Our
study of the Book of psalm concludes with the last three of the five
Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 146-150). Like Psalm 146 and 147, each of
these psalms are pure praise that begin and end with “Hallelujah”!
VERSES
1-6: PRAISE THE LORD FROM THE HEAVENS
["Praise the Lord" is repeated nine times in the first five
verses.]
Vs. 1-4
– The command to praise is given to the heavens. It is a choir
made up of angels, heavenly hosts, sun, moon, stars and waters above
the heavens.
“The
'waters above the heavens' are a poetic or popular term for the rain
clouds.” (Kidner)
Vs. 5-6
– Three reasons the heavens should praise the LORD:
He created them with a command. (God made His own choir!)
He
established them forever and ever. (Creation is renewed, but not
recreated.)
He made a decree which shall not pass away. (His word
endures forever.)
💛NUGGET:
God created everything out of nothing with a command.
“If
all that is not God came into being at the word of God, then it
follows that every second of our existence is owing to the word of
God.” (John Piper)
VERSES
7-14: PRAISE THE LORD FROM THE EARTH
Vs. 7-12
– Now, the praise descends to the earth. And the chorus becomes
HUGE! There are sea creatures, the sea, fire, hail,
snow, clouds, wind, mountains, hills, fruit trees, cedars, beasts,
livestock, creepy creeping things, flying birds, kings, peoples, princes,
judges, young men and maidens, old men and children.
Vs. 13a
– “Let them praise”: This phrase is in imperative
(jussive) form: It's a command. Praising God isn't optional, y'all.
It is one of our highest callings and purposes.
Vs. 13b
– ALL creation is commanded to strike up a HALLELUJAH from heaven
to earth in praise of the Creator, who is exalted above ALL. (“All”
is used ten times in this psalm; the writer wanted to make sure
nothing or no one was left out of the universal chorus!)
Vs. 14 –
God's people should praise Him in a special way because:
He has
exalted their horn. (rescued and established them in power)
He has made them His saints.
They are
His children.
They are
near to Him.
💛NUGGET:
This psalm paints a pretty picture which seems totally unrealistic
until you read Revelation 5:13 and realize that One Day, it's gonna happen... “every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the
earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them” will
join voices together in joyous harmony to sing praises of “blessing
and honor and glory and power“
to “Him who sits on
the throne, and to the Lamb”.
I can only imagine...
Songwriter
William J. Kirkpatrick imagined it. He put Psalm 148 to music in
1899 in an eloquent and powerful way. This is a well-known and
favorite hymn that has withstood the test of time:
Vs. 1 –
“Sing to the LORD a new song”: As we have noted before, a
“new song” may be sung when God has blessed or delivered
His people in a new way. We are not given the historical details that inspired the psalmist to look forward in a new way and with renewed hope.
Vs. 2 –
“Rejoice... be joyful”: We started this Study of Psalms
with a wonderful quote from C.S. Lewis, which – 37 days later
– we can hopefully appreciate even more:
“The
most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same
delight in God which made David dance.”
💛NUGGET:
Joy is an inescapable side effect to the goodness of God.
Vs. 4 –
How does it make you feel to know that God takes pleasure in you? It
speaks of His immeasurable mercy and love that God can look into our
heaped up hearts, sift past all the sinfulness and strife... and
still find something of worth within us that gives Him pleasure.
“What
is there in us in which the Lord can take pleasure? Nothing, unless
he has put it there. If he sees any beauty in us, it must be the
reflection of his own face. Yet still the text says so, and therefore
it must be true: ‘The Lord taketh pleasure in his people.’”
(Spurgeon)
Vs.
6 – “Let the high
praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their
hand”:In other words: “Praise the Lord and pass
the ammunition!”
Vs. 9 –
“To execute on them the written judgment”:
Many scholars view this verse as a prophetic reference to the Lord's
final victory:
“Then
I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness He JUDGES and makes war.”
(Revelation 19:11)
💛💛💛💛💛💛
PSALM
150 – HALLELUJAH #5
And
here we are: the Grand Finale... the Final Hallelujah. Psalm 150 is
an eloquent hymn that brings the Book of Psalms to a triumphant end.
In just six short verses, we are commanded to praise God thirteen
times. This psalm gives us the where, why, how and who
of praising God.
▶WHERE?
Vs. 1 –
“Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!”:
From His earthly temple to Heaven of Heavens, God is to be praised everywhere.
▶WHY?
Vs.
2 – “Praise Him for His
mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!”:
We should praise God because of what He has done and who He is. He is
exactly who His word reveals Him to be. He is worthy of our
praise...
💛NUGGET:
We should never reach the end of our awe over the greatness of God.
▶HOW?
Vs. 3-5
– Tune the orchestra. Cue the choir. Dust off the dancing shoes.
These verses tell us to pull out the trumpets, the lute and harp, the
banjos (?) and flutes. Get on your feet! Shake your tambourines!
Clang your cymbals! He is MIGHTY! He is WORTHY! He is GREAT!
Praise Him with everything you've got... don't hold back!
▶WHO?
Vs. 6 –
“Let everything that has
breath praise the Lord.”:
That's it. That's all it takes. The only qualification for praising God is the breath He gave you.
Psalm
150 serves as a doxology not only for Book V, but for the entire Book
of Psalms. It is only fitting that we end with one last song of
praise: “The Doxology”.
This is
the only psalm titled “A Praise of David”, and it is a high point
of praise within the book.
“Psalm
145 is indeed a monumental praise psalm, a fit summary of all David
had learned about God during a long lifetime of following hard after
the Almighty.” (James Montgomery Boice)
This is
the last psalm attributed to David and is also the last of the nine
psalms using some kind of acrostic pattern: Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34,
37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 (five of which were written by David,
BTW).
“In
Jewish practice this psalm was recited twice in the morning and once
in the evening service. The Talmud commends all who repeat it three
times a day as having a share in the world to come.” (Willem
VanGemeren)
Vs. 1 –
“I will praise You, my God, O King”: Although David was
the most powerful king in the ancient Middle East, he bowed before God as King of Kings.
Vs. 2 –
“I will praise Your name forever and ever”:David has one foot in eternity.
So should we.
Vs. 4b-7 – “Mighty acts...glorious splendor...wondrous works...
awesome acts... great goodness”: I love the way David's
superlatives are stumbling over each other in these verses in an
attempt to describe God's greatness. Sometimes, there just aren't
enough words.
💛NUGGET:
“They shall utter the memory” (verse 7b): The Hebrew word for
“utter” means “to pour” or “bubble up”. They will
overflow with memories of God's greatness... just like David is doing
in these verses!
Vs. 8-9
– David borrowed this description from God, Himself (Exodus 34:6).
And aren't we glad God is slow to anger? His patient pause gives us
time to repent!
Vs. 9 –
“The LORD is good to all”: This is the idea of “common
grace” – God's goodness extended to all humanity. God's
covenant mercy was never meant only for His chosen... they were
chosen to be God's way of showing His goodness
and love to all His creation.
Vs. 10 –
“All thy works shall praise You”: These words were used by
Reginald Heber in his hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy"...
"Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
All thy
works shall praise thy name,
In earth
and sky and sea."
Vs. 13b
– Remember that this is an acrostic poem, using the 22 letters of
the Hebrew alphabet which frequently created irregularities. Such is
the case in this verse; the letter 'nun' is missing in the Hebrew
text. However, when the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in 1947,
the “Missing Nun” was found to be intact. The word “faithful'
in Hebrew is “ne'eman”, beginning with the letter nun. The
missing verse reads: “The
Lord is faithful in
all His words and kind in all His works”
and it is not found in KJV and earlier versions.
💛NUGGET:
We don't want to be like the Missing Nun and miss out on the praise!
Vs
14-15a – “All” is used three times in three verses.
“The
last portion of the psalm is marked by a frequent repetition of
‘all,’ which occurs eleven times in these verses. The singer
seems to delight in the very sound of the word, which suggests to him
boundless visions of the wide sweep of God’s universal mercy, and
of the numberless crowd of dependents who wait on and are satisfied
by Him.” (Maclaren)
Vs. 15b
– “You give them their food in due season”: Jesus'
prayer of “Give us this day, our daily bread” (Matthew 5:11)
could have been derived from this verse.
Vs. 17 –
God's righteousness and graciousness go hand-in-hand in this verse...
they are not in opposition. The Lord is righteous in His judgments
because of His grace.
Vs. 18b
– “To all who call upon him in truth”: Only those who
worship God “in truth” will receive the promise of God's
nearness.
Vs. 20 –
“The LORD preserves all who
love Him”: This does NOT mean that believers get a free
ticket out of pain and trouble. In Hebrew, the word “preserve”
means to “watch over” or “take care of”, which provides a
clearer interpretation. The meaning behind this verse is similar to
the promise Jesus made to His disciples before He sent them off
disciple-ing...
You will be betrayed even by
parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some
of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.
BUT NOT A HAIR OF YOUR HEAD SHALL BE LOST. (Luke 21:16-18)
Vs. 21 –
“Forever and ever”: This is the third time in this psalm
David has promised to praise God “forever AND ever”. Cause you
know why? Forever is just not long enough to praise Him... we need
“and ever” to get the job done.
💛NUGGET:
Our family – like every family – has had our share of heartbreak
and miracles. One night the Dickman and I were counting our
blessings and he said, “I just hope that heaven is long enough to
thank the Lord for all he's done for me.” Forever AND ever, amen.
“The
last verse of Psalm 145 is the last word we have from David in the
Bible. It is his last will and testament. If he had said nothing else
in his long life, these words would be a fine legacy for future
generations. In it he praises God and invites others to praise God
also.” (Boice)
💛💛💛💛💛💛
PSALM
146 – HALLELUJAH #1
Psalm
146 begins a series of five “Hallelujah Psalms” that finish out
the Book of Psalm. Each of these psalms begin and end with
“Hallelujah” and are filled with praise in between the
hallelujahs, ending the book with a crescendo of praise.
As we
previously discussed, “hallelujah” is actually a combination of
two Hebrew words, 'halal' and 'yah'. “Halal” means “to praise”
and “Jah” is a shortened form of Jehovah (or “Yah” for
“Yahweh”). (The Greek form of the word
is “alleluia”). It's interesting that in the OT, the word is only
found in the Book of Psalm and is mentioned once in
the NT in Revelation 19. Depending on your Bible version, it
is translated as “Praise the Lord” or “Praise be to God”
instead of “Hallelujah”. (In my humble opinion, it should always
be translated as Hallelujah... there can never be too many
Hallelujahs!)
Apparently
the famous composer, George Frederick Handel, agreed with me. His
“Hallelujah Chorus” from the masterpiece oratorio Messiahis
known throughout the world. Let's take a listen:
💛EMBARRASSING
NUGGET: I sang this song with the girl's choir in high school for a
Christmas program. The audience was filled to the rafters. I was so
distracted with trying to find my boyfriend (now, Dickman) in the
audience that I loudly sang a solo “Hallelujah!” DURING the
dramatic pause before the final hallelujah. Annnnnnd that was the end of my
singing career.
[Although
we don't know for sure, many scholars believe that Psalm 146 was
written after the Babylonian exile. The Septuagint adds the title
“of Haggai and Zechariah” to Psalms 146-148. Haggai and
Zechariah were prophets post-exile.]
Vs. 1-2
– The psalmist begins this Hallelujah as both a personal
declaration of praise to God and community call to praise. “Jah”
(Jehovah) or “Yah”, meaning “Yahweh” is plural and is
addressed to the entire congregation. But the psalmist also
addresses his own soul.
💛NUGGET:
True praise begins in our soul, bubbles up to our throats and is
shouted from joyous lips.
Vs. 3 –
In contrast to praising the Lord, this verse tells us we should not
put our trust in mere mortals “in whom there is no help”.
The word "help" here is literally “salvation”. It's
not a matter of never trusting our leaders in worldly matters of
government and business (do so at your own risk!).
But we should never put our faith and salvation in anyone but the
Lord.
💛NUGGET:
The best of men are men, at best. There is only ONE God.
Vs. 4 –
There is an interesting Hebrew play on words between “man” in
verse 3b and “earth” in verse 4a. The Hebrew word for “man”
is “adam” and for “earth"is“adamah”. After his sin, God
told Adam that he would return to the earth (adamah) “because from
it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return”
(Genesis 3:19) . It is a reversal of creation.
Vs. 9b –
“But the way of the wicked He turns upside down”: The KJV
says that God makes the way of the wicked “crooked”. But wait...
aren't the wicked already traipsing down a twisted path? Why does God
make it even more crooked? Because sometimes, God just confirms the
path that man has already chosen. Think about Pharaoh, for example.
We read in Exodus of Pharaoh hardening his heart against God on four
different occasions before we are told “The LORD hardened Pharaoh’s
heart” (Exodus 9:12). God allows us to choose our own paths, then
He honors that choice.
“He
maketh them to lose their way; he not only frustrateth their plots
and enterprises but turneth them against themselves.” (Poole)
Vs. 10 -
“The Lord shall reign forever”:
In just a few words, both God's kingship and His eternity are
made known. This is a quote from Exodus 15:18.
💛NUGGET:
To know God is to never lose your Hallelujah.
💛💛💛💛💛💛
PSALM
147 – HALLELUJAH #2
“No
sooner is one hallelujah ended, but another begins.” (Horne)
[Like
Psalm 146, it is generally believed this song celebrates the
restoration of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.]
Vs. 1 –
Hallelujah! It is good to sing praises to our God!
Vs. 2 –
“He gathers together the outcasts of Israel”: God
restored His remnant, just as Isaiah prophesied: "He (God)
will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the
dispersed of Judah" (Isaiah 11:12).
💛NUGGET:
Just because a nation – or a person – fails, it doesn't mean that
God is finished with them. Jehovah is the God of Restoration.
Vs. 3-4
– “He heals the brokenhearted” and “calls the stars
by name”... and He knows YOU
by name, too.
With
His healing hand on a broken heart,
And the
other on a star,
Our
wonderful God views the miles apart,
And they
seem not very far.
(M.P.
Ferguson)
Vs. 5 –
God is omnipotent (omni=all / potent=power) AND omniscient (omni=all
/ scientia=knowledge). God's got this.
“He
is omniscient, which means that He knows in one free and effortless
act all matter, all spirit, all relationships, all events.” (A.W.
Tozer)
Vs. 6 –
God likes to reverse the order of things from what we think they should be.
He makes the weak strong and the humble mighty. (1 Corinthians 1:27)
Vs. 9 –
“He gives... food... to the young ravens”: As scavengers,
ravens were deemed “unclean” by the Jews. Not only were ravens despised by men (a flock of ravens is called an “unkindness”) but they are forced out of the nest as soon as they can fly. And yet, God
makes sure they are fed. Matthew 6:26)
“Don’t
be afraid to enjoy God. Singing and celebrating the supremacy of
Yahweh is ‘good’ and ‘pleasant’ and ‘fitting,’ if for no
other reason than that is what we were created to do. Fish swim in
the water, birds fly in the air, and the redeemed revel in God!”
(Sam Storms)
Vs. 10 –
“He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not
take pleasure in the legs of a man.” The strength of the horse
refers to cavalry and the legs of a man refer to an infantry. Why
would God be unimpressed? Their strength comes from Him.
"Not
only hath the Lord no pleasure in any man's legs, but not in any
man's brains, nor in any man's wit, nor in any man's tongue,
regardless of how eloquent, nor in any man's wealth, no matter how
great; but, "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him."
(Spurgeon)
Vs.
11 – "The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy”:
“Mercy” here is “hesed”, which as we know is God's loyal,
covenant love. But the real question is: Can we hope in the One we
fear? And do we fear the One in whom we hope? I fear a blizzard. I
know that I could freeze to death or at the very least, lose some
toes if I were lost in a blizzard. But when I'm in my home – my
refuge – I can appreciate the magnificent power of the blizzard.
The hope of His mercy is our refuge and turns our fear into respect.
Why does God take pleasure in those who fear Him? According to John
Piper:
“Surely
it is because our fear reflects the greatness of his power and our
hope reflects the bounty of his grace.”
(John Piper)
💛NUGGET:
When we fear God's power and hope in His merciful love, we glorify
Him.
Vs.
12-14 – The psalmist praises God for how He has provided for
His people:
He has
strengthened the bars of the gates (PROTECTION)
He has
blessed your children within you (POSTERITY)
He makes
peace in your borders (PEACE)
He fills
you with the finest wheat (PROVISION)
Vs.
15-17 – “He sends out His command to the earth”: This
statement is followed by God's presence in nature and creation.
Vs.
18 – “He sends out His
word... He causes His wind to blow”:
The Hebrew word for
God's “wind” is “ruach”. It also can mean “breath” or
“spirit” and commonly refers to the Holy Spirit. In this
passage, God's word is also associated with rauch in that He sends
out His word with the breath (ruach) of His mouth.
Vs. 1 –
Right outta the chute, David does not hold back on his passion,
crying out to the Lord twice in one breath. David's prayer is that
God would hurry up and hear his prayer. Does that mean he is praying
about his praying??
Vs. 2 –
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense”: David
wanted his prayer to God to be as sweet as the incense that burned
day and night in the tabernacle. God specified that His High Priest
(originally Aaron), burn incense on a golden altar morning and night
as a sweet smelling offering to the Lord (Exodus 30:7-8). It was
burned as a symbol of the perpetual prayers of the people (“pray
without ceasing” - 1 Thessalonians 5:17), along with their
sacrificial offerings. Here's the really cool part: In Revelation
5:8, the Apostle John shares his vision of the prayers of the saints
(that's us!) rising like incense to heaven, where the angels add more
incense (heavenly incense) and then present them to God.
💛NUGGET:
Since the Cross, our prayers have been made acceptable and pleasing
to God by the sacrificial cleansing blood of Jesus. He is the
embodiment and fulfillment of the incense sacrifice.
"Christ
gave himself for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God"
(Ephesians 5:2).
VERSES
3-7: Prayer for Justice
Vs. 3-4
– David recognized that he needed to deal with his own sinful heart
before asking God to deal with his enemies. “Keep watch over
the door of my mouth”: refers to the sins of his mouth:
slander, lies and gossip.
Vs. 5a –
David prays for the righteous to strike and rebuke him. Why?
Because David knew he could trust the rebuke of righteous men to be
offered in loving admonition to bring him into a deeper relationship
with the Lord.
Vs. 6-7
– Here we go throwing people off the cliffs. Yikes. It's almost
impossible to imagine, but in biblical times, conquered enemies were
literally destroyed by being pushed or thrown off cliffs (2
Chronicles 25:12). The knuckleheads of Nazareth even tried to throw
Jesus off a cliff but He went all ninja on them and escaped (Luke
4:28-30). David's imprecation was that his enemies would die a cruel
death so that he could be delivered from their wicked attacks.
VERSES
8-10: Prayer for Deliverance
Vs. 8 – “But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord”: I wonder
if Peter recalled this verse after a night of water walking with
Jesus?
💛NUGGET:
The secret of an unwavering faith is to keep your eyes on the Lord.
Vs. 9-10
– These two verses complement each other: David prayed for God to
keep him out of the traps of his enemies, but let them fall into
their own traps, not unlike the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote...
[David's
prayers of Psalm 141 were answered. “From the sequel of the
history we find that the hope and assurance here expressed by the
Psalmist were not vain. He escaped all the snares that were laid for
him on every side.” (Horne)]
💛
PSALM
142 – “Only the Lonely”
(Maskill
of David)
The
superscription says: “When he was in the cave. A prayer.”
This is the second psalm David
wrote while hiding from King Saul in a cave (see Psalm 57).
VERSES
1-3: DAVID'S PLEA
Vs. 2 –
“I pour out my complaint
before Him; I declare before Him my trouble”:
God wants us to lay it all out... pour ALL our troubles out before
Him and then (here's the hard part) DON'T PICK THEM UP AGAIN. Get in
the habit of doing this and you'll be well on your way to Philippians
4:6.
💛NUGGET:
The purpose for prayer is not to update God on our needs or troubles.
Our prayers prepare our hearts to receive His blessings and
deliverance.
VERSES
3-4b: DAVID'S PLIGHT
Vs. 4 –
“No one cares for my soul”. In verse 3, David declared
that God knew his path... which makes the statement that “no one”
cares invalid. God cares.
💛NUGGET:
God does not want us to be lonely but sometimes we need to be
alone.
VERSES
5-6: DAVID'S PORTION
Vs. 5a –
“I cried out to You... I said, You are my refuge... my
portion...”
“If
David had not cried he would not have said; and if the Lord had not
been his refuge he would never have been his portion. The lower step
is as needful as the higher.” (Spurgeon)
Vs. 6 –
“For I am brought very low;” God sometimes allows us to
be brought low – all the way to the bottom of our own
self-sufficiency – so that we can learn to surrender all to Him.
VERSES
6b-7: MY PROSPECT
Vs. 7a –
“Bring my soul out of prison”:
This was likely a figure of speech. It is no surprise that being
stuck in a damp, dark cave felt like prison to the shepherd boy who
had been anointed king.
Vs. 7b –
Notice that David is not asking God to deliver him so that he can go
hunting with the boys or eat figs under the tree. He asks for
deliverance so that he can praise God's name. David wants to glorify
God with his rescued life in such a way that makes the “righteous
surround” him.
[“This
prayer of David was heard and answered; he was delivered from his
persecutors, enlarged from his distress, exalted to the throne, and
joined by all the tribes of Israel.” (Horne)]
💛NUGGET:
On the evening of Oct. 3, 1226, St. Francis of Assisi was dying: His
last prayer was, precisely, the recitation of Psalm 142. [St.
Francis] exclaimed with the Psalm: 'I cry with my voice to the
Lord, with my voice I make supplication to the Lord' and he
recited it to the last verse: 'The righteous will surround me; for
thou wilt deal bountifully with me'" ("Legenda
Maggiore" [Major Reading], XIV, 5, in: Franciscan Sources,
Padua-Assisi, 1980, p. 958).
💛
PSALM
143 – “Your Servant”
(Lament
Psalm of David)
[The
Septuagint (Greek OT) and some ancient versions add a superscription
saying this was written when David was fleeing from his son Absalom.]
This is
the last of seven Penitential Psalms (songs of confession and
humility). It was customary in the early church to sing these psalms
on Ash Wednesday.
VERSES
1-6: THE PENITENCE
Vs. 2 –
“Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight
no one living is righteous”: David asked for God's mercy rather
than His judgment (smart man!) because only God is righteous. This
statement by David of his own unrighteousness is what classifies this as a
Penitential Psalm.
Vs. 3 –
“Dwell in darkness”: “Darkness” here literally means
“dark places”; likely a reference to David taking refuge in
caves.
VERSES
7-12: THE PRAYER
Vs. 7 –
Get me out of here and make it snappy!
David
makes three requests for guidance in verses 8-10:
1)
“Cause me to hear your lovingkindness” (verse 8a)
“Lovingkindness
is one of the sweetest words in our language. Kindness has much in it
that is most precious, but lovingkindness is doubly dear; it is the
cream of kindness.” (Spurgeon)
2)
“Cause me to know the way in which I should walk”(verse 8b)
David
needed God's guidance as well as His “hesed” (lovingkindness).
3)
“Teach me to do Your will” (verse 10a)
David
needed protection and obedience.
Vs. 10b
– “Your Spirit is good”:
God is the Original Good.
Vs. 11a
– “Revive me, O Lord,
for Your name’s sake!”:
David asked for revival based on the character of God rather than
his own merit.
Vs. 11b
– “Bring my soul out of trouble”: “I can bring it in,
but thou only canst bring it out.” (Trapp)
Vs. 12 – Our submission sets God’s promises in motion...
💛
PSALM
144 – “Happy People”
(Royal
Psalm of David)
This
psalm is widely believed to have been written after David was
recognized as king over all of Israel.
VERSES
1-2: PRAYER FOR PROTECTION
Vs. 1-2
– David busted out all the names he could think of to identify God
as his Safe Place:
My rock
My
faithful love (hesed)
My
fortress
My
stronghold
My
deliverer
My
shield
My
refuge
VERSES
3-8: PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE
Vs. 3 –
These are the same questions the psalmist asked in Psalm 8:4, but
from a different perspective. Here the question is asked in the
light of verses 1-2 with emphasis on the LORD as a warrior rather
than God as Creator.
VERSES
9-11: PRAYER FOR VICTORY
Vs. 11 –
“Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners”: A
repetition from verses 7-8).
VERSES
12-15: PRAYER FOR PEACE
Vs. 15 -
“Happy are the people whose God is the LORD”
"God is
the highest good of the reasonable creature; and the enjoyment of him
is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to
heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most
pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives,
or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but
the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams;
but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain.
These are but drops; but God is the ocean. Therefore it becomes us to
spend this life only as a journey towards heaven, as it becomes us to
make the seeking of our highest end and proper good, the whole work
of our lives; to which we should subordinate all other concerns of
life. Why should we labor for, or set our hearts on, any thing else,
but that which is our proper end, and true happiness?" (Jonathan
Edwards)
This is
a Community Lament recalling the Babylon captivity. The author is
unknown, but this sad song was undoubtedly written as a first-hand
account of the exile.
Vs. 1 –
The rivers of Babylon (literally interpreted as “place of
confusion”) were streams and canals connecting the Euphrates and
Tigris Rivers. This is where the exiled community of Israelites
would gather together to mourn for Jerusalem (River Chebar - Ezekiel
1:1; River Ulai - Daniel 8:2).
💛NUGGET:
Many scholars place the Garden of Eden somewhere between the
Euphrates and Tigris Rivers.
Vs. 2 – “We hung our harps on the willows”: I can only imagine the sadness of this scene. Not only had the exiles taken their precious instruments with them into captivity, they refused to play them and hung them in the trees.
Vs. 4 –
“How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?”:
The singers refused to
sing because:
The
Babylonians were trying to humiliate the Jews
They
longed to sing praises in the temple of Zion
Vs.
7 – “Remember, O Lord,
against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem”:
This is referring to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The two
branches of Isaac's family were the Edomites and Israelites. The
Edomites were descendants of Esau (Jacob's twin) and were bitter
enemies who aligned with Babylon to destroy Jerusalem (Ezekiel
25:12; Obadiah 1:11-14).
Vs. 8 –
When the psalmist asks God to destroy Babylon, he is asking for
fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 13:19-22). The exiles
lived in hopeful expectation that God would vindicate His people and
fulfill His plan through the saved remnant.
Vs. 9 –
This is a disturbing verse, especially if taken out of context with the previous verses. The psalmist seems to be celebrating unthinkable judgment against the enemies of Israel. It is important to read verse 9 in the context of verse 8: "O
daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who
repays you with what you have done to us!" (ESV). In the context of
Biblical history, it invokes the principle of “lex
talionis”, or the “eye for an eye” principle established for
justice and to discourage others from evil (Deuteronomy 19:20-21).
The “lex talionis” was to be administered by an impartial judge
and not in the spirit of revenge. Not only is it recorded that innocent babies were actually killed in such a cruel manner (Nahum 3:10), Isaiah prophesied this for Babylon (Isaiah 13:16). Such an imprecation is so
far from the word of Christ that it is beyond our imagining, but
among the ancient tribes of the Middle East, it was not
uncommon to expect retaliation in kind.
“Today
the fortresses of ancient Edom are a desolate waste, and the site of
ancient Babylon is a ruin. God cannot be mocked.” (Boice)
💛💛💛💛💛
PSALM
138 – “A Thankful Heart”
(Thanksgiving
Psalm of David)
[Psalms
138-145 are the final collection of psalms attributed to David as
author.]
Vs. 1a –
“I will praise You with my whole heart”: It takes our
whole heart to praise God perfectly.
Vs. 1b –
“Before the gods I will sing praises to You”: The
translation for “gods' in this verse is “elohiym”, which has a
broad meaning. These 'gods' may refer to the angels, since David is
praising God in the temple (verse 2), or the kings mentioned in verse
4.
David
gives three reasons for his praise:
God’s
character
God’s
promises
God’s
blessing
Vs. 2 –
“For You have magnified Your word above all Your name”:
This statement leaves no doubt of how highly God regards His own
word. It is an innate part of His character, beyond our
understanding. God will never break His promises; they are all
fulfilled in Jesus Christ:
“For
all the promises of God in Him (Jesus) are Yes, and in Him Amen, to
the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)
💛NUGGET:
Jesus writes the promissory check and God signs it.
Vs. 4b –
“When they hear the words of Your mouth”: If all the
kings on earth are just waiting to hear God's word so they can
worship Him, we need to get crackalacking!
Vs. 8 –
“The LORD will perfect (complete) that which concerns me”:
God will complete His purpose for our lives.
“Being
confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in
you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians
1:6)
💛 What is
God's purpose for YOU?
💛💛💛💛💛
PSALM
139 - “No Escape From God”
(Psalm
of David)
[This is
a deeply personal poem between David and God.]
VERSES
1-6: God is Omniscient
Vs. 1-4
– “Search... Know... Understand... Observe... Aware”:
The Hebrew word for “search” is “chaqar”, which means “to
penetrate, to examine intimately.” “Observe” is from the
Hebrew root word “zarah” which means “measure”.
💛NUGGET:
God knows us better than we know ourselves.
Vs. 5
– “You have encircled me”: Literally, “Back and front you
enclosed me”.
VERSES
7-10: God is Omnipresent
Vs. 7 –
“Where can I go from Your
Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?”:
The word for presence is “mippaneycha”, meaning “from thy faces
(plural)”. Adam Clarke asks: “Why do we meet with this word so
frequently in the plural number, when applied to God? And why have we
His Spirit, and His appearances or faces, both here? A Trinitarian
would at once say, ‘The plurality of persons in the Godhead is
intended;’ and who can prove that he is mistaken?”
God is
omnipresent... which is a comforting and sometimes awkward thought.
When my sons were small, they never wanted to leave my presence...
unless they were up to no good!
Vs. 8b –
“If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there”: The
word used here for hell is “sheol”, not “Gehenna”. Sheol
refers to the grave, while Gehenna refers to the eternal lake of fire
(Matthew 18:9; Revelation 20:14-15).
Vs. 12 –
“Darkness and light are alike to you”: God transcends
creation.
Vs. 13 –
“You knit me together in my mother's womb”: Before an afghan becomes a warm blanket, it's nothing more than a hopeful ball
of yarn. Now, I don't know much about knitting, but I do know that
it takes time and concentration and that each item made by the
knitter is unique. Some more unique than others. God is a marvelous
knitter. He doesn't need a pattern... He doesn't need knitting
needles... heck, He doesn't even need yarn. He sees us before He
even makes us. He knows our souls.
Vs. 14 –
“I am fearfully and
wonderfully made”: The
worst best class I ever took was Gross Anatomy during grad school.
Having the honor to work with cadavers and actually see the wonders
of God's creation in a way that few people do was beyond
words. To see the tracts of nerves and the perfect placement of
organs and touch the design of muscle fibers... there was no doubt
that we are indeed, divinely created. We are so much more than a
clump of cells. We are wonderfully made by a knitting God.
💛NUGGET:
So, what about birth defects? Remember God's response to Moses when
he complained about not being a good enough speaker to lead Israel?
God said, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or
deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Exodus 4:11).
From a human perspective, any reason for birth defects is way above
my ability to comprehend. We can suggest causative factors such as
environmental or genetic... but ultimately, we are all formed by an
Omnipotent God who gives purpose to every single life.
Vs. 15a
– “I was made in secret
and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth”.
The “lowest parts of the earth” is figurative speech for a
protected, concealed or safe place, meaning the womb.
“The
Hebrew word translated 'skillfully wrought' literally means
'variegated', like a multicolored piece of cloth. Moses used the same
Hebrew term in Exodus when he referred to the making of the curtains
in the ancient tabernacle. The idea is similar to an embroidered
piece of tapestry or a work of fine needlepoint. The picture must
include the concept of our veins and arteries, 'embroidered' like
variegated threads within the body. God is that involved in the
making of our bodies. He is like a careful, skillful artist who takes
great pain with each color and stroke.(Chuck Swindoll)
Vs.
16a – “Your eyes
have seen my unformed substance” –
According to Stong's Concordance of the Bible, the Hebrew word for
“unformed substance” is “golem” (noun), meaning “embryo”.
It comes from the root word “galam' (verb) which means to "wrap up
or fold together".
💛NUGGET:
Even while you were nothing more than a wrapped up embryo, God was
watching over you.
Vs. 16 –
“In Your book they all
were written,the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none
of them.”:
Even before David was born, God had already established his days.
How's that for sovereignty?
Vs.
19-22 – There is an abrupt change of tone in these verses, as David
shifts to a prayer to “slay the wicked” who take God's name in
vain and rise up against Him. David counted them as enemies and
hated them with a “perfect hatred”.
“If
there is such a thing as perfect hatred it would mirror and reflect
the righteousness of God. It would be perfect to the extent that it
excluded sinful attitudes of malice, envy, bitterness, and other
attitudes we normally associate with human hatred. In this sense a
perfect hatred could be deemed compatible with a love for one’s
enemies. One who hates his enemy with a perfect hatred is still
called to act in a loving and righteous manner toward him.” (RC
Sproul)
Vs.
23-24 – The psalm ends as it begins, with the psalmist asking God
to shine His blinding searchlight of holiness into his heart.
[Psalm
140 travels up the road of distress down the hill of praise through the mud of imprecation and over the bridge to
confidence.]
Vs. 3 –
“They sharpen their
tongues like a serpent”:The
Bible talks often about the power of the tongue. It is literally one
of the most destructive
weapons that we use against each other. Words destroy. Paul quoted
this verse in Romans 3:13 in describing man’s fallen condition.
Vs. 6 –
“You are my God”: This verse is right in the middle of
the psalm. What a great place to reaffirm one's dedication to God –
smack dab in the midst of suffering. And what an honor to claim God
as ours.
Vs.
8-11: Strong words of imprecation against the enemy.
Vs. 13:
After the lament and imprecations, the psalm ends in confidence that
the upright will dwell with God.
[Psalms
131-134 continue with the Psalms of Ascents. These are songs that the
people of Israel sang on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the annual
feasts and festivals days.]
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💛
💛
PSALM
131 - “Humility”
(A Song
of Ascents. Of David)
[As an
Ascent Psalm, this song was a call for the pilgrims to humble
themselves before God.]
“It
is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to
learn. It speaks of a young child, but it contains the experience of
a man in Christ.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Vs. 1 –
“Neither do I concern myself with great matters... things too
profound”: David denies
arrogance and selfish ambition. In Deuteronomy 29:29, Moses taught
the Israelites that “The
secret things belong to the Lord our God...”. Anyone
who demands to be given an understanding of God's
mysterious ways is demonstrating a prideful heart. When Job realized
this as his sin, he slapped his hand over his mouth and repented “in
dust and ashes” (Job
40:1-5; 42:1-6).
Vs. 2 –
“Like a weaned child with
his mother”: A weaned
child is no longer dependent on his mother's body for nourishment and
is able to draw near to her out of a desire for intimacy and
companionship.
“Weaned
from what? Self-sufficiency, self-will, self-seeking. From creatures
and the things of the world—not; indeed, as to their use, but as to
any dependence upon them for his happiness and portion...” (William
Jay)
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💛
💛
PSALM
132 – “Abundantly"
(Song of
Ascents)
This is
a Royal Psalm and may have been written in celebration of bringing
the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:12–19; Psalm
132:6–10)
VERSES
1-10: DAVID'S PROMISE
Vs. 2 –
“How he swore to the LORD”: A specific “oath” from
David to God to build a temple is not actually recorded in 2 Samuel
7, but the prophet Nathan speaks of it being in David's heart.
Vs. 5 –
This verse is referred to by Stephen in Acts 7:46.
“And
we find that he would have acted in all things according to his oath
and vow, had God permitted him. But even after the Lord told him that
Solomon, not he, should build the house he still continued to show
his good will by collecting treasure and materials for the building,
all the rest of his life.” (Clarke)
Vs. 6-9
–The coming of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem is referred to
in Chronicles 15-16.
Vs.
6 – "Behold we heard of it in Ephrathah; We found it in the fields of Jaar.": Ephrathah is near Bethlehem
(Genesis 35:19; Micah 5:2) and Jaar is believed to be another name
for Kirjath-Jaerim. The Ark of the Covenant was taken by the
Philistines after defeating the Israelites in battle but was
eventually returned to Kirjath-Jaerim, where it stayed for 20 years
(1 Samuel 4-7). Apparently, the ark was found by David's people and
eventually moved to the tabernacle in Jerusalem.
Vs. 7 –
“Let us worship at His
footstool”: See 1
Chronicles 28:2.
Vs. 10 –
“Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed”: This is
ultimately a prayer of blessing on the Anointed Son of David – the
Messiah. This passage is alluded to by Peter in Acts 2:30.
VERSES
11-18: GOD'S PROMISE
Vs. 11 –
“The LORD has sworn in
truth to David”: This is
recorded in 2 Samuel 7:5-16. In verse 2, David promised to build a
house (temple) for God. Although God politely declined, He promised
to build David a house (dynasty), instead.
Vs. 12 –
“Forevermore...”: Thank God that His promise was not
conditionally based on the righteousness of David's sons because we
would never have had Jesus. David's “sons” could and would
forfeit their promised blessings and were eventually driven from the
throne. But the promise of a Savior was unconditional. Jesus is on
the throne.
Vs. 15 –
“I will ABUNDANTLY bless...”
“The
people had asked God to come to his resting place as the ark was
brought to Jerusalem; God says that he will sit enthroned there ‘for
ever and ever.’ They asked righteousness for the priests; God
promises to clothe the priests with salvation, which is a greater
concept. The people asked that the saints might sing for joy; God
promises that they will sing for joy forever.” (Boice)
Vs.
16-17a – These verses answer the prayers in verses 9-10.
Abundantly.
Vs. 17b
– “I will prepare a lamp
for My Anointed”: This
was part of God's promise, to preserve a dynasty for the
sake of David, not based on the morality or character of his
descendants. (1 Kings 11:36;15:4).
💛NUGGET:
Ultimately, God's “Anointed” was more than a lamp. He was the
Light of the world. (John 8:12)
💛
💛
💛
PSALM
133 – "Unity"
(Song of
Ascents. Of David)
This is
a Wisdom Psalm that many believe was composed when David was crowned
in Hebron, during a time of national unity. (2 Samuel 5:1; 1
Chronicles 12:38-40)
Vs. 1 –
“Behold, how good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
This sentiment was especially appropriate for an Ascent Song, as
pilgrims from different regions and tribes marched together as one to
worship the Lord in Jerusalem.
Vs. 2 –
“It is like the precious oil upon the head running down... the
beard of Aaron”: Aaron was the first High Priest of Israel, who
was anointed with a special holy oil set aside for priestly
consecration.
💛NUGGET:
“In verse 2 the threefold repetition ‘running down,’ ‘running
down,’ and ‘down’ – the Hebrew uses the same verb each time –
emphasizes that the blessing of Aaron’s anointing was from above
himself, that is, from God.” (Boice)
Vs. 3 –
The Lord commanded a blessing of unity... FOREVERMORE.
💛
💛
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PSALM
134 - "Holy Hands"
(Song of
Ascents)
This is
the last of the Song of Ascents psalms. This group of psalms opened
with “I call on the LORD in my distress” (Psalm 120) and
ends with “Praise the LORD”.
Vs. 1 –
“Who by night stand in the house of the LORD!”: The
Levites were assigned special duties at the temple, including night
watchmen. (Exodus 27:21; 1 Samuel 3:3; Leviticus 8:35)
Vs. 2 –
“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord”:
Or as the Apostle Paul said, “Lift up holy hands in
prayer...” (I Timothy 2:8)
💛NUGGET: Praising is us speaking well of God. Blessing is God speaking well of us.
Vs. 3 –
“Bless you from Zion!”: After God's people converged in
Zion to bless and worship Him, they left carrying His blessing back
home with them. What a beautiful way to end the Psalms of Ascents.
The blessings flowed uphill and downhill.
💛NUGGET:
Our life should be a pilgrimage toward God, blessing Him all the way
to heaven.
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PSALM
135 - "Praise"
[This
psalm is a collection of quotes and passages from all over the OT:
Psalms, Deuteronomy, Jeremiah and Exodus. Though every verse is
basically an echo of another, it is a new message of praise.]
Vs. 1 –
The psalm begins and ends with "Hallelujah!" (“Praise the Lord”).
Vs. 4 –
“His special treasure”: This is in fulfillment of God's
declaration in Deuteronomy 7:6.
Vs. 8-12
– The psalmists are mighty proud of their Exodus heritage, would you agree? Remembering God's supernatural deliverance in the past brought them
courage for the present and and hope for the future.
“Egypt
was the theatre of the grand contest between the God of Israel and
the gods of the heathen.” (Horne)
Vs. 11 –
These victories given by God are recorded in Numbers 21:21-33;
Deuteronomy 3:11.
Vs. 12 –
“And gave their land as a heritage”: God promised the land
of Canaan to the Israelites and gave it to them as their heritage...
from generation to generation.
💛
💛
💛
PSALM
136 - "The Great Hallel"
[In
Jewish tradition Psalm 135 is called the “Great Hallel” (Great
Psalm of Praise) and it was especially sung at the Passover.]
This
Thanksgiving Psalm has 26 verses with “His mercy endures forever”
repeated after each verse. It is referred to as an “antiphonal
hymn”. Think of it as a responsive singing, with the congregation
answering the choirmaster.
“And
they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For
He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” (Ezra
3:11)
MERCY is derived from that now familiar Hebrew covenant word, “hesed”, which refers to God's unending
grace... His loyal love. This is His unbreakable covenant with His
people... His eternal commitment.
VERSES
1-3: GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD
He is
good.
He is
the God of gods. (Elohim)
He is
the Lord of lords. (Adonai)
💛NUGGET:
God is the Original Good. All goodness flows from Him.
VERSES
4-25: WHY WE GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD
Vs. 4-9
– Give thanks for God's power in CREATION.
Vs.
10-22 – Give thanks for God’s power in SALVATION.
Vs.
23-25 – Give thanks for God's power in PROVISION.
💛NUGGET:
Giving thanks during trials requires submission to God's sovereignty
over your life. (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28)
VERSE
26: GIVE THANKS TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN
The
psalm ends as it begins, with a reminder that everything we receive from
God is from His grace.
Charles
Spurgeon observed the following lessons we learn from this psalm:
·The
past, present, or future will not end His mercy.
·The
storms of life will not end His mercy.
·Distance
from loved ones will not end His mercy.
·Death
itself will not end His mercy.
·God’s
never-ending mercy should make us merciful to others. ·God’s
never-ending mercy should make us hopeful for others. ·God’s
never-ending mercy should make us hopeful for ourselves.
