Along The Way (May 12th - 18th)
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May 12th
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Psalm 88
Prayer for Help in Despondency
A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites. To the leader: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
O Lord, God of my salvation, at night, when I cry out before you, let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.
For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am like those who have no help, like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand. You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves.
You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call on you, O Lord; I spread out my hands to you. Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise up to praise you? Is your steadfast love declared in the grave or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?
But I, O Lord, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. O Lord, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from me? Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am desperate. Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day long; from all sides they close in on me. You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness.
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Psalm 88 is an individual complaint. The main theme of the Psalm is having confidence in the midst of suffering. The Psalm shows remarkable parallels to Job, especially in the Psalmist’s personal affliction and abandonment.
May 13th
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Psalm 89
God’s Covenant with David
A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations. I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to my servant David: ‘I will establish your descendants forever and build your throne for all generations.’ “
Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and awesome above all who are around him? O Lord God of hosts, who is as mighty as you, O Lord? Your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it — you founded them. The north and the south — you created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name. You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance; they exult in your name all day long and extol your righteousness. For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted. For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one and said, “I have set the crown on one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him; my hand shall always remain with him; my arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name his horn shall be exalted. I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!’ I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. Forever I will keep my steadfast love for him, and my covenant with him will stand firm. I will establish his line forever and his throne as long as the heavens endure. If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my ordinances, if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with scourges, but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips. Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. His line shall continue forever, and his throne endure before me like the sun. It shall be established forever like the moon, an enduring witness in the skies.”
But now you have spurned and rejected him; you are full of wrath against your anointed. You have renounced the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown in the dust. You have broken through all his walls; you have laid his strongholds in ruins. All who pass by plunder him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors. You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice. Moreover, you have turned back the edge of his sword, and you have not supported him in battle. You have removed the scepter from his hand and hurled his throne to the ground. You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with shame.
How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? Remember how short my time is — for what vanity you have created all mortals! Who can live and never see death? Who can escape the power of Sheol?
Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David? Remember, O Lord, how your servant is taunted, how I bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples, with which your enemies taunt, O Lord, with which they taunted the footsteps of your anointed.
Blessed be the Lord forever. Amen and Amen.
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Psalm 89 is a communal lament and is a Psalm of the Davidic covenant. It laments that although God made an eternal covenant with the house of David, the dynasty seemed abandoned.
May 14th
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Psalm 90 & 91
God’s Eternity and Human Frailty
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You turn us back to dust and say, “Turn back, you mortals.” For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past or like a watch in the night.
You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh. The days of our life are seventy years or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
Turn, O Lord! How long? Have compassion on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us and as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be manifest to your servants and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and prosper for us the work of our hands — O prosper the work of our hands!
Assurance of God’s Protection
You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the hunter and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and defense. You will not fear the terror of the night or the arrow that flies by day or the pestilence that stalks in darkness or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them and show them my salvation.
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Psalm 90 is a communal lament and a song of wisdom based on the prayer of Moses during Israel’s wanderings in the desert. In this Psalm the community called on God for mercy but in the tradition of wisdom, literature the song, strongly emphasizes the shortness of human life.
Psalm 91 is a song of life and light. It is an oracle Psalm and a song of wisdom. In this Psalm God extends the promise of protection to all who turn to Him. It is believed that Moses composed this Psalm while ascending into the cloud hovering over Mount Sinai, at which time he recited these words as protection from the angels of destruction. In Jewish thought, Psalm 91 conveys the themes of God's protection and rescue from danger.
May 15th
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Psalm 92 & 93
Thanksgiving for Vindication
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath Day.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High, to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep! The dullard cannot know; the stupid cannot understand this: though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever, but you, O Lord, are on high forever. For your enemies, O Lord, for your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have anointed me with fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap, showing that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
The Majesty of God’s Rule
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved; your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the Lord!
Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.
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Psalm 92 is a song of praise for the Sabbath day. In Psalm 92, we see various aspects of Thanksgiving. Verses 1 and 2 remind us to be thankful not just for what God does for us, but first and foremost for who He is. He is the Lord. Giving thanks to God helps us remember how good He has been to us and helps keep our focus on Him.
Psalm 93 is a praise song of the Lord’s reign. The stability of the Lord’s reign is the security of all who trust in Him. The Psalm focuses particularly on God as Creator and Sustainer of the creation. The Psalm declares the majesty and strength of God that firmly establishes the world for eternity.
May 16th
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Psalm 94 & 95
God the Avenger of the Righteous
O Lord, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve! O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the stranger; they murder the orphan, and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise? The Lord knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my stronghold and my God the rock of my refuge. He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.
A Call to Worship and Obedience
O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.” Therefore in my anger I swore, “They shall not enter my rest.”
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Psalm 94 is a communal lament and a song of trust. Distress over crimes of the wicked gives way to confidence in God’s justice. The Psalmist begins with simple and profound recognition that vengeance belongs to God. He sees and judges righteously among the people and will bring vengeance as appropriate.
The central theological message of Psalm 95 is that “the Lord is a great King.” To recognize God's kingship is to recognize that God created us and sustains us. For that reason, God is worthy of our praise. The Psalm also suggests that our praise is more than words lifted heavenward.
May 17th
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Psalm 96 – 99
Praise to God Who Comes in Judgment
O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord; bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, “The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar and all that fills it; let the field exult and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his truth.
The Glory of God’s Reign
The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his adversaries on every side. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples behold his glory. All servants of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him. Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice because of your judgments, O God. For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
Praise the Judge of the World
A Psalm.
O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
Let the sea roar and all that fills it, the world and those who live in it. Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.
You who love the Lord, hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked. Light dawns for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
Praise to God for His Holiness
The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he! Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Extol the Lord our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!
Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the Lord, and he answered them. He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees and the statutes that he gave them.
O Lord our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them but an avenger of their wrongdoings. Extol the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.
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The main message of Psalm 96 is that God is worthy of praise and that the Lord God of Israel rules over all the earth, and its people must bow to Him. In this context, the word “give” means to recognize and to declare the glory and strength that belongs to God in all His being. This is the great missionary song of the Bible.
Psalm 97 is a song of the Lord’s reign. The Psalm foreshadows the messianic era when God will reign supreme over the earth. Its verses reference God's sovereignty, His enactment of justice, and the widespread rejoicing that will follow. The power of the Lord is awesome enough to melt even the mountains.
Psalm 98 describes God's redemption of Israel and the rejoicing that will follow. It also features many expressions and instruments of music and song. This Psalm is a variant of Psalm 96 and follows the same missionary theme. All the world, not Israel alone, must submit to the Lord.
Psalm 99 is a song of the Lord’s reign. The Psalm shows us that holiness on our part has little, if anything, to do with personal piety or religiosity. Instead, be different because the Lord your God is different. The Lord of heaven and earth has chosen Israel as His people and from them has taken His priests and prophets. All the nations, therefore, should acknowledge Him as the sole God and worship at His Mountain – meaning the holy place where God dwells!
May 18th
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Psalm 100 & 101
All Lands Summoned to Praise God
A Psalm of thanksgiving.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him; bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations.
A Sovereign’s Pledge of Integrity and Justice
Of David. A Psalm.
I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing. I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it?
I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is base.
I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate.
I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.
Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the Lord.
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Psalm 100 is a processional hymn and a Psalm of Thanksgiving. The people may have chanted this Psalm as they entered the Temple or began their worship. Psalm 100 is an exhortation to praise - to lay everything aside that hinders us and make a joyful noise to the Lord. God doesn't care if we sing or squeak as long as we are opening our mouths and giving Him praise with a cheerful and glad heart.
Psalm 101 is a prayerful Psalm and the main message of the Psalm is that in resolving to remain faithful to God, the Psalmist pledges to keep himself from association with evil doers and abide with the righteous. Psalm 101 is a great place to start, and it gives us an outline and starting point to cultivate a God-centered life. David starts Psalm 101 by praising God for who He is and worshiping Him in truth. He resolves that he will be deliberate in the way that he follows the Lord.