Read Psalm 13

Summary

There is a difference between how we feel, and the truth of something. While we live in a world where it seems feelings trump facts, our subjective feelings do not override reality. We can even feel abandoned by God and distant from him, even though he is objectively near to us and cares for us. 

Psalm 13 expresses this tension in a believer’s life, as King David feels neglected and distanced from God. Yet this psalm also expresses the knowledge of God’s goodness and love, as King David reassures himself of God’s faithfulness to his covenant people. As with David, these truths should help assure us even when we feel like God is distant from us.

Our passage explained

v1-3

The opening stanza of Psalm 13 expresses a cry of distress toward God. Verses one and two express four “how long” cries towards God. The first two cries in verse one express feelings of distance from God: “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” David expresses worry that God has “forgotten” him, and does not remember him as one of his covenant people. David feels as if God is withholding his presence from him.

The feelings of distance are further expressed in cries of confusion and frustration in verse two. “How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” In the third cry, David expresses confusion at his feelings of grief and a subjective feeling of abandonment, as if God no longer provides him with counsel. In the fourth cry, David expresses frustration at the apparent success of those who oppose him, despite God’s covenantal promises to uphold his people.

The second stanza contains David’s plea to God for his attention. David expresses his continued belief in God as his prayer as he addresses the “LORD my God” (v.3), demonstrating his belief that God is both personal to him “my God” and has revealed himself covenantally. 

David asks God to “Consider and answer me … light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death” (v.3). He wants God to respond to his prayerful requests, and restore his strength and health, probably spiritual given his cry in verse two.

v4-6

His plea for attention and restoration also answers his worries in the fourth cry that his enemies are exalted over him. He adds a request for answer “lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed over him,’ lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken” (v.4). If God does not respond to David’s cries, David will be defeated, and David’s enemies will have a victory over God.

Psalm 13 concludes with David’s confidence in God’s nearness. “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation” (v.5). David trusts that God is faithful to his promises, expressed in his covenantal merciful loving-kindness (God’s “steadfast love”). David knows that God’s steadfast love towards his people will result in the salvation of all who trust in God, and he rejoices in that knowledge despite his feelings expressed earlier.

Since David knows God’s presence and love for him, he concludes his psalm by saying “I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me” (v.6). David does not abandon God because he felt distanced from him, but persists in trusting God and singing praise to him. 

David can trust and worship because he knows that God’s character does not change. God’s saving acts (v.5) and generosity (dealing “bountifully”, v.6) are truths which trump his feelings. God is not distant in anger, but near in his compassion, mercy, and generosity towards David.

Our passage applied

How often do we feel as if God is distant from us? Trouble strikes, and we fear God does not care. We fall into a sin and in our shame think that God must have turned his face away from us, and surely cannot forgive us this time. Perhaps we wonder if God truly loves us, after all. These sorts of feelings are not new; they are felt by believers in all ages.

Despite these feelings, this psalm reminds us of the truth of God’s love for his covenant people. God has promised to save and bless us, to show his loving-kindness and generosity to us. God even sent his own Son, Jesus, to take the punishment and anger of God for sin (Matt. 27:45-47) that we may experience God’s nearness and love (Romans 5:8-11). Because of God’s love and his faith given to us, we can rejoice with joy at the salvation of our souls (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Our feelings deceive us. God does not change, his mercies are new every morning. God’s faithfulness, his salvation, his generosity to all who trust in him are truths we can rely on. Despite times when we feel God is far away, God’s promises and saving deeds remind us of his nearness and love for us.

Resources

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Read Psalm 12

Summary

If you live in New Zealand or in other places in “The West”, chances are you have watched what seems like large parts of both the Church and the wider culture walk away from the living and true God. While we may be tempted to think this is unique to our time and place, the truth is that in many times and places people have walked away from God, leaving only a small faithful remnant.

Psalm 12 illustrates the cry and response of the faithful when surrounded by the faithless. Written by King David, it describes a time when it seemed to him that he was surrounded by the faithless, walking away from God. The psalm reminds us that God will protect and deliver his people, despite the trouble of the world around us.

Our passage explained

v1-4

The psalm begins with King David lamenting the world around him: “Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.” Where, David asks, are the faithful? They have disappeared from the world, and like the days of Noah it seems only one or a few are left.

Verses two to four expand on this lament, describing the words of the faithless. “Everyone utters lies” including outright falsehoods but also insincere flattery and deceitful speech which cheapens and undermines communication (v.2). 

To this David prays that God would “cut off” those who use flattery and boasting to further their own gain (v.3), excluding them from God’s covenant community. Flattery, boasting, and deceitful words are like a weapon against God’s people, because the faithless believe “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?” (v.4).

v5-8

The psalm next records God’s response in verse five. “‘Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,’ says the LORD; ‘I will place him in the safety for which he longs.’” God promises to act, righting the injustice visited on the faithful (depicted as poor and needy) and placing them in safety.

David responds to God’s commitment to act on behalf of the faithful with a meditation on the goodness of God’s words. Unlike the deceitful words of the faithless, “The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times” (v.6). God’s words are as pure and valuable as refined silver, a precious and beautiful metal. God’s promises can be relied on.

Because God’s words and promises can be relied on, the faithful can live with confidence. “You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever” (v.7). God will not break his word, he will not act outside his covenant love for his people. God will keep his promises and guard his faithful people from the faithless (“this generation”) not only now, but forever.

The faithful can live in this confidence despite the nature of the faithless, summarised again in verse 8. “On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.” While the wicked prowl looking to devour God’s people, and exalting awful thoughts and deeds, God exalts his covenant people, preserving them in the middle of the wicked who surround them.

Our passage applied

As we reflect on this psalm, the first thing that should come to mind is that we do not live in a particularly unique time in history. In many times in history, God’s faithful people have been surrounded and harassed by the unfaithful around, scoffing and fulfilling their sinful desires (2 Peter 3:1-7). While it seems uncomfortable for us that we live in a culture of unfaithfulness, particularly those of us that remember (at least outwardly) days when God’s name was honoured, we are not alone in living in such days.

Living in these days of unfaithfulness, we can take comfort in God’s promise in verse five. This promise summarises all the promises of God in Scripture, to save his people and preserve them through troubles and strife. 

God’s promises are just as precious today as they were in King David’s day, when he described them as like pure silver. They are all “yes” in Jesus, and so we say through Jesus amen to God for his glory (2 Cor 1:20). We can rely on God’s promises.

As we put our trust in God to fulfil his promises, we await the final righting of the wrong of rebellion against God. One day the Lord Jesus will return, and put away all evil and scoffing that righteousness may dwell fully (2 Peter 3:8-13). 

While we live with unfaithful surrounding us now, this is not how things will remain. We have God’s promises to trust in, and the hope of Jesus’ final total victory over sin and unbelief to look forward to. God will guard us, his people, not only from this generation but forever.

God has not left his faithful remnant alone, but promises to arise to protect and preserve them, in whatever place and age they are found.

Resources

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Read Psalm 11

Summary

Sometimes, life falls apart at the seams. Everything you thought was true turns on its head. Nations crumble, the everyday routine is shattered, societies abandon morality for insanity, orthodox churches embrace false teaching, or friends and family turn enemy. Psalm 11 addresses this situation in life – what does a Christian do when everything is overturned?

Written by King David when his life fell apart (possibly Absalom’s rebellion – 2 Samuel 15-19), this psalm expresses confidence in God when everything you thought was fixed is overturned. After questioning the advice of his advisers to flee instead of trusting in God, David expresses his confidence in God to deliver and uphold his people.

Our passage explained

v1-3

Psalm 11 opens with an expression of confidence by King David, which sets the tone for the psalm: “In the LORD I take refuge” (v.1). David does not trust in his own strength, but in his covenant-keeping God, who has made promises and sworn an oath to be a God to his own  people.

Because David trusts in God for his salvation, he asks his advisers “how can you say to my soul, ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?’” (vv.1-3). This attitude expresses both self-reliance, and a defeatist attitude.

Firstly this attitude expresses self-reliance because the advice suggests that David should flee to some mountainous hideout, instead of trusting in God. Mountains were natural defensive places in David’s day until very recent times – they forced attackers to assault uphill and also generally allowed a better view of the surrounding area. They also contain caves in which to hide, like birds hiding in the nooks and crannies of hills. Fleeing to a place of refuge instead of trusting in God was an expression of self-reliance.

But secondly this view is defeatist. The advisers encourage David to flee because the wicked have notched arrows to “shoot in the dark at the upright in heart” (v.2), taking them by surprise when they cannot see their attackers. The attack of the wicked so overturns the advisers’ view of the world (and David’s too), that they describe it as an attack on the very foundations of things, and weakly ask in response “what can the righteous do?” (v.3).

v4-7

The despair of King David’s advisers is answered in verses four to seven. Firstly, David recalls the sovereign rule of God. “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man” (v.4). God sits enthroned in heaven, where he sees and weighs all men’s deeds.

Secondly, David recognises that the righteous God will not let the wicked go unpunished. “The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup” (vv.5-6). God sees and examines both the righteous and unrighteous, but his very being reserves his anger for the wicked, who will be judged like the fires which rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19).

The reason for God’s acts of judgment and David’s confidence in God’s righteous, sovereign reign is God’s nature and character. “For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face” (v.7). David’s covenant-keeping God is righteous, and loves those who serve him. Those he loves will experience his presence as he delivers them from the wicked to life with him.

Our passage applied

David’s confidence in God expressed in this Psalm shows us how to react when it seems like the world has turned upside down. David understood that whatever went on, whether seen as good or bad from our perspective, God was in control. Nothing has changed from then. God still sits on his throne, casting his eyes upon men, judging between those who trust in him and those who do wicked deeds. Nothing escapes his sight.

We notice also that this passage describes two ways people may wrongly act when calamity comes. First, people can trust in their own resourcefulness alone to ride things out. Secondly, people can despair at the downfall of what they held dear. Both of these reactions are not how we should respond to the troubles of life.

It can be easy to despair at the decline of a denomination, the regression of our civilisation to Greco-Roman Pagan “values”, or the sudden betrayal of friends or family held dear. But Psalm 11 encourages us to place our confidence and trust in God, despite the very foundations of life being shaken. 

God is still sovereign, Jesus reigns, and Christ has borne God’s wrath for our sins at the Cross. So at the day of reckoning we will know fully the joy of God’s presence which we experience now as his people, while the wicked will know God’s vengeance.

Resources

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Read Psalm 10

Summary

We live in a world where the wicked seem to get away with their evil deeds. Sometimes as we watch, it can seem like God is letting them get away with their wickedness; doing nothing to intervene. To the author of Psalm 10, this apparent distance of God was a key worry and cause for writing.

Psalm 10 presents a lament at the wicked and their evil deeds, and asks God to intervene. It probably serves as a twin to Psalm 9, since both are written in acrostic form (in Hebrew) using different parts of the Hebrew alphabet. The first eleven verses focus on the wicked and their evil, before a plea to God to help his people, and praise for the divine King who will execute judgment over the wicked.

Our passage explained

v1-4

In Psalm 9, the majority of the psalm praised God before asking him to come to his people’s aid. In Psalm 10, the opening focus is on the deeds of the wicked. In verse 1, the author poses a question concerning God’s apparent distance: “Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

The apparent distance of God is a concern because of the wicked who surround God’s people, and commit evil deeds. The arrogant wicked “hotly pursue the poor” and the psalmist wishes that their evil designs would entrap themselves, like a hunter falling into his own trap (v.2). 

Instead, “the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD” (v.3). The wicked man renounces God, does not seek him but pursues his own desires, and does not acknowledge God’s existence (v.4). His priorities and ethical views are twisted inside-out, focused on self not God.

v5-15

From the perspective of the oppressed, the wicked seem to have it easy. “His ways prosper at all times” while God’s judgments seem irrelevant and distant, and self-trust rather than trust in God is the wicked man’s attitude (vv.5-6). His words express his attitude of deceit, injustice, and oppression (v.7), while in verses 8-10 his actions are described as like a hunter setting an ambush to capture and crush the poor and oppressed. He acts like this because in his heart he does not believe God sees or cares what he does (v.11).

The evil thoughts, words, and deeds of the arrogant wicked man spurs the psalmist to plead with God to help his people. The psalmist asks his Covenant-keeping God and King to “arise … lift up your hand [to intervene]; forget not the afflicted” (v.12). The psalmist asks why the wicked man would “renounce God” and think that God will not bring him to account for his wickedness (v.13), because God sees and notes “mischief and vexation” that he may judge it (v.14). This is because God is a helper of the helpless, and watches over those who need his protection (v.14). For this reason, the psalmist is confident in asking God to “break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none” (v.15).

v16-18

After asking God to help his people, the psalmist concludes with confident praise to the Divine King (mirroring Psalm 9). He describes God as “king forever and ever” who causes evildoer nations to vanish in judgment (v.16, cf. Deut 8:20). 

Unlike the wicked who shuts his ears to the poor, God hears “the desire of the afflicted” and strengthens their heart in the midst of trials (v.17). God listens to their and the psalmist’s pleas so that he will bring justice to those who are oppressed, and so that “man who is of the earth may strike terror no more” (v.18).

Our passage applied

As we read these words we can also join with the psalmist in sharing confidence in God’s judgment of the world. God has promised he will judge all the nations who rebel against him through Christ, who he has appointed heir of all things. And Christ himself has already borne the judgment of God for us, to satisfy the penalty for our sins and restore our relationship to God.

This promise is important to hold to in our day, as we see the arrogant wicked do their evil deeds before all men. We watch as they consign the weak and vulnerable to death by inaction, affliction, law and oppression. They prey on the poor and needy, depriving them of their wages and stealing their dignity. The wicked attack the Church, whether it is through marginalisation and ridicule or persecution, because they do not believe God will hold them to account.

While the wicked who do these things may think God does not see, God is noting their mischief and vexation. One day he will shatter the nations and destroy their idols and security, so that they may strike terror no more. God does not hide himself in times of trouble, but is ready to rise up to judge on the day of his return.

Resources

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Read Psalm 9

Summary

When we sing songs during a Church service, we ideally should sing songs which cover the full range of emotion and experience. Sometimes we rejoice, sometimes we are sad. But it is always good to sing praises to God.

Psalm 9 presents a song of praise to God, the divine King who rules and judges the whole world. Written by King David, it probably forms a “twin” with psalm 10, because both psalms are roughly arranged in an acrostic form (in the Hebrew language). After spending the first twelve verses praising God as the divine king, Psalm 9 concludes with an appeal to God to come to his people’s aid.

Our passage explained

v1-2

Psalm 9 opens with a declaration of praise to God for his wondrous deeds. David will sing praises to God “with [his] whole heart” (v.1) to indicate the depth of his praise. This praise is directed to God as his covenant God (“LORD”, v.1) and an exalted king (“Most High”, v.2).

v3-6

David then moves to praising God for his help. In verses 3 to 6, he describes how God intervenes on his side to cause his enemies to perish. He hopefully expresses confidence that God will intervene to cause his enemies to “turn back”, “stumble and perish” before God’s presence (v.3). This confidence is from God’s reign on his throne, giving righteous judgment (v.4). God rebukes the nations, causing the wicked to perish, and enemies to be so utterly defeated they are forgotten (vv.5-6).

v7-10

Compared to the enemies of the world who will be destroyed and forgotten, God’s reign is eternal. God sits “enthroned forever” (v.7) and unlike the nations he judges with both righteousness and uprightness (v.8). God does not oppress the righteous, but instead is a “stronghold in times of trouble” (v.9), providing support and protection to all who know his name, trust in him, and seek him (v.10).

v11-14

These truths cause David to pause and proclaim God’s praises again in verses 11 and 12. He calls on God’s people to sing praises to God who “sits enthroned in Zion” and “tell among the peoples his deeds” (v.11). God is faithful to remember the afflicted, and takes vengeance on those who take the lives of others (v.12). God’s praises ought to be sung to all the nations who do not believe, that they may know of God’s wonder and believe.

David then moves to a present distress, asking for God’s help. He asks God to “be gracious to me” and “see my affliction from those who hate me” which has led him figuratively to “the gates of death” (v.13). He asks this because he wants to praise God publicly in Jerusalem (the “daughter of Zion”) for his salvation (v.14).

v15-18

David turns his attention back to the nations, who he proclaims God will ensnare and judge. They will sink “in the pit that they made” (v.15) and similar phrases which indicate that their evil intentions for God’s people will become their own undoing. Verse 16 makes it clear this is God’s doing, as he makes himself known and executes judgment. 

The evildoing nations who seek to hurt God’s people have forgotten God, and as a result their judgment will see them “return to Sheol” (v.17 the realm of the dead). However, God will not forget the poor and needy (often afflicted), and will not allow them to “perish forever” (v.18).

v19-20

Psalm 9 concludes with a call to God to rise up and vanquish his enemies. David asks that God would arise, and not let “men prevail” in leaving their wicked deeds unpunished, but instead that all the “nations be judged before you!” (v.19). The purpose of this judgment is to drive fear into the nations, that they would recognise they are but humans created by the divine King who is their judge (v.20).

Our passage applied

The praise sung to God in these passages reflects both God’s nature, and God’s acts which flow from his nature. God is described as righteous, faithful, and concerned for those who are afflicted, poor, and needy. These attributes are reflected in the way God acts; to judge the unrighteous, provide protection and help for those who trust in him, and vanquish the enemies of God’s people.

When we sing praise to God, we are also praising both his nature and his deeds. We are thanking God for his goodness, and the way that he expresses that goodness to us. We praise God for his eternal reign, and that he promises to judge the wicked and vindicate his people.

Because of God’s goodness, his promises, and the evidence of his help in ages past, we too can ask God to help us when enemies attack. God promises to preserve his people and deliver them from their enemies. God will do so for us too. Though enemies may seek to kill us and steal us from God’s grasp, God will judge them and preserve us, even from our last enemy – death.

Resources

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Read Psalm 8

Summary

How often do we stop and give thanks for God’s Creation? In our busy lives, we often forget to look around and take in the wonder of everything God has made, and give thanks to God for making it. King David encourages us in Psalm 8 to press pause on the daily grind, and give thanks to God for the world he has made for us to dwell in.

Psalm 8 gives praise to God for his majesty, reminds us of our comparative smallness, yet gives thanks to God that he has granted us dominion over the world he made.

Our passage explained

v1-3

The psalm begins in its first two verses by giving praise to God’s Majesty. God is addressed by his covenantal name, Yahweh, translated in English as “O LORD”, but also as “Our Lord”; God is not only the covenant-keeping God, but because of his covenant relationship is our God. God’s character (expressed by his name) is majestic “in all the earth”, that is, everywhere. All of Creation speaks praise to God.

To the believer, the majesty of God is reflected in the way the heavens proclaim his glory. While the world glorifies the powerful, “out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger” (v.2). God even uses the smallest and weakest to glorify himself, offering praise which quiets God’s enemies (see Matt. 21:16).

Compared to God’s majesty is humanity’s comparative smallness. In verse 3, David describes the heavens, the moon and the stars, as “the work of [God’s] fingers” (v.3), emphasising almost the limitless size of Creation and the power of God to make them. 

v4-5

When we look at the magnitude, the unimaginably large size of Creation and its wonders, then look at ourselves, we are led to ask with David “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (v.4). Compared to how big Creation is and how wonderful it is, what are we, as a race of beings and as individuals that God would care about us?

The answer to this question is described in verses five to eight, where our worth is described in terms of our dominion over Creation. Despite our smallness compared to the greatness of the moon and the stars, “you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (v.5). Our status is only a little lower than the angels, and we have royal status and honour given to us by God. As described in Genesis 1:26, we are made in God’s image and so in his image we reflect God’s reign by having a “vice-regent” status.

v6-9

This royal status and honour results in us holding a “governorship” role for God. God has given us “dominion over the works of your [God’s] hands” and David says that God has “put all things under his [Man’s] feet” (v.6). Dominion and “put…under his feet” describe a relationship of governance and guardianship, both rule and protection. This governorship is described in verses seven and eight as extending over all the animals (sheep, oxen, beasts of the field, birds, and fish) that God made to dwell on earth.

Because God has made all things wonderfully, and given us the honour of governing his Creation for him, the psalm closes by repeating the praise given to God in verse one. “ O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (v.9).

Our passage applied

This psalm reminds us of the importance of humanity to God as part of Creation. The influence of secular ideas taught today has reduced the way we see ourselves to “just another animal.” 

A care for animals and the world is a good, commendable thing. We have been given dominion over Creation, and so part of the dominion is wise guardianship of its resources and care over everything in it. 

But we are not just another animal; we are made in God’s image. Every person has an essential dignity and honour, which is a reflection of God’s majesty and honour. We must not only care for Creation, but treat other people with the respect we would pay the Queen or a member of the Royal Family. That extends to all human beings, including the unborn and the elderly.

Yet we must also acknowledge that our sinfulness affects the way we treat each other and the good Creation which God has made. Thankfully, the words of verses six to eight find their truest fulfillment in Jesus, the very image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15, Heb. 2:6-8). In his resurrection, Jesus truly has all things put under his feet (Eph. 1:22, 1 Cor. 15:27), and will remake Creation when he returns.

For the goodness of God’s Creation and the place of honour he has given us, we should give thanks to God and acknowledge his majesty and honour over everything.

Resources

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Read Psalm 7

Summary

If we are true to God and to his teaching, it is almost inevitable that at some point those who oppose God will misrepresent us and make false accusations against us. We saw this recently with events in Australia, and we see misrepresentations of Biblical Christianity regularly in our own secular media.

David also suffered misrepresentations and false accusations. While the situation which brought about Psalm 7 is not known to us, it is clear that opponents of David sought him harm by falsehoods. Instead of seeking to justify himself in his own strength, David taught us how to respond when this happens to us – to take refuge in God, and ask Him to bring justice.

Our passage explained

v1-2

Psalm 7 begins with David confidently expressing his trust in God as a refuge. He calls to God “in you do I take refuge” and asks God to deliver him from his enemies (v.1). He describes his enemies as like lions, who are ripping him to shreds with their attacks (v.2).

v3-9

In verses 3 to 9, David protests his innocence and asks God to vindicate him. David protests the accusations of his enemies that he has harmed those he is at peace with (v.4) and asks God to curse him if he is guilty of their charges by allowing them to kill him (vv.3-5). This unusual way of protesting his innocence demonstrates the extent to which he believes he is wronged, and requires God’s help. 

His protest of innocence then forms the basis for his plea for vindication. He asks God to take action against his enemies, asking God to “Arise, O LORD, in your anger, lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment” (v.6). He asks God to assemble his people, and judge righteously (vv.7-8). This judgement extends to him, as God vindicates his innocence of his enemies’ accusations and condemns the wicked (vv.8-9).

v10-16

In verses 10 to 16, David then praises God as a righteous saviour and judge. David describes God as his shield, “who saves the upright in heart” (v.10). God is a divine warrior who protects His people, like a shield protects a soldier. Further, God is a “righteous judge” who “feels indignation every day” at those who attack his people (v.11).

When God sees enemies attack His people or sin against His divine laws, He takes action. He picks up his sword, readies His bow, preparing to attack with “His deadly weapons, making His arrows fiery shafts” (vv.12-13). God is not a warrior who cowers but rushes to His people’s aid.

God’s warrior actions bring the evil intended for God’s people on those who plot it. Wicked men “conceive evil” and are “pregnant with mischief”, giving “birth to lies” (v.14). They make plans to entrap God’s people (digging figurative pits) but God causes them to fall pretty to their own trap, receiving the mischief they intended for others (vv.15-16), like Wile. E. Coyote falling prey to his traps for the Roadrunner.

v17

Because God vindicates the innocent and defends His people from His enemies, He is worthy of praise. David’s Psalm ends in verse 17 with His declaration of praise to God, the Most High, who is due thanks for His righteousness and his righteous deeds (v.17). God does not side with the wicked, but is a shield for His people and due their praise.

Our passage applied

This Psalm gives us very practical advice for how to respond when we are unjustly accused for Christ’s sake. While we may be tempted to go on the attack for ourselves against our enemies, we should instead trust in God to protect and vindicate us. Violence and chucking milkshakes is the way of the world, not ours.

That does not mean inaction. After all, the Apostles took the opportunities presented to them to defend themselves and the Christian faith, even in the courts (eg, Acts 4:1-22, 16:16-40, 24:1-21). But the response to attack is not violence on our part, but humble trust in God to protect us.

But we must also take pause to question our own hearts, as David did. David was so sure of his innocence he was willing to invoke a curse on himself. While we can be quick to jump to defence of our words or actions, we must pause to consider if we are truly innocent, or have sinned against our neighbour.

If we are truly innocent, then this passage promises that God sees our plight and will in His own time and way bring judgment on our enemies. It is not for us to use the strength of arms to defeat, but to take refuge in God, our shield and our defender.

God promises in His righteousness to vindicate His people. He will judge truly and rightly, upholding the righteous (in Christ) and punishing the wicked. Like David, we can trust God and offer praise to which He is entitled.

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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.

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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

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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

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