Psalm 66

The sub heading on this psalm is " Praise To God For His Awesome Works " In this rather long psalm of 20 verses, We see the psalmist start by talking about the great things God has done for the whole earth. Then slowly transitions to what he has done in an individuals life. As an example in verse one it says, " Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth !"  By verse nine  he says ," Who keeps our soul among the living, and does not allow our feet to be moved."

Another awesome spiritual truth is revealed here when in verse 12 it says,"You have caused men to ride over our heads;" That hardly sounds like giving praise to God ! But the psalmist reveals the truth when he wraps it up in verse twelve by saying," But you brought us out to rich fulfillment." In other words in order for souls to be rich and fulfilled we must go through fire WITH Jesus !

The last thing I want to show here is the answer to "Why are my prayers not being answered ?"  According to Gods word there are many reasons, but here in verse eighteen we see one reason. " If I regard inequity in my heart, the Lord will not hear." Which means if you have sin in your heart, that will cause God to not hear your prayer. That does NOT mean you must be sinless. It means you must be saved and not harbor the sinful nature of man in your heart.

Psalm 65

The title of this psalm is, "Praise to God for His Salvation and Providence".  This is a beautiful psalm written by David giving praise and glory to God for His salvation. One thing to notice and learn from David is this: when we want to praise God we should be specific ! As an example instead of saying thank You for all you do, say thank you for saving me from dying in my sin and saving me from hell ! In this psalm we see David being very specific in thanking God for the things He has done for the Jews and for David. I count 25 times the words You or Your is used in reference to God in a total of 13 verses. "You water it's ridges abundantly, You settle it's furrows,You make it soft with showers,You bless it's growth." (Verse 10)  Another thing to notice is that in this psalm of thanks and praise there is NO complaining, NO cursing of his enemies, and NO asking for his enemies to be punished. We should go therefore and do likewise.

Psalm 64

The ungodly call it karma .....Psalm 64 calls it God's arrow will shoot them.  God is in charge !  In this psalm David is describing all of the unrighteous behavior of his enemies. It is interesting to note that most of the unrighteous behavior he talks about is the words. In verses 5 and 6 there are 6 different references to words ! Talk of, They say, They devise, They encourage, inward thought, heart of man. There might be a message here!  The last verse tells us," The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in him" . Unrighteous behavior, in God's eyes' is NOT only behavior but also is in words and in thought ! Which explains why we need to be saved because God says that the heart is evil above all things. Even in secret we must watch our words and try to have them to match our actions. Since it is humanly impossible to do that, that is the job of the Holy Spirit. He can only do that when we surrender and allow Him into every area of our life !

Psalm 63

In this beautiful psalm of love and worship by David of God, we can notice all the things that he does and thinks by looking at the "My's"  and "I's" . "my soul thirsts", "my flesh longs", "my lips shall praise", "my soul shall be satisfied", "my mouth shall praise", "my soul follows close behind you." Sometimes when we feel like we want to show our love to Jesus but do not know how ... David gives us 6 ways that he showed love and worship to God !

"will I seek you", "I have looked for you", "I will bless you", "I will lift up my hands in Your name", "I remember You  on my bed", "I meditate on you", "I will rejoice."  This psalm is only 11 verses long and yet we see 13 different things David is doing to show his love and worship of God !   How about you ?  Do not just skim over this list. Think about each action that David is doing and TODAY try just one to show your love and worship to Jesus !!!

Psalm 62

The sub title for this psalm is " A calm resolve to wait for the salvation of God" .  It starts by telling how strong he is waiting on God, then goes quickly to all the temptation and outcomes of the people who are against God ! He then comes back to tell of his strength in waiting on God for his salvation. From there he goes back to telling about those who do not trust in God and how they are all nothing without God's salvation ! Then closes by telling of God's mercy.

Verse 1 says, "Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation." This is where the psalm starts by David telling us of his silent wait and faith is his salvation from God.  Verse 3 says,"How long will you attack a man ? You shall be slain,all of you, like a leaning wall and a tottering fence." This verse speaks to what will happen to all those who are not waiting for their salvation but are trying to prosper themselves at their own expense !  In verse 5 he returns to his waiting on God," My soul, wait silently for God alone,For my expectation is from Him." He returns to those who are against God in verse 9 when he says,"Surely men of low degree are a vapor,men of high degree are a lie;" Here we can see that in God's eye we are only vapor and status on the earth means nothing in the heavenly realm !  He then closes with verse 12 where he says," Also to you, O Lord, belongs mercy; For you render to each one according to his work." Here, David puts his finger right on the issue at hand: God's grace vs. mans works ! God will always render to each according to his works EXCEPT where he chooses to show mercy. How can we receive God's mercy ? Only through God's salvation !

Psalm 61

Psalm 61 was most likely written when King David was on the run from his own son, Absalom, who was trying to take over the kingdom. Once again, David follows the pattern of dividing his psalm into three distinct parts: 1) David cries out to God, 2) David's confidence in God, 3) Davids commitment to God.

The very first verse shows Davids cry to God," Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to you..."  This announces his intention and wish and prayer that he intends for this psalm !  He intends on crying out to God from any where in the world.  Davids confidence in God can be seen in verse 4 where he says, " I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings." David uses phrases that are familiar to us that show his intention. "Abide in your tabernacle" tells us that David will live by Gods every word and live in Gods house. "trust in the shelter of Your wings" tells us that no matter what the outcome is for David...He will trust that God is in charge and David will abide by what ever Gods decision is ! Lastly, Davids commitment to God can be seen in in the very last verse," So I will sing praise to Your name forever, that I may daily perform my vows." David is telling God that no matter what His answer is to his cry, David will spend every day for the rest of his life praising God and living out his life for and according to Gods will.

Psalm 60

Although David was King when he wrote this psalm, he is remembering a time when Saul came to kill him before he was King. We see in the title that Saul's men watched the house and David escaped only with the help of his wife (Saul's daughter !)

This is another example of the psalmist begging for God's help. This psalm can be loosely be divided into 3 parts. Verses 1 - 7, verses 8 - 15, and verses 16 - 17. The first 7 verses is Davids lament about David needing protection from his enemies. Verse 4....."They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine." This is a key part because it establishes that David was NOT at fault and his enemies were many and wanted to kill him ! God always hears this type of prayer from His people.  As we look at the second part of this psalm we should look at verse 11," Do not slay them, lest my people forget;" This second part is where David is putting all his hope and faith in God coming to his rescue. As he is waiting on God he does not want his enemies destroyed too quickly !?  Why ? Because he wants his people (and also God's people) to not forget the power and mercy of God. The last two verses are David thanking God for his help and salvation. Do we do this ? Verse 16," ... For you have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble." When God comes through for you, do you take the time to say thank you ? Do you tell everyone about his mercy? We are to be witnesses !

Psalm 58

"The Just Judgement Of The Wicked" Is the title to this psalm. Again, this psalm can easily be broken down into three parts. 1) He speaks to the wicked telling of their wickedness, 2) then He asks God of different ways to deal with their wickedness, and 3) He talks about how the righteous will have the last laugh when God judges them !

"No, in heart you work wickedness; you weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth." (verse 2)  Here the psalmist is talking to the wicked and showing them their wickedness. The same is true of us before we are born again !  The New Testament says that the heart is evil above all things.  " Break their teeth in their mouth, O God ! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord." ( verse 6)  This verse represents the second part of this psalm where he is praying to God on how to righteously punish the wicked. This also represents when we get saved !  When we get saved the evil in us is killed and replaced by the Holy Spirit.  " The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance ; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked." (verse 10) In this last part of this psalm he tells of how the righteous shall rejoice at the death of wickedness. Again, when we get saved, the righteous rejoice ! When someone gets saved, the bible says the angels in Heaven rejoice. AND the righteous here on earth rejoice when one gets saved !!

Psalm 57

This psalm continues the same narrative as psalm 56 where King David is seeking protection from God.  It can be divided into two parts 1) King David describes his fear and need, and  2) King David praises and thanks God for His protection.  David writes this psalm about seeking protection from his enemies as he was hiding in a cave from King Saul. " I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me." (verse 2).  Here we see the heart of David. Even though he has been anointed to be the next king of the Jews, his heart cries out to God ! This is exactly why God calls him "A man after my own heart." In the second part of this psalm we see that no matter how fearful David is, his trust is in the Lord. " My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise." (verse 7). This is the lesson we should all learn from this psalm : No matter what our circumstance ... good or bad .... we should always seek after God !

Psalm 56

Psalm 56 was written by King David when he was captured by the Philistines at Gath.  Just like us his first reaction was that of terror ! "Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up." ( verse 1 ).  Then he goes on in verse three to remember that God has got this... "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you." Here we learn that trust in God is NOT an emotional response but is a decision that is made to walk by faith and not by sight !!  Can you do that ?  Not many can or do.

Verses 5 - 7 continue to explain how badly he has been treated and is explaining to God what is going on (as if God doesn't know). Then we see King David change by choice to trust in God by recounting all that God has done for him in the past in verses 8 - 11. He ends verse 11 by saying, " I will not be afraid. What can man do to me ?" The psalm ends by David remembering promises he made to God and ends it by saying, " That I may walk before God in the light of the living ?"

Psalm 55

" Trust In God Concerning The Treachery Of Friends" is the heading of this psalm. This psalm alternates between David laying bare his soul to God, praying for the destruction of his "friends",  and confidence in God to deliver him.  The first 8 verses show the absolute desperation David feels at the betrayal of his friends. Many theologians believe this was written about Absalom when David's son tried to overthrow him. Verse 4 lends credence to this, " My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me."  By verse 9 David has laid his soul bare and is now asking God to destroy the people who are trying to kill him. In verse 15 he gets specific," Let death seize them;let them go down alive into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them." David is remembering that God had done this one other time to the people who had tried to overthrow Moses ! So there is biblical evidence that God has done this in the past !!!   Verse 16 now shows that David has full confidence in God to save him when he says, " As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me."  Once again we see a biblical truth within the word. If WE call upon God to be forgiven of our sin....the Lord shall save US. By verse 20 David goes back to asking for their destruction and telling why. Verse 22 is a very famous verse and for us Christians is what we have faith in ! " Cast your burden on the Lord,and he shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." If every Christian had faith in this, we would see a mighty move of God in this world ! When I teach this concept I use a very easy phrase to remember, but if done will change your walk with God forever ! It goes like this, " Listen and obey".

Psalm 54

In this short psalm of 7 verses, it's main message is deliverance. It can easily be divided into three parts. Asking, expecting, and thanking God for deliverance. The setting for this psalm was shortly after David becomes king and goes to a town and saves the people from the Philistines. You would think the people would be thankful, but they were mad at David because they saw him as a traitor to king Saul ! When David learns of this is when he writes this psalm. It is obvious that they were non-believers as the end of verse 3 says," They have not set God before them."  Verse 7 starts, " For He has delivered me out of all trouble;"  This shows David's faith in expecting God to protect His own ! Just as we would protect our children, So God protects His children. He did it in David's time and He does it in our time. Amen !!!

Psalm 53

"Folly of the Godless, and the restoration of Israel " is the heading of this psalm.If you go back and compare this psalm to psalm 14 you will find them almost identical. The main difference is that this psalm talks about a sudden military reversal that happens. Written by David after a certain military victory shows the power and purpose of God. There are many well known verses in this psalm. Verse 1 says," The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." This line of thinking is a continuation from psalm 52 where the folly of man ignoring God is in man. Verse 3 goes on ," Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one." David is describing how God sees mankind... and it is sad !  God can not find one who will inquire of God but relies on themselves in this battle. So God will intervene on behalf of the Jews ! This is a great spiritual lesson for us today !!!!!  God is looking for man who will inquire of Him and ask to be saved and He will save them. Is this YOU ??  The psalm ends on verse 6 where it says, " Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion ! ..." This was done in the form of Jesus !  Mine and your salvation has come out of Zion. All we have to do is seek and ask for forgiveness and God WILL save us.

Psalm 52

In 1 Samuel chapters 21 and 22 David is on the run from Saul and the priests help David. The man who tells Saul this is Doeg. He is referenced here in this psalm in the very first verse. " Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man ?" This psalm is talking about the folly of sin and how God is in charge! The first 4 verses go on talking about the types of evil being done. Verse 5 changes course when it says," God shall likewise destroy you forever." The key word here is "forever". This leaves no doubt that God is not going to not only punish here on earth but FOREVER ! The next 3 verses talk about how God will rule over him who does evil and how evil will be returned to him. The last 2 verses talk about David's faith in God and how he will praise God forever. There is that word again ! This leaves no doubt that righteousness will likewise be rewarded by God forever. The moral of this psalm is easy....evil will be punished and faith will be rewarded.

Psalm 51

After King David had gone into Bathsheba, had her husband killed, and been approached by Nathan the Prophet concerning these sins... This is the psalm that David had written. Psalm 51 is a beautiful prayer by David asking for forgiveness ! There are many famous quotes and verses here. Verse 3 says," For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin which is always before me. Against You,You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight--" This is the example we should all use when asking forgiveness....Repentance !  Verse 10," Create in me a clean heart, O God,and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Here David is asking for his sinful nature to be replaced with a clean spirit. When we Repent and ask for forgiveness God is faithful to forgive and save us and give to us a new spirit...The Holy Spirit ! Verse 15," O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise."  When we get saved and receive our new spirit, our heart is so full of joy it is impossible to keep our mouth shut praising Jesus !!!! To be truly saved and forgiven verse 17 tells what is require," The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,- a broken and a contrite heart- These O God, You will not despise." Salvation is free... but salvation is not cheap !  Do you have a truly contrite heart and broken spirit when you go to the Father ? David tells us here that without that there is no salvation or forgiveness !!!

Psalm 50

In the temple there were three great song leaders...Heman, Asaph, and Ethan. This is the first psalm that we have looked at that was written by Asaph. Psalm 50 is a psalm that is all about God coming to judge the people. In the first verse it says, " Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. " This is directed towards the whole earth ! Which is clarified in verse 5 when it says, " Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."  They are called to witness that the judgement that God renders is righteous and just !!

God goes onto explain to His people that He did not want or need their sacrifices of animals to Him. Verse 10 is a famous verse that says this very plainly, " For every beast pf the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." God is explaining to the people that He does not want outward signs but heart changes by His people ! " And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." Here in verse 15 God explains that which is true today... If you come to God in your time of need ( Sin ) and you call on Him (Confess)  He will deliver you (Salvation) !  God also goes on to explai what will happen to those who turn away from Him,"Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver thee." When God comes to judge He will judge in righteousness but firmly. The choice for us is clear.... Do you want to a saint for God or a sinner who turned his back and forgot God ?

Psalm 49

Psalm 49 is a classic psalm that shows the difference in how God deals with the righteous and those that are self righteous !  When you read this it sounds un-American !  We see in the very first verse that it is intended for the entire human race. " Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world.."  Fro there the psalmist goes on to explain how he will be wise and the one who boasts in his wealth can not buy redemption or bribe God for salvation !  The one who brags about his wealth will die just like the sheep of the field and will leave his wealth to others. The classic " You can't take it with you." Verse 10 says," For he sees wise men die: Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, and leave their wealth to others."  This same thought is mentioned throughout God's word, as an example when Jesus says what good does it do a man to gain the whole world but loose his soul ?  The psalm wraps up by saying do not be upset when someone gets rich and famous as the will bless themselves because they will never see light !  This is a very sad truth and we must always remember that God blesses us so we may be a blessing to others !

Psalm 48

In yet another psalm written by the Sons of Korah we see a song that talks about the completion of the establishment of God's kingdom !  It starts in the same way we should all pray and that is with praise. Then it goes into a recalling of God's power and majesty. " For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, they hastened away."This refers to the fact that God has established His kingdom in Mt. Zion, and not only the Jews but even the whole world recognized that this was God's dwelling place. It also speaks to the way God is in control of the military victories of the Jews. Verse 11 show that Mt. Zion and all of the cities around are glad because of the judgments of God. "Let Mt. Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of your judgments." This psalm ends with praise and faith in God. " For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide, Even to death." Verse 14.  This is also a lesson for us when we pray.  We should praise, ask, then praise AND have faith that God has already answered your prayer. It is not easy but this is the model we have and we can only do this with faith. And this is what a relationship with Jesus is all about !

Psalm 47

This is another of a cluster of psalms written by the sons of Korah. In psalm 46 we saw God coming back to earth, not as a savior, but as a King ! In this psalm we see the kingdom is established and God's people are rejoicing.

It starts, " Oh clap your hands all you peoples ! Shout to God with the voice of triumph !" (verse 1) Notice it does not limit it to the Jews. The triumph is universal and applies to all people. It does go on to show that God will put the nations and all peoples under the Jews ! Verse 5 says," God has gone up with a shout.." As god ascends the people are shouting with praise and glory. God's kingdom is now established and he goes back up to enjoy it !!  What a glorious picture is painted here ! Verse 8 tells us directly that God has established His kingdom," God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne."

The interesting thing about this psalm, other than the obvious is that in order for God to establish His kingdom here He had to eliminate all sin and strife and conflict and rebellion !!! In this psalm that was accomplished in 4 verses. We know that based on God's word there will first be the the anti-Christ, the tribulation, then the second coming. When all of the sin and chaos is eliminated He will establish His kingdom and what a glorious day that will be !!!

Psalm 46

The last psalm saw God coming as King to establish His kingdom. The following three psalms show that kingdom. Psalm 46 is another messianic psalm written by the Sons of Korah. We can see in the title where it says " A song for Alamoth " that this is a song written to be sung by a female. This word "alamoth" means has to do with girls or young maidens. So we can assume that it was written for females with a higher voice to sing.

In the first part of this psalm we see the writers use poetic terms to talk about earth quakes and floods. As example in verse two it says, " Even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling." The picture the writers are painting here is that even though the whole world as they know it is falling apart, they will trust in the Lord for their protection and salvation !  Can you say that  ?  

In the middle of this psalm they reflect on all that God has done, all He has made, and all He can do. This is evident in verse eight where it says, " Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth" This was very common in literature in this time. Any time they wrote of or was talking with God they would recount all He had done for them. Verse ten is a very famous saying in the bible and God uses it her to assure His people that He is God and He is in charge when He says, " Be still and know that I am God." Verse ten also shows and confirms for His people that God has heard their prayer and will answer, watch over, and protect them !  That is a very peaceful feeling !

Psalm 45

This psalm is another Messianic one that is quoted several times in the New Testament. This beautiful psalm is all about Jesus !! The first part of it talks about Jesus coming back as King. The second part talks about Jesus coming back in His glory .  However, when you read this psalm, the words you read are all about a royal wedding. The key to understanding the messianic form here is located in the title. " To the Chief Musician upon Shoshannim."  This means " Lilies."  Telling us that Jesus is our Lily of the Valley.  The whole tenor of this psalm talks about the second coming of Christ and how the anguish of the people is changing to the glorious and triumphant return of our King !!!  The first time He came as our Savior and the second time as King  AND His people are excited.

"Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter "  Verse 6.
This plainly says the Kingdom Of King Jesus will rule in righteousness.  When Jesus comes the anti-Christ will be in power and all of His people will being persecuted ! The world will be in chaos and King Jesus will restore order and peace and His people will be excited that their King has come !  " I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever" Verse 17. In this the last verse of this psalm we can see that King Jesus new Kingdom will last an eternity after He changes some things. Like Satan and all of those in  Hell be put into the eternal fire and righteousness, peace, and His glory are returned !!  Praise God !!!

Psalm 44

This psalm is a psalm that is meant for instruction and is written by the sons of Korah. This psalm breaks down easily into 3 different sections.1) Past history of the Jews, 2) current situation they find themselves in, and 3) a cry out to God to deliver them !

The first 8 verses start to tell the history (briefly) of the Jews and how God was with them and "planted" them because they were His people. How He was the one who gave them victories, gave them their land, and got rid of their enemies !!Verse 9 starts the second section off by saying, " But You have cast us off and put us to shame, and You do not go out with our armies."  We do not know what specific thing was causing them to write this psalm, but it is obvious that the bad condition and situation of the Jews was being squarely at the feet of God !! By their own account, the Jews had done nothing wrong and God was allowing His people to be destroyed for no reason at all. The third and last part of this psalm starts with verse 17. Verse 18 says," Our heart has not turned back, Nor have our steps departed from your way." So the rest of this psalm, through verse 26, justifies the Jews position and begs for God to save His people and to kill their enemies.The last verse of this psalm says, "Arise for our help, and redeem us for Your mercies sake." So we see that the psalmist has gone in a full circle by saying what God had done for their fathers and ask Him to do the same for them !

Psalm 43

Psalm 43 is often seen as a continuation of psalm 42. This is also written by the Sons of Korah and continues as a Messianic psalm. The heading  or title of this psalm is " Prayer to God in Time of Trouble." In this psalm it is the remnant of Israel that is speaking. We can see this in the first verse," Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation."  So the nation of Israel has once again turned away from God and the remnant (God ALWAYS leaves a remnant) is asking for God to protect them from the ungodly and also is asking God to plead their Godly cause ! This all speaks to us today as the saved that are praying for the unsaved and asking God to show them the light (Jesus). Verse 5 says," Why are you cast down, O my soul ? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God;" After 4 verses of asking God for help this is their answer ... Hope in God !!! This is exactly what our life and salvation is all about !! Our whole salvation and our 2nd life is ALL depending and our hopes are hanging on God to save us ! There is no plan B...No 2nd chance.....No fall back plan....All of our hope is in God !!!

Psalm 42

This psalm is titled 'Yearning for God in the midst of Distress".It is written by the Sons of Korah. Korah was killed by God for leading a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. However his sons were spared and they end up contributing a total of 11 psalms. Psalm 42 is also the start of Book 2 of psalms.

The first line of this psalm was made famous when General Patton was praying just before a battle in the movie Patton. It is unclear what the issues were surrounding this psalm, but what is clear is the author is in extreme distress !  This psalm is easily divided in half. The first half describes his drought of not having God with him in his distress. This is seen right from the start with that famous verse," As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God."  (Verse 1) He goes on for 6 verses to talk about being without God. This shows us our life before being saved !  Our soul pants after God and we do not respond but go with the crowd.  The second part of this psalm is when God fills him and answers his pleading ! "All of your waves and billows have gone over me." (verse 7) The rest of this psalm talks about the continuing between his soul missing God and his Faith in God no matter what the circumstances !  This can be seen here, "Why do I go mourning because of the mourning of the oppression of the enemy?" (verse 9) This psalm is a great example of the battle that goes on for our soul. Even when saved and have much faith in God, we are human and the battle is constant for our soul !!!

Psalm 41

"Blessed" is the word that bookends this psalm. "Blessed is he who considers the poor..." (verse 1) "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel ..." (verse 13).  This is a messianic psalm that Jesus quotes from twice. One verse foretells of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. " Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heal against me" (verse 9) We can see this because Jesus uses this verse when describing His betrayer, Judas ! " But you O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them."(verse 10) This verse refers to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The familiar format of this psalm starts with praise for and to God, then David makes his case to God, then closes with his thanks and praise to God. We learned earlier that praise brings down the glory of God ! In this case David is making the case that all are against him and after his life. This part of the psalm shows how all sin is out to steal, kill, and destroy us. Verse 10 shows that God will save him and protect him from his enemies. This shows us that though we are due hell for our sin, God has given us a way to be saved. Lastly, David gives thanks to God for protecting him against his enemies. We should all do this in all ways because God has given us a way to be saved from our sin and spend eternity with Him !!! Praise God .

Psalm 40

This rather long psalm is a messianic psalm that foretells the death of Jesus. This psalm is also quoted many times in the New Testament (mostly in Hebrews). In the very first verse we see David crying out to the Lord and He answered. This represents our need for a savior and the Father answers us by sending Jesus !

Now remember this was written in the time of the law which means animal sacrifices. Then why does David say, " Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears you have opened. Burnt offerings and sin offering you did not require. Then I said," Behold I have come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me...""  (Verses 6 and 7) ?  Here David is talking about the love God has for His people ! He knows we need saved but burnt offerings is not what we need nor is it what He wants. He will send His Son as our sacrifice to be nailed to the cross (My ears you have opened). David even mentions "The book", this is talking about the book of life that has all the names of Gods people who have been saved. (Revelation).

"Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;..." (verse 16)  and again, " But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God." (verse 17) Throughout this psalm David is talking about needing and getting a savior and how much he needs one. ( Don't we all !!! ) Then in the last 2 verses he comes right out and says how needy he is and that God is the only one who can save him. God is his deliverer and he is yours also !!!

Psalm 39

"Surely every man is a vapor." Verse 11.  This verse is used twice in this psalm, but the IDEA of this verse resonates throughout ! The meaning in this psalm is the same basic meaning in "The Song of Solomon" and that is all is useless without God. The psalmist gives several examples of this, " ... he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them." ( verse 6)  After making this point, David turns to God.... he wanted to do right by God because now he realizes that without God all is in vain.  " Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish." (verse 7) Once again in the psalms we see David asking for salvation before Jesus !!!

When the word of God talks about fearing the Lord, it does not mean to quake in your boots all the time. As we can see in this psalm it means to understand your place in God's world and how you really appear to the God of the universe.  This psalm ends by David making this point very clear. As if saying man is like a vapor and is nothing before a righteous God David says," Remove your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, before I go away and am no more." This is a beautiful picture David paints to show the smallness of man and the greatness of God that He would want a relationship with us !!!

Psalm 38

This is a very unusual psalm in that the WHOLE psalm is David repenting to God for his sin !!  Why so unusual ?  There is no pattern of worship....there is David acknowledging who God is and what He can do but no worshiping !!

This psalm is called Prayer in time of chastening.In this psalm we also learn another spiritual truth and that is that disease of our bodies is caused by sin. " There is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin." (Verse 3) It is plain to see that David is writing this psalm as he is a very ill man. In this psalm he confesses to God of his sin and the connection of sin and disease. He is begging God for mercy and tells God how his disease will and has affected all of those around him. " My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, and my relatives stand afar off. Those also who seek my life lay snares for me." (verse 11) David continues to beg for mercy and ask God to relent from chastening him. In the last verse of this psalm, David lays it on the line," Do not forsake me, O Lord;O my God, be not far from me ! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation !"

Psalm 37

Psalm 37 is different than any other psalm so far in several ways. First, it is a psalm that is written for man and NOT written to or for God.  Secondly, it is written in a literary style known as an acrostic. Every two verses start with the same letter and goes through the Jewish alphabet. For example, the first two lines start with "A", the next two start with "B" and so forth through the Jewish alphabet. Lastly, it concentrates on one major thought : Why do the wicked people seem to prosper and the righteous seem to suffer ?

Right from the first verse we can see that David is warning Gods people to stand strong even though it looks like the wicked are winning. " Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of inequity.  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." The best example I have read about this was by J. Vernon McGee when he addresses this psalm, he talks about how strong and powerful Hitler was. At the time the whole world was in fear and no one could stop him. Or so it seemed !  Now here we are and Hitler and all the evil people of that time are gone and the Jews have their land back !!

This 40 verse psalm ends by saying," And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust Him."  This verse is awesome. Yes, he is talking about saving His people from the evil and danger that is all around them BUT... he is also talking about God will save those that trust Him with their salvation. Praise God !!

Psalm 36

This psalm is easily divided in half. The first half talks about the "lost" man and his wickedness. The second half talks about God's love and mercy. Another interesting part of this psalm is in the title that says, "A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord."  When he uses the term "servant" it shows his position to God in his heart. David sees himself as a servant, in contrast the wicked people talked about in the psalm have no fear of God !!!

In the very first verse it says, " There is no fear of God before his eyes." For the next 5 verses David goes on to explain what this looks like. He says they flatter their self, he hates, the words of his mouth are wicked, he ceased to be wise, devises wickedness on his bed, and he does not abhor evil ! When it says devises wickedness on his bed, it refers to a man who lays awake at night thinking of ways to do evil.

Verse 7 starts the second part that talks about God's love. It starts by saying," How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God !"  It goes on to talk about how His children are taken care of. They put their trust under the shadow of His wing, They are satisfied, He gives them drink from the river of His pleasure, and in light we see Your light.  It closes with David asking that God would continue to watch over and protect him from evil. We should all pray this on a daily basis. God will ALWAYS watch over and protect His children.

Psalm 35

I have known well meaning people who claim to be Christian to pray like this !!!  I have taught that these prayers were valid in David's time because Jesus had not come yet and because of that man had a hard heart !  When Jesus came and died for us and sent His Holy Spirit to live inside of us, Our hearts become softer the longer we walk with Him. In the New Testament  Romans 12:19 Paul tells us, " ... for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay saith the Lord." It is hard at times because the unsaved still have a hard heart and hurt us even if they do not know it. We should always pray for protection from our enemies. God will ALWAYS take care of His children just as a good parent would always protect their children.

This psalm is almost all about David asking and begging for vengeance against his enemies. This was written during the time that King Saul was chasing David and trying to kill him. Twice David had the opportunity to Kill Saul. However he did not because he knew that no one was to harm God's anointed. This truth is still valid today ! There is a joke that says every Christian has the same thing for lunch after church .... roast preacher.  This is verbally attacking God's anointed ! We should all be very careful. God's anointed is not only preachers. Any Spirit filled Christian that has been sent by God to do a job has been anointed !

Psalm 34

" A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed."  This is the heading of the 34 Psalm. If you remember the story, David was running for his life from King Saul and ran to the Philistines (the Jew's enemy). When David was brought to Abimelech, he knew he was in danger...so pretended to be a mad man ! Abimelech was so disgusted that he sent David away.

Psalm 34 can be broken down into two parts : Verses 1 - 10 are David praising God and verses 11 - 22 are teaching about God.  This can be seen in verses 1 and 11. " I will bless the Lord at all times..." (verse 1 ). " Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord." ( verse 11 )  This is a very important spiritual lesson : Praise brings down the blessing and power of God ! That is why every good prayer, church meeting, bible study, and meeting of Christians should ALWAYS open with praise for Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit !!

There is one other verse I want to draw your attention to. Verse 18 says " The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." This is also stated in the Beatitudes. To have a broken heart means to repent from your sins and to feel how much that hurts and separates us from God. A contrite spirit means a humble spirit. To be sorrowful and to rely totally and completely on God !  I do not know about you, but I need to learn this. I just when I think i got it... I realize I am just starting to feel the pain. When I think about how much pain it causes God, I think about His Son dying for us !!! Now that is pain.

Psalm 33

When you read this psalm there are a number of things that jump out at you.  First, this is one of the few psalms, up to this point, that are ALL praise and worship of God. Secondly, this is the first psalm where a musical instrument is mentioned out right. Lastly, this is the first psalm that we do not know who the author is. It may have been David, but when you notice the different  "feel" of this psalm, I am not convinced it was written by David.

" By the word of the Lord the Heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." (Verse 6)  This is a spiritual lesson we should all use when praising God ! Always recount the things He has done for you or has done. This shows God that we know it was and is Him that keeps us. Here the author starts at the very start by letting God see that he is aware That He created the Heaven, the earth, and all that is in, on, or under them is !!!  The author goes on to give the very definition of worship ! "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him" (Verse 8) In Jewish writing if they want to make a point, they repeat it. Here we can see that he repeats the same line with different words !  He makes it very clear that fear and awe mean the same thing. This is important for us when we are told to fear the Lord. It means to stand in awe of God, not to cower in the corner !!

This psalm closes with " For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name." (Verse 21) The same is true for Christians today ! If you are a born again follower of Jesus, you have placed your life in this world and the next in His hand ! That means you have trusted in the Lord. When you have done this your heart will ALWAYS rejoice. The new testament calls it a peace that surpasses all understanding. It is also a fruit of the Spirit. Thank you Jesus for all you have done and giving us the opportunity to trust in You !!!

Psalm 32

Some say this is a psalm of instruction and others say it is a psalm of repentance. I think they are both right, we can not try to put God's word into a nice neat little box! As an example, in the first verse David says," Blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven, whose sin is covered."  David is instructing us that if we confess our sin to God we will be blessed and forgiven. ALSO he is showing us that he has sinned and has his sin covered. So in the first verse we can see BOTH repentance and instruction. This pattern can be seen throughout this psalm.

To make his point stronger David tells us in verse three," When I kept silent, my bones grew old..." Here David is telling us about his sin with Bathsheba. He had hid it well from everyone. No one knew of his sin, yet inside even his bones were hurting him ! That is exactly how it is for followers of Jesus. We can sin but the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and we feel miserable UNTIL we confess our sin and ask for forgiveness ! Here again David is confessing AND instructing.

This psalm concludes by saying that all men sin and great sorrow will be on the ungodly, but he who trust in the Lord shall have mercy surrounding him. This is because Jesus has taken all of our sin upon himself and has paid for that sin ! But the only people who will be shown mercy are those who believe in their heart and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord !!!

Psalm 31

Set up in classic prayer format, this psalm of David shows his reliance on God and God's answer ! The first three versus praise God for who He is to David. " For you are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for your names sake, lead me and guide me."  Throughout this psalm David lays it all out for God about how he is worthless, hated, despised, hunted, and forgotten...yet right up front he acknowledges God as his rock and tells God how important He is to David. This reliance on Gog is made very plain in verse 5, " Into your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth"

After David takes most of the psalm to lay out how unworthy he is and how hated he is...he then asked God for His help and protection. NOT for David's sake  but for God's name sake !! He then ends the psalm with praise for God and thanks for answered prayer !! The last verse of this psalm says, "Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord."  From this verse we can learn a couple of things. First, David has faith that God is going to answer his prayer ! Secondly, we learn that all of this applies ONLY to those who hope in the Lord. Are you saved ?  Then these promises apply to and for you !  If you are not saved, God loves you but will not save you until you acknowledge and give your live to Jesus. THEN every promise in God's word will apply to You.  The choice has always been up to You !!!