Tag Archives: Psalms 52-59

Daily Bible Study

June 25, 2023 Bible Study — Put Your Trust in God When Fools Attack You

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

First, I want to note that Psalms 53 is almost exactly the same as Psalms 14.  A translators’ note from Psalm 14 notes that the word rendered as “fool” throughout the Psalms has the implication of being morally deficient, which makes the psalm fit into this group of psalms very well.  The first of today’s psalms speaks of one who boasts of the evil deeds they have performed, contrasting them with those who trust and praise God.  The psalmist goes on praising God throughout these psalms.  He refuses to lose his faith in God, even when close friends betray him and his enemies twist his words.  If faithfully serve God, He will cause the evil our enemies intend for us to rebound upon them while He protects us.  The wicked, the morally deficient, the foolish believe that there is no God and therefore believe they can safely belittle and attack the righteous.  The wise faithfully serve God, and rely on Him for protection from those who hate them because of that.

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

Daily Bible Study

June 25, 2022 Bible Study — None Of Us Do Good, And We Have Been That Way From Birth

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

The psalmist begins Psalm 53 by writing that the fool says in his heart that there is no God.  We often read the rest of that psalm from that perspective, but I believe the second line tells us better whom the psalmist is writing about.  There he writes, “They are corrupt, and their ways are vile.”  He goes on to tell us that no one does good and that everyone has turned away.  In a later psalm in today’s passage he writes that the wicked go astray from birth, that no sooner are they born than they begin spreading lies.  There is no room in this for us to set ourselves apart.  If no one does good, than neither do we.  However, this brings me back to that first line.  However, if we acknowledge that God exists, then we may cry out to Him in our distress and He will hear us.  Then He will rescue us from our sin and teach us/cause us to do good.  I will praise God, not because I am good, but because He is good.  I will put my trust in Him and He will transform me.  And even here the psalmist gives us great advice.  When we fear, let us put our trust in Him.  Then, if we put our trust in Him, we need, and He will make it so that we do not, fear anyone.  If God Almighty will speak for us, and act as our protector, what can someone who is merely mortal do to us?  So, join me in praising God in front of everyone.  I will not hide that my trust, my faith, and my hope lies in God.  He has never let me down.

 

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

Daily Bible Study

June 25, 2021 Bible Study Those Who Say There Is No God Are Fools

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

As I read today’s psalms I was going to write one thing about them, but when I re-read them to put my thoughts in order that did not quite fit.  So, I will just start writing about the things which seem the most important to me.  In Psalm 53 the psalmist tells us that those who say there is no God are fools.  We can easily dismiss this as applying to someone else, but the psalmist goes on to say that no one does good and that everyone has turned from God.  We must acknowledge our sin and turn back to Him each day.  Going back to Psalm 52 and reading on through these psalms we see that the psalmist warns against wallowing in evil.  Instead let us call on God to save us and transform us from our evil tendencies.  Then we can call on God when we face troubles and persecution.  If we seek to do His will He will rescue us from those troubles.  When fear begins to overwhelm us, let us put our trust in God.   If we truly trust God, we need fear nothing and no one else.

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

Daily Bible Study

June 25, 2020 Bible Study True Threats Come From Within

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

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

The psalmist warns us that the real danger for any group, city, or nation is not outside invaders.  No, the real danger is wickedness within.  Sooner or later, every group, city, or nation will have to face the wickedness that it has allowed to infiltrate it.  Sometimes those infiltrators were once dedicated to the good and true.  Our problems and terrors do not come from outsiders, they come from our own failure to faithfully obey God.  If we trust in God, we need not be afraid.  Yes, when we stand up and declare our trust in Him, we will be hounded and slandered by those who refuse to accept His will.  Nevertheless, we must remember that no mortal can bring harm to us that God does not allow.  Our enemies may set a trap for us, but if we keep our eyes on God and do as He directs, it is they who will fall into the traps.  The psalmist calls on God not to end the lives of those who attack him for evil reasons.  Instead he calls on God to let them live defeated so that they and others can learn from God’s judgement upon them.

Daily Bible Study

June 25, 2019 Bible Study — God Will Bring Justice To Those Who Boast of Their Wicked Acts

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

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

Every year when I read Psalm 52 I struggled with seeing meaning in it for me, for us today because I could not see past it being a condemnation of Doeg who told King Saul about the priest who unknowingly helped David when he fled from Saul.  Today I realized that I know people who boast of the wicked things they have done.  There is a genre of music which consists largely of people bragging about their wicked deeds.  The more we allow ourselves to be exposed to those who do such things the more likely we are to join in with them.  We should not be proud of the wicked things we have done, we should be ashamed.  Those who brag about the wicked things they have done demonstrate that they do not fear God, do not believe that He metes out justice.  Let us not be such fools, denying that God exists.  Instead we should trust in God and repent of our wicked acts, because, as the psalmist reminds us in the very next psalm, we have all committed wicked acts.

Most of the rest of today’s psalms remind us to call out to God when others attack us.  Even when those we thought were friends attack us, we can count on God. We can count on God when all others betray us.  When fear overwhelms us, let us call out to God and remember that His power will overwhelm anything which threatens us.  God will take care of us, and if we put our trust in Him He will soothe out fears.  Even if our enemies are those who control the levers of worldly power, God will force them to acknowledge justice at the time of His choosing.  Whatever you face in this life, put aside your fear and put your trust in the Lord.

 

 

Daily Bible Study

June 25, 2018 Bible Study — Relying On Self Or On God

I am using 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 I write these commentaries on the passage I have read for the day, I try to find a theme. That is often difficult in the Psalms because each psalm is, more or less, an independent work of literature. The theme of today’s psalms is seeking God’s protection. The first two psalms might appear to not be about that, but indirectly they are. The first psalm addresses someone who is confident that his prowess in battle, political connections, and wealth will carry the day. The psalmist assures us that God will have the final say and that this individual will become a byword on relying on yourself rather than God. The second psalm continues that theme. Reminding us that it is foolish to believe that there is no God. We all sin, but the wicked think that they can get away with oppressing others, using lies and evil acts to satisfy their desires at the expense of others. They foolishly believe that God will not hold them to account (because they believe there is no God). The psalmist also tells us that, in part, the wicked believe that there is no God because they desire to do wicked things.

    The rest of today’s psalms, except for Psalm 58 (which I will get to presently), call on us to take the opposite approach. When trouble surrounds us, let us call on God for rescue. Let us call on God to protect us and avenge us against those who wrong us. We need not, even should not, count on our strength and ability to deal with trouble or those who attack us. Instead, we should strive to do good for everyone we encounter and count on God to protect us from their unwarranted attacks. People may twist our words and misconstrue our deeds, but God will see if those accusations are justified and protect us from those which are not. If we call out to God when trouble overwhelms us, He will hear our cry and come to our rescue.
    Which brings me to Psalm 58. Here the psalmist warns and condemns those rulers who do not implement justice. As a warning he tells them that God will implement justice if they do not. And, if God implements justice, those rulers who failed to do so will suffer. God will break their power and sweep them away.

Daily Bible Study

June 25, 2017 Bible Study — Trusting God Is Not Foolish

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

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

    In today’s psalms the psalmist calls on God to protect him and save him from those who have attacked and betrayed him. Those who put their trust in wealth or power, or both, will discover that those things will fail them in their time of need. However, if we trust in God we will thrive, even when we are betrayed by our closest friends. We will encounter those who tell us that we are fools to believe in God, let alone trust in Him. They are the fools. We may feel overwhelmed by those attacking us, but, if we trust in God, we need not fear them. No mortal can be a threat to us when God is defending us. We may be surrounded by enemies, all of whom are more powerful than us, but God will save us from them. Some of those enemies may be corrupt, wicked rulers, but God will avenge their injustices. Our enemies will prowl at night, but the following morning we will still be here to sing about God’s unfailing love. I will put my trust in God, I will not fear those who threaten and attack me because God is more powerful than any possible enemy.

Daily Bible Study

June 25, 2016 Bible Study — Listen To My Prayer, O God

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

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

    I have really been struggling with what to write about these psalms. I wanted to connect Psalm 52’s “great warrior” boasting about his crimes to things we see going on in the world around us, because I do indeed see many situations where people are boasting about wrongs they have committed. And I wanted to talk about Psalm 53 telling us that only the fool says in his heart that there is no God, because I see how much that happens in the world around us. But I could not get those to connect with each other, let alone with the rest of the psalms in today’s reading. So, I read through the psalms again and again, trying to find something to say which tied that all together. Each time I read through I got nothing that worked.

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    But each time I read through I hit Psalm 54 verse 2 and it stopped me.

“Listen to my prayer, O God.”


I would resume reading, only to be stopped by the same phrase in verse 1 of Psalm 55. Nevertheless, I could not see what the point was until I noticed a different, but similar phrase in Psalm 56 and Psalm 57.

“O God, have mercy on me.”

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy.”

These two phrases are A prayer. In the context of what is going on in the world, they are the prayer I want God to listen to above all else. The rulers of this world have forgotten the meaning of the word “justice”. They have lost all sense of the idea that justice is not an arbitrary concept. And so, we need to pray to God for His mercy, or we too will get caught up in the idea that justice is getting what we want, rather than something we should want to get. Justice is not relative and it is not just for some people. But it is only through God’s intervention that we will understand and receive justice. It is only by God’s intervention in response to our prayers that we will truly desire justice, not just for ourselves, but for everyone. If we do not seek justice for everyone, we will not receive justice either.