Psalm 52 - Why do you boast of evil?

Psalm 52

The introductory stuff tells us this was written after Doeg had gone and told Saul where David was. David  must have felt downhearted. Evil men boasted of their ways and practised deceit. They loved evil and falsehood. They seemed to succeed in their evil ways, yet David was convinced that God would bring them down. In the end the righteous would triumph. Those who do not put their trust in God, but boast of their own wealth will eventually come to nothing.

David, on the other hand, did trust in God, and he would flourish. Like David we should hope in God’s good name, and trust in Him. God is utterly reliable.

Psalm 51 - dealing with our sin

Psalm 51

This is a well known psalm. It was written after Nathan the prophet had confronted David with the truth of what he had done. He had committed adultery with Bathsheeba, and had murdered Uriah in an attempt to cover up his sin.

So how did David respond? First, he asked God to have mercy on him. \he depended on \god’s unfailing love and His great compassion. He admitted his sin, and did not try to excuse it nor try to explain it away. He recognised the depths of his sin, not just in regard to the immediate incidents, but in his very nature. HE was utterly sinful, but God desired faithfulness.

He knew that God could cleanse him, he believed he could be set free from his sin. He could once again enjoy salvation, God could “renew a steadfast spirit” within him.

Then he could teach sinners God’s ways, he would once again praise the Lord.

The message of the psalm is that sin is not the end, if we recognise the reality and seriousness of our sin, and put our trust in God’s mercy.

Psalm 50 - The Mighty One

Psalm 50

This is a psalm of Asaph. Asaph is mentioned in 1 Chron 6:39 and 1 Chron 16. He was a skilled musician, and also a prophet. He is also named in Psalms 73-80. The Lord summons the earth, the whole of creation is dependent upon God for its creation and for its continual existence. God shines forth from Zion. The glory and beauty of God shines forth from His people. Now at one level this seems pretty hopeless, which is why God sent His son, to purify us from our sins.

We made a covenant with God by sacrifice, the sacrifice of Jesus is the basis for our covenant.

The sacrifice of the Old Testament could never purify the people, as Hebrews makes clear, and here it makes clear that God has no need of bulls and lambs, and He has no need of us or our offerings in themselves, the sacrifice of Jesus is for our benefit. He does desire thank-offerings and for us to fulfill our vows, i.e. the things we willingly give to God. We are also called upon to  call on the Lord in the day of trouble. When we are in trouble, who or what do we look to?

God has no delight in the wicked, and their sacrifices count for nothing. We are to honour the Lord.

Psalm 49 - Hear this all you people

Psalm 49

This psalm is directed to all people, “both high and low",and the words are words of wisdom. The words will give understanding, the words of unbelievers do not give wisdom, quite the opposite in fact.

The natural response when evil days come is to be full of fear. This happens to those who trust in their wealth, for when evil comes wealth can very quickly disappear. Your life is in danger and no one can give enough to God to guarantee one's life Both the wise and the foolish perish. Even if they became famous, this worldly renown is of no use. It is only those who depend upon the Lord  whose lives can be redeemed. 

This psalm urges us to have proper perspective on life, and not to be fooled by the false allure of earthly wealth or fame. Knowing the Lord is wisdom thatd is worth having.

Psalm 48 - The city of God

Psalm 48

This psalm both praises the Lord and the city of God., The Lord is great and most worthy of praise. And His greatness is shown most clearly in the city of God. Likewise the glory of God is found in His people. The Lord works among us to make us His people, to make His people christlike. When the city is living up to its potential, i.e. delighting in the Lord, then it is the joy of the whole earth, as is the church when it is truly christlike. Then God dwells in us and He is our strength.

The forces of the world may unite against the city of God, but are astounded when they march against her, for they see the glory of God and they flee in terror.

We are to meditate on God’s unfailing love. We are to consider the strength and protection that God gives to us.

Psalm 47 - Shout to God with cries of joy

Psalm 47

This is a simple psalm of praise.

Why should the Lord be praised? Because the Lord is awesome. He had subdued nations under Israel, He loved Israel. This last point is very important when people think about Israel. We need to remember that God loves Israel if we want to have any understanding.

God reigns over the nations, the kings of the earth belong to God, and He is greatly exalted. These are fundamental points which we so easily forget.

Psalm 46 - God is our refuge and strength

Psalm 46

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” are well known words. Note that it says “refuge and strength”. God is a refuge for times of trouble, but He is more than that, He is make us strong, enabling us to do things, to be effective. So we will not fear, whatever might happen, because our God is stronger than anything that comes against us.

“There is a river ...” We have a continual source of strength, the Holy Spirit. God is within us. If we look around we see all sorts of trouble and mayhem in the world, but God juts needs to speak and the earth melts.

“The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress”. We need to be God-confident, rather than self-confident.

The Lord is God, and He will be exalted among the nations, he will be exalted in the earth. This is what will happen, and the nations cannot stop it happening, we need to put our hope in God.