Psalms

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 64

Hear me, O Lord, as I voice my complaint
protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked
from that noisy crowd of evildoers.

I wonder if a synonym for sin could just be noise. For, noise is like a strident, rash sound that causes discord, and if life is a song, sin is the notes that are off beat.

They encourage each other in evil plans,
they talk about hiding their snares,
they say, "who will see them?"
They plot injustice and say,
"We have deviced a perfect plan."
Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning.

How foolish are the wicked to spread a net for their own feet, and all the while thinking the sceme was for something or someone else...this last phrase in this psalm makes me wonder...perhaps if any of us were to look honestly why we are nasty instead of disguising it as something else, we would receive light...

But God will shoot them with arrows,
suddenly they will be struck down.
He will turn their own tongues against them
and bring them to ruin.
All who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

What fool what put his faith in the teignted darkness of the wicked? You will find no life, light, or love there, but instead bitter faces with corrupt hearts...

let the righteous rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him, let all the upright in heart praise him!

You cannot have the world and God--there is no freedom of worship in thise who have their hearts divided between God and this word...but it is only those who have turned away from evil to the Lord, that can give the Lord his fitting sacrifice...

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 65

O you who hear prayer,
to you all men will come.
When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.

When people realize they need something, or forgiveness/life they often find God. But how true is it that even if we had not wasted ourselves in sins, even then we would have been as nothing before God...but now, with burdens heavy, the sinner must come to God in love and be freed from the chains of his own death...it inspires awe, to think, this soul despised by the world and broken in spirit, is what the Lord actual accepts as a sacrifice.

You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness,
O God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas...
those living far away fear your wonders,
where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy.

The wicked fear the light, and so, when debauchery is ending they cling to the night, and refuse to let light bring joy and life to their soul...yet this Savior is the only hope for anyone is this world.

You care for the land and water it,
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.

I write this because I think its a beautiful verse...in a way that my suprise you...for some reason when I read it I thought, "Care" is a beautiful name for a daughter...and so on my own name list of children I added "Care" as one of them....I think what we understand as caring has always been tired to the root of what it means to truly know and be known by God...Caring is like love, and yet bridges the emotions/heart/feelings/thoughts/prayers into one and lets you KNOW that you are sincere about whatever you are doing or saying...and s spme day I real hopefully have a daughter named Care, the Lord willing.

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 66

Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of his name,
make his praise glorious!
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down to you,
they sing praise to you,
thye sing praise to your name.

First, I notice that he wants 'glorious praise' and not mundane praise as I have seen in many churches...the very praise is to inspire awe, not done for men, but it should be both awesome to praise God and the praise should be 'worthy of Him who is praised.' Secondly, everything in this earth is submissive to God's commands, and his enemies CRINGE before him...this should give strength in every circumstance.

He rules forever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations,
let not the rebellious rise up against him.

Rebellious...hmmm...I really did not understand that word until after I turned from intentional sins...that impulse to do something wrong that has no cause or reason really besides being mad at God for some reason or other...and I will WARN you NOTHING good comes from being stubborn or mad at God...you just hurt yourself...anyway, I think this verse, talking previously about how carefully he led the Jews through the desert after rescuing them from Egypt, is an assurance then and now, that the LORD is in control of ALL people, even wicked nations...

Praise our God, o peoples
let the sound of his praise be heard:
for he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.
But you, O God, tested us,
you refined us, like silver.
you let men ride over our heads,
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.

Perserverance, strengthens you in ways you might NOT want to be strengthened...but like Jesus said we he used a parable of a woman giving birth, who screams during conception, but when the baby is born she forgets her pain in joy that she brought a life into this world...even so, God keeps our feet from slipping, and yet he wants to mold us in ways that may not be comfortable or feel too good when its happening...I know I have felt this sooooo much of my life...and, lastly, I think the last verse is clearly foreshadowing baptism oof water and the Holy Spirit.

I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfill my vows to you,
vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble....

How quickly we turn to God in desparation, and then how reluctant we can be to praise him when "we are no longer in trouble"--like a fool that must be continually brought down to nothing until we can praise him in prosperity, and seek him there still more earnestly...

Come and listen,
all you who fear God,
let me tell you what he has done for me.
I cried out to him with my mouth,
his praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened,
but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

The prayers of those who cherish sin CANNOT be heard by God...for if they got what they TRULY wanted God would give them wickedness...but in prayer, since they are seeking God, wickedness can never be granted...therefore, those who pray with a wicked heart speak empty words....but those who truly cry out and praise him, our richly rewarded with Him...

Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer,
or withheld his love from me.

I love how this straightforwardly rejoices that God both hears the cry of the repentant, and does not shun him as this world often/prehaps always does...hmmm...seems kind of like it is saying, praise God, that he has freed me from the callous and rash ways of the cold hearted...

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us
that your way may be known on earth
your salvation among all nations.

Perhaps these verses hold the key to 'can you continue in sin and be saved?'...this verse seems to imply that in prayer we petition the Lord that we may reflect him, and this should be the TRUE desire of our hearts....and not us 'improving' ourselves...it also suggests that we are saved to reflect Christ, and if we reflect filth and claim to be reflecting Christ what can it mean but that we are lying???

May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples justly,
and guide the nations of the earth.

NATIONS not Nation, so obviously in the Lord's hands are all things of the earth to guide them as He sees fit...and also it is not just for a Jewish nation to praise the Lord, but all nations now have a right through Christ to give praise...but this gets me thinking,if being Jewish is mainly based on 'genes' and there are other nations, why cannot the other nations praise God in a different and yet equally wonderous way...I am reminded of the differences even between say African praise and American praise; I say this because perhaps, if Jews want to continue with Jewish customs/rituals, perhaps thats fine; but perhaps also it is fine for nations to worship the One True God in whateer way He beckons them???.

Then the land will yield its harvest
and God, our God will bless us;
God will bless us
and the ends of the earth will fear him.

Lets get this straight, everything that has breath and life belongs to God. This world was corrupted, and for a while God singled out the jews as those He chose to continue in a righteous worship of God (when it was this and they did not profane themselves as they did sooo many times)...but what I am trying to say is the same way in which Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah (those are not your people God, they are wicked and not jews?), all peoples of all time have been Gods...God has a claim on every person that has ever lived, a twice claim, life, and the new life in Christ...I am reminded of what a Pastor Lynn I believe once said..."YOu think some people are annoying, and you are only around them a few minutes...imagine how much God has to deal with them." The point being that every person that is sinful God has to see as a blotch that stings him still...every person sinning...and there is something profoundly Divine in peoples together seeking RIGHTEOUS living and God, and God can bless this in extravagent and amazing ways...

 

[thefightinglamb]

I am like 3 posts behind.

psalm 68
As smoke is blown away by the wind,
may you bow them away.
As wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.

I love this imagery in showing how the truth. light, love, and Savior dispell darkness, sin, and the wicked.

A father to the fatherless,
a defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.

God uis both the support and defender of those who have no support; those this world derides and count as nothing...

God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing,
but the rebellious live in a sun scorched land.

I love this verse. It shows that the Lord will both strengthen and gladden the hearts of the righteous oppressed with joy, and bring the fortunes of those who dilight in chaos, and rebelling to nothing.

You gave abundant showers O God,
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.

Like all verses of psalms these verses tuch an indescribable feeling in my heart...here we are assured that the Lord will sustain his people,,,and provide for those in need...this leads to an interesting question, if the Lord provides for the needy, why should there ever be anyone in need? But I think sometimes we do not realise our need until God makes us desperate, and thus opens our eyes to our brokenness...

The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains;
rugged are the mountains of Bashan.
Why stare in envy, O rugged mounatains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign?
Where the Lord himself will dwell forever?

This explains a lot to me...first consider the seeming contradiction in the first two lines...I see it as comparing the glory of this world to the glory of God...you consider certain things 'majestic' and they are like great mountains, some people that you think may be holy, et cetera...but then when you turn to the Lord, all of these look mighty flawed compared to perfection....O the folly of those who NEVER leave the mountains of Bashan, like children who nevr grew up, or looked past the moment to the eternal glories...

When the Lord ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
he received gifts from men,
even from the rebellious (OR even the rebellious)
that you, O Lord God, might dwell there.

i do not know how much clearer a reference to Christ you may want...but this describes how the glorious act of raising the spiritually dead was wrought by Jesus Christ through the cross...that those who were by nater sons of perdition might attain life, and once more, recognize and desire the holiness of the LORD.

Praise be to the LORD, to God our Savior
who daily bears our burdens.

I love this verse as well....I cannot tell you how many times I have rexognized this truth, I think I wrote yesterday about annoying people,...now turn the table and recognize how annoying you can be if someone was patiently waiting on you ALWAYS as God is and does...it is belittling...that ever day God has to bear our infirmities...or else we perrish and would no longer exist.

Our God is a God who saves,
from the sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

Not even death can vanquish the victory of those the Lord supports...for they will find New Life, from Him who rose again.

Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
The Lord says, "I will bring them from Bashan
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes,
while the tongues of your dogs have their share."

I write this first for its gory-ness...but also notice Bashan again and as I said how pleasures of this world are nothing compared to the pleasures of God, though to the carnally minded they get it backwards...anyway, notice the Lord telling of those who find their pleasures in Bashan and from the deeps of the sea (could this mean God will bring the wicked from whatever dark pit they seek destruction and whatever wicked perversion they delight in?) to be slaughtered as animals? I told by vegetarian brother that those who live like animals deserve to die like animals...Kind of messing with him, but I think it is true...If you are carnally minded, you will face carnal death and be overcome, due to the flesh perishing...

Rebuke the beast among the weeds,
the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations
humbled, may it bring bars of silver,
scatter the nations who delight in war.

I love how this prays that the vilent and hell-bent people (those who enjoy raising Cain as the expression goes) and hurting those who live at peace will be stilled and thus cause no mischiefto the holy...

You are AWESOME, O God, in your sanctuary,
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people;
Praise be to God.

 

[thefightinglamb]

psalm 69

Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.!!!
I sink in the miry depths
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters,
the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help,
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.
Those who hate me without reason,
outnumber the hairs of my head,
Many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.

I love how this psalm opens...how often do we feel that WHATEVER STUFF/CRAP in our lives are drowning us, and it feels like we cannot move, but everything is overwhelming us at the same time? Not only are we drowning, but we are weary, tired, and spent, often calling out for God--and it feels as if God is ignoring our plights...

You know my folly, O God,
my guilt is not hidden for you.

Even so, the psalmest returns to contemplate that He knows that he is not blameless...and that there is still folly that plagues his life...like flies...

May those who hope in you,
not be disgraced because of me,
O Lord, the Lord Almighty;
may those who seek you,
not be put to shame because of me,
O God of Israel.

This reminds me of the plea of Moses, when he said that if the Israelites died in the desert, what would the nations say/think but that the true God could not save them? Even so, I think every Christian should always pray that no one be disheartened or led astray by our lives...for what can this mean by profaning the name of Christ-ian???

I am a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own brothers sons,
for zeal for your house consumes me
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.


I have felt this...

When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn,
when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
Those who sit at the gate mock me
and I am the song of the drunkards.


The holy mocked, I know of nothing more horrifying when it happens...

But I call to you, O Lord, in the time of your favor,
in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mire: do not let me sink.
Deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
Do not let the floodwaters engulf me,
or the depths swallow me up,
or the pit close its mouth over me.
Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love,
in your great mercy, turn to me.
Come near and rescue me,
redeem me because of my foes.


Once again, I am struck by the imagery. But also how clearly this person sees how close his life is to OBLIVION and yet he has the sanity to cry out on the edge that the Lord would save him from the plummit...


You know how I am scorned, disgraced, and shamed,
all my enemies are before you.
Scorn has broken my heart,
and left me helpless.
I looked for sympathy but there was none,
for comforters but I found none.
They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.


I have felt also the beginning of this verse, but also notice once again like almost every psalm in foretells the Lord and the desolation beyond compare he met with on calvary...


May the table set before them become a snare,
may it be retribution and a trap.
May their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
Pour out your wrath on them,
let your fierce anger overtake them.
Let their place be deserted,
let there be no one to dwell in their tents;
for they persecute those you wound,
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
Charge them with crime upon crime,
do not let them share in your salvation.
May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.


Is this speaking of the Jews or just Judas? It obviously is stating that a name or names will be 'blotted' out of the book of life...but to be blotted out, you have to first be there to begin with. The table set before them I take to be this world and their laws that prevent them from seeing God, because they cannot see past them...same with their eyes cannot see and their back be bent under trying to keep the law...I could show every line, but look at specifically the line that says "charge them with crime upon crime, do not let them share in your salvation.'...compare this to what the jews and the jewish leaders said to Pontius Pilate, "Let his blood be on us and on our children." hmmm...I could be wrong but thats what I see here...


for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah
then people will settle there and possess it,
the children of his servants will inherit it
and those who love his name will dwell there.


'children of servants' I almost see as a direct synonym for Christians...only those who love his Name may dwell there...

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 70

Hasten ,O God, to save me!
O Lord, come quickly to my rescue!

Once, I had a catholic 'saints devotional' Bible and i actually liked a lot of the sermons/writings of the 'catholic saints' from throughout all the 200 years since Christ...anyways, one insert was a saint showing how this one verse, is the most EARNEST and HONEST prayer possible at all times...it should be our thought waking up and lying down...when in trouble, that we should not fall; and in prosperity, that we not miss God...but I loved it and thinks its atrue saying we should always pray that the Lord would manifest himself and his way before us that we may follow him...when we are confident in our path (which can be the most dangerous time) or when we are unsure of where we should be.

May those who say to me, Aha, Aha,
turn back because of their shame.
But may all who seek you,
rejoice and be glad in you,
may those who love your salvation ALWAYS say,
"Let God be exalted."

It is right that those who mock at calamity, be reminded that they too are frail...that they too can be terrified by their own shortcomings...and also that those who delight that those who are in bondage should be set free due to the Lord's savation should always rejoice and let God be exalted in that broken person's freedom!

Yet I am poor and needy,
come quickly to me, O God,
you are my help and my deliverer,
O Lord, do not delay.

A little different than another psalms (Psalm 40) ending though it sounds close...but here the cry for urgency that the Lord would show his prvidence and hand that He may not perish is highlighted...

 

[thefightinglamb]

A little confession: I used to have these psalms memorized, since I am a bit rusty, I am trying to rememorize them as I go through them...hence my lack of keeping up with posting...sorry.

Psalm 71

Be my rock of refuge
to which I can always go.
Give the command to save me
since you are my rock and my fortress..
Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the enemy,
from the grasp of evil and cruel men.

I like how this portrays someone not sure of their circumstance, but pleaing foremost that the Lord accept them, and allow them to belong with Him, and that he would keep them safe from the darkness that Paul says clings so closely.

For you have been my hope, O sovereign Lord,
my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you,
you brought me forth from my mother's womb,
I will ever praise you.
I have become a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.

It is right that those who constantly rely on the Lord for strength should call when in need with hope of being heard.

They say, "God has forgotten him,
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him."

O the mockery of those who delight in wickedness, and whenthe righteous stumble! Woe to those who find what is good, bad, and what is bad, good...the mockery of the Son of God dying on the cross, with a creation glaring at him in disbelief.."come down from the cross if you are the Son of God."

But as for me,
I will always have hope.
I will praise you more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteousness
of your salvation all day long--
though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O sovereign Lord,
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.
Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

O the joy of those who delight in praising the true God! Who do not fear 'dying alone' but instead fear that 'they have not declared the power of the Lord to the next generation.'

Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
you who have done great things,
who, O God, is like you?
Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again,
from the depths of the earth,
you will again lift me up,
you will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.

Perhaps sometimes I write to make sure I have it memorized...lol...not really...I remember in proverbs it saying that how weak is the strength of those who fall in time of adversity (my paraphrase)...and I can only think that likewise, how great is the faith of those who even when things like glum and dim, seek light, and feel assurance in He whom they trust for salvation and deliverance.

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you,
I whom you have redeemed.
My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.

I love how this says, my lips will shout for joy, it reminds me of something overflowing, someone but cannot bare but to rejoice, it would cause them to burst if they did not let 'their lips shout for joy', like as a little kid waiting for that special gift/day when you either got or something incredible would happen,...even so this is the heart of someone mature that cannot help but raise their hands and overflow from the heart with praise, even as those who sought the death of his heart are confounded...

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 72

He will deliver the needy who cry out
the afflicted who have no one to help.
He will take pity on the weak and the needy,
and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.

Hmmm...abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness...

Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given to him,
may people ever pray to him,
and bless him all day long.

hmmm...

May his name endure forever,
may it continue as long as the sun.
All nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.

hmmm....

Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
Praise be to his glorious name forever,
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen

reminds of that prayer I have posted before on here from Little Men by Alcott..."O God please bless EVERYONE and HELP us to be GOOD." Simple and yet if you are perceptive and seek to make this truth the cry of your heart, then you love God foremost, and your neighbor as yourself...whoever your neighbor may be.

 

[thefightinglamb]

I thought I was only 4 days behind and it turns out Im five...grrr...I have been on Psalm 78 all of today....so I have a bit of catching up to do...been really distracted lately.
(this psalm is another favorite of mine---I recite it in my mind all the time!
Psalm 73
Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.

This seems to be elucidating that Israel is those who are ppure in heart?

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped,
I had nearly lost my foothold.

Hmmm...I know what it feels like to be on the verge of losing yourself and God altogether, and it feels horrible...

For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
They have no struggles, their bodies are healthy and strong
They are free from the burdens common to man,
they are not plagued by human ills.

So many churches make those who have not these 'blessings' look up to them as if they were the 'holy' ones in life, and not those who fight and struggle through life and with God...I really wonder how many churches would DARE describe the wicked as having all of this...instead of the bulwarky of self-help crap everyone is always fed.

Therefore pride is their necklace,
they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes inequity,
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
They scoff and speak with malice,
in their arrogance, they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven
and their tongues take possession of the earth.

I remember I think I was in church when I had this psalm but not sure, but I remember thinking about this last verse, I wonder if this verse in specifying those who are wolves amongst the sheep of the church...for they calim to be from heaven, and yet they endorse and encourage all worldliness in people's lives...

Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.

Like a glutton swallowing death along with a lot of candy that rots the truth and spoils the mind.

They say, 'How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?'
This is what the wicked are like:
always carefree, they increase in wealth,
'Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure,
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been plagued,
I have been punished every morning.'

I find all of this interesting, but the underloned portion reminds me of puritans again and how they though idleness is the key cause of sin, which is almost a certainty. But also, the wicked can undetstand from this, that it is a very arduous journey for those who seek the Lord to attain holiness...

If I had said, 'I will speak thus',
I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me,
till I entered the sanctuary of God
then I understood their final destiny.
Surely you place them on slippery ground,
you cast them down to ruin,
how suddenly are they destoyed,
completely swept away by terrors.
As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.

Terrible indeed is the fate of the wicked, hell birthed in the heart...it is a certainty that both the wicked and the righteous will face judgment, both in this world (by becoming a monster or godly) or in the next (by being heavenly or hellish).

When my heart was grieved,
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and arrogant,
I was a brute beast before you.
Yet I am always with you,
you hold me by my right hand
you guide me with your counsel
and afterward you will take me into glory!
Whom have I in heaven but you?
and earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

These are some of the most moving verses in scripture to my heart in portraying the path of a sinner spiritually finding God, and understanding what it was like to be worldly...and a plea of the heart that will aonly beat for righteousness alone.

But as for me it is good to be near God,
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge,
I will tell of ALL your deeds.

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 74
Why have you rejected us forever, O God?
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?...
Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,
all this destruction the enemy had brought on the sanctuary.

Hmmm...I know everlasting ruins was probably formeost to the Israelites talking about the temple, but it seems this yearnign for 'why do the holy things of the Lord lay defiled and in ruins everywhere' is a feeling in the soul, that I see and experience in these verses...as if it said, how long, O heart and soul will you remain ruisn until the Lord has mercy on you???

They burned your sanctuary to the ground,
they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
They said in their hearts, 'We will crush them completely'
they burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
We are given no miraculous signs,
no prophets are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.

It is a bleak day when people fear not using the name of the Lord in vain, and this feeling of not knowing when the Lord will be back feels kind of like what it must have felt for Israel in the '400 years of silence' inbetween the old and new testament...

How long will the enemy mock you, O God,
will the foe revile your name forever?
Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them.

Still trying to figure out what this last line is portraying...why does the Lord seem to delay in giving help sometimes? Is it part of our training? Our developing into who He wants us to be?

But you, O Lord, are my king from of old
you bring salvation upon the earth.

hmmm...

Day is yours, and yours also the night,
you established the sun and moon.
It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth,
you made both summer and winter.

So neither night or winter are evil by nature, hmmm...but winter sure does feel miserable sometimes... (and its only autumn)...also reminds me of how the Lord would go out by himself to pray at night, and I have to wonder at that devotion....hence that God established all physical laws by his wisdom.

Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts
do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.

O Lord, watch over your people and do not let the rash, cruel hands of the wicked callously, mercilessly trample your beloved...wait you did....

Have regard for your covenant
because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.

hmmm...

Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace
may the poor and needy praise your name.
Rise up, O God, and defend your cause,
remember how fools mock you all day long.
Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries
the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.

The poor and needy are whom the Lord takes 'special' care for...and those who gloat over there should beware of Him who defends their cause...

 

[thefightinglamb]

Half way done

Psalm 75

We give thanks to you, O God,
we give thanks for your Name is near.
Men tell of your wonderful deeds.

We already now from Psalm 50 that the Lord accepts thanks and praise as the only true sacrifice a heart can give him...and truthfully even though that is really nothing, we cannot even rejoice in Him unless He turns and changes our hearts.

You say, I choose the appointed time,
it is I who judge uprightly,
when the earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm.

The Lord appoints a time for everything as Eccliasiastes claims, just listen, watch and wait...and upholds all things until their time has come.

To the arrogant, I say, "Boast no more"
and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horns."
Do not lift your horns against heaven
do not speak with outstretched neck.

Be slow of speech and quick to listen as Paul exhorts people to be...and do NOT be HASTY to bring a charge against God or heaven. Reminds me of the story of the old foolish lady always saying prayers to God as if she was trying to give pointers on how to FIX the creation she thought He messed up....instead of hearing what the Lord hears and seeing what he sees, and seeking his thoughts...

No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt a man
but it is God who judges.
He brings one down, he exults another.

The Lord is in charge of everything, so take all things rather he humbles or lifts you up as coming from the Lord's control.

In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices,
he pours it out,
and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.

Very picturesque here...is it suggesting that this world makes the wicked drunk? and disorients them?

But as for me, I will declare this forever,
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

hmmm...may the sound of the triumph of those who delight in wickedness be cut short, while the rightous victory always be celebrated.

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 76

In Judah God is known
his name is great in Israel.
His tent is in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.

I do not understand all these references, but it seems to suggest in order to know and esteem Him as great you have to be where He wants you to be to be in His perspective of what is happening and what things mean.

You are resplendent with light
more majestic than mountains rich with game.

Reminds me of how much a hunter seeks his great game, even so we must come to the Lord seeking Him and his 'game' for our lives, with the ardency of a hunter tracking a deer.

At your rebuke, O GOd of Jacob
both horse and chariot lie still.
You alone are to be feared,
who can stand before you when you are angry?

This last verse insisting that the Lord be feared because He is in control of all things, and who can stand before his fury? is profound, and deep wisdom...O Lord, let me be hated by all men if it must be but never displease you...and yet how many times, for men do we break or not do whatever the Lord tells us to do?!?

From heaven, you pronounced judgment
and the land feared and was quiet
when you, O Lord, rose to judge
to save the afflicted of the land.

hmmm...this land being quit has often moved me deeply in some way, perhaps because everything is sooo noisy...or perhaps because of all the people that think they can enforce by their 'might' whatever they want...

Surely your wrath against men brings you praise
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.

Interesting, His wrath is suppose to bring Him praise...hmmm...the holiness of the Lord must be praised in separating the wicked from the righteous and exalting Him by those who have turned from wickedness...I thought about posting on this earlier...it is harsh but perhaps true...so hear me though...In books like Les Miserables, Victor Hugo portrays a lot of punishments that don't seem to fit the crimes...for example, a girl in love with a guy she believes will marry her, whom she put her mistaken trust in, gets her pregnant, and for this she is fired by Jean ValJean...and both the mother and child suffer...many other examples from the books and from life...but anyway, I got to thinking, perhaps the Lord cares much more for Holiness than we do...obviously the human idea of mercy says 'don't condemn the sinner, have mercy on them and they will change' like the pastor had on Jean Valjean and changed his life in the book...but lets say something like 'casual sex outside of marriage' is not ostracized strongly in a church will not the whole church become corrupt? But if it is put into the mind of church members, who am I to judge? Then you get a church full of people that have no fear of God and of the consequences of their actions, because morality has lost its hold on them, because the people do NOT do ANYTHING for SINNING...hmmm...My heart is still divided though between mercy and judgment, and I know that mercy triumphs over judgment, but I KNOW THAT WICKEDNESS MUST NOT TRIUMPH over either one....hmmm...

Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them
let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the one to be feared
he breaks the spirit of rulers
he is feared by the kings of the earth.

The importance of fulfilling what you vow is once more STRESSED...and then the stress on God's authority to judge and oversee every position of power on earth, both in foreign natians and in those where He is worshipped...

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 77 (wrote it all again cause I love this one...I recited 80 today meaning Friday...so I am still like 3 behind where I should be in posting)

I cried out to God for help
I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord.
At night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I mused and my spirit grew faint.

Something about the accuracy of showing what it means to be in depsperate need of God strikes a cord with my soul here...

You kept my eyes from closing, I was too troubled to speak.
I thought of former days, the years of long ago.
I remembered my songs in the night, my heart mused and my spirit enquired:
Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his faithfulness again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?

The difference between rejoicing with the Lord and perservering with the clouds are grey...once again, I do not think these questions are necessarily aroused by satan, perhaps by the flesh, and the downcast mind, but the 'depressed feeling/thought' that is here expressed seems naturally to many predicaments that humans, and especially Christians go through...John had to ask if Jesus was the one when he was put into a jail cell even after he saw the Lord baptized with the Holy Spirit...hmmm...

Then I thought, to this I will appeal,
the years of the right hand of the Most High.
I will remember the deeds of the Lord,
the miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works
and consider your mighty deeds.

Even when looking down though, his heart turns to the Lord to remember that his hope and faith is NOT in himself but in one who is Mighty to Save.

Your ways, O God, are holy,
what God is so great as our God!
You are the God who performs miracles,
you display your powers among the peoples.
With your mighty hand you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

What other God is able or willing to give up his own Son to redeem you...its as if He took the One thing that had any worth (imagine more than all the even physical treasure this world has) in theis world and gave it away so that you might be redeemed and have worth!

The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and writhed,
the very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down water,
the skies resounded with thunder,
your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightening lit up the world,
the earth trembled and quaked.
Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.

I think I said this before and I'll say it again...I think the public school mockery that God is still in control of nature is a great unjustice to God and Christianity...I remember how throughly it was taught to me that nature is random and God is not in control of the weather...which leads to a belief that God is more an audience member than the greatest performer this world has...so yes God is in charge of the weather, even everything traumatic and horrifying,...we are not told why the tower fell on those when Jesus was asked about them, but all He told the crowd was 'do not think it was because of your righteousness that it did not fall on you, for you were not more righteous than them, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

You led your people like a flock
by the hands of Moses and Aaron.

The Lord leads in an everlasting way that no person, philosophy, or religion will ever grasp.

 

[imoss]

hope all is well with you Fighting lamb.

 

[thefightinglamb]

Sorry about not posting...these last few up until a hundred, I had to rememorize, so that took time, I need to start reciting them in my head more often like I used to do...then I began the first one I had not memorized, 103 and then now I am in Psalms I do not know at all really, and these first few in 100 are long...I was on Psalm 106 on tuesday...

So I guess I will go back to where I left off and post verses in order that spoke to me as I went through them...

Psalm 78

I will open my mouth in parables,
i will utter hidden things, things from of old.

Hmm...why does the Lord speak in parables? even Jesus says, its so that the ones on the outside will not understand, but then the apostles even had to have many of them explained to them?...so what does that mean, but their are secrets that need to be understood in order to grasp God's will I believe.

Then they would put their trust in God
and not forget his deeds, but would keep his commands.
They would not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts where not loyal to God,
whose spirits where not faithful to him.

What does it mean to trust God? To believe that HE is alwas the one that provides, and not to take refuge in anyone or thing else.

The men of Ephraim though armed with bows,
turned back on the day of battle.

***This verse has spoken deeply to me on many occasions, when I first memorized and every once in a while, I go up to my younger brother and recite this verse to him...think of a warrior armed to fight the evil hordes with those who also put their faith in their support, and though armed and prepared for battle, they turn away...and leave their friends without needed support.

He split the rocks in the desert--and gave them waters as abundant as the seas,
he brought streams out of a rocky crag--and made water flow down like rivers.

Hmmm, God can bring water and noruishment from anywhere.

They spoke against God, saying,
"Can God spread a table in the deset?"
When he struck the rock, water gushed out
streams flowed abundantly.
But can he also give us food?
Can he provide meat for his people?'
When the Lord heard them he was very angry,
his fire broke out against Jacob
and his wrath rose against Israel...
for they did not believe in God
or trust in his deliverance.
Yet he gave a command to the high skies,
and opened the doors of the heavens.'

So the Lord gives us water, and then we tend to doubt that we are FULLY provided for...So we question rather he will provide something else, rather than trust that since the Lord has been faithful, his will must be done.

But before they turned from the food they craved,
even while it was still in their mouths,
God's anger rose against them,
he put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.

So..it was not God they craved but the flesh of beasts...and the Holy Lord must condemn those who look not to him but live lives of beasts, delighting and wanting just physical pleasure, rather that be food, sex, money, or whatever else.

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning.
In spite of all his wonders, they did not believe,
So he ended their days in futility,
and their years in terror.

I often am fully here, probably was mostly here, today, doddling my life away because since I do not see where the Lord wants me, I tend not to be walking by faith, but by doubt, doing nothing, and not worshiping the Lord all day long...but wasting like on nfl or being loud and stuff like that.

Whenever God slew them, they would seek him.
they eagerly turned to him again.
They remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High was their redeemer,
but then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying to him with their tongues,
their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
Yet he was merciful to them,
her forgave their iniquities
and did not destroy them.

I see two things in this cycle here shown...first, it is often only when the Lord slays that we seek him...not be pessimestic but its true...secondly, what are iniquities? I am considering this, perhaps iniquities are the sins that are not willful but all the same surround a persons life like flies around a meal, and though not actually being a wanted thing, they are just here do to the flesh's current sinful state?

He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.

Very humbling, to remember that you are nothing but dust, but flesh that is here for a little while.

Again and again, they put him to the test,
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.

Most take a lot to vex the Lord...but as I write again and again, how do you cure those who are in love with darkness? With and love the Lord shows, but when they reject this, what more can be done but contemplate or be vexed by the egnigma of those who choose to live sinful lives when given the option of paradise.

He struck down all the firstborn in Egpt,
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.

I wrote this verse just because it reminds me that every person alive even then was the Lord's, for the Lord formed them all...and how the Lord still make a distinction and slaughtered the first born in Egypt because he wanted his people free, set apart and holy...

Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless
as unreliable as a faulty bow.
They angered him with their high places,
they aroused his jeolosy with their idols.
When God heard them, he was very angry,
he rejected Israel completely.
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the tent he had set up among men.
He sent the ark of his might into captivity,
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
He gave over his people to the sword,
he was very angry with his inheritance.
Fire devoured their young men,
and their maidens had no wedding songs.
Their priests were put to the sword
and their widow could not weep.

The Lord does not seem to treat his people with any sort of favortism in the repect of tolerating wickedness; on the other hand, he seems much much stricter...He allows the profane of other nations to go on for generations, but when wickedness becomes effrontory and tries to approach God...what but death can occur, either in baptism or in actual death?

He built his sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.

The permanance of God...

He chose David his servant,
and took him from the sheep pens,
from tending the sheep, he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel, his inheritance,
and David shepherded them with integrity of heart,
with skillful hands he led them

Hmmm...soundness of character can be seen and practiced in even the humblest of careers...I wonder of how awesome of a shepherd of even sheep David must have been...not being afriad to sling rocks at lions attacking his flock...and it shows the greatness of his creator.

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 79

They have poured out blood like water, all around Jerusalem;
and there is no one to bury the dead.

The Lord's wrath rejected his people for sin is not something you want to experience, to say the least...

How long, O Lord, will you be angry forever?
How long will your jeolousy burn like fire?
Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not call on you
on the peoples that do not call on your name,
for they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his homeland.

What does it mean that the Lord experiences jealosy? The pangs, the hurt, and the betrayal of someone leaving him?...hmmm...and I am still thinking about this prayer that those unChristian nations should experience the wrath of God, but am wondering if the desire for God to bless everyone makes it only aplly to the Old Testament times...hmmm...

Do not count against us the sins of our fathers,
may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.

Hmmm...the furst time I heard of generation curses, I was at my current church? And I ahve to wonder over the reality of them, and the necessity of the Lord acquiting us of the guilt of our fathers...

Help us, O God our Savior,
for the glory of your name,
deliver us and forgive our sins,
for your names sake.
Why should the nations say where is their God?,
before our eyes make known among the nations
that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.

Once again, even now, his people insist that the Lord's name not be profaned and that nations not think low of the true God, and for the glory of His name, they appeal that He save them...

May the groans of the prisoners come before you,
by the strength of your arm,
preserve those condemned to die.

The Lord is both with and hears the sounds of the prayers of the afflicted.

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 80

Restore us, O Lord God Almightly,
make your face shine upon us that we may be saved.

The Lord's face shining us is a necessity in order to be saved, restoration is not an option for Christians it is a necessity.

O Lord god Almighty,
how long will your anger smolder
against the prayers of your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
You have made us a source of contention to our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.

I love the imagery here of those so deep in sorrow that they are eating and drinking tears, its all they know...but also its interesting how the Lord is angry specifically against their prayers...perhaps even now in what they pray for there is nothing but evil?

Why have you broken down its walls,
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
Boars from the forest ravage it,
and the creatures of the field feed upon it.

The desolation of wild beasts just roaming to and fro on something that was once Holy, reminds me of how some people 'just let go of themselves either their bodies and become fat or spiritually, and become wicked...

Return to us, O God Almighty,
look down from heaven and see,
Watch after this vine,
the root your right hand has planted,
the son you have raised up for yourself....
...let your hand rest upon them man at your right hand,
the Son of Man you have raised up for yourself;
then we will not turn away from you
revive us, and we weill call upon your name.

Only the Lord can restore holiness, and it only on insisting on Christ that the LORD's anger is appeased...not saying the anger does not exist, mind you, but saying that when the soul turns to Christ the anger is then appeased, but when someone turns away from Christ and following Him the anger once more is with that person...

ps...it is going to take forever to catch up...but I will try to do it quickly so that I can stay on track...

 

[greatkraw]

Psalm 37

Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong....

So often I mean people that cliam to have faith in Christ, and yet they are always afraid of someone doing something evil to them...like paranoid spiders spinning a web of doubt and mis-steps around them--and condemning themselves to stumble.


Delight yourself in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart...
Commit your way to the Lord,
trust in Him, and he will do this:
he will make your righteousness shine like the dawn
the justice of your cause like the noon day sun.

This reminds me of the martyr Stephen....who though he was stoned...committed his cause to the Lord, and saw a vision of heaven, even in the midst of being killed...if you delight in the Lord, HE will without a doubt give you himself.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath
do not fret; it leads only to evil.

I memorized this verse as I watched a guy make a lustful face after some girls in Starbucks...and I felt like knocking his block off...but this does no good, and the judgment, often serves as a snare to try and get you into the same profane trap...

The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy
to slay the upright in heart.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts
and their bows will be broken.

How great it is to know that the Lord will pierce through callous hearts...and those who refuse to repent will someday feel the intense anguish that they have tried blinding themselves to and hiding from or hardening themselves to...

But the wicked will perish
the Lord's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they will vanish...
vanish like smoke.

I note here that the Word writes 'beauty of the field'--as in there is something appealing to transient pleasures and those who seek it, but they chase a shadow.

If the Lord delights in a man's ways
he makes his steps firm
though he stumbles
he will not fall for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
I was young and now I am old
yet I have NEVER seen the righteous forsaken nor their children begging bread;
they are always generous and lend freely
their children will be blessed.

This convicts me...I am struggling with so much in life...and I have told many people...the Lord does not seem to be prospering me as of yet...so what am I to think? That I am worshipping wrongly...grr...yet I can witness to that the Lord has ALWAYS supported me...

The mouth of the righteous man utters justice and his tongue speaks what is just
the law of his God is in his heart, his feet do not slip.
But the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives,
but the Lord will not leave them in their power, or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

The words that you speak reveal what is in your heart...the Word says its as simple as that in many places...if you are the Lord's than your words must ALWAYS be godly...but the minds of the wicked are always scheming evil plots...

Wait for the Lord and keep his way
he will exalt you to inherit the land,
when the wicked are cut off
you will see it.
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
but he soon pasted away and was no longer
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

Here, we get another truth that this psalm battles, that the righteous too, struggle with the reality of the Lord's promises--though they maintain faith that the Lord's word is true. You have to wait to see how the Lord delivers and punishes...it is not like the transient 'beauty of the fields'...

Consider the blameless, observe the upright
there is a future for the man of peace.
But all sinners will perish
the future of the wicked will be cut off.

Here, we see again that 'sinners' will die either in baptism or eternally--and there is no sinner who will make it to heaven? is what this suggests??? While, the righteous will be blessed with a sound and secure future...

The salvation of the rightous comes from the Lord,
he is their stronghold in times of trouble
the Lord protects them and delivers them
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them
because they take refuge in him.

If you do not take refuge in the Lord during the storm--that what good is it to be Christian...if I know the Lord is my fortress, can I run outside the wall of the Lord and not get injured from swords and arrows???

You did a good job with this one, Lamb.

 

[thefightinglamb]

I was on Psalm 107 on Wednesday...but I am figuring I should atleast be writing on what I contemplated on 1 or 2 to try and get caught up.

Psalm 81

He [the LORD] says, "I removed the burdens from their shoulders,
thans hands were set free from the basket:
in your distress, you called, and I rescued you,
I answered you out of a thundercloud,
I tested you at the waters of Meribah."

The first thing I see is the glory due to the One who SAVES his people from bondage and slavery to sins and to oppressors...secondly, this idea of the LORD testing is interesting...and the tension follows through in the New Testament...We pray in the LORD's prayer, that the One we pray to 'not lead us into temptation' and then we also have in the letters, a writer saying that the LORD tests no one, but evil desires within the heart bring forth sin and evil....hmmm....I have contemplated this for a while...and now as I think of it there are things that are somewhat 'spiritual tests' and there are 'tests due to depravity'. The first is seen many places in the Bible, like when Abraham is asked to leave his family and his homeland or when he is asked to sacrifice Isaac--or when Israel is called to trust God in the desert--which again and again they refused to do........these seem to try and advance, develop, and elaborate us, so that we can see more of God........and then there is the 'tests' that we should not have a problem with Ace-ing like rather or not to sin in some particular way.......but I wonder how great the difference is between the two, one seems to be a sin of commission---as in doing something that we should not do---and the other a law of omission---God tells us to do something and we refuse......in certain ways, the act of omission seems much worse, for the act of commision perhaps does not know the way of God, while the law of omission knows but refuses to do what the Lord wants...hmmm..."He who knows and does not do accordingly will be beat with many stripes...but he who does not know and does wrong will be beat with few stripes."

"I am the Lord your God who brought you up, out of Egypt,
open wide your mouth and I will fill it."

Has to remind you of little kids acting like baby birds, trying to strectch their mouths wide open for nutritous food for their parent...and even so, the Lord asks us not to fill our mouths with evils, but if we come to him with open mouths, he will both sustain us and give us nutrition.

But my people would not listen to me,
Israel would not submit to me,
so I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own devices.

Woe the man, the Lord forsakes!!! Who so callous in his sins, refuses to repent, despite the Lord's constant beckoning...and so the LORD, having giving his life can give nothing more, but must give them over to the lusts of their hearts.

If my people would but listen to me,
if Israel would follow my ways,
how quickly would I subdue their enemies,
and turn my hand against their foes.
Those who hate the LORD would cringe before them,
and their punishment would last forever...

How immidiately will the Lord relieve those who turn from their sins, and lsiten to his calling...not sparing a moment...He will show himself "Mighty to Save" as the songs says...

...but you would be fed with the finest of wheat,
with honey from the Rock would I satisfy you.

I love how this analogy shows how the LORD sweetens the lives of those who take refuge in Him.