Not Short on Truth
Today’s Reading – Psalms 115 – 118 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 47:1
Read the “0709 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.” – (Psalm 117:1-2)
Did you ever notice that some of the most powerful messages in the Bible come out of passages of few words. For instance, Peter’s message at Pentecost, which was used of God to lead 3000 people to Christ, was only 25 verses long. The people at our church are hoping that I would learn to preach some of those short sermons. Anyway, Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in all the Bible, but it is certainly not short on truth. This Psalm speaks about two very important doctrines in the Bible: God’s mercy, and God’s truth. It really says it all if you think about it. Through God’s mercy a way was made possible for us to receive the forgiveness of our sins; and it is because of His truth that we could find out about His mercy. What an awesome little passage of Scripture!
The context of this psalm is unclear, and the writer is unknown.
This is another of the “Halel Psalms” because it ends in “praise ye the Lord”. The Hebrew word for praise in these psalms is “halel” and the word for the Lord is “Yahh” – thus halel Yahh, Halellujah. There is also another word for praise here in the first verse. The first praise is “halel”, but the second praise is “shabach”, which means to boast or to commend.
I. The Candidates for Praise (v. 1)
A. The Countries
“O praise the LORD, all ye nations:” (Psalm 117:1a)
The word, “Nations” here means the Gentiles (see Psalm 22:23 – 28).
Throughout Israel’s history, most of their neighbors have been unfriendly towards Israel and to Israel’s God. Here, however, the call is for these Gentile nations to praise the Lord. The only way for this to happen is if these nations (Gentiles) were to call upon the name of the Lord.
We know that in the Millenium, all the nations of the earth will be praising God for His kindness and His truth because they will be receivers of them.
Today, we who know God, need to get the good news to the Nations of the world. We may not be able to save entire nations, but we may be able to reach a remnant within each nation.
“ Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.” (Zechariah 2:10-11)
“And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.” (Zechariah 14:16-19)
B. The Congregation
“praise him, all ye people.” (Psalm 117:1b)
This word has a similar meaning to the word “Nations.” It means a people, tribe, or nation. I think the reference here is to the nation of Israel.
The bottom line is that the people today who know God need to glorify God in front of the nations by boasting or bragging on Him. Someday, the world will catch up to us. Right now, too many of us are letting the world intimidate us into silence. Our praise, however, may be the very thing that God uses to bring about the salvation of the nations.
II. The Causes for Praise (v. 2)
A. His Compassion
“For his merciful kindness is great toward us:” (Psalm 117:2a)
“How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” (Psalm 36:7)
“Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.” (Psalm 63:3)
His greatest merciful kindness to us was dying on the Cross for our sins:
“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;” (Titus 3:4-6)
B. His Commandments
“and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever.” (Psalm 117:2b)
The Bible states many times that His mercy endureth for ever.
It also states that His righteousness endures for ever as well as His judgnments.
Here is Psalm 117, we learn that His truth endures forever as well:
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (1 Peter 1:23-25)
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Psalm 12:6-7)
Conclusion
“Praise ye the LORD.” (Psalm 117:2c)
“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Psalm 138:2)
Praise the Lord. Ain’t God good.
Revised 07/09/25
Posted in Thoughts from the Psalms by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Unmoveable
Today’s Reading – Psalms 108 – 114 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 15 – 16; Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6
Read the “0708 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Surely he shall not be moved forever…” (Psalm 112:6)
“…his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:7)
“His heart is established…” (Psalm 112:8)
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed….A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6,8)
There is far too much instability among God’s people today; they just can’t seem to make up there minds as to where they stand. The Bible says about Jesus that His face was set like a flint, meaning He wasn’t budging from the will of God. Why is it that His children, however, are always moving in their doctrinal positions and in their personal convictions? We need to learn the lesson that the Psalmist taught here in the 112th Psalm.
Notice the characteristics of this unbending, righteous man spoken of here in the Psalm 112:
1 He is unmoveable about His Bible.
“[He] delighteth greatly in his commandments” (v. 1)
He is not the type of guy that changes the Bible he uses or what he believes about the Bible. He is bull-dogmatic about Bible principles. He believes and applies what God says, and doesn’t deviate off of the course that the Word charts.
2 He is gracious and full of compassion. (v. 4)
Even though you are not going to move him about what he believes, he will be gracious and compassionate with those who have not yet grown to where he is. He gives people who are heading in the right direction time to get there. He is willing to give somebody a second and third chance when they demonstrate true contrition and repentance.
3 He is generous in his giving. (vs. 5, 9)
He knows that the source of all of his wealth is God. He knows also that God expects him to distribute the wealth that he has given him in order to be a blessing and a help to others.
How often do we change our minds and our actions regarding our Christian walk? We need to be a little more like this man mentioned in the Psalm. We need to dig in and find out what we believe from the Bible, and then stick with it until the Lord takes us home.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
Never Satisfied
Today’s Reading – Psalms 106 – 107 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 13 – 14; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:1 – 4
Read the “0707 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalm 106:15)
The Scripture referenced above has to do with the children of Israel during their wilderness wanderings. It seems that the people were always griping and complaining about their condition; always discontented about what God had provided for them. You will remember that God gave them manna from Heaven, but the people lusted after meat. God gave them what they wanted, but at what price? The Psalmist tells us they received leanness into their souls. I don’t think that God was upset with them because they had a physical hunger; but He did judge them because they put their lust for the physical above their love for Him.
How often do we put our physical, and other fleshly desires over the things of God. There is nothing wrong with food, but when we become so consumed with eating, playing, enjoying, etc. that we become negligent of the spiritual we too will suffer the consequences of a spiritual famine. I love to eat, I love to enjoy the good things that God has given us to enjoy in this life, but I don’t want to trade off the spiritual blessings that God has for me because of an over-appetite for the physical.
Notice the historical reference of this event from Numbers 11:
“And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.” (Numbers 11:33)
Our flesh is enemy # 1. If we are not careful, we will allow our flesh to take over our lives. We may be physically fat, but we will also be spiritually famished.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
So Great Is His Mercy
Today’s Reading – Psalms 103 – 105 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read the “0706 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” – (Psalm 103:10-12)
I had a good friend who was an evangelist and is in Heaven now, and every time I asked him how he was doing, he always said, “better than I deserve”. He was right. He didn’t deserve to be doing as good as he was doing, but God had been very good to him; and He’s been good to me as well. Today’s passage teaches this truth, which is perhaps the most wonderful truth in the entire Bible: that God is merciful to sinners. Of course, I must be clear to point out that this truth only applies to sinners who have received the gift of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a principle in the Bible called sowing and reaping, which basically teaches that we will reap in judgment what we sow in sin. But for the Christian, this principle does not completely apply. Those of us who are the children of God will never reap in judgment what we sowed in sin. The judgment of our sin was reaped by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. He suffered for what I sowed. Now, to be sure, there will always be corrective consequences for sinful behavior in this life, and perhaps even the loss of reward in eternity for the disobedient Christian, but we will never get what we truly deserve for our rebellion against God. God is merciful. He has removed our sins. He truly has made them white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) All our past sins are gone completely, and He will not “impute” any new sins to our account. (Romans 4:8) What a wonderful God we serve! Have you taken time today to thank the Lord for His mercy? Have you told the Lord how much that you appreciate what He did for you on the Cross? Think about it: if you and I received what we deserved we would be burning in the Lake of Fire right now, but our God is merciful to those who come to Him in repentance and faith. Praise His Name!!
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Happy Birthday America
Today’s Reading – Psalms 90 – 95 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 7 – 8; Psalms 16 – 20; Proverbs 4)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19
Read the “0704 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read previous posts from this passage – “A Penny for Your Thoughts” and “Are You Thriving or Just Surviving?”
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. …If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:32; 36)
Praise the Lord for America! This is the greatest nation on the face of the earth. When I think about Independence Day I am filled with praise and gratitude to our God for three specific things:
1 I thank the Lord for Jesus who died on the cross for my sins, giving me liberty from the Law and from the bondage of sin. To think that Christ would love someone like me is really beyond my comprehension.
2 I also thank the Lord for the men and women of God throughout the centuries who have given their lives delivering the message of salvation. I could not be saved today if it weren’t for people who sacrificed greatly communicating the truth of God’s Word.
3 Finally, I am filled with gratitude for the men and women who have given their lives for the cause of freedom here in America. With all of her faults, America is by far the best place in the world to live. I can carry my Bible here; I can open it on any street corner and proclaim the glorious name of Christ. I have the freedom to worship God here according to the convictions that God has given me through His Word. I do a lot of complaining about the direction our country is heading sometimes but today I am going to lay aside all of the negatives and be thankful for the blessing of America!
One more thing. I am going to think today about what sacrifice I can make to send the message of Christ to not just America, but to every living, breathing soul on this earth.
Thank you Jesus for setting me free from sin. Thank you America for giving me the freedom to thank and serve Jesus.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
Ain’t God Good
Today’s Reading – Psalm 86 – 89 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 5 – 6; Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
Read the “0703 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” (Psalms 86:5)
This morning’s passage contains a very simple, yet also very profound truth, which is perhaps the greatest truth in all of Scripture. God is good. God is better than good, God is awesome. We sing the song sometimes, “Ain’t God Good,” and He is. It may not be proper English, but it certainly is sound doctrine. Consider the following verses:
“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Psalms 34:8)
“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalms 100:5)
“Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.” (Psalms 135:3)
“The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Psalms 145:9)
“The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 33:11)
“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” (Lamentations 3:25)
“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” (Nahum 1:7)
The Lord is good for an infinite number of reasons, but in the context of Psalm 86, David declares that the Lord is good because He is merciful and ready to forgive all them that call upon Him. Over 35 years ago I heard the gospel preached, and I realized that I was a sinner that needed salvation. I called upon the Lord and He was merciful to me and “ready to forgive.” He saved me. You see, I can testify firsthand that the Lord is good. And He hasn’t stopped being good to me. He has never done me wrong one time. Ain’t God good! Can I get a witness?
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 12 comments.
Visit This Vine
Today’s Reading – Psalms 80 – 85 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 3 – 4; Psalms 6 – 10; Proverbs 2)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8
Read the “0702 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.” (Psalm 80:14 & 15)
The context of this passage of Scripture involves a period in the history of Israel (the vine) when the people of God were under judgment due to their falling away from Him. Most people believe that it specifically involves the time of the Babylonian captivity. You will remember that God raised up the nation of Babylon to come and judge the southern kingdom of Judah in 586 BC because God’s people had turned away from Him and had fallen deeply into idolatry and immorality. The psalmist was pleading with God to return His favor to the vine (Israel), and to allow her to be restored to a place of God’s blessing; a place of provision and protection.
As a child of God today, I desire the same thing for my home, my church, and my nation. I so desperately want to see God move in my family and in my church. I want to see the evidence of God’s hand in the place where He has called me to live and to minister. I want God to visit the vine called Jersey Shore Baptist Church. I want God to use this place as a bright light in a dark world. I want to see multitudes of souls saved here; and I want to see the wayward saints return to the vineyard.
I believe this can happen. I believe we can see a great revival, even in these last days. But how is it going to happen? The answer to that question is found in vv 3, 7, & 19. Three times the psalmist pleads with God to:
“Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”
Notice that it begins with a movement of God. The Psalmist asks God to move in the hearts of the people and cause them to desire to be turned toward the things of God. I guess that’s kind of what God has called me to do as a preacher. My job, in part, is to plead with the people and exhort them to turn away from the world and their sin; and turn back toward God. There cannot be a salvation without a turning. Don’t misunderstand, I do not believe that this Psalm is specifically dealing with the salvation of a soul from Hell, but the principle can be applied. In order for a person to be saved they obviously have to turn to God; and in order to be moving in the direction of God, one must be moving away from their sin.
The same is true for the revival of our worldly, cold and indifferent hearts in the local church. We need to turn away from our sin and all of the trifles that this world has to offer; and turn back to God with all of our hearts. We are living here for a purpose; but merely living here is not that purpose. We are here to glorify our Lord in this dark world by shining the light of His glorious gospel.
God, please visit the vine of my life, my family, and my church; and cause me to turn away from all of those things that are hindering me from fulfilling your perfect will for my life. Help me to glorify you in everything that I do and say; and help me to wet the appetite of the people around me for the things of God.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
He Knows Our Humanity
Today’s Reading – Psalms 78 – 79 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
Second Milers also read – Proverbs 1; Psalms 1 – 5; Mathew 1 – 2)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4
Read the “0701 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from today’s reading passage – “Where Is Their God?”
“But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.” (Psalms 78:38-39)
“For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” (Psalms 103:14)
Isn’t it comforting to know that we do not have to pretend to be anything other than human when dealing with God. Think about it. In every other relationship we have, we are always putting on our masks and placing defensive barriers around us so that people will not see the real us. We want to portray an image of ourselves to the people we meet that is far better than the reality. But we know that it is futile to even attempt such a thing with God because He can see right through any veil that covers us. He knows everything about us: every dirty detail and every hidden thought. He knows some things about us that perhaps we have pushed so far back in the recesses of our minds that even we don’t remember. He knows that we are merely “flesh,” and He knows that we are “dust.” To me, that is very comforting, because I know that God is the only one that I can truly be myself around. And the strange thing is that He loves me even though He knows all of the dirt.
In our passage today, in Psalm 78, we read about the history of Israel from the perspective of God. God gave Israel everything that they have. He delivered them from Egypt, fed them and protected them as they wandered through the desert, brought them into the land of promise. But what did Israel do in return for God? They rebelled against Him, complained about Him, and turned to worship other gods. God had to send judgment in order to get them to turn back to Him, but their repentance was never permanent. They would always resort back to “being human.” Our humanity, our flesh, causes us to keep leaning unto our own understanding and doing our own thing. Most of the time our thing is in direct opposition to what God wants. But we have this flesh that is continually seeking to satisfy its own lusts and is constantly pulling us out of the will of God. To make matters worse, we also have the world and the devil cheering our flesh on in its battle with the will of God. No wonder Paul said, “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). I say “AMEN” to that but I also, like Paul, thank the Lord that God sent a Saviour who died for my sins and sent the Holy Spirit to live in and work on this old sinful flesh, conforming me into the image of Christ. That means every once in a while I am going to get it right down here on the earth and someday, praise God, I will be delivered completely from this body of flesh.
God didn’t utterly destroy us and wipe us out. He loved us, He died for us and He is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. And someday soon, He will transport us up out of this world and take us to be with Him (without our sinful flesh) forever.
Additional Thought from the Psalm 78
“1 Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: 7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:” (Psalm 78:1-7)
It is the responsibility of parents to teach the Scriptures to their children. Notice the highlighted phrases in the passage above. The ministry of the church in teaching and preaching the Word of God certainly has its place in transferring Truth to the next generation, but the primary means that God chooses to use is the teaching of parents to children. This is also seen very clearly in Deuteronomy 6:6-7:
“6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
It is so important that the Word of God be taught and modeled within the home.
Posted in Thoughts from the Psalms by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Slippery Places
Today’s Reading – Psalms 73 – 77 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Revelation 17 – 22; Psalms 146 – 150; Proverbs 30 – 31)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read the “0630 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.” – (Psalm 73:2)
“Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.” – (Psalm 73:18)
I remember one day years ago when I was working as a youth director at the Christian Bible Baptist Church in South Toms River, I was picking up one of the guys from the youth group during an ice storm. Everything was covered with ice. I watched as this young man very carefully left his house and walked toward my truck. I turned my head for a minute, and when I looked back he was nowhere in sight. I assumed that he went back inside for a moment because he had forgotten something. That’s when I saw a hand stretching up to grab the mirror on the pasenger door of the vehicle. He was holding on to that mirror for dear life. With all of his strength he pulled himself up, and steadied himself to get in the cab. I don’t think that I have ever laughed so hard in all of my life. The young man could not even stand on his own simply because the ground underneath him was too slippery.
I may be taking too much liberty with this passage, but I can not help but notice that twice in Psalm 73 there is a reference made to slipping. In verse 2 the psalmist says that he had almost slipped because of his envy of the prosperity of wicked people. Then again in verse 18 we see another reference to a slippery place. I got to thinking that God’s people often fall because they tread 0n slippery places. You can make the application here wherever it fits in your life, but a slippery place is a place, person or thing that presents to us a great temptation to sin. Maybe for you it’s the wrong crowd, or it could be sitting home alone on the internet; but it is a place where you can easily fall into sin. If you don’t want to fall, stay away from slippery places.
By the way, did you ever notice that when you fall off your feet, you often have a difficult time getting back up on your own. It is the same when you fall into sin. Don’t be too prideful to call out to someone and ask them for help.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
David’s Prayer in a Seemingly Hopeless Situation
Today’s Reading – Psalms 69 – 72 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Revelation 13 – 16; Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 29)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1
Read the “0629 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a another post from this morning’s reading passage – “Who Are You Magnifying?”
Psalm 69
“Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto [my] soul. 2 I sink in deep mire, where [there is] no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. 3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.” (Psalm 69:1 – 3)
This psalm is quoted more in the New Testament than any other save Psalm 22 and Psalm 119.
Notice in the introductory material that this psalm is a psalm of David, and it is upon Shoshannim. We have seen this word once before in the introduction to Psalm 45. The word means “Lily”. It is translated “Lily” in 13 other places in the Old Testament, 8 of which are in the Song of Solomon:
“I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” (Song of Songs 2:1)
This psalm is messianic in that it speaks of Christ (vs. 4, 21), and it is imprecatory, in that it calls for judgment upon David’s enemies.
I David’s Problem (vs. 1 – 12)
The historical context of this psalm is not revealed.
In v. 1, David cries out to God to save him.
David uses the metaphor of a drowning man, which he has done before in Psalm 18:4 – 6, and in other places:
“The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” (Psalms 18:4-6)
Sometimes the problems of life overwhelm us and suffocate us. The language used here vividly describes David’s hopelessness as well as his despair (v. 3).
Notice in v. 4 that David was hated “without a cause”, but in vs. 7 & 9 David reveals that their hatred of him was due to his love for God.
People that hate God will hate God’s children:
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12 KJV)
David’s problems lead him to pray.
II David’s Petition (v. 6; vs. 13 – 28)
David prays for his own deliverance. (vs. 13 – 21)
David prays for his enemies’ demise. (vs. 22 – 28)
Our Lord told us to love our enemies; to pray for our enemies; and to even do good to them:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)
Our petition should lead us to praise.
III David’s Praise (vs. 29 – 36)
This is a familiar pattern in the Psalms. David praises God before the deliverance came, because he knew that deliverance would come. He trusted that God would ultimately deliver him, no matter how bad the situation looked.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.