Psalms Readings – Week 4
January 24 – Psalm 25
Of David.
1 In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.
2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.
4 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good.
8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
13 They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
19 See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.
22 Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
This psalm is an alphabetic acrostic poem. Often when you find a psalm of 22 verses, it will be an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet since the language has 22 letters.
Psalm 25 contains multiple themes. It has a wealth of information concerning the nature of God. God is truth and Savior. His mercy and love are eternal. The Lord is loving, good, and upright. All his ways are loving and faithful.
David makes the remarkable statement that the Lord confides in those who fear Him. God speaks His eternal truth to those who are found to be faithful enough to steward His truth well.
David declares his trust and hope is in the Lord and offers many petitions for God to show, teach, guide, instruct, forgive, release, relieve, free, guard, rescue, and deliver.
David asks that God would forgive his great sin for the sake of God’s name. We often seek forgiveness, thinking only of ourselves, but God’s reputation is also at stake when we sin.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
Of the many themes, which one speaks to your heart today?
January 25 – Psalm 26
Of David.
1 Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.
2 Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites.
5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, Lord,
7 proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
8 Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners, my life with those who are bloodthirsty,
10 in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 I lead a blameless life; deliver me and be merciful to me.
12 My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the Lord.
If you are like me, you might wonder how David could so confidently claim he had led a blameless life when we know he sinned? Throughout the psalms, David proclaimed his own virtue, prayed for it, and vowed to dedicate himself to it. In this psalm, he maintains his integrity more than anywhere else.
However, to claim to be blameless is not equal to being sinless. There is a vast difference. Just as we saw in yesterday’s psalm, he often confessed his sin. David had a remarkable faith, even before Christ came to decidedly deal with our sin. David had confidence in God’s ability to forgive and wipe away our sin so that we can confidently stand before God blameless.
Our blamelessness is not based on our perfection but on the grace and mercy of God who forgives us when we confess, repent, and absolutely trust Him to do so. It is a remarkable thing to consider, that even though, we would be able to write down an infinitely long dirty laundry list of sins, that list does not exist in God’s eyes.
If that were true for David, how much more can we have such confidence, with the once and for all act of salvation given through Jesus on the cross? By the blood of Jesus, we can declare that we, too, are blameless, not sinless, but blameless because of the saving grace of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul said it this way, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
If we are the righteousness of God, then we are blameless before God. This is what Jesus has done for us!
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
By faith in Jesus, will you declare that you are blameless before God? If you cannot, what is holding you back? Will you confess your sin? Will you choose to believe that you have been made righteous like Jesus?
January 26 – Psalm 27
Of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
David rhetorically asks himself why he should be afraid because he is confident that the Lord is his light, salvation, and strength. David had reason to be afraid because he seemed to always be facing a crisis. However, David declared, even though an army would come against him, he would choose not to be afraid but be confident in God.
Once again, David reveals the central purpose of his life was to dwell in the house of the Lord and gaze upon God’s beauty. These are expressions that display his deepest desire to draw intimately close in relationship with God. David is saying he cannot get enough of God!
In the midst of his assurance of faith, he requests the Lord to be merciful and not turn away from him. David speaks confidently that even if his mother and father would forsake him, the Lord would receive him. David continues the positive faith speech in stating he is confident God is going to answer, and He will see evidence of the Lord’s goodness. He tells himself to be strong and take heart as he puts his hope in the Lord.
This psalm is a terrific model for us to use positive faith talk when we are faced with many challenges or a severe crisis. Though armies of opposition are coming toward us, take heart, the Lord is greater!
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
What are you facing today that you can use this positive faith talk to encourage you?
January 27 – Psalm 28
Of David.
1 To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.
4 Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done and bring back on them what they deserve.
5 Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord and what his hands have done,
he will tear them down and never build them up again.
6 Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
9 Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.
David speaks as an individual threatened by the wicked and by evildoers, but he concludes with prayers for the nation.
David knows if God does not answer, his life is over. He pleads for God’s mercy, and he lifts his hands in prayer facing the tabernacle. He asks not to have the same fate as those who do evil. He identifies the wicked as those who say nice things to others but have hatred in their hearts.
David takes it a step further and offers imprecations against those who do evil, who have no regard for who God is and what He has done (verses 4-5). Throughout the psalms, such statements call on God to bring about His judgment because of their rebellion against God. David does not indicate that he is going to take private vengeance for himself. He asks God to do so or vows to do so in his capacity as king.
David asks what he understood God clearly spoke on other occasions, “It is mine to avenge, I will repay,” not ours. David was encouraging God to avenge the evildoers of his day.
Whenever I hear of persecution against Christians around the world, I ask God to do the same. Maybe, God will answer by causing the mass conversion of persecutors. Maybe, He will intervene in other ways. I trust God for the method He chooses, but I plead with Him to do so.
I appreciate David’s expression of his confidence in God as he often declares his faith and praises God before the answer arrives. Giving thanks ahead of the answer is an expression of our absolute trust in God.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
Are there situations in which you are calling on God to bring His judgment? Will you give thanks and praise to God ahead of the answer?
January 28 – Psalm 29
A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
This psalm celebrates the Lord’s power over all of creation. Specifically, the Lord’s name and His thunderous voice are exalted. The name used 18 times for God in this psalm is “Yahweh” and His “voice” occurs 7 times. This reminds us of the creation story where He spoke it into existence.
This psalm answers David’s prayer from Psalm 28 when David asked God not to be silent. God answered with his powerful voice thundering over creation. The imagery is a theophany, a manifestation of God. His voice is the mighty sound of the storm over the waters of the Mediterranean to landfall in northern Canaan, breaking the mighty cedars and causing the mountains of Lebanon in the north to quake and even the Desert of Kadesh in the south to shake. There is no one who comes close to His majesty as revealed by the power of His voice.
“Ascribe to the Lord” means to give God all the credit for who He is and what He does. David boldly calls on the heavenly creatures to do so. They see and know God’s holy majesty the best.
Surely, David, then, includes all of us to give God all the credit that is due his most sacred name. We must not take any of His glory for ourselves. We must not give it to someone else. We must never forget to recognize and attribute to Him His power and love. Even though He is King over all creation, He lovingly remembers us as He offers us strength and blesses us with peace.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
Are your careful to give God the credit that He is due? What do you want to tell Him today about His glorious nature?
January 29 – Psalm 30
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.
3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.
4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
6 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”
7 Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.
8 To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
In this psalm, we see an intimate picture of God. His anger at David’s sin causes Him to bring David close to death, but His mercy leads to David’s healing, redemption, and renewed praise. David begins with thanks to God for his deliverance (vv. 1–3), followed by instruction to the congregation to praise the Lord (vv. 4–5). David then reflects on his own arrogance (vv. 6–7) and his desire to be spared so that he might praise God (vv. 8–10). He ends with joyful thanks and praise (vv. 11–12).
The title is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, the temple was not built during David’s reign even though he deeply desired to be its builder. He did gather many of the materials so that Solomon could have a huge head start. Here, we discover, he, also, wrote a song for when the temple would be dedicated long after he would have passed on.
The second reason this is interesting is that the text of the song does not say anything about the temple itself. It mentions the royal mountain where the temple would stand, but nothing about the building itself. Other psalms which speak of David’s desire to stay at the house of the Lord is what we might expect to be his song of dedication.
Even though the temple was the highly prized location, where His presence dwelt in the Holy of Holies, this psalm rightly reminds us that God is much bigger than any building. We like our buildings, we need our buildings, but we need something more. We need God who cannot be contained by any structure. We need a personal encounter with God. We need to respond to God as His people in a community at worship but also in faith and trust as we submit our lives to Him in ongoing praise.
If this is meant for the dedication of the temple, David seems to foreshadow what the temple will be in the New Testament- every believer will be home to the Holy Spirit. This is our prayer of consecration as temples of God.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
What are the implications that you are the temple of God? How will you dedicate yourself to the Lord?
January 30 – Psalm 31
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends— those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. 17 Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead. 18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous. 19 How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues. 21 Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. 22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. 23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
This is a passionate prayer for deliverance from overwhelming foes. It communicates utter despair as well as intense confidence in God’s ability to deliver. Jesus used words from this psalm as he hung on the cross in His great despair. It begins with David’s pleas for deliverance and affirmations of God as a place of refuge (vv. 1–8); then it descends to the depths of despair, for even David’s closest friends have abandoned him, and he is as forgotten as if he were dead (vv. 9–13). David reaffirms his trust in the Lord, asking God to deal with the wicked (vv. 14–18). It concludes with praise to the God whom David trusts to answer all his prayers (vv. 19–24).
David reveals the depths to which life may take us as he experienced severe anguish and distress. His prayer, turned to song, speaks of the full gamut of emotions one might have in such dire situations. Despair to trust. Self-pity to praise. Weakness to strength. Helplessness to hope. God can handle your rawest emotion, your truest expression, as it leads you to a renewed faith and hope that God is present and at work in the midst of your darkest circumstances.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
How can David’s prayer be a model to help you express yourself to God in your circumstances?