Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 18-22.

I love both the message of Psalm 18 and the imagery which the psalmist uses.  First, the imagery (I am just going to pull a few phrases out and paraphrase them together):

The chords of death entangled me, so I called to the Lord in my distress.  He heard my voice, the earth trembled and quaked because He was angry.  Smoke rose from His nostrils, fire came from His mouth. He parted the heavens and came down. Out of His presence clouds advanced with hailstones and lightning.  He reached down from on high, took hold of me and pulled me out of deep waters.

There is much more to this, and the psalmist says it so much better, but that imagery relates the power God will use to deliver those who put their trust in Him.  The psalmist goes on to point out that putting our faith in God is more than just calling on Him when things go bad.  God is faithful to those who faithfully follow Him, He is blameless to those who strive to be blameless, He is pure to those who seek to be pure, but to those who think they are clever enough to find loopholes in His Law, He will demonstrate that He is no less clever.

When I started writing the above I intended to write about how the psalmist tells us in Psalm 19 about how the Universe testifies to God’s greatness, and a bit about Psalm 22, which Jesus cited while He hung on the cross, but the above seems so complete I will stop here and leave those for you to read and meditate on your own.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice^[h] goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our 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 10-17.

Today we have once more several different Psalms which are not really thematically connected, and yet there is a thread running through them.  In them all the psalmist writes of a time when wickedness abounds, when no one seems to be seeking the Lord.  The wicked do not believe that they will ever be called to account.  Everyone looks around and sees evil around them, but none (or, at least, very few) examine themselves to see if they act in a manner pleasing to God.  Everyone, it seems, lies to their neighbors, flattering others so as to deceive them.  But God sees the trouble of the afflicted and oppressed and will act.  Let us take refuge in God, then we will not need to flee to the mountains, or to the wilderness, to escape the evil in this world.  Yes, the attempt is being made to destroy the foundations of righteousness, but despite their best efforts God still sits on His throne.  So, let us call on God in prayer that He might call people back to Him.  The answer to the problems we face today is not changing the government, is not changing the institutions around us.  We will not solve the problems we see by getting new laws passed, or even by changing Church leadership.  The answer lies in turning our hearts to God and seeking to do His will, on calling those around us to seek Him.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 1-9.

Most days I try to find a single theme to focus on, but in the Psalms and the other Wisdom books (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc.) there is often so much worth commenting on that I have a hard time choosing what to write.  So, for today, I have chosen to pull a few things out to write about.  We will see if I make a connection between them as I write.

In Psalm 1 the psalmist tells us that those who delight in God’s Law and meditate upon it will be blessed.  They will be firmly planted and able to weather the storms, and droughts, of life.  If you seek to understand and obey God’s Law you must not allow yourself to be influenced by those who reject His Law.   In Psalm 2, the psalmist speaks of the futility of those who seek to throw off the limitations which God has placed upon us.  Further on, the psalmist writes that the trouble they cause rebounds upon them, that they will fall into the pit which they have dug.  As I read this I am reminded of those who attempt to use their control over information to mold people into beliefs which are contrary to God’s plan.  For a time, such molding seems to work, then the very systems they have put into place begin to rebound against them.  They use their tools to bring the weight of social stigma against those who seek to remain faithful to God, but God will deliver those who remain faithful, and be a shield around them against unjust attacks.

So, that did all kind of fit together, but the final bit I want to write about does not quite fit into that.  The psalmist writes about how God is majestic in all the earth.  In fact, he tells us that God has used the praise of children and infants to establish a stronghold.  God’s strength comes from the powerless.  This really strikes me as important to Christians, because we know that God’s greatest victory came through Christ’s death on the cross.  God’s greatest victory over evil did not come through killing evil-doers.  It came from dying.  Consider, the One who made the heavens, the sun, the moon, and the stars in all of their glory, defeated death by dying.  And that great God cares for all of mankind.  That great God cares for you.

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
² I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
    their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 143-150.

My title today comes from the last verse of the last Psalm.  That truly sums up the them of today’s psalms, and really it sums up the whole Book of Psalms.  As I read today’s psalms they filled me with joy as I thought of all of the reasons I have to praise God.  I praise His name while calling out to Him to give me guidance, to show me the direction I should go and what I should do.  He is my stronghold and my deliverer.  I like the way the psalmist puts those two things together.  A stronghold provides defense and blocks the attacks of the enemy.  A deliverer comes and takes one out of a dangerous situation: I always picture someone pulling someone out of a raging flood.  The psalmist goes further in reminding us that we should tell the generations which come after us about the great things God has done.  Each and every one of us has reasons to praise God.  If you take the time to examine your life, find a reason to praise God, then do so, you will discover that you will have more reasons to praise God.  Note: I am not saying that if you search your life and praise God for those good things He has done that you might have overlooked that you will realize there are more of them than you thought (although that is usually true as well).  No, I am saying that if you praise God for the things He has done you will open yourself up for Him to do MORE for you.  If you praise God for what He has done, He will give you more reasons to praise 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 136-142.

All of these psalms are worth reading, but I am going to focus on Psalm 139 today.  I am struck by how this psalm addresses those who think they were made wrong, that their mind should be in a different body, or that there is something wrong with their body.  No, the psalmist tells us that God knew what He was doing when He shaped us.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

If you are one of those who think the above, the psalmist was talking to you when he wrote this.  But there is more to this psalm than just that.  Before he got to that point the psalmist reminded us that knows us: He knows what we think and what we do.  There is no place we can go where God does not see us and cannot reach us to help us, or to discipline us.  And this is where I need to go back to today’s first psalm, where the psalmist says again and again about God, “His love endures forever.”  No matter where we are, or where we go, or what we do, God is with us and we are with Him…and He loves us.  Let us embrace His love and seek to be the person He made us to be.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 120-135.

Today’s psalms have many different themes.  Yet, there a few themes repeat throughout them.  Let us lift our eyes to God and watch what He wants from us.  Help will come from Him in situations where no other can help us.  Let us dedicate ourselves to doing His will, watching Him for the slightest sign of what He would like us to do.  We must recognize that if God does not take our side, the wicked will destroy us completely.  But if we trust in the Lord nothing will be able to shake us.  Let us work hard at what we perceive to be God’s will, but recognize that all of our work will accomplish nothing unless God is working on it with us.  While we must work to do God’s will, only God can accomplish that for which we work.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 117-118.

The psalmist tells us to praise the Lord because His love and faithfulness endure forever.  Put your trust in the Lord and you need fear nothing.  If you truly have faith that God loves and cares for you, you will act as He directs and fear nothing and no one.  If God is with you, who or what can possibly harm you?  Relying on God is better than relying on any person.  When he was hard pressed, the psalmist cried out to God and God delivered him.  He did not passively wait for God to act, he fought against the difficulties he faced.  Yet, he acknowledged that it was not his actions which delivered him.  Instead, the psalmist credited God with his salvation from his foes.  Let us act similarly.  Trusting in God does not mean passively waiting for God’s deliverance, but it also does not mean thinking that our actions will save 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 108-116.

While the psalmist writes it as a prayer, his comments about those who love to curse others contains a warning for us.  That warning is followed in a later psalm with advice to live counter to that.  Those who embrace bringing misery to others will find their lives filled with misery.  While those who fill their lives being kind to others will find their lives filled with blessings.  The psalmist describes one of his enemies who hounded the poor to death, mouthing curses against them.  He tells us that such a person will find themselves clothed in curses.  In another one of these psalms the psalmist tells us that good will come to those who are generous and lend freely. Interspersed through the rest of these psalms the psalmist tells us to praise God, and reminds us why those who bless others will be blessed: those who bless others will be blessed because God is gracious and compassionate.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 105-107.

Near the beginning of Psalm 105 the psalmist tells us to make known among the nations what the Lord has done.  Then in Psalms 105 and 106 he tells the story of the people of Israel.   He writes about the good thins which God did for them, and the punishments He levied upon them for their sin.  These psalms serve both as encouragement and warning.  The psalmist tells us that despite the fact that the people sinned again and again God took pity on them when they cried out to Him and delivered them.  He will do the same for us.  But the psalmist also warns us by telling us of the punishment which God laid on the people of Israel for their sins.  God’s people failed to separate themselves from the people living in the land around them.  They adopted their customs and joined them in the worship of idols, going so far as to sacrifice their own children.  They shed innocent blood in their worship of false gods which led God to punish them harshly.

At the end of Psalm 105, the psalmist tells us that God gave the people of Israel a good land so that they might keep His precepts and obey His laws.  At the end of Psalm 106, he tells us that if the people of Israel once more turn to God after suffering His punishment He will once more restore them.  Which brings me to Psalm 107, where the psalmist tells those of us who have been redeemed by the Lord to tell our story.  So, Psalms 105 and 106 tell the story of the wondrous deeds which God has done for those who went before him, then Psalm 107 tells the story of some who were contemporaries of the psalmist.  Let us follow the example of the psalmist.  Tell the stories of the wondrous things which God did for those who went before us and then tell the story of the things which God has done for us.  Tell people about what God has done throughout history, then make it personal by telling them what He has done for you.

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