Psalm 59 - Deliver me from my enemies

Psalm 59

The preamble tells us that David wrote this psalm when Saul had sent men to watch his house, with the aim of killing him. David was not killed. The enemy may well have devised plans against us, this does not mean that they will succeed.

As always, David called upon the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. He did not deny that there were people who were out to get him, but he believed that God could rescue him. David claims that he had done no wrong, and so he called on God to punish the nations.

David is in no doubt about the nature of his enemies, of the sin in their hearts. He believed that he would gloat over his enemies, he also called on God not to kill them. David wanted Israel to learn from this, he wanted them to see how God brought their enemies down. One of Israel’s great failings was to go to idols or to other nations when faced with threats, instead of going to the Lord.

Enemies will be caught out by their sins. God is active.

The enemies would be active too, but David would sing of the Lord’s strength. We should do the same, for our God is stronger than any who oppose us. He is our fortress and refuge in time of trouble. We can rely upon the Lord.

Psalm 58 - There is a God who judges the earth

Psalm 58

David is addressing the rulers, questioning whether they are actually ruling with justice and equity. They may have claimed to rule unjustly, as most governments do, but in fact they devised injustice and meted out violence.This was the way they acted from birth, injustice was not a recently acquired skill, but one they were born with. Snakes are poisonous, but a charmer could control them to some degree, but the wicked were not like that, their ears were deaf to any attempts to charm them, regardless of how well the charmer played. So David calls on the Lord to deal with them severely, do we too often just pray for “nice” solutions? The righteous would be glad when they see the wicked dealt with. The righteousness of God will have been displayed.

Psalm 57 - Be exalted, O God

Psalm 57

According to the preamble, David wrote this psalm when he was hiding from Saul in a cave. When this happened David had the chance to kill Saul, but chose not to take it. Instead, he put his trust in the Lord.  He relied on God’s mercy, depending upon the Lord to vindicate him.  “I am in the midst of lions”, this was presumably metaphorical, but he lived in the midst of danger, with men who sought to destroy him. Even so he still put his trust in the Lord, he wanted God to be exalted. We too should look to the Lord, this will affect what we do, and what we will not do. It is the Lord’s glory that we seek.

Psalm 56 - Be merciful to me, my God

Psalm 56

David was being pursued by the Philistines. As always he calls upon the Lord. Note that he asks God to be merciful to him. God is merciful, and God’s mercy is the basis for our calling on Him and our believing that He will answer, it is not founded in any righteousness of our own.The enemies were full of pride, the things, or people, that attack us may well be boastful and proud, this should not worry us for God opposes the proud. We may well feel afraid, but when we are we should put our trust in God. If God is for us, who can be against us?

The enemies may well twist our words, and conspire against us in all sorts of ways, but God will not let them escape.

David calls on God to record his misery, he wants God to be aware of what is happening to him, and God is aware. The antidote to fear is to put our trust in the Lord.\david knows that he will walk before God in the light of life. May we too move from darkness to light.

Psalm 55 - Listen to my prayer, O God

Psalm 55

David was “distraught” (v3), and he was troubled by his thoughts, this is something I guess most of us have experienced. As always, he calls upon the Lord.Part of the reason for the problem is what the enemy has been saying to him. This “enemy” may be a particular person or even his own thoughts.

Whatever the case, his heart was in anguish. Note that David experienced all the emotions that we have, and still called upon the Lord. The anguish was real: “fear and trembling” had beset him, he just wanted to fly away, to be far away from all his problems. To make matters worse, it was a companion, not an enemy, who was attacking him. Jesus likened his situation with Judas to what David describes here.#David wishes ill on his enemies. This may shock some, if it does tough, the psalms are far more real than we often are.

“As for me, I call to God”, he cries out in distress. And the Lord saves him and rescues him unharmed. Let us learn from David.

Psalm 54 - Save me , O God

Psalm 54

David wrote this psalm when it seemed that the ziphites would betray him. As always his response is to call upon the Lord, note that David does this in all sorts of situations, even when the situation is “his fault”. We can often think that guilt means that God would not be interested in hearing us, the psalms tell us a different story.

Arrogant foes were attacking him. Our enemies may be proud and boastful, having no regard for God, this should not cause us to fear,Our Lord is stronger and is well able to save us. Also David has no reluctance in asking God to destroy his foes,, sometimes we can be “too nice”.

David is confident that he will look in triumph on his foes. So will we.

Psalm 53 - The fool says "There is no God"

Psalm 53

The preamble describes this psalm as “a maskil”, this means that it is a contemplative psalm. In this case contemplating the nature of those who say “there is no God”, and it does not have a very favourable view of such people. First, they are described as fools, then they are called corrupt, and their ways as vile., and none of them do good. In fact this psalm can be viewed as a commentary on mankind as a whole. We think we are gods, self-sufficient, this is a fundamental denial of reality.

God looks down on mankind to see if there are any who seek God, but all have turned away and have become corrupt. We know nothing, and they devour God’s people. Seeking God was meant to be the defining characteristic of God’s people. We are meant to look to God, then our enemies will be overwhelmed with dread. Salvation comes from God alone.

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.

Psalm 45 - A noble theme

Psalm 45

This was a psalm used at the wedding of the king, the bride is a foreign princess (v110, 12). After the exile the psalm was applied to the Messiah, this is interesting for with Christ the gospel went out to the Gentiles, i.e. to “foreigners”. The psalmist was made to praise the king, it is our natural function to praise the Lord. \god has blessed Jesus forever, and he rides forth in victory. The nations will fall at his feet, and He will rule with justice, and the nations will praise Him forever.

Psalm 44 - You are my King and my God

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Psalm 44

What God had done for Israel was passed on from generation to generation. In particular they reminded the people that it was because of God that they had possession of the land and had defeated the nations.

Verse 4 declares that God is their God, so they put no trust in human strength. So they make God their boast. Nations so often boast in their own strength or resources, we should be careful not to do this, but to boast in the Lord.

However, it seemed that God had rejected them, and their enemies were defeating them. In verse 17 the psalmist ( not David in this case) they claim that they had not forgotten God. They call on God to act on their behalf. There are times when it seems that God has forgotten us, or is even against us, even though we don’t think we have been unfaithful. Whatever the case we should call upon the Lord. If we have indeed sinned He will make it clear to us, if not He will act on our behalf.

Psalm 43 - Vindicate me, my God

Psalm 43

David calls on God to vindicate him “against an unfaithful nation”. Is Israel the “unfaithful nation”. Whatever the case David is opposed by deceitful and wicked people, and makes God his stronghold. This is a repeated lesson from the psalms, God is a stronghold,and he is the one we should run to. Yet in this psalm he thinks that God has rejected him, and that is why he feels oppressed by the enemy. \but he does not believe that God has rejected him forever, and wants his light and faithful care to lead him to God’s holy mountain.There he would praise the Lord.

As in Psalm 42 he asks himself why his soul is so downcast. So David feels it, but he does not believe that all is lost, his hope is still in the Lord.

Psalm 42 - why so downcast within me?

Psalm 42

In some Hebrew manuscripts Psalm 42 and 43 constitute one psalm.

We all need God, our souls are hungry for God, longing for Him, we want to meet with God. Yet there are times when He seems far off, nowhere to be found. In those times some may mock or taunt us, saying “Where is your God?”, indeed it may be our own thoughts that do the mocking.

How does David react? He remembers the times when he went to the house of God, knowing God’s protection and being full of praise. He then asks his soul why it is so downcast. We sometimes feel down, yet know that God is faithful, our feelings and our faith are not always in sync. Yet it is our faith that will win, so David instructs his soul to put its hope in God His saviour. So no matter what you are feeling right now, put your hope in God.

Even so, David does not deny the way he currently feels. Yet he believes a time will come when he will praise God again.

Psalm 41 - The Lord protectcs and preserves

Psalm 41

This psalm has some instruction in it. “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak. Sometimes society will tell us  to have regard for those who can be of advantage to us, and to disregard the rest. There is little obvious advantage in helping the weak, but the Lord has regard for the weak, and if we do likewise He will deliver us in times of trouble. The blessed are those whom the Lord looks after. We may still encounter trouble, but the Lord will sustain us.

Nor is this just for the perfect, David recognises his sin. His enemies speak falsely, indeed they plot against him, and tell him there is no hope. Even my close friend, this was fulfilled in Jesus with Judas. David looks to the Lord’s mercy. A sign that the LOrd is for him is that his enemies do not triumph over him, but are defeated. Integrity is important.

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.