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

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The psalmist makes an interesting connection at the beginning of Psalm 68.  He tells us that when God arises those who hate God will flee before Him.  Then he says that the wicked will perish before God as wax melts before fire.  I read this as saying that the wicked are not just those who do wicked things.  Rather, the wicked are those who hate God.  They often think that they are good moral people, but, for one reason or another, they hate God.  The wicked become angry when God is exalted, while the righteous rejoice.  Pay attention, there are sinful people, people who many call wicked, who do not get upset when God is uplifted.  There are also people who seem to be good who get angry when God is uplifted.

I also want to talk about the psalmist’s call to God that he not be dishonored or shamed.  First he asks that God not allow him to bring shame or dishonor on those who put their hope and trust in God.  Then in another psalm he asks God that he himself not be shamed.  In both of these requests he is asking God to vindicate his trust in God.  The psalmist’s prayer is, If God does not come to the psalmist’s aid, those who trust in God will be shamed because they trust in God and God did not come to the aid of one who trusted in Him.  The psalmist would be included among those shamed and dishonored because God did not come to his aid because he put his trust in God.  I have a second understanding of the psalmist’s meaning, which I think is also true.  The psalmist also requests that God keep him from doing anything which will bring dishonor on either himself, or others who trust in God.  I do not think it coincidental that the psalmist first asks that others not be dishonored by his actions before asking that he not be shamed for trusting in God.  He puts higher priority on protecting the honor of others who trust God then on protecting his own honor.  Nevertheless, he asks that God keep him from losing faith that God will come to his rescue.

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.

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In Psalm 60 the psalmist writes that God has set up a banner to which those who fear Him may flee to in the midst of the battle.  It’s important to understand the meaning of the banner in the midst of a battle.  A banner is raised to give guidance to those who fight on that side in the battle.  They can rally to the banner so that they have allies and support around them, rather than being surrounded by the enemy.  When we flee to God’s banner, we are not taken out of the battle, but we know that when we get there we will be surrounded by those who are also fighting on God’s side.  The next two psalms talk about God being a fortress for us.  Unlike a banner, a fortress protects us from attack.  So, God always provides us with protection.  Sometimes it is a banner to which we rally in order to continue the fight.  Sometimes it is a fortress where we can rest from the fight before rejoining it once more.

There is a second theme in the psalms in today’s passage which calls to me today.  We need to seek Him, we need to desire to be in His presence.  The psalmist describes this in several different ways.  In the midst of battle or strife we should look for His banner and flee towards it.  When we are unable to move towards Him, or unable to see the direction we should take, we should cry out to Him in prayer.  Then we should wait for Him to act, or to show us the way in which we should go.  In all circumstances we should desire to be with Him in the way a man in the desert desires water.  When we are with Him, when we are acting in His will, we will be satisfied, just as at the end of a meal of good food.

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.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

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The passage begins with a psalm which David wrote condemning Doeg, the Edomite who told King Saul that David had gone to Ahimelech for aid when he, David, fled from Saul.  The passage in 1 Samuel also tells us that when King Saul’s other servants would not kill the priests of the Lord, Doeg did so.  Which means that this psalm refers to more than just Doeg telling Saul that David had gone to Ahimelech.  That context allows us to see how this psalm can serve as a warning to those who boast of evil.  Those who do evil may seem to prosper for now, but God’s love endures.  Those who do evil and put their trust in their own wealth will be uprooted by God.  Those who trust in God will be firmly established like an olive tree in its prime.  God’s love is steadfast and will endure forever.

The next psalm warns us that those who work evil are acting as if they have no knowledge, such that they say in their heart that there is no God.  In this psalm, the psalmist tells us that God looks down from heaven to see if there are any who seek Him, but that all have fallen away.  Our first look interpretation of this tells us that everyone is a sinner who needs God’s salvation.  That is not wrong, but there is a meaning to be seen if we look deeper.  We see that when the psalmist asks if those who work evil have no knowledge.  Paul, in Romans 1, expands on what the psalmist says here.  Paul says that what can be known about God is plain to everyone, but even though they knew God they did not honor Him.  Instead, they claimed to be wise, but became fools.  We have a choice.  We can turn to God and depend upon Him, seeking His wisdom, or we can be fools and attempt to stand on our own strength, defying God.  We can take refuge in God, or we can be destroyed by the evil we perform.

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.

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I love the imagery of Psalm 46.  Imagine how terrifying it would be if the earth beneath you were to crack and crumble and slide into the ocean.  Yet, the psalmist tells us that those who put their trust in God can remain without fear in that situation.  As the earth slides into the sea and carries all that is upon it with it, those whose fully trust in God will not be moved, for them the ground will stand firm.  But how do I develop the faith such that I do not fear when the earth beneath me crumbles?  The psalmist addresses that as well.  God tells us to just be still and know that He is God.  So, when the world is crumbling around you, don’t run around and try to fix everything at once.  Instead, be still and focus on God.  Then He will show you what you need to do next.

I did not see this when I first read through today’s passage, but I now see that the next two psalms tell us how that works.  When the world seems to be collapsing around you, be still and focus on God.  Then you will find yourself wanting to clap your hands and shout to God with songs of joy.  If you make yourself still while you meditate on God, you will see how great He is and want to praise Him.  Praise follows meditation.  Then in Psalm 49, the psalmist asks “Why should I fear?”  The earth may be crumbling for those who put their trust in wealth or power, but I will put my trust in God.  Wealth and power are temporary, but God is forever.  When we die we leave behind our wealth and power, but God’s love endures.

Finally, in Psalm 51 the psalmist asks God to create a clean heart within him and to renew his spirit.  It is only when God cleanses our spirit with His Spirit that we can be still before Him and put aside our fears.

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.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

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The psalmist begins by telling us that those whose sins are forgiven are blessed, that those without deceit are blessed.  As we read on we realize that those without deceit are those who have acknowledged their sins to God.  The psalmist goes on to tell us that we cannot receive forgiveness for what we have done wrong if we do not admit that we have done wrong.  God gives us direction, we should follow it without the need for God to drive us and goad us to it. If we truly trust in the Lord we will do what He tells us to do.  If we do not do what we know He has directed us to do, or if we do that which we know He has directed us not to do, then we do not truly trust Him.

Which brings me to one of my favorite lines in the Bible (sometime I should start a list of my favorite lines and see how many they are) “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!”  That sums up my faith story.  If you are not sure if God is who He says He is, live your life as if you were for a few months and you will see that it is true.  If you struggle with trusting God enough to not do things you think He directs you not to do, focus on the things you know He wants you to do and do those things.  If you do what He has directed you to do, you will not have time to do that which He has told you not to do.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 23-31

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

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I feel challenged by today’s passage because it starts with the 23rd Psalm, which is a great classic, but how do I keep from letting it dominate the other psalms in today’s passage.  I thought about skipping over Psalm 23.  However, as I gathered my thoughts they kept going back to the fourth verse: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;”  The translators’ notes say that “the valley of the shadow of death” could be translated as “the valley of deep darkness.”  My thought on this alternate translation is that sheep would fear dark valleys because predators could be lurking in the darkness waiting to pounce, but that the shepherd would be there with his rod to strike a predator and his staff to block the predator from getting to the sheep.  In the next psalm the psalmist reminds us that if we wish to seek God we cannot speak deceitfully and must not lift up that which we know to be false.  If we want to enter into God’s presence we must have clean hands and a pure heart.  We must not lend ourselves and our actions to harming others, or to leading them into sin.  The psalmist reminds us that our ability to do those things is a gift from God, that any righteousness we possess was given to us by Him.

Which brings me to the 25th Psalm, where the psalmist asks God to teach him His truth and to lead him on God’s paths.  Then the psalmist reminds us that we must be humble if we want to be lead and taught by God.  The psalmist acknowledges that his guilt is great and only by God’s mercy can it be forgiven.  If we wish God to guide our decisions and if we desire His friendship we must fear Him.  I struggle with truly fearing God as much as I believe that I should.  I believe that is a common problem in our society.  I think we fail to understand how truly fearful it is to be in the presence of 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 18-22.

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God is worthy to be praised.  He is a rock, a foundation upon which we can stand and not be moved.  I love the imagery which the psalmist uses in Psalm 18.  If we call upon God in our distress, He will answer us.  Nothing exists which can prevent God from hearing our cry and nothing can stand between Him and us when He rises to our aid.  God will respond to us according to how we respond to Him.  If we are merciful to others, God will show us that He is merciful.  If we live a blameless life, we will see that we can blame God for nothing.  But if we seek to find a loophole, if we try to trick God, or live by deceitfully tricking others, God will show that He can follow our twists and turns and has already countered all of our tricks.  God’s law is perfect, what He says is sure, and together they are pure.  Listening to God and obeying Him will revive us and give us wisdom.  So, let us rejoice in Him.  We should constantly seek to follow the psalmist’s words in verse fourteen of Psalm 19: Let us only say that which is acceptable in God’s eyes and meditate only on that which is right in God’s sight.

I might have stopped there, but Psalm 22 is in today’s passage.  And since Jesus referenced it from the cross, I think we should take time to think about what it says.  The protagonist in this psalm is suffering great torture and sees nothing but death and pain in front of him (as Jesus did while He was on the cross).  Yet, in the midst of that, he states unequivocally that he will praise God in the midst of the congregation.  In the midst of pain and suffering Jesus knew that it was not the end, that He would stand once more before the congregation of God’s people and He rejoiced and praised God in the midst of that suffering.  We too can know that to be the case.  We too should rejoice and praise God in the midst of any suffering which we experience.

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

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

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

I am not sure how this is going to go.  I am going to try writing about each of the nine psalms in today’s passage.  If we delight in God’s law and meditate on His word as we should we will not allow the wicked to guide our actions nor spend our time with sinners and scoffers.  Instead we will be busy doing the Lord’s work, producing the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  The wicked on the other hand will be blown aside when God’s judgement comes like chaff before the wind.

The second psalm warns about rebelling against God.  The peoples of this world form their governments and think that they can silence God’s Word and stop God’s plan by joining together.  They think they have been bound by Christianity and can free themselves from God’s “tyranny” by outlawing Christian practices.  God laughs at their plans.  He has decreed that Christ rules the world and He will break those who turn against Him.  The wise ruler encourages the worship of God and fears Him.  That fear will lead to rejoicing, but those nations whose rulers rebel against God will fall.

In the third psalm, David expresses his feelings of isolation, that the world is against him.  Despite his enemies saying that God will not save him, David put his trust in God.  David’s enemies did not believe that God would intervene in the affairs of this world.  Thus they were sure that they would win because they had “stacked the deck” against David.  David put his trust in God and gave credit to God for his victory over his enemies…even before he had victory.  The fourth psalm continues the theme of calling on God when in distress.  If we remain faithful to God, all our enemies will have to use against us will be vain words and lies.  We must be careful not to allow our anger, justified or not, to lead us into sin.  If we put our trust in God in our distress, God will cause us to dwell in safety.  In the fifth psalm, David reminds us that God will not allow evil into His presence, nor can those who boast come into His courts. He wants nothing to do with the bloodthirsty or the deceitful.  God’s steadfast love will guide us into His righteousness and make us to bow down to Him.  If we turn to God for protection against our enemies and the tragedies of life, He will give us righteousness and joy.

Psalm six tells us that God will hear our pleas and accept our prayers when we turn our backs on evil doers.  The seventh psalm tells us that if we do not repent of our sins, God will bring deadly force against us, that force will be the results of our own actions.  If we do not turn from evil and accept the righteousness which God offers us, we will be digging pits into which we ourselves will fall.  So, let us accept God’s righteousness and praise His name.

Psalm eight praises God’s name and shows us how majestic and glorious He is.  God is a mighty craftsman who has made the entire universe: the stars in the sky and the moon above.  Despite how small we are in this great universe of His, God cares for each and every member of mankind.  He has given us dominion over the earth and all that is on it.  Let us use that dominion to serve Him.  Finally, in the ninth psalm, David gives thanks to God for all that He has done.  Men will not prevail in crushing God’s word.  Let us join David in telling the world what God has done for us, but not just what He has done for us.  Let us tell them of all the wonderful things which God has done.

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