I taught a 15 minute Bible study on Psalm 29 this morning; I’ve included the video below.
If you understand one small word, then the whole psalm opens up before you!
I mention:
thunderstorms;
the mountains of Lebanon;
and even the auroch, an extinct wild ox.
I love Psalm 29, and I hope you will, too. Let me know if you find the study helpful.
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Amen.
Take 5 minutes to sit still, breathe, and listen to “Psalm 27 (One Thing)” by Shane and Shane:
Provided to YouTube by catapultdistribution Psalm 27 (One Thing) · Shane & Shane Psalms, Vol. 2 ℗ 2015 WellHouse Records Released on: 2015-10-23 Auto-generat...
The psalmists talk about judgement all the time, and they seem to actually want to be judged!
C.S. Lewis has an excellent explanation for why this is—be sure to read the whole excerpt:
The ancient Jews, like ourselves, think of God’s judgement in terms of an earthly court of justice. The difference is that the Christian pictures the case to be tried as a criminal case with himself in the dock; the Jew pictures it as a civil case with himself as the plaintiff. The one hopes for acquittal, or rather for pardon; the other hopes for a resounding triumph with heavy damages. Hence he prays “judge my quarrel”, or “avenge my cause” (35, 23). And though, as I said a minute ago, Our Lord in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats painted the characteristically Christian picture, in another place He is very characteristically Jewish. Notice what He means by “an unjust judge”. By those words most of us would mean someone like Judge Jeffreys or the creatures who sat on the benches of German tribunals during the Nazi régime: someone who bullies witnesses and jurymen in order to convict, and then savagely to punish, innocent men. Once again, we are thinking of a criminal trial. We hope we shall never appear in the dock before such a judge. But the Unjust Judge in the parable is quite a different character. There is no danger of appearing in his court against your will: the difficulty is the opposite—to get into it. It is clearly a civil action. The poor woman (Luke 18, 18, 5) has had her little strip of land—room for a pigsty or a henrun—taken away from her by a richer and more powerful neighbour (nowadays it would be Town-Planners or some11other “Body”). And she knows she has a perfectly watertight case. If once she could get it into court and have it tried by the laws of the land, she would be bound to get that strip back. But no one will listen to her, she can’t get it tried. No wonder she is anxious for “judgement”.
Behind this lies an age-old and almost world-wide experience which we have been spared. In most places and times it has been very difficult for the “small man” to get his case heard. The judge (and, doubtless, one or two of his underlings) has to be bribed. If you can’t afford to “oil his palm” your case will never reach court. Our judges do not receive bribes. (We probably take this blessing too much for granted; it will not remain with us automatically). We need not therefore be surprised if the Psalms, and the Prophets, are full of the longing for judgement, and regard the announcement that “judgement” is coming as good news. Hundreds and thousands of people who have been stripped of all they possess and who have the right entirely on their side will at last be heard. Of course they are not afraid of judgement. They know their case is unanswerable —if only it could be heard. When God comes to judge, at last it will.
“This prayer is a model for those who suffer, particularly at the hands of others, to call on God to help them. It expresses a fundamental trust that God will indeed answer the prayer, in spite of the supplicant’s acknowledgement of sin. It speaks of an eagerness to learn more from God and to grow in relationship with him, based on the covenant.”
Remember Raiders of the Lost Ark? The Nazis want to get their hands on the Ark of the Covenant so that they will be victorious in battle, and only Indiana Jones stands in their way.
In real life, however, the Israelites did march into battle behind the Ark of the Covenant, and it seems that Psalm Twenty-Four was used as the victorious armies of Israel brought the Ark back up Mount Zion to the Temple—it is an entrance liturgy.
It’s a great psalm!
Of David. A psalm.
Like most of the psalms, Psalm 24 was used for hundreds of years in Israelite worship. So, though it comes from the time of David (before the Temple was built), it also clearly references the physical building of the Temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. A later poet must have adapted David’s original poem for use in Temple worship.
1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
The claim is total: every square inch belongs to the Lord, because he made it all.
The Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper put it this way: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
Remember that the Israelites pictured Creation beginning with the waters of chaos, out of which the Lord brings order and life, which is what the psalmist is talking about in verse 2.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
If this Lord—who made everything—is present in the Temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem (“the hill of the Lord”), then how could anyone possibly come close to him? The psalmist says that the people who should approach the Temple are ones who are morally upright.
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah
Now the perspective shifts to a procession entering the Temple gates.
The priest at the head of the procession shouts: “You gates, lift up your heads and be proud!”
The priest who is inside the Temple gates replies: “Who is the King that’s entering?”
The call and response continues until we know the answer:
“The Lord of hosts!”
(Remember, “hosts” is just an old-fashioned word for “armies.”)
P.S. There is a great hymn based on this psalm: “Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates.” [Hymn starts at the 1:00 minute mark.]
Lift Up Your Heads Ye Mighty Gates Sanctuary Choir Dr. Terry Morris, Director of Traditional Music John Gearhart, organist Jonathan Saint-Thomas, pianist Fir...
In nearly every hospital room and deathbed I’ve ever visited, I’ve recited the words of the Twenty-Third Psalm. I’ve found there is great value in the memorization of scripture, and I’d like to challenge you to learn this psalm by heart. Are you in?
[Note: I didn’t end up publishing a post yesterday on Psalm 22—I was just too tired on Sunday. Hope you forgive me!]
P.S. My son and I climbed the Munger belltower a few weeks ago—even children find comfort in knowing these words of David, the shepherd-king.
P.P.S. “Psalm 23” by Shane and Shane.
Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy) with lyrics by Shane & Shane Disclaimer: I do not own any right to music or video/images. --------------------------...
P.P.P.S. “House of God Forever” by Jon Foreman.
An alternative version of Psalm 23
I love this opening line of the Twenty-First Psalm:
O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices!
Like yesterday’s psalm, Psalm 21 is also a royal psalm—a prayer for the king.
Can you imagine the Israelite army stretched out for battle, singing and shouting these words? What a thrilling sight that must have been.
Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
AMEN. Happy Sunday, everyone.
This psalm was a royal psalm, a pre-battle prayer for the king. The first part is addressed to the king directly, and the 2nd part is about the king.
It’s stirring to think of Israelite warriors beating their shields, braiding their fierce beards, and boldly singing out this psalm before going to battle against the Philistines.
So I mean no disrespect when I say that this psalm strikes me as the ultimate source of greeting card best wishes. That is, so many of the lines would be just perfect to use when writing a note or sending a card to someone. To cite just one example (but be sure to read the whole thing—it’s great!):
May he grant you your heart's desire
and fulfill all your plans!
AMEN. Happy Saturday, everyone.
I texted an explanation of this beautiful psalm in my own words to a friend this morning, which I decided to share with you below.
Leave me a comment or send me a message and let me know if my explanation makes sense!
Looking at the skies, it’s as if they are filled with writing that is telling us about the glory of the Lord. All day and all night, you can read “GLORY” written there, even though nothing is actually “written” there. But, no matter where you go, you can still see the message.
In particular, the sun is glorious. It’s like he is a strong man waking up after his wedding day, and he delights to run his race and show his strength as he makes his way from East to West every day. Imagine a man coming out of his tent, stretching his shoulders and rejoicing at the new day.
And the heat of the sun is felt EVERYWHERE, searing every inch that is exposed to it, searching every crevice with its heat. Imagine the noonday heat of the sun in the desert, where there is no place to hide from its burning.
You know, that’s what the teachings of the Lord are like! It is pure and clean and bright. It makes things clear and shows them beautiful.
The law of the Lord is golden like sunlight and golden and sweet like honey.
The law’s light burns into me and shows me the things I had tried to hide.
Lord, please burn up anything dark and rotting in me, and make me clean!
I taught a 15 minute Bible study on Psalm 18 this morning, and I’m including the video below. A great psalm!
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lorddelivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
David spent years living as an outlaw in the wilderness being hunted by Saul. Though Samuel had anointed David king of Israel, it was a long time before that became a reality. This psalm is repeated virtually word for word in 2 Samuel 22, and it is the summary song of David’s life—he faced difficulties, but the Lord delivered him.
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
In the striking list of metaphors David uses for the Lord, the sense is that God is like his mountain stronghold. David spent much of his time on the run among the rocks and cliffs of the Judean wilderness.
“The horn of my salvation” is a common way of speaking of strength—imagine a bull’s horns—and David is saying that the Lord is the source of his power. All of these metaphors are martial in their sense.
These first 3 verses summarize the psalm: the Lord has saved me and been the source of my strength. When I called to him, he answered. The rest of the psalm will describe things in greater detail.
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
It’s like death itself was trying to pull him under, entangling him and dragging him into its open maw; it was like a great flood was trying to carry him below. (Water was terrifying for the Israelites—they were not a seafaring people—and floodwaters are a common image of death and chaos and destruction in the psalms.)
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
But the Lord heard David’s prayers in the Temple!
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
The other night here in Dallas we had one heck of a thunderstorm—the house shook and rattled as it moved through, just before midnight. There are few experiences in life in which you sense raw power in the way you do through a thunderstorm.
When the Lord hears David’s cries for help, his power rolls in like a thunderstorm! The winds are so great that even “the channels of the sea were seen”—i.e., the waters are pushed back and the sea floor exposed.
One quick point: a cherub was the most terrifying mythical animal that the people of the ancient middle east could imagine. They were pictured are guarding entrance to the divine. After the Fall, e.g., the Lord places cherubs (plural “cherubim”) at the entrance to the Garden of Eden, preventing Adam and Eve from returning.
![[A cherub was a terrifying figure.]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d70f59aefca59000162e4e6/1588246272303-YDDNZ80XN6YZACUHADMS/cherub.jpg)
[A cherub was a terrifying figure.]
16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
The Lord places David in a “broad place”. Makes me think of the “green pastures” and “still waters” of Psalm 23.
20 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
David knows he has been faithful, and he trusts the Lord’s promise: be faithful to me, and you will be blessed.
25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
David knows that the wicked and arrogant will get what they deserve.
28 For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
The Lord shows him the way, even in darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.43 You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
48 who rescued me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from the man of violence.
David knows that the source of any masculine strength he has or any martial prowess is the Lord. He uses image after image—a sure-footed deer on a cliff, strong fingers to bend a bow, great leaps—to exult in the strength the Lord has given him.
It’s a song of victory in battle—”I thrust them through”—filled with violent images, and throughout, David understands that the Lord is the source of his victories.
Reading this psalm, I am reminded of Whitman’s great line, which is how I imagine David exulting in the Lord’s victory:
“I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.”
49 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
50 Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.
The word “anointed” is the Hebrew word Messiah.
On the one hand, this is the great summary psalm of King David’s life: the Lord delivered me from mine enemies and gave me strength and victory.
On the other hand, this is a Messianic psalm—it’s about the ultimate King and Warrior, Jesus. He was pulled down into death, but the Father raised him up in the power of the Spirit and gave him victory over the Enemy. AMEN.
(Go back again and read through the psalm with Jesus as the protagonist. Powerful.)
Psalm 17 is a great psalm to pray if folks are lying about you and trying to hurt you with falsehoods. The psalmist knows he is innocent, but he still needs the Lord to fight for him and vindicate him. Sooner or later in life, you will be in that same situation—when you are, pray this psalm.
This is a beautiful psalm of confidence and joy, which I think is well-expressed in the video of the Shane and Shane song I’ve included below.
Don't forget to check out our other channel, God's Promises, for encouraging scripture videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt65yUYMcgVfVHfA3n9RNfg/about...
A miktam of David.
We don’t know what a “Miktam” is.
1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
A refuge is a fortress, a stronghold. What does it mean that God is a “refuge”? It means that no matter where you are, God can be a fortress for you.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
The psalmist uses the metaphor of receiving land as an inheritance to describe his blessings from the Lord. It’s like he’s received an excellent piece of property, with all the boundary “lines” being exactly where he would want them to be.
7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
The Lord is leading the psalmist and gives him guidance day and night. Even death is not to be feared—”Sheol” is the Hebrew name for the place of the dead. (Incidentally, the early Christian writers of the New Testament seized on v. 10 and saw in it a clear prophecy about the Resurrection of Jesus.)
After King David recovers the Ark of the Covenant from the Philistines, he eventually moves it to Jerusalem and sets it on Mount Zion, building a tent—the Tabernacle—over it. (You can read about it in 2 Samuel 6.)
Later, his son King Solomon builds the Temple in the same spot.
Psalm 15 is about what it means to enter into the Tabernacle/Temple; it’s a description of integrity.
My favorite part?
A person of integrity is so honest that he is the type of person who “swears to his own hurt and does not change”.
I also like the closing verse:
“The person who does these things shall never be moved.”
The practical atheist is not so much a person who flat-out rejects the idea of God, but rather a person who lives as if God doesn’t exist. It is that sort of person the psalmist calls a “fool” in Psalm 14.
For the director of music. Of David.
1 The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.
Because the fools don’t believe God will hold them to account, they behave in wicked ways.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
The Lord is searching for faithful people in the midst of a faithless generation—don’t these foolish people know that nothing is hidden from the Lord?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on the Lord.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.
People are being eaten up by the wicked, but God has not abandoned the poor and vulnerable—he is with them.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Zion is the little mountain on which the Temple was built in Jerusalem, and the Israelites liked to think of it as the Lord’s particular place. Jacob was the Old Testament patriarch who was renamed Israel; thereafter, the entire nation of the Israelites was often called “Jacob” or “Israel”.
Nearly all the psalms end, like this one, on a note of hope.
Be hopeful today! The Lord sees.
“Where are you, Lord? Are you even listening? How much longer will I languish here?”
Psalms 13 is another favorite from our new project, Psalms LIVE. Order Psalms LIVE on iTunes here: http://shane.cta.gs/0mf Watch the full concert here: https...
The Psalms help us pray through our emotions to the Lord. Ever felt forgotten by God? Ever been desperate? Psalm 13 comes from a place of desperation. [By the way, be sure to watch the video by Shane and Shane above—it’s a remarkable musical version of Psalm 13.]
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
The psalmist feels utterly alone—no one to counsel him, no one to encourage him. Worst of all, his enemies are thriving while he is suffering.
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
If the Lord doesn’t quickly respond, the psalmist won’t be able to persevere much longer and his enemies will gloat over his destruction.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Though there are more psalms of lament than psalms of joy—a fact which teaches us something important about the nature of life on this blue planet—almost all the psalms end on a note of confidence and joy. The psalmist knows that the Lord is faithful forever, and that those who put their trust in him will not be disappointed.
How can you rejoice today, right in the midst of your difficulties?
“Where have all the decent people gone?” That’s the question David is asking as Psalm 12 opens, and the rest of the psalm is his way of dealing with the problem.
To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
Remember, though many of the psalms were clearly used in Israelite worship, there are many musical terms we do not understand, and “The Sheminith” is one such example.
1 Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
Where are all the decent people? That’s what the psalmist is asking here. This psalm is 3,000 years old, and as current as this morning’s headlines. Some things never change.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
Part of the problem is just a general dishonesty between people, says the psalmist.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
People are also arrogant and believe that they will never be held accountable for their lies. The psalmist wants the Lord to cut off their lips! See, the psalms give us language for every emotion! Remember—we pray through our emotions when we read the psalms.
5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the Lord;
“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
But, the psalmist knows that the sufferings of the vulnerable are not being ignored by the Lord. God will act on their behalf!
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
The psalmist has confidence because of what the Lord has said, and compares the Lord’s words to purified silver—both beautiful and 100% genuine. I love this verse, and underlined it in my Psalms book this morning.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
Despite the wickedness that prowls around the decent people, the Lord will keep them safe.
The psalmist is indignant: “I trust in God—stop telling me to fly away like a bird!”
1 In the Lord I take refuge.
How then can you say to me:
“Flee like a bird to your mountain.
2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;
they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
at the upright in heart.
3 When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
The psalmist reminds himself that the Lord is still King and still on duty, and that the wicked will be punished. (He clearly alludes to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.)
4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
his eyes examine them.
5 The Lord examines the righteous,
but the wicked, those who love violence,
he hates with a passion.
6 On the wicked he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their lot.
I like the ending of Psalm 11—the Lord is good, and those who trust him will be rewarded.
7 For the Lord is righteous,
he loves justice;
the upright will see his face.
Have you ever felt as if God were asleep or indifferent or unable or unwilling to come to your aid? That’s what Psalm 10 is about—the psalmist wants to rouse God awake to come and fight for the righteous and the poor against the wicked. Psalm 10 imagines the wicked man saying, “there is no God”—not because he is an atheist, but because he believes he can get away with whatever he wants. To this the psalmist says, “Wake up, Lord!”
I will walk us through the text of Psalm 10—folks seemed to like it when I did the same for Psalm 5 last week.
1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
“Lord, please WAKE UP and DO SOMETHING!” One of the lessons of the psalms is that it is good for us to cry out to God and lodge a protest or a complaint.
2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
This is a common theme in the Psalms—that the wicked end up harming themselves. Haven’t we all wanted that to happen? It would seem to be the ultimate form of justice.
3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
It’s not that the wicked man is an atheist; rather, it is that he believes he is untouchable—that God is weak or indifferent and that he can get way with all his scheming.
5 His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
Doesn’t it often seem as if the wicked prosper while the righteous languish? The psalmist certainly feels that way. No wonder the wicked man is so arrogant—it really does seem as if he will get any with his evil actions.
7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
8 He sits in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
This description of how bad men take advantage of the poor and vulnerable is 3,000 years old, but it could have come out of yesterday’s newspaper. The psalmist is working himself—and us—into a state of desperate outrage.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
Once more, the wicked man feels totally untouchable, and he congratulates himself at his boldness and evil.
12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted.
After cataloguing all the evils that the wicked inflict on the innocent, the psalmist can’t stand it any more:
“WAKE UP, LORD, AND DO SOMETHING!”
How many times have you and I wanted to scream the same thing at the Lord?
The lesson of the psalms—it’s okay to do so.
Remember, the psalms teach us to pray through our emotions.
13 Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.
And here the tenor of the psalm changes. The psalmist again imagines the wicked man in his arrogance and pride, chuckling to himself and believing that he will escape accountability.
And then come my favorite 4 words in this psalm:
“But you do see.”
It might seem that the Lord is blind and deaf, but that’s not reality—the Lord in fact sees and notes the actions of the wicked and the sufferings of the innocent, and he will not be mocked!
Justice will roll down! God have mercy on the arrogant and the wicked when that day comes.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none.
Ultimately, the wicked will be brought to justice. There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.
16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
The nations that inhabit the land are like renters—the Lord is the owner, and those that oppose him will one day be overthrown.
17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
Amen.
Want to face each day whole-hearted and unafraid?
The Ninth Psalm gives us a fundamental lesson:
Begin your day and your prayers with full-throated thanksgiving.
Much of the psalm is a request from the psalmist that the Lord defeat the wicked and remember the oppressed, but the opening two verses are all about praise:
1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
There is a place (as we will see in other psalms) for protest before God, but it is instructive that Psalm 9 begins with praise.
Let’s do it today.
