Psalms 19 - 24 (with 2 topics)
Psalm 19 A psalm for the director of music (chief musician). Said to: address being elated, guilty & worshipful; deal with atheists; provide guidance, humility, illumination, knowledge & wisdom. Texted in grape is the passage (v. 4) that is quoted in the N.T. (see Psalms 12 -18 Psalm 15 2. N.T. Quotes from Psalms A.):
The heavens declare the Glory of GOD; the skies proclaim the Work of HIS Hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they dispute knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice (line, rule or direction) goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens HE has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens & makes its circuit to the others; nothing is hidden from its heat. The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The Statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The Precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The Commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The Fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The Ordinances of the LORD are sure (truth) & altogether righteous. All together they are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb (the dropping of honeycombs).
By them is YOUR Servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive My hidden faults. Keep YOUR Servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over Me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great (much) transgression. May the words of My mouth & the meditation of My heart be pleasing in YOUR Sight, O LORD, My rock (safety) & My redeemer (defender).
1. Commentary #2 Slavery We should no longer be slaves to sin; but We have become slaves to righteousness. Some object to this more recent trend in translations away from the way the KJV phrased it, servants of righteousness. It was politically palatable at the time to express it that way, but it is theologically incorrect. The idea of service rather than slavery appears at 1st to be the original intention-- but consider a person whose trade is of benefit to a city. He can serve the city, choosing to live & remain nearby; he is not a slave to the city, as in 'live here & serve us or else.' A slave must run far away & establish a new identity; a servant can relatively effortlessly opt to move elsewhere & serve there. Likewise, Christians do not give up their freedom of choice, right? But that's the whole enchilada, as they say-- we are strongly advised, admonished & commanded to make the choice to remain & serve, to not even consider the potential material gain of a life in Babylon, to not even go to the fence & contemplate the greener-appearing grass on the other side, but to remain focused on being a slave to righteousness, to endure becoming conformed to HIS Image (perfect as HE is perfect), to embrace the transformation & renewing of our minds. Now it should be quickly pointed out that Jesus said (John 15:15), I no longer call You servants. Instead, I have called You friends. I.e., We're no longer His servants-- but we are to be slaves to righteousness. Indeed, before this HE said, If You obey MY Commands, You will remain in MY Love; MY Joy will be in You; Your joy will be complete; You are MY Friends-- implying the consequences of disobedience are incomplete joy. How does this sit with I will never leave nor forsake You? Consider 1stCor 5:3-5, how that we are to consider the person within the church who is practicing sexual immorality, greed, etc. as already judged, & to hand Him over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed & His spirit saved on the Day of the LORD [or the day of vengeance, as opposed to the year of the LORD'S Favor (year of the Favor of the LORD]. Do not think that if friendship with God is strained or snapped, and the joy is incomplete or missing, that God has therefore abandoned him. We ourselves forsake & abandon God-- He then ever waits for us to confess & return (which grows less likely to occur as time goes on). Also, extreme caution: a single misplaced judgment (doing the judging ourselves-- not letting the Holy Spirit evidence it), with subsequent dis-fellowship, can severely divide a church, such that the one-anothers (love one another, forgive one another, etc.) are impossible, not to mention the probable permanent damage to that person's spirituality. But then, a church, by ignoring a matter (continuing fellowship), can damage itself-- as 1stCor 5:6 says, Don't You know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? I.e., it is an extremely delicate thing, the matter of dis-fellowshiping a member. The church must be absolutely proof-positive about the practice of sin-- that it's not just an abiding collection of rumors. Besides the matter of the church incurring God's wrath, as stated, the spirituality of the individual may be damaged-- because most do not grasp the gravity of what Jesus said, & thus conclude themselves rejected-- Blessed are You when people insult You, persecute You & falsely say all kinds of evil against You because of Me. Rejoice & be glad, because great is Your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the true prophets who were before You. Or as it is in Luke, Blessed are You when men shall hate You, when they exclude You & insult You & reject Your name as evil, because of the Son of man. Rejoice in that day & leap for joy, because great is Your reward in Heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the true prophets. Notice (you finding yourself a victim) that Jesus said, because of Me, the Son of man. It has been preached on TV, 'Right here in America, there's more negative criticism & absence of encouragement in most churches than anywhere.' But now shifting gears-- a word of caution to those riding the bandwagon of fellowship: Luke 6:26 adds, Woe to You when all men speak well of You, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. This 9th beatitude is covered below in Psalm 24 1. "Beatitudes".
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Psalm 20 A psalm for the director of music; perh. inspired by the events of 2ndSa 10-- the record of the defeat of the Ammonites after David became king:
6 blessings possibly pronounced "without the radar" (explained in Psalm 69 - 72 Psalm 69 2. "Within/Without the radar"):
- May the LORD answer You when You are in distress;
- may the Name of the GOD of Jacob protect You (set You on a high place).
- May HE send You help from the sanctuary & grant You support from Zion.
- May HE remember all Your sacrifices & accept Your burnt offerings. Selah
- May HE give You the desire of Your heart & make all Your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when You are victorious & will lift up Our banners in the Name of Our GOD.
- May the LORD grant all of Your requests. Now I know that the LORD saves HIS Anointed; HE answers Them from HIS Holy Heaven with the saving power (strength of salvation) of HIS Right Hand. Some trust in chariots & some in horses, but We trust in the Name of the LORD Our GOD. They are brought up to their knees & fall, but We rise up & stand firm.
O LORD, save the king! Answer (Save) Us when We call.
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Psalm 21 A psalm for the director of music:
O LORD, the king rejoices in YOUR Strength. How great is His joy in the victories YOU give! You have granted Him the desire of His heart & have not withheld the request of His lips. Selah
YOU welcomed Him with rich blessings & placed a crown of pure gold on His head. He asked for life, & YOU gave it to Him-- length of days, for ever & ever. Through the victories YOU gave, His glory is great; You have bestowed on Him splendor & majesty. Surely YOU have granted Him eternal blessings & made Him glad with the joy of YOUR Presence. For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High GOD He will not be shaken. YOUR Hand will lay hold on all YOUR Enemies; YOUR Right Hand will seize YOUR Foes. At the time of YOUR Appearing YOU will make them like a fiery furnace.
In HIS Wrath the LORD will swallow them up, & HIS Fire will consume them.
YOU will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind. Though they plot evil against YOU & devise wicked schemes they cannot succeed; for YOU will make them turn their backs when YOU aim at them with a drawn bow. Be exalted, O LORD, in YOUR Strength; We will sing & praise YOUR Might.
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Psalm 22 Distant prophecies-- the 1st point of parts 1, 2 & 3 below. A psalm for the director of music; aijeleth shahar [to the tune of 'The Doe (Hind) of the Morning']. Texted in grape are the passages (vv. 1a, 18, 22) that are quoted in the N.T. (see Psalms 12 - 18 Psalm 15 2. N.T. Quotes from Psalms A.). Said to provide hope, protection, provision & rest. It both describes the experiences & emotions of O.T. characters & gives some general distant prophecies of Jesus before & during His crucifixion (see Matt 27:27-31,39-44; Mark 15:16-20; Luke 23:10-11,35-36,39; John 19:3-34; 20:25,27). This 1st sentence is specifically what Jesus said immediately before dying (see Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34):
- Part 1 My GOD, My GOD, why have YOU forsaken Me? Why are YOU so far from saving Me, so far from the words of My groaning? O My GOD, I cry out by day, but YOU do not answer, by night, & am not silent (there is no silence to Me-- see Psalms 36 - 41 Psalm 40). Yet YOU are enthroned as the Holy ONE; YOU are the praise of Israel. EOP
- In YOU Our fathers put Their trust; They trusted & YOU delivered Them. They cried to YOU & were saved; in YOU They trusted & were not disappointed. But I am a worm & not a man, scorned by men & despised by the people.
- Part 2 All who see Me mock Me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: 'He trusts in the LORD-- John 2:19-22 says that he would raise himself up; let the LORD rescue Him. As we shall see in Psalms 36 - 41 Psalm 38, Jesus did go through a period of feeling abandoned-- it might be said that it was God's plan for Jesus to raise himself up. After all, HE loved us before we loved HIM; Jesus set the pattern that we are to choose to love HIM. Let HIM deliver Him, since HE delights in Him'. Yet YOU brought Me out of the womb; YOU made Me trust in YOU even at My mother's breast. From birth I was cast upon YOU; from My mother's womb YOU have been My GOD-- recall what Jesus said in John 10:39, I & the FATHER are ONE. EOP
- Do not be far from Me, for trouble is near, & there is no one to help. Many bulls surround Me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle Me. Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against Me.
- Part 3 I am poured out like water, & all of My bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, & My tongue sticks to the roof of My mouth; YOU lay Me (I am laid) in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded Me; a band of evil men has encircled Me, they have pierced like the lion My hands & feet. I can count all My bones; people stare & gloat over Me. This happened after Jesus' death-- but before the resurrection (see Matt 27:35; John 19:23-24): They divide My garments among them & cast lots for My clothing. EOP
- But YOU, O LORD, be not far off; O My strength, come quickly to help Me. Deliver My life from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue Me from the mouth of the self-righteous lions; save Me from (YOU have heard) the horns of the wild heathen oxen. I, David, will declare YOUR Name to My brothers; in the congregation I will praise YOU. You who fear the LORD, praise HIM! All You descendants of Jacob, honor HIM! Revere HIM, all You descendants of Israel! For HE has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; HE has not hidden HIS Face from Him, but has listened to His cry for help. From YOU comes the theme of My praise in the great assembly; before Those who fear YOU will I fulfill My vows.
- Far Distant prophecy The poor will eat & be satisfied; They who seek the LORD will praise HIM-- may Your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember & turn to the LORD, & all the families of the nations will bow down before HIM, for dominion belongs to the LORD & HE rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast & worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before HIM-- those who cannot themselves alive. Posterity will serve HIM; future generations will be told about the LORD. They will proclaim HIS Righteousness to a people yet unborn-- for HE has done it. EOP
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Psalm 23 A psalm. Said to: address being lost; deal with sorrow; provide rest:
The LORD is My shepherd, I shall not be in want. HE makes Me lie down in green pastures (pastures of tender grass), HE leads Me beside still (quiet-- see John 14:27) waters, HE restores My soul. HE guides Me in paths of righteousness for HIS Name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (darkest valley), I will fear no evil, for YOU are with Me; YOUR Rod & YOUR Staff, they comfort Me. YOU prepare a table before Me in the presence of My enemies; YOU anoint (make fat) My head with oil; My cup overflows.
Surely goodness & love will follow Me all the days of My life, & I will dwell in the House of the LORD forever.
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Psalm 24 A psalm. Said to: address being self-confident; provide integrity. Texted in grape is the passage (v. 1a) that is quoted in the N.T. (see Psalms 12 -18 Psalm 15 2. N.T. Quotes from Psalms A.):The earth is the LORD'S, & everything in it, the world, & all who live in it; for HE found it upon the seas & established it upon the waters.
Who may ascend the Hill of the LORD? Who may stand in HIS Holy Place? He who has clean hands & a pure heart, who does not lift up His soul to an idol or swear by what is false (falsely). He will receive blessings from the LORD & vindication from GOD His savior. Such is the generation of Those who seek HIM, who seek YOUR Face, O GOD of Jacob. Selah
Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the KING of Glory may come in. Who is this KING of Glory? The LORD Strong & Mighty, the LORD Mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the KING of Glory may come in. Who is HE, this KING of Glory? The LORD Almighty-- HE is the KING of Glory. Selah
1. "Beatitudes" The quotes indicate that the word "beatitudes" does not exist in any English bible-- rather, the word is commonly rendered from the Latin word for blessing (bee-at-tee-TUE-doe; Grk., mah-KAH-ree-oes). These 8 "beatitudes" (Matt 5:3-12) were given from a mountainside to His disciples at the beginning of what is called the "Sermon on the Mount" (again the quote indicate that it is not a phrase from an English bible), after which He also gave 18 teachings (Matt 5:12 - 7:27). It is reasonable that these 3 chapters are compiled from 2 or more sermons, for in Luke it is said that Jesus preached from a level place after praying all night on a mountainside, after which He chose His 12 apostles/disciples (recorded also in Mark 3:13-18), descended with them (Luke 6:12-17) & gave 8 beatitudes (4 blessings & 4 woes) & 4 teachings. Following is a listing of the 8 beatitudes of Matt, each followed by that beatitude as it appears in Luke-- notice that each time a woe is pronounced Jesus addresses "you":Matt 5:3 Blessed are the poor (ptoe-KHOH-ih) in spirit (PNYOU-mah-tih), for Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. The 1st blessing/woe: Luke 6:20 Blessed are You who are poor (ptoe-KHOH-ih; the poor), for Yours is the Kingdom of GOD. Luke 6:24 But woe (oh-uh-ah-ih; how dreadful) to you who are rich (ploh-uh-SIH-oh-ihs; the rich), for You have already received (ah-PEHX-eh-teh; are receiving in full) Your comfort (pah-RAH-klae-sihn; welcome).
Matt 5:4 Blessed are Those who mourn (pehn-THYOON-tehs; grieve), for They will be comforted (pah-rah-klae-THAE-sohn-tah-ih; shall be welcomed). The 2nd blessing/woe: Luke 6:21b Blessed are You who weep (klah-IHS-ohn-tehs; wail/mourn) now, for You will laugh (geh-LAH-seh-teh). Luke 6:25b Woe to you who laugh (geh-LOEN-tehs) now for you will mourn (pehn-THAE-seh-teh) & weep (KLAUW-seh-teh).
Matt 5:5 Blessed are the meek (prah-eh-IHS; gentle), for They will inherit (klae-roh-noh-MAE-soo-sihn) the earth.
Matt 5:6 Blessed are Those who hunger (peh-ih-NOEN-tehs) & thirst (dihp-SOEN-tehs) for righteousness (dih-kah-ih-oh-SUH-naen), for They will be filled (khohr-tahs-THAE-sohn-tah-ih; shall be satisfied). The 3rd blessing/woe: Luke 6:21a Blessed are You who hunger (peh-ih-NOEN-tehs) now, for You will be satisfied (khohr-tahs-THAE-sehs-theh). Luke 6:25a Woe to you who are well fed (ehm-peh-plaes-MEH-noh-ih; have been fully satisfied) now, for you will go hungry (peh-ih-NAH-seh-teh; shall hunger).
Matt 5:7 Blessed are the merciful (eh-leh-AE-moh-nehs; compassionate), for They will be shown mercy (eh-leh-ae-THAE-sohn-tah-ih; shall receive mercy).
Matt 5:8 Blessed are the pure (kah-thah-roh-ih; innocent) in heart (kahr-DIH-ah; thought), for They will see GOD.
Matt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers (eh-ih-rae-noh-poh-ih-oh-IH; reconcilers), for They will be called Sons (kah-LEH-oe hwee-OHS; shall be called Descendants-- though Jesus wouldn't have any physical descendants, He would see His spiritual offspring) of GOD. BTW: in Gala 4:5 there is just 1 Greek word for the KJV expression, adoption of sons (NIV, full rights of sons-- it is a very similar word to the general word for sons, hwee-OHS). It is hwee-theh-SEE-ah. Read it: that in the future We might receive the adoption (full rights) of sons. Ephe 1:5 says, HE predestined Us to be fully adopted as HIS Sons. Roma 8:15 (KJV) says that We have received the spirit of adoption; Roma 8:23 (KJV) says that We which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even We ourselves groan, waiting for the full adoption, the redemption of Our body. Putting this all together: some people maintain that a good descriptive word for us is that we are foster– because foster children maintain their last name until their parents "sign them over" (declaring that they will not hence reclaim them). Sounds good, except that it implies that we can once again fall back to our old corrupt nature. But no, God has promised I will never leave or forsake You– thus it is indeed "accurate" to say we are now adopted. It is completely accurate to say we now spiritually adopted– that 1 sweet day we will possess the redemption of Our body.
Matt 5:10-12 Blessed are Those who are persecuted because of righteousness (deh-dih-OEG-meh-noh-ih HEH-neh-kehn dih-kah-ih-oh-SUH-naes; have been oppressed on account of righteousness), for Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are You when people insult (oh-neh-ih-DIH-soe-sihn; oppress) You, persecute (dih-OEX-oe-sihn; oppress) You & falsely say all kinds of evil against You (eh-IH-poe-sihn pahn poh-nae-rohn rhae-mah kahth huh-MOEN phyue-DOH-meh-noh-ih; shall say every evil word against You, lying) because of Me. Rejoice & be glad, because great is Your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before You. The 4th blessing/woe: Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are You when men shall hate (mih-SAE-soe-sihn) You, when they exclude (ah-phoh-RIHD-zoe-sihn; shall exclude) You & insult (oh-neh-ih-DIH-soe-sihn; shall rebuke) You & reject (ehk-BAH-loe-sihn; remove) Your name as evil, because of the son of man. Rejoice in that day & leap for joy, because great is Your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. Luke 6:26 Woe to you when ALL men speak well of you (kah-LOES huh-MAHS eh-IH-poe-sihn PAHN-tehs oh-ih AHN-throe-poh-ih), for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
