Studies in Psalms-Psalm 3

Starting the Day With God 

This life is hard and honestly, without my faith in Christ and my hope in Him for a day when all the tears and sorrows will be taken away for all eternity, I don’t know how I would carry on. David was no different than I or even you.  Many of the Psalms were written by him and if you know David, you know he struggled with depression.

But the truth is, most of our problems are the results of choices we make. The past lingers on in the reaping of what has been sowed. Psalm 3 is the first Psalm we know David wrote. It is a prayer. We can learn much from this short prayer of David.

This is a morning psalm. Written by David as he was fleeing the loss of his throne to his own son, Absalom, David has risen in the morning with fear and concern. We can all relate to those times. So, what does David do? He starts the day off right by seeking God. And he gets right to it.

Psalm 3:1-2

O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah

Immediately his prayer calls to his Lord. Sometimes we need to be urgent in our prayers. David cries out to God confessing his troubles. Then watch what happens. Faith kicks in and David credits God for being his protector. We can do the same.

Psalm 3:3-4
But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

David continues to pray in faith. James 5:15-16 reminds us that “the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” This is how to pray.

David also knows that it is an imperative to start our morning immediately with God.

Psalm 3:5-6
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about.

Find your strength in God who can and does protect us.

Psalm 3:7-8
Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.

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Whatever you face each day, start off in prayer, praise, and confession to God. He has provided in the past and He will take care of those who humbly come before Him, knowing that it is He who will provide. He is the great Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord will provide.

Studies in Psalms - Psalm 2

 Talk about God and you don’t usually get much complaint, but bring up the name Jesus and suddenly the world is in an uproar. Television and movies will quite often include God in their dialogue or story, but few movies, short of those directly produced by the Christian movie makers, will speak of Jesus. It’s acceptable to thank God and we hear many celebrities and athletes doing so in award ceremonies and after the game interviews, but rarely will the media let someone give glory to Christ. The world hates Him.

Psalm 2 is considered by most scholars to be messianic in nature. To be messianic in the Old Testament means that it is speaking of the coming Christ. So, as Psalm 2 opens, we see a glimpse of the hatred that the world would have for Jesus.

Psalm 2:1-3
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

Jesus is God’s anointed Son and as this Psalm looks to the future we now know they would reject and even crucify Him.

Sometimes we think God is just sitting by letting all this rebellion against Him go. He is not. Listen to God’s response to those who “set themselves” against the Messiah.

Psalm 2:4-6
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

God has set His King in place and it is Jesus. He is coming back to rule and when He comes He shall bring judgment to those who reject Him. Jesus, Himself, spoke of the judgment to come. Revelation 19:15-16 speaks of the coming day when “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Make no mistake, Jesus is king. Notice the similarity of Revelation 19 and Psalm 2.

Psalm 2:7-9
 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

So, what is the application for us today?

For one thing, we can rest in faith that the evil in our world will be judged. But what about us? Well, for us, this should be a reminder of the importance of letting Jesus actually be, Lord of our lives.

Psalm 2:11-12
 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Serve the Lord with fear, rejoice with trembling, kiss the Son, seek obedience to Him, for no one, not even kings and nations, can escape the wrath of the Lord in that day. So, take refuge in Christ. That is the key to being blessed. That is the key to eternal life.

Studies in Psalms - How To Prosper

Psalm 1

The first Psalm recorded in the Bible sets up the rest of them and is a preface to the Christian life. In it we see a contrast between how the disciples of Christ live versus how the wicked of the world do.  We see in verse 1 who is the blessed one.

Psalm 1:1

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

Then we see simply why.

Psalm 1:2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

The blessed ones are those who delight in the words of scripture and who not only read it, but they chew on it all day. They think about what it says and they consider it deeply as they go deep into its meaning and its value in instruction.

Verse 3 explains that those who delight in God’s Word will prosper as they are like a tree planted near streams of water which means it gets plenty of nourishment, thus it grows and gives good fruit. Far too often we look for what God will do for us, but the truth is God wants us to be fruitful and a tree’s fruit is not for itself, it’s to fill the earth with more trees. That is our mission. To bless us others with our fruit.

There is a great promise in verse 3. The one who delights in the law of the Lord? Whatever he does prospers. That is what this says.

But the psalm goes on to explain who the wicked are and what happens to those who do not delight in His law.  

They are like chaff which the wind drives away. The wicked will not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

And why? Verse 6 explains, For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.

The lesson is clear. Those who are led and directed by the Bible and find delight in it will prosper and one day stand in the assembly of the righteous. But those who choose the way of the world? They shall not prosper. They shall perish.

Do not fall into the trap of the Devil, who leads you to think that because many who reject God are this very day seeming to prosper, and that they are the ones to follow. 2 Peter 3:9 explains that, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

We have a choice. Which man will you be? Read Psalm 1. Meditate on it. Today. Repent and do not perish. Then you will prosper.