Psalms Readings – Week 15
April 11 – Psalm 108
A song. A psalm of David.
1 My heart, O God, is steadfast;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
2 Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
3 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
6 Save us and help us with your right hand,
that those you love may be delivered.
7 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
and no longer go out with our armies?
12 Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.
13 With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
Because David reveals his heart is strong in the Lord, he sings from his soul. He uses the instruments to joyfully announce a new day has come. He declares his praise to heaven before the nations so that God will be known around the world.
In particular, he praises God for His love that stretches higher than the heavens and His faithfulness that extends into the limitless skies. What would we do without God’s love and faithfulness? These are the foundational attributes from which all of God’s attributes flow.
They give us the proper footing in which we come before God in worship, prayer, service, and witness. Because Jesus, as the Son of God, fully embodied these attributes through His sacrificial work, we have been given the way to enter the Most Holy Place.
Hebrews 4:16, Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Memory Verse: Psalm 115:1, Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: Because of God’s nature and what Christ Jesus has done on our behalf, do you approach God with confidence so you can find the help you need? If not, what do you need to do in order to make that happen?
April 12 – Psalm 109
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent,
2 for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
3 With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause.
4 In return for my friendship they accuse me,but I am a man of prayer.
5 They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.
6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
and may his prayers condemn him.
8 May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
10 May his children be wandering beggars;
may they be driven from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12 May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before the Lord, that he may blot out their name from the earth.
16 For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing— may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.
21 But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know that it is your hand, that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice.
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.
This imprecatory psalm focuses on individuals, not nations. One person in particular appears to lead the attack. David is not just threatened by the nations but must also contend with accusations of an enemy whom David has offered friendship but receives hatred in return. The calling down of curses is a request of retributive justice: that God would do to David’s accuser what he wanted to do to David. This was interpreted in Acts 1:16-20 as Jesus being the Lord’s anointed and Judas, the accuser.
In verse 21, David calls out for help for God’s name’s sake. Because he knows of God’s unfailing love, he asks that God would deliver him. As we have seen before, David speaks of himself as being poor and needy. He concludes with the promise to praise God among the worshipers for he knows that God is at the right hand of the needy to help them.
If you do not always receive quick answers to your prayers, then you know how David felt, yet he persevered and refused to give up the thought that Gods loving presence was with him and would never end. The challenge of faith is to keep believing this in spite of our darkest circumstances.
Memory Verse: Psalm 115:1, Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: Are you tempted to give up on God when your prayers go unanswered? Will you follow David’s example and persevere in faith and trust in God’s love anyway?
April 13 – Psalm 110
Of David. A psalm.
1 The Lord says to my lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”
2 The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
3 Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,
your young men will come to you
like dew from the morning’s womb.
4 The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
7 He will drink from a brook along the way,
and so he will lift his head high.
This psalm has more New Testament references than any other psalm. It tells of a Messianic King-Priest who will ultimately and finally accomplish the deliverance that Psalms 107-109 ask and for that which we all hope. Psalm 110 has two main sections that begin with a statement from the Lord (verses 1 and 4). After each statement, there are several images of victory given.
In verse 1, Jesus interprets this reference as “lord” to be Himself, and so it is capitalized in the New Testament, though not here (Matthew 22:42-45). Jesus questioned his adversaries about whom David was speaking because he saw him as his superior. Jesus made it clear that He was David’s “Lord.”
In verse 1, Jesus is contrasted with the other the Jewish high priests because they always stood, but Jesus sat down after offering a perfect sacrifice. His work was done. The right hand is the position of honor and is where Jesus is seated with the Father. The enemies are those who are opposed to God and His kingdom. A footstool for your feet is a metaphor for submission. In the final judgment, Jesus’ enemies will submit to his authority and rule as defeated foes.
In verse 4, we discover this Messianic Warrior is also a priest whose sole mediation for humanity will never end. This prophetic psalm is an amazing picture of what the Messiah will be- a king and a priest. He has all power and authority to bring about the final judgment, and He is the eternal way for salvation for all who believe. The Bible has one continuous saving message through it all.
Memory Verse: Psalm 115:1, Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: What does this continuous message of the Bible tell you about God? What does it do for your confidence in the message of Scripture?
April 14 – Psalm 111
1 Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established for ever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Psalm 112
1 Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.
2 Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever;
their horn will be lifted high in honor.
10 The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
Both psalms call us to praise the Lord. Psalm 111 details who and what God has done. His works are great, His deeds are glorious, His righteousness lasts eternally. He is gracious and compassionate. He provides food. He remembers the covenant He has made. His works are faithful and just. His instructions can be trusted. He provides redemption. His name is holy and awesome. Our wise response to such a glorious God is a holy reverence for the Lord and His word.
Psalm 112 starts where Psalm 111 ends with the blessing of those who fear the Lord and delight in His instructions. Such blessing will be found among their children. Wealth is found among them, and their righteousness endures forever. In the midst of darkness, their light of grace, compassion, and right living shine forth. Those who have wealth will be good stewards through generosity, free lending, sharing with the poor, and doing justice. They do not fear bad news because they keep trusting in the Lord. Their righteousness lasts forever. Many of the exact same qualities used to describe the Lord in Psalm 111 are found here to describe those who fear the Lord.
Through the presence and work of the Holy Spirit within us, a disciple-maker will become the very reflection of God’s light shining out to others.
Memory Verse: Psalm 115:1, Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: How does your life reflect Jesus more today than it did a year ago?
April 15 – Psalm 113
1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 114
1 When Israel came out of Egypt, Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2 Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back;
4 the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like lambs.
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled? Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
6 Why, mountains, did you leap like rams, you hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.
Psalms 113-118 became a part of the Jewish Passover liturgy, celebrating their escape from Egypt. The hymn that Jesus and the disciples sang after the Lord’s Supper could have been one of these.
Psalm 113 offers praise for the Lord’s character and nature. He is to be praised at all times and in all places. “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets” is a phrase used in ancient literature to speak of universal dominion.
The reason for such high praise is because the Lord is transcendent, His authority rises far above all creation and nations. He is separate and distinct from creation because He is its maker and sustainer.
In fact, the question is asked, Who is like our God? There is no one who compares to His unique sovereign rule. But then, we’re given more. Our God is not only transcendent, holy and exalted over all. He is, also, immanent. He is ever so near to His creation.
He deeply loves and cares for us and lifts the poor and needy up and out of the rubble. He reverses the injustices done and elevates them to high and honored places. This is the amazing nature of God who towers above all but stoops down to lift us up. This was made most evident on the cross which we solemnly remember on this Good Friday. May His name be praised.
Psalm 114 builds on Psalm 113 declaring that all the earth trembles before Him as an awestruck worshiper. The earth is personified as a model worshiper, obeying His every command. The seeming impossible, like water from a rock, became possible at the word of the Lord. May we join all creation in offering our praise to the Lord who rules over all yet has come down to personally offer us His love.
Memory Verse: Psalm 115:1, Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: What about these two psalms inspire praise within you? What specific praise will you offer Jesus for His death upon the cross?
April 16 – Psalm 115
1 Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
2 Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.
4 But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
9 All you Israelites, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless his people Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear the Lord— small and great alike.
14 May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to the place of silence;
18 it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore. Praise the Lord
This psalm is a great reminder that we are not to be glory-seekers. Because of God’s never-failing love and faithfulness, the Lord alone is to receive all the praise and honor.
Other pagan nations asked, where the God of the Israelites could be found. The answer was in heaven and from His lofty throne, God has the power to do anything that He wants to do.
In contrast to the greatness of the Maker of heaven and earth are those who make idols which they foolishly worship. Such idols are inanimate objects which can do absolutely nothing. Just as they are worthless so will all who bow to worship and put their faith in such lifeless creations.
However, the people of God choose to trust in the Lord because He alone is the one who can help and protect them. Because we are told this three times, that tells us to pay attention to this significant point being made.
Multiple more times he tells us that God blesses those who fear the Lord and put their trust in Him. The Lord alone can make us flourish in life. Just imagine the same God who created the magnificent glory of the universe is the one we call upon to bless, help, and protect us. As the heavens belong to Him so He has given us earth to enjoy as our home. This all speaks of God’s love for us!
This is why all glory goes to His name and not to us. May we be quick to offer God the praise and honor due His holy name.
Memory Verse: Psalm 115:1, Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: What does this psalm speak to you about how God relates to those who worship and trust in Him? What does it motivate you to do?
April 17 – Psalm 116
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
6 The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord— in your midst, Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.
Psalm 117
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.
It’s appropriate on Easter Sunday that we read Psalm 116 which celebrates deliverance from death. Verses 1-9 focus on the nature and character of the Lord. Verses 10-19 reveal the response of the unnamed psalmist.
Verses 1-2 reveal the nature of worship: The Lord acts and the people respond in praise. The psalmist prays and God delivers which inspires a lifetime commitment to praise and prayer.
In the throes of death, he called out for the Lord to save him. In similar fashion, the Apostle Paul spoke of our eternal salvation in Romans 10:13, “for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The Lord’s gracious, righteous, and compassionate nature is confirmed once again for those who have childlike faith and trust in Him. His soul can be at rest because he has been blessed by God’s deliverance so that he can walk with the Lord.
The response of verse 12 reveals the heart of worship, “What shall I return to the Lord for all His goodness to me?” He goes on to declare that we are God’s servants who are quick to offer thanksgiving and praise for the greatness of the Lord’s love toward us. Easter is a great day to celebrate our deliverance from death as we offer our loving worship to our Risen Lord!
Memory Verse: Psalm 115:1, Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: Is your soul at rest? Have you been delivered from spiritual death? If not, will you call on the name of the Lord Jesus to save you?