In today’s section, we read Psalm 90-108
Some thoughts from today:
There seemed to be a couple of main themes to today's selection of the Psalms. The main one was the way in which Israel was urged to remember everything God had done for them, and how He had remembered the Covenant even if Israel did not (91, 95, 103, 105, 106, 107). The second theme was that God is an awesome creator, the splendour of his creation overwhelms us. At the same time, He is the righteous judge of all the world (95, 96, 97, 98, 104). And a third was the timeless and eternal nature of God compared with the transience of people. (90, 102)
Today, we see these names for God:
Our home (90:1)
Our refuge (91:2;9)
Our place of safety (9:2)
Our shield (91:4)
Our rampart (91:4)
Our rock (92:15; 94:22; 95:1)
The king (93:1; 95:3)
Judge of the earth (94:2)
My fortress (94:22)
Our father (103:13)
Ps 90 (a prayer for God's blessing) - this is a psalm by Moses, yet the message is the same as those David, 400 years later. The main message of this psalm is the timelessness of God, and the ephemeral nature of man. v4 "For a thousand years in your sight / are like a day that has just gone by, / or like a watch in the night." v12 "Teach us to number our days aright, / that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Ps 91 (praise God for his goodness to us in times of trouble) - this psalms speaks of God's protective love for us form all our troubles. v4 "He will cover you with his feathers, / and under his wings you will find refuge; / his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." v9-10 "If you make the Most High your dwelling— / even the LORD, who is my refuge- / then no harm will befall you". v11 is quoted by Satan to Jesus during the temptation (Lk 4:9-11). The we get God's wonderful promise in v14-16 ""Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; / I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. / He will call upon me, and I will answer him; / I will be with him in trouble, / I will deliver him and honour him. / With long life will I satisfy him / and show him my salvation."
Ps 92 (praise the God of unfailing love) - I like v6 which says only a fool cannot understand the goodness of God. Yet God's wisdom in not human wisdom, but in his grace, he has chosen to give us understanding. v12-15"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, / they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; / planted in the house of the LORD, / they will flourish in the courts of our God. / They will still bear fruit in old age, / they will stay fresh and green, / proclaiming, "The LORD is upright; / he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."
Ps 93 (praise the Lord above all) - v4-5 "But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, / mightier than the breakers on the shore— / the Lord above is mightier than these! / Your royal laws cannot be changed. / Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever."
Ps 94 (praise the God who judges) - v14-15 "The Lord will not reject his people; / he will not abandon his special possession. / Judgment will again be founded on justice, / and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it."
Ps 95 (praise the mighty God) - v6-7 "Come, let us worship and bow down. / Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, / for he is our God. / We are the people he watches over, / the flock under his care."
Ps 96 (tell everyone about the wonder of God) - v2 "Sing to the Lord; praise his name. / Each day proclaim the good news that he saves." v13 "He is coming to judge the earth. / He will judge the world with justice, / and the nations with his truth."
Ps 97 (rejoice in the mighty God) - v2 "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne." v7 "Those who worship idols are disgraced— / all who brag about their worthless gods— / for every god must bow to him." v11-12 "Light shines on the godly, / and joy on those whose hearts are right. / May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord / and praise his holy name!"
Ps 98 (praise the righteous God who judges) - v3 "He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel. / The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God." v9 "For the Lord is coming to judge the earth. / He will judge the world with justice, / and the nations with fairness."
Ps 99 (praise the just God who answers prayer) - v4 "Mighty King, lover of justice, / you have established fairness. / You have acted with justice / and righteousness throughout Israel." v8 "O Lord our God, you answered them. / You were a forgiving God to them, / but you punished them when they went wrong."
Ps 100 - (praise the Lord, our God) - v3 "Acknowledge that the Lord is God! / He made us, and we are his. / We are his people, the sheep of his pasture." v5" For the Lord is good. / His unfailing love continues forever, / and his faithfulness continues to each generation."
Ps 101 (a prayer of commitment to live a holy life) - v8 "My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked / and free the city of the Lord from their grip."
Ps 102 (a prayer for God's help) - I like the perspective of the timelessness of God - v18 "Let this be recorded for future generations, / so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord." v27 "But you are always the same; / you will live forever."
Ps 103 (praise our amazing God) - v2 "Let all that I am praise the Lord; / may I never forget the good things he does for me." v3-5 "He forgives all my sins / and heals all my diseases. / He redeems me from death / and crowns me with love and tender mercies. / He fills my life with good things. / My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!" v8-9 "The Lord is compassionate and merciful, / slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. / He will not constantly accuse us, / nor remain angry forever." v11-13 "For his unfailing love toward those who fear him / is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. / He has removed our sins as far from us / as the east is from the west. / The Lord is like a father to his children, / tender and compassionate to those who fear him." v17-18 "But the love of the Lord remains forever / with those who fear him. / His salvation extends to the children’s children / of those who are faithful to his covenant, / of those who obey his commandments!"
Ps 104 (praise the creator) - v5 "You placed the world on its foundation / so it would never be moved." v24 "O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! / In wisdom you have made them all. / The earth is full of your creatures."
Ps 105 (praise God for his faithfulness) - v7-8 "He is the Lord our God. / His justice is seen throughout the land. / He always stands by his covenant— / the commitment he made to a thousand generations." v19 intrigued me "Until the time came to fulfil his dreams, / the Lord tested Joseph’s character." What was the purpose of all God's wonders against Egypt and his care in the wilderness? v45 "All this happened so they would follow his decrees / and obey his instructions." There is a purpose to God's grace and mercy. Don't waste it like Samson!!
Ps 106 (praise the God who is faithful even when we are not) - This psalm reads like Psalm 105 pt II, taking up the story of the Exodus, but highlighting the rebellion of the Israelites. Fortunately, v23"But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people." Like Job, we need a mediator, and God has given us the perfect One, Jesus Christ to be that mediator for us forever. v43-45 is a good summary - "Again and again he rescued them, / but they chose to rebel against him, / and they were finally destroyed by their sin. / Even so, he pitied them in their distress / and listened to their cries. / He remembered his covenant with them / and relented because of his unfailing love."
Ps 107 (praise the Lord who has saved time and again) - v2 is a straightforward challenge, but how often do we flunk it? "Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!" The psalm then talks of various people who cried out and were rescued, even though they were sinners. The message is simple - remember!!! v43"Those who are wise will take all this to heart; / they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord."
Ps 108 (praise the God who is faithful) - v8-9 are the same as 60:6-7. v12-13 "all human help is useless. / With God’s help we will do mighty things"
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