Psalm 52
¹ Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
² Your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit.
³ You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. Selah
⁴ You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue!
⁵ Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
⁶ The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at him, saying,
⁷ “Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”
⁸ But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.

⁹ I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

As you read this psalm, go back and read I Samuel 22 where Doeg the Edomite informed Saul that David has gone to the house of Ahimelech. This was the start of David’s running which probably lasted about seven years. This was seven years of running as a criminal of the state.  Yet during this time he placed, his hope and trust in the Lord. So, no matter what comes into your life remember this truth; the righteous will see and fear. I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever. As you live your life on this earth, do you live it in the light of today’s rewards or the rewards that eternality offers? Have you made God our stronghold and the one who will guide you, or have you made yourself the controller of your life? In Philippians 4 Paul gives us an example of how to handle disputes. The key is to agree with each other in the Lord. However, this does not always happen. So Paul gives us these final instructions on handling disputes in Philippians 4:8,9 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you”. This is the path we must follow when we make God our stronghold.

How do you make a decision? How do you handle the daily tough situation around you, which forces you to make tough decisions? One of the keys to making good decisions is found in the principles that Paul outlines for us in Philippians 4:8, 9. However, I have come to realize in the last several years that following these principles and being Christ-like is not an easy task. Consider what Paul is saying is these verses:

• whatever is true
• whatever is noble
• whatever is right
• whatever is pure
• whatever is lovely
• whatever is admirable
• if anything is excellent or praiseworthy
• THEN think about such things

These principles taken individuality are easy to understand, however when taken as a group can cause much confusion. That is why verse eight ends in the phase “if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things” or as Psalm 1 states “mediate”. As I look into God’s Word daily and see his word, reflecting back the imperfections of my daily activity I am reminded how much I need my Bible study to get me started every morning. Just as my looking into a mirror in the morning reflects back my physical appearances that must be corrected before I go out and face the world each morning, God’s Word reveals the things in my life that are not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable. Therefore we must mediate and think about all things in light of these six attributes working together. David’s life is a great example of this process. Samuel had anointed him to be the next King of Israel. That was truth? However, these verses were written as he was running from Saul and being treated as a criminal of the state. Should he not stand up and fight for what was rightful his position, knowing that God had rejected Saul and chosen David to be the next King? What was noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable? What route then should David take to secure this kingdom that that he was anointed to take? This was the issue that David was facing in this Psalm.

In John 1:10-12 it states of Christ “He was in the world and though the world was made him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” Christ came to this earth two thousand years ago as King, and yet the world rejected him and crucified him on the cross. Just as David was rejected by Israel to take his rightful place during the time of this psalm, Christ also was rejected by the world when he came to earth the first time. Why did he not take the world by force since he was the King of Kings? This is a mystery that many struggles with, “why does God not intervene immediately to right the wrongs in this world?” To me the answer is simple, He did. The answer is Christ. As I study the psalms, I have seen several features in David’s life that seem to reflect in Christ’s earthly ministry. The three characters in this psalm, God, the evil, and the righteous are the three main characters in the world around us today. By studying the psalms, may I learn the principles of Philippians 4:8, 9 and apply them to my life. May I like David learn to rely totally on the Lord, for guidance and direction.

Opinion is defined as a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter. In a stronger form, it means a formal expression of judgment or advice by an expert upon which a legal decision is based. It is opinions that either bring people together, or divides people into different groups. What happens when the mighty men of a nation look at their evil ways and call them good? How do we make a stand against these evil ways? Do we wait on God or do we make a stand and fight against evil? Sometimes it seems the route in which the righteous chose to make their stand against evil practices results in greater separation in the forces against evil practices rather than the evil practices themselves. By studying David’s life, we can get a picture of what it means to truly wait on the Lord.

The very start of evil can be traced back to Satan. By studying Isaiah chapter fourteen, we see these I wills use by the son of the morning:

I will ascend into heaven

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God

I will sit upon the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north;

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.

Evil is simply going against the way of God. As I looked at this Psalm today in light of Isaiah fourteen I asked myself a simply question “Do I have the characteristics of a man that did not make God my stronghold or do I look to God to fulfill in me his daily purpose?” To answer this question, I went to Matthew chapter 20 verses one through fifteen:

¹ For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that was a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.

² And when he had agreed with the laborers for a shilling a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

³ And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace idle;

⁴ and to them he said, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

⁵ Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did likewise.

⁶ And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing; and he saith unto them, Why stand ye here all day idle?

⁷ They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard.

⁸ And when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

⁹ And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a shilling.

¹⁰ And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received every man a shilling.

¹¹ And when they received it, they murmured against the householder,

¹² saying, These last have spent but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.

¹³ But he answered and said to one of them, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a shilling?

¹⁴ Take up that which is thine and go thy way; it is my will to give unto this last, even as unto thee.

¹⁵ Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? or is thine eye evil, because I am good?

The characters:

Householder

12-hour Laborers for a shilling a day

9 hours Laborers for whatsoever is right

6 hours Laborers for whatsoever is right

3 hours Laborers for whatsoever is right

1-hour Laborers for whatsoever is right

The Plot:

A householder hired workers at different times to work in his vineyard. He agreed with the first to pay them a shilling for their day’s work. The others hired during the day were promised to be paid with the promise of whatsoever is right. At the end of the day, the householder paid the last to start to work a shilling and continue to pay the reminder of the workers a shilling. These who worked longer expected to be paid more, but they were not. Then they murmured against him. The householder’s answer was simple “I did you no wrong I paid you what we agreed to.” Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with mine own?

The conclusion:

The Questions you must answer:

Was the householder right in what he did?

Whom does the householder represent?

Whom do the laborers represent?

Did the laborers who worked all day have a right to question the householder’s decision?

How does this parable relate to evil?

Psalm 51

 
¹ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
³ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁴ Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
¹⁸ In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹ Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Have you ever judged someone and then find out that it was you who was wrong and guilty of the issue? This is David’s psalm to Nathan’s remark in II Samuel 12:7 “Thou art the man”. It is only when we see our sinfulness before God that we come to the point of realization of our own fallen nature. As I read this psalm I must go to I Kings 15:5 “because David did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite”. This psalm along with psalm 32 was written as a result of this sin. Every time I read this psalm, I realized that a life without God’s presence is a life in which there is brokenness.

In verse, one David comes to God for mercy and the blotting out of his transgression. In verse two, he adds wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. David knew he had sinned; he felt the need for cleansing and knew that this cleansing could only come from God. As you read the rest of this psalm, you should be able to notice one of the major characteristic of God and that is his unfailing love and his great compassion. How do you get right with God after you have sinned and done evil in the sight of the Lord? Read psalms 51 and 32 and let the Holy Spirit speak to you through these verses to restore the joy of your salvation and renew a steadfast spirit within you. Then you will have a purpose in life and that is to teach transgressors God’s way and turn them to Him.

One of the greatest truths that one learns in life is the importance of relationships. This psalm represents a time in David’s life where he had abandoned the ways of God to protect himself and others from public shame. Yet his plans to protect these relationships did not work. As a believer, we need to realize the truth about sin, and that truth is that all sin is known by God. Another truth about sin is that it affects relationships. The family relationship is usually the strongest relationship that people have in this world, and yet the bond of this relationship can easily be broken when sin enters the picture. There is also the relationship that we have with God. This psalm focuses on the only way to restore a broken relationship and that way is through repentance and returning back to God’s ways. Verse 6 makes God’s way simple, God desires truth in our inner parts He desires to have His laws written on our heart. So, if you are facing a broken relationship today know that unless you are coming to God with a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you will not be able to have true joy and peace in your heart.

This leads to another truth I see in the world today, but cannot fully understand. Why do we let sin rule our life and wreck relationships, when God has provided a way for all relationships to be restored by his great gift of forgiveness? As I study the story of Cain and Abel, found in Genesis chapter four I see God’s love being rejected by Cain before he killed Abel. In addition, even after Cain killed Abel God placed a mark on Cain to protect him from others. Yet Cain still went out of God’s presence. Why then do individuals who have been once enlightened and who have tasted the heavenly gift fall away? The Lord gives reasons for this falling away in his parable of the sower found in Matthew chapter thirteen. In this parable, the seed (God’s Word) falls on four types of soils: the soil of the wayside, the rocky soil, the soil among the thorns, and the good soil. In the first case, the word is heard but Satan takes it away from them. In the second case the word is heard, but is soon abandon when tribulation or persecution comes along in a person’s life. In the third case the cares of this world choke out the word and the person does not grow and becomes fruitful. However, in the fourth case, the word is heard and by applying that, life becomes fruitful. Do you let the Word of God grow in you, or does Satan, the cares of this world, or the desires of this world destroy the effects that the Word could have on your life.

Verses 6 and 7 “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” describes the nature of man. As a child grows the sweetness that the newborn child processed gives way to the true sinful nature, which we all are, have at birth. The desires of the child turn to me, me, me. However, God is always calling to us to return to Him. His desire for us is to have truth within our hearts and wisdom within our inmost place. Therefore, as a young child, we must heed the call of God. This simple concept of God’s desire seems to get lost in our everyday routine of living. We let Satan, the cares of this world, or the desires of this world rob us of a desire that God wants for us in our life. In the devotion for June 11 in his book, My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers writes:

The questions that truly, matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by these words— “Come to Me.” Our Lord’s words are not, “Do this, or don’t do that,” but— “Come to me.” If I will simply come to Jesus, my real life will be brought into harmony with my real desires. I will actually cease from sin, and will find the song of the Lord beginning in my life.

This is what David is writing here in this Psalm. As I look back in my life as well as the life of other Christians I know or have knew; it was not our seeking after God that brought God in our lives, but it was the way that we responded to the seeking God as we opened the door to our heart and let him enter our inmost place to dwell. Once we open the door and receive Him then the true transformation of bringing our life into this harmony with His desires takes place and we can experience the peace that passes understanding.

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 the place where it sets.
² From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.
³ Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him and around him a tempest rages.
⁴ He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:
⁵ “Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
⁶ and the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah
⁷ “Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.
⁸ I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
⁹ I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,
¹⁰ for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹ I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.
¹² If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
¹³ Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
¹⁴ Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,
¹⁵ and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
¹⁶ But to the wicked, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?
¹⁷ You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.
¹⁸ When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.
¹⁹ You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.
²⁰ You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.
²¹ These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.
²² “Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:
²³ He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”

This is the first of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph. He was of high repute in the days of David and is mentioned as one of the main composer of the psalms. Asaph was certainly a prophet since he is called a seer. It seems from studying his writings that he was well educated and had a natural talent that made him well qualified to compose hymns or psalms in the honor of God. He also reflects the strong influence that David probably had on his life and his writings. Not only did he have a great grasp of the nature and attributes of God, but he also had a keen understanding of the corrupt nature of man. This knowledge probably was strengthening as the result of positions he held while serving in David’s reign. During his lifetime he witness a time in which there was great changes; since during his lifetime he probably witness the reign of the first three Kings of Israel. It was during his lifetime that the history of Israel saw some of its great changes. These changes brought about much displeasure from God, yet God still watched over his people by giving them David as their King. He probably lived during the period of Saul’s kingdom, and then was involved in David’s kingdom and was probably even alive and wrote during the reign of Solomon. As you read these psalms the prophetic characteristics of Asaph writings seems to have include a lot of the historical past of Israel as examples of God’s dealings with his people then and how this relationship will continue with his people in the presence as well as in the future. This is the only one of his psalms that stands alone. The others start with Psalm 73 and continue to Psalm 83.

This psalm speaks of God judging his people as well as the wicked. As I read this psalm I must also look to the words of Christ found in John 5: 24-30 where he speaks as having been granted the judge of mankind by the Father. God gave this authority to him because he is the Son of Man (verse 27). However, Christ also refers to himself as the Son of God in verse twenty-five. As I consider verse twenty-two of this psalm “Consider this you who forget God” in relationship to the verses in John chapter five I realize that the view that one has of Christ will affect their behavior on earth, and their judgment for eternality. Christ’s testimony was that he has been performing the task that the father had given him. Does your testimony reflect the task that Christ has given you? The first step in this process knows Christ as your Lord.

Psalm 49

¹ Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world,
² both low and high, rich and poor alike:
³ My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.
⁴ I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:
⁵ why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me
⁶ those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
⁷ No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him

⁸ the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough
⁹ that he should live on forever and not see decay.
¹⁰ For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.
¹¹ Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.
¹² But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.
¹³ This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah
¹⁴ Like sheep they are destined for the grave and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.
¹⁵ But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.
¹⁶ Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases;
¹⁷ for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.
¹⁸ Though while he lived he counted himself blessed and men praise you when you prosper
¹⁹ he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life.

²⁰ A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

As you look at these verses picture that you are listening to Christ preaching his messages from the hills of Galilee. The message is to answer the statement: No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him the ransom for a life is costly; no payment is ever enough that he should live on forever and not see decay. Let’s face it we cannot redeem our life. For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. There is no way that man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.

However, there is a way and it is also in his message: But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.

Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived he counted himself blessed and men praise you when you prosper he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

One event that a people will experience as they grow older is the end of a life of a love one or someone who is close to them. Yes, I am writing about a funeral. I experienced my first funeral (my father’s) when I was only fifteen. Then four months later, I attended the funeral of my brother. So at the age fifteen when most young adolescence were enjoying the experience of youth I had already lost a father and a brother and started the process of asking God the hard questions of life. Today as I was attending the funeral of a friend’s father, I realized that understanding one’s life is like putting together a puzzle. As I study Psalms 139:16, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” I realize that God has the top of the puzzle box with the picture. We are the ones that have to put together the pieces of the puzzle of life.

Remember John 3:16 God gave us a way to redeem our life.

Psalm 48

¹ Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
² It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.
³ God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.
⁴ When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together,
⁵ they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror.
⁶ Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor.
⁷ You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind.
⁸ As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever. Selah
⁹ Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.
¹⁰ Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.
¹¹ Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments.
¹² Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers,
¹³ consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation.
¹⁴ For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.

As I read this psalm, I am reminded that there are forces that advance against God. It happened in heaven as well as it is now taking place on earth. As I consider the many voices of society today, I can understand why those who have chosen to be close to God and seek to live a blameless life are quiet. These are the ones that I believe have the same life styles as the seven thousands of I King 19:18 ” Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” These are the ones today who have abandoned the desires to chase after the Jones or seek the fame and riches that this world seeks to give. They are the ones that know God and enjoy the simple pleasures of life that he bestows upon them. They are the ones that like Abraham know that they are just on a journey and that their real treasures are in heaven, Mt Zion, the city of God. They meditate on God’s unfailing love and trust in his judgments. They do not have to prove to the world that God is on their side, because they have the peace of God within their heart that assures them that the Lord Almighty is their God.

Psalm 47

¹ Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
² How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!
³ He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
⁴ He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah
⁵ God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
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 to him a psalm of praise.
⁸ God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
⁹ The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

As I read this psalm this morning, I stop and reflect about all the influences that have already occurred today in my life. On my daily commute to work every morning I, listen either to the radio or to my CDs on the scriptures. When I listen to radio, it seems that half of the time I am listening to advertising that makes claims on how to improve and make your life better and more productive. Yet, most of this claim leaves out one major compound and that is God. By reading the psalms daily, the reader will soon truly grasp how awesome the Lord really is in heaven and on earth. When I listen to these claims that promise to give me a great and better life they leave out God. They usually have one purpose and that is to make the person or company offering them a profit. When hearing these claims, I have to reflect on the very fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Man took the fruit from his wife who had taken it from the serpent, who had convinced her that there was more to life than God had provided. He convinced Eve and she convinced Adam “that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise”. However, after they eat of the fruit, their eyes was opened and they saw their own nakedness.

I see the same with all the claims that the world offers us today. Even the claims of most Christian ministries seem to fall short of meeting the needs and desires of fallen man. Unless fallen man truly returns to a dependence on God, he will perish just like the beast of the field. As Psalm 49: 20 states “A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish”. However, when we truly get to a point in our life that we trust God and pursue a desire to live a blameless life in the light of his Word, then we will see that he will cloth us in His glory. How awesome would our lives be if our daily routines in this world would truly reflect our true dependence upon God to manage the affairs of our life?

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
⁸ Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields 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 Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Sometimes as we study God’s Word, we just look at the words and apply them to our life. This Psalm was a song created for the worship of God. God is the subject of this song. As we see starting with verse one of this Psalm to the last verse it is God that takes care of us. God is our refuge and strength; then why do we fear? David’s theme in this Psalm is centered on the concept of faith. His faith was a total trust in God to intervene in every aspect of his life. Nothing too small or too large.

Verse ten of this Psalm gives the believer the way of God to approach the troubles, which we face as we complete our journey upon the face of this earth. Be still and know that I am God is the advice that for several believers do not have the time available to practice. This is a way of God that will test our faith and the more we grow in this way the more we will see his hand in the smallest activities that we pursue. This goes against the wise old saying of “God helps those who help themselves”. The problem that most believers have with dealing with the everyday issues in life is that this wise old saying seems to have a greater impact on their life then verse ten does. Try waiting on God as a way of walking in his way.

As I read this Psalm, I reflect upon the last two chapters of the Bible. Revelation twenty-one starts with this verse ” And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away and the sea is no more. There is a time in the future where everything I have worked for will be destroyed, the works of both my hands and my mind. However, the one that overcomes can inherit the things of the new heaven and the new earth.

Psalm 45

¹ My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
² You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.
³ Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
⁴ In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds.
⁵ Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.
⁶ Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
⁷ You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
⁸ All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.
⁹ Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
¹⁰ Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house.
¹¹ The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
¹² The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift, men of wealth will seek your favor.
¹³ All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold.
¹⁴ In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you.
¹⁵ They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.
¹⁶ Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land.
¹⁷ I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.

This psalm can only refer to one person and that is Christ. The writer of the book of Hebrews uses this verse in chapter one to introduce Christ, God’s son, as the one who has provided purifications for sins and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. This process of our growth in understanding why God provide redemption through Christ for mankind is a mystery I cannot fully understand; however, it is psalms such as this psalm that makes it so real to me. Paul states it better in Philippians 3:8 as I count all things loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. The goal of this knowledge is to be found in him and to obtain the righteousness that is provided by our faith in him. The end result is that we will know Christ and that the new life given to us by the result of his resurrection and by our partaking in his suffering will make us more Christ like so that we will become sons of God. No wonder this psalm starts out with the phase “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the King”. When studying the Bible, I hope that Christ is the noble theme that you look for in your studies.

Psalm 44

¹ We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.
² With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish.
³ It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.
⁴ You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.
⁵ Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes.
⁶ I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory;
⁷ but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.
⁸ In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. Selah
⁹ But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies.
¹⁰ You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us.
¹¹ You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.
¹² You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale.
¹³ You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us.
¹⁴ You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us.
¹⁵ My disgrace is before me all day long, and my face is covered with shame
¹⁶ at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
¹⁷ All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant.
¹⁸ Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.
¹⁹ But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness.
²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
²¹ would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?
²² Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
²³ Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
²⁴ Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?
²⁵ We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
²⁶ Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love.

Verse twenty-two “Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered” is used by Paul in Romans 8:36 in response to the question “If God is for us who can be against us”. In the past my daughter Alex and I would race to see who could quote Romans 8:28 the fastest. It was my desire to make this verse real in her life, since I knew her Christian walk in this life would not be easy. Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” is the verse that states the conclusion of Paul’s discussion on living your life through the spirit. When studying Romans we realize that we were born in sin and we do not seek God, but it was God who seeks after us and provided a way back to Him through Christ that we might become sons of God.  Therefore, to understand this psalm in light of Romans chapter eight we must understand that the world lives according to the sinful nature of the old man and we live according to the spiritual nature of the new man. These two natures have two different masters with two different goals: Christ and glorifying God, man and glorifying man. When we take of the spiritual nature we take on the nature of a servant just as Christ did when he was on this earth. This new nature then seeks Christ and ways of glorifying God.

When we study the scripture, we must realize that God’s will for man is that we become sons of God. Therefore, it is important that all believers know and completely understand the effects that the fall of man (found in Genesis 3) had on the relationship of God and man that existed before the fall. Before the fall man walk with God, after the fall man hid from God. Christ though his death on the cross has renewed the relationship between God and man. The relationship that existed before the fall (found in Genesis 3) has been restored to man through Christ.

Psalm 43

¹ Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.
² You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?
³ Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
⁴ Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.

⁵ Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

This psalm is similar to psalm forty-two, however he does request two things: God’s light and God’s truth.   This light and truth is Christ.  As I age and see the events happening in the world, today I cannot help but reflect on this time in David’s life.  Samuel had anointed David as a young lad to become the next king of Israel.  David was probably only thirteen or fourteen at that time.   I am not sure how much this affected his life at the time of the anointing, but soon after he was in the courts of Saul playing his harp for him as well as being one of his armor-bearers.

Verse three “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell”.  Your light and your truth refer to God’s Word and teachings.  As I reflect back on my life, I realized how God uses the events in our life to shape us.  At age thirteen I entertained myself in the evening by reading.  The books I read were Arthur Maxwell’s Children Bible Stories.  These ten books gave me a wonderful understanding of the Bible.  This led me to a deeper desire to study the Bible.  Studying the examples in God’s Word will give us the hope that David writes in verse five.