30-Psalms 101 – 143

Psalms 101 – 143

Jul. 18, 2009

We will continue our study this week in the Book of Psalms in Psalm 101. Over the past several weeks we have looked at many Psalms and how they relate man’s view of God, and His of man. The common theme we have seen is that the Lord is eternal. He is the Creator and Judge of the Earth. We have also seen that one day the Lord will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. This day is coming soon so I hope that everyone who reads or hears these words has accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, so they will be counted on the side of the righteous! We will start this week with Psalm 101. This Psalm was written by David and in it he professes his right ways. He says he will always praise the Lord and destroy those who go against Him. This is a different attitude from what Jesus teaches us in the New Testament. As followers of Jesus we are taught to pray for our enemies, and not seek their destruction. Psalm 102 is the plea of a man for mercy on himself and on Jerusalem. The man is repentant for what has happened in Israel and how God’s people turned from Him. In Psalm 103 David lists the mercies of the Lord on His people. David starts the Psalm in an attitude of worship in verse 1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” Another important attribute of God’s, for our sake, is written in verse 8 “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness.” We are also told in verse 12 what the Lord has done with our sin if we have placed our trust in His Son. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 104 speaks of God’s works. The words give us an image of the splendor and majesty of our God. A good verse for us to remember is verse 34. “Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; as for me, I shall be glad in the Lord.” Psalm 105 is also about God’s works. In this Psalm the Lord’s works for Israel, His people are listed. Over and over in God’s Word He asks for us to remember. The purposes of these Psalms were to aid the people in remembrance of what the Lord has done. Psalm 106 is also to Israel, but in this Psalm Israel’s rebellious nature is listed. The author wanted to remind Israel to change their ways because the Lord blessed them even in their rebellion. The Psalmist knew the Lord’s patience with His people would not last forever. This Psalm ends the fourth of the five ancient books that make up the Book of Psalms. Psalm 107 speaks of how the Lord has delivered man from many troubles. He gives a command in verse 1-2 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving-kindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.” We should all remember to tell others of the goodness of the Lord because He has also redeemed us! Psalm 108 is a Psalm of David where he asks the Lord for victory over his enemies in the land. He speaks for the Lord in the Psalm where God declares His ownership over the people who would go up against David. Psalm 109 is another Psalm of David where he asks the Lord for vengeance over his enemies. David here also gives God advice on how to deal with those who have hurt him. Psalm 110 by David is full of prophecy. The entire Psalm speaks of Jesus Christ and what He will do on the Earth during His second coming. Verse 1 alone is quoted in the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Hebrews, Ephesians, and Colossians. “The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” Psalm 111 is a Psalm of praise to the Lord. Many of the Psalms are specific and address needs, but others, like Psalm 111 is a Psalm of pure worship and praise to the Lord for what He has done. Psalm 112 is a promise of blessing and prosperity to those who fear the Lord. The last verse of the Psalm though, gives a warning of how the wicked will view the Lord’s blessing on His people. “The wicked will see it and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish.” In Psalm 113 the sure road to blessing is revealed. A spirit of humility is the way to be blessed by the Lord. The Psalm also says the Name of the Lord is to be praised “from the rising of the sun to its setting.” In other words at all times! Psalm 114 is a Psalm that speaks about the time the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt. It speaks of the parting of the Red Sea and the Jordan, the trembling of Mount Sinai, when Moses received the Law, and when the Lord brought forth water from the rock. Psalm 115 contrasts idols made by the hands of man with the Living God. The beginning of the Psalm says that although idols appear to have eyes, ears, noses, mouths, hands, and feet, the parts are useless because they are not real. God says that those who worship idols will become just like the lumps of wood , stone, and metal they have made. The last part tells us what worship of the Living God will do. Verses 17-18 tell us the real difference. “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence; But as for us, we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 116 is the prayer of a man who fears death. He pleads to the Lord for his salvation. Verse 15 does say how the Lord feels about the death of his saints. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” Psalm 117 is the shortest Psalm in the Bible. Its two verses exhort all people in all nations to praise the Lord. Psalm 118 is a wonderful Psalm of thanksgiving for the salvation of the Lord. The Psalmist thanks the Lord for what He has done. Verse 8 tells us one of the most important truths in all of God’s word. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” Towards the end of the Psalm is a verse that is quoted often in the New Testament. “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The quoted verse is verse 22. I also continued with verses 23-24 because of the truth in them and how the verses go together. We can see Jesus in verse 27a, “The Lord is God, and He has given us light.” Jesus said in one of His I Am statements in the Gospel of John in Chapter 8:12 “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible and talks about the Psalmists love for God’s Word on almost every line. Eight different names are used for the Word throughout the Psalm, law, testimonies, precepts, commandments, statutes, ordinances, word, and judgments. This Psalm is written in the acrostic form that we spoke about in the beginning of our study through the Psalms. Some key verses to remember that may be familiar are verse 11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”, and verse 105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The Psalm is full of verses that describe the Psalmist’s love for the Word of God. The next fourteen Psalms from Psalm 120 through Psalm 134 are grouped together and are called the “Songs of Ascents.” These songs were sung by the Jewish people as they made their three yearly pilgrimages to God’s temple in Jerusalem during the feasts. Each of the Psalms shows a different aspect of the Lord on their journey and time in Jerusalem. Psalm 120 is a prayer for deliverance. God’s people lived in a land that was still filled with enemies that had not been fully removed from Joshua’s day. In the beginning of their journey they asked the Lord for protection. Psalm 121 continues the theme that the Lord is Israel’s protector. The people knew that their help comes only from the Lord. Psalm 122 is a prayer for the people’s destination. Verse 1 tells us the words that were spoken when the people reached their destination. “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Verse 6 also gives us a promise and a command from the Lord. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Israel and Jerusalem have not been forgotten by the Lord. We should all pray for our brothers and sisters, the Jewish people. Psalm 123 is the Psalmist’s prayer to the Lord for help. It is not for help against enemies, but for help with his own attitude. In Psalm 124 the prayer is for help against an enemy. David does recognize what the Lord has done for Israel in verse 1. “Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say.”

    Psalm 125 is a declaration of comfort in the Lord. Israel is given a promise in verse 2. “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.” The Lord surrounds His people with that “hedge of protection” that we spoke about from the Book of Job and cares about who belongs to Him.

Psalm 126 is a song of thanksgiving for Israel’s release from captivity and the peoples return to their beloved Jerusalem. Psalm 127 states that only what comes from the Lord has any lasting value. The Psalm also speaks of the blessing of children, that they are a gift from God. Psalm 128 says that those who fear the Lord will be blessed. We have often heard the words “fear the Lord” in our study of God’s Word. Fear does not mean that we should be afraid of God, but that we should reverence Him. Psalm 129 is a call to the Lord to deal with the enemies of Zion. Israel had experienced much persecution during its history, but they did have the Lord to rely on. The hope of the Psalmist in Psalm 130 is that the Lord will forgive his sin. An important truth is told in verses 3-4 “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.”

    Psalm 131 speaks of the childlike faith the Lord desires from His people. God wants us to have the same trust and desire for Him as children have for their loving parents.

Psalm 132 is about the Lord’s choice of Zion to be the place where He will dwell with His people. Verse 17-18 is a promise by God on the coming of His Son. “There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed.“His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon himself his crown shall shine.” The first part of the verse also appears in the prophecy of Zacharias in the Gospel of Luke 1:69 at the circumcision of his son, John the Baptist. “And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant” Zacharias was speaking of Jesus before His birth to his wife’s cousin Mary. Psalm 133 tells us how pleasing it is to the Lord when His people live together in peace. We all have enough problems interacting with the world that we should not want to experience the same thing with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Psalm 134 is the last of the Songs of Ascents. In this Psalm the people who serve the Lord during the night are blessed. This Psalm is also a prayer of thanks for the priest’s service before the pilgrims left Jerusalem for their journey home. Psalm 135 is similar to Psalm 115 where the idols of man are contrasted with the Lord. The Psalmist brings out that the signs and wonders of the Lord are real and visible to the senses, where the idols made by man’s hands are inert and silent. In Psalm 136 the Psalmist lists the good works of the Lord towards Israel. After each work in each verse the Psalmist writes “For His loving-kindness is everlasting.” Psalm 137 is a song of sorrow by the Jewish captives in Babylon over the destruction of Jerusalem. The Psalm says the Babylonians would torment the captives and ask them to “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” The Jews could not do this because it would bring back painful memories of their home. The end of the Psalm says that whoever destroys Babylon would be blessed. Psalm 138 was written by David and is a declaration of thanksgiving for the Lord’s favor in his life. David recalls what the Lord has done for him. Psalm 139 is a Psalm that states the truth that the Lord is everywhere at all times and that He knows everything. David writes in this Psalm that the Lord knew your days before you were born. The truth about man is given in verse 14. “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” The last two verses of Psalm 139 are a prayer we should all repeat often. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” In Psalm 140 David again prays for deliverance from his enemies. David also gives the Lord suggestions in verse 10 on what He should do to the wicked. “May burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire, into deep pits from which they cannot rise.” I think we all can be relieved sometimes that the Lord does not listen to those who have been angry with us. Psalm 141 is a prayer that David prayed in the evening to the Lord. He asked the Lord to hear his requests. He asks the Lord for some very important help in verse 3. “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” This verse reminds me of the words of our Lord’s brother James in his book in the New Testament. His words on the tongue are recorded in James 3:5-12 “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.” In Psalm 142 David again is asking for help in his time of trouble. In verse 5 David says what he thinks of the Lord. “I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” We will finish up this week with Psalm 143. In this Psalm David asks the Lord to guide him. In verse 6 he speaks of his thirst for the Lord. “I stretch out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, as a parched land.” David spent his life with a desire to learn more from God and build his relationship with Him. We can see his thoughts, for example, in verse 8 “Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.” He also in this Psalm prays for deliverance. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish up the Book of Psalms and begin Solomon’s Book of Proverbs.