Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 90-97.

There are a couple of different themes in today’s psalms, but I want to focus on the call to sing and make music in order to praise God.  In Psalm 92, the psalmist writes:
“It is good to praise the Lord
    and make music to your name, O Most High,…”
He goes on to say that God makes us glad by His deeds: God punishes the wicked, but the righteous flourish in His presence.  The wicked think that the One who made the eye and the ear cannot see their wicked acts and cannot hear as they plot evil, but God will give them just recompense for the evil they have done.  He will undermine their plots.  The psalmist goes on to write in Psalm 95:
“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
    let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.”
He made the sea and formed the dry land.  Let us listen to His voice and sing His praises.  So,
“Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.”
For the Lord is great and worthy to be praised.  His splendor and majesty, His strength and glory put all other gods to shame.  The Lord reigns and He judges all people with equity.  Everyone should rejoice in the Lord:
“Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous,
    and praise his holy name.”

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 82-89.

The psalmist challenges rulers by comparing them to gods who defend the unjust and favor the wicked.  He points out that God demands the opposite from rulers who wish His blessing.  A good government defends the weak and upholds the cause of the oppressed.  It rescues the weak and needy from the hand of the wicked.  As I read further, I felt like the psalmist was talking to the people of today, to those who today are seeking to destroy Israel as a nation and eliminate those whose ancestry might lead them to attempt to rebuild it.  The psalmist begs God to cover with shame those who seek the destruction of Israel and her people.  But here is where we see that our God is different.  The psalmist, as we should as well, seeks them to be covered in shame, not so that they will suffer, but so that they will seek the Lord.  Oh that God’s enemies would realize that being a servant in God’s house is more desirable than having access to all of the pleasures obtainable living among the wicked.  Let us join the psalmist in begging God to give us an undivided heart, a heart which seeks only the good which comes from obeying the Lord for those who persecute us, not vengeance for the suffering we, or others, have suffered at their hands.  The psalmist tells us that God will record people of all nations as acknowledging, as serving, Him.  Let us strive to seek to show them why they should do so by making His faithfulness known to all generations.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 78-81.

The psalmist reminds us that God asks two things of us.  First, that we obey His commands.  Second that we tell the next generation about His power and the wonders He has done, both those we have witnessed and those we were told about by those who went before us.  God asks this of us so that the next generation will put their trust in Him, just as we have done (at least, I hope that you have put your trust in God as I strive to do).  The psalmist goes on to describe how the nations, the peoples of this world, are asking “Where is their God?”.  They attack those who believe in God and seek to serve Him, belittling the idea that He even exists.  Then in the last of today’s psalms, he tells us that if only we would listen to God and follow His ways, He would subdue those who hate Him.  So, let us cry out to God and ask Him to make His face shine upon us, let us listen to what He asks of us, so that we might be saved.  Then He will act and transform us into His likeness, and heal our society.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 72-77.

The first of today’s psalms says that it is “of Solomon”.  I am unsure if that means it was written by Solomon, or that it was written about Solomon.  In either case, it gives a blessing to rulers who follow its guidance.  If a ruler defends those who suffer misfortune, rescues the children of the powerless, and crushes those who oppress others, good things will come to him and the people over whom he rules.  From there we go into a series of psalms which can build up our hope and faith in difficult times.  In Psalm 73, the psalmist warns against envying the arrogant and wicked who seem to prosper.  It may seem like striving to do God’s will and avoid wickedness serves no purpose, that we suffer doing God’s will to no benefit.  However, the psalmist warns us that the prosperity of the wicked merely masks the fate which God has planned for them.  The good things which God has in store for those who serve Him far outweigh the short term pleasures of the wicked.  The psalmist goes on in later psalms to paint a picture which reminds me of things happening today.  He describes how those who hate God have sought to destroy every place and thing which is used to honor God.  They seek to crush any who worship Him.  However, the psalmist reminds us that God will choose the time when He will judge and make the world quake.  God’s enemies may seek to make us fear them, may seek to cause us to fear worshiping Him, but God alone should be feared, for none can stand before Him when He is angry with them.  In our distress, let us turn to the Lord and remember His mighty acts.  Let us meditate on what He has done in the past when it feels like He is letting us fall.  Then we will praise Him and know that He will save us once more.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 68-71.

As I read today’s psalms I was drawn once more to write about Psalm 69, although I will be adding some thoughts from the other psalms in today’s reading.  However, I am going to start with some thoughts from Psalm 68.  There the psalmist tells us that God will be a father to the fatherless and protect widows.  Further, he tells us that God will place the lonely among those who will be family to them.  What are your needs?  Turn to God and He will provide for them.  Having written that I come to my thoughts on Psalm 69.  The psalmist cries out to God because he is at the end of his resources.  He is overwhelmed and feels like he is about to drown.  He acknowledges that he has sinned and begs God to not allow his sin to bring shame upon others who also call upon God.  The psalmist recognizes that his enemies are attacking him because of his desire to serve God, but that they will attempt to use his failings to belittle all who seek God.  I understand his pleadings to mean him asking God to help him overcome his sins so that they cannot be used to make all who seek God look bad.  In the same way, I ask God to give me the discipline and self-control to not do that which can be used against those who seek to do His will.  God knows my sins, I beg of Him that He take them from me so that they cannot be used to make faith in Him seem hypocritical and something of which to be ashamed.  If I must face shame for my faith in God, so be it, but I ask that God not allow others who seek Him to be shamed by my actions.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 60-67.

The psalmist praised God through many of today’s psalms.  We should echo that praise today. In Psalm 65:3 he writes,

When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave[p] our transgressions.

The translation note indicated by the [p] in that quote says that the word(s) translated as “forgave” could be translated as “made atonement for”.  I suspect the translators chose “forgave” here because it makes the translation better poetry.  However, I think “made atonement for” gives us a better idea of what the psalmist was truly saying.  Sooner or later, our sins will overwhelm us, we will be crushed under the weight of guilt for our evil actions.  God did not just forgive us, He made atonement for our sin.  He made it possible for us to forgive ourselves.  And for that we should praise God.  Then is Psalm 66 the psalmist tells us that God has refined us like silver.  He passed us through fire and water in order to cleanse us of all impurities.  God did not refine us in order to make atonement for us.  He made the atonement when Christ died on the cross.  No, God refined us in order to make us useful for His purposes.  So, let us join with the psalmist in telling others what God has done for us!

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 52-59.

When David heard that Doeg the Edomite had reported to King Saul about the help which he received from the priest Ahimelek, and what Saul did in response he wrote the first of today’s psalms.  David wrote of how God will bring do evil because they trust in their own strength and wealth rather than fearing and trusting in God.  David contrasts himself with Doeg by saying that he trusted in God and praised God for what He had done for him.  Which leads me to a phrase in Psalm 56 that is the center of what I wish to write today:

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?

The psalmist precedes that by saying that he calls out for God to be merciful when he is pursued by his enemies.  He then follows that quote by saying that they twist his words and conspire to ruin him.  But the psalmist does not fear them because he trusts in God.  Even while still facing danger from his enemies, he praises God because he puts His trust in Him.  The psalmist goes on to write that his strength comes from God and he will praise Him because he trusts that God will rescue him.  We too need not fear those who make themselves our enemies if we put our trust in God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 45-51.

The first of today’s psalms was written for a royal wedding, but it still contains some thoughts on which I want to write.  In reading the praise which it gives the king, we see some characteristics we should seek in leaders. Leaders should strive to promote the cause of truth, humility, and justice.  They should love righteousness and hate wickedness.  If they do not exhibit these characteristics we should not follow them.   As we continue in today’s passage, the psalmist tells us to come and see what the Lord has done, to be still and know that He is God.  He calls all nations to praise and exalt Him, not because He demands it of us, but because of the great and wonderful things He has done.  The psalmist goes on to remind us that we need not fear deceivers or other wicked people when we put our trust in God, because God shines forth from where the sun rises to where it sets.  Which brings me to a thought that should make you realize how great the area where God can be found is: since the earth is a globe, there is no place where the sun does not shine so there is no place where God’s presence cannot be felt.  When danger threatens, God will come and will not be silent.

Finally, the psalmist calls on God to cleanse him from his sin, to purify his heart and strengthen his spirit.  He asked God to restore the joy which he got from knowing God and to cause him to willingly serve God.  I seek to make the psalmist’s prayer mine.  Once God has cleansed us and renewed us we will be able to teach sinners His ways so that they turn back to Him.  When we read that we can easily fall into the trap that we teach sinners because we are better than they, but really the sense here is that we were just like them and are now only different because of God’s actions.  God cleansed and renewed us.  We only have something to teach others because of what God has done to, and for, us.  Our current status as followers of God has nothing to do with how great we are, instead it serves to illustrate how great God is.  If God transformed us, He can transform others.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 38-44.

Throughout today’s psalms the psalmist speaks of the depression he is experiencing.  In some of them that depression is related to poor health, in others it is because of the hostility of others.  In some of the psalms, he acknowledges that his suffering results from his sin, in others, he does not know what caused his suffering.  However, in all of them the psalmist recognizes that he must turn to God to receive relief.  If his suffering resulted from sin, he must turn from his sin and beg God for forgiveness.  In all cases, he must praise God and publicly acknowledge that he puts his trust in God.  When we suffer the pangs of depression, we must nevertheless put our trust in God and praise Him.  Even in the pits of deep depression let us remember God and put Him first in our lives.  As we have regard for the weak and oppressed, as we offer what help we can to them, God will send us His light and make us feel His faithful care.  When others see us put our faith in God in our times of trouble they will learn to fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 32-37.

As I read through the psalms I am never quite sure how I want to approach writing about them.  Sometimes I want to take one of the psalms for the day and expound upon it.  Other times, I pick out a theme which I see in all of the psalms for the day and write about that.  Today, I want to take phrases out of each of today’s psalms and express some thoughts about each of them.  Psalm 32 begins our reading for today with something which expresses the joy of the Gospel message:

Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.

And this sums up the great joy I receive from knowing that the blood of Jesus covers my sins, that because of the sacrifice of, and by, Christ, God has forgiven my sins.  Then in Psalm 33, the psalmist tells us this:

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
 he commanded, and it stood firm.

The Lord spoke and all that is came to be, which should lead us to both fear and revere Him.  But there is more to it than that, God commands some things to stand firm, and they stand firm against any efforts others may throw against them.  He commands other things to crumble, and they crumble.  The psalmist points out that a king is not saved by the size of his army, but stands or falls according to the degree to which he serves God’s purposes. From Psalm 34 I pull the following two phrases, which express a theme the psalmist touches on in each of the psalms in today’s passage:

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.

Seek the Lord and cry out to Him, and He will hear our prayers and answer.  He will rescue us from the troubles we face and show us how to do His will in the face of the enemy.  I almost did not include a phrase from Psalm 35, but as I worked my way through this I realized this phrase fit the theme I am writing:

May all who gloat over my distress
    be put to shame and confusion;

While the psalmist makes this personal, I think a more general phrasing accords with his thoughts: “May all who gloat over distress be put to shame and confusion.” We all know those who gloat over the distress of others, and we should not follow their example.  Rather than gloat over the distress of others, let us attempt to offer comfort to them in their distress, even if that distress was well earned.  Instead of pulling a phrase from Psalm 36, I pulled this phrase from Psalm 37 which contains some of the same thoughts as Psalm 36:

Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

All too often we allow the apparent successes of those who do evil to get to us.  We fret and worry about why they do not seem to pay a price for the suffering which they cause.  The psalmist reminds us that the evil will be destroyed and will gain no joy from their wickedness, but those who put their trust in God will be rewarded and will receive joy from doing His will.  It is worth noting that if we truly delight in the Lord, even what others would view as suffering will bring us joy.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.