SEPTEMBER 18, 2024 Psalm 60 To the Chief Musician. Set to “Lily of the Testimony.” A Michtam of David. For teaching. When he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, and Joab returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. As the opening says, this psalm was inspired by many of the battles that David, […]
SEPTEMBER 17, 2024 Psalm 59:9-10 I will wait for You, O You his Strength; for God is my defense. My God of mercy shall come to meet me. Waiting on God — it’s not always very easy to do. For us, time is always staring at us in the face, prompting consternation which, in turn, can provoke rash and impulsive […]
SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 Psalm 59:5 Awake to help me, and behold! You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations. There is an interesting midrash (commentary) connected to this verse that looks to the future. However, it begins with this thought: when Israel demanded that Samuel appoint a king […]
SEPTEMBER 15, 2024 Psalm 59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men. Throughout the Bible we see that, when wicked men feel threatened by God’s people, they begin to conspire against them. […]
SEPTEMBER 13, 2024 Psalm 58;10-11 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely He is God who judges in the earth.” There is a belief revealed within rabbinic literature that there are people […]
SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 Psalm 58:3-5 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; they are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear, which will not heed the voice of charmers, charming ever so skillfully. As it is written, “Death and life […]
SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 Psalm 58:1 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men? On the second occasion, when David was presented with the opportunity to slay Saul, instead of taking his life, he took his spear and a water jug that was sitting next to his head. […]
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 Psalm 58 This is the second of the al tashchet “Do Not Destroy” trilogy and is believed to be inspired by the events that occurred after David spared Saul in the cave. For a brief moment, the king briefly acknowledged David’s integrity as opposed to his own. Unfortunately for David, Saul’s tempered […]
SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 Psalm 57:9-11 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth. The verses that comprise the first half of […]
SEPTEMBER 8, 2024 Psalm 57:7-8 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. Imagine you have been betrayed by those who were, at one time, very close to you — family no less. Not only betrayed, […]
SEPTEMBER 7, 2024 Psalm 57:3 He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. Remember; this psalm was written as a result of the unexpected encounter David had with Saul in the cave. Until that moment, David had been ruthlessly […]
SEPTEMBER 6, 2024 Psalm 57:2 I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me. All our lives, we have heard the oft-repeated phrase, “God helps those who help themselves.” In fact, one religion-based pollster cited this as one of the most widely known Bible verses. The problem is this “verse” is […]