Psalm 114

Psalm 114:7

Tremble, O earth, before the Lord,
Before the God of Jacob,

The rest of the psalm is describing the physical miracles that God did for the Israelites, in bringing them to the Promised Land.  It said, in rather poetic language, how the Red Sea and Jordan River were parted for them to cross.

The earth did tremble before God on those days.  But should it tremble more often?  I realize the earth isn't alive, so it can't recognize God's power.  But how much do we read into events that God is doing something, when natural processes are at work?  Or how about the reverse?  Might God be acting, and we're writing it off as another natural occurrence, because it's something that can be explained by our understanding of science, unlike those two amazing events?

Psalm 113

Psalm 113:3

From the rising of the sun to its setting
The name of the LORD is to be praised.

Ooh, ooh, I see a loophole!  I only have to praise God when the sun's up!  When it's dark, I can do whatever I want, and forget about God!

This is an easy trap to fall into, isn't it?  We match our piety to certain circumstances.  Right now it's Lent, so a lot of people are doing things they wouldn't think of doing other times of the year.  Even I make some minor changes to my routine during this time.

How often do we go through the motions because it's expected.  But, when no one is looking, we feel we don't need to do the same stuff?  I know I'm plenty guilty of this, even on this day.  If we always lived like we're commanded to, how would things be different?  What steps can we take to get closer to that point?

Psalm 112

Psalm 112:7

He will not fear evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

When I read this, my first thought was the recent hit song "Happy."  Its second verse talks about how bad news won't bother him, because he's so happy.  This is the kind of attitude that we are supposed to have, though maybe not for the same reason.

We're not to be disturbed by bad news, because we trust in God.  That trust is so deep, the very foundation that we build our lives on, that nothing can affect it.  We have no reason to fear anything, because God has control.

Psalm 111

Psa.lm 111:7

The works of His hands are truth and justice;
All His precepts are sure.

This could be in Proverbs, rather than Psalms.  God creates truth and justice.  He is the source of what is true, and what is just.  As the source, He defines what is right and wrong, and what the punishment is for it.  And because He makes these, his rules are absolute.

No matter what we may think, or want, we can't change what is true.  Just because we don't like a rule, doesn't mean we have the ability to make the truth something different.  We may not like the punishment, but we're not the ones who decide.  So if we want to be on the right side of truth and justice, we have to conform to God.

Psalm 110

Psalm 110:5

The Lord is at Your right hand;
He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.

Thanks to Acts, we actually understand what this entire Psalm is talking about.  The "Lord" here is not God the Father, but Jesus.  He has been placed at God's right hand, until the day he comes back to Earth, to rule here.

When that happens, it will not be good for those who have opposed God and His work.  This is the event we know as Armageddon, when all the enemies of God will be crushed.  It won't matter whether your a king or a beggar on that day, Jesus will avenge his people upon you.

Psalm 109

Psalm 109:4

In return for my love they act as my accusers;
But I am in prayer.

In my Sunday School class, I've just finished co-teaching on 1 Peter.  One of the recurring things in that book is suffering, and how to deal with it.  It's somewhat of a foreign concept to most American Christians, since we don't really experience much in the way of suffering.

However, it will probably come, sooner or later, to some extent or another.  When that happens, this verse is a good reminder of what to do.  We should be giving love, regardless of the circumstance.  We should also be praying, because communicating with God is never a bad thing.

Psalm 108

Psalm 108:6

That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and answer me!

David has just finished proclaiming how wonderful God is.  But now we find out why he's praising God.  He's asking for protection of some sort.  From the rest of the psalm, it sounds like it might be from a military invasion.

I'll be honest, I don't like prayers like this, for two reasons.  First, it sounds like he's trying to butter God up, to get what he wants.  Whether that was the intention, we can't be sure, though it's doubtful.  But it still sounds self-serving.  Second, there isn't any provision in here for whether or not it's God's will that this attack occur.  I'll admit that one of my pet peeves is when people pray for something, and don't leave any provision for if God's will is not that thing.

Psalm 107

Psalm 107:34

A fruitful land into a salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

What level of wickedness is necessary for God to exact this punishment on a people?  If there is a certain threshold, how close are we to it?  We see famines in various parts of the world frequently, so are those direct punishments from God, or just the natural result of our Fall?

I guess this verse caught my eye because of all the talk about how global warming is in the process of severely damaging our planet, and its ability to sustain us.  Is this overall God's punishment on us, for the multitude of sins we have committed?

Psalm 106

Psalm 106:43

Many times He would deliver them;
They, however, were rebellious in their counsel,
And so sank down in their iniquity.

How often do we just start to coast, get a little complacent, and then find ourselves having messed up?  I know it happens to me.  Even today, I found myself being tempted in something that hasn't been an issue for a couple weeks.

So, how do we combat these temptations?  I think the verse tells the opposite of what we should do.  It says we get rebellious, and trust bad counsel.  So, if we're going to do right, we have to look to God, and his instruction for our guidance.

Psalm 105

Psalm 105:22

To imprison his princes at will,
That he might teach his elders wisdom.

This verse is part of a summary of Israel's history.  Specifically, it is talking about when Joseph was elevated to leadership in Egypt.  We know he was put in charge of the land, to prepare it for the coming famine.

However, we don't think much about how he had the power of justice.  It appears that he made examples of some leaders who were doing wrong, to better train them in what they should be doing instead.  He provided object lessons, to guide those under him in proper behavior.  Doesn't God do the same with us, at times?  Punish one, so that others can learn from the example?

Psalm 104

Psalm 104:31

Let the glory of the LORD endure forever;
Let the LORD be glad in His works;

The first half of this verse is of no doubt.  God is infinite, and unchanging.  His glory can't fade.  But the second part makes me wonder:  is there something that could happen that might make God not be glad about His works?

I can think of two possibilities that would make that the case.  The first is that we truly ruin the world, as the eco-nuts scream we are.  I don't buy into everything they say, but that doesn't mean we aren't doing more harm than good.  The second idea is that we personally would turn away from God so far, that He again becomes grieved that He made us.  I pray Christ returns before that day can occur.

Psalm 103

Psalm 103:15

As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

Man is a fragile thing, so easy to destroy.  It takes such small things to bring us low, like viruses small enough to get into a single cell.  Man is a small thing, so tiny in perspective.  When you look at the universe, man is completely swallowed up and virtually unfindable.

However, while these things are true, it's also true that we continue on anyway.  The flower may die, but it will have pollinated others, which grow in its place.  God made sure that we would not be wiped out, because we are His special creation.

Psalm 102

Psalm 102:18

This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.

Interesting that this is a prayer of the Afflicted, using a proper title.  I'm assuming the Afflicted are a specific group, not just those who in general are having issues.  If that's the case, what people are they, that haven't yet come into being?

My assumption from this is that it could be referring to believers during the Tribulation.  There are references later that sound like this is a generation that will not die, and will look to Jerusalem.  So I think it's the people who are persecuted during the Tribulation, and see Christ's return to reign.

Psalm 101

Psalm 101:6

My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.

This is a Psalm about David describing what he will do in order to maintain his holiness, and his connection to God.  One of the key points he makes is that he will only associate with those who are also holy.

However, today we can't keep this attitude.  We can't isolate ourselves from non-believers.  We aren't a chosen bloodline, like the Israelites were.  Any are welcome, should they believe.  And the only way they will believe is if we tell them.

Psalm 100

Psalm 100:2

Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.

I understand service.  It's practically in my blood.  My dad has been running sound boards for churches since before I was born.  As far back as I can remember, I was carrying microphones and cables for set-up and tear-down.  As I got older, that turned into setting up chairs and running slides for worship.  Service is part of who I am.

However, I've also for a long time had a problem with gladness.  As part of suppressing the outward signs of my ADD & ADHD, I shut down a lot of my emotions.  With that, gladness and joy are a very rare occurrence for me.  I don't know what joy there is for me in service; it's just doing what needs to be done.

Psalm 99

Psalm 99:6

Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
And Samuel was among those who called on His name;
They called upon the LORD and He answered them.

Moses isn't usually considered a priest as such; that went to his brother Aaron.  Moses was a leader, and definitely communicated with God, but normally he isn't thought of as a priest.  Also, it's odd that Samuel isn't identified specifically as a prophet.  Most of Israel could be considered to call on God's name, so why use that general a term?

Regardless of some unusual titles, it's definitely true that all of them called upon God, and that they had the rare distinction of Him answering them.  I often wonder if what I hear when I'm praying is my own head answering me back, or if it's the Spirit.  They never had that concern; God answered them directly, and there could be no doubt.

Psalm 98

Psalm 98:4

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.

So, here we have a series of instructions.  First, we're to shout joyfully.  Shouting is not something I do naturally, so this is difficult for me to get my head around.  I guess the best I can do to relate is like at a rally, where everyone is calling out their responses in support of the speaker's message.

Then we're told to sing for joy.  This I can understand.  I don't know how much singing I do for joy, but I expect there's at least some.  Finally, we're told to sing praises.  I usually have some song or another going through my ADD head, and I try to make it a praise song whenever I can.

Psalm 97

Psalm 97:6

The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples have seen His glory.

I can understand that the people have all seen God's glory.  This is another proclamation of what we educated types call general revelation.  The very existence of the universe, much less our existence in it, points to God as the Creator.

However, it's odd to say that the heavens declare God's righteousness.  His power, sure.  His wisdom, absolutely.  But how does the universe show His righteousness?  Before the Fall, I could see that, since there was no decay.  But I'll admit, I'm not clear on the evidence now, unless it's the fact that due to our sin there is now deterioration, because God can't accept eternal corruption.