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.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 98-104.

The psalmist calls on the whole earth, everything and everyone in it, to praise God.  Everything that is was created by Him.  Let us sing of God’s love and justice, of the marvelous things He has done.  The psalmist tells us to praise God by telling others what He has done and by singing His praises.  However, the psalmist tells us that praising God involves more than just speaking and singing.  If we wish to truly praise God we will not give our approval to anything vile, nor will we have anything to do with that which is evil.  We will not tolerate those who are haughty and proud, we will confront those who slander others in secret.  Instead, we will focus our eyes upon the faithful and blameless, seeking to imitate them.

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

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

Today’s psalms have the theme that the Lord reigns; God is in charge.  He will avenge those whom the wicked oppress.  If only they would hear His voice and turn to Him, they would not need to suffer.  God is speaking to us today.  Let us listen to Him and not harden our hearts against His commands.  Those who love Him will praise His name. I will join the psalmist in praising God’s name.  His deeds make me glad.  Put your trust in God as your refuge and your shelter.  Then you will not fear the terrors at night, nor attacks during the day.

When I started today’s blog, I was at a complete loss until I realized that several of these psalms contained the words “The Lord reigns.”  That led me to write the previous paragraph.  Then, as I read through these psalms to see what else to write, they began to lift me up as I read the various ways in which the psalmist called on us to praise God.  There is a joy which comes from praising God which cannot be explained to anyone who has not experienced it.

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.

As I read this I was struck by several things.  The first psalm today tells us that rulers have been given their authority by God (my reading between the lines and bringing some things in from other parts of the Bible) in order to defend the weak and the fatherless and to uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed.  If they fail to do these things they will suffer God’s judgement.  The second of today’s psalms beg God to strike down His enemies, those who conspire against His people.  Then it takes an interesting turn: the psalmist asks God to do so in order that those He is judging will seek His name.  Let us think and act similarly so that when we seek the downfall of those who do evil we do so in order to turn them to God.

Later in these psalms the psalmist cries out to God asking Him to restore us, to revive us again.  That phrase, which appears throughout the Psalms inspired a great hymn.  That hymn contains references to the other portion of today’s psalms I wanted to touch on.

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.

Which is referenced in yet another great hymn.

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.

Teach the next generation the things which God has done, and not just the things recorded in the Bible.  If we teach each generation the ways in which God has worked, both in the depths of history and in our own lifetimes, perhaps the next generation will depart from God as so many have in the past.  As I read these psalms I was struck that we appear to be living in a time when God’s people have forgotten Him and are beginning to see the results of turning away from Him.  And yet these psalms give me hope for the future.   The psalmist reminds us how simple it is to obtain God’s redemption.  We need only listen to Him and follow His ways.  Then He will quickly turn His hands against our foes.

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 psalmist tells us that it may seem like the wicked are victorious and that they will never fall, but that we should not be fooled by such appearances.  What he writes in Psalm 74 really speaks to me about our society today.  God’s enemies are seeking to crush all worship of Him. It even seems as though their onslaught cannot be stopped.  They have destroyed many bastions where God was worshiped and driven His worshipers out.  They make examples of those who defy them by worshiping God and nothing seems to slow their victories.  Nevertheless, we who worship God know that He has power over all of the earth and that His enemies will be victorious for only so long as it serves His purpose.  Let us not lose faith in Him.  If we put our hope in Him, we will see that hope fulfilled.  Psalm 73 reminds us that when we begin to think that the wicked will always prosper and that there is no value in following God’s commands we need to meditate on His words and spend time in fellowship with Him and with those who worship Him.  When we do that God will show us the value of following His commands, and the fate of those who reject 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 68-71.

There are a few things I want to touch on from today’s passage, but I am not sure I am going to be able to connect them as I write.  All of today’s psalms represent prayers which we should make to God at one point or another in our lives (and probably at more than one point).  The psalmist cried out to God begging that God not allow others who put their hope in God and those who seek God be put to shame because of his actions and the suffering which he endured.  Let us make a similar plea to God, that He keep us from doing that which will bring shame on those who trust in Him, but also that He turn back on our enemies the ways in which they slander us by misrepresenting our words and actions.  And, let us beg Him to protect His faithful from being blamed for our failings.  Of course, that also means that we must open ourselves up and allow His Spirit to guide our actions. Well, when I started writing this I thought I would talk about some of the other things which the psalmist touched on in these psalms, but I feel that this is where I should end.

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