Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 110

Psalm 110 is a messianic psalm the clearly speaks of Jesus. It is the most quoted psalm in the New Testament, which tells us of its importance. Verse 1 is quoted most often.

Psalm 110:1

The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

How comforting is that? Jesus is at the right hand of God and the day is coming when those who oppose Him shall be His footstool.

Psalm 110:2-3
The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!  Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.

Jesus is coming back.

Psalm 110:4
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Jesus is not only King; He is a priest. Our King and our Priest.

Psalm 110:5-6
The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.  He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.

God’s wrath is coming. When Jesus returns, He will execute judgment among the nations. Today being Halloween, this verse is scarier than any other horror story you could ever read or tell. His judgment will fill the nation with corpses.

Psalm 110:7
He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.

When we look at the state of the world today, it’s difficult not to think evil is winning. But it is not. Why doesn’t God do something drastic to halt the moral decline of our culture? The answer is found in 2 Corinthians 6:2 where Paul tells us that “now is the day of salvation.” We are still living in that day; we are living in an age of grace. Until Christ returns, man has an opportunity to repent and turn to Jesus for salvation. But when Jesus comes back and the full wrath of God is unleashed, then those who do not have His blood cloaking them in His righteousness, will be lost for all eternity.

Today is the day of salvation. Don’t take another breath without having Christ as your Lord and your Savior. The next breath you take may be your last. That, my friends, should scare you.

Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 109

Psalm 109 is the last of the imprecatory psalms, psalms that cry out to God for vengeance to come upon an enemy. However, it also has messianic implications and is called a “Judas Iscariot” psalm, because Peter quotes it in reference to Judas.   Acts 1:20, “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.”

There was a time in my life when I would go to the abortion clinic and pray imprecatory prayers against those who operate these horrible death mills, but as I’ve grown in my faith, I now try and let God be in charge of determining judgment. Though I still pray God will move however He sees fit in destroying the clinics, I try to pray more for salvation to come to those who are behind the murder of our babies in the womb. The Gospel is the answer to this life.

Psalm 109:1-5

Be not silent, O God of my praise!  For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.  They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.  In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.  So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

It is easy to see that Jesus was treated as the psalmist describes.

Psalm 109:16-19
For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.  He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!  He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones!  May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day!

While Judas fits into this psalm, along with all who pursued the crucifixion of Christ, there are still people in the world today who also fit the description in these verses.

Psalm 109:21-27
But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!  For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.  I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.  My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.  I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads.  Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love!  Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it!

But who of us can escape the judgment of the most holy God? Without the blood of Christ covering us, we also deserve the brunt of God’s wrath. But as the psalm says, we can cry out to God to act on behalf of His name’s sake and because of God’s steadfast love, He will deliver us if we cry out to Him.

Psalm 109:30-31
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.  For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

In truth, we all should be condemned. But praise be to God, He loved the world so much that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to save us.

With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.  For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

Amen

Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 108

Psalm 108 is the combination of Psalms 57 and 60. The Holy Spirit inspired the psalmist to put them together, so God has a purpose in this psalm. If nothing else, it is a reminder to worship God. It is a reminder to praise Him and be thankful. Today is Sunday. Go to church and let your heart be glad in Him.

Psalm 108:1-6

 My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!  Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!  I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.  For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!  That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

Psalm 108:7-9
God has promised in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth.  Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.  Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

God’s judgments and His actions are always good because God is holy. Go to church today and stand in awe of our Holy God.

Psalm 108:10-13
Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?  Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies.  Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!  With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.

Our greatest foe is self. It is the pride within us that leads us to sin against our Holy God. When we sin, we are rebelling against God and His holiness and against His pure and perfect Word.

Go to church this morning. Go to your knees in humility and pray the words of this psalm which say, “My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!  Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!  I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.  For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!  That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me!”

He will answer.