Is God’s glory all wrapped up in our salvation, or is our salvation all wrapped up in God’s glory? Asaph helps us find the answer in Psalm 79. He begins with a declaration of the desperate state of the Church. 1 O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. 2 The dead bodies of Your servants They have given as food for the birds of the heavens, The flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth. 3 Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem, And there was no one to […]

Why do we set a day aside, once a week to come before the LORD God, to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, to pray, and to hear the word of God expounded around the work of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit? Because we need a constant reminder that God is good. Psalm 78 reminds us. 1 Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told […]

Dear Reader, as the LORD has been in your past, so shall He be in your future. Some days, does it seem otherwise? Listen to Asaph, at first, cry out. 7 Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? 8 Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Having sung of his sorrow, Asaph now looks behind him, to see, in fact, that the LORD has been there. 10 And I said, “This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand […]

Are you overrun? Are you oppressed? Are you abused? Has the world taken control of your life? Are your sins many? Is the salvation cheap? Has the devil got a hold of you and refuses to let go. Psalm 76 is for you, dear reader. At Verses 1-3, we note the reality and location of the Judge who shall avenge you. 1 In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. 2 In Salem also is His tabernacle, And His dwelling place in Zion. 3 There He broke the arrows of the bow, The shield and sword of battle. At Verses 4-6, we note His power […]

Beloved, God is in charge. This is the song Asaph sings at Psalm 75. He begins rightly, by giving thanks. 1 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near. Then he captures the declarations of God. They are grace to the faithful and warning to boastful. 2 “When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly. 3 The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly. Selah 4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn. 5 Do not […]

How often, the world mocks God. This, Asaph contemplates at Psalm 74. 1 O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? 2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed— This Mount Zion where You have dwelt. 3 Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. 4 Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place; They set up their banners for signs. 5 They seem like men who lift up Axes among the thick trees. 6 And now they break down […]

Dear Reader, What do you do when others, who are godless, excel beyond your capabilities? Asaph examines the question at Psalm 73. 1 Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. On the one hand, 12 Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches. But on the other hand, 19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. In this, Asaph has understood that […]

Dear Reader, Psalm 72 begins with these words: “A Psalm of Solomon.” Traditionally we assume such words to indicate the author, but the psalm ends this way: 20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. Therefore we glean that this Psalm is not written by Solomon, but by David, about Solomon. And he prays, 1Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son. 2 He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice. 3 The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness. 4 He will bring justice […]

Dear Reader, God is your Deliverer. This is the message, the psalmist of Psalm 71 has for you. 1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. 2 Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. 4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. Because the LORD God delivers, we are to call upon Him in our times of need. 12 O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to […]

Dear Reader, When times are overwhelming, Psalm 70 is a prayer, you can pray. It is a short prayer. Perhaps David’s adversaries were at the door, as it were, and he only had a minute to compose. He begins by calling upon the LORD, his God, in urgency. 1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me!Make haste to help me, O Lord! If we know the David of Scripture, we know that he had many enemies. He continues to cry out to his God, in light of all those who pursue his life. 2 Let them be ashamed and confoundedWho seek my life;Let them […]