Psalm 51

“Have mercy on me, O God, because of your loyal love! Because of your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts! Wash away my wrongdoing! Cleanse me of my sin! For I am aware of my rebellious acts; I am forever conscious of my sin. Against you – you above all – I have sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. So you are just when you confront me; you are right when you condemn me. Look, I was guilty of sin from birth, a sinner the moment my mother conceived me. Look, you desire integrity in the inner man; you want me to possess wisdom. Sprinkle me with water and I will be pure; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven! May the bones you crushed rejoice! Hide your face from my sins! Wipe away all my guilt! Create for me a pure heart, O God! Renew a resolute spirit within me! Do not reject me! Do not take your Holy Spirit away from me! Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance! Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey! Then I will teach rebels your merciful ways, and sinners will turn to you. Rescue me from the guilt of murder, O God, the God who delivers me! Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance. O Lord, give me the words! Then my mouth will praise you. Certainly you do not want a sacrifice, or else I would offer it; you do not desire a burnt sacrifice. The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit – O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject. Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her! Fortify the walls of Jerusalem! Then you will accept the proper sacrifices, burnt sacrifices and whole offerings; then bulls will be sacrificed on your altar.”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭1‬-‭19‬‬

 Lengthy psalm, and I haven’t heard any reason to doubt the tradition that this was by David after he sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah.

Interesting that even the NET notes that vv 18-19 read as if they are from the exilic period. Why would David want the walls of Jerusalem to be fortified? He reigned during the most secure and prosperous time in Israel’s history. It makes sense that this psalm was read throughout their story and eventually edited to include further prayers for the people. Once they repented, the walls would be fortified and sacrifices could continue. They, as we, should adopt the heart of David here.

It’s always important to remind ourselves how poetry works in Hebrew. Second line (or third) usually helps us understand first in some way (either contrastive or fuller explanation). Some many of these verses are just saying the same thing twice in deeper sense. 

“Having mercy” and “wiping away rebellious acts” would be similar and it’s all because of God’s love/compassion. Nothing David has done or said could motivate God. It’s solely based on God’s mercy.

The heart of repentance is first aware of doing wrong. This is acknowledgement that motives, actions, thoughts, are all against God’s moral law. 

Some versions (and interpretations) stick with the “I have sinned against ONLY you.” Hebrew allows for that, and David is certainly focusing on his relationship break with YHWH, but there’s no need to separate his actions against Uriah and Bathsheba (and the baby). Shoot, and the army and whoever else was affected. (He should have been leading them in war.) 

Due to parallelism, there’s no need to see David admitting that his birth was a sinful situation. He is simply acknowledging that he has been sinful since he was a child. And the second line confirms it. This can hardly be a proof text for original sin/guilt. I’m not denying the doctrine or some version of it, but this verse is not saying David was a sinful embryo. That abuses the genre.

YHWH wants David to possess wisdom…after all he is the king. He has to rule and make decisions. And yes, he is a regular human as well. Wisdom affects the mind and heart, which would play out in actions.

Would need to look at the cultic practices of sprinkling water in the tabernacle to see the relationship between washing and the forgiveness of sin. What is David asking here? So much about sacrifices and how it cleanses the tabernacle. Only one or two sacrifices really deal with the sinner (Day of Atonement, and the sinful lamb goes into the wilderness).  But yes, there is ultimate joy in being forgiven. You can feel David’s sense of guilt in this passage. Freedom comes from forgiveness.

Isa 1:18 is another passage where God “reasons” with Israel about forgiveness and their sins become “white as wool” and then “snow.” I understand the biblical contexts. I know we have adopted biblical language straight from the text, but I have read a few articles of how our old and modern songs alike may be heard by all people of color. Why is the goal to be white as snow? A good listening point and perhaps worth tweaking language.

Do not take Holy Spirit. David is not scared of “losing salvation.” He doesn’t even have those categories of thinking. Remember his predecessor. Saul royally screwed up multiple times. God rejected him as king, and the Spirit left Saul. OT function of Spirit was distinct from NT. It came upon people for specific tasks for limited time periods (sometimes lengthy seasons or “reigns”). David does not want to lose God’s Spirit, presence, power.

NET makes note that the “sacrifice” discussed later in passage is not a sacrifice for sin. There were other offerings required by law. David says (poetically) those are not nearly as important as a repentant heart. 

Lots of good thoughts in this psalm, worthy of reflection, not just when we feel guilt or conviction. Should be a regular reminder of our humble position before God. He is full of compassion and mercy. Forgiveness is ours in Christ. 

Psalm 2:1-12

“Why do the nations rebel? Why are the countries devising plots that will fail? The kings of the earth form a united front; the rulers collaborate against the Lord and his anointed king. They say, “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us! Let’s free ourselves from their ropes!” The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust; the Lord taunts them. Then he angrily speaks to them and terrifies them in his rage, saying, “I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.” The king says, “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: ‘You are my son! This very day I have become your father! Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your personal property. You will break them with an iron scepter; you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” So now, you kings, do what is wise; you rulers of the earth, submit to correction! Serve the Lord in fear! Repent in terror! Give sincere homage! Otherwise he will be angry, and you will die because of your behavior, when his anger quickly ignites. How blessed are all who take shelter in him!”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭12‬‬

Mark Futato, Interpreting the Psalms, is one of my most important “go-to” resources for understanding this book. I know there’s hundreds of fantastic books on Psalms and/or commentaries, but this is a small resource to have handy when working through them.

He was one of the first to point out for me the structure of the book. Psalm 1-2 are introductory, with Psalm 1 giving the “why” (wisdom) and Psalm 2 giving the what (submission to the king). The rest of the book does have the 5 books of the Psalms, showing Israel’s history loosely, ending with the praises/doxologies.

We can visualize a battlefield or a large area where multitudes of people are shaking fists, beating shields, yelling in defiance of the king. They devise schemes to perform a coup against him and want to be free from his reign. There’s only one problem: rebelling against the king is rejecting YHWH’s rule as well. YHWH as established the king over this designated territory.

I would assume this is the all the land promised to David and Solomon in their respective covenants. This was at the height of the Israeli empire. Didn’t last long. Would also need more information on how Israel treated her conquered enemies. At least not as bad as Assyria, and of course, we would need to read all records through ancient eyes.

The point of this Psalm, though, is for God to defend his anointed king. The essential thought here is that “son” “God’s son” “son of God” comes from Psalm 2 and 2 Samuel 7. It refers to the king of Israel, and was passed down the Messianic line. This is not foreign to the culture, as Egyptian Pharaohs were pretty much divine. Son of God is not a divine title, per se, but it does show that God is with the king, blessing the king, has chosen the king, will defend the king.  

“This very day” has hints of this being a coronation psalm. This song was probably sung for every rising king.

I will give you the nations, rule with iron scepter. God’s reign through these kings was to defend justice and righteousness. The king had a serious responsibility to uphold the status of God’s people in the world. The wisdom of Psalm 1 began with the king and worked through the people. 

The call for the nations is to submit. By yielding to the king, they would show submission to the true God. Otherwise, their own destruction would come. Rebellion led nowhere quickly. 

“Blessing” points back to Ps 1:1, where wisdom is obedience. Here, obedience leads to refuge. Futato does a great job of showing how several Psalms link these ideas in alternating songs.

Yes, of course, Jesus brought an initial form of the kingdom. He is the ultimate king of Israel/Messiah, and the unique Son of God who truly is divine. Blessing and wisdom come from yielding to His reign. But we must work through original meaning to follow the trajectory until He comes in pattern fulfillment.   

Psalm 42

 “As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God! I thirst for God, for the living God. I say, “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?” I cannot eat, I weep day and night; all day long they say to me, “Where is your God?” I will remember and weep! For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God, shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival. Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention. I am depressed, so I will pray to you while I am trapped here in the region of the upper Jordan, from Hermon, from Mount Mizar. One deep stream calls out to another at the sound of your waterfalls; all your billows and waves overwhelm me. By day the Lord decrees his loyal love, and by night he gives me a song, a prayer to the living God. I will pray to God, my high ridge: “Why do you ignore me? Why must I walk around mourning because my enemies oppress me?” My enemies’ taunts cut into me to the bone, as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention.”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭42‬:‭1‬-‭11‬‬

Interesting that some medieval mss combine Pss 42 and 43. It would make sense since the same refrain about depression and waiting on God (“cast down soul”) are repeated in Ps 43, but I would suppose the MT leaves the Psalms as distinct.

Not 100% confident of the illustration of the deer, but I’ve heard it’s because they are always being hunted (would make sense since Psalmist is being surrounded by enemies). Deer’s eyes are always looking up, even when bending over for drink. Can’t rest and is always longing for rest.

Psalmist is longing for the time/space where he was able to worship His God freely. 

But he is at the same time confident in God’s vindication. He will be rescued. Both attitudes are juxtaposed here, and neither can be downplayed. He can still sing to his God, being thankful for His works, and also question his current circumstance: “Why do you ignore me?” Wow. 

I would think, if this is David, this may come some from a personal frustration. He’s human. But it’s also from wanting God to vindicate His own character. Enemies are attacking God. “Where is He?” David has multiple desires here, so we must be careful of reading our own circumstances immediately into this or using it as an easy cure.

The point is that God invades our physical and emotional crisis, allowing for human uneasiness, but also gives reason for confidence in who He is. We do not have physical enemies, per se, as David did. We don’t need rescuing as he did. But our confidence still lies in the faithfulness and goodness of God, even if questions overwhelm us.

Psalm 32

 “How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned! How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long. For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah) Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.” And then you forgave my sins. (Selah) For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity. Certainly when the surging water rises, it will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress. You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah) I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as I look you in the eye. Do not be like an unintelligent horse or mule, which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. An evil person suffers much pain, but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭1‬-‭11‬‬

The first half (?) of this Psalm is relatively easy for us to understand, those of us who were raised or had any inkling of connection with Christianity. Words like conviction register strong. 

“The one in whom there is no deceit.” NET suggests this obviously means the Psalmist is not completely pure or innocent, but that he is finally being open/honest before God. 

Hebrew phrasing can be taken variously throughout, but all translations are interpretation to some extent. It appear the Psalmist is viewing his situations as some sort of divine chastisement, even drought and summer weather. Depending on faith background this may make sense, feel extreme, or be seen as poetic imagery for how the Psalmist is experiencing his conviction over horrible weight of sin.

Contrast with relief once confession is made. Burden is lifted. Relief is found. Peace is made. 

God is the Psalmists’ hiding place. His refuge (which He always has been throughout the psalms.) And then the Psalmist advises the reader to live in obedience. God is near the faithful but the wicked suffer pain. 

This is the part of the Psalm where we may grow uneasy. But we have to remember things like genre (wisdom literature and poetry), old covenant, and personal expression of faith. 

The real question here is the connection between Psalmist’s deliverance from sin and deliverance from physical chaos. How does he go from horrible guilt to being protected from distress? Are these the same? He is now one of the ones celebrating deliverance, but it sounds like physical deliverance from enemies. As in the morally upright ones that the waters can’t touch. 

The connection between first half and second half is unclear, but I think that’s because I’m still reading it from Western eyes and from my own background.

Psalm 34

“I will praise the Lord at all times; my mouth will continually praise him. I will boast in the Lord; let the oppressed hear and rejoice! Magnify the Lord with me! Let’s praise his name together! I sought the Lord’s help and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help are happy; their faces are not ashamed.”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭1‬-‭5‬‬

 “The godly cry out and the Lord hears; he saves them from all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he delivers those who are discouraged. The godly face many dangers, but the Lord saves them from each one of them. He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken. Evil people self-destruct; those who hate the godly are punished. The Lord rescues his servants; all who take shelter in him escape punishment.”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭17‬-‭22‬‬

Though the headings at the beginning of psalms are not inspired or part of the original text (i.e., inserted by tradition), in this case it at least reminds us that these words had/have a context. That is, they belong in both a literary and historical context. If I were to read this in many churches today, I would either be praised or critiqued for promoting prosperity theology. It’s right here in the verses. 

But ASSUMING, the tradition of when it was written is anywhere close, let’s say I had experienced anything close to David. Captured by foreign king. About to die. Deserve to die in that culture. Hunted for years. Fake insanity. Released. I could write words/poetry that reflect something about God’s abundant goodness and faithfulness to His covenant and how His enemies always fail.

Psalm of thanksgiving/ praise. Genre is key when studying psalms. Have distinct structure

V 5 has translation options based on Hebrew forms. Read NET note, but could be statement or imperative in light of how God has acted on behalf of others.

Always good to reflect on how God has worked for us, and praise Him for His might. The knee jerk is to question why this doesn’t happen all the time or how do we know it was God or if good things would happen anyway? (Because God would want good things all the time) 

And is it really for me or is it for Him? Different sides of same coin. God really does love those who follow Him and wants good things for them. His ultimate goal is His glory. This is not a false dichotomy.

Vv. 17-22 Notice how NET translates all verbs whether imperfect or perfect as present tenses. Gives it a general feel. Certainly evil people prevail. And righteous people suffer. We could disprove this text in a heartbeat, but we would miss the point. 

Statements are still true but not promises. General statements that apply throughout time. And David is celebrating a major victory. No, we don’t escape everything. The point is not that we are evil at the time. The point is we need a broader view of the passage and God’s workings on our behalf. 

All doesn’t always mean all in poetry. I wish it weren’t so.