The Psalms Revealed: - a Bible Study in God’s Word

By Glenn Brunner

The Psalms Revealed is a Bible study of the Psalms, rewritten in easy-to-read prose form. Considerable research of the original Hebrew was done to deliver the essence of each psalm, without adding to or subtracting from it, to help reveal meaning. The Psalms are as relevant today as they were when written thousands of years ago. They remind us who we are, who we should be, and why we should rejoice in what God has done for us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798385004270

Glenn Brunner

Glenn Brunner, author of The Ministry of Jesus Christ, The Messiah, is a life-long active conservative Christian lay person, The Psalms Revealed seeks to present God’s Word in a more readable format, so what the LORD is telling us today is more easily understood.

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ISBN: 979-8-3850-0426-3 (sc)

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WestBow Press rev. date: 8/28/2023

Introduction / Precepts For The Psalms Revealed

- a Bible Study in God’s Word

The PSALMS; Praise, Prayer, and Prophesy

It is important in understanding the psalms to realize that many of the psalms include metaphors, or analogies, which help relate a point the author is making in terms more easily understood by the reader. Similarly, Jesus often used parables to help make a spiritual point because the parable was an effective way of teaching, making the lesson more understandable, or in some cases giving it greater impact. Some of the psalms are prophetic and many of the psalms, although seemingly speaking about events and circumstances related to the Jewish nation of Israel, are actually talking about the Christian family of Israel and should be related to us today; to God’s church today. When God told Abraham he would be the father of a people as numerous as the stars, God was not referring to the Jewish nation of ancient Israel, he was talking about Israel, Christ’s church, the communion of believers who will come from all nations. So in essence, a particular psalm not only relates to events then, it relates to present events today and in the future. Once it is understood that the affairs of God’s ancient people back then, which was the Jewish nation, are often a metaphor for Christ’s Kingdom, of the invisible church today, a door is opened to seeing the psalms as something more than an ancient poem or song written ages ago for a people who lived ages ago. Through them God is speaking to us today as well. The LORD tells us, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, well equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

Some understanding of certain words, or the font used in a particular word, is also important. Below are some guidelines that may help in understanding the psalms.

Who is speaking?

As noted above in the introduction (2 Timothy 3:16,17), God is speaking in all the psalms, recorded for us by King David and other servants of God. Prophecy never came by the will of men, but holy men of God spoke, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21)

God speaks to us through the psalm writers, but on occasion within the psalm the writer writes as if God is speaking the words to us, not via the psalm writer. When italics are used, read it as if God is speaking directly to you, as if he was in your presence.

Who is God?

LORD, all in capital letters, refers to God the Father or the Almighty God, the Triune God (God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit).

Lord is used to refer to God the Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

To Whom is God speaking?

Israel is not just the ancient nation of the Jews. It must be remembered in all these Psalms that Israel is the name of God’s people, not just then, but also today. Christians of today are the Israel of God.

Sons or House of Jacob, or simply Jacob is sometimes spoken to indicate the Israel of God, his people. The original nation of Israel were the offspring of Jacob, renamed Israel by God. Christians of today are also included in this term. We are all sons (children) of Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather, through whom God built the original nation of the Jews (Israel) in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We can all be called sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ, whether male or female. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:14) What manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. (1 John 3:1) Most translations change sons to children.

The words gentiles and nations generally refer to unbelievers, people who either do not know or have rejected Christ.

About what is God speaking?

Zion can refer to Mt. Zion, the mountain on which ancient Jerusalem was built. But in most cases Zion should be interpreted as the Kingdom of God, or the throne of God (in Heaven). In the time of the psalm writer the location of the temple of God was in Jerusalem, on Mt. Zion, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed, and since Jerusalem was the seat of government, it was an appropriate reference. After Jesus came and fulfilled God’s promise of a Messiah, the purpose of the Jewish nation as an individual national identity had been fulfilled and was no longer necessary. God’s kingdom dwells in the hearts of his people, the true believers in Christ. Jesus is the King of this new nation. My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. To the contrary, now and henceforth my kingdom is not from here. (John 18:37)

Jerusalem, depending on context, can mean the actual city, the visible church [city] of God in the times of the ancient Jewish nation. But a better understanding is that it is the dwelling of the invisible church of God, then and now, the children of God, the Christian church. After Judgement Day that dwelling will be in a new Jerusalem, the city of God (Heaven). Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no more sea. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with mankind, and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people.’ (Revelation 21:1-3) As you come to him, the Living Stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious, you also, like living stones, are being built as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, in order to bring spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in Scripture, ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will certainly not be put to shame.’ Therefore, for you who believe, this is an honor, but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, a stone over which they stumble and a rock over which they fall.’ (1 Peter 2:4-8)

Condemning The Wicked?

Many of the psalms despair over the power of the wicked and ask the LORD to punish, or restrain them, and sometimes to destroy them. It may seem harsh, but is it really? When reading the psalms it must be remembered that the world, all of it, all the people in it, are sinful. The wicked are those people outside of God’s spiritual church. In all of us dwells no good thing. Indeed, I know that good does not live in me, that is, in my sinful flesh. The desire to do good is present with me, but I am not able to carry it out. (Romans 7:18) But we are saved by grace. Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8,9) He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32) In this fact Christians rejoice, but we must remember who we are. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Romans 6:1,2) Christians look at life here on earth as a gift of God to be used for his purpose, but our hope is not in this world, but in what is waiting for us in heaven. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3) The world can be like walking through a valley of death (Psalm 23) because we are sojourners here and at odds with the world. We are aliens and temporary residents before you [LORD], as were all our fathers. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope of staying. (1Chronicles 29:16) "Adulterers and adulteresses¹, don’t you know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4) The sinful world hates Christ, and therefore will hate us. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me first. If you were of the world, the world would love its own.² However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, for that very reason the world hates you. (John 15:18,19) Satan uses the world and its pleasures, money, possessions, glory, esteem, etc. to entice us away from Christ. Sadly, this happens to some Christians. Satan wins, and takes them away. And often he doesn’t openly ‘prowl about’ and frontally attack us, so we must be fully alert and aware for his sneak attacks. Have sound judgment. Be alert! Your adversary, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him by being firm in the faith." (1 Peter 5:8, 9a)

How should we feel toward God? Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37) How should we feel toward others? Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39) So this can be a stumbling block to some when reading some psalms because we pray in some of the psalms to punish or destroy the wicked. Yes, we should hope the wicked may hear the Good News of the Gospel, believe and be saved, yet when we see wickedness, it is not wrong to condemn it, and pray for its destruction before it can do any more harm to Christ’s kingdom of which we are a part. This idea has been a growing cause of hate towards Christians because we condemn certain behaviors and beliefs. We cannot love both God and the World. We will love the one and hate the other. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, boasting about material possessions – is not from the Father, but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever. (1 John 2:15-17) Righteous condemnation must not include a heart full of hate. We should abhor a hateful heart, but to condemn the works of the wicked and pray for their destruction and those who work for Satan is a righteous condemnation of Satan and those who do his bidding. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, Certainly, it is right for God to repay trouble to those who trouble you, and to give relief to you, who are troubled along with us. When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his powerful angels, he will exercise vengeance in flaming fire on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (II Thessalonians 1:6-8)

How are the Psalms categorized?

The psalms are sorted into the following categories: Prayer, Praise, and Prophecy. Prophecy is used in the sense of things to come, but not only in the sense of something specifically related to Christ.

Some authors have categorized all the psalms into each petition of the LORD’S Prayer. I have not chosen to do that as it was not part of my original Bible study outline. However, some of the psalms provide such a clear connection to a particular petition that I chose to note it in the title of the psalm. This is also the case with the Ten Commandments. Some psalms clearly relate to a particular commandment of God so I noted it.

Contents

Book I (Psalms 1 – 41)

Book II (Psalms 42 – 72)

Book III (Psalms 73 – 89)

Book IV (Psalms 90 -106)

Book V (Psalms 107 -150)

Appendix

BOOK I

(Psalms 1 – 41)

1     Way of the Righteous Gives Life (Praise)

BLESSED ARE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT TAKE COUNSEL FROM THE ungodly. They do not follow the paths of sinners. They do not ally themselves with those who are contemptible before the LORD. But their delight is the Law of the LORD on which they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by rivers of water. They bring forth fruit in season. Their leaves do not wither. Whatever they do will achieve success.³

The ungodly are not like this. They are like chaff the wind blows away. The ungodly shall not be able to stand on Judgement Day. Sinners shall not be with the congregation of the righteous.

The LORD sees the way of the righteous. But the way of the ungodly perishes.⁴

2     World Rages Against God; So Be Wise (Prophetic)

Why does the world rage and imagine vain things? The kings and rulers of the earth take counsel together and set themselves against the LORD and his Anointed One⁵ saying, Let us reject God’s rule and cast away God’s Law. He who sits in Heaven shall see them in derision. The Lord shall laugh them to scorn.⁶ They will be terrified when in his wrath he speaks, I have set my King⁷ over my kingdom.⁸

I will proclaim the decree of the LORD. "You are my Son. Today I have begotten you. Ask me and I will give you all people as your inheritance and all the earth as your possession.⁹ You shall break them with a rod of iron and you shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel."¹⁰

And now you kings, be wise; you who judge in the nations, prudently give instruction! Serve the LORD in fear and rejoice with trembling.¹¹ Embrace the Son or he will be angry, and his wrath will flare up against you¹², and you will perish because of your ways. But blessed are all those who put their trust in Christ.

3     The LORD Helps His Troubled People (Prayer, Praise & Prophecy)

Oh LORD, those who trouble me have increased so much. There are many who rise up against me. There are many that say about me, There is no salvation for him in his God. But LORD, you are a shield for me. You are my glory and the one who lifts up my head.

I cry to the LORD with my voice, and he hears me from Heaven. I lie down, I sleep and I wake up, because the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid if surrounded by tens of thousands of people who set themselves against me.

Oh LORD, my God who saves me, rise up! You will strike all my enemies on the cheekbone and break the teeth of the ungodly.¹³ Salvation belongs to the LORD and your blessing rests on your people.

4     Peace and Contentment (Prayer & Praise)

Oh God of my righteousness, when I call upon you, hear me. When in distress you give me relief. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

Oh you sons and daughters, how long will you turn my glory to shame¹⁴?

How long will you love worthless things and seek after lies?

Tremble, and do not sin. Meditate from your heart and be still in your bed.

Offer righteous sacrifices and put your trust in the LORD.

Know that the LORD has set apart for himself those who are godly. The LORD will hear me when I call to him.¹⁵ There are many people who will say, Who will show us any good? LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us. For you have put more gladness in my heart than a fruitful season of grain and wine. In complete peace I can lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.¹⁶

5     The LORD is My Shield // Lead Me; Not into Temptation (Prayer)

LORD, listen to my words. Consider my groaning. Give heed to my crying voice.

LORD, My King and my God, to you I will pray. I will look up and you shall hear my voice in the morning directed up to you.

You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor can evil dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand in your sight. You hate all workers of sin and will destroy those who lie. For the LORD abhors bloodthirsty and deceitful people. Moral righteousness does not come from their mouths. Inside them are destructive thoughts, their throats are like an open tomb. They flatter with their tongues. Oh God, pronounce them guilty. By their own counsels let them fall, and cast them out because of the multitude of their transgressions.

But as for me, covered under your multiple mercies, I will come into your house. In fear of you I will worship in your holy temple. Because of my enemies LORD, lead me in your righteousness. Make your way clear to me. Let all who put their trust in you rejoice. Let them shout for joy because you defend them. Let those who love your name be joyful. For you Lord, bless the righteous. In your favor you will surround them as if with a shield.¹⁷

6     Feeling Overwhelmed // Deliver Us from Evil (Prayer)

Oh LORD; do not rebuke me in your anger nor chasten me in your great displeasure. Have mercy on me for I am weak. Heal me for I am troubled in heart and soul. How long must I wait? LORD, return to me and deliver me. Save me for your mercies’ sake!

For in death there is no remembering you. In the grave, who will give you thanks? I am weary with my groaning. All night I swim in my bed. I drench my couch with my tears. Because of my enemies my eyes waste away in my grief and grow old.

Depart from me all you workers of sin! The LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. He has heard my supplication and accepts my prayer.¹⁸ My enemies will be terrified and put to shame. Let them turn back in sudden disgrace!

7     Trust in a Righteous God for Deliverance; God’s Righteous Judgement (Prayer)

Oh LORD my God, in you I take refuge. Save me from all those who persecute me or they will tear me like a lion, rending me into pieces, while there is no one to deliver me.

Oh LORD my God, if I have done this: if there is injustice in my hands, if I have repaid evil to someone who was at peace with me, or if I have plundered my enemy without cause, then let my enemies pursue me and overtake me. Yes, let them trample my life to the ground and lay my honor in the dirt.

Oh LORD, rise up in your anger! Rise up against my raging enemies. Rise up for me in the judgement¹⁹ that you appoint! The congregation of all people shall surround you; requite²⁰ them from on high! Oh LORD, judge the people; and judge me according to my righteousness and uprightness.

Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end! But you are a righteous God, you make the righteous secure, for you examine hearts and minds, and my defense is of God who saves the upright in heart.

God is a just Judge and is angry at the wicked every day. If anyone does not repent, he will sharpen his sword. He will bend his bow and make it ready.²¹ He will prepare for himself instruments of death and make his arrows into fiery shafts. Behold, the wicked are pregnant with sin; they conceive trouble and give birth to lies. But they have made a pit; they keep digging until they fall into the ditch they have made. Their sin shall return upon their own heads. Their violent intentions shall come down on their own crowns.²²

I will praise the LORD for he is righteous and will sing praises to the name of the LORD Most High.

8     What is Man, Son of Man? (Praise & Prophecy)

Oh LORD, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory over the heavens! In spite of your enemies you have established strength out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants so that you may silence your enemies and the Avenger²³.

When I consider your heavens, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, the work of your fingers, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, that the Son of Man²⁴ should visit them? For you have made him a little lower than the angels²⁵, and you have crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over all the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet²⁶, all sheep and oxen, all the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

Oh LORD, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth!

9     Thy Kingdom Come (Praise & Prophecy)

Oh LORD, I will praise you with my whole heart. I will tell of all the wonderful things you did. I will be glad and rejoice in you. Oh Most High, I will sing praises to your name. My enemies turn back, stumbling and perishing before you. You judge, and give me justice. You sit on the throne and judge in righteousness. You have rebuked the nations. You have destroyed the wicked and have blotted out their names forever and ever. The enemy is finished and destroyed forever. You have destroyed their cities and even their memories have perished. But the LORD shall endure forever. He has prepared his throne for judgement. He shall judge the world in righteousness and he shall administer justice for the people. The LORD will also be a mountain refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name will put their trust in you. For you, LORD, will not forsake those who seek you.²⁷ Sing praises to the LORD who dwells in Heaven! Declare among the people the great things he has done. He remembers them, when he avenges his blood. He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Oh LORD; have mercy on me. Consider my suffering from those who hate me. Lift me up from the gates of death that I may proclaim your praise to everyone in your church. I take delight in your salvation. The nations have sunk down into the pit that they have made; their own foot is caught in the net they have hid. The LORD is known by the judgement he carries out. The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. The wicked, and all the nations that forget God, shall go to the grave.²⁸ But the poor in spirit shall not always be forgotten. The hope of the poor²⁹ can never perish.

Oh LORD, rise up. Do not let man prevail. Let the nations be judged before you. Oh LORD, strike them with fear, so that the nations may know themselves to be but human.³⁰

10     Deliver Us from the Snares of the Wicked (Prayer)

Oh LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide in times of trouble? In their pride the wicked persecute the oppressed. Let them be caught in their own schemes they devise. The wicked boast of the desires of their own hearts. They bless the greedy, but revile the LORD. In their pride the wicked do not seek God. God is not in all their thoughts. They seem to succeed, yet God’s judgements are far above and out of their sight. They scoff at those who oppose them and say in their hearts, I shall not be moved; I shall never suffer for it. Their mouths are full of cursing and deceit and oppression. Under their tongues is mischief and iniquity. They sit in ambush in the villages. In hidden places they murder the innocent. Covertly, their eyes look for victims. They stealthily lay in wait as a lion in a thicket. They lay in wait to catch the helpless. When they catch them, they drag them into their nets. The helpless are crushed and sink down, defenseless under their power. The wicked say in their hearts, God has forgotten. He hides his face. He will never see what we do.

Oh Lord; rise up! Oh God: lift up your hand! Do not forget the oppressed. Why do the wicked despise God? They say in their heart, You will not require an accounting. But you have seen, you know the trouble and grief they produce, and you will repay by your hand.³¹

Victims entrust themselves to you. You are the Helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man and purge their wickedness until you find none. The nations must perish from his land.

The LORD is King forever and ever! LORD, you have heard the longing of the afflicted. Strengthen their hearts, for you will hear them and give justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that the people of the earth can no longer terrify them.³²

11     Fly to the LORD; He Will Punish the Immoral (Praise & Prophecy)

In the LORD I put my trust. What is it you say to my soul? Flee, as a bird, fly to your mountain? Look, the wicked bend their bows and make ready their arrows on the string so that in secret they may shoot at the upright in heart. When the very foundations of moral behavior are being torn down, the righteous wonder what to do.

But the LORD is in his holy temple. The throne of the LORD is in Heaven. His eyes are open and he sees everyone. The LORD tests the righteous, but hates the wicked and all who love violence. Upon the wicked he will rain coals of fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the allotted portion of their cup.³³ Yes, the LORD is just and loves righteousness. The upright will see his face.³⁴

12     Word of the Lord is Pure; Save Us from Those Who Lie. (Prayer, Praise & Prophecy)

Save us LORD, or the Godly man will cease. The faithful have vanished from among the people. With flattering lips and false heart everyone speaks lies with their neighbor.

But the LORD will cut off all flattering lips and prideful tongues