Psalms Readings – Week 12
March 21 – Psalm 85
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 You, Lord, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.
3 You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.
4 Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation.
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
but let them not turn to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.
This is a prayer of the community for restoration in a time of crisis. In order to bring encouragement and hope, this prayer reflects back on a previous occasion when God forgave and restored the people. In verses 2-3, four verbs of forgiveness are used to picture God wiping away every sin so that there is no trace of guilt left behind. It’s reminiscent of Psalm 32 which speaks about the joy of experiencing such total forgiveness.
The people face another crisis so they again cry out for God’s help. They ask God to show His unfailing love and grant them salvation from their situation which may have been a famine as suggested in verse 12. God’s unfailing love is His covenant love that He offered to the Israelites and with anyone who would choose Him as their Lord and God.
In verse 8, the psalmist speaks individually as one who chooses to listen to the Lord’s answer. The message of the gospel is for the community but must be accepted individually. He has heard that God promises peace and salvation to those who faithfully fear the Lord and refuse to turn to foolish ways. This restoration is for the greater purpose of God’s glory being seen by all.
That glory is magnificently revealed in verses 10-13 where we are given one of the most beautiful pictures of restoration in Scripture. It envisions what the Messiah would bring to earth and what the new heaven and new earth will perfectly be. This has always been God’s heart and desire for all of creation. May we pray and serve God in bringing His glorious kingdom to earth.
Memory Verse: Psalm 86:15, But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: What is the Lord saying to you today? What does this description of God’s vision of restoration tell you about God? What does it tell you about what will be one day?
March 22 – Psalm 86
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;
3 have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.
7 When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me— they have no regard for you.
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.
17 Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Psalm 87
Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.
1 He has founded his city on the holy mountain.
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are said of you, city of God:
4 “I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me—Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”
5 Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.”
6 The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.”
7As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”
Psalm 86 is an intensely personal psalm of David where he urgently asks God for help and affirms God’s gracious attributes and His uniqueness among all the gods. David emphasizes his special relationship with God: seven times he calls God “Lord.” Three times he calls himself “your servant,” affirming that he is loyal to God. Four times he uses God’s covenantal name of Yahweh.
The central focus, found in verses 8-10, is God’s uniqueness among all the so-called gods. Because David praises God’s superiority, David asks for an undivided heart so he will fear God’s name.
Psalm 87 proclaims the virtues of God’s chosen city but goes further by affirming that others will be counted as citizens of Zion as we saw in Psalm 86 and, previously, in Psalm 67. The psalms reveal over and over God’s heart for all people to know Him as the one true God who loves them.
Memory Verse: Psalm 86:15, But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: Are you praying for an undivided heart? Does your heart beat for all people to know Jesus as Savior and Lord? How are you being used to be a disciple-maker?
March 23 – Psalm 88
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.
2 May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry.
3 I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength.
5 I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
8 You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
9 my eyes are dim with grief.
I call to you, Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
11 Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
13 But I cry to you for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 Why, Lord, do you reject me and hide your face from me?
15 From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
16 Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken from me friend and neighbor— darkness is my closest friend.
In our journey through the Psalms, we have made it to the darkest one of all. Heman, one of three worship leaders for Israel, is the author. Can you imagine if he were a worship leader today, people would stay away from the Sundays he was scheduled! There is not much inspiration here!
The psalms of lament most often offer statements of praise or, at least, the intent to praise God when the answers come. Not this one. However, its presence in the Bible tells us we should not neglect it. It sends an important message that there are times when believers feel so depressed that they may not have anything good to say about God.
The psalmist offers just a few hints of possible positive feelings toward God. In verse 1, he declares “the God who saves me.” He keeps going to God in prayer even though he blames God for his current circumstances and lack of answers. He assumes that praise is to be the normal function of life, and he desperately wants to return there. However, his feelings are overwhelmingly negative. Twice he blames God for taking his closest friends from him. Darkness is his closest friend.
Even though none of us want to be in this place of agonizing despair, this psalm serves as an example that we should not falsely offer spiritual platitudes, but we should be real with God because He already knows our situation. In your lowest moments, God can handle your raw feelings so do not hold back or give up but keep coming back to Him pouring out your questions and requests.
Memory Verse: Psalm 86:15, But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: Does this lament make you uncomfortable? Have you been there? Are you there now? What is your lament? Will you keep coming to God until He answers you?
March 24 – Psalm 89
A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’”
5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.
12 You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.
18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: “I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him; the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail.
29 I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.
30 “If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;
33 but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness— and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;
37 it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.”
38 But you have rejected, you have spurned, you have been very angry with your anointed one.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
and have not supported him in battle.
44 You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame.
46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all humanity!
48 Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave?
49 Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked, with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
52 Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.
Ethan, the author, is one of the three music directors for Israel. The psalm opens with enthusiastic praise based on God’s promises to David. The praise continues in declaring God is incomparable among the heavenly beings. He celebrates God’s power as sovereign over all of creation.
He declares God’s attributes of righteousness and justice are God’s foundation. God’s love and faithfulness go before Him preparing the way. He gives us one of the 30 “blesseds” in the Psalms. The “blessed one” has learned to applaud God and walk in the light of His presence.
He then reviews the Davidic covenant in great detail, including God’s promise that it would stand forever. God did not anticipate that the Davidic kings would be without sin; he would punish them, but his covenant would remain unbroken nonetheless.
And then the train wreck happens in verse 38. What has been a beautiful song of praise and remembrance of God’s attributes and covenant abruptly turns into a harsh lament stating that God has broken His promises and rejected His covenant with David. However, the psalmist seems to ignore the many instances of Israel’s and Judah’s unfaithfulness to God, the very reason for God abandoning them to their enemies. After this pessimism, the psalm does end on a note of praise.
Regardless of our circumstances and what we think God may have unjustly done, He is always worthy of praise.
Memory Verse: Psalm 86:15, But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: What do you make of this psalm from how it begins to how it ends? Are you able to offer praise to God today even if you are angry with what is happening in your life?
March 25 – Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses the man of God.
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
4 A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death— they are like the new grass of the morning:
6 In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.
10 Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. 16 May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.
This psalm is authored by Moses who is described as “the man of God.” This title appears 76 times in the Old Testament and most often refers to Moses.
This psalm contrasts the eternality of God with the finiteness of humankind. From everlasting to everlasting, God has existed. He is infinite. He has always been present. Our minds cannot fathom the reality of such eternal existence.
Because of this, time is told differently between God and mankind. A thousand years to us is like a day to God. Peter uses this example of God’s perspective of time in his second letter as a premise for us to be patient in waiting for Jesus’ second coming because God desires all to be saved. What has been two thousand years for us has only been two days for God!
God’s anger, indignation, and wrath are toward our sin and rebellion which are the very reason our lives have been cut so short. Seventy or eighty years pale in comparison to eternity. Such brevity of life was the curse given for the first sin that has plagued humanity ever since.
Moses asks God to help us number our days correctly in order to gain a heart of wisdom. This is a prayer to make the most of every opportunity we are given with our short lives. It is the same sentiment in the final verse where he asks God’s favor to rest upon us and to use our lives for the eternal good of others and the glory of God.
Memory Verse: Psalm 86:15, But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: Does the brevity of life encourage you to consider how you can make the most of it for the glory of God? Are you asking God to give you wisdom to live your life so that you can be an effective disciple-maker to bring others to faith in Jesus?
March 26 – Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91 describes one has put their absolute trust in God and survives a threatening ordeal. The safety God provides is symbolized by a shelter, shadow, refuge, and fortress. Each place pictures God above and surrounding the one who trusts in Him.
In verses 3-8, we find the many kinds of threats that can come upon us: the hidden dangers like a fowler’s snare, diseases, epidemics, wars, and massacres. God is at work by day and by night to keep His faithful secure. Ten thousand is the largest numeral in the Hebrew language and pictures the carnage that results from battle, plague, or natural disaster.
Satan quotes verses 11-12 in order to tempt Jesus to pretentiously display his power and authority. Not only was Satan’s demand contrary to the Father’s plan of redemption for His Son’s suffering, but it also misused this Scripture. This does not promise that the Lord will rescue a believer from all danger, especially when a believer presumptuously manufactures a perilous situation as Satan was tempting Jesus to do. Rather, this reveals how the Lord will supply supernatural help to aid the believer when it is most necessary, as the Father did in Jesus’ life.
In verses 14-16, God affirms the one who loves him, trusts him, and seeks him. This faithful person walks in God’s presence and enjoys His presence and protection. Jesus is the ultimate faithful one who trusted God perfectly. However, God did not protect Jesus from death. Instead, Jesus bore sin’s curse for His people, but God brought him through death into glory.
This psalm, in light of the New Testament, is a promise for those who belong to Christ. They are saved from sin and have protection in the spiritual battles that rage until He returns and brings us into his eternal glory. This is the ultimate safety and protection that is promised for all who believe.
Memory Verse: Psalm 86:15, But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: What imagery from this psalm helps you the most? What hope does it give you as you show your love to God by demonstrating your full trust in Him? How does it help to interpret this in light of the New Testament?
March 27 – Psalm 92
A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.
1 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.
4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
5 How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!
6 Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand,
7 that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.
8 But you, Lord, are forever exalted.
9 For surely your enemies, Lord, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
10 You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Psalm 93
1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2 Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.
3 The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is mighty.
5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days.
Psalm 92 is a song for the Sabbath. So, before heading out to worship with the Body of Christ, I encourage you to spend some time worshiping the Lord with these two psalms which declare God’s greatness. May we offer much joyful worship to our Lord today!
Psalm 92 tells us to proclaim God’s love in the morning and his faithfulness in the evening. Each morning we can arise declaring God’s love for us and each evening, as we prepare for bed, we can give thanks for the ways in which God has been faithful throughout the day.
Since I enjoy warmer climates, I appreciate the imagery of the righteous flourishing like palm trees. The reason such persons flourish is because they are planted in the house of the Lord, in the very presence of God where they continually worship and put their trust in God’s beautiful nature.
Psalm 93 declares praise to God for the power of His mighty reign over all creation, for His Word that does not change, and for the holiness that eternally adorns God’s house. We have so much to offer praise for who God is!
Memory Verse: Psalm 86:15, But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: Will you declare God’s love for you each morning and consider his faithfulness each evening? What fills your heart with praise today?