Psalm 35:1-10

In putting these readings schedules together I’m never quite sure how to break up these longer Psalms. I originally scheduled verses 1-16 for today. The better breaks for Psalm 35 are 1-10, 11-18, and 19-28. One of my Study Bibles suggests that each of these sections is its own self-contained lament. You may recall the elements of a lament: a cry for help; the psalmist’s situation; expression of confidence; protestation of innocence or prayer for vindication; and grateful recognition for God’s help. We can see these in each of those three sections of Psalm 35. So today, a focus on 1-10.

Each of those lament items is in these ten verses. I’ll let you find them yourselves. I have just a few other comments. Three times in today’s verses we find the same word/phrases repeated – their “net” in verses 7 and 8, “the angel of the Lord” in verses 5 and 6, and “the poor” in verse 10. I see “the net” in David’s time as landmines and roadside IEDs in today’s world. Their “net” was designed to capture; today’s mines are designed to kill. Unfortunately that killing often results in civilian lives lost, especially children. The UN adopted a “Mine Ban Treaty” in 1997. Countries failing to sign this Treaty include China, Egypt, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and, perhaps surprisingly, the United States.

The ”angel of the Lord” appears today fighting against David’s enemies. We also see this “angel of the Lord” undertaking any number of other activities. An Internet search found that phrase in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Judges, Zechariah, Matthew, Luke, and Acts. A busy “angel of the Lord”…

Finally, “the poor”, also translated as the afflicted or the needy. It seems to me that God has a special place in His heart for the poor, the afflicted, the needy. We need to follow His lead.

Psalm 34:11-22

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. (v. 13) These words are true enough. James confirms them graphically in his epistle: If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire. And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:3-10)

So yes, true enough. But what I was considering, instead, was my mind and my thoughts instead of my tongue and my lips. If I substitute thought and mind in either today’s verse or James 3, I pretty much come up with the same conclusions. The following verses from James are especially relevant: With our mind and our thoughts we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mind come blessing and cursing. (James 3:9-10) I may not be actively cursing people, but I am critical and judgmental all too often. God gave us minds to bless Him and to do good. We need (I need!) to Keep our minds from evil and our thoughts from speaking deceit.

Psalm 34:1-10

We’ve had so many laments; finally today we get a Psalm that is full of praise! In fact, the first four verses make up a worship song familiar to many of us; it’s hard to read those words without singing them!

So many of today’s verses are straightforward. However, I fear that the second half of verse 10 can easily be misunderstood: The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. It’s easy to think that “no good thing” reflects things that we want, that we somehow feel that the Lord would desire for us. But we don’t know His mind or why He does what He does. Instead of asking for that “good thing” we need always to be seeking His will for whatever “good thing” He has in mind for us. There is a second caveat for verse 10b: No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11b) For us to attain to whatever is that “good thing” that He has in mind for us, we truly need to be seeking Him. But I pray for us that we can attain to His “good things”!

Psalm 33:13-22

From yesterday’s reading: Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD… (v. 12a) David was speaking of the nation Israel. Today we might think of our own country – and I fear that for too many in the United States, God is not their Lord. Power, status, money…, whatever! Movies are full of sex, violence, filthy language. I’m not surprised at the Arab nations and their hatred for what they see as our way of life. But even as I speak these words my own self-righteousness, my own judgmental attitude is coming through. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone… (John 8:7, edited).

I see Russia and Ukraine in so many verses today, especially in verses 16 and 17. Ukraine will certainly depend on its own defenses, but will ultimately be delivered through the power of prayer from believers around the world. And in a negative sense, Russia cannot control Ukraine or any other people through their might. God is stronger than their army, their strength, their war horse. We need to pray for Ukraine daily – multiple times daily. Oh Lord…!

Psalm 33:1-12

Ever since Tom saw Ukraine in one of our Psalms a few days ago I have seen the Ukraine situation on a number of occasions, especially when deliverance is an issue. Today it was not deliverance, but simply the Lord’s power over nations. We see that in verses 10-12 today and we’ll continue that theme through much of tomorrow’s reading. Verse 10 especially stands out: The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. It seems to many of our national leaders that Putin thought that he could roll right through Ukraine. He had no idea of the amount of resistance he would face. Now his ground forces seem to be stalled and he is relying on his citizen-killing missiles. I believe that the Lord has “frustrated the plans” of this man. GLORY!!

Psalm 32

It’s a bit of a quandary. I keep saying “My Study Bible this…or My Study Bible that…”, and it gets a bit old. But I have to do the referencing since it’s not something that I’ve seen myself. So bear with me. Today my Study Bible pointed out three sets of repetitions, in verses 1-2a and again in verse 5. First, in the early verses, transgression is forgiven … sin is covered … the LORD counts no iniquity, then from verse 5, my sin … my iniquity … my transgressions. David covers both sides here, with repetition emphases on both sides – sin and forgiveness. In between he expresses the key that links the two – confession – with another triad: I acknowledged … I did not cover … I will confess …(also v. 5). Nothing more to say!

Psalm 31:14-24

David continues his lament. My focus today is on Ps. 31:19-20, with a focus on four verbs describing the Lord’s activity in our lives: He has stored up abundant goodness for His people; His people take refuge in Him; He hides them; and He stores them in His shelter. As a precursor to His later activities, the Lord has already prepared for His people whatever they need. Eventually they seek to take refuge in Him. He first hides them from the immediate danger, then he places them in some other location where they can be assured safety.

I remember reading The Hiding Place, the true story of Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch woman who with her family sheltered and saved many Jews from Nazi persecution. An architect had built a secret room in the Ten Boom home, a “hiding place”, set off by a false wall camouflaged to look like a normal house wall. Jews in their city learned of the Ten Boom family’s protection and sought refuge in their home. The Ten Boom family first hid them in that secret place, then together with other Dutch resistance people helped them to escape more fully to England and other locations. Corrie and her sister and father were eventually arrested and sent to concentration camps where her sister and father died. She was released based on a clerical error and later became a well-known Christian writer and speaker. We could easily find similar parallels in Ukrainians today escaping from the Russian onslaught.

To me the interesting part of this full activity is that the Lord has already prepared in advance what we need: Oh, how abundant is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You… (v. 19a). The Lord knows our needs well in advance of our calling out to Him. We can pray with confidence in our difficulties, knowing that He is well aware of what is going on in our lives. His goodness is already stored up for us.

Psalm 31:1-13

I’ve got a number of comments for today’s Psalm, a couple of them from my Study Bibles. First, I don’t ever recall reading all the elements of a lament, but one of my Study Bibles listed them out:

• A cry for help (vv. 1-5)
• The psalmist’s situation (v. 4)
• Expression of confidence (v. 5)
• Protestation of innocence or prayer for vindication (v. 6)
• Grateful recognition for God’s help (vv. 7-8)

This lament is then repeated with the same elements in the second half of the Psalm – tomorrow!

So, in reading today’s Psalm, how many of you see Job? He’s right there, in verses 9-13! His own lament, before laments were ever formalized in the Psalms! I really see him in verses 11-12: Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. We can see all the elements of a lament as we read back through Job. It’s always nice when the Bible supports itself.

Finally, Jesus quotes v. 5a from the cross: Into your hand I commit my spirit; (Luke 23:46) He knew His psalms!

Psalm 30

The header for today’s Psalm says “A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple”, but there is nothing in the Psalm that even hints at a temple dedication. The closest the Psalm comes to the temple is in verse 7 where David says, “…you made my mountain stand strong…”, since David was living on the mountain that is Jerusalem and was preparing materials for Solomon to build the temple. So, a strange title.

David seems almost arrogant in verses 6 and 7a: As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” By Your favor, O LORD, You made my mountain stand strong; , especially his quote, “I shall never be moved.” But then it seems that the Lord took him down: …You hid Your face; I was dismayed. (v. 7b) I’ve seen this scenario time and again in my life – things are going well and I am pleased, probably over-pleased with myself, then it all comes crashing down! Twice it happened to me in the last three months; I won’t recount those incidents here, but suffice to say that I was well-pleased with “where I was”, then things went upside down! It is so often the case that when we get too full of ourselves that God reminds us of who He is and of His desire to work in our lives. We need to remember that on the front end, praise and thanksgiving for who He is; there would be less repentance needed later!

Psalm 29 All the imagery in Ps. 29:3-9 suggests a mighty storm – a tornado or hurricane, even – with thunder and lightning, trees set on fire or splintered and uprooted. These storms must have been fearful to ancient peoples; even a mighty storm short of a tornado or hurricane could cause severe damage. Today we are less fearful as we sit in our well-built, sturdy homes; even tornado warnings induce only a casual glance or get ignored completely. Then the worst happens – hurricanes and wildfires – and we see God’s power and we cry to Him for deliverance.

David, in his closing verses (having recognized the power that is his God, Yahweh) gives the Lord the glory due Him: …and in His temple all cry, “Glory!” (v. 9b) He recognizes God as the King, enthroned as Lord over all and he sees His people as fully blessed with strength and peace. I’m afraid that with our modern science and technology we can be almost immune to God’s work in our natural world. It seems to me that they knew better back then than we know today…