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For New King James text and comment, click here.
Psalms 25; 29; 33; 36; 39
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A Prayer for Deliverance, Guidance, and Forgiveness (Psalm 25)
A Psalm of David.
1 Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
4 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
15 Mine eyes ARE EVER TOWARD THE LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
It's difficult to get an exact fix on the setting of this Psalm. The subtitle declares that it was written by David. He speaks on behalf of all Israel in verse 22 when he says, "Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles." Therefore, it is logical to assume that David is writing this after he has assumed leadership over all of Israel. Verse 11 has caused some scholars to conclude that David is writing after the confrontation with Nathan following the Bathsheba scandal (II Samuel 11, see notes) when he says, "For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great." Or...perhaps David is generally summarizing the depravity of man.
Notice the promise in verse 14, "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant." This verse seems to say the inverse of I Corinthians 2:14 (see notes), "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." In other words, only those with a relationship with God can gain insight from scripture. The "covenant" found in verses 10 and 14 undoubtedly is David's reference to the Law of Moses.
Incidentally, with minor exceptions, this Psalm is acrostic - each verse begins with the next successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So...whatever the circumstances of the writing, David is waxing eloquent here with his writing style.
The voice of the Lord is pretty awesome (Psalm 29)
A Psalm of David.
1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is UPON THE WATERS: THE GOD OF GLORY THUNDERETH: THE LORD is upon many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is POWERFUL; THE VOICE OF THE LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
10 The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
The subtitle clearly ascribes this Psalm to David. With "the LORD" found in all 11 verses, I guess it's a no-brainer to conclude that this Psalm is about magnifying an awesome God. Incidentally, when "the LORD" is written in all capital letters in the Old Testament, that's the indicator signifying a translation of the Hebrew word "Jehovah" (aka "Yahweh").
The Steadfast Love of the Lord (Psalm 33)
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
2 Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
4 For the word of the LORD is RIGHT; AND ALL HIS WORKS ARE DONE in truth.
5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
We aren't told the author for this Psalm. It may be summarized as follows:
Notice the obvious reference to Israel in verse 12, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." The Psalmist goes on in verse 16, "There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength." The essence of this Psalm is that it is only through God's power that his people succeed and prosper.
Lord, continue your steadfast love (Psalm 36)
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD.
1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.
4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.
5 Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.
7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
10 O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.
12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.
This Psalm is clearly declared to be authored by David. He gives an overview of the habits of the wicked in the first four verses, then turns to the mercies of a righteous, loving God. David cries out for protection from the wicked in verse 11 when he says, "Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me." In this psalm, there is a choice to be made which determines the sort of life we experience - now and eternally. What will you do with the revelation of God. To reject it is to be condemned to listen to one's own heart and to a life without values; to embrace it is to enjoy life, light, provision and protection.
Incidentally, Paul quotes from verse 1 in Romans 3:18 (see notes).
More sickness? (Psalm 39)
To the chief Musician, even to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.
1 I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
2 I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,
4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
6 Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.
10 Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.
11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.
12 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.
The subtitle assigns David as the author of this Psalm; it also references Jeduthun. Following is what Easton's Bible Dictionary notes about him:
Jeduthun: lauder; praising, a Levite of the family of Merari, and one of the three masters of music appointed by David (1 Chr. 16:41, 42; 25:1-6). He is called in 2 Chr. 35:15 “the king’s seer.” His descendants are mentioned as singers and players on instruments (Neh. 11:17). He was probably the same as Ethan (1 Chr. 15:17, 19). In the superscriptions to Ps. 39, 62, and 77, the words “upon Jeduthun” probably denote a musical instrument; or they may denote the style or tune invented or introduced by Jeduthun, or that the psalm was to be sung by his choir.
Maybe David refers to personal sickness in this Psalm or perhaps just the symptoms of old age. He seems to take a vow of silence regarding his condition - especially when in the presence of the wicked. His condition, however, does not seem to improve. He repents for transgressions and waits on the Lord for restoration. In verse 9 he plainly credits God. In verse 13 he seems to be suggesting that he might die from this ailment.
Copyright 2003-2011 by Wayne D. Turner