Psalms 42 - 50
Psalm 42 Beginning of Book 2 of the Psalms (Psalms 42-72); A maskil (giving of instructions) by the sons (descendants-- temple musicians & assistants; see PerspectivesB B.1.d.) of Korah, for the director of music (chief musician). Said to: address being depressed & trapped; provide courage:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so My soul pants for YOU, O GOD. My soul pants for GOD, for the Living GOD.
When can I go & meet with GOD? A simple illustration of why David frustratingly spoke of God: he had a heart after GOD, similar to us-- He is our personal God. But we can come boldly (directly) through the veil (or vail as it is spelled in some Bibles) to the throne of grace-- see 2ndCor 3:12-18. My tears have been My food day & night, while men say to Me all day long, 'Where is Your GOD?' These things I remember as I pour out My soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the House of GOD, with shouts of joy & thanksgiving among the festive throng.
Today we can function from within the God-radar, meaning we can forget those things which are past-- not as in denial (indeed, striving to overcome the hate with love), but if the hatred is relentless/repetitive: at no time rehearsing them before friend or foe, taking comfort that God will take care of, or dismiss, the matter(s) in His time, according to His wisdom. In fact, we can strain our relationship with God, & cut ourselves off from fellowship with each other, by persistently rehearsing & moaning-- who feels comfortable in a poisonous atmosphere?
By day the LORD directs HIS Love, at night HIS Song is with Me-- a prayer to the GOD of My life. I say to GOD My rock, Why have YOU forgotten Me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? My bones suffer mortal agony, as My foes taunt Me, saying to Me all day long, 'Where is Your GOD?' Why are you so downcast, O My soul? Put your hope in GOD, for I will yet praise HIM, My SAVIOR & My GOD.
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Psalm 43 Perh. by the sons of Korah, as many manuscripts have Psa 42 & 43 together. Said to: address being alone, depressed & feeling like quitting; deal with slander/insults:
Vindicate Me, O GOD, & plead My cause against an ungodly nation; rescue Me from deceitful & ungodly men. YOU are GOD My stronghold. Why have YOU rejected Me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?
We've already seen several examples of David & other psalm-authors complaining to God in prayer-- effectively charging GOD. And you will see some more-- apparently acceptable. However we shall see that this what was not acceptable was charging GOD foolishly, as Job did.
Send forth YOUR Light & YOUR Truth, let them guide Me; let them bring Me to YOUR Holy Mountain, to the place where YOU dwell. Then will I go to the altar of My GOD, to GOD My joy & delight. I will praise YOU with the harp, O GOD My GOD.
Mostly a repeat of the last part of the last psalm: Why are you so downcast, O My soul? Why so disturbed within Me? Put Your hope in GOD, for I will yet praise HIM, My SAVIOR & My GOD.
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Psalm 44 A maskil by the sons of Korah. Texted in grape is the passage (v. 22) that is quoted in the N.T. (see Psalms 12 - 18 Psalm 15 2. N.T. Quotes from Psalms A.):
We have heard with Our ears, O GOD; Our Fathers have told us what YOU did in Their days, in days long ago. With YOUR Hand YOU drove out the nations & planted Our fathers; YOU crushed the peoples & made Our fathers flourish. It was not by Their sword that They won the land, nor did Their arm bring Them victory; it was by YOUR Right Hand, YOUR Arm, & the light of YOUR Face, for YOU loved Them. YOU are My KING & My GOD, who decrees (commands) victories for Jacob. Through YOU We push back Our enemies, YOU put Our adversaries to shame. In GOD We make Our boast all day long, & We will praise YOUR Name forever. Selah
But now YOU have rejected & humbled Us; YOU no longer go out with Our armies. YOU made Us retreat before the enemy, & Our adversaries have plundered Us. YOU gave Us up to be devoured like sheep & have scattered Us among the nations. YOU sold YOUR People for a pittance, gaining nothing from Their sale. YOU have made Us a reproach to Our neighbors, the scorn & derision of those around Us. YOU have made us a byword among the nations, the peoples shake their heads at Us. My disgrace is before Me all day, & My face is covered with shame at the taunts of those who reproach & revile Me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge. All this happened to Us, though We had not forgotten YOU or been false to YOUR Covenant. Our hearts had not turned back; Our feet had not strayed from YOUR Path. But YOU crushed Us & made Us haunt for jackals & covered Us with deep darkness.
If We had forgotten the Name of Our GOD or spread Our hands out to a foreign god, would not GOD have discovered it, since HE knows the secrets of the heart?
Yet for YOUR Sake We face death all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Awake, O LORD! Why do YOU sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject Us forever. Why do YOU hide YOUR Face & forget Our misery & oppression? We are brought down to the dust; Our bodies cling to the ground. Rise up & help Us; redeem Us because of YOUR Unfailing Love.
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My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; My tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. You, Solomon, are the most excellent of men & Your lips have been anointed with grace, since GOD has blessed You forever.
Far Distant prophecy ref. God & the church: SON of GOD now risen, Gird YOUR Sword upon YOUR Side, O Mighty ONE; clothe yourself with splendor & majesty. In YOUR Majesty rule victoriously in behalf of truth, humility & righteousness; let YOUR Right Hand display awesome deeds. Let YOUR Sharp Arrows pierce the heart's of the KING'S Enemies; let the nations fall beneath YOUR Feet. YOUR Throne, O GOD, will last or ever & ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of YOUR Kingdom. EOP
Solomon, You love righteousness & hate wickedness; therefore GOD, Your GOD, has set You above Your companions by anointing You with the oil of joy. All Your robes are fragrant with myrrh & aloes & cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes You glad. Daughters of kings are among Your honored women; at Your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
Listen, O daughter, consider & give ear: forget your people & your father's house. The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for He is your lord. The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift (A Tyrian robe is among the gifts), men of wealth seek your favor.
Far Distant prophecy ref. the church in the end All glorious is the Princess (perfected Bride/Church-- awaiting the descending Jerusalem) within Her chamber; Her gown is interwoven with gold. In embroidered garments She is led to the KING; Her virgin companions [hall-of-fame believers (Heb 11 in general); surrounding cloud of witnesses (see Heb 12:1)] follow Her & are brought to YOU, Israel. Together They are led in with joy & gladness; They enter the Palace of the KING. YOUR SONS (descendants of Jesus & the Bride) will take the place of YOUR Fathers (replace Israel's forefathers); YOU will make THEM (the SONS) Princes throughout the land. I will perpetuate YOUR Memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise YOU for ever & ever. EOP
But about Solomon: would God the 700 wives hadn't turned his heart away [1stKi 11:1-6-- s.a. PART II H.3.(2nd pt.) & I.6.]. 1stKi 9-10 & 2ndCh 8-9 say that after Solomon's 1st 20-yr. reign, when Solomon had finished building the Temple of the LORD & the royal palace in Jerusalem, sailors sent by Hiram king of Tyre sailed on Solomon's ships to Ophir & brought back 420 (or 450) talents (c16 or 17 tons) of gold. When the queen of Sheba visited, & was impressed by His burnt offerings at the Temple of the LORD (or as the KJV puts it, by His ascent by which He went up to the House of the LORD), she gave 120 talents (c4.5 tons) of gold (& more spices then anybody; & king Solomon gave her all she desired & asked for-- more than she had brought to Him). Yearly Solomon received 666 talents (c25 tons) of gold from king Hiram. 1x every 3 yrs. a fleet of trading (Tarshish) ships, manned by Hiram's men, returned, carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes & baboons. Etc., etc. This was before Solomon married his many wives (before his heart strayed)-- though he had already built Pharaoh's daughter a palace (1stKi 9:24). Solomon made 200 large shields, & 300 small shields, of hammered gold, a great throne of ivory overlaid with gold, etc. It was after this that Solomon loved many foreign women-- it appears he set himself up, by embracing riches, for the transgressions with the 700 wives & 300 concubines during the 2nd half of his reign (40 yrs. total-- see 2ndCh 9:30).
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Psalm 46 A song by the sons of Korah, for the director of music; alamoth (in treble voice-- see 1stCh 15:20). Said to: address being afraid; deal with slaughter; provide confidence & stability:GOD is Our refuge & strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore We will not fear, though the earth give way & the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar & foam & the mountains quake with there surging. Selah
There is a river whose steams make glad the City of GOD, & the holy place where the Most High GOD dwells. GOD is within her (the holy place) at the break of day (when the morning appears). Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; HE lifts HIS Voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with Us; the GOD of Jacob is Our fortress (high place). Selah
Come & see the Works of the LORD, the desolations HE has brought on the earth. HE makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; HE breaks the bow & shatters the spear, HE burns the shields (chariots) with fire. Be still, & know that I am GOD; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD Almighty is with Us; the GOD of Jacob is Our fortress. Selah
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Psalm 47 A psalm by the sons of Korah, for the director of music:
Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to GOD with cries of joy. How Awesome is the LORD Most High, the Great KING over all the earth! HE subdued nations under Us, peoples under Our feet. HE chose Our inheritance for Us, the pride of Jacob, whom HE loved. Selah
GOD has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to GOD, sing praises; sing praises to Our KING, sing praises. For GOD is KING of all the earth; sing to HIM (Praise to HIM, everyone who has understanding) a psalm (maskil-- perh. a literary or musical term; a giving of instructions; a 'wisdom song') of praise. GOD reigns over the nations; GOD is seated on HIS Holy Throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as did the people of the GOD of Abraham, for the kings (shields) of the earth belong to GOD; HE is Greatly Exalted.
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Psalm 48 A psalm, a song by the sons of Korah. Said to provide guidance:
Great is the LORD, & most worthy of praise, in the city of Our GOD, on HIS Holy Mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon (northern sacred mountain) is Mount Zion, the city on the northern side of Mt. Zion of the Great KING. GOD is in her (the city's) citadels; HE has shown himself to be her fortress. When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together, they saw her & were astounded; they fled in terror. Trembling ceased them there, pain like that of a woman in labor. You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind. As We have heard, so have We seen in the City of the LORD Almighty, in the City of Our GOD; GOD makes her secure forever. Selah
Within YOUR Temple, O GOD, We meditate on YOUR Unfailing Love. Like YOUR Name, O GOD, YOUR Praise reaches to the ends of the earth; YOUR Right Hand is filled with righteousness-- where today the Risen SAVIOR is seated. Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of YOUR Judgments.
Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts (set Your heart to her bulwarks), view (raise up) her citadels-- view the citadels of the skyline, the framework of the constitution, that You may tell of them to the next generation-- that they may be perpetuated. Far Distant prophecy For this GOD is Our GOD for ever & ever; HE will be Our guide even to the end. EOP
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Psalm 49 A psalm by the sons of Korah, for the director of music. Said to: address being afraid, proud & purposeless; deal with evil people; provide justice, money & salvation:
Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both high & low alike: My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from My heart will give understanding. I will turn My ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound My riddle: why should I fear when evil days may come, when wicked deceivers surround Me-- those who trust in their wealth & boast of their riches? No man can redeem the life of another or give to GOD a ransom for him (The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough) that he should live on forever & not see decay.
For all can see that wise men die; the foolish & the senseless alike perish & leave their wealth to others. Their tombs will remain their houses (In their thoughts their houses will remain) forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, & of their followers, who approve (delight in) their sayings. Selah
Like sheep they are destined for the grave (Sheol), & death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms (strength) will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. But GOD will redeem My life (soul) from the grave; HE will surely take Me to himself. Selah
Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived he counted himself blessed-- & men will praise You when You prosper --he (his soul) will join the generations of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
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Psalm 50 A psalm by Asaph, a chief musician of David. Said to deal with hypocrisy:The Mighty ONE, GOD, the LORD, speaks & summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, GOD shines forth. Our GOD comes & will not be silent; a fire devours before HIM, & around HIM a tempest rages. HE summons the heavens above, & the earth, that HE may judge HIS People: Gather to ME, MY Consecrated Ones, who made a covenant with ME by sacrifice. And the heavens proclaim HIS Righteousness, for GOD himself is Judge. Selah
Hear, O MY People, & I will speak, O Israel, & I will testify against You: I am GOD, Your GOD. I do not rebuke You for Your sacrifices or Your burnt offerings, which are ever before ME. I have no need of a bull from Your stall or of goats from Your pen, for every bird in the mountain is MINE. If I were hungry I would not tell You, for the world is MINE, & all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Sacrifice thank offerings to GOD, fulfill Your vows to the Most High GOD, & call upon ME in the day of trouble; I will deliver You, & You will honor ME.
But to the wicked, GOD says: What right have you to recite MY Laws or take MY Covenant on your lips? You hate MY Instruction & cast MY Words behind you. When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your hat with adulterers. You use your mouth for evil & harness your tongue to deceit. You speak continually against your brother & slander your own mother's son. These things you have done & I kept silent; you thought I was altogether (the I AM was) like you. But I will rebuke you & accuse you to your face. Consider this, you who forget GOD, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue: He who sacrifices thank offerings honors ME, & He prepares the way so that I may show Him the Salvation of GOD-- believe-it-or-not, today it is easier to offer thank offerings (consistently, via the Holy Spirit).
