PSALMS — The book of Psalms is the hymnbook and prayer book of the Bible 73 are credited to King David. Luther says, “The Psalter ought to be a precious and beloved book, if for no other reason than this: it promises Christ’s death and resurrection so clearly and pictures His kingdom and the condition and nature of all Christendom that it might well be called a little Bible.”
Monday, November 8, Psalm 1
Vv. 1-3 — Three characteristics of a Christian are: 1) He opposes sin (v. 1); 2) He loves the Word (v. 2); 3) He produces fruits of faith (good works). (v. 3)
- 2 — In this Psalm and in many other passages of the Bible, the “Law of the Lord” refers to the whole Word of God, both Law and Gospel.
Vv. 4-6 — The wicked, the ungodly, will be sentenced to hell on Judgment Day. They will not join the assembly of saints in heaven. Read Mark 16:16.
Tuesday, November 9, Psalm 2
- 2 — This Psalm pictures more than the reign of an earthly king. Note the phrase, “Anointed One.” In Hebrew that is “Messiah,” in Greek: “Christ.” This is a Messianic Psalm, a song that points ahead to Christ.
- 3 — The chains and fetters that world leaders and liberal church leaders want to break and throw off are the moral principles of God’s Law and salvation alone through faith in Jesus Christ.
- 6 — “Zion” was the site of the temple in Jerusalem. The defeat of the enemies of God would take place at Calvary, just outside of Jerusalem.
- 12 — A kiss is a sign of submission. Submission to an Assyrian king was expressed by kissing his feet. Whose rule all are to submit to is God’s Son, Jesus Christ. To procrastinate would be extremely dangerous.
Wednesday, November 10, Psalm 3 and 4
Vv. 5-6 — Psalms 3-6 may have been written by David during Absalom’s rebellion. Why can we sleep soundly at night even
though our enemies besiege us? That’s because the Lord sustains us and sends His mighty, massive army of angels to protect us. Read Rev. 5:11; Ps. 91:11-12 and II Chron. 32:20-21; Is. 37:36-38.
Psalm 4 Vv. 3, 6-8 — When we are in great distress and people say, “Who can show us any good?” David reminds us why we can still be happy. God hasn’t forsaken us (v. 3 and Heb. 13:5). He fills our hearts with joy (v. 7). He will protect us (v. 8). At the height of Absalom’s rebellion when things looked bleak for David, God came through for him in the ways we just mentioned.
Thursday, November 11, Psalm 5
- 9 — How can anyone’s throat be an open grave? It certainly can be when what spews out of a person’s mouth are words that are deceitful, filthy, immoral and worst of all, would turn us away from Jesus Christ, who alone is the Way, the Truth and Eternal Life.\
- 11 — Only when we take refuge in God can we sing for joy forever. Why is that? For the answer read I Peter 1:3-5.
Friday, November 12, Psalm 6
- 6 — Sorrow over sin can lead to what happened to David in v. 6. God, however, doesn’t leave us in that depressed state. He assures us that through His unfailing love, as we turn to the cross of Jesus Christ, our sins are all forgiven. Read Ps. 103:2,3, 11-12 as proof of that.
- 9 — This is the first of David’s 7 penitential psalms. It probably was written after Adonijah’s conspiracy described in I Kings 1. That God dries our tears of repentance can be seen in v. 9. The absolute assurance of that is in these words of Jesus, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28
Saturday, November 13, Psalms 7
Psalm 7:17 — Like David, we can rejoice in the Lord’s righteousness. “In His righteousness, sinlessness, God punished Jesus in our place and counted His sacrifice on the cross for our benefit.” It is because of Jesus’ righteousness that we can stand before God forgiven and sing God’s praises in this life and eternally in heaven. (Rom. 4:24-25)