashes flames of fire

Shakes the wilderness

Makes the deer give birth

Vs. 9 – All the heavenly beings in His temple cry, “Glory” to God for calming the storm.

Vs. 10 – “The flood” may be a reference to the flood of Noah (Genesis 6-7) or the waters of creation (Genesis 1:7). Either way, God made it happen.

💛NUGGET: God's voice is heard in the storms of life as well as the sunshine. Nothing is beyond His control.

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PSALM 30 – “Song of Healing”

(Praise Psalm of David)

[According to the superscription, the psalm was written for the dedication of the temple, for which David was not present. The theme is more of a personal or individual Thanksgiving Psalm for God's care and deliverance over a lifetime.]

Vs. 3 – Whether the psalmist was injured or gravely ill, he was close to flat-lining... but God.

Vs. 4 – David urges his fellow “faithful ones” to join in the praise. Have you noticed that David's solos often become a chorus? His stories of personal suffering mirrors the grander story of Israel.

Vs. 5 – Joy Comes in the Morning!

Vs. 6-7 – In his prosperity, David had gotten high on a false sense of security and low on humility.

Vs. 8-10 – In his illness and weakness, David's prayers became more sincere.

Vs. 11 – David is healed, puts on his Happy Pants and sings praises to God. Forevermore!

VIDEO: "I Will Praise You Lord" - Psalm 30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvH3zVaXDeY