Category: Psalms

“O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff…

“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: ‘How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them…

” ‘I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket. In distress you called, and I delivered you; Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me! There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a…

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! You brought a vine out…

“O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like…

This lengthy Psalm has a couple of themes I’ll attempt to summarize. “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders…

This Psalm is appropriately named “In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord”. “I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I…

“In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is…

Today I read Psalm 75. This Psalm has some distinct sections which we’ll look at briefly. “We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.” (v1) Like the majority of prayers modeled in scripture, the author opens by acknowledging who God is and what…

“O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the…