Father God, my mind is open to Your Thoughts, and closed today to every thought but Yours. I rule my mind, and offer it to You. Accept my precious gift, for it is Yours to me. Amen and Amen.
07/13/2017 OCM-83656272 {Member of ULC 9/23/22
7545620-0414Susan Ruth Robertson202004377}
Psalm 19 Meaning Verse by Verse Psalm 19:1 “THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD, AND THE FIRMAMENT PROCLAIMS HIS HANDIWORK.”
‘ This psalm is the first verse and it points out the two areas where God has chosen to reveal Himself: “the heavens” refer to what appears in the sky about; “the firmament” means the expanse of God’s creation. For the director of music. A psalm of David.
Psalm Chapter 19:1-14
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth. The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Father God, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart are a gift from You. Let me make You proud, for You are my rock and my redeemer, in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: “Psalm 18:1-50 I love you, LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him~ the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I am not guilty of turning from my God. All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop ; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way. I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but he did not answer. I beat them as fine as windblown dust; I trampled them like mud in the streets. You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations. People I did not know now serve me, foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds. The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing love to his anointed, to David and to his descendants forever.
Dear Blessed Lord Jesus, how I praise and glorify Your holy name, for You alone are worthy of all praise and honor. I love You and thank You, that You are my Rock, my Fortress, and my great Deliverer. Thank You, that You the Horn of my salvation, in whom I place my trust. I exalt Your holy name and bless You for my creation, preservation, and all the many blessings of this life. Above all, I thank You, Father God, for Your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world through our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. In Jesus Precious Name Amen.
“The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.” (Psalm 18:46)
Psalms 17. David being in great distress and danger by the malice of his enemies, does, in this psalm, by prayer address himself to God, his tried refuge, and seeks shelter in him. I. He appeals to God concerning his integrity.
Psalm Chapter 17:1-15
{A Prayer of David”} Hear me, LORD, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer~ it does not rise from deceitful lips. Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed. Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded. My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled. I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a fierce lion crouching in cover. Rise up, LORD, confront them, bring them down; with your sword rescue me from the wicked. By your hand save me from such people, LORD, from those of this world whose reward is in this life. May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies; may their children gorge themselves on it, and may there be leftovers for their little ones. As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
Father God, thank You that You are a God who hears our every sigh and know our needs before we even ask. May our prayer flow to You from a heart that trusts You whole~heartly. A heart that is open and clean before Your throne of grace, in Jesus Precious Name Amen. “{A Prayer of David.}Hear me, LORD, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer- it does not rise from deceitful lips. Psalm 17:1
Summary of Psalm 16! Psalm 16 Summary. And in a nutshell, here is what David has to say about his satisfaction with God. David is satisfied with God because he trusts that God is able to maintain his welfare, generally. He’s satisfied with God because he knows the awful results of falling away from God. Chapter 16 begins with Samuel mourning for Saul as one would mourn for the dead. The death of Saul (1 Samuel 31:1-13 “The Death of Saul and His Sons” Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell* on Mount Gilboa.The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard upon Saul; the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by them. Then Saul said to his armour-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised may not come and thrust me through, and make sport of me.’ But his armour-bearer was unwilling; for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. When his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. So Saul and his three sons and his armour-bearer and all his men died together on the same day. When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their towns and fled; and the Philistines came and occupied them. The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head, stripped off his armour, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the houses of their idols and to the people. They put his armour in the temple of Astarte;* and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men set out, travelled all night long, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. They came to Jabesh and burned them there. Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.), concludes this last division of the book. Verses 1-3 of Psalms Chapter 16: David grew up at a time when leadership was in great demand. David’s confidence in his ultimate destiny is valid for him (and for all believers), only because Christ has traveled down that path and paved the way for all who believe in Him (Acts 2:25-28: For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.).These verses include three different names for God: Elohim (the powerful creator God), Yahweh (the covenant-giving God), and Adonai (the Lord and Master of life). David saw in all these names the personal presence of God in his life. “My goodness” speaks of the psalmist’s welfare, not his character. Michtam means engraving, or a poem. This prayer of David not only asks for God to preserve him, but shows the perfect trust that David has in the Lord as well. Preserve here, is really a protection as a shepherd protects his sheep. Jesus is the great Shepherd. He watches over us and keeps us from harm. The blood of Jesus protects us from the wiles of the devil.
Psalm Chapter 16:1 -11 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Father God, I love You, thank You and Praise You for Your joy. I rejoice in the joy of my salvation and celebrate in the truth that Jesus Christ , my risen, ascended, glorified Lord, is seated on the right hand of the Father in heavenly places. Thank You that by faith in Christ, I too might have life eternal and enjoy fellowship with the You Father, despite the inevitable difficulties and dangers that I face in this fallen world. Thank You that You are continually before me. May I never be shaken, knowing that Christ is seated on the right hand of the majesty on high, and by death has conquered death and given life-eternal to all who believe in Him. I praise You Precious Jesus, Amen.
“I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (Psalm 16:8)
Usury is interest on money loaned. It is bad to do to an enemy, and worse to do to a brother in Christ. The Jews were forbidden to charge usury. It is a shame, but the poor, who can ill afford to pay high interest, are the very ones who have to pay unreasonable interest. Their credit is no good, so they pay unreasonable amounts to be able to borrow. The person loaning them this money is not helping them. He is digging them a hole they cannot get out of. Be kind to the poor. Except for the grace of God, you would be that poor. If we were to sum this lesson up in a few words, we would have to say these are instructions on how to get a permanent home in heaven. We are saved by grace and grace alone, but if we are saved we will live our life pleasing to God. The life we live before others would show the love of Jesus. Psalm Chapter 15:1-5 A psalm of David. LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the LORD; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.
“Psalm 15”: This psalm raises the question of qualifications for service in the tabernacle “The first verse , then answers that question by describing the man who has personal purity (verses 2-3a), and interpersonal integrity (verses 3b-5). Verses 1-5: Whereas (Psalm 14), focused on the way of the wicked (Psalm 15), concentrates on the way of the righteous (compare Psalm 1). The saved sinner is described as exhibiting indications of ethical integrity. These characteristics alternate in triplets of positive and negative descriptions. The whole psalm unfolds through a question-and-answer vehicle, and indeed it may be regarded as the ultimate Question and Answer session. With its focus on moral responsibility, the psalm offers a sequence of responses to the question of acceptable worship. Heavenly Father, thank You that by grace through faith I have the privilege to enter into the presence of the Lord and abide in Christ and He in me. I pray that I may walk with integrity, truthfulness, humility, and grace, and I pray that in Your strength, I may bring forth godly works of righteousness for Your name’s sake. May my actions and attitudes reflect the godly characteristics that are pleasing in Your sight. This I ask in Jesus’ name, AMEN.
“{A Psalm of David.} LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1)
About “Psalm 14”: This psalm could be dedicated to the atheist. With the denial of God’s existence often comes the moral decay described (in Psalm 14 verses 1-6), and which was used by Paul to prove the universal depravity of the human race (Rom. 3:10-12~ As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”). While the “fool” may deny that God is, the righteous finds in Him the object of hopeful prayer for deliverance (verse 7). For the director of music. Of David. Psalm Chapter 14:1-7 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the LORD. But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! Father God, when I consider the depth of depravity to which humanity has fallen and the amazing redemptive price You paid to redeem my life from the pit of destruction, I can only praise and thank You with all my heart, and soul, and mind, and strength. May I never become indifferent to my great salvation or complacent in my Christian walk. May I live each day to Your praise and glory for You alone are worthy of all my praise and honour, not only in this world but throughout the eternal ages to come. Thank You heavenly Father, in Jesus’ Precious Name Amen.
“The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.” (Psalm 14:2)
The Synoptic Gospels present Jesus sharing the Passover meal as His last supper with the disciples. He reinterpreted the common elements of the celebration in the light of a new covenant. The unleavened bread became His body(Mark 14:22~While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”) and the wine became His blood (Mark 14:23-26 ~ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.) Customarily, the head of a Jewish household would explain each of the elements of the Passover meal. When explaining the bread, He would announce. This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate when they came from the land of Egypt.” He was not suggestion that it was the literal bread eaten by their ancestors, which was by then over 1,000 years old, but that it represented the bread their ancestors ate. This was one way Jewish people could identify with their ancestors whom God had first redeemed from captivity. The head of the household normally blessed the bread and wine at other meals as well, but at Passover, when four cups of red wine were drunk, he would lift the cup a hand~breadeth above the table and recite a special blessing. Jewish men normally sat in chairs for meals, but they reclined on couches in typical Greek fashion when eating at banquets like the Passover. With their feet pointed away from the center of the room (When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. Luke 7:36-38) and their heads more toward the center(One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to Jesus. John 13:23) they generally reclined on one elbow, using the other arm to reach the food on the table beside them.
Jesus remarked about the “blood of the new covenant” {“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. John 14:28}looked back when God redeemed Israel from Egypt {Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Exodus 24:8}. By His blood being “shed for many,” Jesus possibly alluded to the suffering Servant pouring out His life (Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12). He saw Himself as redeeming His people by His own death.
Jewish people customarily finished, their meal by singing more psalms from the (Hallel~a portion of the service for certain Jewish festivals, consisting of Psalms 113–118~ comprise an important unit called the Hallel, which in Hebrew means “praise.” Composed after the exile, these six psalms are recited together by observant Jews during some of the major holidays on the Jewish calendar.). Likewise Jesus disciples sang “a hymn” (Mark 14:26~When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.) before departing for Gethsemane, where they would in the end desert Jesus
Psalm 13 Addresses anxious believers who have been beat up by the enemy of their soul, just as the lamenting David does. His misery is repeated over and over and continually petitions God for deliverance. David trusts in God’s loyal loving kindness, His salvation and bountiful love and care but his anger. The distance between four occurrences of “How long”, punctuated with question marks (Psalm 13: 1-2), and the confident and joyful song at the end (Psalm 13:6), is covered only with prayer (Psalm 13:3-4), and trust (Psalm13:5). Psalm Chapter 13:1-6 How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.
Father God, thank You for the example of David who despite the many problems, pressures, disappointments and pain that he was called upon to suffer, trusted in Your never-failing promises and kept in his remembrance Your never-ending faithfulness. Help me to follow his example when life’s pressures bear down on me and keep me under the shadow on Your goodness and grace – this I ask in Jesus Precious Name, Amen.
“How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?” (Psalm 13:2)
It is supposed that David penned this psalm in Saul’s reign, when there was a general decay of honesty and piety both in court and country, which he here complains of to God, and very feelingly, for he himself suffered by the treachery of his false friends and the insolence of his sworn enemies. I. He begs help of God, because there were none among men whom he durst trust ( {Psalm 12:1- 2~Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.). II. He foretels the destruction of his proud and threatening enemies (Psalm 12:3-4~May the LORD silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue ~ those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”). He assures himself and others that, how ill soever things went now , God would preserve and secure to himself his own people and would certainly make good his promises to them . Whether this psalm was penned in Saul’s reign or no, it is certainly calculated for a bad reign; and perhaps David, in spirit foresaw that some of his successors would bring things to as bad a pass as is here described, and treasured up this psalm for the use of the church then. “O tempora, O mores!—Oh the times! Oh the manners!’’ To the chief musician upon Sheminith. A psalm of David. Psalm Chapter 12:1-8 For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David. Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts. May the LORD silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue~ those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us~who is lord over us?” “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will protect them from those who malign them.” And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. You, LORD, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race. Father God, the world seems to be spiralling out of control, but I praise and thank You that You are in control and that it is not Your will that any should perish, but that all come to faith in Christ for salvation. Use me to be a true witness to the truth of the glorious gospel of grace~ and as the world is sinking deeper into sin, use me to help rescue those that are perishing – to your praise and glory in Jesus Precious Name I pray, Amen.
“{To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.} Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.” (Psalm 12:1)
In this psalm we have David’s struggle with and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety in a time of danger. It is supposed to have been penned when he began to feel the resentments of Saul’s envy, and had had the javelin thrown at him once and again.
“Psalm Chapter 11:1-7 In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.
Father God, there are times that I feel overwhelmed by all that is coming on the earth as evil is waxing worse and worse and all godly foundations of truth are being eroded by a God-hating, Christ-rejecting world. May I read, mark, learn and inwardly digest Your Word of truth so that in Christ I may stand fast in this evil day, knowing that You are my foundation and the Rock upon which I stand – an eternal foundation Stone, which can never be shaken for You alone are God – thank You in Jesus Precious Name, Amen.
“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)
"Only Life Changes" 