Read Psalm 6

Summary

The psalms do not shrink back from addressing the suffering of believers in all times and ages. Suffering often comes from the oppression of those who oppose God, and so attack God’s people as God himself is beyond physical reach. But suffering also comes from our sins, whether experienced in the sadness of disrupted relationships with God and with others, or sometimes in physical and spiritual ailments.

Psalm 6, an individual song of lament intended for corporate singing, is one psalm which appears to confront the suffering experienced from our sin. Known from the days of the early Church as one of seven “penitential psalms”, the song expresses David’s cry to God for forgiveness, deliverance, and his expectant hope in restoration.

Our passage explained

v1-3

The psalm begins in verses 1 to 3 with David crying out to God for forgiveness. “O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath” (v.1). Though David does not confess a specific sin, he is aware that God is disciplining him for sins committed.

David asks for God to intervene with mercy, exclaiming the pain he feels in body and spirit. “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled” (vv.2-3). As he sits in suffering, feeling God’s discipline, he asks “But you, O LORD—how long?” David wants to know how long his suffering will continue.

v4-7

In verses 4 to 7 we see David move on from a cry for forgiveness to a cry for deliverance. He feels God has turned away from him, and so he pleads “turn, O LORD” and “deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love” (v.4). He asks God to turn away from his anger and instead preserve him, not because of any merit on his part but because of God’s covenant merciful loving-kindness. He does not base his plea for deliverance in himself, but in God and God’s nature.

David’s desire for deliverance is rooted in his desire to serve, honour, and testify of God. He asks God to save him from death because “in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?” (v.5). The living testify to God and his goodness on earth, those who are dead cannot testify in person to the living.

David then explains the weariness and suffering he feels which hinders his ability to witness to God. “I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes” (vv.6-7). While possibly poetic, or possibly actual physical afflictions, the suffering that David feels demonstrates what he needs deliverance from, along with forgiveness from sin.

v8-10

After seeking forgiveness and deliverance, the psalm ends on a note of expectant restoration. Perhaps David has received encouragement from God of his forgiveness, so he tells those who have sought to attack in his hour of weakness to “depart from me, all you workers of evil” (v.8). They should cease attacking him because God has “heard the sound of my weeping … heard my plea” and “accepts my prayer” (vv.8-9). God has accepted David’s pleas, forgiven his sins, and lifted his judgment; and so his lament turns to praise.

Whereas at the psalm’s beginning it was David who was troubled, now his enemies who have rubbed salt in his wounds will be troubled. “All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment” (v.10). The trouble and shame that the evildoers who troubled David poured on him will be returned to them by God, his restorer and deliverer.

Our passage applied

We should not draw from this psalm that all suffering and trials that come to our lives are the result of our sins. While sometimes this might be the case (John 5:1-15), often it is not (John 9). 

But this passage does remind us that sometimes we undergo discipline because this is one of God’s ways of teaching and instructing us in right living (Proverbs 3:12), and is done because of God’s love for us (Hebrews 12:3-11). God does not rebuke and discipline his enemies, he judges them. God rebukes and disciplines his children, because he loves us.

What we can draw from this psalm is that God hears the pleas and cries of his children. When we cry out “How long, O LORD?” God hears are cries for forgiveness. When we ask him to forgive us and deliver us from trials because of Jesus’ obedience and sacrifice for us, he listens.

We may not experience the deliverance and restoration straight away. But like David, we can cry out “How Long, O LORD?” and know that he hears our prayers, and lovingly cares. We can sing praise in the midst of suffering, expecting restoration. Because God promises his love and forgiveness to us in his Word.

Resources

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Read Psalm 5

Summary

Why should we cry out to God in times of difficulty? What is it that makes God the one we should turn to, rather than “the bottle” or our own strength?

In Psalm 5, another song of individual lament by David, we see this question answered. We can cry out to God in times of difficulty because of God’s character, and as a result trust that he will lead us in the way of righteousness and vindicate us as he defeats our enemies.

Our passage explained

v1-3

Psalm 5 begins with a cry for help. We do not know the particular reason, only that King David cries to God for help, asking him to hear his words and “consider my groaning” (v.1). This cry is directed to “my King and my God, for to you do I pray” (v.2). David, Israel’s king, recognises that God is the true King of all creation and his God, so he groans in his distress and directs his prayer to God for help.

David does not pray only when he is in trouble, but regularly. “O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch” (v.3). David’s cry for help is an extension of his regular morning prayers, similar to the morning burnt sacrifices offered to God in the temple. The phrase “I prepare a sacrifice for you” can also be translated as “I lay my prayers before you” which indicates how the sacrifices from the true worshiper were a form of (and came with) prayers and requests to God.

v4-7

David is confident to cry out to God for help because of God’s character, which David describes in verses 4 to 7. God does not delight in wickedness, and “evil may not dwell with [him]” (v.4) because he is perfectly holy and hates all sin and evil (v.5). 

God does not delight in boasters, evildoers, liars (v.5), and “bloodthirsty and deceitful” men (v.6). Nobody may come into God’s presence without forgiveness of sins and a substitutionary sacrifice in their place, because God does not tolerate sinners and their sins in his presence.

While sinners cannot enter God’s presence, King David can. In verse 7, David describes how “I, through the abundance of your steadfast love” will enter God’s presence (the temple) to worship him. David knows that the privilege of coming to God is the result of God’s steadfast lovingkindness expressed to his covenant people, which David is a part of by God’s grace and mercy.

v8-12

The character of God and the mercy shown to David motivates him to pray in verses 8 to 12 for his vindication. “Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me” (v.8). David prays for God to lead him in the road of righteousness, which is the path to true safety from his enemies.

David wants to be led by God because of his enemies’ character. Their lying, evil speech is a road to death, and their speech stinks like an open grave emits bad smells (v.9). Because of their evil deeds in rebellion to God, David asks God to “Make them bear their guilt … let them fall by their own counsels” and “cast them out” to everlasting judgment (v.10).

Unlike the fate of the evildoer, David asks that he and all who take refuge in [God] rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them” (v.11) so they will glorify God.

David asks this because of God’s character: “for you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favour as with a shield” (v.12). God showers those who trust him in blessings in hard times, and protects them with his favour like a shield protects a soldier from attack.

Our passage applied

David’s reflection on God’s character reminds us of the importance of holiness. While some today suggest that God loves and accepts them despite their many sins, this Psalm clearly says otherwise. As John states, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). God does not accept in his sight those who rebel against him, speaking lies and doing evil deeds.

Instead it is the righteousness of Christ given to us by God’s merciful grace through faith which allows us to come into his presence to worship God. If we trust God, receive his forgiveness, and walk lives of thankfulness in the way of righteousness, God will lead us home to him and watch over us in times of distress.

Instead of the fate of the evildoer, trusting God in good times and difficult times will lead us on the path to joy. Because God is good he will watch over us and protect us, leading us to his presence where we will no longer be troubled by enemies, physical or spiritual. We will cast aside our crowns, and lost in love worship him there.

For a musical setting of Psalm 5:1-7, go here: https://gregorywilbur.bandcamp.com/track/hear-my-words-psalm-5

Resources

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Read Psalm 4

Summary

Life is full of troubles and distress. These troubles and distresses can come from circumstances in life (health, life transitions, death of loved ones) or from the attacks of others on us. King David was no stranger to the troubles and distresses of life, both in his youth and in his days as King of Israel.

Psalm 4 is a song written in a time of distress, possibly similar in circumstances to Psalm 3. Psalm 4 expresses confidence in God, in whom we may find peace in times of distress. After a brief prayer to God to hear his call, David describes his enemies and calls them to repentance, and then closes with a confident prayer in God’s protection and peace.

Our passage explained

v1-5

In the first verse of Psalm 4, David calls out to God asking him to hear his prayers. “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!” David asks his covenant-keeping God to hear his prayers, recognising that it is God who gives him his righteousness, not his own deeds. God has previously “given me relief when I was in distress” so David desires God to hear his prayer now: not because God is required to, but out of his graciousness.

In verses 2 through 5, David then describes his enemies who are causing his present distress and calls them to repent. In verse 2, he accuses them of worshipping false gods. He asks “how long shall my honour be turned into shame?”, a polite reference to exchanging God (“my honour/glory”) for idols (cf. Ps. 106:20, Romans 1:21-23). As a result they “love vain words and seek after lies.”

In contrast to David’s enemies, who have sought after false gods, the godly are set apart by God. His enemies should know that “the Lord has set apart the godly for himself” (v.3) and that “the Lord hears when I [David] call to him.” God has reserved those who seek him as his own possession, and listens when they cry out in prayer to him. God keeps his covenant promises with all who seek him.

David then calls on his enemies to repent of their wickedness and turn to God. They ought to “be angry, and do not sin” (v.4, cf. Eph 4:26), turning away from their anger and instead coming in trembling fear before God. He tells them to “ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent”. They should reflect on their ways in the evening. Like the righteous, knowing the evil in their hearts, they should “offer right sacrifices, and put [their] trust in the LORD” (v.5).

v6-8

Finally, David returns with a confident prayer in God’s protection and peace. In verse 6 he relates the words of (presumably) sceptics, who say “Who will show us some good?

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!” The sceptics mock and using phrasing from the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) suggest that God has not blessed them materially with prosperity, perhaps suggesting that they consider worshipping God as conditional on him blessing them.

Unlike the sceptics who view God’s blessings only in terms of material wealth, David sees God’s blessing differently. “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound” (v.7). God provides joy even in the midst of trouble and distress, which is far greater than the occasional blessing of food and drink at harvest festivals.

The joy which David has received means “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (v.8). Peaceful sleep comes to David because he knows God is his protector, who watches over him and gives him joy even in the middle of difficult days.

Our passage applied

So how do we find peace in times of trouble and distress? The answer, according to this Psalm, is to put our trust in God. Like David and “the godly,” all those who worship God and not false idols are set apart by God as his possession.

As David calls his enemies to do, so too should we meditate on the evil in our hearts and seek forgiveness from God through Jesus’ sacrifice. To know God’s love and his comfort, we should come trembling before the holy God, worshipping and trusting him, and receiving his faithful mercy.

Because God is faithful, he gives joy in the midst of sorrow to all his children, better than the joy we experience in days of celebration (eg, weddings, Christmas, and such). This joy, knowing his love and ability to protect us (Jude 24) is a comfort that should help us sleep at night. It assures us of our eternal safety, even in times of distress. God’s joy helps us carry on, even when all seems lost.

In times of trouble and distress, like David we should cry out to God. Come to God in prayer, trusting in his mercy and goodness, and receive from God the joy in your heart that is better than feasting.

Resources

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Read Psalm 3

Summary

There is a terrible lie told in parts of modern Christianity – the idea that trusting in Christ will solve all our problems and that we will face no opposition for our beliefs. The reality is quite different, and many of the psalms express the reality of struggle, opposition, and oppression.

In Psalm 3, the first psalm explicitly attributed to King David, we see David cry out to God for help as he flees the rebellion of his son, Absalom (2 Samuel 15-18). David cries out to God, acknowledges his confidence in God, and expresses hope in his deliverance. These words are of equal comfort to us as well in days of need.

Our passage explained

v1-2

Psalm 3 begins in verses 1 and 2 with King David crying out to God. “O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no salvation for him in God.’”

This cry of anguish occurred because many of his people turned to his rebellious son, Absalom, who was attempting to seize power. David cries to his covenantal God (by calling on God’s covenantal name, printed in our Bible as LORD), announcing his despair over his abandonment by many of the people of Israel.

The cry of anguish not only expresses despair over many (repeated three times) who have deserted his cause, but also the words they express. David mourns that they believe God will not save him: that the God who anointed and established him in the kingship, and whom he has faithfully served, will not be faithful to David in his hour of need.

v3-4

Despite the words expressed by his internal enemies, David in verses 3 to 4 still acknowledges his confidence in God. While others seek him harm, “you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head” (v.3). Despite the opposition he faces and his flight from Jerusalem, he sees his covenant-keeping God as his protector and the one who would lift him up to his rightful place as king.

David’s confidence came from his knowledge of God’s love. “I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill” (v.4). David knows that in other times he has called upon God as his shield and helper, and has been answered. So too this time, God will answer his cries from his earthly abode, the Temple in Jerusalem.

v5-8

The confidence which David has in God leads him to express hope in his eventual deliverance from his enemies (vv.5-8). Absalom may have many followers, but David has God on his side. As a result, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me” (v.5) and kept him from harm as he slept. David has no fear of the many thousands who have left his side to rally behind Absalom’s banner (v.6).

If David is to be delivered, then God is the one who shall defeat his enemies. Therefore, he calls on God to “arise” and “Save me, O my God!” (v.7) His call to God to arise expresses confidence that God’s power to deliver is about to be displayed. The victory of God for David will be complete, “for you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked”. God does not grind his enemies to stalemate, but defeats and removes their power to oppose.

Psalm 3 ends on a climax as David contradicts the many who oppose him, expressing his confidence in God to save. “Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people!” (v.8). David prays that not only will the salvation (or deliverance) he expects be just for him, but for all God’s people. David asks God to bless all those who are God’s people, not just himself.

Our passage applied

Like David, we can pray, recite, or sing this psalm taking the same comfort from God’s faithfulness. God is unchanging, and his faithfulness to his people does not change. For all who trust in God, he promises to deliver.

In times of trial, when the church is attacked or we are troubled for our beliefs, even by those who falsely call themselves Christians, this psalm offers the same words of comfort. 

We can be confident in God’s love for us, his people, and rest in him even though innumerable foes may oppose. God will ultimately vindicate and deliver us, even though we go through troubles in this life. Whether this deliverance is expressed in victory now or final vindication on the Last Day is a matter of God’s wise decree.

But most of all, we can proclaim these words because God has delivered us from the Devil, from sin, and from death through Jesus (whose name comes from the Hebrew word for deliverance). This deliverance and complete victory for us is not just for one or two alone, but for all God’s people.

So in times of difficulty, we can join David and call out in hope: ‘Save Us, O our God!

Resources

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Read Psalm 2

Summary

When a new king or queen of Great Britain (and hence, New Zealand) is coronated, an elaborate process is followed of swearing oaths and placing a crown on the new monarch’s head. After this, those in the crowd give homage to their new monarch, swearing that they submit to the monarch’s reign.

Psalm 2 encourages us to give homage to King Jesus, God’s anointed ruler. Like Psalm 1, it serves as an introduction to the wider book of Psalms. Psalm 2 contrasts the rebellious nations with God’s divine reign, his appointment of his Son as king, and ends with a call to allegiance.

Our passage explained

v1-3

Firstly, in verses 1 to 3 we see the rebellious nations described. Verse 1 asks “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” The question is asked not out of frustration or sadness, but astonishment. The Psalmist is rhetorically pointing out the stupidity of trying to plot against God, the Creator and sustainer of all things, rather than meditating on God and his word (Psalm 1:2).

In verses 2 and 3 the pointless plotting is described. “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’” This describes the state of the rulers of nations today as in rebellion against God and his Messiah (which means “anointed one”). Whatever anger and rage they throw against God’s people is a reflection of their hatred of God.

v4-7

Secondly, we see God’s divine reign displayed. In verse 4, God looks down from heaven in his sovereignty and laughs derisively at the nations trying to rebel against him. He holds the power of life and death over them, and will one day come to judge them for their rebellion, speaking “to them in his wrath, and terrify[ing] them in his fury” (v.5). His declaration will be “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (v.6). His anointed one is established as King, despite the plotting of the nations.

Thirdly, we see the appointment of God’s Son as king. Here the King himself speaks what God told him. “The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you’” (v.7). These words, quoted in the New Testament (eg, Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, 5:5) are the decree that Jesus, God’s Son who took on flesh and dwelt among us, is the sovereignly appointed King whom God has established (v.6).

v8-12

God’s Son will inherit all the nations and execute judgement for God. In verses 8 and 9, we see God promises his Son “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” The Messiah’s rule will cover all the nations of the earth, not just Israel. And all those who oppose Jesus’ rule, such as the kings and rulers of the earth from verses 1 and 2, will be shattered by Jesus’ judgement.

Psalm 2 closes with a call to allegiance. The kings who rage and plot in vain are called to be wise and heed the warning of previous verses (v.10). They should “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (v.11) and pay homage to the Messiah (literally “Kiss the Son” which was an ancient sign of submission, v.12). Failure to do so will arouse his anger, and lead to their perishing.

Comfortingly though, the psalm ends on a positive note. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (v.12). While wrath and destruction comes to those who continue to deny the Messiah’s reign, everyone who trusts in him is blessed, tying back to the promises of Psalm 1.

Our passage applied

Jesus is the ruler appointed by God to reign over his church, and one day over all of Creation. One day soon Jesus will subdue all the nations that still foolishly plot in vain. His dominion will have no end (Dan 7:11-14). After crushing all rebellion, he will deliver the kingdom to his Father (1 Cor 15:24).

As we see persecution against our brothers and sisters in other nations, and perhaps even see the rise of official persecution again in the West, these words are a comfort for us. The nations may plot and try to overthrow God; to destroy his kingdom by attacking the Church. But God will have the last laugh, Jesus will have the final word. All those who oppose God and his Son will be forced to acknowledge his rightful rule, pay homage to his anointed king Jesus, or face his rightful judgement.

As we wait for that final day when all opposition will cease, we should take refuge in God. It is only in God and his appointed Son as King that we find refuge for our weary souls from the storms of God’s wrath.

Resources

Questions? Please contact us. Inspired? Come and worship with us on Sundays.

Read Psalm 1

Summary

Perhaps you have heard of “two ways to live” which is an evangelistic tool for helping people understand their need for Christ. We either live our own way, or God’s way. Psalm 1, which serves as a theological introduction to the book of Psalms, makes clear the contrasting ways which people live, and their resulting destiny. It contrasts between the blessed man who delights in following God, and the wicked man who follows his own ways.

Our passage explained

v1-3

The righteous man lives his life near to God. Verse 1 of Psalm 1 pronounces a blessing on the righteous man who does not walk “in the counsel of the wicked”, stand “in the way of sinners”, or sit “in the seat of scoffers” (v.1). The psalmist emphasises progressively that the righteous do not look to the ungodly for wisdom (walk), take the same approach to life as sinners (stand), or make company with those who mock God in word or in their actions (sit).

Instead, the righteous man devotes himself to God. This is expressed in where he finds his source of wisdom and his approach to life. The righteous man’s “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (v.2). The teaching and instruction of God is his treasure.

Because his delight is in God, and the teaching and instruction found in his Word, the man is fruitful and firm. He is described as being like “a tree planted by streams of water” (v.3) – a tree transplanted next to a bountiful source of water to help it grow. The tree, blessed with nutrients, “yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (v.3). In the same way, “In all that he does, he prospers” (v.3). The man is blessed, yields great spiritual fruit, and does not wither away.

v4-6

The unrighteous man lives his life far from God, and is a complete contrast to the righteous man. Unlike the blessed, righteous man who is a green tree, the wicked man is “like chaff that the wind drives away” (v.4). He has no substance, no fruitfulness, no roots to endure.

Because there is nothing to hold the wicked down, he “will not stand in the judgment” (v.5). When God judges all things (the idea here is the final judgement), the wicked will be blown away in the winds so to speak while the tree endures. The wicked man will not stand his ground before God, because he has nothing on which to stand.

Likewise, the wicked will not have any right to be a part of God’s people. Just as the wicked will not stand, so too sinners will not be able to stand “in the congregation of the righteous” (v.5). The wicked will be excluded from God’s people, and excluded from experiencing God’s loving presence for all eternity.

The psalm concludes by summing up the contrasting destinies of the righteous and the wicked. In verse 6, it states “the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” God knows and sees all things, and delights in the way of the righteous man who delights in God. God chooses the righteous man who prospers (v.3), but the wicked will perish (v.6).

Our passage applied

This psalm reminds us to seek after God, not our own ways. If we wish to delight in God eternally, we should delight ourselves in the Bible. It is in Scripture where we find teaching and instruction on God, so we may delight in and worship his perfections more and more. It is in Scripture where we find God’s standard of holiness revealed to us, so that we may choose to live in a way which pleases him, rather than following the wisdom of the wicked and the patterns of unrighteousness of sinners.

As we see God’s standard of holiness, we are also brought face to face with our sinfulness. But God’s Word also reminds us of God’s gracious mercy, sending Jesus to take our sins from us and to give us his righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). It is when we trust in God through Jesus, that we are counted as righteous and not as a wicked man. We are freed from the shame and burden of our sins, to delight in God.

As we seek after God, and receive the blessing of nourishment from him, we will be like transplanted trees besides water, bearing fruit. What God began as a good work within us he “will bring… to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). As we bear fruit we will glorify God and show that we are Jesus’ disciples (John 15:6).

Like Moses’ charge to Israel as they entered the Promised Land, Psalm 1 encourages us to “choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him” (Deut 30:19-20). Let us choose a life devoted to God, drawing near to God and enjoying his blessing.

Resources

If you would like to memorise this psalm, try memorising it to a tune. Here is a version set to a modern track – https://youtu.be/FJftEhDEciE

Questions? Please contact us. Inspired? Come and worship with us on Sundays.