Psalm 36 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence In this psalm David contrasts the sinfulness of wicked men with the steadfast love of the Lord then calls upon the Lord in his love to protect his people by overruling the plots of evildoers. In the first four verses he describes the inner thoughts and the secret plots of the wicked. Unable to hear the voice of the Lord, the wicked man is attentive to the voice of…

Psalm 35 Pastor Mark Hudson It is fairly easy to see the sections in this Psalm, but Kidner provides the easiest outline to remember. 1-10             The scheming 11-18           The mobbing 19-28           The gloating For the Psalmist, we often find that calling people their enemy and wishing destruction upon them is somewhat normal.  This author knows enemies who want to kill him.  They actively work against all he tries to do.  But He pleads with God…

Psalm 34 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence We might refer to this psalm as an ode to the God who answers prayer. Even though the superscription tells us that it was written particularly to commemorate David’s escape from Abimelech or Achish, it doesn’t go into any of the details of that specific narrative. Instead, it is written in the form of an acrostic lyrical poem where each verse begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew…

Psalm 33 Pastor Mark Hudson I like to look at how others outline chapters.  So here are some examples: Invocation to praise 1-3 Substance of praise 4-19 The Lord’s Word 4-9 The Lord’s Plan 10-12 The Lord’s Eye 13-15 The Lord’s Might 16-19 Conclusion 20-22  (Craigie, Word Commentary)   Rejoice in the Lord          1-3 His creative word             4-9 His triumphant will          10-12 His discerning gaze          13-19 We Hope in Thee             20-22  (Kidner)   Righteous…

Psalm 32 Pastor David Groendyk Have you ever been caught in a lie and then had to continually cover your tracks so that the lie didn’t catch up to you? Or have you ever been doing something you know you shouldn’t be doing and so you were continually looking over your shoulder to make sure no one caught you? What an agonizing and stressful way to live! Unchecked and unconfessed sin plagues you and overshadows…

Psalm 31 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Even without knowing the particular circumstances that led David to write this psalm, clearly, he is being afflicted somehow by the relentless pursuit of his enemies. Consequently, he calls upon the Lord again to be his refuge and rock, his strong fortress and deliverer. It is his fervent trust in the Lord that seems to be the primary theme of this psalm and the one that he commends to…

Psalm 30 Pastor Mark Hudson The superscription of this Psalm is ‘a song at the dedication of the temple [actually ‘house’]’ yet David never dedicated the temple since he was not allowed to build it.  David was not alive when the temple was finished.  The other interesting aspect of the superscription and the Psalm is that there is little talk of offerings, sacrifices, and religious words associated with the temple.  This is not a Psalm…

Psalm 29 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Similarly to Psalm 8, where David gazes at the stars of heaven in wonder and awe, giving thanks that the Lord is mindful of him in the midst of His vast creation, in this psalm he is mesmerized by the raw power and fury of a great thunderstorm sweeping across the plains, standing before it in fear and reverence for the voice of the Lord that thunders forth from…

Psalm 28 Pastor Mark Hudson There are various groupings in the Psalms.  You already know that the entire collection of Psalms are grouped together in 5 books. 1-41             Book One 42-72           Book Two 73-90           Book Three 91-106         Book Four 107-150       Book Five Then there are other groupings within those sections.  We have one small group of Psalms in 26-28.  As Derek Kidner notes, “In each of Psalms 26-28 the Lord’s house come into…

Psalm 27 Pastor David Groendyk The one word you could use to describe the tone of this psalm is ‘confident’. Even though David is not free from trials and enemies, he has a certain expectation and hope that his prayers will be answered and that the Lord will deliver him. Many Christians love Psalm 27 and have verse 1 (or more) memorized. It is a rousing introduction to this psalm, and it’s a message that…

Psalm 26 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Psalm 26 is the first of three psalms in which David speaks of standing in the house of the Lord, and in this particular psalm David is evaluating his ability to stand before God. As he offers himself and his sacrifice before the Lord, he is asking for the Lord to vindicate him or to justify him in his sight. He knows that he is not perfect and can…

Psalm 25 Pastor Mark Hudson One way to see the structure of Psalm 25 is as follows: 1-7     Prayer of confidence in God and repentance 8-14   Confidence in God’s covenantal love 15-21 Prayer for help to God 22      Prayer for all believers As a reader of the Bible knows, there is not one outline everyone agrees on.  Yet, this is a simple outline that we can use.  This Psalm is sometimes called an individual lament,…

Psalm 24 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Sometimes referred to as an entrance psalm, Psalm 24 was likely used when the Ark of the Covenant was first brought to Jerusalem. As David is witnessing this long-awaited event, the thought comes to his mind that the king of all the world, who created it in wisdom and glory is about to take up his abode in the city of Zion. And as God’s people are ushering the…

Psalm 22 Pastor David Groendyk This psalm is a great lament, but it is also a great encouragement to the people of God. No one should ever say that the Bible doesn’t understand the human condition and the human experience. Psalm 22 knows us very well. The presenting issue is that David’s enemies surround him and try to kill him. He’s being ganged up on with no way of escape. However, the greater lament in…

Psalm 21 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Psalms 20 and 21 are meant to be read together, representing a prayer on behalf of the king before and after an important battle. In Psalm 20, the people pray that God would answer the prayers of their king and help him in the day of trouble. In Psalm 21, they give praise to God for saving their king and giving him strength in battle. In Psalm 20:4, they…

Psalm 20 Pastor Mark Hudson Ps 20 seems like such a happy Psalm.  It appears to be a royal Psalm that is said before the king goes off to battle.  You can discern breaks like 1-5     Congregation to the king/ a corporate invocation of blessing 6-8     The certainty of God’s answer from the king 9        Final prayer for the king (Derek Kidner) Or 1-5     Intercessory prayer for the king 6        Declaration from a priest,…

Psalm 19 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Systematic theologians carefully distinguish between natural and supernatural revelation. Natural revelation refers to God's glory manifested "naturally" in His creation, while supernatural revelation refers to what has been revealed by God through prophecy in the Holy Scriptures. In this wisdom psalm, David praises the Lord for both aspects of His revelation, focusing on the former in vv. 1-6 and the latter in vv. 7-11, then concluding with a corresponding…

Psalm 18 Pastor Mark Hudson Psalm 18 is the longest Psalm of Book One (1-72).  We have this same Psalm in II Samuel 22.  This is a Psalms of praise beginning with praise to God in vs. 1-6 and ending in vs. 46-50 (Robert Godfrey).  There are many ways to divide the Psalm up.  Kidner sees: 1-3               The refuge 4-19             The rescue 20-30           His way is perfect 31-45           Victory and rout 46-50           Doxology Godfrey’s outline…

Psalm 17 Pastor David Groendyk David prays in this psalm for vindication. As the ESV Study Bible says, this appears to be occasioned by suffering from an unjust accusation of wrongdoing by a worldly enemy. Although we may not all experience that exact situation, this psalm is quite instructive for how all of us can pray to God for rescue. Meshing together a couple of different commentaries, there is a striking pattern in this prayer,…

Psalm 16 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Even though the first and only petition David offers in this psalm is one of protection or deliverance from some unspoken threat that could potentially end in his death, the vast majority of it seems to be a prayer of praise in joyous confidence that the Lord will continue to be his delight in life. Initially, he asks God to preserve his life for He knows that God is…

Psalm 15 Pastor Mark Hudson The question of who may worship God might strike many of us as unusual.  We are always welcoming people, inviting any and all to join the church.  For us, the more the merrier.  We also have a theological bent that includes everyone.  To be a follower of Jesus Christ, one does not have to keep kosher, be circumcised, or obey a long list of commands and rules.  In fact, this…