Category: Psalms

Interesting side note: this is the first Psalm in a collection called the “Egyptian Hallel” – songs commemorating Israel’s freedom from slavery. Traditionally, Psalms 113-114 were sung before the Passover meal, and Psalms 115-118 were sung following the meal. It is very likely that Jesus and His disciples would have sung this hymn on the…

This psalm is also an acrostic poem, with each line starting with consecutive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are…

One interesting note about this Psalm is it’s an acrostic poem – meaning, each line starts with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (but it doesn’t translate that way into English, unfortunately). “Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the…

This Psalm appears to be David foretelling the second coming of Jesus, before He even came the first time. “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people…

“Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. May his days be few; may another take his office! May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!…

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! That your beloved ones may…

This psalm is appropriately titled “Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So” (just like the old song named after it). The main part of the psalm describes several scenarios of distress, followed be the people being redeemed by the Lord, though we’ll focus on the final few verses. “He turns rivers into a desert,…

This chapter is a polar opposite to Psalm 105 – I came across an interesting quote that highlights this dichotomy: “The keynote of Psalms 105 is, ‘Remember His mighty deeds,’ that of Psalms 106 is, ‘They forgot His mighty deeds.’ ” (Alexander Maclaren) “Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we…

This Psalm neatly summarizes the important parts of Israel’s history from Joseph through Moses. I will however focus on one “small” aspect of the introduction. “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy…

This elegant Psalm speaks of creation, and all of God’s wondrous works surrounding it. “He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to…