Psalm 123 The fourth of the “Songs of Ascents”. Psalm 123 reads more like a lament than a song of ascents! It’s got the psalmist’s situation (contempt of the proud, v. 4), his cry for help (v. 3), and an expression of confidence in Who the Lord is (v. 1). However, the Psalm is missing …
Author Archives: Fred
October 29 / Psalm 122
Psalm 122 A clear topic today, folks – Jerusalem. I can picture Galileans singing this song as they began their three-day journey to Jerusalem to celebrate one of the annual feasts. We could even imagine Jesus as a boy or as a young man joining in praying and singing this Psalm. Carol and I have …
October 28 / Psalm 121
Psalm 121 A second “Song of Ascents”. There are a number of very familiar verses in this short Psalm – for me, verses 1-4, 6, 8. I am particularly fond of verse 4: Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. It’s comforting to know that our God is a 100% God. Part …
October 27 / Psalm 120
Psalm 120 Only seven verses, following on Psalm 119’s 176 verses! Today’s psalm begins with the heading, “A Song of Ascents”. We see this today and we’ll see it for the next fourteen psalms (Psalms 120-134). Scholars have suggested one of two meanings for these headings. The first is a suggestion that these psalms are …
October 26 / Psalm 119:161-176
Psalm 119:161-176 Psalm 119, Day 11, the end. It seems fitting to me that the focus I see in today’s reading is praise. See Ps. 119:164,171,172,175. This has been a joyful 11-day trip for me through Psalm 119. Seeing the psalmist’s use of all those synonyms and his alphabetic acrostic mode… Even though we don’t …
October 25 / Psalm 119:145-160
Psalm 119:145-160 Psalm 119, Day 10. God’s Law is eternal. The psalmist closes each stanza in today’s reading (Ps. 119:152,160) with this truth. When God gave Moses and the Israelites the Ten Commandments, they weren’t something that He had just dreamed up for the moment. These commandments are eternal practices that give life; they’re not …
October 24 / Psalm 119:129-144
Psalm 119:129-144 Psalm 119, Day 9. Thinking again about those synonyms for the Law… Here they are again, the ones that I listed on Day 1: “commands” / “commandments”, “decrees”, “judgments”, “precepts”, “statutes”, “testimonies”, (Your) “ways”, (Your) “word”. What I did not say back on Day 1 is that each of these words has a …
October 23 / Psalm 119:113-128
Psalm 119:113-128 Psalm 119, Day 8. I’m on a bit of a kick where I see items repeated. Two days ago it was affliction; yesterday it was knowledge/understanding. Today it’s evildoers, the “wicked of the earth” (Ps. 119:115,118,119,126). Notice that it’s not the psalmist’s oppressors from Ps. 119:121,122; it’s very simply those who have broken …
October 22 / Psalm 119:97-112
Psalm 119:97-112 Psalm 119, Day 7. Yesterday the psalmist had four verses in one stanza on affliction. Today he has four verses in one stanza devoted to knowledge/understanding (Ps. 119:98,99,100,104). Knowledge makes him wiser than his enemies, his teachers, and the aged. All this through following and keeping the Law. A good plan…!
October 21 / Psalm 119:81-96
Psalm 119:81-96 Psalm 119, Day 6, passing the halfway point on this Psalm! We had a discussion in Freedom Road yesterday on a phrase from the Serenity Prayer, “…accepting hardship as a pathway to peace…”. I had recalled Ps. 119:71 from yesterday’s reading: It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might …