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 worshiped 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.

Most of the psalms written by Asaph focus on national issues of the nation of Israel. Israel is God’s chosen nation. This was the promise that God made to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. How as I look at our nation is it a nation that supports Israel or rejects Israel. As we approach the last days God will be bringing the nation of Israel back into the picture of his coming.

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 himto 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.

Psalm 77

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.

As I study this psalm this, I realized several refers to the time of Israel being in Egypt and the desire to be free. God granted them this freedom when they flee Egypt. The night before their departure God gave them instructions on saving their firstborn. This event became the Passover which is an event that is observed every year in the Jewish community. The Passover is a picture of the Christ’s work on the cross as the Passover lamb for the entire world. To the Christian we have our Easter which we observed as our Passover. As I look back over the last seventy years of my life, I am amazed how much God has taken care of me in my needs. One thing I have realized in this time frame is the presence of God in my life. It is this personal relationship that we can have with God that makes Christianity different from all the other religions of the world.

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 Therehe 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. 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 nearly seventy 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 around 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. However, the main event I am looking for is the coming of my Lord. His promise return is something that should be the desire of all Christians. Be wise and keep extra oil for your lamp. Be ready for his return.

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 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.

In this psalm Asaph tackles the question of why a sovereign God permits evil and why this evil behavior seems to prosper. This is a struggle that many have try to grasp and have even wrote books about this struggle. One of my favorite books is the Lord of the Rings written by J. R. R. Tolkien. Tolkien books which were published between 1954 and 1955 and reflected the world in which he lived. He had fought in World War I and witness the trench warfare of this war. He also witness the effects that World War II left on this world. These events probably shaped the battle scenes in his books. The battles in his writing seem to reflect the same details as Asaph writes in this psalm. Amazing the natural of mankind has not improved since Cain killed Abel. If fact the further away we remove God away from our everyday life the more wickedness grows in our society, And yet man finds ways and uses their imaginations to made the wickedness of their heart to seem justified to the world around them.

However, Asaph ask of the Lord to remember the people you have purchased and not to handle them over to these wild beasts. Asaph starts this psalm out by asking God why he has rejected them. He ends this psalm with the plea “Rise up, O God, and defend your cause”. As I read this psalm I realize that the battle is not centered around me or anyone else, it is God’s battle. The battle we see in this world today is not only man against man, but man rebelling against God. It is our place in the battle to stand up for God’s way. We are the light that God has placed in this world as a witness against their wackiness. And yet we must be careful ,as his chosen vessels, not to forget the way of God. We must avoid letting sin become our master. This is why we must stay in God’s word. To give us the light to live our daily life.

Psalm 73

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 whoare 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.

Psalm 72

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.

As I read this psalm I see the words of a man who love his son and want the best for him. David had many sons, and like Adam and every generation after him children do not always follow the dreams of their parents. As a parent of seven children and a former middle school teacher I know how at an early age a child’s early focus is on self. This is the nature of mankind. The free will of a child to chose their future path may be influence by others, but the final decision will be theirs. We can was a parent or someone involved in an young person’s live set an example, however as David concludes in this psalm we must include prayer. We must come to the conclusion that is it God who directs path, we are just to set the examples.

Psalm 71

¹ In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.
² Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.
³ Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
⁴ Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.
⁵ For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.
⁶ From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.
⁷ I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.
⁸ My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.
⁹ Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
¹⁰ For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together.
¹¹ They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.”
¹² Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me.
¹³ May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace.
¹⁴ But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.
¹⁶ I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.
¹⁷ Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.
¹⁹ Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?
²⁰ Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.
²¹ You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.
²² I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
²³ My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you I, whom you have redeemed.
²⁴ My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.

Charles Spurgeon sums up this Psalm by calling it “THE PRAYER OF THE AGED BELIEVER”. He sums up this Psalm asbeing written by one “who, in holy confidence of faith, strengthened by a long and remarkable experience, pleads against his enemies, and asks further blessings for himself. Anticipating a gracious reply, he promises to magnify the Lord exceedingly.” As I read this Psalm, I picture the walk of a righteous person as he makes his journey of life on this earth. Verse one set the stage for having a righteous walk on our journey through life on this earth. We must learn that it is only in God we can find a refuge, a place to retreat in times of trouble.

As I read this Psalm, I realize that one of the main purposes of a believer is to tell of the mighty acts of God in our life and to proclaim his righteousness to others. In this Psalm the Psalmist declares to others God’s splendor all day long as he praises the Lord more and more. He proclaims God’s righteous and his salvation all day long. He daily conversation centers on God’s righteousness both in times of trouble as well as seasons of great abundant of blessings in one’s life. However, the Psalmist recognizes that there are those who want to harm him, who are characterized as wicked, evil and cruel man. In light of this Psalm believers today should put forth the same example in their lives as the Psalmist does in this Psalm. So as you walk daily in this world walk in the same light as the Psalmist did: taking refuge in the Lord, knowing it is He who rescues you from the wicked, praising God all the daily long, knowing that he is the one that has created the splendor that we see daily and finally realizing that it is Him who teaches us to walk in the way.

I have realized that the more I study the Psalms the more my daily conversations centered on how great God’s righteous acts are toward those whom pursue a life pleasing to Him. As having a blessed life of knowing Christ from an early age I reflect on my youth and recall how truly this greatness of His goodness has been in my life. As we age, we begin to realize the true pressures of this life and how we are in a battle against the spiritual wickedness that Paul writes about in Ephesians chapter six. So as we face these battles we must approach it in the same manner as Paul outlines in Philippians chapter three: “Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead.” So, as I go about today’s journey may my song be reflective of that great hymn “and the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace”.

As I read and reflect upon these words of David and study his life, I realize that the path God had for David was not always the path that David had for himself. In Revelation three verses seven and eight John writes “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things said he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that opened, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opened; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”. As I look at this verse and also study the only other reference to the key of David found in Isaiah 22:22 I noticed three characteristics that the church of Philadelphia had that David also possessed: little strength, kept God’s ways and did not deny God’s name. David’s strength was in his trust of God strength and not the strength that David possessed. David knew that the events and daily happenings in his life was for God’s purpose and not the path that David had planned for that day. Did David realize this from his youth? I believe not, He grew in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord just as we all do. However, this one thing was true in David’s life as they must be in the believer’s life; he did not deny God or God’s way.