Bible Reading : Psalms 13 and 14

Psalms 13

A Plea for Deliverance

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

1 Lord, how long will You continually forget me?

How long will You hide Your face from me?  

2 How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, 

agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me?  

3 Consider me and answer, Lord, my God.

Restore brightness to my eyes; otherwise, 

I will sleep in death,

4 my enemy will say, "I have triumphed over him,"

and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.  

5 But I have trusted in Your faithful love; 

my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. 

6 I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.

    

     David Most likely wrote this Psalm Right after Saul first attempted to kill him and he was forced to flee for his life.  I love that David sings God's praises at the end not because God has answered his prayers, but because David believes that God will answer his prayers.

Psalms 14

A Portrait of Sinners

For the choir director. Davidic.

1 The fool says in his heart, "God does not exist." 

They are corrupt; their actions are revolting. 

There is no one who does good.  

2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, 

one who seeks God.  

3 All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt.

There is no one who does good, not even one. 

4 Will evildoers never understand? 

They consume my people as they consume bread;

they do not call on the Lord. 

5 Then they will be filled with terror,

for God is with those who are righteous.  

6 You [sinners] frustrate the plans of the afflicted,

but the Lord is his refuge.  

7 Oh, that Israel's deliverance would come from Zion!

When the Lord restores His captive people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.

     David wrote this Psalm after hearing of the death of Nabal in 1 Samuel 25. Nabal was a foolish man who treated David badly after David and his men had shown his servants aid and kindness. It was only the Quick actions of Nabals wife Abigail that prevented David from Killing Nabal and all his men in response. David was so impressed with her that after Nabal's death he asked her to be his wife.

Bible Reading : Psalms 11 and 12

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

1 I have taken refuge in the Lord. 
How can you say to me, "Escape to the mountain like a bird! 
2 For look, the wicked string the bow; 
they put the arrow on the bowstring to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.  
3 When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" 
4 The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven.
His eyes watch; He examines everyone.  
5 The Lord examines the righteous and the wicked. 
He hates the lover of violence.
6 He will rain burning coals and sulfur on the wicked; 
a scorching wind will be their portion. 
7 For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds. 
The upright will see His face.

     This psalm was written by David while he was fleeing for his life from Saul, traditionally believed to be written after the events in 1Samuel: 23. David is now on the run for his life, but still trying to do what is right, protecting villages from the philistines even as Saul is hunting him down with his army. David trusts God to see him through, even in this difficult time, beset on all sides by enemies and betrayers as the very people he helped protect then attempt to turn him over to Saul.. 

Psalms 12 HCSB

Oppression by the Wicked

For the choir director: according to Sheminith. A psalm of David.

1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; 
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.
2 They lie to one another; 
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts. 
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully.
4 They say, "Through our tongues we have power; 
our lips are our own-who can be our master?"
5 "Because of the oppression of the afflicted and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up," says the Lord. 
"I will put in a safe place the one who longs for it."  
6 The words of the Lord are pure words, 
like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.
7 You, Lord, will guard us; 
You will protect us from this generation forever.  
8 The wicked wander everywhere, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.

      It is unknown at what point in his life David wrote this psalm. The Sheminith is the lowest octave singable by the male voice, was most likely meant to be a low and contemplative song.

Bible Study : Psalms 10

Psalms 10 HCSB

1 Lord, why do You stand so far away? Why do You hide in times of trouble

 2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted; 

let them be caught in the schemes they have devised. 

3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings; 

the one who is greedy curses and despises the Lord.

4 In all his scheming, the wicked arrogantly thinks: 

"There is no accountability, [since] God does not exist."  

5 His ways are always secure; Your lofty judgments are beyond his sight;

he scoffs at all his adversaries.  

6 He says to himself, 

"I will never be moved- from generation to generation without calamity." 

7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth; trouble and malice are under his tongue. 

8 He waits in ambush near the villages; he kills the innocent in secret places;

his eyes are on the lookout for the helpless.  

9 He lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket. He lurks in order to seize the afflicted. 

He seizes the afflicted and drags him in his net.  

10 He crouches and bends down; the helpless fall because of his strength.  

11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; He hides His face and will never see."  

12 Rise up, Lord God! Lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted. 

13 Why has the wicked despised God?

He says to himself, "You will not demand an account." 

 14 But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief, 

observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands.

The helpless entrusts himself to You; You are a helper of the fatherless. 

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person; 

call his wickedness into account until nothing remains of it.  

16 The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations will perish from His land.

17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; 

You will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully,  

18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that men of the earth may terrify [them] no more.

     According to Jewish tradition Psalms 9 and 10 were written together after David defeated Goliath. , originally as one psalm, but separated into 2 later. Both are acrostics of the Hebrew alphabet, with each letter being the beginning of each stanza, (about every 2 verses). Psalms 9 being the first half of the alphabet and psalms 10 the second half.

Bible Study : Psalms 9

Due to the fact that none of the versions of the ESV that I have found online have the postscripts for the Psalms as a part of the translation I will be using the HCSB instead for the rest of the study.

Psalms 9 HCSB

Celebration of God's Justice

For the choir director: according to Muth-labben. A Davidic psalm.

1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all Your wonderful works.
2 I will rejoice and boast about You; I will sing about Your name, Most High.  
3 When my enemies retreat, they stumble and perish before You.  
4 For You have upheld my just cause; You are seated on Your throne as a righteous judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations: You have destroyed the wicked; 
You have erased their name forever and ever.  
6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin; You have uprooted the cities, 
and the very memory of them has perished.  
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever; He has established His throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness; He executes judgment on the peoples with fairness. 
9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  
10 Those who know Your name trust in You
because You have not abandoned those who seek You, Lord.  
11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; proclaim His deeds among the peoples.  
12 For the One who seeks an accounting for bloodshed remembers them; 
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.  
13 Be gracious to me, Lord; consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me.
Lift me up from the gates of death,  
14 so that I may declare all Your praises. 
I will rejoice in Your salvation within the gates of Daughter Zion.  
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made; 
their foot is caught in the net they have concealed. 
16 The Lord has revealed Himself; He has executed justice, 
striking down the wicked by the work of their hands. 
Higgaion.
Selah  
17 The wicked will return to Sheol- all the nations that forget God. 
18 For the oppressed will not always be forgotten;
the hope of the afflicted will not perish forever.  
19 Rise up, Lord! Do not let man prevail; 
let the nations be judged in Your presence.
20 Put terror in them, Lord; let the nations know they are only men.
Selah

      Muth-labben means "the death of the son." Some translate this as meaning this was written on the occasion of the death of a man name Labban, but it is more likely that Muth-labben was the name of the piece of music the song was meant to accompany. God is presented here as the righteous judge of nations. This is a song of praise to the Lord, though one with a more solemn and reflective tone than some of the other psalms that we have studied to this point. Higgaion means "to pause for solemn reflection", and is meant more as a directors note than a part of the text.

Bible Study Psalms 7 and 8

Psalms 7 ESV

In You Do I Take Refuge

A Meditation of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.

1 O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge;
 save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
it in pieces, with none to deliver.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands,
4 if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause,
5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust.
Selah
6 Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
 awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high
8The LORD judges the peoples; judge me,
LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous--
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous God!
10 My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. 
12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow;
13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies.
 15 He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.
16 His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.
17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
 and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High

    Most likely written by David during his persecution by Saul before he became king. David seems to be more searching his heart for unknown wrong rather than asking forgiveness for a particular sin. I like the imagery of the wicked falling into their own traps as the Lord's judgement. He is protesting his innocence before God, and asking for God's relief from the persecution, confident that God will hear him and see him through the crisis.

Psalms 8 ESV
     A Psalm of Praise. This psalm was written for a ghittim or gath, which is a joyous tune, most likely a pre-written and well known piece of music. I especially find verse 2 interesting, David as warrior understands the desire for vengeance, but believes that vengeance is the Lord's. I love the imagery of God putting the moon and stars in place by hand, and his awe that God cares about us. Verse 5 is quoted in Hebrews chapter 2 as a part of the Writers discussion of the supremacy of Jesus to men and angels. There are a lot of evocative references to the first and second chapters of Genesis. I also love the reference to the unknown denizens of sea depths.

How Majestic Is Your Name

To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.  A Psalm of David.

1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
 2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
 the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Bible Study: Psalms 4, 5 and 6

Psalms 4 ESV

Answer Me When I Call

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
 2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
 How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?
Selah
3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD hears when I call to him.
4 Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
6 There are many who say, "Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!"
7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

     Was written for stringed instruments by David. This is a song asking for relief from troubles. The song is not a demanding of Gods attention, but a plea for to God for his blessings and an end to trouble. Most likely also written during Davids troubles with Absalom. Just anger is good, and can spur to positive action, as long as does not lead to the sins of bitterness or rash action. The Psalm begins with a cry for justice, but ends with the Lord giving peace in verses 5-8.

Psalms 5 ESV

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
 6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.
 I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies;
 make your way straight before me.
 9 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels;
 because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
 let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

     Written for the flute. This Psalm is a plead for aid and comfort against enemies. Similar in content to Psalms 3, this was written by David, thought when he wrote it is unknown. As with many Psalms it begins downtrodden and troubled, and ends with a hopeful note and praise to the Lord.

Psalms 6 ESV

O Lord, Deliver My Life

1 O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
 2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me,
 O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
 3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD--how long?
4 Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
 5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?
 6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
 9 The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

     One of what is considered the penitential Psalms (Psalms  6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143) was written by David after his transgression with Bathsheba, admitting his wrong and asking for Gods forgiveness. The afterlife in the Old testament is often seen portrayed as divided in 2 parts, Sheol and Abraham's Bosom, Both a part of an underworld generally referred to as Sheol. David is more concerned with Gods forgiveness now, rather than anything that will happen in the afterlife. We see here the repentant heart of a true believer and Lover of God who has sinned.