Psalm 15 “Who Can Abide In Your House?”

 “LORD, who can abide in Your house?” (v.1)

It is commonly believed that this psalm was written by David to celebrate the bringing of the Ark to Mount Zion. The first words of this psalm are almost a repetition of the awe-struck question of the stricken men of Beth Shemesh in 1 Samuel 6:20, “Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God?" 

The answer to both questions is found in verses 2-3 of our text:

“He who walks uprightly,

And works righteousness,
And speaks the truth in his heart; and
who does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;”

If we heed this instruction, we shall not only dwell in His royal palace, but we shall not be moved from our character while here on earth. 

The Truth: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what the LORD requires of you? But to do justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)    

Psalm 14 “The Fool”

“The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.” (v.1)

Psalm 14 states that a person who says there is no God is a fool. Here lies the real issue for so many people, the hardness of their hearts. The person who makes this claim, the atheist or the agnostic, does so because of rebellion not intellect. Their biggest problem with believing in God is not evidence, but rather the threat God poses to their lifestyle. 

Jesus said, “This is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). So, if there is no God, then there is no judgment, no punishment, and no standard of right or wrong. This makes the atheist’s position especially attractive to those who want to live a life of no accountability. Therefore, they come up with foolish theories to support their lifestyle despite what scripture says or even Jesus Himself.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1, “the wrath of God is against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown them ” (vv.18-19). In other words, there is no excuse. God reveled Himself in creation, “His invisible attributes clearly seen and understood, even His external power and the Godhead” (v.20). But, man became “futile in his thoughts and in his foolish heart became darkened. Professing to be wise, some became fools” (vv.21-22).

Therefore, brothers and sisters, do not exchange the eternal for the present, for one day our LORD will return, to rule and reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years. Then the arrogant man will be put in his place for suppressing what he knew in his heart to be true, and placing himself at enmity with God. 

The Truth: "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

Psalm 13 “How Long O Lord”

“How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? (v.1)

This Psalm expresses David’s feeling of being forsaken, and forgotten. He wrestles internally with loneliness, doubt, and sorrow - while externally, his enemies seemed to be triumphing over him. The language in verses 1-2 displays a desperate state of mind. But as he continues his prayer, he goes from desperation to a confident trust in God’s mercy, salvation, and provision.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had some of these same feelings. But like David, every time I take them to the LORD in prayer, my focus changes. By casting those feelings upon Him, trusting in Him, turning the issue over to Him, now He becomes the agent doing the work - not me. By letting go and letting God take the wheel, it changes my entire outlook. 

Therefore, talk to the LORD. Pour your heart out to Him. It will change your entire outlook.

The Truth: "Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalm 62:8)

Psalm 12 “Help Lord”

“Help, LORD, for godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.” (v.1)

Here in Psalm 12, evil men seem to be all around David, and it appeared to him that the godly had vanished. Although it wasn’t true, this psalm reflects David’s human fear and depression of the moment. Therefore, he cried out to God for help. His prayer is short, simple, and straight forward. He told the LORD what he saw, how he felt, and asked God to do something about it.

This “cry for help" goes a long way in guiding us how to pray when we feel like evil is prevailing around us. Like David, we too should lay it out before the LORD and leave the rest to Him.

The Truth: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

Psalm 11 “The Lord Is On His Throne”

“The LORD is in His Holy Temple; The LORD is on His Heavenly Throne” (v.4a)

Today’s verse is about divine justice, and how David closely linked God’s holiness with His justice. These two divine attributes are joined because God’s holiness is the only reliable standard to measure right and wrong, as opposed to man’s judgment which is imperfect and flawed. Man is not holy or just, and he lacks perfect knowledge in any situation. But heaven’s Judge possesses both holiness and justice and from His heavenly throne, "observes the sons of men” (v. 4b).

Sometimes people who are victims of injustice wonder out loud if anybody’s watching “up there.” The unfairness of life in a sinful world can even lead God’s people to doubt His goodness. But Scripture’s answer to these doubts is that nothing escapes heaven’s attention. God is not only watching the events of earth; He is closely examining every motive and action and executing judgment based on His righteous character. Nothing escapes the sight of heaven’s judge, and "the wicked will not escape His justice” (vv.5-6). 

The encouraging promise of this psalm is found in verse 7, “He loves righteousness, His countenance beholds the upright.” Therefore, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9).

The Truth: "But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” (Isaiah 11:4)

Psalm 10 “ Perils of A Pilgrim”

This psalm is traditionally attributed to David, who is expressing a deep sense of distress and questioning God's apparent absence during troubling times.

“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?

Why do You hide in times of trouble?” (v.1)

This is a psalm of complaint, of God hiding Himself (Psalm 10:1); where He appears to be afar off, no longer “a very present help in time of trouble,” but an inaccessible mountain, into which no man would be able to climb. Furthermore, it expresses the outrage and pride of the wicked (Psalm 10:2-5), the malicious practices of the wicked (Psalm 10:8-10), and their denying God’s omniscience (Psalm 10:11). 

So the psalmist inquires, Why? Why, after delivering his people from their foreign foes, does he not interfere to protect his true people from their domestic oppressors? It can only be answered, "In His wisdom; for His own purposes; because He knows it to be best." 

“The refiner is never far from the mouth of the furnace when his gold is in the fire, and the Son of God is always walking in the midst of the flames when his holy children are cast into them. Yet he that knows the frailty of man will little wonder that when we are sharply exercised, we find it hard to bear the apparent neglect of the Lord when he forbears to work our deliverance.”

(Elliot)

Therefore, even when God seems distant, His sovereignty and faithfulness remain unchanged. As believers we are called to trust in His ultimate plan and timing.

The Truth: “ Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong. For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants.” (Psalm 37:1-2) “But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble.” (37:39)

**Read Psalm 37 completely 

Psalm 9 “A Psalm Of Conquest”

(A Psalm of David to the chief Musician to the tune of Muthlabben)

“Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; declare among the peoples His deeds.” (v.11)

Psalm 9 is a psalm of conquest, believed written in response to David’s victory over Goliath. The term Muthlabben means “death of a son” and Goliath was truly the Philistines favorite son. Therefore, this song was created to mark God’s conquest over Goliath through David. 

David was not one to take credit for God’s workings in his life. Although sometimes his outward displays seemed self-serving, it was simply his way of giving glory to God. He would, “praise the LORD with all of his heart testifying of God’s marvelous works” (v.1), “exult the LORD” and “sing praises to His name” for “turning back his enemies in defeat” (vv.2-3). David did not hold anything back, he was "all in". This psalm then was meant to be a testament to God, not David, for His hand of protection and provision, and a declaration to the people of God’s power of deliverance as well. 

We too, like David, should not hold back, but sing praises to the LORD testifying of God’s marvelous works in our lives. Therefore, sing out Christian, sing Hallelujah to the LORD! Declare His deeds among the people. Oh! what a Savior.

The Truth: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Psalm 8 “ A Psalm of Glory”

 A psalm of David, to the chief Musician.

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?” (vv.3-4)

This psalm is believed to have been be written by David when he was a shepherd, recognizing the glory of God in creation. As a shepherd, David had many opportunities to lay back in the fields, look up into the heavens, gaze at the stars above, and consider the greatness of God, and the awesomeness of His handy work (v.3). This brought him to the realization of his own insignificance and to ask the question, “What is man?" - in respect to a God who could create a universe like this (v.4).

David went on to answer his own question: “You made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5). According to the Bible, God made man in his own image (Genesis 1:27), lower than the angles (to live here on earth), but giving him glory and honor by placing him higher than all other living things (Genesis 1:26).  Man then became the creature nearest to God, for God Himself was to live in man to be the glory (the light, the truth), of man's life.

God created human beings to be fully alive in union with Him. Therefore, as heavens tell the heavenly glory of God, we (who have His Spirit within us) need the risen Christ to be fully alive in and through us to express His glory while here on earth.

The Truth: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)