Carefully Examining the Text

Some have described this as the longest sustained imprecatory prayer.A Psalm of David109:1-5 He describes his mistreatment at the hands of othersThey spoke against him constantly- vs. 2, 3, 4. They lied about him- vs. 2. They spoke words of hatred- vs. 3. He did good to them, but they did evil to him- vs. 5.109:6-20 He prays that judgment may fall on them. Notice how many of these judgments he requests tie to the concept of lex talionis, the punishment fitting the crime. vs. 6 accuser- They a...

The Psalm, as the one before it, begins and ends with "Bless the LORD, O my soul!" 104:1, 35.The Psalm speaks of God's work in creation and nature. All of this is to motivate us to praise God. The idea of pantheism is that God is to be equated with the forces of nature. This psalm speaks of a God who is transcendent, who is far greater than the world He has made.He is clothed in "splendor and majesty" in 104:1. He is covered in light- 104:2; I Tim. 6:15. He created the moon and th...

This is usually considered a Royal Psalm. In the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, Psalm 101 is prescribed for use at the anniversary of the monarch’s ascension- Allen, 8; Goldingay, 139 The Psalm describes the kind of person the king longs to be and who he hopes to surround himself with. The people we surround ourselves with influence us for good or evil and the people the king surrounds himself with influence the whole nation.David's high aspirations were not realized i...

The LORD is mentioned in vs. 1, 2, 3, 5. The emphatic personal pronoun "He" is used twice in vs. 3 to emphasize the LORD. Seven imperatives are used in the first four verses to direct us to the proper attitude and actions toward the LORD. 100:3 Know that the LORD He is God- Deut. 4:35, 39; 7:9; I Kings 18:39.It is He who made us- He is our Creator and we are accountable to Him.We are...sheep of His pasture- He provides for us and sheep- Ps. 23:1- and carries us- Ps. 28:9. 100:5 He is good, Hi...

What does this Psalm show us about the nature of God?99:1 God is a king who reigns over the whole earth and all peoples- 99:1, 2. 99:2, 3 The LORD is great 99:2, 5, 9 Though God of all the earth, God reveals Himself in a special way in Zion, His holy footstool or hill.99:4 God is a God of justice, righteousness- Ps. 89:14; 97:2; and equity- 96:10; 98:9 99:3, 5, 9 God is holy. Where He reveals Himself is His holy hill- 99:9. 99:6, 8 God is a God who answers prayer- Psalm 6...

98:1-3 God's own arm has brought salvation and all the earth witnesses His lovingkindness and faithfulness to Israel. 98:4-6 All the earth is called to praise God When a king came to the throne there was a ceremony with blowing of trumpets and shouting (I Sam. 10:24; I Kings 1:39-40) and clapping of hands (II Kings 11:12). All nature responds this way to God’s kingship. 98:7-9 There are slight differences with Psalm 96:11-13. “Instead of the heavens and earth, this psalm has the world and all...

This psalm calls the earth to rejoice that the LORD reignsThe fact "the LORD reigns" (Ps. 93:1; 96:10; 97;1; 99:1) or God is King (Ps. 95:3; 98:6) is emphasized repeatedly in the psalms through this section. 97:2 The LORD dwells in thick darkness- Sinai- Exod. 19:16-19; 20:18-21; Deut. 4:11-12; 5:22; Heb. 12:18. Solomon's prayer stresses the same in I Kings 8:12; II Chron. 6:1.Sometimes the Bible stresses God dwells in light- Ps. 104:2; I Tim. 6:16. Whether God is pictured as dwelling in ligh...

What does the Psalm say about God?LORD of hosts- 84:1, 3, 8, 12the living God- 84:2my King and my God- 84:3O God of Jacob- 84:8LORD is a sun and shield- 84:11How does the Psalm describe the temple?84:1 Your dwelling place84:2 the courts of the LORD; 84:10 Your courts84:4, 10 the house of the LORD 84:3 Your altarsWhat are the motivations and results of public worship?1. It is an expression of a deep longing for God- 84:2, 102.It reminds us God is our strength-84:5-7 and our trust- 84:123....

This brief psalm has engendered must discussion and debate. Therefore, we seek to cover it in two podcast. This is part 1. 82:1 God stands in the congregation of God and He judges in the midst of the gods.The Hebrew term Elohim is the first word and the next to last word in the verse. Much of the debate centers are who are intended by this second use of Elohim.We mention three possibilities as to the identity of the second Elohim in 82:1.1. They are human rulers. Human rulers seem t...

In the podcast I mistakenly say that the New Moon was a weekly feast. That is incorrect. The New Moon was a monthly feast- Numbers 28:11-15. It is alluded to in the OT in several places like I Sam. 20:5, 18, 24, 27; II Kings 4:23; Isaiah 1:13-14; Amos 8:5.What does Psalm 81 teach us about God?1. God is worthy of praise- 81:1-32. God rescued Israel out of Egypt- 81:6-7, 103. God asks that His people listen to Him- 81:8- and serve Him alone- 81:94. God longs for His people to do the right...

This Psalm pictures God as a Shepherd (80:1), as a Warrior (80:4, 7, 14, 19), and God as a Gardener (80;8...).80:1 God dwells above the cherubim- I Sam. 4:4; II Sam. 6:2; Ps. 99:180:3, 7, 19 Cause Your Face to shine- Num. 6:24-26; Ps. 67:1

This psalm contains lamentation (79:1-5), imprecation (or curses) (79:6-7, 10b, 12), pleas for mercy (79:8-10a, 11), and thanksgiving and praise (79:13).The events of 587 BC were devastating to Jerusalem. Abraham was promised the land of Canaan and they were ripped off of it and taken into captivity.David was promised a king from his line to sit upon his throne and this king was removed.Solomon built the temple and the temple was destroyed.The Psalm is very similar to Psalms 44, 74, and 137.T...

This beautiful poetic psalm, Psalm 78, continues. It continues to tell the glory of God and sinfulness of His people, Israel. God in His mercy rescues them while the people forget Him time and time again. If this has a happy ending, it will be because of God's persistence.

Psalm 78 is a historical psalm. It is similar to Psalms 105-106, It tells the story of Israel's history much like Nehemiah 9; Ezekiel 16, 20, 23; and Acts 7.It stresses the goodness of God to His people and His people's stubborn rebellion to Him. It emphasizes both God's love and God's holiness and wrath and these attributes are seen against the picture of Israel's sin and rebellion. 78:1-8 The purpose of historyHistory teaches us not to forget GodHistory teaches us to put our trust in HimHis...

Who can stand before God in His anger?This is a question asked repeatedly in Scripture- Ezra 9:15; Psalm 130:3-4; Nahum 1:6; Malachi 3:2; Rev. 6:16-17. The Scriptures give us an answer- Rev. 7:13-1476:10 The wrath of man praises God. How? Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:27-28

Key words in the PsalmThe wicked- 75:4, 8, 10Lifted up, on high, exaltation, exalts- 75:4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 10. These are from the same Hebrew wordHorn, horns- 75:4, 5, 10, 1075:8 the cup is an image of judgment. Isaiah 51:17-23; Jer. 25:15-28; 49:12; 51:7; Ezek. 23:32-34; Hab. 2:15-16; Zech. 12:2; Rev. 14:10; 16:19; 18:5-6Jesus fulfills this Psalm.I am sorry for any background knowledge.

In this psalm the writer calls out for deliverance from his distress and praises God for deliverance. The petition and complaint section of Psalm 71 are vss. 1-4, 9-13, 18, and the statements of trust and praise are in vss. 5-8, 14-17, 19, 24.God's righteousness is emphasized in the Psalm- 71:2, 15, 16, 19, 24. The words "continually" in vs. 3, 6, 14 and "all day long" in vs. 8, 15, 22 are a couple of the key words and phrases throughout the Psalm.

This is a psalm of individual lament.69:1-5 David describes his destress. It is as if he is drowning in deep waters and he cannot find his footing.69:6-12 His suffering has come upon him specifically because of his love for God and God's house.69:13-19 He appeals to God to rescue him because of God's lovingkindness, truth or faithfulness, and His compassion.69:20-21 There is no one to comfort him in his distress.69:22-28 He asks God to judge his adversaries in ways they sought to judge others...

Psalm 68 has been described by quite a few writers as the most difficult of the Psalms to interpret. One reason it is so difficult is because around 15 words are used only here in the OT.It is a difficult psalm but when that is the case one thing we can focus on is what the Psalm teaches us about God. 1. This Psalm teaches God as a warrior who conquers HIs foes- 68:1-2, 6, 12, 14, 17-18, 21-23, 28-31.2. The Psalms shows God a compassionate and merciful God who cares for the weakest- 68:5...

This is the first Psalm in which David has not been mentioned in the heading since Psalm 50.66:1-12 is a national thanksgiving66:1-4 All the earth is to praise God66:5-7 God turned the sea into dry land66:8-12 God has afflicted HIs people but finally brought them to a place of abundance66:13-20 is an individual thanksgiving66:13-15 He pays his vows to God66:16-20 He gives thanks to GodHow does the Psalm speak of Jesus?