The Psalms- there’s a bit of all of us in them

As we approach our final week of the Psalms, I hope you enjoyed our trip deep into the heart (literally) of the Bible. John Calvin says this about the Psalms.

“The varied and resplendent riches which are contained in this treasury it is not an easy matter to express in words; so much so, that I well know that whatever I shall be able to say will be far from approaching the excellence of the subject… I have been accustomed to call this book, I think not inappropriately,’ An Anatomy of all the parts of the soul.’; for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn to the life all the grief’s, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be agitated.”

We can see the full range of human emotion expressed in the Psalms. At first it may not seem very “Christian” of the Psalmists to talk like they do to a holy God, but the truth is they recognize that God already sees their soul and longs for His people to come to him with their struggles. Amazingly, even of the Psalms that start off pretty rough, end in hope. How can that be? Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73, admits he was like a wild beast until he came into the presence of God where he understood the whole picture. (Psalm 73: 16-22). Many times, Seeing Eye to eye with God can lead us to walking hand in hand with Him.
The Psalms can be categorized according to their content. Here are some of the traditional categories.

Messianic Psalms: These are the Psalms of hope that speak prophecy about the coming of the Messiah. Remember Psalm 2 that pictured Christ.
Penitent Psalms: These are the Psalms of repentance. They speak to the brokenness of our spirit and turning away from sin. Remember last week’s reading - Psalm 38? It is a penitent Psalm.
Imprecation Psalms: These are Psalms expressing emotions like resentment toward evil. Imprecation really means asking God to deal with the evil instead of you taking it into your own hands. -Psalm 35 is an example of an imprecation Psalm.
Psalms of Lament: These Psalms cry out to God when the pain is overwhelming. The Jewish community knew that godly sorrow was a good thing. Expressing deep emotions before God is the way to intimate connection with Him. NEED EXAMPLE

The final category will we look at this week is the Wisdom Psalms. These Psalms are specifically written for those who want to be wise. The best way to do this is to meditate on Scripture. Psalm 49 that we will read this week is an example of a Wisdom Psalms. It reads “Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike; My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.” (Vs. 1-3) I going to wet your whistle with these opening verses and you can read for yourself his words to gain wisdom.

Tips for Reading (Interpretation tip)

(Note: This section is help for Bible Reading in general. It has been building throughout the year under the topics of Observation (what the Scripture says), Interpretation (what it means) and Application (what it means to your life). Feel free to look back over past weeks to get the whole picture.


The Psalms can be a little hard to read if you read them all together in a row. There are a lot of them and there is not a narrative to follow. So here are a few very practical ways to read the Psalms:
Read one Psalm a day with other Bible reading that you are doing.
Pray the Psalms: Many Psalms are easily adapted into prayers of either praise or request for rescue. Considering reading them out loud as a prayer to God.
Re-title them: If you looked in my Bible you would see that I re-titled each Psalm so that I could easily locate a psalm that matched my specific emotion. This practice also makes sure that I understand and absorb what I read.
Look for Christ: underline references to the Messiah and see how they are fulfilled in the New Testament. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to do this- use your cross reference to discover the connections.
Make a topical list: Take a blank sheet of paper and every time you come across a Psalm that expresses an emotion, write down the emotion and the Biblical reference. At the end of this year you will have a list of emotions and a reference to a Psalm that deals with that emotion. Keep the list handy for you next emotional meltdown!

Notes from David's Journal

Some of you may remember in your traditional church hymnody the great hymn by Martin Luther, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God". Interestingly, he wrote the words to this hymn based primarily on Psalm 46, one of our readings this week. God is our God. He is a bulwark never failing! We are secure in Him. He cannot be moved! What wonderful promises from the Word of God about our God. Also, please note verse 10. There are times regularly, indeed even daily, when we need to stop, be still and know God is God. Our hurried lives don't always allow us this privilege. But a part of this daily Bible reading is to give us all a regular, daily time to pause, be still, read God's Word and know that God is God, still on His throne, ruling the world and our lives, even when it feels like it cannot be true. God is our fortress. He is impregnable. Let us find our rest today and always in Him and Him alone.

Behind the Psalm

Have you ever listened to a song and wondered what prompted the songwriter to create it? VH1 even has a show called Behind the Music where they explore the life of musicians and the story behind the music. It is one of our favorite shows! This week I want to look into the life of David, the writer of most of the Psalms we have been reading. Many of us know a little something about this shepherd crowned king, but do we take what we know about him with us as we read the Psalms he wrote? More ancient writings exist regarding King David than any other person in history, so we could spend years studying him. But let's look at some of his main characteristics, accomplishments and failures as it relates to this week's Psalms.
David the Warrior -David was an accomplished war hero. We know about his defeat of Goliath, but there were many other battles that David fought and won in Scripture. He was a risk taker to say the least and would do seemingly crazy things in battle when God directed him to.
David the poet and songwriter- David was a gifted songwriter and poet, hence the Psalms. David was in touch with his humanity as well as being personally acquainted with the mighty power of his God. He had learned how to trust God with overwhelming success and popularity, with humiliating, dark failure, with personal betrayal, with physical danger, and with the responsibility of leading a great nation. The Psalms give us a taste of what it was like for David personally and spiritually to walk through all these situations.
David the worshiper -Scripture calls David a man after God's own heart. He loved God passionately and even infuriated his queen by dancing with the commoners as they brought the Ark of the Covenant back into Jerusalem. David was not afraid to celebrate the good things with all his might.
David the Broken man - David was also a broken man. He committed adultery; had someone killed to protect his own reputation; he was betrayed by his eldest son and chased out of leadership, hiding in caves for many years.
David was not a superhero God-follower. Many of the Psalms we will read this week speak to his brokenness.
Take Psalm 38. It's subtitled "A Petition." David admits in verse 3 and 4 and then again in verse 18 that he is burdened with guilt and sin and is being disciplined by the hand of His God. He is acutely aware of his brokenness and his guilt before a holy God. At the same time Psalm 38 declares "Lord, do not abandon me; my God, do not be far from me. Hurry to help me, Lord, my Savior" (Vs. 21-22). David knows exactly what his abilities are here; limited. He is in a helpless situation and in need of intervention. He is broken and needy. But he knows exactly who can put him back on the path, the faithful, loving and merciful Father. Here is the good news that echoes through the Scripture, We are worse than we think we are and our situation is more desperate than we know, and God's lavish grace is more abundant and life-giving than we ever dreamed it could be.

Tips for Reading (Interpretation tip)

(Note: This section is help for Bible Reading in general. It has been building throughout the year under the topics of Observation (what the Scripture says), Interpretation (what it means) and Application (what it means to your life). Feel free to look back over past weeks to get the whole picture.


Let's repeat a tip that is very helpful in the Psalms: Look for Repeats. The Scripture writers repeat concepts or themes and even actual phrases to emphasize the importance of certain thoughts and ideas.
For example, if you read Psalm 37:4, you find, "Take delight in the Lord."
This is a similar concept to last week's Psalm 33:8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Both of them encourage us to find in God a love that is almost indulgent. Both verses call out to our senses to experience God in a deep manner. It is a repeated theme.
Psalm 42 takes this a step further and actually repeats words in verse 5 and 11. "Why are you so downcast O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him, my savior and my God." Side note - David is talking to his soul here! Sometimes we need to do that! If you look at Psalm 39 you will see the words Selah repeated. Did you ask yourself "what is that?" We hope so! Remember when you are reading the Psalms you are reading songs, poems and liturgy. Repeated lines can be equated to the chorus of a song. Songs and poems are often cyclical like this. When you see Selah, connect it to a break in the lyric for reflections. Think of a guitar solo when you see Selah. It is a time to listen and think about what you just sang. It is a time to let the words ring deep in your soul.
As you are reading this week, play some instrumental music and sing along to these songs. Look for the chorus and find more repeats. Listen to the guitar or violin solo and Selah.

Notes from David's Journal

It's close but perhaps my favorite Psalm is Psalm 37. I love it because it is so practical. Have you ever been hurt by someone who is really not very Godly? I know I have. Everything within me wants to swell with retalilation. Moreover, I just can't understand why often these evildoers not only get away with it but even prosper. In Psalm 37 God reminds me of several truths regarding these people:
-I'm not to fret when they prosper.
-Their blessings are only momentary.
-Their lives fade like the green grass becoming brown.
- I am called to continue to live righteously.
- My blessings will eventually come, both here and in the life to come.
- Evildoers will be judged one day.
- They will not get away forever with their miseeds.
- If I trust and do God's will, the desires of my heart will most likely come to me.
Or, as Jesus put it in Matthew 6:33: "Seek first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness and the other, secondary stuff will come to you." I hope you enjoy Psalm 37. There is so much rich, practical information in it.
Again, it's one of my favorite Psalms.

Celebration: It’s a matter of life and death

“Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech, who drove him out, and he departed.” That is the subtitle of one of our Psalms this week, Psalm 34. Does this strike you as odd? Are you asking your 6 W’s? Abimelech…Who is Abimelech? Drove David out from where? Why was he acting insane? My mind was full of those questions when I read that subtitle. To find our answers we need to turn to 1 Samuel 21. David, who had killed Goliath, but had not been crowned king of Israel, was running from his enemy Saul. He ran into the king of Gath (are you asking Gath…where? –Gath happens to be where Goliath comes from!) The king recognized him and David was afraid of being exposed, so he acted insane. OK! We understand the subtitle now. Let’s dive into the heart of what I am sure will be a juicy Psalm.
The first few lines of Psalm 34 read “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boasts in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us extol his name together.”
These are not the words we expect to hear from a man who is literally running for his life. This was one of the most humiliating and terrifying moments in David’s life and somehow he seems to be able to invite us to worship God with him. Maybe he was temporarily insane! Or maybe there is another answer. In the heart of this song, David challenges us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (v 8). It’s like someone holding out a deep red strawberry and asking you to bite into it and enjoy its goodness. David (and God through David) is offering us something very very good.
But still, how can David have this attitude? I believe David’s relationship and understanding of who God was and the depth of God’s love for him allowed him to sing in the midst of crisis. Knowing God like this must be a real key to life full of joy instead of complaining.
John Piper, author of “Desiring God” said Psalm 34 and other verses like it reveal the heart of following Christ. He describes it as being a Christian Hedonist. This is pursuing God not as rules, but as a love affair. For example, if I take flowers home to my sweet wife on Valentine’s Day and say “Here are flowers because I am supposed to give them to you.” She would not receive the gift as love, but instead as an offense. So when we obey God, not out of love, but out of duty, how do you think God responds? After teaching the need for obedience, Jesus told his friends that his aim was that they should be filled with complete joy. It seems God may think we are not happy enough for his taste. C.S. Lewis wrote, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” John Ortberg says, “The Bible puts joy in the non optional category. Joy is a command. Joylessness is a serious sin, one that religious people are particularly prone to indulge in.” Our word holiday comes from the term “holy days” which were days set aside by God in the Old Testament for Israel to gather together in celebration because they knew they were loved by the one true God.
Could this be the real key to David’s attitude of celebration as he was a fugitive from a wicked King? Could this change the whole way we read Scripture and the way we live our lives? As you read the rest of the Psalms this week, see how much celebration you can find, in David’s life and in your own. And grab some strawberries while you read.

Tips for Reading (Interpretation tip)

(Note: This section is help for Bible Reading in general. It has been building throughout the year under the topics of Observation (what the Scripture says), Interpretation (what it means) and Application (what it means to your life). Feel free to look back over past weeks to get the whole picture.


Okay, we are at the last W and then we will go into some new ideas. “Wherefore” is the question of difference. You could paraphrase it “so what?” What difference would it make if I were to apply this truth? “Wherefore” is the question that pulls us toward action regarding what we have read. Remember, the Word of God was not written to satisfy our curiosity, or even to give us deep truths as much as it was written to change our lives. For example, how can we “Taste and See the Lord is good?” Does your life have the enjoyment that David seems to have in tough times? Can you sing in rush hour traffic? Can you invite your children to extol the Lord with you in the midst of a struggle over bedtime or homework? Practically speaking where is God inviting you to experience joy right now?
One short detour I cannot resist-about reading the notes in your study Bible. This takes some time, but it is amazing what you can learn. For instance I learned that Psalm 34 is an acrostic poem (ask your 5th grader if you have forgotten what that means!) Each verse of Psalm 34 begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. David is showing some amazing creativity in the midst of the chaos.


Notes from David's Journal

Sometimes Christians wrongly think that forgiveness is a unique theme in the New Testament. Mistakenly, they believe the Cross of Jesus is reserved to grace and therefore is only found in the witness of the New Testament. Obviously, this is not true. Interestingly, the Old Testament is filled with various revelations of God as merciful, kind and forgiving. One of the places this is best revealed is in one of our Psalms this week: Psalm 32. Please read it carefully. Catch the powerful message of forgiveness that pervades it. Also, realize that David may very well have written it after his adultery with Bathsheba and God's forgiveness that came to him after confessing it to God. There is no sin that is greater than God's forgiving love. Nothing you have ever done can separate you from His forgiving grace. It's everywhere throughout the Old and New Testaments. It's especially seen in Psalm 32. Read, enjoy and be washed anew in God's forgiveness!

Using All Your Senses

We start this week with an amazing verse. “The Heavens declare the glory of God and the sky proclaims the work of His hands,” Psalm19: 1. Let’s say that another way. “WOW! Look at that sunset! WOW! I’ve never seen so many stars!” This Psalm is reminding us to thank God when we star gaze. The truth is our creative God paints on a cavas we can all see. G.K. Chesterton, an influential 20th century writer, once wrote, “It is possible that God says every morning , ‘Do it again!’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again!’ to the moon.” Chesterton seems to be saying that God enjoys those sunsets and stars like a child who never gets tired of something fun. The next time creation takes your breath away, picture God standing there saying “yeah I know what you mean.”
This Psalm also seems to be telling us we can learn about God's love and splendor by looking at creation. Romans 1 implies that no human can honestly plead “not guilty on the basis of ignorance.” The truth is we can all see God through His creation. The Psalms are full of images of our creator-God. Psalm 24:1-2 says “the earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants belong to the Lord for He laid its foundation on the seas and established it in the rivers.” Theologians call this Natural Revelation. Nature points to God who created everything around us.
Of course, humans are famous for our ability “to drink the rain and turn to thank the clouds.” I can hear David Chadwick reminding us of God’s flat forehead related to these kind of dumb connections! Unfortunately, our nature is not only imprinted with God’s image, but is also tainted with selfishness called sin. This tainted thinking that the universe revolves around us can lead us away from giving God the credit for a new day or even the next breath. But don’t worry, God has a cure for our self-centered existence. God rescued us from this small world view through His Son Jesus. We need knowledge of salvation. The same creator who painted the sunset is also a lover and a redeemer pursuing His broken children. The Psalms bring this redemptive message to us over and over again. Lets go back to Psalm 19. Verse 7 says “the instruction of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.” The psalmist is talking about the written word of God, what he knew as the Torah, God’s law. Local professor Tim Laniak calls the Torah the “secure path, the right trail on which God’s people walk.” Theologians call the written Word of God Special Revelation. Special Revelation tells us what creation cannot. The story of redemption. German philosopher Immanuel Kant summarized it by saying, “There are two things that fill my soul with holy reverence and evergrowing wonder; the spectacle of the starry sky that virtually annihilates us as physical beings, and the moral law which raise us to infinite dignity as intelligent agents.”
This week let's celebrate what we know about God. God is an artist, who is also a lover. He is a star-gazer who is also a redeemer purchasing back the lost.
It makes me want to get my Bible and hiking boots and head to Crowder’s Mountian!

Tips for Reading (Interpretation tip)

(Note: This section is help for Bible Reading in general. It has been building throughout the year under the topics of Observation (what the Scripture says), Interpretation (what it means) and Application (what it means to your life). Feel free to look back over past weeks to get the whole picture.

I am going to take a break from the 6 Ws. Since we just learned about Special Revelation and Natural Revelation lets see how many times we can spot it in our Psalms this week. All of these Psalms are written by King David. Lets see how many times David describes himself in light of who God says he is and how many times he describes his postion as it relates to God’s character. Psalm 23:2 says “He lets me lie down in green pastures.” What does that verse say about God’s character and about David’s needs? List 2 or 3 things about God and 2 or 3 things about David (us). Let's look at another one. Psalm 28:7 says “the Lord is my strength and shield.” What does this say about God? What does he mean strength and shield? Now what does that say about who we are? Do we need strength and protection from outside ourselves?
The Bible is a great window into who God is. If you are wondering what He is really like, the Bible is your best resource. Read it like you are getting to know a new friend. Here is the funny part. The Bible is not only an window to God, it is a mirror into our own souls. Read it like you are checking for broccoli between your teeth. Read it like you are looking for love notes in your lunch box. I bet you will be enlightened by what you see!

Notes from David's Journal

As you read through the Psalms, from time to time, you will undoubtedly notice verses that seem to come directly from Jesus' lips. That's because...they do! Interestingly, some of the Psalms are called "Messianic Psalms/" They look forward to Messiah's coming. Read Psalm 22 closely and you will see words uttered by Jesus on the Cross; "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In saying this, not only was He claiming to be the Messiah, He was also talking about the separation between Him and the Father at the point when all the sins of the world came upon Him and not us. Surely Jesus knew what He was saying! It should make us worship Him even more.