(The previous post covered five psalms from David that declared the power of trusting in God and His Voice.)
Psalm 31
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1 In thee, O Jehovah, do I take refuge; Let me never be put to shame: Deliver me in thy righteousness.
(David consistently praised God for providing refuge to him.)
2 Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: Be thou to me a strong rock, A house of defence to save me.
3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; Therefore for thy name's sake lead me and guide me.
(With "lead me and guide me," David was asking for grace: "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.")
4 Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; For thou art my stronghold.
5 Into thy hand I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Jehovah, thou God of truth.
("Into thy hand I commend my spirit:" In Luke 23:46, Jesus said this right before He died.)
6 I hate them that regard lying vanities; But I trust in Jehovah.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy lovingkindness; For thou hast seen my affliction: Thou hast known my soul in adversities;
8 And thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; Thou hast set my feet in a large place.
(God put David’s feet in a large place. If you trusted in God, He would make known to you where to walk.)
9 Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah, for I am in distress: Mine eye wasteth away with grief, yea, my soul and my body.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow, And my years with sighing: My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, And my bones are wasted away.
(David wanted mercy. David recognized that his strength failed because of his iniquity.)
11 Because of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach, Yea, unto my neighbors exceedingly, And a fear to mine acquaintance: They that did see me without fled from me.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the defaming of many, Terror on every side: While they took counsel together against me, They devised to take away my life.
(David was broken because he knew what his enemies said and devised against him.)
14 But I trusted in thee, O Jehovah: I said, Thou art my God.
15 My times are in thy hand: Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
(However, David had his trust in God.)
16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: Save me in thy lovingkindness.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O Jehovah; for I have called upon thee: Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be dumb, Which speak against the righteous insolently, With pride and contempt.
(Liars spoke against the righteous with pride and contempt.)
19 Oh how great is thy goodness, Which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, Which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee, Before the sons of men!
20 In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them from the plottings of man: Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be Jehovah; For he hath showed me his marvellous lovingkindness in a strong city.
22 As for me, I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications When I cried unto thee.
(Even when David reacted quickly and stated that he was cut off from God’s Eyes, God still heard David’s cry.)
23 Oh love Jehovah, all ye his saints: Jehovah preserveth the faithful, And plentifully rewardeth him that dealeth proudly.
(Love God (First Command) and God will preserve you.)
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, All ye that hope in Jehovah.
Psalm 32
A Psalm of David. Maschil.
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile.
(Blessings came to those who did not have guile in their spirit. Guile meant "deceit." Paul referenced these two verses in Romans 4:7-8.)
3 When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture was changed as with the drought of summer. Selah
(Selah meant "pause and think about what you just read." The author wanted the reader to pause and become conscious of what was read.)
5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him.
(These were the things to do in order to get these blessings.)
7 Thou art my hiding-place; thou wilt preserve me from trouble; Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee.
(God would teach us which way to go and would guide us with His Eye.)
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; Whose trappings must be bit and bridle to hold them in, Else they will not come near unto thee.
(Men and women ought to have understanding.)
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he that trusteth in Jehovah, lovingkindness shall compass him about.
11 Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous; And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Psalm 33
1 Rejoice in Jehovah, O ye righteous: Praise is comely for the upright.
2 Give thanks unto Jehovah with the harp: Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song; Play skilfully with a loud noise.
4 For the word of Jehovah is right; And all his work is done in faithfulness.
(God's Word was Right and His works were done in faithfulness. Faith was a belief in something you couldn't see, either because it was invisible or it had not happened yet (Hebrews 11:1). If God had faith, what were the implications concerned with what faith meant?)
5 He loveth righteousness and justice: The earth is full of the lovingkindness of Jehovah.
(God loves Righteousness and Justice because He is Right and Just.)
6 By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
(God created with His Word and with His Breath: Spirit.)
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: He layeth up the deeps in store-houses.
8 Let all the earth fear Jehovah: Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
(It was right for the created of God to fear Him and stand in awe of who created them.)
9 For he spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
(God brought His power with His Words.)
10 Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought; He maketh the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.
(The counsel of the nations was man’s way of thinking. God made man’s way of thinking of no effect. This meant God’s plan for eternity will come to pass, regardless of the thoughts of man. However, man could hinder how long it took for God’s Will to be fulfilled.)
11 The counsel of Jehovah standeth fast for ever, The thoughts of his heart to all generations.
(God’s counsel, His instruction, His Words, would always be true.)
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah, The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
13 Jehovah looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men;
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh forth Upon all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He that fashioneth the hearts of them all, That considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
(Our Salvation and might did not come from man.)
17 A horse is a vain thing for safety; Neither doth he deliver any by his great power.
18 Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear him, Upon them that hope in his lovingkindness;
19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.
(God’s Eye was on those who feared Him and whose hope (faith) was in God’s love and mercy. God did this to (the cause) deliver them from death and to give them life.)
20 Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, Because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy loving kindness, O Jehovah, be upon us, According as we have hoped in thee.
Psalm 34
A Psalm of David; when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
1 I will bless Jehovah at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah: The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad.
(David’s soul, which he referred to as a "her," would boast (brag) in God. The humble heard this and were glad.)
3 Oh magnify Jehovah with me, And let us exalt his name together.
(Not only did David praise God, he encouraged others to do so as well.)
4 I sought Jehovah, and he answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were radiant; And their faces shall never be confounded.
6 This poor man cried, and Jehovah heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them.
8 Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good: Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him.
9 Oh fear Jehovah, ye his saints; For there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger; But they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing.
11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of Jehovah.
(1 Peter 3:10-12 referenced the next five verses...)
12 What man is he that desireth life, And loveth many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous, And his ears are open unto their cry.
16 The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cried, and Jehovah heard, And delivered them out of all their troubles.
18 Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But Jehovah delivereth him out of them all.
(The righteous had many afflictions, but God delivered the righteous out of them all.)
20 He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken.
(Messianic prophecy: John 19:36 – "For these things came to pass, that the scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.")
21 Evil shall slay the wicked; And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned.
22 Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants; And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned.
Psalm 35
A Psalm of David.
1 Strive thou, O Jehovah, with them that strive with me: Fight thou against them that fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help.
3 Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that pursue me: Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
(The comfort David requested from God was for God to speak to his soul: "I am thy salvation." God’s Words are powerful and comforting and always completely Right and Just.)
4 Let them be put to shame and brought to dishonor that seek after my soul: Let them be turned back and confounded that devise my hurt.
5 Let them be as chaff before the wind, And the angel of Jehovah driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, And the angel of Jehovah pursuing them.
7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit; Without cause have they digged a pit for my soul.
(David was being persecuted "without cause" and because of this, David asked for God’s help.)
8 Let destruction come upon him unawares; And let his net that he hath hid catch himself: With destruction let him fall therein.
9 And my soul shall be joyful in Jehovah: It shall rejoice in his salvation.
10 All my bones shall say, Jehovah, who is like unto thee, Who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, Yea, the poor and the needy from him that robbeth him?
11 Unrighteous witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I know not.
12 They reward me evil for good, To the bereaving of my soul.
(David was being rewarded evil for good, which was unjust.)
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I afflicted my soul with fasting; And my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother: I bowed down mourning, as one that bewaileth his mother.
15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: The abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; They did tear me, and ceased not:
16 Like the profane mockers in feasts, They gnashed upon me with their teeth.
17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, My darling from the lions.
18 I will give thee thanks in the great assembly: I will praise thee among much people.
(David told God what he would do when God rescued him.)
19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
20 For they speak not peace; But they devise deceitful words against them that are quiet in the land.
21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me; They said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
22 Thou hast seen it, O Jehovah; keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Stir up thyself, and awake to the justice due unto me, Even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
(David wanted judgment against his enemies, which made this psalm read like a prayer.)
24 Judge me, O Jehovah my God, according to thy righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me.
(David was contrastive, he wanted to be judged as well.)
25 Let them not say in their heart, Aha, so would we have it: Let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
26 Let them be put to shame and confounded together that rejoice at my hurt: Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that magnify themselves against me.
27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: Yea, let them say continually, Jehovah be magnified, Who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
28 And my tongue shall talk of thy righteousness And of thy praise all the day long.
(David’s "righteous cause" was God, the First Cause, the Right One.)
(This post covered five psalms from David that spoke of God's interactions with man and the effects of man's response.)
Day 162
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