Psalm 80

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” Of Asaph. A psalm.
This is the ninth of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

¹ Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
² before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us.
³ Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
⁴ O LORD God Almighty, how long will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people?
⁵ You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
⁶ You have made us a source of contention to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us.
⁷ Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
⁸ You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
⁹ You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.
¹⁰ The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.
¹¹ It sent out its boughs to the Sea, its shoots as far as the River.
¹² Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
¹³ Boars from the forest ravage it and the creatures of the field feed on it.
¹⁴ Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine,
¹⁵ the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself.
¹⁶ Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish.
¹⁷ Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.
¹⁸ Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.
¹⁹ Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

This psalm written by Asaph is a prayer to the Shepherd of Israel. It is a prayer to come and save us. It is also a prayer to restore them so that His former glory is upon them. Yet at this time God is making them struggle in everything that they attempt to pursue. As I read this psalm, I realize a simple truth that we sometimes seem to forget in our pursue of growing closer to God. That truth is our incomplete nature without God, the void that we feel when we are not in God’s presence. In verses four through thirteen Asaph writes how God anger smolders against them, how God has provided them with things of sorrow, and made them a source of contention to their neighbors. If my friends or even my family turns and treats me like this then I would probably discontinue my relationship and live life without them. However, in my pursuing a relationship with God the truth is that these events should bring me closer to Him. The impulse to pursue God must come from a desire to fulfill that missing relationship I have in my life for God. Therefore, the impulse not to purse God must come from a desire to fulfill this missing relationship with the things of this world.

As I look at verse 17 I am reminded that the phase Son of Man was a title that the Lord used refer to himself. This title is used 80 times in the New Testament by the Lord. When we consider the phase “son of man” we must also consider these verses found in Daniel 7:13,14: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”.

Psalm 79

A psalm of Asaph.

This is the eighth of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

¹ O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
² They have given the dead bodies of your servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth.
³ They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.
⁴ We are objects of reproach to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us.
⁵ How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
⁶ Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name;
⁷ for they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his homeland.
⁸ Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.
⁹ Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.
¹⁰ Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
¹¹ May the groans of the prisoners come before you; by the strength of your arm preserve those condemned to die.
¹² Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the reproach they have hurled at you, Lord.
¹³ Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

Psalm 78

of Asaph.
This is the seventh of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

¹ O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
² I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter hidden things, things from of old

³ what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.
⁴ We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
⁵ He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,
⁶ so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
⁷ Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
⁸ They would not be like their forefathers a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.
⁹ The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle;
¹⁰ they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law.
¹¹ They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.
¹² He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
¹³ He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall.
¹⁴ He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.
¹⁵ He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
¹⁶ he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.
¹⁷ But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
¹⁸ They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.
¹⁹ They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the desert?
²⁰ When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people?”
²¹ When the LORD heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel,
²² for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.
²³ Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens;
²⁴ he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.
²⁵ Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.
²⁶ He let loose the east wind from the heavens and led forth the south wind by his power.
²⁷ He rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the seashore.
²⁸ He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents.
²⁹ They ate till they had more than enough, for he had given them what they craved.
³⁰ But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths,
³¹ God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.
³² In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
³³ So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror.
³⁴ Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.
³⁵ They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.
³⁶ But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues;
³⁷ their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.
³⁸ Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.
³⁹ He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
⁴⁰ How often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland!
⁴¹ Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
⁴² They did not remember his power the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
⁴³ the day he displayed his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan.
⁴⁴ He turned their rivers to blood; they could not drink from their streams.
⁴⁵ He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.
⁴⁶ He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust.
⁴⁷ He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
⁴⁸ He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning.
⁴⁹ He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility a band of destroying angels.
⁵⁰ He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.
⁵¹ He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
⁵² But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert.
⁵³ He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies.
⁵⁴ Thus he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken.
⁵⁵ He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.
⁵⁶ But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes.
⁵⁷ Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow.
⁵⁸ They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols.
⁵⁹ When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely.
⁶⁰ He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among men.
⁶¹ He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
⁶² He gave his people over to the sword; he was very angry with his inheritance.
⁶³ Fire consumed their young men, and their maidens had no wedding songs;
⁶⁴ their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep.
⁶⁵ Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a man wakes from the stupor of wine.
⁶⁶ He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame.
⁶⁷ Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
⁶⁸ but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved.
⁶⁹ He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.
⁷⁰ He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;
⁷¹ from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.
⁷² And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

As I read verse seven “Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.” I realize the ultimate goal of being a godly parent. However, as I look at these verses the theme is not being delivered to parents, but to the nation Israel. The first part of this verse “then they would put their trust in God”, can be found on our dollar bill, and should remind us every time we use a dollar that our trust should be in God. But do we really place our trust in God? I believe most put their trust in the power of the dollar bill than the words “In God we trust” that is written on it.

The words of the first eight verses reminds me of the ministry of Christ.

Of Asaph.

This is the sixth of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

¹ I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.
² When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.
³ I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. Selah
⁴ You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.
⁵ I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;
⁶ I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired:
⁷ “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again?
⁸ Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” Selah
¹⁰ Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.“
¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
¹² I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
¹³ Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.
¹⁵ With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
¹⁶ The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed.
¹⁷ The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth.
¹⁸ Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
¹⁹ Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.
²⁰ You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

What actions do you take when everything around you seems to be falling apart? In this psalm Asaph cries out to the Lord. Whatever the situation might have been it seemed to him that the Lord had abandon him. Look at the questions he states in his prayer:

Will the Lord reject forever?

Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?

Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has he in anger withheld his compassion?

I have also asked these questions before God. One thing I have realized as I have age is that there will be hard and difficult times in life. Many of us will face issues that many of the Old Testament saints faced in their life. This psalm gives us the answers to these times and to the questions above. The first step is to mediate on the things God has done “Then I thought”. In this mediation we must make our appeals directly to God “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High”. I must remember the deeds of the Lord. I look back and the focus usually starts with how God has been moving in my life.

Psalm 76

A psalm of Asaph

This is the fifth of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

¹ In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel.
² His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.
³ There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. Selah
⁴ You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game.
⁵ Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands.
⁶ At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still.
⁷ You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?
⁸ From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet
⁹ when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Selah
¹⁰ Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.
¹¹ Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared.
¹² He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth.

It is important when studying the Psalms to understand their historical background. As I study this psalm today, I not only reflected the life span of Asaph but carried it out to my life span as well. During Asaph’s life span he probably witness the reign of the first three Kings of Israel. He also witnessed the beginning of Israel becoming a major force in the world of his day to the building of the Temple in Jerusalem.  If he lived eighty years then he could have witness twenty years under Saul, forty years under David and twenty years under Solomon. As I reflect upon my sixty plus years on this earth, I look back at the leaders of the USA during my life time.

Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953-1961

John F. Kennedy 1961-1963

Lyndon B. Johnson 1963-1969

Richard Nixon 1969-1974

Gerald Ford 1974-1977

Jimmy Carter 1977-1981

Ronald Reagan 1981-1989

George Bush 1989-1993

Bill Clinton 1993-2001

George W. Bush 2001-2009

Barak Obama 2009-2017

Donald Trump 2017-2021

Joe Biden 2021-present

As I reflect on verse one of this psalm in relationship to Asaph life to the history of Israel, I realized that God was known in Israel and that his name was great. This has been the same with the USA in my lifetime. However, as I look back upon the list of the presidents above, I wonder how many of them truly knew God was really in control? So, as you read this psalm look at the role that God plays on this earth:

he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords

the weapons of war

You are resplendent with light

You alone are to be feared.

Who can stand before you when you are angry
From heaven you pronounced judgment.

God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land

your wrath against men brings you praise

the survivors of your wrath are restrained.
He breaks the spirit of rulers

he is feared by the kings of the earth.

As I study the psalms it forces me to evaluate the issues of life on an eternal timeframe not a daily timeframe. As I examine the activities of the human race and the goals that people place on the daily activities to reach these goals, I notice how the timeframe centers on today or tomorrow. When studying the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount we find these words in Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” when addressing how we need to approach the daily issues of life.

Psalm 75

A psalm of Asaph.

This is the fourth of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

¹ We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.
² You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly.
³ When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm. Selah
⁴ To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.
⁵ Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak with outstretched neck.
⁶ No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man.
⁷ But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.
⁸ In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.
⁹ As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
¹⁰ I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

As I read the psalms after a while some of the themes are repeated and I wondered what else could I say about this theme.  Then verse nine gives me the answer; “As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob”.  Forever is a term that we cannot fully comprehend in this life.  When we were young, we set goals and some of these goals seem to take forever to achieve.  These goals that made forever seems to be a far away when we are young, become reality and we realize that this timeframe we called forever was only a short period of time.  There is one goal that will stand the test of forever and that is to be ever praising God.  So, as I live my live on this earth, I will praise Him, and when I pass from this life to step into eternity the praising will never cease.

When you have been taken advantage of, been abused, been cheated on, been accused falsely, or attached for standing up for the truth than read this psalm and understand that it is God who chooses the appointed time for his judgment. And yes, there is a time when the righteous will be lifted, and the wicked will be cut off. Remember this it is in God’s hand not ours.

Psalm 85

¹ You showed favor to your land, O LORD; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
² You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Selah
³ You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.
⁴ Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.
⁵ Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
⁶ Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
⁷ Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
⁸ I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints but let them not return to folly.
⁹ Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
¹⁰ Love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.
¹² The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
¹³ Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps

Love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. As I read these two verses, I see a beautiful picture of the gospel. God in his righteousness looked down from heaven and send his son into the world to give us hope. Now with hope we look to heaven with faithfulness knowing that Christ will come again and restore all things to him. This hope gives us peace. We no longer need to worry about today or tomorrow for the Lord will indeed give what is good to us.

Yet, this is not the hope of those you know not the Lord. Those who know not the Lord look to this hope as foolishness and a weakness to those who believe in this hope. I realized that their eyes are indeed blinded to this hope. Why this blindness? Is it because of the desires for the things of this life (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life) that is ever portrait before them by Satan? As I look back on my walk with the Lord, I realize the hardships that were part of my path, the many failures I had; however, I realize also that through it all God was there with me. The more I travel down this path with the Lord the more I realized I do not deserve these blessings from the Lord, and yet I come to a peace about the relationship because I realize that His nature is slowly be reflected by me to others.

As I started today’s journey in the psalms, I started it off this morning by sharing with a friend the first verse of Psalm 81 as a song of joy. Verse one of Psalm 81 states “Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!” In this psalm the psalmist writes “The LORD will indeed give what is good, andour land will yield its harvest”. As I read these Psalms 81 through 85, I see a picture of the believer’s journey in this world.

Psalm 74

A maskil of Asaph.

This is the third of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

¹ Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
² Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
³ Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
⁴ Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs.
⁵ They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees.
⁶ They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets.
⁷ They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
⁸ They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!” They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
⁹ We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.
¹⁰ How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever?
¹¹ Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
¹² But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth.
¹³ It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
¹⁴ It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.
¹⁵ It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever flowing rivers.
¹⁶ The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.
¹⁷ It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.
¹⁸ Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O LORD, how foolish people have reviled your name.
¹⁹ Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
²⁰ Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
²¹ Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name.
²² Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.
²³ Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.

This psalm starts with these two questions:  why have you rejected us forever, O God’ and why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? He then goes on in the psalm and writes about the power of God, verses the pride of the wicked.  Why God does permit the wicked to mock Him and his people.  These are questions that we ask God when everything around us seems to be falling apart.  Why does it seem godless prosper? 

Asaph also tackles the question of why a sovereign God permits evil and why this evil behavior seems to prosper.   In verse 22 he writes “Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.”  One of the most difficult questions I can’t answer is “why does God permit evil?”  Every time I ask this question I go to Genesis chapter three.   Why was the tree of knowledge of good and evil placed in the Garden of Eden?  Why was Satan allowed to tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden?  Was man created by God as a result of Satan’s rebellion? 

As I read this psalm I realize that sometimes when I read the Bible I end up having more questions than answers.  However, I know that I can always fall back on the faithfulness of God.  The battle of the godless (wicked) against God present questions that I may never understand.   

This is the second of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”
12 This is what the wicked are like always carefree, they increase in wealth.
13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
20 As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

My purpose in life is found in verse 28.

This is the second of twelve Psalms that bears the name of Asaph and is probably one of the Psalms that has had the most material written about it.

In this psalm, Asaph tackles several difficult questions that believers will face in life. The first question he addresses is the question is why a sovereign God permits evil and why this evil behavior seems to prosper. Here is so of the reasoning that Asaph gives to address this issue.

Verse 1. Stated as a fact: ^“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.”

Psalm 15 gives the characteristics of this type of person:

 walk is blameless

 does what is righteous

 who speaks the truth from his heart

 has no slander on his tongue

 does his neighbor no wrong

 casts no slur on his fellowman

 despises a vile man

 honors those who fear the LORD

 keeps his oath even when it hurts

 lends his money without usury

 does not accept a bribe against the innocent

He who does these things will never be shaken

Verses 2 and 3: The problem is stated as “I almost slipped”.

Why? Because I envied the arrogant. I saw their prosperity and desired it.

Verses 4 thru 12 Characteristics of the Arrogant:

They have no struggles

Their bodies are healthy and strong
They are free from the burdens common to man

They are not plagued by human ills.
They wear pride is their necklace

They clothe themselves with violence.
Their callous hearts are full of iniquity

The evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice

In their arrogance, they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven

Their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore, their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.
They say, “How can God know?”

They say, “Does the Most High have knowledge?”
This is what the wicked are like always carefree

They increase in wealth.

Verses 13 -16 The reasons I almost slipped (I saw their earthly treasures and desired them):

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure

In vain have I washed my hands in innocence
All day long I have been plagued

I have been punished every morning.
If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me

Verses 17 thru 20 The answer to my question:

When I entered the sanctuary of God

I understood their final destiny
Surely, you place them on slippery ground

You cast them down to ruin
How suddenly are they destroyed

They are completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

Verses 21, 22 How the knowledge of God’s way has an effect me:

When my heart was grieved

My spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant

I was a brute beast before you

Verses 23 thru 28 My relationship with God:

I am always with you

You hold me by my right hand
You guide me with your counsel

Afterward you will take me into glory
Whom have I in heaven but you

And earth has nothing I desire besides you
My flesh and my heart may fail

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever
It is good to be near God

I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge

I will tell of all your deeds.

Verses 18, 19, 20, 27 The Ungodly relationship with God:

Surely, you place them on slippery ground

You cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors?

Those who are far from you will perish

You destroy all who are unfaithful to you

You will despise them as fantasies

This sentence from Oswald Chambers’ book My Utmost for His Highest from the reading onMarch 13 “ The consequences and circumstances resulting from our surrender will never even enter our mind, because our life will be totally consumed with Him” This is what I believe the psalmist is trying to portrait in this psalm. There is the way in which we should walk daily. However, we see many that live lifestyles we envy even through their walk is not in truth. We then begin to question our walk with God. The life of surrendering to God is a day by day actively. Some days it seems to be a moment by moment actively where we must constantly go back to him for strength. As I watched the Lord of the Rings, I marveled at the job that J.R. Tolkien did of portraying the Christian’s journey through life through the character of Frodo Baggins. This journey is full of good times, bad times, times of failure, times of success, times of friendship, times of betrayal, but the journey does continue. We can give up or go on. However, if we are totally commented to Christ, as Frodo was to his mission, we would keep moving forward in the task that is ahead of us. Frodo could have just given up, but he did not. The greatest purpose that a believer can have in his or her life is to grow into a closer relationship to God.

Of Solomon.

¹ Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.
² He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.
³ The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.
⁴ He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.
⁵ He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.
⁶ He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.
⁷ In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.
⁸ He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
⁹ The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.
¹⁰ The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.
¹¹ All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.
¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
¹⁵ Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.
¹⁶ Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.
¹⁷ May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.
¹⁸ Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

This psalm ends with “This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse”.  The title given to this psalm is “Of Solomon”, but as I read the words of this psalm it points me to the future kingdom of Christ.  As I study the psalms as I age I realized that there is a political message in the writings of David.  David was a man after God’s own heart and this psalm points to a King (Christ) who will be bless all the nations.  So as David concludes his prayers I will consider the list of what this future King will do during His reign.  

He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.
He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; He will crush the oppressor.
He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.
He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.
He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

David ends his prayer with these words “May His name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.”  In Matthew 6:9, 10 these words were given to us as we start our prayer “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Christ has freed us from the curse of sin.  We do not see this total freedom yet as we make our journey here on earth.  But for those in Christ we can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit moving daily in our life to help us in our battles against this sinful nature.  This battle is found in Ephesians chapter six.

A quick look at the verses in Ephesians chapter six will reveal that we are in a battle, and this is a battle against authorities, against powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.  These words do point to a real battle and to prepare us to fight for this the Lord has provided us with these protections: the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, and the belt of truth.   These three items are given to us as protection and all we have to do is put these items on.  The weapons describe in these verses are: the sandals of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the sword of the spirit.  These three items are given to us as weapons to fight the battle of faith.  These items are only as good as we learn to apply them.  However, Paul ends this discussion about our battle with the need for direction that comes with prayer.