“To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned […]
God’s Steadfast Love
But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. -Psalm 13:5-6 In the third stanza, we see David anticipating the final state of God keeping his promise to Israel. David trusts because God’s love is steadfast. […]
Pray as We Ought
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. -Psalm 13:3-4 In this second stanza, David petitions the Lord with the same covenant language about each of his […]
A Bold Cry
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? -Psalm 13:1-2 (ESV) A hallmark of virtually all the Psalms is David’s […]
From Despair to Delight
Psalm 13:title–6 (ESV): 13 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider […]
The Lord Will Guard His People
You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man. Psalm 12:7–8 (ESV) In every generation there are wicked men who prowl on the poor and exalt vileness among “the children of man.” In our modern […]
The Pure Word of God
““Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:5–6, ESV) The Lord promises deliverance to […]
Big Talk from Lesser Beings
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?” -Psalm 12:3–4 (ESV) We should never underestimate the power of the tongue. The Bible never does. This is why it is the […]
In the Company of One
Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. – Psalm 12:1–2 A double heart only speaks with a toxic tongue. And the Psalmist is surrounded by men like […]
Fire and Brimstone
Psalm 11:4–7 (ESV): 4 The Lord is in his holy temple; The Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. 5 The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. 6 Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind […]
If the Foundations Be Destroyed
“In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”” […]
An Optimistic Eschatology
“The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.” (Psalm […]
Pray for the Afflicted
“Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you […]
God Has Not Forgotten
“His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the […]
Contemplating Foolishness
“His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”” (Psalm 10:5–6, ESV) The schemes of the the wicked man appear to always […]
The Wicked Man’s Arrogance
“In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts […]
Why, O Lord?
“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1, ESV) In every generation, the godly are dismayed at the impunity of the wicked. Like David, we are disturbed, and even dumbfounded, at the violence and temerity of the ungodly. Verses 2-11 record the hideous indictment […]
Arise, O Lord!
“Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah” (Psalm 9:19–20, ESV) Psalm 9 closes with a bold prayer that God would “Arise!” He has proclaimed the truth of the matter, but now he […]
The Hope of the Poor
“The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.” (Psalm 9:17–18, ESV) This pericope is accomplishing two primary things, and there is a fascinating theological insight here, if we will hear it. First, the […]
Poetic Justice
“The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah” (Psalm 9:15–16, ESV) The “nations” refers to the Gentiles, “the […]
From Death to Rejoicing!
Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. -Psalm 9:13–14 (ESV) This delightful set of parallelisms opens with an appeal for God’s […]
He Who Sits in Zion
“Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.” (Psalm 9:11–12, ESV) The Psalmist now moves from praising the Lord himself to calling on the people to join him in […]
How to Write About Anything
Writer’s block is a myth–one of the untrue ones, of course. But hitting the wall about what to write is a struggle almost every writer faces at one time or another. Typically, what is called “writer’s block” is a problem for writers for two reasons: indecisiveness and perfectionism. These are the real enemies that need […]
The Strong Name of Jesus
“The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” (Psalm 9:9–10, ESV) In previous verses, David thanked and praised the Lord for his upright judgment and declared how […]
Enthroned Forever
“But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.” (Psalm 9:7–8, ESV) While nations of men come and go, the Lord is already enthroned and will continue on his throne for eternity. He is the true King of […]
David’s Ozymandias
“When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in […]
Musing on the Structure
1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1–2 (ESV) Careful attention to the structure of the poetry in the Psalms demonstrates how […]
I Will Give Thanks
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” -Psalm 9:1 Psalm 9 and 10 complete an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet and thus appear to be one Psalm, in its original construction. The LXX, Vulgate, and Roman Church follow this pattern, making a difference […]
An Inclusio of Majesty
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” -Psalm 8:9 The Psalm ends as it began, with David praising God’s dominion over his creation, recounting how His splendor and magnificence fill the earth. In poetry, this is called in inclusio. Like a refrain, we now revisit the original chorus of […]
What I learned Working with Darren Doane
I’ve recently been privileged to do some work with Darren Doane, filmmaker extraordinaire. I wish I could say I was making a documentary or a music video with him, but I’m still trying to decide on a name for my band. So, there’s that! What we’re actually working on is something more closely related to my […]
Your Labor is Not in Vain
“You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.” –Psalm 8:6–8 There is a beautiful […]
Homo Imago Dei
“Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and […]
A Little Lower than Elohim
“Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” -Psalm 8:5 God’s creation of man is revealed to be one of dignity and power. He is crowned with glory and honor, made a little lower than elohim (translated heavenly beings here and angels in the […]
Out of the Mouth of Babes!
“Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” -Psalm 8:2 God’s wisdom is something at which to marvel. Though he often uses them, he doesn’t need the eloquence of a trained rhetorician to still His enemies. God can use babes […]
The Majestic Name of Yahweh!
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” -Psalm 8:1 By addressing God the way he does (Yahweh and Adonay), David is stressing God’s dominion over his creation. He is saying that the earth, being full of the wonder and glory of […]
What is Man?
“To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. […]
Why Then Should We?
“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” -Psalm 7:17 The Psalm ends with David promising to thank the Lord for his deliverance, a deliverance based solely on God’s righteousness. Though the deliverance is not yet realized, […]
If a Man Does Not Repent
“If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and […]
Indignation Every Day
“My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.” -Psalm 7:10–11 “My shield is with God,” is a Hebrew idiom that suggests the duty of protecting its bearer has been taken up by God, who being a righteous judge, will […]
The Lord Judges
“The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous— you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!” -Psalm 7:8–9 David is continuing from […]
Universal Justice
“Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment. Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high.” -Psalm 7:6–7 The tenor of this passage is one of universal justice. And, a careful reading of […]
A Curse Causeless
“O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. […]
The Ultimate Refuge
“A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.” -Psalm 7:title “O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.” […]
The Confidence of Answered Prayer
“Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.” –Psalm 6:8–10 Through the agony […]
The Psalmist’s Lament
“I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.” –Psalm 6:6–7 David’s affliction is manifold. Some have suggested the previous verses hint at his being physically afflicted with […]
A Well-reasoned Petition
“Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?” -Psalm 6:4–5 With David’s painful, frustrated cry of “How long?” still hanging in the air, he moves to petition God, “Turn, O Lord, deliver […]
The Believers’ Exultation
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” -Psalm 5:11–12 Rejoicing, joy, and exult[ation] is the […]
The Imprecation
“For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.” -Psalm […]
The Consecration
“But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.” -Psalm 5:7–8 It is not because of his own righteousness, but because […]
The Confession
“For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” -Psalm 5:4–6 If the first strophe is the invocation, this is the confession. […]