The One Year Book of Psalms

By William Petersen, Randy Petersen and Tyndale

This devotional contains all 150 Psalms and 20 other songs in Scripture, divided into daily readings. The readings include helpful background information on the psalm, a related hymn stanza, and an application thought. Biweekly Interludes further aid understanding by explaining things such as acrostic psalms or Hebrew poetic style. Indexes included.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
• Release date: Nov 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781414362298

William Petersen

William hails from Missouri and finds endless inspiration within the natural world for science-fiction, horror and fantasy... A proud member of the St. Louis Area Horror Writers' Society, William's writing has appeared in anthologies from The Bearded Scribe Press and JWK Fiction, as well as in Nebula Rift, Under the Bed, Far Horizons and Calamities Press Literary magazines.

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PREFACE

For millennia people have been singing, reading, praying, and meditating on the Psalms. Through all ages, believers have rejoiced in the Psalms, repented through them, and found immense comfort in them. In the sixth century B.C., Jews in captivity sang them tearfully in Babylon. Five hundred years later Jesus and his disciples sang them in the upper room. Christians in Rome, meeting in secret, began the day by singing Psalm 73 and closed it by singing Psalm 141.

After the persecution of Christians ceased, one church father remarked, Of other Scripture, most men know nothing, but the Psalms are learned by heart and are repeated in homes, streets, and shops. In 1512 Martin Luther began his public career with lectures on the Psalms. In 1620 Pilgrims launched the Mayflower by singing a psalm and landed in the New World singing another one. One of the first books printed in America was the Bay Psalm Book.

The Psalms are exquisite poetry, crisp theology, and stirring history, but they are far more than all that. Most of all, they are intensely personal. The Psalms meet us where we are, and they take us to where we ought to be. You don’t have to dress up for the Psalms. Come as you are. The writers were honest, sometimes embarrassingly honest, about their thoughts and feelings. They were often baffled by what was going on, just as we are. They fell short, just as we do. They got discouraged and disheartened—so what else is new? The Psalms mirror life as it really is, presenting the whole drama of humanity in a few pages. And somehow, when you finish, you end up trusting and praising a God who is your protector, your hope, and your friend.

In preparing this book, we tried to capture the diversity of the Psalms. Besides the Scripture portion from the New Living Translation and the daily devotional reading, you will find an appropriate hymn stanza. We have also added other tidbits, quotes, and facts about particular psalms.

We trust that when you finish this One Year Book of Psalms, you will say along with Martin Luther, I love them all.

We join with the psalmist in saying, How good it is to sing praises to our God, and we thank him for his blessing upon us as we wrote these devotionals. We also want to thank Ardythe Petersen, researcher, collaborator, and organizer; David Barrett, editor; and Warren Wiersbe, encourager and bibliographer.

January

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31

January 1

BOOK ONE (Psalms 1–41)

PSALM 1

¹Oh, the joys of those

who do not follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with scoffers.

²But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants;

day and night they think about his law.

³They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season without fail.

Their leaves never wither,

and in all they do, they prosper.

⁴But this is not true of the wicked.

They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

⁵They will be condemned at the time of judgment.

Sinners will have no place among the godly.

⁶For the LORD watches over the path of the godly,

but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

HIDDEN TREASURES

In A.D. 386 the great Bible translator Jerome began his work in the little town of Bethlehem—almost four centuries after Jesus was born there and fourteen centuries after King David was born there. It took Jerome twenty-three years to complete his translation of the Scriptures from Greek and Hebrew into Latin and thereby fulfill his dream to give my Latin readers the hidden treasures. His translation, the Vulgate, was valued as the authorized Latin version of the Scriptures for centuries.

Jerome loved the entire Bible, but he took special delight in the Psalms. His favorite verse was Psalm 1:2: They delight in doing everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law. Jerome knew, as did the psalmist, that spending time with God’s Word is the key to joyful living.

When Joshua stood on the shores of the Jordan ready to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, he was given a similar message: Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night. . . . Only then will you succeed (Joshua 1:8).

If you want to be joyful, if you wish to be truly successful, make it a priority to study God’s Word this year. Like Jerome’s readers, you will find that God’s Word is full of hidden treasures just waiting to be claimed.

The law of God is my delight,

That cloud by day, the fire by night,

Shall be my comfort in distress

And guide me through life’s wilderness.

JAMES MONTGOMERY

A Word on Words

In Hebrew the word for think about carries the sense of someone gently uttering, as though contemplating and repeating words from an enchanting verse.

Notable Quotable

In the day of his prosperity he sings psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his affliction he comforts himself with promises out of the same book.

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON

January 2

PSALM 2:1-6

¹Why do the nations rage?

Why do the people waste their time with futile plans?

²The kings of the earth prepare for battle;

the rulers plot together

against the LORD

and against his anointed one.

³Let us break their chains, they cry,

and free ourselves from this slavery.

⁴But the one who rules in heaven laughs.

The Lord scoffs at them.

⁵Then in anger he rebukes them,

terrifying them with his fierce fury.

⁶For the LORD declares, "I have placed my chosen king on the throne

in Jerusalem, my holy city."

THE LAST LAUGH

In its first three hundred years the Christian church endured repeated waves of persecution, but perhaps the worst came while Diocletian was emperor of Rome (A.D. 284–305). Convinced that the Christians were conspiring against him, Diocletian sought to annihilate them throughout his empire, and he ordered entire towns to be massacred.

But, as Psalm 2:4 recognizes, the one who rules in heaven is sovereign over the wicked, and he will have the last laugh.

Back home in Diocletian’s palace his own wife and daughter were turning to Christ. And after his death a new emperor by the name of Constantine took the throne. Constantine became a Christian, and Christianity eventually became the favored religion of the entire Roman Empire.

Similarly, in the story of the Exodus, Pharaoh thought he had subdued the Israelites when he ordered the drowning of all their baby boys. Little did he realize that his own daughter would give a princely education to one of those babies, Moses, who would eventually lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Again, God had the last laugh.

You may not have to face a Diocletian or a Pharaoh this year, but you will face opposition to your faith. As you look ahead with perhaps some trepidation, remember that the King of kings and Lord of lords is on your side, and he will have the last laugh.

Our God the Father from his throne

Laughs at their pride, their rage controls

He’ll vex their hearts with pains unknown

And speak in thunder to their souls.

OLD SCOTTISH PSALTER

A Word on Words

In verse 2 the Hebrew word for anointed one is messiah. The Greek word for this is christ.

Bible Networking

There are only three places in Scripture where God is depicted as laughing—here as well as in Psalms 37:13 and 59:8.

Notable Quotable

We should not judge God’s drama until the final act.

THOMAS ADAMS

January 3

PSALM 2:7-12

⁷The king proclaims the LORD’s decree:

"The LORD said to me, ‘You are my son.

Today I have become your Father.

⁸Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,

the ends of the earth as your possession.

⁹You will break them with an iron rod

and smash them like clay pots.’"

¹⁰Now then, you kings, act wisely!

Be warned, you rulers of the earth!

¹¹Serve the LORD with reverent fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

¹²Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry,

and you will be destroyed in the midst of your pursuits—

for his anger can flare up in an instant.

But what joy for all who find protection in him!

DO YOU DEAL WITH EVERYONE THIS WAY?

One night in Jerusalem, God gave his prophet Nathan a message to relay to King David. The message was this: I will be his father, and he will be my son. . . . My unfailing love will not be taken from him (2 Samuel 7:14-15). Quite a message!

When David received the Lord’s message, he was overwhelmed, Who am I, O Sovereign Lord? . . . Do you deal with everyone this way? . . . You know what I am really like. (2 Samuel 7:18-20). Years earlier, when David was only a shepherd boy, God had anointed him to be king. But now God called him his son. To David, it was a higher honor to be God’s son than to be king.

In the New Testament, Jesus is the great fulfillment of this psalm. He is God’s Son (see Matthew 3:17; Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5; 5:5; and 2 Peter 1:17), and, like David, he has been anointed and appointed by God. Unlike David, however, Jesus is also God (John 1:18).

Amazingly, God says that we, too, can become his sons and daughters. The apostle John writes that all who have believed and accepted Jesus Christ have the right to become God’s children (John 1:12). As you read Psalm 2, reflect on the wonderful privilege you have been given to become a child of God through God’s unique Son, and give God praise.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,

To his feet thy tribute bring.

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Who like me his praise shall sing?

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise the everlasting King!

HENRY F. LYTE

Fascinating Fact

The first psalm is the outer door of practical insight with a prophetic close; the second psalm is the inner door of prophetic insight with a practical close.

JOHN KER

January 4

PSALM 3

A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.

¹O LORD, I have so many enemies;

so many are against me.

²So many are saying,

God will never rescue him!

Interlude

³But you, O LORD, are a shield around me,

my glory, and the one who lifts my head high.

⁴I cried out to the LORD,

and he answered me from his holy mountain.

Interlude

⁵I lay down and slept.

I woke up in safety,

for the LORD was watching over me.

⁶I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies

who surround me on every side.

⁷Arise, O LORD!

Rescue me, my God!

Slap all my enemies in the face!

Shatter the teeth of the wicked!

⁸Victory comes from you, O LORD.

May your blessings rest on your people.

Interlude

DANGER SIGNAL

In the sixteenth century the Huguenots of France were known for their psalm singing. They sang when they ate, they sang when they worked, they sang when they worshiped. They even sang when they were persecuted or when they were going into battle. In battle, psalms were chanted whenever sentries took their posts. The chanting of certain psalms signified certain things. Chanting Psalm 3 signaled danger. Whenever a Huguenot heard this psalm, he knew an attack by the enemy was imminent.

That must have been the way David felt when he wrote Psalm 3. His son Absalom was trying to usurp the throne, enemy armies were pursuing him, and he didn’t know which friends he could count on. David and his contingent of soldiers had hastily crossed the Jordan River during the night, not knowing what would happen in the hours of darkness (see 2 Samuel 17:22). The situation seemed hopeless. Despite the anxiety, however, David continued to trust in the Lord as his shield, his glory, and the one who lifted his head.

When danger seems imminent, will you trust God as David did? Will you look to the Lord as your shield, your glory, and the one who lifts your head?

I cried and from his holy hill

He bowed a listening ear.

I called my Father and my God

And he subdued my fear.

ISAAC WATTS

Bible Networking

Read the story of David’s flight from Absalom in 2 Samuel 15–17.

Notable Quotable

Though David had many enemies, the Lord was his shield. Though his enemies were putting him to shame, the Lord was his glory. And though they had publicly humiliated him, the Lord lifted his head high.

MARTIN LUTHER

January 5

PSALM 4

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

¹Answer me when I call,

O God who declares me innocent.

Take away my distress.

Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

²How long will you people ruin my reputation?

How long will you make these groundless accusations?

How long will you pursue lies?

Interlude

³You can be sure of this:

The LORD has set apart the godly for himself.

The LORD will answer when I call to him.

⁴Don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you.

Think about it overnight and remain silent.

Interlude

⁵Offer proper sacrifices,

and trust in the LORD.

⁶Many people say, Who will show us better times?

Let the smile of your face shine on us, LORD.

⁷You have given me greater joy

than those who have abundant harvests of grain and wine.

⁸I will lie down in peace and sleep,

for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.

GOD’S SMILE IN TIGHT SPOTS

Some think David wrote Psalm 4 the evening after he wrote Psalm 3, when Absalom’s army was tightening the noose around David and his soldiers. Others believe it was written during a famine that caused the Israelites to consider following other gods (see verses 6-7).

Regardless of which theory is correct, David was in a tight spot (which is what the Hebrew word for distress in verse 1 literally means) when he wrote this psalm. Yet, despite his difficulties, David basked in God’s smile, and that gave him all the comfort he needed.

About 150 years later Elijah the prophet was in a difficult situation like David’s. He, too, was in a tight spot—faced with starvation on the other side of the Jordan River. But Elijah discovered that God can work in mysterious ways to rescue his people. Elijah was fed by ravens, of all things (1 Kings 17:6).

Throughout history God’s people have continued to experience his peace time and again. Saint Augustine said Psalm 4 should be sung aloud before the whole world as a testimony of the peace God gives in the midst of both inward and outward trouble. Martin Luther agreed. This psalm was a favorite of his. In fact, he asked a composer to put the final verse of this psalm to music so that it could be sung at his funeral. Luther wanted the world to know that he was basking in the peace and confidence of God’s smile.

If you will only let God guide you,

And hope in him through all your ways,

Whatever comes, he’ll stand beside you,

To bear you through the evil days;

Who trusts in God’s unchanging love

Builds on the rock that cannot move.

GEORG NEUMARK

Bible Networking

For more on the light of God’s smile upon us, see Numbers 6:24-26; Psalm 119:135; and 2 Corinthians 4:6.

Notable Quotable

It is better to enjoy him without anything else than to enjoy everything else without him.

WILLIAM SECKER

January 6

PSALMS FOR EVERY SITUATION

The Psalms are honest, poetic expressions of the experiences, thoughts, and emotions of David and others as they followed God. Many of these spiritual songs are also prayers. Various kinds of psalms were written for different purposes and circumstances, and they can generally be grouped into five categories. These categories are listed below along with an example of each.

Individual prayers (often poignant pleas for help)

Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak.

Heal me, LORD, for my body is in agony.

I am sick at heart.

How long, O LORD, until you restore me?

PSALM 6:2-3

Instructional psalms

Come, my children, and listen to me,

and I will teach you to fear the LORD. . . .

Turn away from evil and do good.

Work hard at living in peace with others.

PSALM 34:11, 14

Prayers of the community

Only by your power can we push back our enemies;

only in your name can we trample our foes. . . .

But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor.

You no longer lead our armies to battle.

PSALM 44:5, 9

Hymns of thanksgiving

Let the whole world bless our God

and sing aloud his praises.

Our lives are in his hands,

and he keeps our feet from stumbling.

PSALM 66:8-9

Psalms for special occasions

Your procession has come into view, O God—

the procession of my God and King

as he goes into the sanctuary.

Singers are in front, musicians are behind;

with them are young women playing tambourines.

PSALM 68:24-25

In looking at these various kinds of psalms, we see that God wants us to bring our heart before him in every situation. The Psalms teach us to call upon him in our time of need, both individually and corporately; to praise him when he answers us; to acknowledge him on special occasions; and to learn to obey him and live right.

Perhaps it is because the Psalms speak to all of life that they are so popular. They have been able to touch the hearts of many people in all sorts of circumstances. We can relate to the Psalms very personally, and their honesty endears them to us. More than simply teaching us about God, the Psalms help us express our inmost feelings to God in all of life, reminding us that God has created our emotions as well as our mind and desires that we yield our whole self to him in all things.

The psalmists don’t pretend to have all the answers. Instead, they ask genuine questions and often cry out in agony. In other words, the psalmists are quite human—so much so, in fact, their humanity can almost be embarrassing to us at times. Yet, in spite of all their travail, the psalmists almost always end up praising God because they know he is bigger than their problems and wiser than their questions.

In short, the Psalms are songs to be sung, laments to be cried, prayers to be prayed, and praises to be lifted on high. Let the Psalms speak to your heart this year, whatever you may be feeling. Learn to give God your whole self—heart, mind, and soul—and discover what he desires to teach you in all your circumstances.

* * *

Let us before his presence come

With praise and thankful voice;

Let us sing psalms to him with grace

And make a joyful noise.

OLD SCOTTISH PSALTER

* * *

Elsewhere in the Bible God speaks to us; in the Psalms He helps us speak to Him.

J. C. GREY

* * *

Consider the way you feel today. Which of the five types of psalms would you use to express your thoughts and feelings? Try writing a psalm of your own—an honest expression of your emotions before God.

January 7

PSALM 5:1-6

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute.

¹O LORD, hear me as I pray;

pay attention to my groaning.

²Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,

for I will never pray to anyone but you.

³Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD.

Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

⁴O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;

you cannot tolerate the slightest sin.

⁵Therefore, the proud will not be allowed to stand in your presence,

for you hate all who do evil.

⁶You will destroy those who tell lies.

The LORD detests murderers and deceivers.

WAITING EXPECTANTLY

In World War I, Field Marshal Foch, the Allied commander in chief, could not be found when a military conference was about to start. An officer friend said, I think I know where he might be. Foch was found praying nearby at a bombed-out chapel.

Abraham Lincoln once said, I would be the greatest fool on earth if I did not realize that I could never satisfy the demands of the high office without the help of One who is greater and stronger than I am.

David realized this truth, too. Although he was a powerful king, he daily acknowledged his dependence on someone far greater and stronger than he was.

Not only did David begin each day depending on the Lord, but he waited expectantly throughout the day to see how God would work on his behalf. When you live each day looking upward, God often sends delightful surprises.

You are probably not a field marshal, a president, or a king, but your daily needs are important to the Lord, too. And he is just as eager to assist you as he was to assist Marshal Foch, President Lincoln, or even King David. Depend on him today, and await his surprises.

When we don’t pray, we quit the fight.

Prayer keeps the Christian’s armor bright.

And Satan trembles when he sees

The weakest saint upon his knees.

WILLIAM COWPER

Fascinating Fact

The little word my appears nearly 450 times in the psalms. The psalmist refers to the Lord as my King, my God, my Shepherd, and my Rock, to name a few.

Notable Quotable

Let not our prayers and praises be the flashes of a hot and hasty brain, but the steady burning of a well-kindled fire.

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON

January 8

PSALM 5:7-12

⁷Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;

with deepest awe I will worship at your Temple.

⁸Lead me in the right path, O LORD,

or my enemies will conquer me.

Tell me clearly what to do,

and show me which way to turn.

⁹My enemies cannot speak one truthful word.

Their deepest desire is to destroy others.

Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.

Their speech is filled with flattery.

¹⁰O God, declare them guilty.

Let them be caught in their own traps.

Drive them away because of their many sins,

for they rebel against you.

¹¹But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them sing joyful praises forever.

Protect them,

so all who love your name may be filled with joy.

¹²For you bless the godly, O LORD,

surrounding them with your shield of love.

A REFUGE TO REJOICE

Things didn’t look good for Martin Luther when he was summoned to Augsburg in late October 1518. He was being charged with heresy. Up to this point Frederick the Wise, elector of Saxony, had protected Luther from the church authorities, but now the prince was under pressure to withdraw his protection. It seemed only a matter of time before he would.

In Augsburg, Luther was asked, If the elector of Saxony abandons you, where will you find shelter?

The Reformer responded, Under the shelter of heaven.

In this last part of Psalm 5, we find that David, like Luther, trusted in the Lord to rescue him from his enemies. He took comfort in the fact that God had shown him unfailing love, allowing him to enter the Temple to worship. And it was in this context of worship that David asked for divine guidance.

Did the psalmist escape from the trap? We don’t know, but the psalm closes with joyful praises, because David knew that he was now surrounded by God’s protection (see also Psalm 91:4). Like Martin Luther, he found refuge under the shelter of heaven.

Under his wings, O what precious enjoyment!

There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er.

Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;

Resting in Jesus I’m safe evermore.

WILLIAM O. CUSHING

A Word on Words

Five different Hebrew words are used in the Old Testament for shield, ranging from a small shield on the arm to a large body shield. Verse 12 refers to the largest shield, the kind that Goliath’s armor bearer held (see 1 Samuel 17:7). It protected the whole body.

Bible Networking

Look up Romans 3:13 to see how Paul quotes Psalm 5:9.

January 9

PSALM 6

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.

¹O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your rage.

²Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak.

Heal me, LORD, for my body is in agony.

³I am sick at heart.

How long, O LORD, until you restore me?

⁴Return, O LORD, and rescue me.

Save me because of your unfailing love.

⁵For in death, who remembers you?

Who can praise you from the grave?

⁶I am worn out from sobbing.

Every night tears drench my bed;

my pillow is wet from weeping.

⁷My vision is blurred by grief;

my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

⁸Go away, all you who do evil,

for the LORD has heard my crying.

⁹The LORD has heard my plea;

the LORD will answer my prayer.

¹⁰May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.

May they suddenly turn back in shame.

GETTING THE RIGHT FOCUS

Whenever he was in a no-win situation, the noted reformer John Calvin quoted verse 3 of this psalm. But a no-win situation to us is not necessarily a no-win situation to God. Early in his ministry John Calvin was driven out of the city of Geneva, Switzerland, and he left feeling that the city was hopeless.

Years later God brought him back to Geneva, almost against his will, and Geneva became the center of his greatest triumphs. All the while Calvin learned to focus more and more on the Lord and less and less on his daily successes.

Obviously the writer of this psalm was feeling lousy. He was sick—both in soul and body. He was troubled by his heart within and by enemies without. He seemed to believe that his miserable condition was a judgment from God, and he called out for mercy.

When we are ill, our suffering often seems to affect us in both physical and spiritual ways. Because we feel bad spiritually, our health suffers, which makes us even more susceptible to spiritual attack. Soon things begin to spiral quickly downward. Illness also tends to bring our focus to ourself and our own troubles, just as it did for David in the first seven verses. But, as David shows us in verse 8, when we look to God in faith, our burdens begin to lift.

Lord, I am sick of soul.

I know you see my tears.

Oh, save me for your mercies’ sake

And drive away my fears.

OLD SCOTTISH PSALTER, ADAPTED

Bible Networking

This is one of seven penitential psalms. The others are 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143.

Notable Quotable

However low I may sink, there is not a depth but grace goes deeper.

ALFRED EDERSHEIM

January 10

PSALM 7:1-9

A psalm of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.

¹I come to you for protection, O LORD my God.

Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!

²If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,

tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

³O LORD my God, if I have done wrong

or am guilty of injustice,

⁴if I have betrayed a friend

or plundered my enemy without cause,

⁵then let my enemies capture me.

Let them trample me into the ground.

Let my honor be left in the dust.

Interlude

⁶Arise, O LORD, in anger!

Stand up against the fury of my enemies!

Wake up, my God, and bring justice!

⁷Gather the nations before you.

Sit on your throne high above them.

⁸The LORD passes judgment on the nations.

Declare me righteous, O LORD,

for I am innocent, O Most High!

⁹End the wickedness of the ungodly,

but help all those who obey you.

For you look deep within the mind and heart,

O righteous God.

BIG PROBLEMS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES

Often gigantic problems are created by seemingly small causes. Sometimes it is precisely because the causes go unnoticed that the problems become so huge.

Benjamin, the smallest of the Israelite tribes, caused David some of his biggest problems. To start with, Saul, Israel’s first king, was a Benjaminite, and he pursued David up and down the Judean wilderness trying to kill him. After David became king, the tribe of Benjamin resisted his rule. Years later a Benjaminite named Shimei cursed King David, and still later another Benjaminite, Sheba, revolted against him.

The superscription to Psalm 7 says it was written concerning a Benjaminite named Cush. No one knows for sure who Cush was, but the psalm seems to suggest that he was persecuting David unjustly. So David, helpless to resolve the issue himself, calls on the Lord to act as judge and jury to his persecutors and declare him innocent.

We, too, can allow seemingly small problems to grow into big ones if we do not take care of them. Call upon the Lord for help, for no problem is too insignificant to bring before him, and we need not be embarrassed that we are struggling with such things. The Lord desires to help us overcome our struggles and live triumphantly for him.

He is a Judge who is fair;

He is a Shield that is sure.

His mighty power is everywhere,

And His Word will e’er endure.

OLD SCOTTISH PSALTER, ADAPTED

Notable Quotable

To do evil for good is human corruption; to do good for good is civil retribution; but to do good for evil is Christian perfection. Though this be not the grace of nature, it is the nature of grace.

WILLIAM SECKER

January 11

PSALM 7:10-17

¹⁰God is my shield,

saving those whose hearts are true and right.

¹¹God is a judge who is perfectly fair.

He is angry with the wicked every day.

¹²If a person does not repent,

God will sharpen his sword;

he will bend and string his bow.

¹³He will prepare his deadly weapons

and ignite his flaming arrows.

¹⁴The wicked conceive evil;

they are pregnant with trouble

and give birth to lies.

¹⁵They dig a pit to trap others

and then fall into it themselves.

¹⁶They make trouble,

but it backfires on them.

They plan violence for others,

but it falls on their own heads.

¹⁷I will thank the LORD because he is just;

I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

WHERE’S THE REFEREE?

In football, referees tell you whether a catch was made in bounds or not. In tennis, linesmen render instant judgment calls on whether a ball landed in or out. In baseball, umpires signal fair or foul.

But in life it often seems as though the game isn’t being played fairly and that no one is around to call foul. Flagrant violations of the rules go unnoticed, and so many people are playing out-of-bounds and getting away with it.

David seemed to feel this way in Psalm 7. When he called upon the Lord to save those whose hearts were true and right, it wasn’t because he believed he had never missed the mark. He knew he had. But his opponent was consistently out-of-bounds and never seemed to be penalized. Was there no justice?

Sometimes we do see the harmful effects of playing out-of-bounds (see verse 15 of this psalm or Numbers 32:23). But other times the Lord’s ruling extends farther than our mortal eye can see. Paul told the Athenians that God has set a day for judging the world with justice (Acts 17:31), so we can trust that he will one day set everything right, although we may not see his ruling in our lifetime.

David knew this, too, and that’s why he concluded this psalm as he did, thanking and praising the Lord for his ultimate justice. Let us thank God that he is the just Judge over all the earth.

Fatherlike he tends and spares us;

Well our feeble frame he knows.

In his hands he gently bears us,

Rescues us from all our foes.

CAROLINA SANDELL BERG

Bible Networking

Regarding verse 16, see Esther 7:10 and Daniel 6:24 to learn about two troublemakers whose plans for violence backfired on them.

Notable Quotable

Every sin is a lie.

SAINT AUGUSTINE

January 12

PSALM 8:1-4

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

¹O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!

Your glory is higher than the heavens.

²You have taught children and nursing infants

to give you praise.

They silence your enemies

who were seeking revenge.

³When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—

the moon and the stars you have set in place—

⁴what are mortals that you should think of us,

mere humans that you should care for us?

LOOK AND MARVEL

On a clear Judean night David could probably see five thousand stars. Today with a four-inch telescope a person can see more than 2 million stars. Even more amazing than that, using the two-hundred-inch mirror on Mount Palomar, California, astronomers can see more than a billion stars! We have dispatched the Voyager II spacecraft to send back photographs of our solar system. It sent back photos of Neptune at the speed of light, and they still took four hours to reach us! Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is merely one of 100 billion or more galaxies, each between a million and 10 million light-years across.

David didn’t know all those facts, but he still marveled as he gazed at the sky. Like David, when we get a glimpse of the vastness of God’s creation, it overwhelms us! All this wonder at the greatness of God, however, did not cause David to speak of God’s remoteness from us but of his great care for us. The universe is indeed vast, but God is near. He thinks of us and cares for us, and this should cause us to marvel all the more. In Isaiah the Lord told his people, I set all the stars in space and established the earth. I am the one who says to Israel, ‘You are mine!’  (Isaiah 51:16).

Let us give praise to the God who has created such a magnificent universe and who still cares for us.

Lord, what is worthless man

That you should love him so.

Next to the angels he is placed

And lord of all below.

ISAAC WATTS

A Word on Words

The words translated LORD and Lord in verse 1 are different in Hebrew. The first is Yahweh, the sacred, personal name of God that is often associated with his covenant with his people. The second is Adonai, which means Sovereign or Master, emphasizing his dominion.

January 13

PSALM 8:5-9

⁵For you made us only a little lower than God,

and you crowned us with glory and honor.

⁶You put us in charge of everything you made,

giving us authority over all things—

⁷the sheep and the cattle

and all the wild animals,

⁸the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,

and everything that swims the ocean currents.

⁹O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!

CROWNED WITH HONOR

Two men looked out into space. One said, Astronomically speaking, man is insignificant. The other said, Astronomically speaking, man is the astronomer.

Both were correct. The first half of Psalm 8 emphasizes the greatness of the Creator and the wonder that he cares for us, who seem insignificant by comparison. The second half puts the spotlight on us as astronomers, that is, as those who watch over God’s creation.

If we look closely at Psalm 8, we will notice that we are not the subject; God is. He has bestowed authority on us, placing us in charge of creation to care for it (see Genesis 1:26; 2:15). God is the creator of this planet; we are the caretakers. Just as God cares for us, so we have the privilege of caring for the other wonders he has crafted. What an honor to be God’s representative on earth!

This is my Father’s world:

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas—

His hand the wonders wrought.

MALTBIE BABCOCK

A Word on Words

Verse 5 may throw you if you are used to the King James Version, which reads that God made us a little lower than the angels. The Hebrew word here is elohim, which can refer to either heavenly beings or God himself.

Bible Networking

God has placed us in charge of all God’s creation, but see James 3:7-8 for one thing we all have trouble controlling.

Notable Quotable

The age of the telescope was the age of the microscope. There are as many worlds of wonder which are too minute for our vision as there are too great for our understanding.

F. B. MEYER

January 14

LEARNING TO LISTEN

As you read the psalms, you may notice that many verses seem redundant. What is written on one line is repeated to some extent on the next. This repetition might be a bit puzzling to us. After all, poetry is supposed to rhyme, isn’t it?

Despite its unfamiliar form, Hebrew poetry does follow a set of conventions or rules. One of these rules is parallelism. Instead of rhyming sounds, like English poetry often does (e.g., Jack and Jill / Went up the hill), Hebrew poetry rhymes ideas, and we call this parallelism. Hebrew parallelism takes three primary forms: synonymous, antithetical, and synthetic.

Synonymous Parallelism

Synonymous parallelism consists of two lines that say virtually the same thing. An example of this form is Psalm 5:1:

O LORD, hear me as I pray;

pay attention to my groaning.

Here the psalmist uses two imperatives to exhort God to listen to him. The first imperative is hear, the second pay attention. Although the words used are different, the idea is the same: Listen to what I have to say. The repetition of the idea adds emphasis to it.

Antithetical Parallelism

Some Hebrew poetry uses antithetical parallelism. This consists of two lines that contain opposite ideas. Psalm 1:6 uses this form:

For the LORD watches over the path of the godly,

but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

In this case, by using antithetical parallelism, the author can clearly contrast the consequences of two types of people—the godly and the wicked. This two ways approach to life and morality is a favorite of the Hebrew writers.

Synthetic Parallelism

Sometimes two lines of Hebrew poetry build on each other. Psalm 14:2 exhibits such synthetic parallelism:

The LORD looks down from heaven

on the entire human race;

he looks to see if there is even one with real understanding,

one who seeks for God.

In this case, on the entire human race certainly isn’t parallel with the idea of the Lord looking down from heaven, nor is it an opposite idea. Instead, this second line completes the thought begun in the first line. The same is true for one who seeks for God. Sometimes it’s hard to know if two lines mean the same thing or whether the second line is adding to the first. Examine a few psalms, and you will see that it can be a challenge to figure it out.

There are other variations on these three types of parallelism. It is not necessary for you to learn all the forms intimately in order to enjoy the Psalms. Nevertheless, gaining a basic understanding of parallelism in Hebrew poetry will help you gain a greater appreciation for the Psalms and the skill with which the authors composed them.

* * *

Let fields rejoice, and everything

That springs up from the earth;

Then woods and every tree shall sing

With gladness and with mirth.

OLD SCOTTISH PSALTER

* * *

The Book of Psalms is a theatre, in which God allows us to behold both Himself and His works; a most pleasant green field; a vast garden where we see all manner of flowers.

PAULUS GERHARDT

* * *

When you think of the greatness of God, is there any better way to describe him than poetically? Compose a psalm that expresses your thoughts about God, and consider using some of the devices of the Hebrew poets.

January 15

PSALM 9:1-10

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune Death of the Son.

¹I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart;

I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

²I will be filled with joy because of you.

I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

³My enemies turn away in retreat;

they are overthrown and destroyed before you.

⁴For you have judged in my favor;

from your throne, you have judged with fairness.

⁵You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;

you have wiped out their names forever.

⁶My enemies have met their doom;

their cities are perpetual ruins.

Even the memory of their uprooted cities is lost.

⁷But the LORD reigns forever,

executing judgment from his throne.

⁸He will judge the world with justice

and rule the nations with fairness.

⁹The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed,

a refuge in times of trouble.

¹⁰Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, O LORD, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you.

THE GOD ABOVE ALL

In our day conquering heroes are greeted with ticker-tape parades. But when King David returned home from a triumphant battle, he wrote a psalm praising God for his successes.

In verse 2 of this psalm, David extols God as Elyon, O Most High.

In the Bible, God is often called Most High when other nations or peoples are involved. Melchizedek, king of Salem, blessed Abraham in the name of God Most High (Genesis 14:20). Balaam prophesied to the Moabite king in the name of the Most High (Numbers 24:16). Daniel in Babylon worshiped God as the Most High (Daniel 4:24).

Other nations claimed to have their gods, but David and others recognized that the God of Israel is Elyon, the Most High above all others. That’s why this God can give victory. That’s why he is worthy of praise. That’s why those who know his name—not just know it in their heads, but know it by experience in their hearts—put their trust in him.

As you face the world today, put your trust in Elyon, the Most High above all gods. He reigns forever and is a refuge in times of trouble.

The God of Abraham praise, who reigns enthroned above,

Ancient of everlasting days, and God of love.

Jehovah, great I AM, by earth and heaven confessed:

We bow and bless the sacred name forever blessed.

THOMAS OLIVERS

Fascinating Fact

This psalm, when combined with Psalm 10, is the first of the acrostic psalms (see the devotional for April 14, The Acrostic Psalms). That is, each verse of these psalms begins with the succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Bible Networking

Contrast the I wills of verses 1 and 2 in this psalm with the I wills of Isaiah 14:12-14.

January 16

PSALM 9:11-20

¹¹Sing praises to the LORD who reigns in Jerusalem.

Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.

¹²For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.

He does not ignore those who cry to him for help.

¹³LORD, have mercy on me.

See how I suffer at the hands of those who hate me.

Snatch me back from the jaws of death.

¹⁴Save me, so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,

so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.

They have been caught in their own trap.

¹⁶The LORD is known for his justice.

The wicked have trapped themselves in their own snares.

Quiet Interlude

¹⁷The wicked will go down to the grave.

This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.

¹⁸For the needy will not be forgotten forever;

the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

¹⁹Arise, O LORD!

Do not let mere mortals defy you!

Let the nations be judged in your presence!

²⁰Make them tremble in fear, O LORD.

Let them know they are merely human.

Interlude

DEFENDER OF THE POOR AND HELPLESS

Although he was a king and a powerful warrior, David maintained a concern for the poor and needy. The story of his dealings with the crippled Mephibosheth is a beautiful example of his concern (2 Samuel 9). The fact that this story follows immediately after a chapter chronicling David’s military successes underscores David’s clear focus in this area.

In this psalm David rejoices that the Lord defends the poor and helpless as well. It is clear from the rest of Scripture that God holds a special concern for the poor and needy, just as David did (see Deuteronomy 15:11; Isaiah 58:7; Amos 2:7; and Luke 6:20). He is attentive to their cries and will bring them justice.

When troubles begin to press in around us, it is easy to think we are powerless to do anything about them. But David knew, and we should know, too, that we serve a powerful God who defends the helpless. We can call upon him to rescue us and trust that he will answer. This power that we find in God is a far greater power than any mortals can ever possess.

O Lord, you are a shelter

For all who are oppressed;

A refuge and a hiding place

For those who are distressed.

ISAAC WATTS

A Word on Words

Enosh is the Hebrew word used to refer to humanity when the emphasis is on frailty and mortality. It is used in Psalm 8:4 and in verses 19-20 of this chapter.

Notable Quotable

Prayer is a haven to the shipwrecked, a staff to limbs that totter, a mine of jewels to the poor, a healer of disease, and a guardian of health.

SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

January 17

PSALM 10:1-11

¹O LORD, why do you stand so far away?

Why do you hide when I need you the most?

²Proud and wicked people viciously oppress the poor.

Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.

³For they brag about their evil desires;

they praise the greedy and curse the LORD.

⁴These wicked people are too proud to seek God.

They seem to think that God is dead.

⁵Yet they succeed in everything they do.

They do not see your punishment awaiting them.

They pour scorn on all their enemies.

⁶They say to themselves, "Nothing bad will ever happen to us!

We will be free of trouble forever!"

⁷Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.

Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.

⁸They lurk in dark alleys,

murdering the innocent who pass by.

They are always searching

for some helpless victim.

⁹Like lions they crouch silently,

waiting to pounce on the helpless.

Like hunters they capture their victims

and drag them away in nets.

¹⁰The helpless are overwhelmed and collapse;

they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.

¹¹The wicked say to themselves, "God isn’t watching!

He will never notice!"

WHY, GOD?

In 1805 Henry Martyn had one arm around his sweetheart as he read Psalm 10:1. This twenty-four-year-old felt sure that God wanted him to go to India as a missionary. But the girl he loved, Lydia Grenfell, was too frail to handle India’s climate. As they read this psalm together, their hearts were heavy, for in a few hours they would be separated, never to see each other again.

Why, God, why? Why did God allow them to fall in love if he wanted Henry to go to India? We don’t know that Henry ever got an explanation. We do know that God had great plans for young Henry and that Henry didn’t have much time to fulfill them, for it was just seven years later that he died. In that brief time, however, he translated the New Testament into Hindustani and both the New Testament and his beloved Psalms into Persian. Because he followed God’s plans for him, millions of people could read the Scriptures in their own languages.

Twice in the first verse of Psalm 10 the psalmist asks God why—a question the psalmists will cry out again and again throughout the Psalms. We may never find an answer to this question, but we can take great comfort in the answer to a much more important question: Who? This is what the psalmist does at the end of this psalm. Once we catch a glimpse of who God is, we can learn to trust him while his specific purposes remain hidden from us.

I am not skilled to understand

What God has willed, what God has planned;

I only know at his right hand

Stands one who is my Savior.

DORA GREENWELL

Fascinating Fact

The three books in the Old Testament that ask the question why most often are Job, Jeremiah, and Psalms. The entire book of Job is about the main character’s struggle to answer this question. In the end the Lord answers Job’s question not with a what but a who.

Notable Quotable

It is not until the flower has fallen off that the fruit begins to ripen.

J. C. GREY

January 18

PSALM 10:12-18

¹²Arise, O LORD!

Punish the wicked, O God!

Do not forget the helpless!

¹³Why do the wicked get away with cursing God?

How can they think, God will never call us to account?

¹⁴But you do see the trouble and grief they cause.

You take note of it and punish them.

The helpless put their trust in you.

You are the defender of orphans.

¹⁵Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!

Go after them until the last one is destroyed!

¹⁶The LORD is king forever and ever!

Let those who worship other gods be swept from the land.

¹⁷LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless.

Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them.

¹⁸You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,

so people can no longer terrify them.

NOBODY KNOWS BUT JESUS

The old spiritual says, Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen; nobody knows but Jesus. And that, in a nutshell, is the message of this psalm.

The psalmist is speaking on behalf of the needy, the helpless, the orphans, and the oppressed. These people have every reason to feel ignored by the rest of society, because all too often they are. But the Lord knows what they’re going through.

But what about those who oppress these poor ones? They may say, God will never call us to account (verse 13), or they may think that God is dead (verse 4). But this psalm spells out the truth of the matter: God does see what happens (verse 14). He knows the hopes of the helpless and listens to their cries (verse 17). He will comfort them (verse 17) and bring justice to them (verse 18).

So does this mean we can stop here and let God take care of the helpless and the oppressed? Not at all! Maybe nobody [truly] knows but Jesus, but Christians are still called to carry out God’s work on earth. All too often we just pass by on the other side (see Luke 10:31-32), ignoring others’ needs and suffering.

When you hear the cries of the helpless, what do you do? Are you like the uncaring Levite, who passes by on the other side, or more like the Lord, who hears and knows and cares?

He who reigns above the sky

Once became as poor as I.

Poor and needy, though I be

God, my Maker, cares for me.

OLD SCOTTISH PSALTER, ADAPTED

A Word on Words

By asking the Lord to break the arms of wicked people (verse 15) the psalmist is calling upon the Lord to break their power.

Bible Networking

For more on God’s concern for the poor, read Amos 5:10–6:8.

January 19

PSALM 11

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹I trust in the LORD for protection.

So why do you say to me,

"Fly to the mountains for safety!

²The wicked are stringing their bows

and setting their arrows in the bowstrings.

They shoot from the shadows at those who do right.

³The foundations of law and order have collapsed.

What can the righteous do?"

⁴But the LORD is in his holy Temple;

the LORD still rules from heaven.

He watches everything closely,

examining everyone on earth.

⁵The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked.

He hates everyone who loves