Psalm 22 - Echos of the Crucifixion

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David. Lament 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. 4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” Loyalty 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Fear 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. 15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. 19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. 20 Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. 21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. Commitment 22 I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. 23 "You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever! Finished 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

This Psalm is sung to a popular tune of the day, 'The Doe of the Morning.' We don't know the immediate context for this Psalm but interestingly both Jewish and Christian tradition see this as a prophetic psalm, though with differing events fulfilling the prophesy.  Jewish tradition sees this Psalm as David's lament over the future exile of his people and a foreshadowing of the events in the book of Esther, where the Jews are nearly wiped out completely. Christian's read this Psalm as a foreshadowing of Jesus' suffering on the cross in Matthew chapter 27. Lament. The Psalm starts with a cry of despair, the same cry used in Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ""Eloi, Eloi," "lama" "sabachthani?""--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The night before, in the Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus had been "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death". 3 times he prayed to His father, "if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me". My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. In the Lament, the suffer feels forsaken by God. The very foundation of his faith is God's active presence in his life, I call - You answer, this is how you are, this is how you have always been. I trust you. My people have always trusted you. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. Not only has God forsaken him, but mankind has too. scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. Back on the cross and Jesus is experiencing the self-same thing. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads. 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.  The people mock the sufferer's faith in God. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” These words are echoed back to Jesus on the cross. 42 "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself ! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " Loyalty 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Whilst Jesus is on the cross, I can imagine this Psalm going through his head as the events played out around him. As He ponders on his loyalty, from birth, to God, he looks down and sees His mother and His friend John. They hadn't deserted him. Mark 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Fear In this section the phrase do not be far from me is repeated at the beginning and end. There is lots of threatening imagery of bulls, lions, dogs, villains and wild oxen. They surround , encircle and tear; the sufferer needs rescuing from their treating mouths and horns. Back to Jesus on the cross, John 19:28 Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; John 19:35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. Commitment Nearing the end, we have a commitment to complete the task.  I will declare. I will praise you. And a shout of thanksgiving because God has not abandoned him. For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but [he] has listened to his cry for help. Finished Mark 19:30 Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. With the task completed, All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, Everyone will turn to the Lord. all who go down to the dust will kneel before him those who cannot keep themselves alive. Even the dead will rise and kneel before him. future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: Even future generations. Because He has done it!

Psalm 21 - Unending Blessings or that pesky blazing furnace - You Choose.

For the director of music. A psalm of David. Thanksgiving 1 The king finds joy in your strength, O Lord. How greatly he rejoices in the victories you give! 2 You have granted him his heart’s desire You have not withheld the request of his lips. 3 You came to greet him with rich blessings You placed a crown of pure gold on his head. 4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever. 5 Your victories bring him great glory; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. 6 You have granted him unending blessings you made him glad with the joy of your presence. Transition 7 For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. Trust 8 Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. 9 When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will consume them. 10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their children from the sons of men. 11 Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed. 12 You will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow. 13 Be exalted in your strength, O Lord; we will sing and praise your might.

In Psalm 20 David asks God for help in battle. In this Psalm David thanks God for his help and Trusts God for his continuing assistance. There is an Inclusio (bookends) at the beginning and end of the Psalm. The king finds joy in your strength, O Lord Be exalted in your strength, O Lord The Thanksgiving Stanza is very cleverly built. There is a small inclusio with joy in the first and last line the stanza. The Psalm pivots in the middle around a chiasmus - He You You Him. Either side of the pivot are 4 You statements. The king finds joy in your strength, O Lord. How greatly he rejoices in the victories you give! You have granted him his heart’s desire You have not withheld the request of his lips. You came to greet him with rich blessings You placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever. Your victories bring him great glory; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. You have granted him unending blessings you made him glad with the joy of your presence. In the pivot statement, David asked God for life, and God, gave him not just life, but eternal life. This is another clue that King David will be with us in eternity.  In verse 6 David is granted not just blessings but unending blessings. He also mentions this in Psalm 23: I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. David recognised that even though he was victorious in battle - the victory belonged to the Lord. Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; When King Saul and his army was losing on the battlefield and he had a serious wound, he chose to fall on his sword rather than falling into the hands of his enemies.  Imagine falling into the hands of an offended God. In Hebrews 10:31 it says It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. In Nahum 1:6 it says Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. In this Psalm we see what God does when someone chooses to be His enemy. Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will consume them. You will destroy their descendants from the earth, In verse 10 God will destroy their descendants and their children.  The 2 words can be translated as fruit and seed. So there is a secondary meaning that not just your children but your fruit or works will be destroyed too. When God aims his bow at you, you better turn your backs and run - it won't do any good but what else are you going to do?  You chose the wrong side! You will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow. Although they are attacking David and Israel, they are God's enemies. your enemies your foes they plot evil against you David is the Lord's anointed, Israel is God's chosen people. Through these people the Messiah will be born. God has a plan for the salvation of humanity, the plan was first revealed to us back in Genesis 3, when God said "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. Even though God's enemies plot evil and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed. Although this Psalm is written about King David and how the battles he fights are won with the Lord's help, there is also a prophetic future meaning in the words. Read the 1st stanza of the  Psalm again and this time read the king as King Jesus. The Trust stanza also has a prophetic future meaning of end time events. In Revelation 20:15 when the dead are judged: If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Psalm 20 - Some Trust in Chariots

For the director of music. A psalm of David. David Asks 1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;     may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary     and grant you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your sacrifices     and accept your burnt offerings. 4 May he give you the desire of your heart     and make all your plans succeed. 5 May we shout for joy over your victory     and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. David's Assurance 6 Now this I know:     The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary     with the victorious power of his right hand. David's Acclamation 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,     but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They are brought to their knees and fall,     but we rise up and stand firm. 9 Lord, give victory to the king!     Answer us when we call!

This Psalm was sung by King David, just before he ventured into battle.  This is a basic 3 part Psalm, 1. David's Request, 2. David receives Assurance and 3. Praise. Throughout the Psalm the name of God creates a common thread that binds the verses together. 1 the name of the God of Jacob 5 the name of our God 7 the name of the Lord our God David Asks David asks God for help, the repeating of the pattern of May .. the Lord .. action forms a nice parallelism. May the Lord answer  may the name of God protect May he help  May he remember May he give May the Lord grant  But 1 line breaks the pattern slightly, which gives it an extra emphasis. May we shout for joy over your victory David is not planning on taking the credit for the battle's victory for himself.  He knows he needs help and he knows who to ask. David knows whose victory it will be and who deserves the praise. David's Assurance In the next part, David is no longer asking. He is stating his assurance that God will help him. It changes from :- May the Lord answer to He answers and May he send help changes to The Lord gives victory. David's Acclamation In the final part David sets up a comparison between the enemy army and his army.  This draws back to the continuing thread started in Psalm 1 about the differences between those who trust in God and are blessed and strong like a  tree, and those who don't and are blown away like winnowed chaff. Some trust in chariots but we trust in the Lord They ...  fall, but we rise The reference to trust in chariots links back to some advice that Moses gave the people back in the desert in Deuteronomy 17:14-17.  Moses warns the people, that once they have conquered the land and settled in it, they may decide to appoint a King over themselves to be like the other nations.  He gives some advice about appointing a King;  He must be an Israelite; Let God choose him not you. And then he gives some advice for the King; The King must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself; He must not take many wives; He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. If the King starts to accumulate horses and gold, he will start to trust in them and not trust in God. David followed this advice - he put his trust in God not in chariots. In 2 Samuel 8:3-11, David captures around 4 thousand of Hadadezer, king of Zobah's horses (4 horses per chariot) - rather than keep them for his army, he hamstrung all but 100 of them. These may have been used ceremonially or for sending messages quickly. Even if he kept them for war, he was going up against King's who had thousands of chariots. David also took gold shields and a great quantity of bronze and silver and gold. King David dedicated these articles to the Lord. David did not put his trust in advanced weaponry or in his gold, he trusted God and 'The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.'

Psalm 19 - The Heaven's Declare

For the director of music. A psalm of David. God in Creation 1 The heavens declare the glory of God;     the firmament proclaims the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech;     night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words;     no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,     their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,     like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6 It rises at one end of the heavens     and makes its circuit to the other;     nothing is deprived of its warmth. God in His Word 7 The law of the Lord is perfect,     refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,     making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right,     giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant,     giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure,     enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm,     and all of them are righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold,     than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey,     than honey from the honeycomb. God in Me 11 By them your servant is warned;     in keeping them there is great reward. 12 But who can discern their own errors?     Forgive my hidden faults. 13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;     may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless,     innocent of great transgression. 14 May these words of my mouth  and the meditation of my heart     be pleasing in your sight,     Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Another one of David's 73 Psalms. God in Creation David starts with what C.S. Lewis says is 'one of the greatest lyrics in the world'. The heavens declare the glory of God;     the firmament proclaims the work of his hands. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a prominent Victorian poet had this to say about God in creation - 'Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes' Paul put's it like this in Roman's 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  The firmament is how the hebrew word raqua is translated here. It means 'to beat or spread out', like the process of hammering a thin lump of metal into a dish. I think this gives a better picture than just translating it as 'skies'.  David would be sitting on a mountainside at night, looking after his sheep, no light pollution hiding the stars, and it would look like stars are all around him, like a dome. There are lots of parallelisms to slow the poem down and build on the meaning. The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaim the work of his hands  Day after day they pour forth speech;  night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech,  they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,      their words to the ends of the world David draws out an interesting paradox here. There is no speech, no words, no sound - but there is a voice that penetrates the furthest reaches of the earth.  He then draws a parallel with the Sun, rising and setting, and reaching everyone with it's light. nothing is deprived of its warmth In the first part, creation speaks silently and generally about a Creator God, but it speaks nonetheless to everyone. God in His Word In the 2nd part, David looks at God's other revelation, the Scriptures, which speaks with words, specifically and clearly. The law of the Lord is perfect, The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, The precepts of the Lord are right, The commands of the Lord are radiant, The fear of the Lord is pure, The decrees of the Lord are firm, Here God is replaced by Lord. Now we have the opportunity to get to know the God of creation personally, our response is to bow the knee and say Lord.  David uses different synonyms to describe God's scriptures; law, statues, precepts, commands, fear and decrees.  The scriptures bring blessings to the reader, refreshing the soul, making you wise, bringing you joy, lighting up the eyes.  It restores us and we return from the pig pens our sin has lead us to, into the arms of a loving Father. They are worth more than gold, they are sweeter than honey. God in Me With this knowledge of scripture we can be warned how not to offend God.  How to be pleasing to Him.  Not how to be sin-less because that is impossible for us, but how to be restored to Him and forgiven. Then I will be blameless,     innocent of great transgression. There is a nice link back in the final verse. May these words of my mouth  and the meditation of my heart     be pleasing in your sight, Just as the Lord speaks to us through both audible and inaudible ways, David asks that his audible words and inaudible thoughts should be pleasing to the Lord.

Psalm 18 - Phenomenal Cosmic Power

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: Praise 1 I love you, Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. 1. Davids Cry and God's Reply 4 The waves of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. 7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. 8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. 9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. 10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky. 12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. 13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. 14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them. 15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. 16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. 19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. 2. God's Reply, the Reason Why 20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God. 22 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. 23 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. 24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. 25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, 26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. 27 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. 28 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. 29 With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. 30 As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. 3. On Him you can Rely 31 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? 32 It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. 33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. 34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 35 You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. 36 You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way. 37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. 38 I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. 39 You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me. 40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. 41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the Lord, but he did not answer. 42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust; I trampled them like mud in the streets. 43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations. People I did not know now serve me, 44 foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me. 45 They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds. Closing Praise 46 The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! 47 He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, 48 who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. 49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. 50 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing love to his anointed, to David and to his descendants forever.

This Psalm is set somewhere between the end of 2 Samuel 8 when David had established his kingdom and 2 Samuel 11, the Bathsheba incident.  King Saul and his sons have died at the Battle of Gilboa.  After being on the run for 10 years, David has come out of exile, become King of Judah at Hebron, defeated the Amalekites , the Philistines, Moab, and the Syrians, and after some major political wrangling become King over all Israel.   The epigram at the beginning of the Psalm says David wrote this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies. The linear narrative of David's story finishes at the end of 2 Samuel 20 where there is a list of the Government Officers in David's Kingdom. The rest of the book of 2 Samuel is taken up with 6 flashback scenes that appear in a Chiastic pattern (reverse parallel). A - 2 Samuel 21:1-14 Difficult Decision Early On B - 2 Samuel 21:15-22 Early Exploits of David's Might Men. C - 2 Samuel 22:1-51 - Poem near start of David's reign. C - 2 Samuel 23:1-7 - Poem near end of David's reign. B - 2 Samuel 23:8-38 Later exploits of David's Mighty Men. A - 2 Samuel 24 - Difficult Decision later on. Difficult Decision 1 in 2 Samuel 21:1-14 relates to the story of the 3 year famine. David enquires of God and finds it is because King Saul broke the promise Joshua made to the Gibeonites to spare them. David has to give them 7 members of Saul's family to be killed for revenge.  He cannot give them Mephiboseth, Jonathan's son because of an oath he swore to look after him. Which only left Armoni and Mephiboseth, King Saul's children by Rizpah, the concubine and the 5 step-children of Michal, Saul's daughter and David's 1st wife.  During the time David was in exile, Michal was married off to Adriel before returning to David, she bore no children.  This would not have made him popular with his wife. In Psalm 15, one of the 10 conditions of gaining access to God was to keep your word, even if it hurt - this incident shows David understood this one very well. Early Exploits of David's Mighty Men in 2 Samuel 21:15-22  tells of battles with the Philistines with 4 descendants of Goliath the Giant. The poem in 2 Samuel 22:1-51 near the start of David's reign is, in fact, Psalm 18 with a few minor changes. Psalm 18 is another 3 part Psalm, with a small opening and closing praise section. Opening Praise Part 1: David's Cry and God's Reply Part 2: God's Reply, the reason Why Part 3: On Him you can Rely. Closing Praise Opening Praise The opening praise show David's relationship with God is real and personal and close. David repeats the word my to emphasise this close relationship. I love you, Lord, my strength,  my rock, my fortress; my deliverer; my rock; my shield; my salvation; my stronghold. David describes God using strong, solid word with a military or wilderness feel to them.  David learnt his military skills fighting in the desert caves. 1. Davids Cry and God's Reply The fast pace of David's cry builds the tension. Trouble comes in waves and torrents and then cords and snares trapping him. 4 The waves of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. Then David cries for help and God hears him.  God responds with phenomanal cosmic power. The earth trembled and quaked, mountains shook; God shows he is stronger than the solid earth and mountains. dark clouds were under his feet with hailstones and bolts of lightning. The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. with great bolts of lightning he routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed the foundations of the earth laid bare God goes on to show that the earlier waves and torrents are also no match for him. He controls the clouds, the rain, the hail and lightening.  And He can expose the seabed, pushing the raging torrents away, with His rebuke. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. God reaches down and rescues David. This imagery is reminiscent of the time when Moses and all of Israel stood at the bottom of Mt Sinai to meet God and establish their covenant with him in Exodus 19: 16-19. There was thunder and lightning, thick cloud, very loud trumpet blasts, smoke, fire and the whole mountain trembled violently. 2. God's Reply, the Reason Why Here we see why God responds to David. David has been faithful. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God. All his laws are before me; 3. On Him you can Rely Here David list many of the ways God has helped him by gifting him with skills, and circumstances that train and hone those skills. God arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. your help has made me great. You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations. Closing Praise David has declared his love for God throughout this Psalm. And perhaps the most significant part in the Psalm.....  The love is reciprocal. God loves David right back. he rescued me because he delighted in me. he shows unfailing love to his anointed

Psalm 17 - In the shadow of Your wings

A prayer of David. Faithful Me 1 Hear, Lord, a cause that is just; pay heed to my cry. Turn your ear to my prayer— no deceit is on my lips. 2 Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. 3 You probe my heart, you examine me at night you test me, and find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed. 4 Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded. 5 My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled. Frightened Me 6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. 7 Show me the wonders of your great love, you whose right hand saves those who take refuge in you from their foes. 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings 9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. 10 They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. 11 They have tracked me down, they now envelop me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. 12 They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a fierce lion crouching in cover. Faithful You 13 Rise up, Lord, confront them, strike them down; with your sword rescue me from the wicked. 14 By your hand save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life. May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies; may their children gorge themselves on it, and may there be leftovers for their little ones. 15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your glory.

David is in trouble.  We don't know the exact incident that has David running to God for help, but this is not a general prayer, he is asking about  a particular traumatic event. This is a 3-part Psalm. In part 1, Faithful Me, David testifies to his own faithfulness, his innocence. In part 2, Frightened Me, he tells God about the enemy's attack. In part 3, Faithful You, he prays for justice, for vindication and delivery from the faithful friend he relies on. This Psalm starts with a nice parallel linkage. 1 Hear, Lord, a cause that is just;     a                      b specific pay heed to my cry.      a              b general Turn your ear to my prayer—      a                      b general no deceit is on my lips.     b specific Instead of the usual - a b a b - parallelism or - a b b a - reverse parallelism/ chiasmus structure, we have a more complicated structure. The 3 a's Hear, Pay Heed and Turn your ear show a progression: Hear - hear what I am saying; Pay Heed - Pay attention to me; Turn your ear - Move closer so you can really pay attention and don't miss anything. The 4 b's describe what needs paying attention to.  The 2 middle b's my cry and my prayer are general, surrounding them is the specific topic of the prayer a cause that is just and no deceit. In Isaiah 29:13 God complains "These people say they are mine. They honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Here David is setting out to show that he is not just paying lip-service, his heart is pure, he is following God's commands. David is seeking vindication from God. He has invited God to investigate and interrogate and check he is doing everything right. This is very brave and confident thing to say - would you want  God to probe around and check out all the dark corners of your heart? 3 You probe my heart, you examine me at night you test me, Job in ch 7:18-19 complains about God's probing but David is welcoming it. For you examine us every morning and test us every moment. Why won’t you leave me alone, at least long enough for me to swallow! David doesn't stop there, he encourages God not to just examine him in the morning when his defences are up and he is wide awake and ready with the excuses, but examine me at night, when my defences are down.  Don't just examine me, test me like you do when refining metal like we saw in Psalm 11. 6 I call on you, my God, for you will hear me; turn your ear to me and you hear my prayer. 7 Show me the wonders of your great love, you whose right hand saves those who take refuge in you from their foes. 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings There are 2 progressions in the frightened me stanza that build the sense of danger in the poem.   David's requests for help build; Hear me - Turn your ear - Show me your love - Keep me - Hide me.  The metaphor shadow of your wings shows God as a large bird of prey, protecting his little chicks. 9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. 10 They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. 11 They have tracked me down, they now envelop me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. 12 They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a fierce lion crouching in cover. The 2nd progression shows the enemies advancement and builds a feeling of threat.  My enemies surround me, they track me down, they envelop me, they throw me to the ground.  The magnitude of the threat is enhanced with a simile about a lion crouching ready to strike.

Psalm 16 - Hints of the Messiah

A miktam of David. 1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord,  “You are my Lord; apart from you  I have no good thing.” 3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones  in whom is all my delight.” 4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods I will not take up their names on my lips. 5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;  even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.  With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and soul rejoices;  my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not leave my soul in the realm of the dead,  nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life;  you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

No one is really sure what miktam means.  It is used here and in Psalms 56,57,58,59 and 60.  It may be a musical term, but as all 6 of these Psalms are laments it probably means a type of psalm or lament. This Psalm continues the thread started in Psalm 1 comparing the godless man with the blessed man. There are many links back to previous Psalms. Psalm 7 - O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge Psalm 16 - Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. Again a picture of the refuge or stronghold of God is for the blessed man. 3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” In Psalm 16 we saw how one of the conditions for access to God was to 'honour those who fear the Lord'.  Here David is declaring his love for the holy people.  He takes delight in them.  One of the main requirements for a good pastor or king is to love his people. 4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. It is in mankind's nature to seek after God - this desire was put their by God himself. In Acts 17:27 Paul explains it like this, "His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him".  A common phrase is that people have a God-shaped hole, a deep seated need that people strive to satisfy. This picture by Tabitha Brett shows how people can 'run after other gods' to fill this emptiness, this need with relationships, money, drugs, alcohol, power or other religious experiences.  But, none of these things bring the satisfaction that a relationship with our Creator brings, in fact it brings the opposite, a dissatisfaction and a craving for more. There is an interesting article in the NY Times called For the love of money. Hence, David's phrase Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. David states his position:- I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods I will not take up their names on my lips. 5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;  God is enough. 7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;  even at night my heart instructs me. The word heart here is translated as heart, kidneys, conscience, inmost being or reigns.  This links back to the phrase in Psalm 1 on His law he meditates day and night. The blessed man who delights in and meditates on God's law will have it stored up in his heart, his conscience, his inmost being, so at night when he is reviewing the events of the day, relevant portions of that law will come to mind, leading to a pricking of the conscience or a confirming that what you did was right. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. King David had Abishai son of Zeruiah as his right hand man when he went into battle. One of his best and most trusted warriors took the position on his right to defend him and keep him safe during his many battles.  In 2 Samuel 21:15-17 David becomes exhausted in battle and Abishai saves his life. In the chapter about David's mighty men, Abishai is held in greater honour than even his top 3 mighty men. 2 Samuel 23:18-19  Another or David's right-hand men was Ahitophel, the king's counselor, the advice Ahitophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God.  But Abishai had wanted to kill King Saul and needed to be stopped by David 1 Samuel 26:9 and Ahitophel had defected to his son Absalom's side 2 Samuel 15:31.  Although they were the best right hand men available, they could leave David shaken and troubled.   With God at his right hand, David will not be shaken.  10 because you will not leave my soul in the realm of the dead,  nor will you let your faithful one see decay. David knows he is going to be with God when he dies, he states it most clearly at the end of Psalm 23, 'I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever'.  Here he states you will not leave my soul in the realm of the dead.  He knew he was going to die, and be buried, but he also knew he was not going to stay dead.  The next line seems to contract this thought, by saying God's faithful one will not see decay.  But clearly, David would die and be buried and his body would decay.  Then you realise that my soul and your faithful one are not talking about the same person.  David is prophesying about Jesus Christ when he says 'Your faithful one' not referring to himself. Peter picked up on this in his sermon in Acts 2:22-32 when he states:- 29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Paul also referred to it in his sermon in Acts 13:32-39 :- 35 So it is also stated elsewhere: “‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’ 36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. 38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

Psalm 15 - Access Rights

A psalm of David. Question 1 Lord, who may sojourn in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? Answer 2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, and speaks the truth from their heart; 3 whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbour, and casts no slur on others; 4 who holds the wicked in disdain but honours those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath come what may, and does not change their mind; 5 who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.

This Psalm starts with a question: How can I gain access to God, How can I get to Heaven? The verbs in the first verse show a progression. Lord, who may sojourn in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? Who may sojourn; visit, dwell for a time, seek hospitality with; becomes the more permanent live; to settle down, dwell, reside. Likewise the first line talks of God's temporary dwelling on earth, his tabernacle or sacred tent which progresses to be His holy mountain or permanent dwelling place. There follows a list of 10 conditions that affect our access to God. Keeping these conditions does not earn us the right to come into God's presence. Keeping the law does not earn us a reward, only breaking it earns us something, and then it is punishment not reward. Our faith in Jesus's work of taking our punishment enables us to come into God's presence. However, breaking these conditions will affect our daily access to God. In the same way, my dog has access to my house, but if he rolls in the mud, he's not going to be sitting on my knee until he's been hosed down a bit. Christianity tends to focus on our faith, our belief as our means of access to God. Jewish culture focuses on the fruit of that belief - "you believe? prove it - show me your good works!" Good works should come naturally out of our belief in God - like in Psalm 1 when the good man is likened to a tree planted in a good place that bears its fruit in season - the fruit is a natural consequence of being in good well-watered soil. The fruit of good works doesn't give you access to God, having access to God enables you to bear fruit. One common complaint Atheists have is 'How can a just God punish lack of belief? Simple - He doesn't. No one has been sent to hell because they don't believe in Jesus. Hell is a place of punishment and people are punished because they've done wrong. In other words, the only reason people go to hell is because they've broken God's law. Think about it this way. If God is holy, righteous, and just then He cannot let wrongdoing go unpunished. It would not be just to let sin pass without punishment. Any judge who allows a crime to go unpunished is not a just judge - he would in fact be considered unjust and unfit for the job. God, as a totally righteous being, cannot let even one sin pass unpunished. He must be just, that is his nature. Every man will be held accountable for any act of disobedience against God's law. Now, it is true that by such a standard no one can survive God's wrath. We are all guilty of doing and thinking wrong things. However, God is not only a just God, He is a gracious and merciful God, too. So He provides a way that we can escape this judgment by allowing that Jesus takes our punishment for us. Jesus is like the close relative who sees you have a debt you cannot pay, so He pays the debt instead of you. Once your debt is paid, you are considered clean before God and can now have fellowship with Him. God maintains his righteousness and justice while still showing His grace and mercy. See John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. God's wrath remains on them unless it is removed through Jesus. Condition 1 The one whose walk is blameless The word blameless can be translated as without blemish, complete, perfect or whole. We often compound 1 sin with another by lying about it or hiding it. We feel guilty so hide from God like Adam and Eve did. Instead of seeking God's forgiveness they blamed someone else; Eve blamed the serpent; and Adam blamed Eve and God. God doesn't just want the bits we are willing to share with Him, He wants all of us, the complete package. In fact, the only way we can stay complete and blameless, is to bring it all to Him. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. 22 But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. Colossians 1:21-22 The Message Condition 2 who does what is righteous, and speaks the truth from their heart; The chief priests asked Jesus who gave Him the authority to do the things He was doing. Jesus asked them whose authority John the baptist had. They chose to say they didn't know, rather than replying honestly. So Jesus refused to answer their question. If you are not prepared to be honest with God - don't expect him to talk to you either. Luke 20:1-8 Condition 3 whose tongue utters no slander Condition 4 who does no wrong to a neighbour As Jesus said in Mark 12:31, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' Condition 5 and casts no slur on others Watch that tongue - it's evil! Condition 6 who holds the wicked in disdain In Psalm 1 we saw a progression from walking alongside sinners, to following their way and then to leading others astray.  We should hold the wicked in disdain, look down on their actions not be envious or even interested in what they are doing. Condition 7 but honours those who fear the Lord And conversely, we should honour and look up to and follow the example of the people who fear the Lord, the Blessed man who choses God's law. Condition 8 who keeps an oath come what may, and does not change their mind; In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites had heard how Joshua had defeated Jericho and Ai so they planned to trick Israel. They showed up with worn out shoes and mouldy bread and said they were from a distant country and wanted to make a treaty of peace with the Israelites. 3 days later, Joshua found out they were close neighbours, living in the land that God had given them, commanding them to wipe out all its inhabitants. BUT, they had to keep their side of the bargain even if they had been deceived, even if a lawyer could find in favour of the Israelites. They had given their word, and come what may, they had to show integrity and not change their minds. “We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. 20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.” Keeping a promise is important to God as we see later, in 2 Samuel 21:1, when the Israelites are punished by God because King Saul had broken this oath. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death. Condition 9 who lends money to the poor without interest This condition relates back to the command in Exodus 22:25. "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest."  Look after your family and tribe freely, don't make money from their problems. Maybe Wonga needs to read this and start thinking of it's customers as family, which indeed we all are, we are all descendants of Adam and Eve and Noah.  Maybe then, they wouldn't charge 5853% interest, which is quite frankly obsence. Condition 10 who does not accept a bribe against the innocent As God is a just god, he expects his people to act in a just manner also. Conclusion Whoever does these things will never be shaken. Like the tree, solid and able to withstand the storms.

Psalm 14 - The Fool

For the director of music. Of David. 1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is not a good man left. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if any are wise, if any seek God. 3 "All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is not a good man left, no, not one". 4 Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord. 5 See how the just tremble with fear, but they need not be afraid, for God is present in the company of the righteous. 6 You evildoers mock the poor man's hope, but the Lord is their refuge. 7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores his people, then Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad!

Psalms not only make good poetry and good songs - they also make good ballet.  This Psalm is another lament, a sorrowful song. Psalm 14 by Sons of Korah & David's Heartbeat In Psalm 1 we contrasted the god-less and the righteous man. Here, the godless is called a fool and the righteous man is called wise. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” [God looks] to see if any are wise, if any who seek God. In Psalm 1 there was a progression from being godless - being without God, to being a sinner who no longer needed to keep God's commands, to being a scoffer - someone who mocks God's people. In v6 the evildoers are mockers. You evildoers mock the poor man's hope Everyone has been given sufficient evidence that God exists.  The 2 main ways God reveals Himself are His creation and His revelation through scripture. A fool is different from someone who is just stupid.  A stupid person, just doesn't know.  A fool knows and denies what he knows, he denies what his common sense is telling him. Romans 1:18 The wrath of God; is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. With the advent of darwinism, man had finally hit on some "evidence" that gave him a "genuine" reason to ditch the God he'd always wanted to ditch. He no longer needed to stick to those pesky commandments about lying and adultery. And as long as you don't look to closely or think too deeply, and keep telling yourself, well the evolutionist scientist believe it so it must be true. It is a bit like the Emperors new clothes where the dodgy tailor's told everyone that only wise people could see the new clothes so everyone, wanting to be wise, went along with it - even though no one could see a thing. What happens when an atheist Professor refers to the evolution worldview as an "“heroic triumph of ideological theory over common sense.”?  He is branded a heretic or called crazy! Link to National Post article. Link to NY Times article. The idea of darwinian evolution has to be clung to for dear life, it cannot be challenged - because if anyone points out that the king is in his altogether - there is only one alternative.  To seek the truth and find God. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. No one has seen an animal evolve into a different animal - Google says there are to 8.7 million species now. 99.9% of species are extinct. So there have been 8.7 billion species. If the earth is 4.54 billion years old, and the first life appeared 2.1 billion years ago - then that is 4 new species a year - who presumably all would need a mate.....  So it should be a fairly common occurance and easy to document.  Yet no one has seen it or documented it. Haley's comet happens once every 75 years - yet many people over 30 will have seen it for themselves, others will have seen videos or photographs. For evolution - we have artists impressions: When challenged for an example of observable evolution, P Z Meyers could only think of the cave dwelling stickleback fish who over time, lost their ability to see.  Still a stickleback.  And no new information was gained, just a loss of information. For more see the Evolution v God movie.