Psalm 40 - I waited patiently for the Lord

Psalm 40

U2 sang this psalm , David tells us that he waited patiently for the Lord while he was in a slimy pout, i.e. in a desperate situation, we can be in deep trouble, and God seems nowhere to be seen, even so we should wait patiently for Him. He does hear our cry and will turn to us.Then He will lift us out of the mud and the mire and set us on firm ground. He will put a new song in our heart, and others will see what the lord has done for us and will put their trust in Him. The one who is blessed i.e. Is in a favourable position is the one who trusts in the Lord. The alternative is to turn to idols, which sadly is what Israel so often did.

There is no one like our God. Obedience is better than sacrifice, God looks for hearts that desire to do His will. Then we declare His saving acts, we are to speak openly about the Lord’s goodness.

We are protected by His love and faithfulness. V12 shows that David knew he was a sinful man, yet he puts his trust in the Lord.

Psalm 39 - I will watch my ways

Psalm 39

David starts by saying that he resolved to remain silent, but this was not the answer for his anguish increased. Then he asks the Lord to show him how fleeting his life was. Everyone is mortal. We think we are so important, but in reality we are nothing in our own right. We are important, but our importance comes from God, It is only in Christ that we find our true worth.

David then puts his hope in the LordHe is aware of his sin and asks God to save him from his transgressions. At the time God’s hand seemed to be heavy against him. He calls on God to his prayers.

Psalm 38 - Do not rebuke me in your anger

Psalm 38

It seems as if David is in trouble again, and this time because of his own sin. The common human reaction is to deny our sin, or to seek to justify it. David’s reaction is different. He calls on God not to rebuke him nor to discipline him \his wrath. He is already suffering under God’s wrath. He is overwhelmed by his guilt and can no longer bear the guilt. This is why we need Jesus.

He recognises that his sin was folly and has brought nothing but harm to him. Sin is not good for us. He is filled with pain and is crushed in spirit.

Yet he still knows that all his longings lie open before the Lord.  \his friends want to avoid him, and his enemies see opportunity to get him.

David knows that his only hope is in God.

He is in a terrible state, and is so because of his sin, yet he still calls upon the Lord. So if you are in trouble because of your sin, still call upon the Lord, still put your hope in Him. Christ came to save sinners!

Psalm 37 - Do not fret, trust in the Lord

Psalm 37

This seems to be a reflective psalm. David experienced many who were evil, not least Saul. The temptation is to fret when evil men are active, but David knew there was no need to do so, nor to be envious if sinners seem to prosper. “For like the grass they will soon wither”.

Instead of fretting we should “trust in the Lord and do good” and “dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture”, the Lord keeps us safe, even in the midst of danger. We should take delight in the Lord. We should commit our way to the Lord, and be still before Him. He will reward us. We are also to refrain from anger, anger tends to lead only to evil. We should be led by faith in God, not by anger, “But the meek will inherit the land” (remember the beatitudes). The wicked may plot against the righteous, but they will fail.

Instead we should trust in the Lord. David can testify that the Lord is good and looks after His people.

Psalm 36 - The sinfulness of man

Psalm 36

All of mankind is fallen, in this psalm David reflects on the state of sinful man. The fundamental point is that “there is no fear of God before their eyes”. Not believing in God is not just a point of view, an intellectual position, it affects who and what we are.

Such people flatter themselves, they have a higher view of themselves than is justified, they are blind to their own sin. Being honest about ourselves is essential., but they are deceitful about themselves and do not act wisely. Instead they plot evil and commit themselves to a sinful course. They do not reject what is wrong. We can see the truth of this if we look at politics.

Rejecting God is not a sensible decision. tThe Lord’s love reaches to the heavens, His faithfulness to the skies. His righteousness and justice is great, He looks after both people and animals. The wise take refuge in the Lord, and life comes from the Lord.

David puts his confidence in the Lord.

Psalm 35 - Contend with those who contend with me

Psalm 35

David seemed to spend most of his life facing opposition or other problems, sometimes it was of his own making, sometimes not. In this psalm he calls upon the lord to contend with those who contended with him. He wanted God to fight on his behalf. He also wanted to hear God say to him “I am your salvation”. Sometimes we need to personally hear the Spirit speak to us, there is nothing wrong with this. If we look at the life of Abraham, God spoke to him directly.

David wanted to see his enemies utterly defeated. His soul would rejoice in the Lord when he experienced the Lord’s salvation.

David had been kind to his enemies, but they showed no thanks and treated him badly. Note that David is very honest about his feelings, there is no false or forced humility. He wants to see his enemies utterly defeated, and then to praise the Lord.

Psalm 34 - I will extol the Lord at all times

Psalm 34

 This is one of my favourite psalms, I memorised early on in my life as a Christian. The introductory blurb tells us that David wrote it when he pretended to be insane, so he was not at his best! Even though he is in difficult times, he praises the Lord, sd he says, “I will extol the Lord at all times”, no matter how bad we are feeling we should praise the Lord, indeed a theme of the psalm is that God helps us in times of trouble. 

v4 tells us that he sought the Lord and the Lord answered him, “he delivered me from all my fears”, we may be full of fear, but the Lord can deliver us from fear. If we look to the world our faces will be radiant and not covered in shame. “This poor man ...” David called upon the Lord as a poor man, not as a confident king. We may feel rubbish, but should still call upon the Lord And the Lord “saved him out of all his troubles”, our God can rescue us, and this is dependent not on us, but on the love of God and his power. The angel of the Lord encamps around us. Angels are real, and they help us.
We should take refuge in the Lord, not in our own strength. And we should fear him. David then calls on people to come to him, and he would teach them to fear the Lord. Sometimes God will put us through testing times so that we are equipped to instruct others. Note that it says “taste and see that the Lord is good”, we are to experience the goodness of God. At the same time we are to keep our tongue from evil and from telling lies. We are to turn from evil and do good. We are to seek peace and pursue it. 

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and are attentive to our cry. God has not forgotten us, He is actively aware of our situation, He delivers us from all our troubles.

We may feel broken hearted, even crushed in spirit, but the Lord is near. We may feel absolutely terrible, but that does not mean God has forgotten us.

We are not promised a life free from trouble, but God delivers us from all our troubles. The wicked are in deep trouble, but God rescues His servants. We are blessed to know the Lord..