This book is the second in a series of reflections on the Psalms. All 150 Psalms were initially produced in audio form for people on the move. It isn’t always possible to sit down in a quiet place to read, reflect, and talk to God about his work. The audio series was for people who liked to listen while driving or while preparing for sleep at night. This series is for everyone else. We are producing them in small packages for convenience. They can be carried in your briefcase or purse to read on a plane, or while you are in a doctor’s waiting room.
There is room for you to jot your own reflections in the margins, and I hope you will share some of them with me when you can. The Psalms are such a rich source of the thoughts of men of God. They touch us, because we have some of the same fears, the same hurts, the same loves. I have learned much from these Psalms. I pray you will too.
Ronald Dart
P.O. Box 560
Whitehouse, Texas, 75791
ron@borntowin.net
Psalm 19
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament shows his handiwork.
Day after day utters speech,
and night after night shows knowledge.
There is no speech nor language,
where their voice is not heard.
4
Their line is gone out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them has he set a tent for the sun,
which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
and rejoices as a strong man to run a race.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven,
and his circuit unto the ends of it:
and there is nothing hid from the heat of it.
7
The law of the LORD is perfect,
converting the soul:
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple.
The statutes of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart:
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring for ever:
the judgments of the LORD are true
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
yea, than much fine gold:
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is your servant warned:
and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12
Who can understand his errors?
cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me:
then shall I be upright,
and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart,
be acceptable in your sight, O LORD,
my strength, and my redeemer.
________________________________________________
I think this Psalm may have formed the basis for something Paul said about those who refuse to acknowledge the witness of creation.
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20 NIV).
“There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” No one can claim that he doesn’t understand a sunset, the night sky, a sunrise. There is no need for a gift of tongues, although the poetic gift might be helpful. But the creation itself speaks all languages and has a poetry all its own.
This Psalm is an interesting study in Hebrew poetic form. There are three couplets in the first three verses. A couplet is two parallel lines of verse that form a unit. They are common in Hebrew poetry, and say the same thing in different words. Recognizing a couplet is often helpful in understanding what a doubtful word means. For example, the first two lines demonstrate that “the heavens” and “the firmament” are synonyms. At the end of the first stanza, “line” corresponds with “words,” suggesting a line that is spoken. Watch for inverse parallelism, too, where a statement is contrasted with its opposite—you see that a lot in the Book of Proverbs.
The psalmist is a great believer in the law. In the stanza beginning
with verse 7, he declares that the law is perfect, sure, right, pure,
clean, and true. But not just any law. Note the repetition of the divine
name, Jehovah.
It is a reminder in a society where other gods were
always intrusive. The laws of Baal, for example, permitted child
prostitution and child sacrifice.
In the same parallel section, he sings of the objectives of the law. In close succession, five synonyms for law are found: law, testimony, statutes, commandments and judgments. They are also categories or types of law. The word “testimony” is commonly used of the “Testimony of God,” the Ten Commandments. The inclusion of “fear” in this list of laws is puzzling until one realizes that a scofflaw does not reverence God. Respect for God sometimes finds expression in a respect for the law.
This stanza presents a nice parallel structure, and it should be easy to render musically. The first sentence might be rendered, “The law of the Lord is complete, changing the life.” And the purpose of the law is summed up in a short couplet:
Moreover by them is your servant warned:
and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Note well that even in the Psalms, the purpose of the law is not salvation. By the law, the servant of God is warned. It is a lamp to our feet and light to our path. It warns us off of harmful behaviors. The reason for rejoicing in the law is not only that it pleases God, but that the law gives us an edge in life. There is great reward in avoiding stupid mistakes.
Finally, there is an acknowledgment that we pray in two different modes. One by words from the mouth and the other by the meditation of the heart. This is an invitation to God to enter our most private thoughts:
Let the words of my mouth,
and the meditation of my heart,
be acceptable in your sight, O LORD,
my strength, and my redeemer.
________________________________________________
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
The LORD hear you in the day of trouble;
the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
Send you help from the sanctuary,
and strengthen you out of Zion;
Remember all your offerings,
and accept your burnt sacrifice;
Grant you according to your own heart,
and fulfil all your counsel.
5
We will rejoice in your salvation,
and in the name of our God
we will set up our banners:
the LORD fulfil all your petitions.
6
Now know I that the LORD saves his anointed;
he will hear him from his holy heaven
with the saving strength of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses:
but we will remember the name of Yehovah our God.
They are brought down and fallen:
but we are risen, and stand upright.
Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.
________________________________________________
I wonder if this is not a Psalm for David, rather than by David. Think of it as a priestly blessing upon David after his return from the exile forced by Absalom. Better yet, imagine it as part of an oratorio performed to celebrate David’s return.
The divine name, Yahweh, or Yehovah, depending on the vowel points, occurs three times in this Psalm. Rather than saying “we trust in the power of our God,” the Psalmist trusts in the name of Yahweh. It is fascinating to note how regularly the ancients used the name of God; it is especially noteworthy in the light of latter day practice of using the small caps LORD instead. Nowadays, there is little chance anyone will mistake who we are talking about, for in our culture, there is only one Lord. But in the ancient world, they were surrounded by gods with other names. The repeated use of Yahweh is an answer to the challenge of Baal, Chemosh, Moloch, Ashtaroth, and more.
But invoking the name of God is more than an oral formula. It is a right of those, and only those, who are in covenant with God. We who are in covenant with God are able to trust the relationship we have with him, because we are his family. Moreover, “set up our banners,” means roughly, “fly the flag.” It’s an identity thing. We fly the flag on the fourth of July declaring ourselves to be Americans. Israel flew the flags of each of the tribes in their march out of Egypt, but then they flew the flag of the Almighty from the day of their covenant forward. The analogy between Israel’s covenant with God and the covenant of marriage is strong:
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love (Song of Songs 2:3-4).
The bride leaves the flag of her father’s house, and now lives under the banner of her lover and husband. His shade protects her, his fruit feeds her, and his flag over her is love. So, “in the name of our God we will set up our banners,” means we fly our flags carrying his name. And the commandment “you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” becomes much more meaningful.
________________________________________________
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
The king shall joy in your strength, O LORD;
and in your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
You have given him his heart’s desire,
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
For you meet
him with the blessings of goodness:
you set a crown of pure gold on his head.
4
He asked life of you, and you gave it to him,
even length of days for ever and ever.
His glory is great in your salvation:
honor and majesty have you laid upon him.
For you have made him most blessed for ever:
you have made him exceeding glad with your countenance.
For the king trusts in the LORD,
and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
8
Your hand shall find out all your enemies:
your right hand shall find out those that hate you.
You shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger:
the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath,
and the fire shall devour them.
Their fruit shalt you destroy from the earth,
and their seed from among the children of men.
For they intended evil against you:
they imagined a mischievous device,
which they are not able to perform.
12
Therefore shalt you make them turn their back,
when you shalt make ready your arrows
upon your strings against the face of them.
Be exalted, LORD, in your own strength:
so will we sing and praise your power.
________________________________________________
A Psalm of effusive thanksgiving. But even here there are the ever present enemies. There are times in reading the Psalms that one gets the feeling that it requires some level of tension to generate the song, so many of them are written out of deep pain. This one is happy and upbeat, but the enemies still must be dealt with. Now, David is king, and the Lord’s enemies are his enemies as well. It is important to remember in reading this Psalm that David is a type of Christ, God’s anointed. It is a song Jesus could have sung the morning after his resurrection.
But the enemies of God are perpetual. In all generations, they are there. Thus Jesus said: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Whence arises this irrational hatred of God? I know that Jesus said, “they hated me without a cause,” but there must be a source for such visceral hatred as that displayed toward Jesus. We know that he was a threat to their power. Perhaps that was enough.
________________________________________________
To the chief Musician to the tune of
“The Doe of the Morning,”
A Psalm of David.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
why are you so far from helping me,
and from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you hear not;
and in the night season, and am not silent.
3
But you are holy,
you who inhabit the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in you:
they trusted, and you did deliver them.
They cried unto you, and were delivered:
they trusted in you, and were not confounded.
6
But I am a worm, and no man;
a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
All they that see me laugh me to scorn:
they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him:
let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9
But you are he that took me out of the womb:
you made me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
I was cast upon you from the womb:
you are my God from my mother’s belly.
11
Be not far from me; for trouble is near;
for there is none to help.
Many bulls have compassed me:
strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
They open wide their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint:
my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15
My strength is dried up like a potsherd;
and my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
and you have brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have compassed me:
the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me:
they pierced my hands and my feet.
I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
They part my garments among them,
and cast lots upon my vesture.
19
But be not you far from me, O LORD:
O my strength, haste you to help me.
Deliver my soul from the sword;
my precious life from the power of the dog.
Save me from the lion’s mouth:
for you have heard me from the horns of the wild bull.
22
I will declare your name unto my brethren:
in the midst of the congregation will I praise you.
Ye that fear the LORD, praise him;
all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him;
and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
For he has not despised nor abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted;
neither has he hid his face from him;
but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25
My praise shall be of you in the great congregation:
I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
The meek shall eat and be satisfied:
they shall praise the LORD that seek him:
your heart shall live for ever.
27
All the ends of the world
shall remember and turn to the LORD:
and all the kindred of the nations
shall worship before you.
For the kingdom is the LORD’s:
and he is the governor among the nations.
29
All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship:
all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him:
and none can keep alive his own soul.
A seed shall serve him;
it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness
unto a people that shall be born, that he has done this.
________________________________________________
This is one of the strongest messianic Psalms. It prefigures Christ, the Messiah, so profoundly that it has often found its way into some of the greatest Christian music, and straight into the gospel accounts. Compare the opening lines, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?” with this:
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is to say, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:45-46).
The opening also reflects Jesus’ last prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane. Verses seven and eight form one of the great recitatives and choruses from Handel’s Messiah, and it came to pass just like that:
Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God” (Matthew 27:41-43).
“I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” Compare that lament with John’s account:
Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which says, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did (John 19:23-24).
I can only wonder how David himself thought of these words.
There were times in his life when he was beset by enemies and
subject to ridicule. And there were times when he felt utterly
forsaken. Could it ever have crossed his mind that he was going
through these trials as a type of one to come as the Savior of all
mankind? And how could he have foreseen a day when all the ends
of the earth would come to worship God? Of course, David was a
prophet.
David allows us to see into his heart when he speaks of the dread and fear that came upon him: “My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.” The fact that we are afraid does not mean we lack courage. If we are not afraid, courage isn’t needed. David also gives us a glimpse into the heart of Jesus in Gethsemane. Jesus was afraid of what lay ahead and sweat blood over it. An angel came to strengthen him in that hour. Sometimes, all we can do is acknowledge our fear, grit our teeth, and face the challenge. Maybe we too can have an angel to strengthen us.
________________________________________________
A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures:
he leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul:
he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for you are with me;
your rod and your staff they comfort me.
5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies:
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
________________________________________________
This is everyman’s favorite Psalm, the most often memorized, the most often set to music. I can’t help thinking about the very real man who sat down and wrote this Psalm. I wonder what he would think of all the different ways it has been set to music.
I see this one written after a crisis is over (the valley of the shadow of death), and when everything is going well—perhaps about the time when David spoke with Nathan about building a temple?
I wonder how it might be written today. David knew well what it meant to tend sheep, so that is the way it was written. I don’t know how a person today who works in a cubicle on a computer might write this, for there is no resemblance at all to the relationship David describes. A shepherd is not an employer of sheep. He can’t even be accurately portrayed as a boss. A shepherd can be seen as a guide, a protector and provider, and that seems to be the way David sees his Lord. There is no fear in this Psalm, no dread of the Lord.
Rod and Staff: The Hebrew words imply a stick or a walking staff. Someone once suggested the rod was for correction or punishment, but that doesn’t work here. One doesn’t punish sheep. The stick can be for anything, including writing and fighting. A shepherd is, by David’s own account, required to fight for his sheep. Taken that way, the rod is definitely a comfort.
________________________________________________
A Psalm of David.
The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and they that dwell therein.
For he has founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the floods.
3
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD?
or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that has clean hands, and a pure heart;
who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity,
nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive the blessing from the LORD,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of them that seek him,
that seek your face, O God of Jacob.
(Pause.)
7
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.
Commentators say this Psalm is a commemoration of King David returning the Ark to Jerusalem. The opening of the gates of the city so the Ark can enter is like the everlasting doors to the city of God. Musicians were playing and David was dancing with everything he had in him. It must have been an incredible sight. Handel’s Messiah includes a great rendition of the last stanza, and serves as an indication of the musical nature of the Psalms.
The opening line “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it,” brings a question to mind. Can a man actually give anything to God? After all, the land we work, the silver we dig is his. One old hymn sings, “We give thee but thine own.” The idea is the basis for the tithe. We return a tenth to God, not as a gift, but as something of a royalty, an acknowledgment of all he has given to us. Malachi asks, “Will a man rob God,” going on to say that the withholding of the tithe is theft. People become very sensitive about preachers talking about money, but what part of our relationship with God is off base for a prophet?
________________________________________________
A Psalm of David.
Unto you, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
O my God, I trust in you:
let me not be put to shame,
let not my enemies triumph over me.
Yea, let none that wait on you be put to shame:
let them be put to shame which transgress without cause.
4
Show me your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me:
for you are the God of my salvation;
on you do I wait all the day.
Remember, O LORD,
your tender mercies and your lovingkindnesses;
for they have been ever of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions:
according to your mercy remember me
for your goodness’ sake, O LORD.
8
Good and upright is the LORD:
therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
The meek will he guide in judgment:
and the meek will he teach his way.
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth
unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11
For your name’s sake, O LORD,
pardon my iniquity; for it is great.
12
What man is he that fears the LORD?
him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
His soul shall dwell at ease;
and his seed shall inherit the land.
The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him;
and he will show them his covenant.
My eyes are ever toward the LORD;
for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16
Turn you unto me, and have mercy upon me;
for I am desolate and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged:
O bring me out of my distresses.
Look upon my affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
Consider my enemies; for they are many;
and they hate me with cruel hatred.
20
O keep my soul, and deliver me:
let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in you.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on you.
Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
________________________________________________
A strong and recurring theme in this Psalm is a prayer that God would teach us. I take a lot of comfort in that. God could as easily punish us as sinners, but the psalmist calls on God to teach us sinners concerning the way. And it is the meek who are in a position to learn, not the person who thinks he already knows it all.
Verse 11 is a prayer common to all the great men of God: “Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.” If you are reading the Psalm aloud as a prayer, it may come as a bit of a jolt. But that is only if you assume a righteousness of your own. What man is there who does not sin? The confession of sin is an essential step to getting right with God. It isn’t necessary to detail your sins to God, though, only that you acknowledge that you are a sinner standing in the need of forgiveness. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, one thing he included in the Lord’s Prayer was a daily acknowledgment that we are sinners.
The NRSV
renders verse 12: “Who are they that fear the LORD?
He will teach them the way that they should choose.” That is
comforting, because all too often we come to a fork in the road and
have no idea which way we should choose. But it isn’t that God will
choose the way for us. He will teach us how to make the choice, but
it is ours to take—and learning to make that choice is a process that
takes time.
“Let them be put to shame who transgress without cause”: Can there be a cause to justify a transgression? That seems doubtful, and yet, there is the example where David and his men ate the holy bread at the Tabernacle at Nob. Perhaps it is necessary at times to choose between the lesser of two evils while asking for God’s grace to cover the deed.
________________________________________________
A Psalm of David.
Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in my integrity:
I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.
Examine me, O LORD, and prove me;
try my reins and my heart.
For your loving kindness is before my eyes:
and I have walked in your truth.
4
I have not sat with vain persons,
neither will I go in with dissemblers.
I have hated the assembly of evildoers;
and will not sit with the wicked.
6
I will wash my hands in innocency:
so will I compass your altar, O LORD:
That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving,
and tell of all your wondrous works.
8
LORD, I have loved the habitation of your house,
and the place where your honor dwells.
Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
11
But as for me, I will walk in my integrity:
redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
My foot stands in an even place:
in the congregations will I bless the LORD.
________________________________________________
One wonders at David, or anyone else for that matter, being able to write this Psalm of themselves. “I have walked in my integrity, I have walked in your truth.” I wonder if he uses the word, integrity, in the sense of being whole, or unified. In the New Testament, Jesus calls for a man to be “perfect,” but the word used there, teleos, means “complete.” In neither case does it speak of man who is without flaw, but rather of one who “has it together.”
It occurs to me that perhaps this is not David’s own prayer but a song, representing the way a man ought to be able to worship. Visualize it being sung by a vocalist rather than prayed by David. It makes a fine prayer in the sense of “Lord, this is what I want to be.” This is especially true when you notice the call for mercy in verse 11. “But as for me, I will walk in my integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.” If a man were perfect, he would hardly need mercy.
A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
the LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes,
came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3
Though an host should encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear:
though war should rise against me,
in this will I be confident.
4
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
5
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:
in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
he shall set me up upon a rock.
And now shall my head be lifted up
above my enemies round about me:
therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
7
Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice:
have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When you said, Seek ye my face;
my heart said unto you, Your face, LORD, will I seek.
Hide not your face far from me;
put not your servant away in anger:
you have been my help;
leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me,
then the LORD will take me up.
11
Teach me your way, O LORD,
and lead me in a plain path, because of my enemies.
Deliver me not over unto the will of my enemies:
for false witnesses are risen up against me,
and such as breathe out cruelty.
13
I had fainted, unless I had believed
to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen your heart:
wait, I say, on the LORD.
________________________________________________
The psalmist says to us, “Be of good courage.” That may not speak so much to the way you feel as to what you do. Even the bravest men in battle know fear. But they fight as though they were not afraid. That is what courage is all about—overcoming the fear, not denying it. Truth is, if you aren’t afraid, you have no need of courage.
I’m not sure David is talking about how he feels. I think he is talking about what he intends to do. Faith is like that, you know. Faith does not involve knowing with certainty. If one knows, who needs faith? Rather faith is deciding to trust even in the absence of certainty. Faith is more about what you do than what you feel.
It is also worth remembering that David routinely asked God before he engaged in battle: “Shall I go up against them?” And if God said, “Go up,” then why should he have been afraid of the outcome? It occurs to me that we all too often don’t ask, we just do. There are two things I think about. One is that asking God, “What shall I do?” may not be the best question. Once, when I faced a major crossroads in life, I kept asking God to show me what to do. It finally occurred to me that God had shown me all he intended to show me. What he wanted from me was a decision. Still, it is good to ask, not “What shall I do?” but “Shall I do this?” Even then the answer may be, “You decide, I’ll be with you.”
One of the most encouraging things I have ever learned about God is that he wants us to participate in the decisions that affect our lives. There will be enough times when we have no choice. Whenever possible, he wants us to choose and learn. Paul hints at this when he speaks of the liberty we have in Christ Jesus: “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
________________________________________________
A Psalm of David
Unto you will I cry, O LORD my rock;
be not silent to me: lest, if you be silent to me,
I become like them that go down into the pit.
Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto you,
when I lift up my hands toward your holiest place.
3
Draw me not away with the wicked,
and with the workers of iniquity,
which speak peace to their neighbours,
but mischief is in their hearts.
Give them according to their deeds,
and according to the wickedness of their endeavours:
give them after the work of their hands;
render to them what they deserve.
Because they regard not the works of the LORD,
nor the operation of his hands,
he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
6
Blessed be the LORD,
because he has heard the voice of my supplications.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:
therefore my heart greatly rejoices;
and with my song will I praise him.
The LORD is their strength,
and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
Save your people, and bless your inheritance:
feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
________________________________________________
The godly man tends to be naive. When people speak peace to him, he thinks they mean what they say. But a warning is here for us: “Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts.”
Verse 6 presents a shift in perspective. Before, he asks, “hear the voice of my supplications.” Now he declares, “ Blessed be the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my supplications.” It is a statement of faith, being in the same prayer. Nothing has happened, but he has made his prayer toward God’s holiest place and he knows that God has heard it.
On the other hand, this is not merely a private prayer, but music for performance. One would expect a change in key or in mood as verse 6 begins. Verses 4-5 asks that the wicked get what they deserve “because they regard not the works of the LORD,” but verse 6 resolves into “Blessed be the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my supplications.” There are overtones here of Paul’s “Because they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.” It is not good to forget the works of God, so we recall them in prayer, in song, and in meditation.
A Psalm of David.
Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty,
give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name;
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
3
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters:
the God of glory thunders:
the LORD is upon many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
yea, the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes them also to skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
7
The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD makes the hinds to calve,
and discovers the forests:
and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
10
The LORD sits upon the flood;
yea, the LORD sits King for ever.
The LORD will give strength unto his people;
the LORD will bless his people with peace.
________________________________________________
The title of this Psalm could as easily be “The voice of Jehovah.” The repetition of the phrase is classic poetry, and it is easy to see how it could be set to music, perhaps even in counterpoint with two groups of singers. The composer may never have heard the voice of Jehovah himself, but the legends of that voice must have formed a powerful image in the minds of all the people. When God came down on Mount Sinai, the whole mountain shook and started to smoke. And when God spoke the words of the Ten Commandments, his voice rolled down the sides of the mountain and echoed into the distance. It must have been enough to weaken a strong man’s knees. It was powerful enough to break huge trees, and to send animals into labor. The Hebrew for “voice” is qowl, from a root that means “to call aloud.” This fits “The God of glory thunders,” but it is also the “still small voice” that Elijah heard (1 Kings 19:12).
The last idea in the Psalm, that Jehovah will give strength to his people is interesting in that it doesn’t specify Israel. “The People of God” seems to include more than merely a few tribes. In the time of Paul, there were many non-Jews who believed in God and rejected all idols. They had not gone so far as to be circumcised and to keep all the rituals of Judaism, but they did keep the commandments of God. They were called “God Fearers” by the Jews. Most likely, this is who God was talking about when he told Paul in a dream, “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not your peace: For I am with you, and no man shall set on you to hurt you: for I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10).
They may also be the “other sheep” Jesus mentioned, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16).
________________________________________________
A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David.
I will extol you, O LORD; for you have lifted me up,
and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried unto you,
and you have healed me.
3
O LORD, you have brought up my soul from the grave:
you have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his,
and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
For his anger endures but a moment; in his favour is life:
weeping may endure for a night,
but joy comes in the morning.
6
And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
LORD, by your favor
you have made my mountain to stand strong:
you hid your face, and I was troubled.
I cried to you, O LORD;
and unto the LORD I made supplication.
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?
Shall the dust praise you? shall it declare your truth?
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me:
LORD, you be my helper.
11
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing:
you have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
To the end that my glory may sing praise to you,
and not be silent. O LORD my God,
I will give thanks unto you for ever.
________________________________________________
Both the NIV and the NASB take the superscription to indicate that the Psalm is for the dedication of the Temple. I don’t think so, not so much because of the Hebrew, but because of the content. This is a very personal Psalm. It makes sense to take it, as the KJV does, as a dedication of the House of David. It might have been written at the time of the consolidation of the kingdom of Israel under David (see 2 Samuel 5:1 ff.).
“And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved”: Surely we can identify with this idea. As long as things are going well in our lives, we have a way of assuming that it will continue. Teenagers are prone to believe they lead charmed lives. They are strong, healthy, they can do anything. But then, God hides his face and we are troubled. This can mean that he doesn’t protect us from calamity as he did not for so many when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. At the personal level, it doesn’t have to be a punishment for wrongdoing. It can be merely a much needed reminder of our vulnerability and our need for God.
It is hard not to hear messianic overtones in this Psalm. “LORD, you have brought up my soul from the grave,” from sheol, the place of the dead. One can hear the disciples of Jesus singing this Psalm on the morning after his resurrection:
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing:
you have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
To the end that my glory may sing praise to you, and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto you for ever.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
In you, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:
deliver me in your righteousness. Bow down your ear to me;
deliver me speedily: be my strong rock,
for an house of defense to save me.
3
For you are my rock and my fortress;
therefore for your name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me:
for you are my strength. Into your hand I commit my spirit:
you have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
6
I have hated them that regard lying vanities:
but I trust in the LORD.
I will be glad and rejoice in your mercy:
for you have considered my trouble;
you have known my soul in adversities;
And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy:
you have set my feet in a large room.
9
Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble:
my eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing:
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and my bones are consumed.
I was a reproach among all my enemies,
but especially among my neighbours,
and a fear to my acquaintance:
they that did see me without fled from me.
12
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:
I am like a broken vessel.
For I have heard the slander of many:
fear was on every side:
while they took counsel together against me,
they devised to take away my life.
14
But I trusted in you, O LORD:
I said, You are my God.
My times are in your hand:
deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
and from them that persecute me.
Make your face to shine upon your servant:
save me for your mercies’ sake.
17
Let me not be ashamed, O LORD;
for I have called upon you:
let the wicked be ashamed,
and let them be silent in the grave.
Let the lying lips be put to silence;
which speak grievous things proudly
and contemptuously against the righteous.
19
Oh how great is your goodness,
which you have laid up for them that fear you;
which you have wrought for them that trust in you
before the sons of men!
You shalt hide them in the secret of your presence
from the pride of man:
you shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion
from the strife of tongues.
21
Blessed be the LORD: for he has showed me
his marvellous kindness in a strong city.
For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before your eyes:
nevertheless you heard the voice of my supplications
when I cried unto you.
O love the LORD, all ye his saints:
for the LORD preserves the faithful,
and plentifully rewards the proud doer.
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart,
all ye that hope in the LORD.
________________________________________________
It is easy to see why commentators see David as a type of Christ. This prayer of David fits perfectly as a prayer of Jesus in the dark moments of his life as a man. I say perfectly, although there is one place where it may not. David writes: “my strength fails because of my iniquity.” Jesus, of course, had no iniquity of his own, only our iniquities which he took on himself.
For some reason, the NIV renders the word, “iniquity” in this place as “affliction,” while the NRSV renders it “misery.” I suspect they made that choice because they saw the prayer as arising from Jesus’ affliction, but that is an unwarranted liberty with the Hebrew, avon. The word is the same in Isaiah:
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).
Seen as David, the Psalm is quite a picture of a pariah in society. A person who has done wrong, and who finds no pity, only slander and evil speaking. It is sad to say, but once a person who has been held in reputation falls, it doesn’t matter whether he has sinned little or much. Rumors will turn it into something even greater than it is. But it turned out that David was hasty in thinking God had cast him off.
Of all the emotions we struggle with in life, I think the most painful, the most dreaded, is shame. I hadn’t thought much about it until I began to encounter it in the Psalms. I can easily see David’s shame over his sin with Bathsheba. Once he knew that his sin was known, he must have been eaten up with shame. It’s funny that even when people know, they play a little game of not knowing and the sinner goes on his way thinking that no one has any idea. David’s servants knew, but they were non-persons and didn’t count. But when Nathan said, “You are the man,” that was just a little too much.
This is a Psalm worth reading twice. Once, as written by David. Once, as spoken by Jesus.
________________________________________________
A Psalm of David, Instructive.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputes not iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3
When I kept silence, my bones waxed old
through my groaning
all the day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me:
my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.
5
I acknowledged my sin unto you, and my iniquity have I not hid.
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD;
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
For this shall every one that is godly pray unto you
in a time when you may be found:
surely in the floods of great waters
they shall not come nigh unto him.
You are my hiding place; you shalt preserve me from trouble;
you shall surround
me with songs of deliverance.
8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shalt go:
I will guide you with my eye.
Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule,
which have no understanding:
whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle,
lest they come near unto you.
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked:
but he that trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous:
and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
________________________________________________
Something occurs to me in reading this Psalm. One of the key things about trusting God is trusting him enough to tell the truth about yourself. In a way, that seems strange. Doesn’t God know everything? One would certainly think so. And yet, the Psalmist sees value in ‘fessing up. This is not a matter of detailing every transgression, but of acknowledging your sinful state.
The Psalm starts with a forgiven man: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputes not iniquity.” But it has this little caveat at the end: “and in whose spirit there is no guile.” You can’t justify yourself or lie to yourself and be in this blessed state. Because before this forgiven state: “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my groaning all the day long, for day and night your hand was heavy upon me.”
The hand of God pressing on the conscience is a terrible thing. But then: “I acknowledged my sin unto you, and my iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” It isn’t a hard formula. Simple honesty. Plain confession. Complete forgiveness.
Did you notice the shift that starts at verse 8? Reading the Psalm as a piece of music, one would see a key change here. And I think we would do it with two soloists, one singing down through verse 7 and the other responding as God would respond. “I will teach you, I will guide you,” says the Lord, “but don’t expect me to jerk you around like a mule.” His guidance is always subtle, and often seen only in hindsight.
________________________________________________
Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous:
for praise is comely for the upright.
Praise the LORD with harp:
sing unto him with the lyre.
Sing unto him a new song;
play skillfully and fortissimo.
4
For the word of the LORD is straight;
and all his works are firm.
He loves righteousness and judgment:
the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made;
and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as an heap:
he lays up the depth in storehouses.
8
Let all the earth fear the LORD:
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spake, and it was done;
he commanded, and it stood fast.
The LORD brings the counsel of the heathen to nought:
he makes the devices of the people of none effect.
The counsel of the LORD stands for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah;
and the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
13
The LORD looks from heaven; he beholds all the sons of men.
From the place of his habitation
he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
He fashions their hearts alike;
he considers all their works.
16
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host:
a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
An horse is a vain thing for safety:
neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him,
upon them that hope in his mercy;
To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20
Our soul waits for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him,
because we have trusted in his holy name.
Let your mercy, O LORD, be upon us,
according as we hope in you.
________________________________________________
The world had to wait a long time before we got our musical scale. The psalmist only had the ten strings. But he said we should play skillfully and sing fortissimo—with all our heart. Don’t do your music for God half- heartedly. Practice, practice, practice. Sing from the diaphragm. And why not? Think of one who can merely speak the word and bring the universe into being.
“By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made.” I capitalize Word in this sentence because of what John said of the originator of creation:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:1-3).
“Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah.” In a world littered with gods of their own making, that nation is singularly blessed whose God is the real thing. The frequent use of the divine name in the Psalms is a reflection of Israel’s position in the midst of a host of gods, and nations who serve idols.
________________________________________________
A Psalm of David,
when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech;
who drove him away, and he departed.
I will bless the LORD at all times:
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the LORD:
the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4
I sought the LORD, and he heard me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked unto him, and were lightened:
and their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps round about them that fear him,
and delivers them.
8
O taste and see that the LORD is good:
blessed is the man that trusts in him.
O fear the LORD, ye his saints:
for there is no want to them that fear him.
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger:
but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
11
Come, ye children, hearken unto me:
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
What man is he that desires life,
and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile.
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous,
and his ears are open unto their cry.
The face of the LORD is against them that do evil,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
The righteous cry, and the LORD hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;
and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.
19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken.
Evil shall slay the wicked:
and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
The LORD redeems the soul of his servants:
and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
________________________________________________
The superscription that traditionally goes with this Psalm places it at the time when David pretended insanity before a king who might otherwise have killed him. David slobbered at the mouth and scrabbled on the gates of the city. The king decided he was crazy and drove him away.
“O magnify the LORD with me.” Although this expression has become familiar, not only in the Psalms, but also in modern praise music, the word “magnify” seems to have moved away from what the Psalmist is saying. The NIV uses “glorify,” which seems more to the point. Yet, the Hebrew is gadal, which means, “to make large.” I recall a book by J. B. Philips titled, Your God is Too Small. I have never read the book, but I love the title. Our God is bigger than any of us can imagine. So, I take “magnify the Lord” to mean that we should enlarge our thinking to understand just how big he really is, this God who can speak the Word and create a universe.
The Psalm seems a little disconnected, but it has one striking messianic line: “He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken.”
But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knows that he says true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken (John 19:33-36).
Now this raises an interesting question. Does John mean to say that the Psalm was a prophecy of Jesus’ death that was fulfilled, or does he mean that, for the promise of the Psalm to be true, Jesus’ bones could not be broken? After all, Jesus was the only man who could truly be called righteous.
________________________________________________
A Psalm of David.
Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me:
fight against them that fight against me.
Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.
Draw out also the spear,
and stop the way against them that persecute me:
say unto my soul, I am your salvation.
4
Let them be confounded and put to shame
that seek after my soul:
let them be turned back and brought to confusion
that devise my hurt.
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and
let the angel of the LORD chase them.
Let their way be dark and slippery: and
let the angel of the LORD persecute them.
7
For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit,
which without cause they have dug for my life.
Let destruction come upon him at unawares;
and let his net that he has hid catch himself:
into that very destruction let him fall.
9
And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD:
it shall rejoice in his salvation.
All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto you,
which deliver the poor from him that is too strong for him,
yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoils him?
11
False witnesses did rise up;
they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth:
I humbled my soul with fasting;
and my prayer returned into my own bosom,
unanswered.
I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother:
I bowed down heavily, as one that mourns for his mother.
15
But in my adversity they rejoiced,
and gathered themselves together:
yea, the smiters
gathered themselves together against me,
and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:
With hypocritical mockers in feasts,
they gnashed their teeth at me.
17
Lord, how long wilt you look on?
rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.
I will give you thanks in the great congregation:
I will praise you among much people.
Let not them that are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me:
neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
For they speak not peace:
but they devise deceitful matters
against them that are quiet in the land.
Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me,
and said, Aha, aha, our eye has seen it.
22
This you have seen, O LORD: keep not silence:
O LORD, be not far from me.
Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment,
even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
Judge me, O LORD my God, according to your righteousness;
and let them not rejoice over me.
Let them not say in their hearts,
Ah, so would we have it:
let them not say,
We have swallowed him up.
Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion
together that rejoice at my hurt:
let them be clothed with shame and dishonour
that magnify themselves against me.
27
Let them shout for joy, and be glad,
that favour my righteous cause:
yea, let them say continually,
Let the LORD be magnified,
which has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
And my tongue shall speak of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.
___________________________________________________
There is a lot in this great Psalm. We know nothing of the circumstances that produced it. Like so many Psalms, though, the singer is in a world of hurt and has more enemies than he knew. Many of the Psalms are not what I would call happy, but I think that may be one of the reasons people go to them in time of trouble, loss, heartache, sorrow. Because in the Psalms they find a kindred soul who knows what it is like to suffer shame, ridicule, and betrayal.
Now that I think about it, so does Jesus. He too suffered abject humiliation and shame:
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:14-15).
I pray that you will have few times in your life when you will need to pray this Psalm. I am glad it is here for you when you need it.
________________________________________________
“What is his name?” that was the question anticipated by Moses when he considered telling the Israelites in Egypt, “The God of your fathers hath sent me to you." The reply he got from the speaker in the burning bush was ambiguous: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
The Hebrew word for this name is Hayah, the first person singular of the verb, “to be.” It is ambiguous, because later God will speak of it in what seems to be a different term:
And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am Yahweh: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Yahweh was I not known to them (Exodus 6:2-3).
Why is the name "Hayah," in one place, and “Yahweh” in another? The answer is fairly simple. Names in Hebrew were conveyed in the meaning, not the phonetic or alphabetic construction. The difference is grammatical:
The Hebrew for this name is Yahweh . . . It means “He is” or
“He will be” and is the third-person form of the verb
translated “I will be” in v. 12 and “I AM” in v. 14. When God
speaks of himself he says, “I AM,” and when we speak of him
we say, “He is.”
Thus, he says Hayah, while we say Yahweh, giving us a clear example of the way Hebrew names appear (to the English reader) to change, when they mean the same thing in Hebrew. The divine name is simply the verb for existence. It is elsewhere developed in terms of past, present, and future.
In scholarly literature, the divine name is often called the “Tetragrammaton,” after the four consonants, YHWH, that form the name of God. The pronunciation of YHWH is in dispute, but in Hebrew, we have seen that it is the meaning of the name that is important, not the sound.
In English versions of the Bible, the divine name is usually rendered by the small caps LORD, but occasionally, it seems important to the translators to be more specific. Thus, when the first English translations were brought out in the 16th century, the name was occasionally rendered “Iehouah.” Later, “Iehovah,” and in the 1671 printing of the King James Bible, the name finally became “Jehovah.”
That is the commonly understood English name for Yahweh. The original pronunciation is lost to us, and we probably couldn't pronounce it correctly in any case. Many religious groups continue to use the form Jehovah, because it is familiar and because the correct pronunciation of YHWH is unknown.
When the New Testament writers cite the Old Testament, they usually follow the Septuagint and render YHWH, as Kurios, “Lord.”