psalm
The Lord Came to Judge
This is the first of twelve Psalms (50 and 73-83) written by Asaph, one of David’s three chief musicians appointed to be the choir director over the sacred choral services of Israel (I Chron. 16:15). He was selected by the Levites to lead the music when David brought the ark to Jerusalem …
God’s Word Is Faithful
The psalmist stated that his soul almost fainted while waiting for God’s Word (vv. 81-82). The focus is on the believer’s response while he waits for the Lord to judge his enemies and deliver him from persecution and danger. The psalmist says “How Long” (v. 84), and &qu …
A Joyful Report About David’s Deliverance
A report of deliverance (vv. 1-10): Sometimes God may force us to look up by putting us flat on our back. David said that he patiently waited on the Lord to hear his prayer and pull him from a lonely pit (vv. 1-2). He put his feet on a solid rock and gave him a new song and praise for the …
Prayer For Deliverance
The historical background for this Psalm can be found in II Samuel 8:13-14; I Kings 11:15-16 and I Chronicles 18:12-13. King David had inherited all the dreadful years of failure and defeat, apostasy and backsliding, misery and woe under the judges and under Saul. He took o …
Confident The Lord Would Lead Them
David surveys the land that will soon be his responsibility to govern as king. He wanted everything that God had promised to his people. Shechem, was an important territory that had not yet yielded to David’s government (v. 6). The valley of Succoth (Gen. 33:17) which was East of …
God’s Word is True
The Word of God is trustworthy no matter what people do (vv. 137-139). Though the intellectual giants may attack it and ridicule it, the Word of God stands and will be here long after these people are dead and their writings have been forgotten. God never alters with time; we can meditate upon …
Holiness is Hard to Define
Though holiness is a rather unknown and a hard to define quality in our modern world it had a real message to these ancient Semites who used it. The basic meaning is separation. As it applies to God, it means He is separated from sin, sinners, imperfection of any kind, guilt, and …
The Voice of The Lord in a Storm
This Psalm is a majestic description of the omnipotence of God. David, perhaps seated in his palace, sees a tempest coming out of the Mediterranean Sea and sweeping across the land. A thunderstorm viewed in this Psalm is not a phenomenon of impersonal nature, but as an act of divine intervention …
Prayer For Relief From Adversaries
This brief Psalm records a prayer by David, asking for a quick rescue from his present circumstances (v. 1). The psalmist was desperate, his circumstances were urgent, his enemies were gloating over his misfortunes. God did not seem to be acting fast enough, this was an SOS …
A Nation That Was About to Go to War
This psalm is about a nation that was about to go to war. War is a terrible thing but there are times when it is the only possible answer to circumstances and there is no other solution. Throughout history God has frequently used war to bring rebellious nations to their knees. There comes a time …