Psalms Readings – Week 6
Psalm 39 – 2.7.2022
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.”
2 So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good.
But my anguish increased, 3 my heart grew hot within me.
While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.
6 “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.
7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.
8 Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools.
9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this.
10 Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11 When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin,
you consume their wealth like a moth— surely everyone is but a breath.
12 “Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.”
This is the first of three times in the Psalms where we find Jeduthun mentioned. He was one of David’s three worship leaders. He is the same person named Ethan as found in other Scriptures.
1 Chronicles 16:42 tells us that Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. 1 Chronicles 25:6 tells us that the three directors of music, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun reported directly to King David. Worship was highly prized in David’s reign as king and spiritual leader of Israel.
This prayer turned song reveals David’s suffering led him to reflect on life’s fleeting nature. He is speechless before God as he contemplates the fragility of life but discovers that he could no longer remain silent. So, from his despair, he asked God to show him how transient life is.
David put to words what many of us fear. Life flies by so quickly in the presence of our timeless God. In this stage of life, David understands the foolishness of living to increase wealth for our own selfish purposes. He has come to a major crisis of life discerning why we have been put here. Are we living selfishly small petty lives or is there more to life?
As he continued to speak to God, David asked himself what he was really looking for in life. He, then, declared that his hope was in God. He confessed his sin and asked God for help. He asked God to release his guilt and allow him to enjoy life once again before he departed this world. David found that lasting joy in life is found in a right relationship with God where we are motivated by eternal purposes.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 39:7, “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”
Question(s) to Consider:
How are you living with eternal meaning and purpose in light of life’s fleeting nature?
Psalm 40 – 2.8.2022
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.
4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
5 Many, Lord my God are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”
9 I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know.
10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.
11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord; may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
12 For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me.
13 Be pleased to save me, Lord; come quickly, Lord, to help me.
14 May all who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” be appalled at their own shame.
16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say, “The Lord is great!”
17 But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.
David’s life realistically reveals the mix of life’s many experiences. David also models what the two major responses to life’s many experiences are for God’s people: praise and faith.
David tells us that he had waited in faith for God’s answer to come. When it arrived, he was quick to sing a new song of praise to God. He declared that those who trust in the Lord are blessed and that it is impossible to catalog the vast number of deeds God has done. He not only gave praise to God but told the gathered worshipers of God’s love and faithfulness.
However, even after this answered prayer, he was not spared future problems. David found himself in another terrible situation where he called upon God to save him. He spoke that he was poor and needy and asked God not to delay in helping him. In the midst of this troubling trial, he gives us the right frame of mind to have: “May those who long for your saving help always say, ‘The Lord is great!’” Let us speak that eternal truth into our troubles today!
Memory Verse:
Psalm 39:7, “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”
Question(s) to Consider:
What new song are you singing today? What situation do you need to speak, “The Lord is great!”?
Psalm 41 – 2.9.2022
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.
2 The Lord protects and preserves them—they are counted among the blessed in the land—
he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.
4 I said, “Have mercy on me, Lord; heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die and his name perish?”
6 When one of them comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
then he goes out and spreads it around.
7 All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me, saying,
8 “A vile disease has afflicted him; he will never get up from the place where he lies.”
9 Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.
10 But may you have mercy on me, Lord; raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 Because of my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.
13 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
This psalm completes four consecutive psalms in which David confesses his sin. In this psalm, David cries out for mercy and healing from God since he has sinned. He then directs his attention to his enemies and to those closest to him who have abandoned him. Even though this is his painful reality, he is confident that the Lord will restore him to health and make him prevail over his enemies. As he often does, he finishes with a powerful statement of praise to the Lord.
David began this psalm by declaring that the blessed, those who are the happiest, those who flourish in life are the ones who care for the weak and needy. Proverbs 22:9 says it this way, “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.”
Let’s recall how the Psalms have already taught us to have a blessed or happy life:
The blessed do not journey with sinners but meditate on God’s instructions. Psalm 1
The blessed are those whose sins are forgiven. Psalm 32
The blessed nation is the one who has God as their Lord. Psalm 33
The blessed are those who take refuge in the Lord. Psalm 34
The blessed are those who trust in the Lord, not in the proud. Psalm 40
And, again, for today, The blessed are those who look out for the needy. Psalm 41
The word “blessed” is used 30 times in Psalms. I encourage you to pay attention each time you find it to see what instruction we are given in order to have a truly joy-filled life in Jesus.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 39:7, “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”
Question(s) to Consider:
Are you among the blessed according to these Scriptures? If not, what will you do to make it happen?
Psalm 42 – 2.10.2022
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
8 By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 43
1 Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked.
2 You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?
3 Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
These two psalms appear to have been one psalm originally. The sons of Korah were from a Levitical family with musical and gatekeeping responsibilities at God’s house. There are three stanzas each with an identical refrain. The first two stanzas are passionate laments while the third is a plea for help.
The word “soul” speaks of our core being, the very essence of who we are. The psalmist’s soul pants, thirsts, pours out to God, and is downcast. He prays to God but also talks to himself. He uses soul-talk in asking why he is so disturbed. It appears he is in exile and is not able to meet with God at the temple in Jerusalem. Since he is a worship leader and understood God’s presence to be located at the temple, this was a very disheartening time. However, he refuses to give up. He declares that the Lord shows His love by day, and God’s song is with him at night. In his darkness, he models for us how to have healthy self-talk so we can once again trust in God and offer praise to our Savior.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 39:7, “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”
Question(s) to Consider:
How can you use such soul-talk to get you through difficult times and renew your trust in God?
Psalm 44 – 2.11.2022
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
1 We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us
what you did in their days, in days long ago.
2 With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples and made our ancestors flourish.
3 It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.
4 You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back our enemies, through your name we trample our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.
8 In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.
9 But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies.
10 You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale.
13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us.
15 I live in disgrace all day long, and my face is covered with shame
16 at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
17 All this came upon us, though we had not forgotten you; we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals; you covered us over with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?
25 We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love.
The psalmist remembers how God has been their strength and their light through their previous victories that were not the result of their own military prowess. However, they now find themselves retreating from their enemy. They have been plundered, overwhelmed, and are being scorned by their neighboring nations. In a culture that values honor, they are living in tremendous shame.
The psalmist would understand that this was God’s punishment if they had sinned, but he maintains they have not worshiped false gods. So, in great pain, he calls on God to awaken, to rise up, and rescue them because he knows God has unfailing love towards them.
Often when bad things happen, we think we are being punished. However, as this psalm reveals, there are times when we go through horrible circumstances just because we live in a fallen and broken world. God allows His people to experience trouble, pain, grief, and shame. We are not spared all the problems of this world. However, as the psalmist models, it is an opportunity for us to express our personal faith as we call out to God for help and declare that God’s love is still there for us regardless of our circumstances.
Memory Verse: Psalm 39:7, “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”
Question(s) to Consider: When trouble comes, do you ask what you did to deserve this? In your innocence, will you continue in faith and call out to God in your challenging circumstances and declare his love for you?
Psalm 45 – 2.12.2022
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. A wedding song.
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace,
since God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
5 Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
8 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory
the music of the strings makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings are among your honored women;
at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
10 Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father’s house.
11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
12 The city of Tyre will come with a gift, people of wealth will seek your favor.
13 All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold.
14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her—
those brought to be with her.
15 Led in with joy and gladness, they enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land.
17 I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;
therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.
This royal psalm praises the king on his wedding day. The psalmist inserts himself in a dramatic way in verses 1 and 17 creating a frame for the psalm. Throughout the rest of the psalm the psalmist praises the king and addresses the bride.
The psalm does not identity any specific king. It was probably written for use by any of the descendants of David. The bride appears to be a foreigner, reflecting the international stature of this king. Lilies is an especially appropriate tune for this wedding song, given the prominence of lilies in the greatest of love songs in the Bible, the Song of Songs.
The psalm is about God’s establishing a royal dynasty that would, in effect, rule over His kingdom on earth. However, it is because of God’s blessing the king “forever” that the king can be praised in such a way. The king is God’s representative on earth to rule with righteousness, justice, and mercy. It is because of God’s favor that the kings could receive such praise, not because of what they could do.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
All of life is a gift of God. Salvation is our response to God’s grace freely given. All praise to God!
Memory Verse: Psalm 39:7, “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”
Question(s) to Consider: When you are praised, do you thank God for giving you what you have?
Psalm 46 – 2.13.2022
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm 47
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.
3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.
Psalm 46 responds to the laments of Psalms 42-44 by affirming that God is Israel’s refuge, strength, and fortress, sovereign over nature and nations. It inspired Martin Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” It has remarkable promises of God being ever-present and all powerful over the nations of the world. It is in this context that we are given the well-known words, “Be still, and know that I am God” for He alone is to be exalted as the true Lord and King.
Psalm 47 continues the theme and is the exclamation point to Psalm 46. The two psalms together passionately declare that the Lord is mighty over all of creation and all nations. Instead of being still, this psalm tells us to clap, shout, and sing because God is the great King over all the earth.
As you prepare for worship today, I encourage you to read and re-read these two psalms that reassure you of the presence, power, and kingship of our God over all things. May they create within you increasing faith and praise that you bring with you as you join with the family of God.
Memory Verse: Psalm 39:7, “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”
Question(s) to Consider: Why does the psalmist say “Be still, and know that I am God?”