Day 45 - Psalms 135:1 - Proverbs 6:35

In today’s section, we read:

Psalm 135-150
The purpose of proverbs
The benefits of wisdom and trusting God
Practical advice from a father to his sons

Some thoughts that occurred to me today:

Again we see the psalms are used to remind God’s people of what He has done in their history (135:8-12; 136:10-22)

Today we see these names for God

Our refuge (141:8; 142:5)
Our rock (144:1)
Our loving ally (144:2)
Our fortress (144:2)
Our tower of safety (144:2)
Our rescuer (144:2)
Our shield (144:2)

Ps 135 (praise the Lord, He is great) – v13-14 “Your name, O Lord, endures forever; / your fame, O Lord, is known to every generation. / For the Lord will give justice to his people / and have compassion on his servants.”

Ps 136 (give thanks to the might God, who loves his people) – v4 “Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. / His faithful love endures forever.”

Ps 137 (lament for the lost Zion) – v5-6 “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, / let my right hand forget how to play the harp. / May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth / if I fail to remember you, / if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.”

Ps 138 (thank God for his wonderful care) – v2 “your promises are backed / by all the honour of your name.” v6 “Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, / but he keeps his distance from the proud.” v8 “The Lord will work out his plans for my life— / for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. / Don’t abandon me, for you made me.”

Ps 139 (praise the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God) – the mood of the psalm changes. At the beginning, it is as if the fact that God is everywhere means that there is no escape and this is too hard for us (v7). Then the realisation that “such knowledge is too wonderful for me, / too great for me to understand!” becomes a cause for rejoicing – v10 “even there your hand will guide me, / and your strength will support me.” v11-12 are the final submission and acknowledgement that there is no escape form God. And when the focus switches from us to looking at God’s handiwork, we are filled with awe – v13-16 “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body / and knit me together in my mother’s womb. / Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! / Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it. / You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, / as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. / You saw me before I was born. / Every day of my life was recorded in your book. / Every moment was laid out / before a single day had passed.” And if that wasn’t enough, v17-18 “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. / They cannot be numbered! / I can’t even count them; / they outnumber the grains of sand! / And when I wake up, / you are still with me!” v23-24 is a prayer to continue in that knowledge. Being search in v1-2 was a problem, now that is the psalmist’s earnest desire.

Ps 140 (prayer for deliverance) – v12-13 “But I know the Lord will help those they persecute; / he will give justice to the poor. / Surely righteous people are praising your name; / the godly will live in your presence.”

Ps 141 (prayer for deliverance) – deliverance doesn’t just come from God, but also through his people, v5 “Let the godly strike me! / It will be a kindness! / If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. / Don’t let me refuse it.”

Ps 142 (prayer for deliverance) – v3 “When I am overwhelmed, / you alone know the way I should turn.” v5 “Then I pray to you, O Lord. / I say, “You are my place of refuge. / You are all I really want in life.”

Ps 143 (prayer for deliverance) – v2 cf Rom 3:23; v6 cf Ps 42:1. v4-6 “I am losing all hope; / I am paralyzed with fear. / I remember the days of old. / I ponder all your great works / and think about what you have done. / I lift my hands to you in prayer. / I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.”

Ps 144 (praise the God who is good to us) – v3 cf Ps 8:4. v15 “Yes, joyful are those who live like this! / Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.”

Ps 145 (let everyone praise our great God) – v4 “Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; / let them proclaim your power.” v8-10 “The Lord is merciful and compassionate, / slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. / The Lord is good to everyone. / He showers compassion on all his creation. / All of your works will thank you, Lord, / and your faithful followers will praise you.” v13 “For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. / You rule throughout all generations. / The Lord always keeps his promises; / he is gracious in all he does.” v17 “The Lord is righteous in everything he does; / he is filled with kindness.” v18-19 “The Lord is close to all who call on him, / yes, to all who call on him in truth. / He grants the desires of those who fear him.”

Ps 146 (trust in God of justice and mercy) – v7-9 “He gives justice to the oppressed / and food to the hungry. / The Lord frees the prisoners. / The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. / The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. / The Lord loves the godly. / The Lord protects the foreigners among us. / He cares for the orphans and widows, / but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.”

Pr 147 (praise God, the master of creation) – v5 “How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! / His understanding is beyond comprehension!” v11 “the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, / those who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

Ps 148 (praise him, all creation) – v13-14 “Let them all praise the name of the Lord. / For his name is very great; / his glory towers over the earth and heaven! / He has made his people strong, / honouring his faithful ones— / the people of Israel who are close to him.”

Ps 149 (praise God, you his people) – “For the Lord delights in his people; / he crowns the humble with victory. / Let the faithful rejoice that he honours them. / Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.” Cf 1 Sa 2:30.

Ps 150 (let everything praise Him) – v6 “Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!”

Moving into Proverbs, 1:2-7 sets out their purpose - to teach people wisdom and discipline, to teach them to lead disciplined and successful lives, to help them to do what is right. Proverbs is all about making the right choices, including not to be led astray by other people.

v19 “Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; / it robs them of life.”

2:7-8 – “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. / He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. / He guards the paths of the just / and protects those who are faithful to him.”

v21-22 cf Rev 21:8

ch 3 is all about relying on God rather than yourself, honouring him with your best and enjoying all the benefits which come from that, even God’s discipline – v5-7 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; / do not depend on your own understanding. / Seek his will in all you do, / and he will show you which path to take. / Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. / Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” v11-12 “My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, / and don’t be upset when he corrects you. / For the Lord corrects those he loves, / just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights” – cf Heb 12:5-6.

Wisdom is not just the passive acquisition of learning, but also involves actively doing what is right (v27-28).

4:18 – acquiring wisdom is a continuous task, not a one-off event, “The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, / which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.”

5:22-23 – “An evil man is held captive by his own sins; / they are ropes that catch and hold him. / He will die for lack of self-control; / he will be lost because of his great foolishness.”

6:6-11 is a warning against laziness “But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? / When will you wake up? / A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, / a little folding of the hands to rest— / then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; / scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.”

6:20, 22-23 “My son, obey your father’s commands, / … / When you walk, their counsel will lead you. / When you sleep, they will protect you. / When you wake up, they will advise you. / For their command is a lamp / and their instruction a light; / their corrective discipline / is the way to life.”