Thought to Guide Your Reading
David is spending this time of civil war sharing his pain and pleasure with God.Psalm (P)Synopsis
Psalm 6
David asks God to stop all of the fighting because he is tired and has cried a river of tears. He exclaims to his enemies to watch out—God has answered his prayers.Psalm 8
God is wonderful! Everything shouts praises to Him. It makes David see his smallness and wonder why God even cares for him or would put humans in control of the earth. Creation calls out to God!Psalm 9
David bellows God's praises for helping him defeat his enemies. God sets things right. David calls on God to be kind to him and to defeat his enemies through their own snares, their own holes, and their own wickedness.Psalm 10
Where is God? Why has He not set things right when His enemies come and mock Him? The ones who obey God feel abandoned. In spite of that they know God will save them because God sets things right. He will end the reign of terror.Psalm 14
God wants to find His Chosen People, the wholly-for-God folk. But they cannot be found. They have gone after fake shepherds who have taken them into the slaughterhouse. God can still save them!Psalm 16
David asks God to keep him safe. He has not gone to the god-market looking for a god for the right price. David has chosen God and God alone! God has proven loyal and true and David will always walk His path.Psalm 19
Everything in the world praises God, even if there are no words! The sun is like God's Word—giving light to the world and warming the hearts. God's Word is better than any precious thing in the world. God's Word prevents us from falling into troubles, from taking control over our lives and bringing them into the pit. May everything I do be from the Word of God!Psalm 21
God gives strength to kings. They have good, long lives because of God. God in return arrays them in splendor, making them beautiful in the world. He saves them from their enemies and causes the evil ones to be wiped clean off the face of the earth. No one can have strength outside God!How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right
David cries out to God when he feels tired of fighting.
David wants God to stop the fighting. He feels abandoned by God. However, when he cries out to God he expects salvation—God will set things right. When you are tired of fighting, call on God to set things right.God's creation cries out that He has made it!
Everything in the world tells of God's majesty. The skies, the oceans, outer space all report His greatness. They may not speak English but by their very existence they show how silly and inane atheist's discussions of God become. The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies show His work!God has made man the keepers of his earth.
We must make sure we remember this aspect of God's plan. God, from the beginning, has given man dominion over the earth. We are in charge of making sure the earth is replenished. Consider this TED talk from Allan Savory where he confesses a grand mistake they made 50 years ago by taking grazing animals from large areas of Africa's grasslands to set up national parks: They are now re-grazing the land as God would (although he calls it "nature") and seeing untold results. We are God's caretakers of the earth.The wicked will be caught in the traps they set up for God's people.
In a hopeful though sobering psalm, David calls on God to save him by having people who set traps for him fall into their own traps. The schemers are punished by their own schemes. The ones who dig holes fall into them. God will punish evil doers in the same way they seek to punish God's people. Don't be one of the schemers, trappers, or hole-diggers!God will set things right if the righteous will obey Him.
Psalm 14 provides a hard take on God's predicament—He wants to set things right if only He could find people willing to be wholly for Him. Unfortunately, they have gone after false gods, false shepherds. They will be punished unless they turn their lives around. God can set things right in our lives if we wholly give ourselves to Him!Don't go shopping for a god.
In our consumer-driven society, we shop for everything. I like that. We need more parts of our society to embrace the idea that they should compete instead of having a "right" to our business. However, one thing that does not need competition is our god. God is our god and He alone is worthy of being our god.Don’t just go shopping for a god.
Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
like brand-names. (16:4, The Message)
God is more precious than anything on earth.
God is more precious than silver. God is more precious than gold. God is more precious than diamonds. God is sweeter than honey. How wonderful is our God!God's Word keeps us out of danger—chew on it!
and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
Or know when we play the fool?
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
Keep me from stupid sins,
from thinking I can take over your work (19:11-12, The Message)
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