Psalm 21 “A Psalm of Thanksgiving”

“The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” (v.1)

Today as we look at Psalm 21 we see a hymn of thanksgiving and praise to God. Throughout the Psalm David gives thanks to God for; 1) the strength He provides to defeat his enemies (vv.1,5), for answered prayer (v.2), for his many blessings through his life (vv.4,6), and for His presence and unfailing love (v.7).  This is also called a Royal Psalm as David wrote it as king of Israel, and acknowledging that God had given him his throne and established his kingdom. 

What a great example for us to follow in our own prayer life, starting with praise and honor to whom it is due. Acknowledging God for what He has done and not coming to Him with our laundry list of needs first, but thanking Him for how He has established us and the sphere of influence he has given to us.

Now read this Psalm again and while doing so reflect back over your life and give thanks to God for His hand of protection, provision, and his presence along the way.

The Truth: “ In everything give thanks, for this is the will of Christ Jesus concerning you.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Psalm 20 “Day of Trouble”

“May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble, May the name of the God of Jacob defend you.” (v.1)

This psalm is a psalm of David, a prayer for victory in battle. Probably centering around the events recorded in 2 Samuel 10. Such a prayer can help us all prepare for any great challenge in our lives as well. 

Christopher Laurie, son of Pastor Greg Laurie and Cathe Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., passed away on July 24, 2008 in a car accident. A resident of Huntington Beach, Laurie, 33, served as the art director at Harvest Christian Fellowship for the past three years. Life changed in an instant, nothing would ever be the same. Yet, Pastor Greg and his wife Cathe have come through this tragedy and are helping others deal with loss to this day. 

While we can not understand why these events occur in this world, we must not blame God for them. He is not the cause. Instead we should look to God, "in our day of trouble” and put on the whole armor of God. This will allow us to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11) which will come during these times.

Who would you call upon in your day of trouble? Where would you look for your answers? Our hope is found in nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness. 

The Truth
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (Psalm 50:15)

Psalm 19 “Acquit Me Of My Secret Faults”

“Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of my hidden faults.” (v.12) 

Here David asks the question, Who can discern his errors? Great question. We can always see the errors of others, but our own we tend to justify. 

So how does God convict us of our sins? His Holy Spirit might speak directly to our hearts, bringing to mind a sinful attitude or action we need to confess. We might feel convicted of sin by reading Scripture, hearing a sermon, being confronted, or seeing clearly through the actions of others that we ourselves have fallen short of God’s standards. These are just some of the means the Lord can use to reveal our sin to us and bring us to repentance. 

In today’s reading, David fell under conviction of his sin while observing God’s creation, and reading God’s Word. So heavy was the perfect, flawless, and truthful Word of God upon his heart that the psalmist wrote, “it converts the soul” (v.7), “it rejoices the heart and enlightens the eyes” (v.8). Leading him to the realization, “the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous” (v.9) and in keeping it (the word) there is great reward” (v.11). 

It’s no surprise that conviction of sin falls upon David in this psalm, because that’s what God’s Word does. It lead David to ask of God to, “acquit me of my hidden or secret faults", as he realizes his need to be cleansed. “How can a young man cleans his way? By taking heed to the Word” (Psalm 119:9).

    

May we have the same conviction, to look at our own lives and pray as David did, “LORD, show me my faults", and then correct them.

The Truth: “The Word have I hid in my heart, that I might sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11)

Psalm 18 “A Psalm Of Deliverance”

“I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust: my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies" (vv.1-3). 

This Psalm is an exaltation of God’s deliverance and protection. David wrote it specifically to praise God for delivering him from the hand of his enemies and from Saul, who had tried to kill him (2 Samuel 22:1). The language in this Psalm of David provides great imagery that can help us understand how powerful God’s protection for His people really is, and His justice against His enemies.

However, His deliverance is not always in our timing or even in this lifetime. There are times when God does not deliver us from our enemies/trials; Stephen in the book of Acts is an example, and even our LORD Jesus is another. But, ultimately God does deliver us (as He did with His Son through His resurrection), if we place our full trust in Him. Therefore, just as David in his desperation cried out to the LORD and God heard him, we too can be sure God will hear our cries as well. As believers, His Holy Spirit indwells in our hearts and therefore is never far from hearing. 

God’s strength made David a mighty warrior, able to overcome any obstacle; Goliath, an army, a king. So too it is with all believers. Only by God’s power can we overcome the trials and the difficulties we face in this life. Therefore, call upon the name of the LORD for deliverance and you will find in Him the ultimate refuge, against which no enemy can conquer.

The Truth: “Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And he said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.” (2 Samuel 22:1)

Psalm 17 “A Prayer Of David”

“Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry; give ear to my prayer.” (v.1)

Truly David was a man of prayer, and here is yet another example. In his opening words “hear the right”, David is making an appeal that God would vindicate him while asking to be heard on the basis of his righteousness. Here and elsewhere the psalmist assumes that right is on his side, and that he is being persecuted unjustly. Very bold to take this approach before a Holy God. Unless he had been convinced of this, he could not have called on God to vindicate him. 

Taking our text one step further he says, “attend unto my cry.” This shows the earnestness of David’s prayer and some feel through a loud piteous cry, like a child’s cry that goes straight to the parent’s heart. I know from personal experience a child has many types of cries and can communicate through them. Maybe David was doing the same thing here by crying out to God. Scripture tells us that God spoke of David as, “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). Maybe it had something to do with how often he cried out, “Abba Father.”

Finally David says, “give ear to my prayer”, expressing his earnest desire to be heard and answered immediately. Like the repeated blow of a hammer hitting the same nail on the head, David keeps on knocking, he keeps on asking, and laying out his solemn appeal boldly before his God in prayer. What confidence and boldness we see in the remainder of David's prayer here in Psalm 17, along with an expectation of the agent to fulfill the work. 

May we take David's example to heart in our prayer life when we are under attack and boldly present our case before the LORD. And in so doing, touch the heart of our heavenly Father while stimulating faith within our own soul.

The Truth:  Jesus said, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:9-13)

Psalm 16 “A Michtam Of David”

Michtam means “golden” and/or “hidden.” Some have explained Psalm 16 as a song that leads to the deeper things of God, hidden from the wise, but are revealed to simple by the Spirit. Our text then could also be called, “A Psalm with a hidden or golden secret.” 

The Apostle Peter when quoting from it said, “David speaks concerning Him (Jesus)” (Acts 2:25), and Paul made reference to this Psalm in the book of Acts 13:35-38, expressly ascribing it to God’s authorship through David and affirming that it spoke of His (Jesus') Resurrection. 

The hidden treasure in this Psalm then is Jesus, whom the Father gave as a sacrafice for all, giving a future hope to all who believe through His resurrection and ascension (v.10). The Psalm goes on to promise His eventual glorious return, providing to all who are found in Him fulness of joy, and pleasures in heaven forevermore (v.11).  Why? Because we are His poem, His workmanship, His song, His treasure, His joy. 

The Truth: “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

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)

Psalm 7 “A Cry of David”

 Psalm 7 is a shiggaion, or literally “a loud cry” which David sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. Although we don’t know who Cush was, we do know he was someone who lied to Saul concerning David.

Throughout the psalm David declares his innocence in the matter and declares to the LORD, “ If I am guilty, let my enemy destroy me” (vv.4-5). He isn’t claiming to be sinless here, only innocent of the accusation made against him. He even boldly calls upon God to judge him, placing his defense in the righteousness of God (vv.8-10). 

In the face of accusation, condemnation, and slander David says, “My defense is in God. Meaning sooner or later, the slanderer will reap what he sows (vv.14-16). Yes we can choose to defend ourselves against those who would slander us, but once we start down that path, it will never stop. It will become our full-time occupation and build hatred and resentment that will takeover our hearts. 

The solution to slander is turn it over to God and let patience have its perfect work.

The Truth: “While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 2:23)

Psalm 6 “A Prayer Of Deliverance”

 A Psalm of David to the chief Musician)

“Return, O Lord, deliver me!; Oh save me for Your mercies’ sake!” (v. 4)

This is one of seven penitential psalms, a psalm that expresses sorrow for sin, a cry of repentance, and a plea for forgiveness. It is common knowledge that this psalm was written by David, but what is not known, are the circumstances surrounding its construction. 

Some believe it came out of the adulterous affair David had with Bathsheba followed by the murder of her husband, Uriah. The Rabbis teach, it was written by David when he was in the Philistine city of Gath as he was fleeing Saul who sought to destroy him. 

Whichever the case may be, David felt an awareness of his compromises, failures, weaknesses, and sin. Sobbing he cries out for forgiveness and repents. No sooner than the prayer is uttered, David knows his prayer has been heard and that the petition is granted (v.9). 

We too can have these same assurances when we repent of our sin and ask Him for deliverance. 

The Truth: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

Psalm 5 “A Psalm Of Direction”

 A Psalm of David to the chief Musician Nehiloth)

“Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before me.” (v. 8)

The opening of Psalm 5 is a prayer by David for help and refuge in a time of trouble (vv.1-3). In the next few verses, David justifies that cry for help by describing what God abhors: the wicked, the boastful, liars, murders, and deceitful men (vv.4-6). Then, after David describes his own reverence, he asks God for direction in dealing with his enemies (vv. 7-9), even making an appeal to God for their judgment (v.10). However, by the end of his prayer we find David saying, “But let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy; and may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exalt in You” (v.12) 

Wow, A complete turn around! He goes from asking for protection and judgment on his enemies, to rejoicing in the LORD who has never failed him. Jesus said, "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, and do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you" (Matthew 5:44). It took David a while to get there, and it may take us some time until we can pray for our enemies as well. But, I believe it was here David began to pray in God’s will and that as he prayed, he began to see their greater need, salvation. 

The lesson for us is obvious. When we pray in His will, believing and trusting in Him for our provision and protection, like David, we will be surrounded by His favor, and greater things can happen than we could ever imagine.

The Truth

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:1)

Psalm 4 “Confidence In God”

(A Psalm of David To the chief Musician on Neginoth.)

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.” (v. 8)

There is nothing in this psalm, or in the title, to determine the occasion on which it was written. The Jewish interpreters generally, and most Christian expositors, suppose that it was composed on the same occasion as the preceding one, in relation to the rebellion of Absalom. 

The content of our text expresses a general confidence in God, along with a great sense of security. David, having enemies who are seeking to destroy him, is so calm in his mind that he feels that he can lie down and sleep, even though he had no power to defend himself - He put his trust entirely in the Lord. 

The unwavering confidence we see in David here should speak volumes to us as well. To keep our eyes focused on Him who is able to do abundantly more than we could ever ask or think, giving us the confidence to rest in times of distress, and sleep the sleep of kings.

The Truth: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” ( 1 John 5:14)