3 Minutes 13 Seconds - Psalm 62

Psalm 62

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will all of you attack a man
    to batter him,
    like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
    They take pleasure in falsehood.
They bless with their mouths,
    but inwardly they curse. Selah
5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
    for my hope is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;
    my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
    pour out your heart before him;
    God is a refuge for us. Selah
9 Those of low estate are but a breath;
    those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
    they are together lighter than a breath.
10 Put no trust in extortion;
    set no vain hopes on robbery;
    if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
11 Once God has spoken;
    twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
For you will render to a man
    according to his work.

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The Psalms were meant to be sung, and sometimes the best way to experience a psalm is as a song.

This is from John Michael Talbot. Take the 3 minutes and 13 seconds to just sit and listen.

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Psalm 62 (Only in God)

Verse 1
Only in God is my soul at rest
In Him comes my salvation
He only is my Rock
My strength and my salvation

Chorus
My stronghold my Savior
I shall not be afraid at all
My stronghold my Savior
I shall not be moved

Verse 2
Only in God is found safety
When the enemy pursues me
Only in God is found glory
When I am found meek and found lowly

Chorus
My stronghold my Savior
I shall not be afraid at all
My stronghold my Savior
I shall not be moved
Only in God is my soul at rest
In Him comes my salvation

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From the Bible Project:

David meditates on how, in times of distress and instability, God himself is the only source of hope and rest. Whatever people may be plotting against him, their plans are ultimately temporary and transient. In contrast, God is likened to an unshakable rock to whom David can call upon in his pain and anxiety. So David chooses to simply wait for God to answer with loyal love.

As you read Psalm 62, what brings you the most comfort?

In what ways do you resonate with the idea of being in the midst of chaos but finding rest in God?

Take a moment to meditate on the idea of God as a refuge in the midst of chaos.

When You Feel Far Away from God – Psalm 61

Psalm 61

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.

1 Hear my cry, O God,
    listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
    that is higher than I,
3 for you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the enemy.
4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!
    Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Prolong the life of the king;
    may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
    appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8 So will I ever sing praises to your name,
    as I perform my vows day after day.

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This is a psalm for someone who feels far away from the Lord:

1 Hear my cry, O God,
    listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
    that is higher than I,
3 for you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the enemy.

Whom do you know who might be feeling far away from God today?

Use the language in this psalm to pray for that person. When David asks to be led “to the rock that is higher than I”, he’s asking for a help outside himself.

Who needs God to reveal himself to him today? Who needs divine assistance?

“Lord, please lead my friend to the rock that is higher than her.”

“With God We Shall Do Valiantly” – Psalm 60

Psalm 60

To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
    you have been angry; oh, restore us.
2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;
    repair its breaches, for it totters.
3 You have made your people see hard things;
    you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.
4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
    that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah
5 That your beloved ones may be delivered,
    give salvation by your right hand and answer us!
6 God has spoken in his holiness:
    “With exultation I will divide up Shechem
    and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet;
    Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin;
    upon Edom I cast my shoe;
    over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
    You do not go forth, O God, with our armies.
11 Oh, grant us help against the foe,
    for vain is the salvation of man!
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
    it is he who will tread down our foes.

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This is a psalm after a military defeat:

1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
    you have been angry; oh, restore us.

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God speaks:

 7 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet;
    Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin;
    upon Edom I cast my shoe;
    over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

The Lord is claiming all of Israel as his possession as he specifies geographic and tribal regions (Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah)—which means he will fight for Israel—and then states that he will also be victorious over Israel’s enemies (Moab, Edom, Philistia)—because he is the Lord of all the earth.

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About a thousand years later, the Apostle Paul would write this to the Christians in Ephesus:

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” [Ephesians 6:12]

Did you catch that?

Our fight is not ultimately against flesh and blood, but is a spiritual fight.

Two things:

1. The only way to fight spiritual problems is with spiritual weapons: PRAYER AND LOVE. Are you praying for our country and community today?

2. Don’t lose heart, but pray the final verse of Psalm 60:

“With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.”

All the spiritual foes of evil are fighting on borrowed time—the Lord is our strength:

“It is he who will tread down our foes”!

Bad Guys All Around – Psalm 59

Psalm 59

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
    protect me from those who rise up against me;
2 deliver me from those who work evil,
    and save me from bloodthirsty men.
3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
    fierce men stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
4  for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Awake, come to meet me, and see!
5  You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
    spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they come back,
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths
    with swords in their lips—
    for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you, O Lord, laugh at them;
    you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
    God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;
    make them totter by your power and bring them down,
    O Lord, our shield!
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
    let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath;
    consume them till they are no more,
that they may know that God rules over Jacob
    to the ends of the earth. Selah
14 Each evening they come back,
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.
15 They wander about for food
    and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your strength;
    I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
    and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress,
    the God who shows me steadfast love.

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“Psalm 59 declares loudly that we can tell God how we truly feel the enemies should be treated, but at the end of the day we are to praise God for protection, instead of taking retribution into our hands.  The one praying trusts that God will appear as the Creator and King of the world to provide justice for all.”--Beth Tanner

“Let Them Be Like a Slug Dissolved Into Slime” – Psalm 58

Psalm 58

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David.

1  Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
    Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
    your hands deal out violence on earth.
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
    they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
    like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
    or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
    tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
    when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
    like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
    whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
    he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
    surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

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This is a psalm of anger from someone who has been really hurt and oppressed by evil.

Remember, it’s important that we pray through these kind of emotions and get them out, otherwise the venom we feel will poison our heart.

When you are angry, pray angry prayers, and then trust that God is a perfect judge who will make all things right in the end.

I Will Awaken the Dawn – Psalm 57

Psalm 57

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
4 My soul is in the midst of lions;
    I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!
6 They set a net for my steps;
    my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8 Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

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I love Psalm 57:8:

“I will awaken the dawn!”

David has found himself (yet again) in great personal danger, with enemies all around. And yet, he still commits to praising God first thing in the morning!

Try it.

Danger and Difficulty Aren’t Going Anywhere – Psalm 56

Psalm 56

To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
    all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
    for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they injure my cause;
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk;
    they watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
    In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You have kept count of my tossings;
    put my tears in your bottle.
    Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
    in the day when I call.
    This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?
12 I must perform my vows to you, O God;
    I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
    yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
    in the light of life.

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Danger and difficulty will never go away until the Lord himself returns.

This is a fact that the Bible acknowledges over and over. In Psalm 56, e.g., David finds himself attacked yet again by vicious enemies:

5 All day long they injure my cause;
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk;
    they watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.

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Who or what are your enemies today? What are you afraid of? What do you dread?

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The Bible acknowledges that danger and difficulty are ever-present, but it also tells us something more important:

God is for us, and if God is for us, who can be against us?

Here’s how David puts it in Psalm 56:9:

“This I know, that God is for me.”

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What if you were CERTAIN that God was with you today?

What if you were CERTAIN that God was for you?

What if you were CERTAIN that God was with his church?

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THE GOOD NEWS?

HE IS.

(And anything else is a lie.)

What Do You Need to Hand Over Today? – Psalm 55

Psalm 55

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.

1 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
    and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
    I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
3 because of the noise of the enemy,
    because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me,
    and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me;
    the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
    and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest;
7 yes, I would wander far away;
    I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter
    from the raging wind and tempest.”
9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues;
    for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it
    on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
    do not depart from its marketplace.
12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
    then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—
    then I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man, my equal,
    my companion, my familiar friend.
14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God's house we walked in the throng.
15 Let death steal over them;
    let them go down to Sheol alive;
    for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
16 But I call to God,
    and the Lord will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
    I utter my complaint and moan,
    and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety
    from the battle that I wage,
    for many are arrayed against me.
19 God will give ear and humble them,
    he who is enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not change
    and do not fear God.
20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends;
    he violated his covenant.
21 His speech was smooth as butter,
    yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
    yet they were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved.
23 But you, O God, will cast them down
    into the pit of destruction;
men of blood and treachery
    shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.

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Remember: the Psalms teach us to pray through our emotions. When we do so, we hand our emotions over to God and thereby we can learn to control our emotions and not be controlled by them.

The Psalms speak to the whole variety of experience, including the experience of being stabbed in the back by someone you trusted.

From today’s psalm:

12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
    then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—
    then I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man, my equal,
    my companion, my familiar friend.
14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God's house we walked in the throng.

If the psalmist keeps that bitterness inside, it will kill him!

If we keep the bitterness inside when we are stabbed in the back, it will also kill us!

But, when we give our anger and bitterness at our friends over to the Lord, eventually we will be able to say:

16 But I call to God,
    and the Lord will save me.

What do you need to hand over to God today?

God The True Judge - Psalm 54

Psalm 54

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

1 O God, save me by your name,
    and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, hear my prayer;
    give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen against me;
    ruthless men seek my life;
    they do not set God before themselves. Selah
4 Behold, God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies;
    in your faithfulness put an end to them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

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“In a world of violence and cruelty, it is hard to be confident that God will make it right. This psalm invites each reader to affirm its words and to share in the confidence of the one praying. The psalm opens with cries lifted to God’s character—the power of God’s name and the belief that God will judge the world and make it right. The psalm ends with more confidence that God will do exactly as God has done in the past. The last line, which may be unsettling, reminds us of God’s care of the least of the world and how Jesus promises to lift the lowly and humble the haughty. There are many powers in this world that try to thwart the purposes of God’s kingdom of justice, and those same powers have taught Christians to be docile and polite because Jesus loved his enemies. Yet Christians throughout the centuries have risen up against those powers for the very sake of God’s kingdom. Justice may be delayed, but justice is the end result. Those who live to harm others will eventually have to face up to how they have chosen to live their lives.”—Beth Tanner

Pascal's Wager - Psalm 53

Psalm 53

To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.

1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
    there is none who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven
    on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
    who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away;
    together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
    not even one.
4 Have those who work evil no knowledge,
    who eat up my people as they eat bread,
    and do not call upon God?
5 There they are, in great terror,
    where there is no terror!
For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
    you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When God restores the fortunes of his people,
    let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

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Psalm 53 is almost identical to Psalm 14; both psalms begin the same way:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

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Are you familiar with Pascal’s Wager? It’s a brilliant reason to believe.

[The text below can be found here.]

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It's important always to remember Pascal's project of trying to provide a defense of Christiantiy. Part of the crowd that Pascal hung around with before his conversion did all the things he later identified as diversion: hunting, partying, but especially gambling. Pascal himself is often credited with inventing roulette. So it's not surprising that he uses the device of a wager to try to convince people, who are already gambling, to take a chance on God. That is, if you want to make a point to a gambler, put it in the form of a bet. That'll at least get their attention and disturb their indifference. 

Pascal begins by presenting a decision. Either a person will choose to believe or she will not (there are only two possibilities). As for the way things are, either the God whom Christians worship exists or that God does not (there are only two possibilities). Pascal thought that reason by itself cannot help you decide which path to follow. And in light of this, and the two choices listed above, Pascal asks 'how will you wager?' And note that we have to wager. We can't just not play the game at all. Pascal thinks that by the way each of us is already leading our lives, we are all already making a bet one way or the other. As he says, "There is no choice, you are already committed." He continues, "A coin is being spun which will come down heads or tails. How will you wager? Reason cannot make you choose either, reason cannot prove either wrong."  

If we have to bet, then, how shall we decide? Well, says Pascal, let's look at the possible payoffs (that's just what gamblers do, after all). 

—If God REALLY exists, and we believe (= bet that God exists), we have an infinite gain (heaven).

—If God REALLY exists, and we don't believe that, then we have the potential of an infinite loss (hell, or at least eternal separation from God).

—If God really does NOT EXIST, and we believe that God exists, we essentially lose nothing.

—If God really does NOT EXIST, and we believe that God doesn't exist, we essentially gain nothing.

This can be represented in a table as follows: 

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There are really two other versions of this wager in Paragraph 418, but they just build on the point made above that if one has to bet (and we do), then it's always more rational to wager on an infinite gain. An infinite gain will always outweigh even a finite loss or gain. Therefore, it's always more rational to bet that God exists. As Pascal says, if you wager and win, "you will win everything." 

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Pretty interesting stuff, huh? —Andrew

I'm Like A Green Olive Tree - Psalm 52

Psalm 52

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

1 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
    The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
2 Your tongue plots destruction,
    like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good,
    and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
4 You love all words that devour,
    O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever;
    he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
    he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous shall see and fear,
    and shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “See the man who would not make
    God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches
    and sought refuge in his own destruction!”
8 But I am like a green olive tree
    in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
    forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever,
    because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
    in the presence of the godly.

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I like to latch onto specific images in the psalms, which is why I really like verses 8-9:

8 But I am like a green olive tree
    in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
    forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever,
    because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
    in the presence of the godly.

Lord, make me like a green olive tree!

I'm the Problem (Not Other People) - Psalm 51

Psalm 51

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
    O God of my salvation,
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
    build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
    in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

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We like to blame other people for the world’s problems.   But one of the problems with finger-pointing is that I always place myself in the company of the righteous and good while I tell other people they are the problem.  True confession, however, is only about me and only about us.  This is why the 51st Psalm is such a powerful psalm of confession. In the psalm, David makes it clear:

 I am the problem!

(The superscription gives us the context for the psalm: it was after David slept with Bathsheba—who was not his wife—and then had her husband Uriah killed to cover up the pregnancy.)

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We're 50 Days Into Our Psalms Reading Plan - Psalm 50

Psalm 50

A Psalm of Asaph.

1 The Mighty One, God the Lord,
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
    God shines forth.
3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
    before him is a devouring fire,
    around him a mighty tempest.
4 He calls to the heavens above
    and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
    who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
    for God himself is judge! Selah
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
    O Israel, I will testify against you.
    I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
    your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
    or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
    the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills,
    and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
    for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
    and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
16 But to the wicked God says:
    “What right have you to recite my statutes
    or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline,
    and you cast my words behind you.
18 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
    and you keep company with adulterers.
19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
    and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
    you slander your own mother's son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
    you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,
    lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
    to one who orders his way rightly
    I will show the salvation of God!”

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Today we read Psalm 50.

Since Easter Monday, we’ve read one psalm a day, and now we’re 1/3 of the way through. (There are 150 psalms, and we’re scheduled to finish in September.)

Whether you’ve read every psalm so far or none of them:

It’s time to reset and restart.

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I strongly believe that the most important thing you can do in your life is to develop the habit of spending the first 15 minutes of every day in silence, prayer, and scripture.

With our Psalms reading plan, this cannot be any easier:

Read one psalm every day.

Some days you’ll get a lot out of it, some days you won’t. Guess what—it doesn’t matter. Just read your psalm, pray a bit, and then sit in silence. That’s it.

The power of the First 15 is not about any particular day, but the culmination of many days.

Out of the last 7 days, how many have you begun in this way?

It’s time to reset.

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Consistency is more important than intensity.

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It’s the habit that matters more than anything.

Don’t overthink it.

Remember: consistency is more important than intensity.

As Michael Scott would say, “JUST DO IT.”

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Let’s claim the promise in v. 23:

 “to one who orders his way rightly
    I will show the salvation of God!”

Order your life; commit your first few minutes of every day to the First 15.

Great things will happen!

Memento Mori - Psalm 49

Psalm 49

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Hear this, all peoples!
    Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high,
    rich and poor together!
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
    I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,
    when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth
    and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly no man can ransom another,
    or give to God the price of his life,
8 for the ransom of their life is costly
    and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
    and never see the pit.
10 For he sees that even the wise die;
    the fool and the stupid alike must perish
    and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever,
    their dwelling places to all generations,
    though they called lands by their own names.
12 Man in his pomp will not remain;
    he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence;
    yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
    death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.
    Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
    for he will receive me. Selah
16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
    when the glory of his house increases.
17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
    his glory will not go down after him.
18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed
    —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,
    who will never again see light.
20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

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Like Ecclesiastes, the 49th Psalm is a reminder that life is short and death is coming for us all, rich and poor, righteous and unrighteous alike.

“For he sees that even the wise die;
    the fool and the stupid alike must perish
    and leave their wealth to others.”
Psalm 49:10

Life Is Short, So Therefore Be Grateful For Every Breath God Gives You Today.

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But Psalm 49 “brings out into the open the assurance of victory over death which Ecclesiastes leaves concealed. The great But God… (15) is one of the mountaintops of Old Testament hope.” —Derek Kidner

Here’s the verse Professor Kidner is referencing:

“But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.”
Psalm 49:15

Life Is Short and Death is Coming, But God Raises the Dead!

Be Hopeful Today.

With Our Own Eyes - Psalm 48

Psalm 48

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
    in the city of our God!
His holy mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation,
   is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
   the city of the great King.
3 Within her citadels God
   has made himself known as a fortress.
4 For behold, the kings assembled;
   they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
   they were in panic; they took to flight.
6 Trembling took hold of them there,
   anguish as of a woman in labor.
7 By the east wind you shattered
   the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
   in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
   which God will establish forever. Selah
9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,
   in the midst of your temple.
10 As your name, O God,
   so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad!
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
   because of your judgments!
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
   number her towers,
13 consider well her ramparts,
   go through her citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
14 that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
   He will guide us forever.

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This is victory psalm, a song of celebration because the Lord has delivered Jerusalem from his enemies.

One phrase in particular stuck out to me:

“As we have heard, so have we seen” [Psalm 48:8].

In other words, we’d heard about what you have done in the past, Lord, but now we’ve actually seen it with our own eyes.

I think we should pray the same thing for our lives.

“Lord, help us to see cool stuff in our own time.”

TODAY, LORD!

Literally Do This Today - Psalm 47

Psalm 47

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Clap your hands, all peoples!
    Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
    a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us,
    and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us,
    the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
5 God has gone up with a shout,
    the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
    Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
    sing praises with a psalm!
8 God reigns over the nations;
    God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather
    as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
    he is highly exalted!

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Let’s take the first line of Psalm 47 literally:

“Clap your hands, all peoples!
    Shout to God with loud songs of joy!“

Seriously. Try it!  Give the Lord a SHOUT of praise.

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Standing Still When the Earth Moves Around You - Psalm 46

Psalm 46

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

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To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

Even if the earth itself is overwhelmed by the sea, even if there is no foundation any more, we still trust in God.

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 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

From the chaos of the surging ocean, overwhelming the land as a result of a great earthquake, the psalmist now moves to describing a beautiful river bringing life and flowing through the ideal Jerusalem.  The psalmist knows that God will protect his city, and that at the sound of God’s voice his enemies are defeated.  More than the city walls, it is God himself who is its protection.

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 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.

The psalmist imagines the battlefield after God’s victory—his power is incomparable.

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10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 

So, in light of all of the above, sit quietly with this truth and be not afraid!

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“In the midst of our tumultuous, chaotic modern world, Psalm 46 reminds us that God can calm the raging seas and the trembling mountains and turn them to rivers of life and calm dwelling places.  All that is required of us is that we stand still and acknowledge the God who is with us.”--Nancy deClaissé-Walford

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A Poem for an Ancient Hebrew Wedding - Psalm 45

Psalm 45

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah; a love song.

1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
    I address my verses to the king;
    my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
    grace is poured upon your lips;
    therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
    in your splendor and majesty!
4 In your majesty ride out victoriously
    for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
    let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp
    in the heart of the king's enemies;
    the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
    The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
    at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
    forget your people and your father's house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.
12 The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
    the richest of the people.
13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
    with her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
     as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
     you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
     therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

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The 45th Psalm is a psalm composed for a royal wedding in Jerusalem. It’s fun to imagine what it must have been like to see one of the descendants of David take his bride and ascend to the throne.

Marriage is everything—we are who we are because of the marriages of the people who came before us. Some were happy and some were unhappy, but all shaped us.

Whose marriage can you pray for today?

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When You Are Innocent But Still Suffer - Psalm 44

Psalm 44

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.

1 O God, we have heard with our ears,
    our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
    in the days of old:
2 you with your own hand drove out the nations,
    but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
    but them you set free;
3 for not by their own sword did they win the land,
    nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
    and the light of your face,
    for you delighted in them.
4 You are my King, O God;
    ordain salvation for Jacob!
5 Through you we push down our foes;
    through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
6 For not in my bow do I trust,
    nor can my sword save me.
7 But you have saved us from our foes
    and have put to shame those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted continually,
    and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
9 But you have rejected us and disgraced us
    and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You have made us turn back from the foe,
    and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter
    and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle,
    demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
    the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
    a laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
    and shame has covered my face
16 at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
    at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us,
    though we have not forgotten you,
    and we have not been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
    nor have our steps departed from your way;
19 yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
    and covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God discover this?
    For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
    Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!
24 Why do you hide your face?
    Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
    our belly clings to the ground.
26 Rise up; come to our help!
    Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!

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“The words of the psalm suggest that the people have gathered together in a sanctuary or in Jerusalem to cry out to God about a situation of grave danger—a military attack, political persecution, or some unjust action against them.  The speakers of Psalm 44 alternate between the gathered people and a leader in their midst who praise God for God’s goodness and recount God’s provisions to the ancestors of Israel; move on to declare their innocence to God in the face of the current circumstances; call God to account for what is happening—that is, accuse God of not remembering the covenant with them; and finally offer a concluding prayer to God….”

“Psalm 44 is unique… because in it the gathered congregation declares its absolute innocence before the Lord and claims that its suffering and shame are undeserved.” --Nancy deClaissé-Walford

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To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.

The “sons of Korah” served as Temple staff and singers during the reigns of David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 6:31-31).  A “maskil” is probably some sort of teaching song, and the superscription “to the choirmaster” tells us that this psalm was used in Israelite worship.

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1  O God, we have heard with our ears,
our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
2   you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
3   for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm save them,       
but your right hand and your arm,
and the light of your face,
for you delighted in them.

The people recount what their ancestors told them of God’s mighty acts in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.

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4 You are my King, O God;
ordain salvation for Jacob!
5 Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
6 For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.

Rather than the whole congregation, now one leader sings and states that Israel’s true ruler is the Lord, and that it is he who provides their true strength.

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7 But you have saved us from our foes
and have put to shame those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah

The people praise God for his deliverance in the past.

And then the tone of the psalm changes….

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9  But you have rejected us and disgraced us
and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You have made us turn back from the foe,
and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.

 In spite of their commitment to the Lord, the people accuse God of abandoning them to their enemies.  The unasked question is, “Why?”

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15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
16 at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.  

The leader’s voice returns and speaks of his personal pain and shame.

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17 All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you,
and we have not been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way;
19 yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
and covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

The people claim to be innocent and bewildered at their circumstances.  “God, if we’d done bad things, we’d understand, but as it is we’ve done nothing, and yet this is still the way you treat us, like sheep to be slaughtered?”

(Paul quotes from v. 22 in Romans 8:36, when he is writing about how even persecution is not stronger than the love of Christ.)

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23 Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!
24 Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
our belly clings to the ground.
26 Rise up; come to our help!
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! 

The people close the song shouting to God: “Wake up!  Do something!”

 I’m reminded of the disciples waking Jesus in the stern of the boat as the storm builds on the Sea of Galilee.  “Rabbi, don’t you care that we’re about to drown?!”

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I like how Nancy deClaissé-Walford closes her remarks on this psalm:

 “Psalm 44 gives the reader a wonderful glimpse into a liturgy of ancient Israelite worship.  People and leader gather at the temple or sanctuary and alternate their voices as they cry out to the Lord, protesting their innocence in the face of a grave danger and demanding that the Lord act on their behalf….  They base their pleas on the bold, blunt accusation that God has, for absolutely no reason, withheld his power, failed to rescue them, and did not even inform, them of their wrongs because (so they claim) there were none.  Theologically, their song appeals to God’s character and voices the common experience of believers of God’s mysterious ways.

 “Every person will have an experience of feeling unjustly punished at some point in life.  And every believer will question God concerning justice at some point in life.  The words of Psalm 44 affirms that God invites believers to cry out, ask questions, reflect on our own faithfulness, and call God to account for what is happening in our lives.  And while answers may elude us, we may affirm, along with the psalmist, that God’s hesed [i.e., his steadfast, covenant faithfulness and long-suffering kindness] is the compelling reason for us to be confident that, in the end, God will redeem us and be a help for us.” --Nancy deClaissé-Walford

Vindicate Me - Psalm 43

Psalm 43

1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
   against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
   deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
   why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
   because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 Send out your light and your truth;
   let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
   and to your dwelling!
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
   to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
   O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
   and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
   my salvation and my God.

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Just as in Psalm 42, Psalm 43 closes with a stubborn statement of hope:

“Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
My salvation and my God.”

 I also love what the psalmist is asking for:

“Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me.”

 I’d like to be led by light and truth today.  What about you?