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Our church is singing through the Trinity Psalter on Sunday nights. Pastor Grover writes a short summary of each psalter selection, includes this in the weekly bulletin, and reads this before the congregation sings that selection. His main resource in writing these summaries is Leupold's commentary on the Psalms. As you can see, this is a work in progress. The major purpose in reading the synopsis is to promote the congregation's understanding of the words being sung.
| Psalter Selection Reference | Psalter Selection Summary |
|---|---|
| Psalm 1 | |
| Psalm 2 | |
| Psalm 3 | |
| Psalm 4 | |
| Psalm 5 | |
| Psalm 6 | |
| Psalm 7:1-8 | |
| Psalm 7:9-17 | |
| Psalm 8 | |
| Psalm 9:1-10 | |
| Psalm 9:11-20 | |
| Psalm 10:1-11 | |
| Psalm 10:12-18 | |
| Psalm 10:12-18 | |
| Psalm 11 | |
| Psalm 12 | |
| Psalm 13 | |
| Psalm 14 | |
| Psalm 15 | |
| Psalm 16 | |
| Psalm 17:1-7 | |
| Psalm 17:8-15 | |
| Psalm 18:1-13 | |
| Psalm 18:14-26 | |
| Psalm 18:27-37 | |
| Psalm 18:38-50 | |
| Psalm 19:1-6 | |
| Psalm 19:7-14 | |
| Psalm 20 | |
| Psalm 21 | |
| Psalm 22:1-12 | |
| Psalm 22:13-22 | |
| Psalm 22:23-31 | |
| Psalm 23 | |
| Psalm 24 | |
| Psalm 25:1-7 | |
| Psalm 25:8-15 | |
| Psalm 25:16-22 | |
| Psalm 26 | |
| Psalm 27:1-6 | |
| Psalm 27:7-13 | |
| Psalm 28 | |
| Psalm 29 | |
| Psalm 30 | |
| Psalm 31:1-16 | |
| Psalm 31:17-24 | |
| Psalm 32 | |
| Psalm 32 | |
| Psalm 33:1-11 | |
| Psalm 33:12-22 | |
| Psalm 34:1-14 | |
| Psalm 34:15-22 | |
| Psalm 35:1-8 | |
| Psalm 35:9-18 | |
| Psalm 35:19-28 | |
| Psalm 36:1-6a | |
| Psalm 36:6b-12 | |
| Psalm 37:1-9 | |
| Psalm 37:10-19 | |
| Psalm 37:20-28 | |
| Psalm 37:29-40,1 | |
| Psalm 38:1-10 | |
| Psalm 38:11-22 | |
| Psalm 39:1-6 | |
| Psalm 39:1-6 | |
| Psalm 39:7-13 | |
| Psalm 39:7-13 | |
| Psalm 40:1-9 | |
| Psalm 40:10-17 | |
| Psalm 41:1-6 | |
| Psalm 41:7-13 | |
| Psalm 42:1-5 | |
| Psalm 42:6-11 | |
| Psalm 43 | |
| Psalm 44:1-8 | |
| Psalm 44:9-16 | |
| Psalm 44:17-26 | |
| Psalm 45:1-7,17 | |
| Psalm 45:8-17 | |
| Psalm 46, v1 | |
| Psalm 47 | |
| Psalm 48:1-8 | |
| Psalm 48:9-14 | |
| Psalm 49:1-9 | |
| Psalm 49:10-20 | |
| Psalm 50:1-6 | |
| Psalm 50:7-15 | |
| Psalm 50:16-23 | |
| Psalm 51:1-11 | The 51st Psalm is one of David's penitential palms. After experiencing deep conviction, he confesses his sin with Bathsheba. |
| Psalm 51:12-19 | The 51st Psalm is one of David's penitential palms. After confessing his sin, he vows to teach others obedience and to worship God with true spiritual sacrifices. He prays for God to rebuild Jerusalem, which has been harmed through his sins. |
| Psalm 52 | The inspired heading of this psalm says that the occasion of its writing was Saul's slaughter of the priests at Nob. The psalm considers a man such as King Saul, a mighty man of power and wealth who does evil to others. The psalm concludes in faith that the wicked will be destroyed and the righteous who trust in God will be blessed. The psalm closes with a commitment to praise God and to proclaim His goodness. |
| Psalm 53 | Psalm 53, a meditation on practical atheism, is almost identical to Psalm 14. The main difference is in verse 5, which in Psalm 53 refers to an act of judgment which puts the fear of God into the ungodly. Paul quotes from verses 1-3 at the beginning of his series of Old Testament quotations in Romans 3:10-18 to prove that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. |
| Psalm 54 | According to its heading, the occasion for writing this psalm was the Ziphites' informing King Saul that David was hiding in their territory. This happened twice, and God delivered David both times from a perilous situation. The first time Saul abandoned his pursuit of David because of a reported attack by Philistines. The second time Saul was shamed into abandoning his pursuit when David had an opportunity to kill Saul in his sleep and did not. The psalm begins with a cry for deliverance by the godly who are threatened by the ungodly. The psalm then rejoices in the theme, "God is my helper." The evil which the wicked plan for others will come upon them. The psalm ends with a resolution to worship God out of gratitude. |
| Psalm 55:1-14 | This psalm is a prayer for help in the face of an evil conspiracy. What makes this conspiracy especially unsettling is that a trusted friend has joined with the conspirators in an act of betrayal. In the life of King David, this fits best with the revolt of Absalom and the betrayal of Ahithophel. In the life of Christ, this finds fulfillment in the betrayal by Judas. |
| Psalm 55:15-23 | This psalm is a prayer for help in the face of an evil conspiracy. The second half of the psalm tells more about the conspirators. They had deceived with flattering words, and then had broken covenant and attacked without provocation. The psalm ends with a statement of confidence in God. While David's enemies were plotting against him in secret, he was calling upon God. The psalm includes the classic statement, "Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you" (v. 22). |
| Psalm 56 | This psalm of David is a prayer for deliverance from a fearful situation. The historical context is David's fleeing to the Philistine city of Gath for refuge from King Saul. This is the one time in which a biblical narrative mentions David's fear (1 Samuel 21:12). In this psalm, David states, "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You" (v. 3). David pleas for God to take note of his trials with the memorable metaphor: "Put my tears into Your bottle" (v. 8). David ends the psalm confident of God's deliverance: "In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (v. 11; cf. v.4). |
| Psalm 57:1-4 | The heading of tonight's psalm says that this is a psalm of David when he fled from Saul in a cave. David twice took refuge from Saul in a cave (1 Sam. 22,24). This is a cry for help when cruel foes are seeking to destroy him. Every night when he goes to bed, it is as if he is lying down in the midst of lions. Yet now that he has prayed for mercy, he feels as safe as a chick under the mother hen's wings. He is confident that God will send His mercy and truth as his saviors. |
| Psalm 57:5-11 | |
| Psalm 58 | Psalm 58 is a psalm of David, who twice had an opportunity to kill King Saul when he was pursuing David but did not. David left such judgment in the hands of God. In this psalm, David cries out against the men in government who were supporting King Saul's persecution of David. In crying out against their wickedness, David refers to the doctrine of original sin. David then uses a number of metaphors to indicate that nothing will come of their wicked lives. They will be like toothless lions, water that runs off without moistening the ground, headless arrows, melting snails, a fire whose fuel blows away. The psalmist is confident that God will judge the wicked and reward the righteous. |
| Psalm 59:1-9 | This Psalm is another in which a saint is threatened by the wicked. The heading states that this psalm refers to David's experience when King Saul sent men to surround David's house in order to kill him (1 Samuel 19:11ff.). David cries out for deliverance, and then expresses confidence that God will indeed deliver him. David prays that God will also punish the enemies of God's people in all the nations of the earth. |
| Psalm 59:10-17 | This Psalm is another in which a saint is threatened by the wicked. The heading states that this psalm refers to David's experience when King Saul sent men to surround David's house in order to kill him (1 Samuel 19:11ff.). David cries out for deliverance, and then expresses confidence that God will indeed deliver him. David prays that God will also punish the enemies of God's people in all the nations of the earth. |
| Psalm 60:1-5 | According to its heading, the context of Psalm 60 is a surprise attack upon Israel by Edom from the south when David was waging a military campaign to the north. This psalm is a congregational prayer. The first five verses acknowledge that this dangerous attack upon Israel combined with a devastating earthquake is a chastisement from the Lord. The prayer is for restoration and deliverance. |
| Psalm 60:6-11 | According to its heading, the context of Psalm 60 is a surprise attack upon Israel by Edom from the south when David was waging a military campaign to the north. This psalm is a congregational prayer. In the last seven verses, confident statements are made about the land promise in its old covenant form. The people are confident that they will continue to possess the promised land and also subdue the near and troublesome nations which had been threatening that possession. With God's help, Israel can even conquer Edom's extremely well fortified city, Petra, which was carved out of rock. |
| Psalm 61 | The tune does not exactly fit this versification, but it should work if we use three beats on the first syllable of every third line. This is a psalm of David, and the context is that of a temporary banishment from Jerusalem and separation from the temple there. This historical setting points to the time of Absolom's rebellion. David's prayer for help is rooted in the promises of the special covenant which God made with David. David prays for the continuation of his own rule and dynasty and ultimately for the eternal reign of the Messiah as a royal descendant of David. |
| Psalm 62:1-7 | Certain enemies of David, who were liars and hypocrites, had long tried to overthrow David through evil means. This must have been during a time of vulnerable weakness because David's enemies regarded him as a leaning wall or a tottering fence. They were hopeful of overthrowing him through their sustained effort. David's response is one of calm assurance in God, who is David's salvation, stronghold and rock. As David prays, we see the increase in David's faith. He progresses from one whose confidence is that he will not be greatly moved to one whose confidence is that he will not be moved at all. |
| Psalm 62:8-12 | Certain enemies of David, who were liars and hypocrites, had long tried to overthrow David through evil means. In the early verses, David focuses on God as His only sure help. In these latter verses, David focuses on unworthy sources of help which people often turn to: other people, aggressive plunder, material riches. The only true and dependable source of help is God, who is both able and ready to help His people. God will rescue and reward the faithful, and God will punish the wicked. |
| Psalm 63 | David's flight from Absalom through the northern parts of the wilderness between Jerusalem and the Jordan River may be the context of this psalm. David compares this desolate wilderness to the experience of a soul deprived of fellowship with God. He remembers his soul refreshing experiences of worship in the temple sanctuary. Even though he is now isolated from the temple's outward aids to public worship, he is still able to worship and enjoy God in his private worship. This rich fellowship satisfies like a rich meal. He delights in meditating upon God at night in his bed. His fellowship with God provides him with the strength he will need to meet the challenges ahead. God has established David's royal dynasty, and those who oppose it do so to their own hurt. To oppose David's dynasty is to oppose God, and God will destroy all of David's enemies because they are also His enemies. |
| Psalm 64, v1 | This psalm is a prayer David prayed when he was threatened by character assassination through vicious verbal attacks. The slanderous words used against him were sharp like swords, aimed like arrows and deceptive like hidden traps. The wicked were confident that they wouldn't be found out and that their plan would succeed. The psalmist was confident that God would intervene and turn the tables on the wicked. God will inflict on the wicked what they had schemed to inflict on others. This will bring glory to God and inspire the righteous to rejoice in Him as their only refuge. |
| Psalm 65:1-5 | This psalm of David gives thanks for a bounteous harvest that is about to be gathered in. The psalm has three sections. The first (vv. 1-4) establishes the principles of praise. Worshiping God with prayer and the payment of vows is fitting and right. God hears the prayers of all people from every nation when they come to Him in faith. Of course, sin hinders prayers, but God freely forgives those who confess their sin. Forgiven worshipers are blessed with a fellowship with God rooted in sovereign electing grace. The second section (vv. 5-8) lists some of the awesome works of the God who has repeatedly been His people's salvation. God has made the mountains, stilled the roaring sea and calmed the angry nations. Accounts of God's wondrous works have gone to the ends of the earth inspiring both fear and joy. The last section (vv. 9-13) focuses on the coming harvest and reviews the ways in which a bounteous harvest is a gift from God. The psalm closes with rejoicing for God's bounteous blessings. |
| Psalm 65:6-13 | This psalm of David gives thanks for a bounteous harvest that is about to be gathered in. The psalm has three sections. The first (vv. 1-4) establishes the principles of praise. Worshiping God with prayer and the payment of vows is fitting and right. God hears the prayers of all people from every nation when they come to Him in faith. Of course, sin hinders prayers, but God freely forgives those who confess their sin. Forgiven worshipers are blessed with a fellowship with God rooted in sovereign electing grace. The second section (vv. 5-8) lists some of the awesome works of the God who has repeatedly been His people's salvation. God has made the mountains, stilled the roaring sea and calmed the angry nations. Accounts of God's wondrous works have gone to the ends of the earth inspiring both fear and joy. The last section (vv. 9-13) focuses on the coming harvest and reviews the ways in which a bounteous harvest is a gift from God. The psalm closes with rejoicing for God's bounteous blessings. |
| Psalm 66:1-6 | The background for this psalm is God's personal deliverance of God's people from a national calamity (vv. 8-12) and God's deliverance of an individual from personal distress (vv. 13-20). The joy over these deliverances is so great that God's people are inspired to call upon all peoples to join in praising God. Even God's enemies, who will not praise Him, should be inspired to bow before God in fear (vv. 1-4). The psalmist gives some examples of God's deliverances in the past: the crossing of first the Red Sea and then the Jordan River on foot under Moses and Joshua (vv. 5-6). The psalmist also gives a current example: God's sovereign rule over and restraint of the pagan nations (v. 7). |
| Psalm 66:7-12 | The background for this psalm is God's personal deliverance of God's people from a national calamity (vv. 8-12) and God's deliverance of an individual from personal distress (vv. 13-20). The joy over these deliverances is so great that God's people are inspired to call upon all peoples to join in praising God. Even God's enemies, who will not praise Him, should be inspired to bow before God in fear (vv. 1-4). The psalmist gives some examples of God's deliverances in the past: the crossing of first the Red Sea and then the Jordan River on foot under Moses and Joshua (vv. 5-6). The psalmist also gives a current example: God's sovereign rule over and restraint of the pagan nations (v. 7). |
| Psalm 66:13-20 | The background for this psalm is God's personal deliverance of God's people from a national calamity (vv. 8-12) and God's deliverance of an individual from personal distress (vv. 13-20). The joy over these deliverances is so great that God's people are inspired to call upon all peoples to join in praising God. Even God's enemies, who will not praise Him, should be inspired to bow before God in fear (vv. 1-4). The psalmist gives some examples of God's deliverances in the past: the crossing of first the Red Sea and then the Jordan River on foot under Moses and Joshua (vv. 5-6). The psalmist also gives a current example: God's sovereign rule over and restraint of the pagan nations (v. 7). |
| Psalm 67 | This psalm anticipates the universalism of the new covenant in its prayer for the conversion of all nations to the worship of the living and true God. Using the language of the Aaronic benediction, this psalm prays for material blessings upon Israel. The motivation for this prayer is not the selfishness of the so-called "health and wealth gospel." This psalm prays for material blessings upon Israel as a means of motivating the pagan nations to bless the God of Israel in worship. What is envisioned is the coming day when the pagan nations confess, worship and rejoice in the God of Israel; i.e., the discipling of the nations. The psalm ends with an allusion to Israel's agricultural abundance as a witness to the pagan nations. |
| Psalm 68:1-8 | The theme of this Psalm is God's victorious march in history. The first 18 verses focus on God's works of the past: the wilderness wanderings under Moses, the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, the occupation of Mt. Zion under David. The opening words are based on the words Moses declared whenever Israel began to march: "Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You" (Numbers 10:35). The Lord overcomes His enemies as effectively as wind drives away smoke and as fire melts wax. The righteous rejoice in the thought. The Lord helps the poor and needy, but the rebels who murmured against Him perished in the desert. God demonstrated His glory in the wilderness through His appearance on Mt. Sinai. |
| Psalm 68:9-19 | The theme of this Psalm is God's victorious march in history. The first 18 verses focus on God's works of the past: the wilderness wanderings under Moses, the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, the occupation of Mt. Zion under David. Verses 9 and 10 reflect on the provisions God provided at Mt. Sinai, where Israel settled for a year of rest. Verse 11 goes on to the conquest of Canaan. God says the word, kings flee in defeat and the women of Israel spread the word of victory and divide the spoil. Verse 13 rebukes the men who stayed home from battle and yet nevertheless enjoy silver and gold rewards of victory. The bleached bones of the defeated are now like snow on a mountain top. Verse 15 goes on to God's occupation of Mt. Zion as His sanctuary. Lofty Mt. Hermon in northern Bashan is a much more impressive mountain than lowly Mt. Zion. Yet God with myriads of heavenly chariots went from Mt. Sinai to Mt. Zion as His chosen dwelling place. God is pictured as ascending up Mt. Zion with captives and tribute from His victory over the kings of Canaan. The imagery pictures events from the time of Moses to the time of David in a single scene. Paul uses this passage as a type of Jesus' victorious ascension into heaven (Ephesians 4:8). Verse 19 is a note of praise to the God of our salvation who bears us up. |
| Psalm 68:20-27 | This portion of the Psalm gives additional reasons to praise God. God grants His people deliverance from death. In contrast, God judges His guilty enemies with death. Even if they flee to Bashan in the east or to the sea in the west, God will bring them back to receive the judgment they deserve. The psalmist then encourages God's worship by describing a solemn and impressive temple procession involving all the tribes of Israel from Benjamin and Judah in the south to Zebulon and Naphtali in the north. |
| Psalm 68:28-35 | The psalm continues to emphasize the praise of God, who victoriously marches through history. Verse 28 summons God to demonstrate His strength by strengthening the work He has accomplished. Verse 29 states that kings bring gifts to God in Jerusalem. Verse 31 mentions specifically the greater nation Egypt and the lesser nation Ethiopia. In verse 30, this is stated under a metaphor: the beasts in the reeds represent Egypt, and the bulls with calves represent the lesser nations. The psalm ends with a call to all kingdoms to sing praises to the all powerful God of Israel. |
| Psalm 69:1-9 | This psalm, written by David, is a prayer from one who is suffering because he had openly and enthusiastically championed the cause of God. This psalm is not a direct prophesy of Christ because it includes a confession of sin (v. 5), and Jesus was holy, harmless and undefiled. The psalm, which has a direct reference to David as the writer, applies to Christ as David's greater Son. In John 2:17, verse 9 is quoted after Jesus' first cleansing of the temple: "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." The psalmist says that because of His zeal for God and God's temple, numerous enemies have threatened him and even his own family has rejected him. The psalmist compares his grave situation to that of a man who is drowning, and he cries out to God for help and deliverance. |
| Psalm 69:10-19 | This psalm, written by David, is a prayer from one who is suffering because he had openly and enthusiastically championed the cause of God. David's spiritual reaction to the suffering, which included weeping, fasting and wearing sackcloth, was ridiculed. He became a byword for gossips, and drunks sang about him.The added humiliation made this all the more an acceptable time for prayer, and David prayed all the more. In his prayers, David mentions both God's attributes, such as love, truth, mercy and compassion, and descriptions of his distress. |
| Psalm 69:20-29 | This psalm, written by David, is a prayer from one who is suffering because he had openly and enthusiastically championed the cause of God. Today's verses begin with a reminder of how painful slander can be. The passage refers to this ill treatment as giving one poison to eat and vinegar to drink; our Lord's enemies literally offered Him vinegar to drink during His passion. The psalmist then prays regarding his and God's enemies who are hardened beyond any hope of salvation. He prays for God to bring judgments upon them which will impede and even halt their destructive acts. Verse 25 is quoted in Acts 1:20 and applied to Judas' death after his betrayal of Jesus. This section closes with the psalmist humbly acknowledging his own need for the mercy of God's salvation. |
| Psalm 69:30-36 | This psalm, written by David, is a prayer from one who is suffering because he had openly and enthusiastically championed the cause of God. As is often the case, the psalm ends with praise to God. David reminds us that sincere praise is the heart of worship. God is pleased with the outward forms of worship which He has commanded only when worship is also from the heart. David's worship motivated by his deliverance is an encouragement to the humble and afflicted righteous. David calls upon all of creation to praise God. Because of his personal deliverance, he hopes for national deliverance with confidence that God will save Zion and build up Judah's cities. |
| Psalm 70 | This Psalm of David is almost identical to verses 13-17 in Psalm 40, another psalm of David. Both psalms fit well with the early period of David's life when he was an outlaw pursued by King Saul. David's enemies seek to kill him, and he seeks God's deliverance. David prays that God will oppose his enemies such that they become ashamed of their evil ways. David exhorts those who love God and His salvation to praise God. David confesses his poverty and need, and cries out for God to help without delay. |
| Psalm 71:1-14 | This psalm is the prayer of an elderly man who has trusted God since his earliest days. Now that he is old and weak, certain enemies assume that God has abandoned him and seek to destroy him. The writer of the psalm praises God for His protection throughout his long life. He now expectantly asks for God's continued protection. He praises God and expresses confidence that God will again deliver him as in the past. |
| Psalm 71:15-24,1 | This psalm is the prayer of an elderly man who has trusted God since his earliest days. In the latter half of the psalm, he prays for strength that he may praise God and inform others of God's greatness for the remainder of his life. |
| Psalm 72:1-12 | Psalm 72 is a psalm of Solomon calling for prayer for the ruling king of the Davidic line, a dynasty whose destiny and fulfillment is the Messianic Son of David. The language of this psalm refers in a limited sense to Old Testament sons of David upon the throne in Jerusalem, but it also looks forward to the Messiah for its complete fulfillment. The Messiah is a king of absolute righteousness whose reign will result in prosperity and justice. He will reign as long as the sun rules the day and the moon rules the night. This language is a metaphor for everlasting rule. The extent of His realm will be global. He will rule not only the land promised to Abraham, but from its northern boundary (the Euphrates River) to the ends of the earth.This psalm's prophecies that distant peoples will submit to the Messiah's rule find fulfillment in the Great Commission and in world missions. |
| Psalm 72:13-19 | Psalm 72 is a psalm of Solomon calling for prayer for the ruling king of the Davidic line, a dynasty whose destiny and fulfillment is the Messianic Son of David. The language of this psalm refers in a limited sense to Old Testament sons of David upon the throne in Jerusalem, but it also looks forward to the Messiah for its complete fulfillment. The latter half of the psalm mentions the king's sympathy for the righteous poor, the prayers and gifts given the king, and the prosperity and duration of his reign. The psalm ends with a doxology to the living and true God. |
| Psalm 73:1-16 | Psalm 73 deals with the problem of the seeming prosperity of the wicked. The psalm opens with a statement of conviction that God is truly good to the pure in heart. Then the psalmist confesses that he had previously gone through a time of doubt in which he was envious of the wicked who are wealthy. He lists some ways in which the wicked sin significantly and yet still often enjoy both prosperity and popularity. The prosperous wicked have no regrets because they assume God takes no notice of their sins.The psalmist has tried to live righteously with a clean heart and clean hands, and yet he has experienced many hardships. These thoughts trouble the psalmist, but he keeps them to himself lest he tempt anyone else to doubt. In the last half of the psalm, the psalmist goes to worship and there resolves his doubts. He is reminded that in the long run, a person's sins will find him out and that the greatest blessing of all is that fellowship with God which only the righteous enjoy. |
| Psalm 73:17-28 | Psalm 73 deals with the problem of the seeming prosperity of the wicked. The psalm opens with a statement of conviction that God is truly good to the pure in heart. Then the psalmist confesses that he had previously gone through a time of doubt in which he was envious of the wicked who are wealthy. The turning point in the psalm is verse 17 where the psalmist goes before God in worship and meditates on the long term destiny of the wicked. Life apart from God is perilous. Compared to God, a human has no more substance than a dream. His bitter envy of the wicked was stupid. God is his strength and wisdom and delight. To be far from God is to perish, and to be near to God is good. The psalmist resolves to make God his refuge and to declare to others what God has done for him. |
| Psalm 75 | The context of Psalm 75 is a crisis which appears on the verge of destroying everything. It is as though earth and all its inhabitants are about to melt, to disintegrate. Yet even in such situations, God provides stability and upholds the foundations of life upon this earth. Also, in the appointed time, the time which God has decreed and the time which will bring the greatest glory to God and the greatest good to God's people, God will intervene. In such crises, people are tempted to look in every direction for help, but help will come only from God. To the wicked, God counsels them not to boast in their strength. When God judges them, He will so confuse their thinking and put them is such frustrating circumstances that they will be as effective as a drunk person. The psalm concludes with a commitment to praise God because God cuts off the strength of the wicked and lifts up the strength of the just. |
| Psalm 76 | This psalm is a celebration of God's victorious power exercised in defense of Jerusalem. According to ancient tradition, the context of this psalm is God's destruction of Sennacherib's mighty army when the Assyrians invaded Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah. This historical event does fit well with the words of the psalm. Through this mighty deliverance, God has made Himself known to His people in a new way. The mighty soldiers who threatened God's people now lie dead. The mighty army with horses and chariots lies helpless. God has defended His people, the meek and lowly. With proper respect, God's people should resolve to worship God with sacrifices, and the nations should bring Him tribute. |
| Psalm 77:1-10 | The psalmist cries out to God in a time of trouble and distress. He senses that he is under the chastening hand of God,and has been for some time. He still has faith in God, but he is now perplexed and cannot find inner peace. He has tried praying to God, meditating on God and God's faithfulness in the past, and singing spiritual songs. Still he lacks inner peace and cannot sleep at night and rest. The psalmist begins to wonder if God no longer shows mercy and has forgotten grace and compassion. The psalmist's faith begins to revive and he remembers that God does not change. |
| Psalm 77:11-20 | The psalmist cries out to God in a time of trouble and distress. He still has faith in God, but he is now perplexed and cannot find inner peace Then he resolves to meditate on redemptive history and the mighty works of God in the past. His faith is then strengthened, and he proclaims that God is holy and powerful and nothing like the imaginary gods of the nations. He thinks upon the time of Moses and Aaron when God redeemed Israel and miraculously led them safely through the Red Sea. He meditates upon the power of God as displayed in the thunderstorm and the earthquake. |
| Psalm 78:1-8 | The inspired heading of Psalm 78 refers to it as a maskil or a teaching poem. This psalm develops a philosophy of history for parents to pass on to their children. The opening verses rehearse the importance of learning the lessons of history lest future generations repeat the mistakes of past generations. The covenant children of the future need to learn to trust God, to heed God's commands and not to repeat the sinful mistakes of rebellious generations in Israel's earlier history. |
| Psalm 78:9-20 | The inspired heading of Psalm 78 refers to it as a maskil or a teaching poem. The opening verses rehearse the importance of learning the lessons of history lest future generations repeat the mistakes of past generations. Verses 9 through 11 comment on Ephraim's leadership during the time of the judges. Though well armed, the tribe of Ephraim suffered defeat because they did not keep covenant with God. The psalm then goes back to the time of the Exodus. God delivered Israel from Egypt through the Red Sea, led them with a cloud through the wilderness, provided them with water from a rock and manna from heaven. In spite of all of this, Israel in the wilderness tested God instead of trusting Him. |
| Psalm 78:21-34 | The inspired heading of Psalm 78 refers to it as a maskil or a teaching poem. The opening verses rehearse the importance of learning the lessons of history lest future generations repeat the mistakes of past generations. When Israel in the wilderness murmured against God, God in mercy gave them water from the rock, manna from heaven and even an abundance of meat. In spite of this, the people continued to sin against God, who finally condemned that entire generation, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, to perish in the wilderness over a 38 year period of wandering. |
| Psalm 78:35-46 | The inspired heading of Psalm 78 refers to it as a maskil or a teaching poem. The opening verses rehearse the importance of learning the lessons of history lest future generations repeat the mistakes of past generations. In the wilderness, many in Israel forgot that God was their rock and redeemer. They professed faith in God, but they were neither sincere nor faithful to the covenant. Yet God remembered their fragile and fleeting creatureliness and was merciful.Yet they tested God repeatedly and did not remember the wonders God performed in Egypt to redeem them. |
| Psalm 78:47-55 | The inspired heading of Psalm 78 refers to it as a maskil or a teaching poem. This psalm develops a philosophy of history for parents to pass on to their children. The opening verses rehearse the importance of learning the lessons of history lest future generations repeat the mistakes of past generations. Verses 47-55 summarize God's mercy and goodness to Israel: the plagues upon Egypt, the Exodus, the Red Sea crossing, the guidance across the wilderness to the mountainous land of Canaan, the driving out of the Canaanite nations, and the dividing of the land by lots as Israel's inheritance. These acts of divine goodness are rehearsed as a contrast to Israel's forgetfulness, ingratitude and infidelity. |
| Psalm 78:56-72 | The inspired heading of Psalm 78 refers to it as a maskil or a teaching poem. This psalm develops a philosophy of history for parents to pass on to their children. The opening verses rehearse the importance of learning the lessons of history lest future generations repeat the mistakes of past generations. Verses 56-62 refer to the generations of the judges during which the people sinned by worshipping God through graven images in high places. In judgment, God allowed the Philistines to defeat Israel in a great battle, to destroy Shiloh where the tabernacle was then located, to capture the ark of the covenant, the symbol of God's glory, and to kill the priests Hophni and Pheneas, the sons of Eli. |
| Psalm 78:63-72,1 | The inspired heading of Psalm 78 refers to it as a maskil or a teaching poem. This psalm develops a philosophy of history for parents to pass on to their children. The opening verses rehearse the importance of learning the lessons of history lest future generations repeat the mistakes of past generations. Verses 60-64 refer to God's judging Israel through allowing the Philistines to defeat Israel in a great battle, to destroy Shiloh where the tabernacle was then located, to capture the ark of the covenant, the symbol of God's glory, and to kill the priests Hophni and Pheneas, the sons of Eli. Verses 65-66 refer to God's later visitation of blessing upon Israel. God defeated the Philistines, chose Judah as the ruling tribe, chose Mt. Zion as the place for His temple, and chose David to rule Israel as King. |
| Psalm 79:1-7 | This psalm fits well the period when the Babylonians were destroying Jerusalem. The psalm begins with a lament over the pagans' defiling the temple, destroying the city, killing God's people and not giving them a decent burial, and making them an object of scorn to neighboring peoples. The psalm then accepts that this is God's righteous chastisement upon His people for their sin. The question is asked how long God's anger against His own people will continue. The prayer is then made for God to judge the pagans who do not trust or worship the living and true God. Though God used pagans as His instrument of punishment, yet they are responsible for their sinful actions committed in their conquest of Jerusalem. |
| Psalm 79:8-13 | This psalm fits well the period when the Babylonians were destroying Jerusalem. Verses 8and 9 ask God for two blessings: a merciful forgiveness of the sins in the nation's past which resulted in the continuing chastisement and rescue from their current low condition. The interpretation of verse 10 found in this versification is different from most translations. Most translations refer to God's avenging the shed blood of His servants and not to God's avenging the blood His servants shed. This verse argues that the avenging of this injustice would bring glory to God before the nations. Verse 12 prays that God will render an appropriately complete judgment against the neighboring nations which taunted Israel in her humiliation. The psalm ends with an assurance to God that Israel will praise God for generations for His answering this prayer. |
| Psalm 81 | The 81st Psalm is a call for old covenant Israel to worship in spirit and in truth. Verse one exhorts the people to put their hearts into their worship, and verse four emphasizes the importance of worshipping according to God's statutes. There was a new moon festival at the beginning of every lunar month, and Passover and Tabernacles were celebrated at the full moon. These festivals were established at Mt. Sinai after the exodus from Egypt. This psalm uses the exodus experience as an argument for worshipping only the living and true God in obedience to the first commandment. The psalm contrasts the blessing God's covenant people receive when they keep covenant with God, with the chastisements they receive when they break covenant with God. |
| Psalm 82 | In John 10:34-35, Jesus quotes from the 82nd Psalm in defending His use of the title "Son of God." If this psalm can refer to rulers who administer God's justice as "gods" (Elohim), then surely Jesus, who is God Incarnate, can refer to Himself as the Son of God. In Exodus 21:6 and 22:8-9, the Hebrew word Elohim is used to refer to the judges in Israel. In Psalm 82, God takes a stand in the assembly of God's people and pronounces judgment upon the rulers. In verses 2-5, God addresses the unjust judgments of the rulers in Israel. When rulers walk in moral darkness, this shakes the very foundations of society (v. 5). God has honored those who administer His justice with the title "Elohim" but they are still mere humans who will one day die. The psalm ends with a prayer for God Himself to judge (v. 8), a prayer that will be answered partially through the ages and perfectly at the return of Christ at the end of this age. |
| Psalm 83 | Psalm 83 is a prayer for help when Israel is confronted by a strong confederation of ten traditional enemies from nearby regions which practically encircle Israel. The closest parallel in the historical books is found in 2 Chronicles 20. There Moab, Ammon and Edom (the descendants of Lot and Esau) invaded Israel during the reign of Jehoshaphat. In answer to the king's prayer, the Moabites and Ammonites attacked the Edomites, and the invading army destroyed itself. If this is the background for Psalm 83, perhaps the historical account mentions only the three nations whose soldiers made up the bulk of the invading army. The entire psalm is a prayer for God's help. The prayer begins with a description of the conspiracy by God's enemies to destroy completely God's people. Then the ten nations and cities involved in the conspiracy are listed. The psalm then prays that God will destroy this invading army even as God destroyed the army of Sisera and Jabin through Deborah (Judges 4,5) and the army of the Midianites through Gideon (Judges 7,8). The psalm ends with a prayer for the complete overthrow of these enemies with the result that these pagans seek God's name and recognize Him as the one true God. |
| Psalm 84 | The Old Testament saints who did not live near Jerusalem were limited in their access to the temple. The 84th Psalm expresses the psalmist's strong desire to worship at the temple and his joy when this desire is realized. He observes that some birds are privileged to have nesting places in the temple area and even to raise their young there. He then comments on the happy estate of those such as priests and Levites who practically dwell in the temple and get to sing God's praise there often. The psalmist then considers the happy estate of those for whom God is their source of daily strength. For them even the parched valleys of life's journey become well watered places. God is a "sun and shield" and the source of every true blessing in life for those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. The psalmist closes by proclaiming the blessedness of the man who trusts in God. |
| Psalm 85 | The 85th Psalm does not identify the circumstances behind its writing, but this psalm fits well with the circumstances in Jerusalem shortly after the return from Babylonian exile under Ezra. In response to revival and repentance, God removed His chastening hand from Israel in exile and enabled a remnant to return to Jerusalem. A few years after the return, the people failed again through doubt and despair, and God's fatherly judgment was again upon them. Again the people repented, and God blessed the effort to re-establish Jerusalem. Verses 1-3 rejoice over recent divine forgiveness and renewed blessing. Verses 5-7 pray for God again to forgive and bless. Verses 8-13 are a statement of assurance that God will bless those who fear Him. Verse 10 points out that God's salvation is true to both His mercy and His justice. This verse points ultimately to Jesus' work of substitutionary atonement, an act of merciful justice which enables God to offer mercy to sinners without compromising divine justice. |
| Psalm 86:1-11 | The title of Psalm 86 identifies this psalm as a psalm of David. This psalm is a skillful mosaic of phrases found in other pslams of David (25-28,54-57). David is the author of the source material and is also probably the author of the mosaic. The entire psalm consists of petitions and reasons for God to grant them. David voices his expectation that God will answer the prayer of His trusting servant in his time of need because God is good, kind and forgiving. David directs his prayer to God as the only living and true God whom all the nations of the world will one day acknowledge and worship. In the midst of his troubles, the psalmist prays that God will teach him to walk in the way which conforms to God's truth and to make the fear of God the heart perspective which gives unity to his life. |
| Psalm 86:12-17 | The title of Psalm 86 identifies this psalm as a psalm of David. This psalm is a skillful mosaic of phrases found in other psalms of David (25-28,54-57). David is the author of the source material and is also probably the author of the mosaic. The psalmist praises God as the one who delivers even from the brink of death. He then contrasts the wicked nature of the wicked who have risen up against him with the gracious character of God. His description of God is based upon the revelation of the name of the LORD given to Moses in the cleft of the rock. He asks for God's blessings as a faithful servant of God and as the son of a mother who was a faithful servant of God. The psalmist closes with a petition for a timely token of God's full deliverance so that his wicked enemies may see that God is with him. |
| Psalm 87 | Psalm 86:9 says, "All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name." Psalm 87 elaborates this thought further. Under the old covenant, God had a special love for the city of Jerusalem, the location of God's sanctuary and David's throne. This psalm looks ahead to the new covenant when Gentiles will become full members of God's covenant people through faith in Jesus. This psalm expresses the substance of this new covenant development in an old covenant form. The psalm rejoices that pagan peoples who were then enemies of God's people will one day become just as fully members of God's people as if they had been born in Jerusalem. |
| Psalm 88:1-8 | Psalm 88 is the saddest psalm in the Psalter. It begins with an acknowledgement of God as savior and yet ends on a note of darkness. This psalm is an encouragement for the believer who unburdens his pained heart to God and yet finds no immediate emotional relief. The psalmist has some terrible disease, and others regard him as near death. The psalmist takes no comfort in death but associates it with being tossed into a common grave and forgotten. He says that he is under God's wrath and is in the lowest pit, which is low as a person can get. His friends, much like Job's friends, now reject him and look upon him as abhorrent. In his sickness, he is not free to visit others and is thus in a sense imprisoned. |
| Psalm 88:9-18 | Psalm 88 is the saddest psalm in the Psalter. It begins with an acknowledgement of God as savior and yet ends on a note of darkness. This psalm is an encouragement for the believer who unburdens his pained heart to God and yet finds no immediate emotional relief. The psalmist has some terrible disease and fears that he is dying. He pleads for deliverance from death based on the opportunity this life affords him to worship God. The psalmist continues to describe his desperate situation and thus to unburden his heart to God. |
| Psalm 89:1-16 | Psalm 89 was composed at a time when the king on the throne of David in Jerusalem had been greatly humbled. The psalm praises God for His many mercies and remembers the glorious promises found in the covenant made with David, including promises of universal and everlasting rule to be fulfilled one day by the Messiah. The psalm then contrasts these glories with the current humble situation and prays for divine intervention. Our section for today praises God for His many mercies. The text mentions God's covenant with David, God's praise by angels in heaven, God's deliverance of Israel at the Red Sea, and God's attributes of righteousness, justice, covenant love and true faithfulness. |
| Psalm 89:17-37 | Psalm 89 was composed at a time when the king on the throne of David in Jerusalem had been greatly humbled. The psalm praises God for His many mercies and remembers the glorious promises found in the covenant made with David, including promises of universal and everlasting rule to be fulfilled one day by the Messiah. The psalm then contrasts these glories with the current humble situation and prays for divine intervention. Our section for today remembers and comments upon the covenant made with David. |
| Psalm 89:38-52 | Psalm 89 was composed at a time when the king on the throne of David in Jerusalem had been greatly humbled. The psalm praises God for His many mercies and remembers the glorious promises found in the covenant made with David, including promises of universal and everlasting rule to be fulfilled one day by the Messiah. Our section for today contrasts these glories with the current humble situation and prays for divine intervention. |
| Psalm 90:1-9 | Moses wrote the 90th Psalm, whose subject is the transitory nature of mortal human life. All in the Exodus generation who were twenty or older at the time of the rebellion at Kadesh Barnea, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, died during Israel's 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Perhaps this is why Moses meditated on this subject. Only God is eternal, and He should be our dwelling place; i.e., we should constantly abide in Him. In contrast to God's eternality, the span of human life is brief. The human's physical body returns to the dust from which God created him. The ultimate reason for death is the sin of humanity. God is justly angry with humanity's sin in general and with the sins of the Exodus generation in the wilderness in particular. |
| Psalm 90:10-17 | Moses wrote the 90th Psalm, whose subject is the transitory nature of mortal human life. All in the Exodus generation who were twenty or older at the time of the rebellion at Kadesh Barnea, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, died during Israel's 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Perhaps this is why Moses meditated on this subject. Only God is eternal, and He should be our dwelling place; i.e., we should constantly abide in Him. In contrast to God's eternality, the span of human life is brief. Even a full life of 70 or 80 years means nothing when lived under God's wrath. The psalm ends with a prayer for God to return in covenant fellowship. Only this gives life a satisfaction which outweighs the pain of life's affliction. Our life has purpose as God establishes the work of our hands and as we get a glimpse over generations of the work God is doing through His people in history. |
| Psalm 91 | Psalm 91 is a cheerful statement of total confidence in God in the midst of a dangerous world. This psalm lists a litany of evils from which God will deliver His people but not the wicked. The psalm notes that God uses angels to protect His people. At the end of the psalm, God gives some of the reasons why He blesses His people with deliverance and long life. The psalm celebrates what God can do and what the psalmist trusts God will do as a general rule. The Scripture elsewhere teaches that there are also times when God allows His people to suffer in this life when that is to God's greatest glory and His people's greatest good. Satan quoted this psalm when he tempted Jesus to jump off the pinnacle of the temple. Satan misinterpreted this psalm to teach that God's promise of protection justifies irresponsible action. |
| Psalm 92 | The 92nd Psalm is a psalm of praise to God. It is exceedingly good to praise God to musical accompaniment, to declare both God's attributes such as love and faithfulness and to declare God's works. Praising God is such an obvious and integral part of life that those who fail to do this are fools. Evil people may flourish for a time as does the spring grass, but they will wither soon enough. In contrast ,God is exalted forever and as a general rule provides His faithful people with strength, gladness, protection and prosperity. The faithful will worship God in His sanctuary, will lead productive lives into old age, and will proclaim God's praises loudly. |
| Psalm 93 | The 93rd Psalm is a short celebration of God's rule as king. We do not know when this psalm was written, but its message fits well with the restoration of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. Events have made it clear once again that God truly is in control of history. Because of God's eternal power, this world is established and will never disintegrate into total chaos. Hostile events do periodically threaten like a raging flood, but God is more powerful than the roaring waters and His throne is beyond their reach. God's revealed word is infallibly faithful, and God's eternal house will never fall, even if the earthly temple made in its image may be destroyed. |
| Psalm 94 | The 94th Psalm is a prayer for God, the Judge of the nations to whom vengeance belongs, to shine forth by delivering the righteous and punishing the wicked. The righteous cry out, "How long?’ and the wicked have become presumptuous and proud. The wicked assume that God takes no notice of their evil deeds. They are in positions of power and have plans to rewrite laws and thus legalize their destructive ways. The psalmist assures the righteous that the God who made the eye does indeed see what the wicked are doing. God will use the hard times to chasten and teach the righteous, but God will not abandon them. The righteous need not be anxious. God is their stronghold, and He will one day repay the wicked and restore justice to society. |
| Psalm 95:1-5 | The 95th Psalm is a call to vibrant and energetic worship with praise and thanksgiving. Verses 3 through 5 give reasons for worshipping God. He is unique, without peer or rival. He is above all the idols which the pagan nations refer to as gods. He made and continues to possess, control and uphold all the world: the depths of the earth with unexplored caverns, the spacious mountains with untold mineral wealth, the vast seas with their bounty and mystery and the more familiar dry land. |
| Psalm 95:6-11 | The 95th Psalm is a call to vibrant and energetic worship with praise and thanksgiving. Additional reasons to praise God are His roles as our Creator, God and Shepherd. The shepherd labors constantly to provide and care for his flock. It is truly amazing that God fulfills this role for His people. The psalm then moves from this exhortations to praise God for His goodness to a warning against responding to God's goodness sinfully. The psalmist earnestly pleads against rebelling against God as did the generation of Israel which wandered in the wilderness. Though this generation had seen God's wonders in the ten plagues upon Egypt and in the crossing of the Red Sea, yet they complained bitterly against God when they were thirsty (Exodus 17:1-7). God traces that generation's sin to sinful hearts which did not understand and appreciate the way in which God was caring for them. As a judgment, that generation, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, died in the wilderness without ever enjoying the rest of the promised land flowing with milk and honey. The book of Hebrews comments on this psalm as a warning against the sin of apostasy (Hebrews 4:7). |
| Psalm 96 | The 96th Psalm is another call to praise God. Words very similar to this psalm were used on the occasion of David's bringing the ark to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 16). The psalm calls the whole earth to sing God's praise. Singing a new song does not refer to singing a new composition but to singing God's praise anew, especially on some new occasion which calls attention to God's glory. The psalm refers to God's delivering or saving His people from some calamity. The occasion for the writing of this psalm may have been a monumental deliverance, but there is reason for praising God for salvation every day. This psalm anticipates the New Testament Great Commission with its call for all the nations to worship God as their God, King and Judge. The living and true God is without peer because the idols of the nations are either imaginary beings or demonic powers. The psalm ends with a call for all creation to join in praising God as the coming righteous Judge. |
| Psalm 97 | The 97th Psalm calls the whole earth to praise God as King. In His incomprehensible divinity, God is hidden by dark clouds. His rule is so based on what is right that all His judgments are just. Those who dare to oppose Him are consumed by fire. God's glory is displayed through lightening, molten mountains and heavenly displays. Yet some are blind to the obvious and turn to the emptiness of idols. These will be shamed, but Zion rejoices in God's just and sovereign rule in history. Those who truly love the Lord hate evil and rejoice with thanksgiving in God's delivering them from the wicked. |
| Psalm 98 | A few statements in the psalm are quotations from Isaiah 40-66. These chapters, written before the Babylonian exile, prophesied Israel's national deliverance from the Babylonian exile. This psalm may have been written to praise God at the time of that deliverance. The singing of a new song refers to a new occasion calling for the praise of God. Remembering His covenant loyalty, God has done a marvelous thing and has won a great victory in the sight of all nations. The psalm calls upon all the earth to praise God using every type of musical instrument and voice, even the voices of the sea, rivers and mountains. The psalm ends by noting that God, who judges righteously, is coming to judge the world. This is accomplished partially through visitations of judgment within history and perfectly through the final judgment at the end of the age. |
| Psalm 99 | Psalm 99 is a psalm which praises God as King. This psalm stresses respectful awe in response to God's kingship. The psalm can be divided into three parts, each of which ends with a statement about God's holiness. The first section praises God for His majestic greatness (vv. 1-3). The second section praises God for His justice and equity (vv. 4-5). The third section praises God for His interaction in history with Moses ,Aaron and Samuel, three men of prayer (vv. 6-8). God answered their prayers, forgave their sins and yet also chastised them as needed. The psalm ends with a final call to praise God because He is the Holy One, because He is God and because He is our Lord (v. 9). |
| Psalm 100 | The 100th Psalm is a call to worship God in joy and with thanksgiving. The call goes forth to all the land, which is probably a reference to all the residents of the land of Israel. This psalm calls the covenant people to come through the gates of the temple into the courts of the temple, and there to serve God through corporate worship characterized by joy and thanksgiving. Two motivations for such worship are mentioned. First, God takes care of His people as a shepherd cares for his flock. Second, God is good, merciful and faithful and will remain so forever. |
| Psalm 101 | This is a psalm of David which describes the ideal rule of a king. The psalm begins by praising God for His proper balance of mercy and justice as an example for rulers to follow. David then resolves to live an upright personal life in close fellowship with God and in deliberate isolation from wicked practices and people. David then explains his moral expectations for anyone involved in his administration. He wants as public servants the faithful who walk in integrity and not slanders, the haughty, deceivers and liars. Finally David states his judicial goal to use the trials held each morning to rid Jerusalem of evildoers. |
| Psalm 102:1-12 | Psalm 102 is a plea for help regarding both personal needs and the needs of the kingdom of God. The first two verses are a general plea for help. Verses 3-11 are a detailed list of personal problems. God already has all this information, but prayer is an opportunity to cast one's cares upon the Lord. The psalmist mentions the hot pain in his bones, his lose of appetite, his loud groans, his physical weakness, his insomnia, his social isolation and his approaching death. The psalmist attributes his misery to the anger of God and thus implies his own guilt and responsibility. In verse 12, the psalmist turns his focus to God, who not only exists eternally but maintains His sovereign rule eternally. |
| Psalm 102:13-22 | Psalm 102 is a plea for help regarding both personal needs and the needs of the kingdom of God. In verse 13, the focus turns from the individual to the city of Zion, Jerusalem. The psalmist, who loves the dust and stones of Jerusalem, is confident that the time for God to restore the city has come. This confidence is probably based on Jeremiah's prophecy that the Babylonian exile would last only seventy years. The rebuilding of Jerusalem in answer to the prayers of God's people will cause Gentiles to fear God and will inspire God's people to praise God for generations to come. Without mentioning the new covenant transition of the center of worship from the earthly Jerusalem to the heavenly Jerusalem, the psalmist looks ahead to the days of the new covenant when peoples from all nations will worship the LORD. |
| Psalm 102:23-28 | Psalm 102 is a plea for help regarding both personal needs and the needs of the kingdom of God. In verse 23, the psalmist turns to his own condition. He is physically weakened to the point the he fears he will die prematurely. He pleads with God for a normal span of life to devote to God's kingdom. He then meditates on the eternity of God. As Creator, God predates all of creation. All of fallen creation is slowly deteriorating, and will continue to do so until God remakes it as the glorified new creation. God, in contrast, remains the same and has no end. Although he will one day die, the psalmist takes comfort in the thought that God's people will never perish from the earth but will continue generation after generation. |
| Psalm 103:1-13 | In the 103th Psalm, David praises God from the heart not for any one particular blessing but for the multitude of God's blessings. People's tendency is to take these blessings for granted and to forget them, but David exhorts them to remember and to praise God in gratitude. People should remember both the negative things which God has delivered them from (their sins and diseases and destruction) and the positive things which God has given them (merciful love, good things, renewal). In verses 6-13, Davis exhorts Israel as a nation to praise God for the general blessing best exemplified by God's delivering them from the oppressive slavery in Egypt at the time of Moses. Through this national redemption, God showed His ways to Moses and Israel. In His patient love, God did not deal with the nation Israel as her sins deserved. God's mercy to them was as great as the heaven is high above the earth. God put away their sins as far as the east is from the west. God had pity on them as a father pities his child. |
| Psalm 103:14-22 | In the 103th Psalm, David praises God from the heart not for any one particular blessing but for the multitude of God's blessings. In verse 14, David praises God for His compassionate consideration of human frailty. David compares humanity to the grass which quickly withers when the hot desert wind passes over it. In contrast, God's faithful mercy upon His true people and their children is from everlasting to everlasting. David identifies God's true people as those who fear God and obey His laws, David concludes by noting God's universal dominion and calling upon all God's creatures to join him in praising God. |
| Psalm 104:1-12 | The 104th Psalm is a meditation on creation with a literary structure based on the days of creation described in Genesis chapter one. On day one, God created light and separated the day from the night. On day two God separated the waters above (clouds and vapor) from the water beneath (the watery deep). The first four verses of the psalm use these concepts in describing God's habitation above the heavens. Light is God's garment; the sky is a curtain by night; the beams of God's dwelling are anchored in the upper waters; the clouds are God's chariots, and wind and lightening are God's servants. On day three, God separated the dry land from the water. This is the background for verses 5 through 12. The watery deep covered the mountains, but then God caused the water to flee and the mountains to rise. God established the dry land as a solid foundation and set boundaries for the oceans. The psalmist then mediates on the glories of an earth with springs providing water for wild animals and for trees where birds nest. |
| Psalm 104:13-23 | The 104th Psalm is a meditation on creation with a literary structure based on the days of creation described in Genesis chapter one. On the third day, God separated the waters from the dry land, and covered the dry land with grass, herbs and trees. Psalm 104, verses 13-18 discuss the uses of these plants. On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon and stars. Psalm 104, verses 19-23 discuss the sun and the moon and contrasts the activities of night and day. |
| Psalm 104:24-35 | The 104th Psalm is a meditation on creation with a literary structure based on the days of creation described in Genesis chapter one. On the fifth day, God created the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The psalmist had already mentioned birds in his earlier commentary on trees. In verses 24-26, the psalmist comments on the creatures of the sea, great and small, including humans in ships. Verses 27-30 reflect on the dependence of all living creatures upon God. God provides food for them all. God also sovereignly administers their death and the procreation of new life. The psalm closes with praise for the God who produces awesome earthquakes and volcanoes, with resolve to praise God til death and with a prayer for the removal of the wicked from God's good creation. |
| Psalm 105:1-22 | Psalm 105 calls on the peoples of all nations to praise God because of His wondrous works in redemptive history from Abraham to Moses. Verses 6-15 praise God for the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the covenant, God promised them the land of Canaan when this seemed impossible because they were few in number and strangers in the land. When the patriarchs wandered in different nations, God protected them as His anointed prophets. Verses 16-22 praise God for God's use of Joseph to save the covenant people from famine. God sent Joseph to Egypt as a slave, and then delivered him from prison and made him second only to the Pharaoh in authority. |
| Psalm 105:23-45 | Psalm 105 calls on the peoples of all nations to praise God because of His wondrous works in redemptive history from Abraham to Moses. Verse 23 resumes the poetic rendering of redemptive history with Jacob's bringing his family to Egypt to escape the famine. The psalm then covers the growth of Israel in Egypt, the rise of the Pharaohs who knew not Joseph, God's sending Moses and Aaron as deliverers, the ten plagues, the exodus, the wilderness provisions (the cloud, the quails, the manna, the water from the rock), and the conquest of Canaan. God gave these blessings in fulfillment of His promises to Abraham and to enable Israel to live in accordance with His law. |
| Psalm 106:1-12 | Psalm 106 reviews redemptive history as a national confession of sins. The psalm begins with the thoughts that no one can praise God enough and that the blessed are those who obey Him. The psalmist then prays for God's help. The time may be shortly after the Babylonian Exile in that verse 47 prays for the return of God people scattered in heathen lands. The confession is stated in summary form in verse 6. The psalmist's ancestors sinned, and the sins of his generation are a continuation of their ancestors' ways. The psalmist goes on to confess that Israel did not appreciate God's mighty wonders in Egypt as an expression of God's mercy. Nor did they trust God but rebelled when God led them to the Red Sea. After God gave them total redemption from Egypt at the Red Sea, they finally believed and offered Him praise. |
| Psalm 106:13-31 | Psalm 106 reviews redemptive history as a national confession of sins. Today's verses mention five great sins committed between the Red Sea and Jordan crossings. The people quickly forgot God's mighty wonders in Egypt. Twice the people longed for their days in Egypt when they had meat to eat. (Ex. 16, Num. 11), This was the first great sin. God sent them quail both times and punished them with a plague the second time. The second great sin was the Korah rebellion (Num. 16). Korah, Dathan and Abiram rebelled against Moses and Aaron as God's leaders. The earth swallowed up the three leaders with their families, and fire consumed their 250 followers. The third great sin was the worship of the golden calf at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 32). Moses interceded for the people when God threatened to destroy them. The fourth great sin was Israel's refusal to enter the promised land (Num. 14). As punishment, the adults of that generation died in the wilderness. Their descendants were later scattered among the nations.The fifth great sin was the worship of a dead idol (Num. 25). God judged Israel with a plague, which stopped after Phineas executed a prominent sinner. This deed was accounted to Phineas as an act of personal righteousness which God will graciously reward. |
| Psalm 106:32-48 | Psalm 106 reviews redemptive history as a national confession of sins. Today's verses mention a sixth great sins committed between the Red Sea and Jordan crossings. This sin is recorded in Numbers 20, and it occurred near the end of the wilderness wanderings. Moses reacted to the complaints of the people in anger in a way which failed to give proper honor to God. Because of this sin, God did not allow Moses to enter the promised land. The next great sin is the failure of Israel to destroy the seven nations of Canaan. Because of this disobedience, the people of Israel intermarried with the Canaanites and adopted their religion, which involved the worship of demons and child sacrifice. Because of such sins, God judged Israel with the Babylonian exile. Yet God in mercy has heard their cry, and their captors had already started to show them pity (v. 46). This may be due to men such as Daniel holding high positions in the Babylonian government. The psalm ends with a prayer for God to deliver His people from exile and with an ascription of praise to God. |
| Psalm 107:1-16 | Psalm 107 begins with a song of thanks to God for restoring Israel as a nation after the Babylonian Exile (vv. 1-3). The Lord ransoms or redeems His people out of the Gentile lands and gathers them home from every direction. Following this introduction are three examples of the Lord's delivering people from desperate situations. These examples are significant in themselves, and they also serve as metaphors for God's delivering Israel from the Babylonian Exile. Each example ends with the same refrain: "Let them give thanks unto the LORD ...." The four examples of those whom God delivers are 1) a group lost wandering in the wilderness; 2) prisoners; 3) those afflicted with a life threatening illness; and 4) those on a ship hit by a terrible storm. The first two examples are included in today's verses, verses 1 through 16. |
| Psalm 107:17-32 | Psalm 107 begins with a song of thanks to God for restoring Israel as a nation after the Babylonian Exile (vv. 1-3). The Lord ransoms or redeems His people out of the Gentile lands and gathers them home from every direction. Following this introduction are three examples of the Lord's delivering people from desperate situations. These examples are significant in themselves, and they also serve as metaphors for God's delivering Israel from the Babylonian Exile. Each example ends with the same refrain: "Let them give thanks unto the LORD ...." The four examples of those whom God delivers are 1) a group lost wandering in the wilderness; 2) prisoners; 3) those afflicted with a life threatening illness; and 4) those on a ship hit by a terrible storm. The last two examples are covered in today's verses, verses 17-32. |
| Psalm 107:33-43 | Psalm 107 begins with a song of thanks to God for restoring Israel as a nation after the Babylonian Exile. Following this introduction are three examples of the Lord's delivering people from desperate situations. These examples are significant in themselves, and they also serve as metaphors for God's delivering Israel from the Babylonian Exile. The psalm ends with today's section, which is a list of examples of how the Lord brings down and raises up. The righteous observe God's providential control of history and rejoice. The wicked also observe in silence. The wise will heed these things and acknowledge God's kindness. |
| Psalm 108:1-6 | This psalm begins with a resolution to praise God which is very similar to a section of Psalm 57. Rather than the dawn's awakening him, David will awaken the dawn with his singing praise to God. David resolves to sing praises of God's dependable mercy to all the nations of the earth. Verse 6 is a prayer for merciful deliverance similar to Psalm 60:5. |
| Psalm 108:7-13 | |
| Psalm 109:1-12 | |
| Psalm 109:13-20 | |
| Psalm 109:21-31 | |
| Psalm 110 | |
| Psalm 111:1-4 | |
| Psalm 111:5-10 | |
| Psalm 112 | |
| Psalm 113 | |
| Psalm 114 | |
| Psalm 115 | |
| Psalm 116 | |
| Psalm 117, v1 | |
| Psalm 118:1-16 | |
| Psalm 118:17-29 | |
| Psalm 119:1-8 | |
| Psalm 119:9-16 | |
| Psalm 119:17-24 | |
| Psalm 119:25-32 | |
| Psalm 119:33-40 | |
| Psalm 119:41-48 | |
| Psalm 119:49-56 | |
| Psalm 119:57-64 | |
| Psalm 119:65-72 | |
| Psalm 119:73-80 | |
| Psalm 119:81-88 | |
| Psalm 119:89-96 | |
| Psalm 119:97-104 | |
| Psalm 119:105-112 | |
| Psalm 119:113-120 | |
| Psalm 119:121-128 | |
| Psalm 119:129-136 | |
| Psalm 119:137-144 | |
| Psalm 119:145-152 | |
| Psalm 119:153-160 | |
| Psalm 119:161-168 | |
| Psalm 119:169-176 | |
| Psalm 120 | |
| Psalm 121 | |
| Psalm 122 | |
| Psalm 123 | |
| Psalm 124 | |
| Psalm 125 | |
| Psalm 126 | |
| Psalm 127 | |
| Psalm 128 | |
| Psalm 129 | |
| Psalm 130 | |
| Psalm 131 | |
| Psalm 132:1-10 | |
| Psalm 132:11-18 | |
| Psalm 133 | |
| Psalm 135 | |
| Psalm 136:1-16 | |
| Psalm 136:17-26,3-4 | |
| Psalm 137 | |
| Psalm 138 | |
| Psalm 139:1-12 | |
| Psalm 139:13-24 | |
| Psalm 140 | |
| Psalm 141 | |
| Psalm 142 | |
| Psalm 143 | |
| Psalm 144 | |
| Psalm 145:1-10 | |
| Psalm 145:11-21 | |
| Psalm 146 | |
| Psalm 147 | |
| Psalm 148 | |
| Psalm 149 | |
| Psalm 150 |