Psalm 150 “Praise the Lord”
Psalm 150 closes the book with a great hymn of praise. It is sung from the heavenly-temple (v. 1), celebrates God’s salvation (v. 2), and is characterized by great joy (vv. 3-5). What provokes such a song? God has fulfilled the promise He made to David, establishing a King upon Mt. Zion. God has raised […]
Psalm 138 “He Regards the Lowly – Give Thanks!”
The Psalms were assembled into a single collection after Israel’s exile to Babylon and consequent slavery. Therefore, many of its songs address this issue, whether it be laments of David, who also experienced persecution and suffering, songs of thanks for deliverance, or hymns of praise to conquering Jehovah. Psalm 138 is especially connected with their […]
Psalm 110 “He will be a Royal Priest”
It’s difficult for the Westerner to understand one of the great problems that faced those in the Ancient world – the threat of impending war. In a moment, your house, your property, your food supplies, even your family could be taken from you by an invading army or a band of thieves. The people looked […]
Psalm 100 “Worship the One Faithful to Save”
Throughout the Book of Psalms, we find a movement from despair toward praise and celebration. Psalm 100 is one such high point. It calls the whole world to praise the covenant God on two occasions (100:1-2 & 100:4). Then, it provides the reason for this praise (100:3 & 100:5); God has brought redemption, saving and […]
Psalm 91 “Blessing Extends to the Faithful Israelite”
The Psalms are divided into 5 Books. At the close of Book 3, in Ps. 89, we hear the earnest cries of the returned-exiles: “Where is the Son of David, who was prefigured in Psalm 72? Has God broken His promise to David?” A partial answer is given in Book 4. God first reminds them […]
Psalm 80 “Where is Your Glorious Light?”
We are all on a quest for glory, yearning for a world where all thing are ordered, where we find blessing. The Bible addresses this within its unfolding story – we sinners are reliant upon God to usher it in, being unable to do it ourselves. The story of Israel shows us this. At one […]
Psalm 51:16-19 “Praying for Pure Worship on Zion”
Though much of Psalm 51 is a great example of how God’s people should humbly turn from their sins and seek forgiveness (justification) and renewal (sanctification), there are also elements of the psalm that reflect David’s unique position as King of Israel. After committing such horrible sins, he was concerned that, like his predecessor Saul, […]
Psalm 51:1-15 “Searching for a Comforting Word”
In Psalms of lament, we find cries of desperation that yearn for deliverance from a broken, fallen world. This Psalm is unique in that David’s oppressor is not a physical foe, as it often is elsewhere, but something far more serious. He is confronted with his sin and God’s judgment, the great problem that has […]
