Psalm 51

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou might be justified when thou speak, and be clear when thou judge.

5 Behold, I was shape in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, thou desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

15 O Lord, open thou, my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16 For thou desires not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delights not in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. (KJV)

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 characteristics 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 known; 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 God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

3 Our God shall come and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

5 Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.

8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.

9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.

10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou should take my covenant in thy mouth?

17 Seeing thou hates instruction and casts my words behind thee.

18 When thou saw a thief, then thou consent with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.

19 Thou gives thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frames deceit.

20 Thou sit and speaks against thy brother; thou slander thine own mother’s son.

21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thought that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes.

22 Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

23 Whoso offers praise glorify me: and to him that orders his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.  (KJV)

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 composers 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 eternity. 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.

The last two verses set the stage for all of mankind.  There are only two ways, God way or the ungodly way.  One way is having God direct your way and the other way is living with God.  The warning to all mankind is found in these two verses.  “Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:” is a warning that yes you can live your life without God, and do things your way; however, God will not be there to rescue you, even in death.  “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” are the ones who walk in God’s way.  They recognize their sinfulness and are thankful for his salvation and their new desire is to take on the nature of the new creation that has been given to them though the redemptive work of Christ.  Romans 12:1,2 are verses that all believers should memorize and meditate on day and night.

Psalm 49

1 Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:

2Both low and high, rich and poor, together.

3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

6 They that trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.

7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases forever:)

9 That he should still live forever, and not see corruption.

10 For he sees that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

12 Nevertheless man being in honor abides not: he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approves their sayings. Selah.

14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased.

17 For when he dies, he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

18 Though while he lived, he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou do well to thyself.

19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

20 Man that is in honor, and understands not, is like the beasts that perish. (KJV)

As you look at these verses, try to picture yourself listening to Christ preaching his messages from the hills of Galilee. The message that Christ is preaching 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. As we read this psalm, we realize that 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.

This psalm continues with a warning for us: “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.”  That understanding of verse twenty of this psalm can be found in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life,”  and I John 5:12” He that hath the son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

One event that a person will experience as they grow older is the end of a life of a loved 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.

Sometimes our personal beliefs come into conflict with the world and even those who are close to us.  This psalm has the greatest promise for all of mankind.  The promise of redeeming us from the grave.  Jesus spoke this promise to Nicodemus in their discourse that is recorded in John 3:1-21.  Jesus used the example of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness as the way God was going provided as the way to redeem our life.   Jesus explained that his only purpose of being send by God to this earth was to save man from the curse of sin.  We either believe in Christ or we do not and reject him.  Believing in Jesus will change the way we walk in this world.  Knowing that there is so much more after we die and leave this world that the things of this life does not have as much attraction to us as it did in the past.  I can now live a life that does not fear death. 

Psalm 48

1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.

2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

3 God is known in her palaces for a refuge.

4 For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.

5 They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, and hasted away.

6 Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

7 Thou break the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah.

9 We have thought of thy loving-kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.

10 According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.

11 Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.

12 Walk about Zion and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.

13 Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.

14 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death. (KJV)

Reading this psalm, I am reminded that there are forces that are making advance against our 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 lifestyles as the seven thousand found in 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.

Verse fourteen “For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” Is a verse that we must apply to our everyday life.  As we travel on this journey through our time on this earth, we will face the ups and downs that come along the path we travel.  During the high points and victories, we usually do not have a problem praising the Lord; but sometimes when our paths get dark and there seems no light or assistance from above, we become discourage and look for help from other sources than the Lord.  It is in the darkness of these moments when we need to reach in the riches of God’s Word (Bible) for light.  It is the simple songs that we learn as a child that are the deepest in meaning. 

Examples:

The BIBLE yes that the book for me.

It stands for God.

Yes, the Word of God.

The BIBLE.

My God is so big, so great and so powerful.

There nothing my God cannot do.

These two songs I use to teach to the two-year-old children their Sunday School class.  These songs like this psalm are words that we need to hide in our heart and pull them out as lights when darkness starts to creep along our pathway.   

Psalm 47

1 O clap your hands, all ye people: shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

2 For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.

3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.

4 He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

5 God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

8 God reigns over the heathen: God sits upon the throne of his holiness.

9 The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted. (KJV)

In this psalm God is portrayed as the King over all the earth.  He is the one that will subdue both the people and the nations under his feet.  He is the one that choose Israel inheritance for them.  His throne is characterizing as a throne of holiness.  This is a psalm that points to the Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

Reading this psalm this morning, I stop and reflected about all the influences that have already occurred today in my life.  In the past on my daily commute to work every morning I would listen either to the radio or to my CDs on the scriptures. As 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.

The commercials 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.  Adam 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, a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.

3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolation he hath made in the earth.

9 He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and cuts the spear in sunder; he burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah (KJV)

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.  This Psalm was probably written during the time that Assyria was attacking Judah under the reign of King Hezekiah.  In II Kings 19:35 “And it came to pass that night that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred four-score and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, they were all dead corpses.” might have set the stage for this psalm.  God is the subject of this song. The theme of this psalm starting with verse one and as it continues 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 is too small or too large for the Lord.

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.

Reading 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.  We need to stop (cease from fighting) striving for our earthly desires and behold the works of the Lord.   When the things of this earth slowly diminish as the focus of our journey in this world; then the light of the eternal treasures will grow even more brighter in our life.

Psalm 45

1 My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore, God hath blessed thee forever.

3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fill under thee.

6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter.

7 Thou loves righteousness, and hates wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

9 Kings’ daughters were among thy honorable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house.

11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.

13 The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.

14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.

15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.

16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou may make princes in all the earth.

17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore, shall the people praise thee forever and ever.  (KJV)

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 purification 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.

As I study this chapter I am reminded of the song “Tell me the Story of Jesus” that I learn many years ago.   I remember this song from working on a dairy farm during the early years of my youth.  As we were milking the cows the radio would be tuned in to a Christian broadcasting station and this story would be played on air a lot in the early 1960’s.  This is a song that all believers should learn and place within their heart.  This song was written by Frances Crosby

Tell Me The Story Of Jesus,
Write On My Heart Every Word!
Tell Me The Story Most Precious,
Sweetest That Ever Was Heard.

Tell How The Angels In Chorus
Sang, As They Welcomed His Birth,
‘Glory To God In The Highest,
Peace And Good Tidings To Earth.’

Fasting Alone In The Desert,
Tell Of The Days That He Passed;
How He Was Tried And Was Tempted,
Yet Was Triumphant At Last.

Tell Of The Years Of His Labors,
Tell Of The Sorrows He Bore;
He Was Despised And Afflicted,
Homeless, Rejected, And Poor.

Tell Of The Cross Where They Nailed Him,
Dying In Anguish And Pain;
Tell Of The Grave Where They Laid Him;
Tell How He Liveth Again.
Love, In That Story So Tender,
Clearer Than Ever I See;
Stay, Let Me Weep While You Whisper
Love Paid The Ransom For Me.

Refrain:
               Tell Me The Story Of Jesus,
          Write On My Heart Every Word,
          Tell Me The Story Most Precious,
          Sweetest That Ever Was Heard.

David also probably had many songs that he learned as a child telling the story of the provisions that the Lord had provided for the nation of Israel in the past.  We see many examples of these in the Psalms.  These are the values that we must pass down to our children and grandchildren.   

Psalm 44

1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

2 How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand and planted them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

 arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favor unto them.

4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverance for Jacob.

5 Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

7 But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

8 In God we boast all the day long and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

9 But thou hast cast off and put us to shame; and goes not forth with our armies.

10 Thou makes us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

11 Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

12 Thou sells thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

13 Thou makes us a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

14 Thou makes us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.

15 My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

16 For the voice of him that reproaches and blasphemes, by reason of the enemy and avenger.

17 All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

18 Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way.

19 Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons and covered us with the shadow of death.

20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;

21 Shall not God search this out? for he knows the secrets of the heart.

22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Awake, why sleeps thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off forever.

24 Wherefore hides thou thy face, and forgets our affliction and our oppression?

25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaves unto the earth.

26 Arise for our help and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.  (KJV)

Romans 11:25 “For I do not want you brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel be saved; just as it is written, The Deliver will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob, and this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”  In Romans chapter eleven Paul expounds on how God has not rejected His people but for a space of time until the completeness of the fulness of the Gentiles they will be in darkness.  Consider carefully the words found in verses nine through twenty-six as you study this psalm:

But thou hast cast off and put us to shame.

And goes not forth with our armies.

Thou make us to turn back from the enemy.

They which hate us spoil for themselves.

Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat.

Thou hast scattered us among the heathen.

Thou sell thy people for nought.

Thou dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

Thou make us a reproach to our neighbors.

We are a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

Thou make us a byword among the heathen.

We are a shaking of the head among the people.

My confusion is continually before me.

The shame of my face hath covered me,

For the voice of him those reproaches and blasphemes, by reason of the enemy and avenger.

All this comes upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee.

Neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way.

Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons and covered us with the shadow of death.

If we have forgotten the name of our God or stretched out our hands to a strange god.

Shall not God search this out? for he knows the secrets of the heart.

Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Awake, why sleeps thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off forever.

Wherefore hides thou thy face and forgets our affliction and our oppression.

For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaves unto the earth.

Arise for our help and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake. 

This is the reply to verses one through eight in this chapter. 

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us. 

What work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand and planted them.

How thou didst afflict the people and cast them out.

How your arm saves them: by thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance.

          Because thou hadst a favor unto them.

Thou art my King, O God: command deliverance for Jacob.

Through thee will we push down our enemies.

Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

But thou hast saved us from our enemies.

Thou hast put them to shame that hated us.

          In God we boast all the day long and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

The history of the Jewish people is not only a history of a religion, but of a nation of people who have been scattered by God unto the utter ends of the earth.  Their history begins with Abraham around four thousand years ago through his son Isaac. For almost two thousand years after Isaac, we can read how they grew from a small tribe of people to a small nation living and serving the Pharoah in Egypt to a becoming a nation in the Middle East.  For almost fifteen hundred years we can study the rise and fall of this nation from being a group of tribes to a strong nation under three kings and then becoming two divide nations which will then go into captivity and then return to rebuild again.   

And yet in the nearly two thousand years after the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. by the Romans and the scattering of the Jewish people throughout the entire world they have still retain their national identity over these last two thousand years.  Now for the last seventy-six years Israel is back in land that they can call home.  They have look to this promise return throughout their history and it has now come to past.  Verses nine through twenty-six in this psalm could reflect how the probably felt the last two thousand years.  Reflecting back to Paul’s words in Roman 11:25 “partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel be saved” could point to the return of our Lord in the near future.  

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 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 the book of 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 on 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 Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

2 For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.

5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. (KJV)

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 can be found in 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. 

My office contains several hundred commentaries and religious books about the Bible.  Many of these books on how to study your Bible, or how to apply the life application of the scriptures in your life can add insight my daily studies; but they can never replace the daily reading of the Bible in my life.  The more I study the scriptures, the more the Holy Spirit opens my eyes to the truth of God.  To me the Bible is the living Word of God.  In this psalm verse three states “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”.  As I study the gospel of John, I realized that this light and truth is Christ.  So, the more I know about Jesus and the more I let him direct my paths the closer I get to the place that God dwells. 

Psalm 42

1 As the hart pants after the water brooks, so pants my soul after thee, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day.

5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore, will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.

7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

8 Yet the Lord will command his loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. (KJV)

This psalm centers on these two questions.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

This psalm centers on these answers.

Put your hope in God,

I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Sometimes during our walk on this earth, we seem to walk in a dry and thirsty land. It is during these times that we must remember that the earth is under the curse of sin. We are not in heaven yet but on a journey. We sometimes forget that we are on a journey and live as if this life on earth is it and there is no life after we depart from this earth. However, it is God that leads and sometimes these paths will lead us through a period of testing, or should I state a desert place. The key to getting through these times is to remember who God is (the One that our mind cannot comprehend) and that this is just our journey and not our home. The psalmist also reflects upon his time of worship with others (how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng) during this time of testing. Remember Psalm 62:11-12 “one thing God has spoken two things have I heard: that you, O God are strong, and that you O, Lord are loving.” It is these times of worshiping and praising God that we must look back to when we are in these periods of testing to give us hope for the future.

As I was studying the book There was a Time written by Mary Alice Wilhelm this week, I ran across a list title Nine Aspects of Life written by a source not known in the second chapter. Reflecting on these nine aspects can helps us as believers when we face the two questions that this Psalm presents to us.

Nine Aspects of Life

1. The adventure of life is to learn.

2. The purpose of life is to grow.

3. The nature of life is to change.

4. The challenge of life is to overcome.

5. The essence of life is to care.

6. The opportunity of life is to serve.

7. The secret of life is to dare.

8. The spice of life is to befriend.

9. The beauty of life is to give.

Source not known

As we age and realize that our journey through this world is now much nearer to the end we begin to look back and reevaluate our understanding of the true meaning of life. For those who know God and the work that Christ paid for us on the cross this reevaluation will usually lead to a more rewarding life for us in our later years.