A Psalm of David. A messianic psalm.

In sickness the psalmist complains of enemies, but God upholds him. There are 4 stanzas of 3 verses (1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12) and a conclusion (v.13)

(1) v.1-3 The Lord sustains the one who remembers the poor. As he has blessed us, so we should bless others.
(2) v.4-6 The psalmist confesses sin, recounts his many enemies, and requests God’s grace.
(3) v.7-9 Even close friends desert him — verse 9 is applied in John 13:18 to Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Jesus).
(4) v.10-12 You (God) have upheld me and set me in your presence.
v.13 Doxology. Concluding blessing to God.

13 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.

Even when we are sick and everyone deserts us, God is still there.

This concludes Book 1 (Psalms 1-41, the Genesis section)

Read Psalm 41

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my help and my deliverer.

A messianic psalm.

Section 1 Thanksgiving for past deliverance.
v.1-3 Psalmist waited on the Lord and was delivered from destruction. We sometimes must endure the trial of waiting to receive the blessing God has for us. We should wait expectantly (see Matt. 25:1-13)
v.4-5 Blessed is the man who trusts in God and doesn’t go astray. Praise the Lord.
v.6-8 God doesn’t want burnt sacrifices, but rather the one who desires to do His will. v.6-8 is quoted in Heb. 10:5-7

22 And Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams. (1 Sam 15:22, see also Jer. 6:20 and Amos 5:22)

Transition I have told of your deliverance.
v.9-10 I have told of your deliverance in the congregation. We should share with others what God has done in our lives! God’s love is unfailing.

Section 2 Lament. Petition for divine intervention.
v.11-12 Despite the evils that surround me (both enemies and his own sin), your love and faithfulness preserve me.
v.13-17 The Lord is my help and my deliverer. “Do not delay, O my God!” (See also Psalm 70)

The voice is of Jesus celebrating his resurrection, his triumph, and his ascension. Without the crucifiction and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no gospel (good news).

Read Psalm 40

A psalm of David. A lament. Deliver me from all my transgressions.

The crisis is God’s discipline in David’s life for his sins. He confidently places his hope in the Lord and petitions for deliverance.

v.1-4 David’s distress and petition to God.
“O Lord make me know my end” (v.4a)
v.5-6 Mankind is but a mere breath before you.
“Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah.” (v.5b)
v.7-13 David petitions God to restore him.
“Hear my prayer, O Lord” (v.12a)

God is both discipliner and savior.

Read Psalm 39

A psalm of David. A penitential psalm. (The penitential psalms are: 2, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143)

Confess your sins before God and be confident in his deliverance.

v.1-14 David groans under the weight of his sin and the resulting torment (physical, emotional and relational). The Lord is seen as discipling the psalmist (divine instruction).

4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

v.15-22 But he confesses his sin and waits on the Lord, fully confident in His salvation.

22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

My God = My salvation

Read Psalm 38

Of David. A wisdom psalm. An acrostic psalm.

A collection of proverbs where the righteous is being afflicted by the wicked. But God assures David that when the smoke clears, the wicked will be gone and the righteous will remain to inherit God’s blessings.

v.1-2 Fret not due to evildoers, they will fade away (like spring grass).

v.3-8 The people of the Lord should:
- trust in the Lord
- befriend faithfulness
- delight in the Lord
- commit their way to the Lord
- trust in him
- wait patiently on the Lord
- don’t fret over evildoers
- refrain from anger
v.9-11 The wicked will be cut off, but those that wait on the Lord will inherit the land.
v.12-22 Misc proverbs illustrating that the wicked are helpless before God as contrasted to the secure future of the righteous.

“but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.” (v.13)

v.23-34 The benefits of the righteous

The Lord grants success to the one whose behavior he finds commendable. (v.23, NET)

v.35-38 The blessings of the righteous and the fall of the wicked.

37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

v.39-40 Confidence in God’s salvation.

Read Psalm 37

To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the Lord.

A picture of the wicked.
v.1-4 The wicked person:
1. Transgression speaks to him deep in his heart (v.1) “Rebellious to the core” (NET)
2. He has no fear of God (v.1) (See also Rom. 3:18)
3. He flatters himself in his own eyes (v.2) (so much that he cannot see his sin)
4. His words are trouble and deceit (v.3)
5. He has ceased to act wisely or do good (v.3)
6. He plots trouble on his bed (v.4) — scary
7. He sets himself in a way that is not good (v.4)
8. he does not reject evil (v.4)

The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it? (Jer 17:9)

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (Matt 15:19)

A picture of God
v.5-9 Praise to God and God’s favor on his people
1. Your steadfast love extends to the heavens,
2. your faithfulness to the clouds.
3. Your righteousness is like the mountain of God.
4. Your judgments are like the great deep.
5. Man and beast you save.
6. How precious is your steadfast love.
7. Man takes refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8. They feast on the abundance of your house.
9. You give them drink from the river of your delight.
10. With you is the fountain of life.
11. In your light do we see light.

“Great is thy faithfulness”

v.10-12 Request that God will deliver the righteous from the evildoers (they [the evil doers] are thrust down, unable to rise. [v.12])

If we know, and love, and uprightly serve the Lord; no proud enemy, on earth or from hell, shall separate us from his love. (MHC)

Read Psalm 36

Of David. A lament or imprecatory psalm. A plea for deliverance from his enemies.

There are 3 cycles of prayer followed by praise (vv.1-10, 11-18, 19-28).
v.1 Opening cry to God
v.1-3 Petition for deliverance from his opponents.
v.4-8 More petitions for help.
“May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!” (v.4a, NET)
“For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life” (v.7) — We must be on guard against the traps set by the devil.
v.9-10 Psalmist rejoices in the salvation of the Lord.
v.10 First climax. The Lord delivers me.

v.11-12 His opponents rise up against him.
v.13-14 David says he grieved for his adversaries when they were sick.
David’s intercessory prayer for illness:
- put on sackcloth
- fasting
- prayed with head bowed
- grieved as for a brother
- bowed down in mourning
v.15-16 But they rejoice when he stumbles.
v.17 Psalmist petitions the Lord to rescue him.
“How long, O Lord, will you look on?”
v.18 Second climax. Praise to God.

v.19-21 My foes open their mouths against me, do not let them rejoice over me.
v.22-25 The psalmist petitions for vindication.
v.26 Put my enemies to shame.
v.27 Let those on my side shout for joy.
v.28 Third climax. Concluding praise to God.
The psalmist ends his prayer with praise (as all prayers should end).

As Christians, we should turn our grievances over to the Lord.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Rom 12:19, see Deut 32:35)

Read Psalm 35

Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. (See 1 Sam 21:10-15)

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. This thanksgiving psalm is acrostic.

v.1-3 Call to Praise the Lord
“His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (v.1b) — in every situation, in every circumstance, good times and bad, not just in my heart, but rather, in my mouth will I praise the Lord.

v.4-7 The Lord delivered David.
A frequent theme in Psalms, the Lord hears the prayer of his people and answers.

v.8-10 “Taste and see that the Lord is good”
See 1 Pet 2:3
This can only be known by personal experience. Try it.

v.11-14 The psalmist instructs in the fear of the Lord:
- keep your tongue from evil
- turn away from evil and do good
- see peace and pursue it (seeking diligently for wholeness, NIVAC)

v.15-18 The Lord hears the cry for help from the righteous.
Your afflictions might be numerous and complicated, but prayer to God can set you free from them all (cf. v.17).

v.19-22 The Lord redeems the righteous
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (v.19) — See 2 Tim 3:11-12.
“He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken” (v.20) — prophetic of Jesus on the cross (John 19:31-37, see also Num 9:12).
“Affliction will slay the wicked” (v.21) — Evil itself will bring the downfall of the wicked.
“none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned” (v.22) — See Rom 8:33-34. The believer is ensured of eternal salvation.

Read Psalm 34

“Shout for joy in the Lord” — A praise psalm perhaps in response to the call for praise in 32:11.

v.1-3 Call to praise the Lord
“Sing to him a new song” — this new song can be understood as in the future:

And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation, (Rev 5:9)

v.4-5 Praise him because he is upright, faithful, righteous, just
“the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord”

v.6-9 Praise him because he is the Lord of creation.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Gen 1:3)

v.10-12 Praise him because of his omnipotence in the affairs of the nations.
He brings the counsel of nations to nothing but blesses the nation whose god is the Lord.

v.13-15 Praise him because of his omniscience.
The Lord sees the deeds of all of mankind!

v.16-19 Praise him because his eye is on those who fear him.

v.20-22 The blessings of those who trust in the Lord.
- our soul waits on the Lord
- he is our help
- he is our shield
- our heart is glad
- we trust in him

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you. (v. 22)

Read Psalm 33

A Maskil of David (Maskil means to give instruction, [TTB, NIVAC])
Blessed are the godly, whose sins are forgiven.

v.1-2 Blessed is the one whose sin is forgiven. (See Romans 4:5-8)
Who? The person “in whose spirit is no deceit.” (v.2)
Christ was made sin on our behalf that we can be the righteousness of God in him. (See 2 Corinth 5:21)

v.3-4 I wasted away when I was silent about my sin. Selah (meditate on this).
A bout of depression? The Christian cannot get away with his sin, it will eat away at him/her (until confessed). The psalmist sinned and illness was a consequence.

v.5 I confessed my sins and was forgiven. Selah.
Nathan said to David “you are the man!” (see 2 Sam 12:1-7)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Sin is forgiven and guilt lifted away (ie. a great burden is lifted from his shoulder).

v.6 Therefore let the godly pray to God “at a time when you may be found.”
v.7 “You are my hiding place” (NIV)
“you surround me with shouts of deliverance.” Selah.

v.8 Then I (the speaker) will teach you in the way to go (v.9-11):
v.9 Do not be like a mule without understanding.
v.10 The wicked has sorrows, the godly is surrounded by love.
v.11 “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” — Invocation to praise God.
If you know Jesus as your Saviour, you can have great joy in God.

Read Psalm 32