by Donya Dunlap | Oct 10, 2016 | Bible Study, The Spiritual Life
The notes in my Holman Christian Study Bible for Women explain chapters 9 and 10 of Psalms are united in the Septuagint and some Hebrew manuscripts. This seems logical as the opening verse continues the prayers found above instead of a new theme. The study notes also reveal the two songs form a partial acrostic, which is a common form of Hebrew poetry.
Verses 1-11
In this paragraph, David asks God why He feels so far away—why it feels God hides in times of trouble. I understand the feeling.
Watching Mom pass away, I chose to trust in God’s strength and presence even though I didn’t feel Him in an overpowering way as I have at other times. Still, He made His presence known through the kindness of friends offering support and love. They were God’s hands and hugs to me, even though I have never felt so completely alone.
David explains the work of the wicked against him, asking God to allow them to be brought down by their own actions as he prayed in Psalm 9:15-16. In verse 4, he brings out an interesting idea.
In all his scheming, the wicked arrogantly thinks, There is no accountability since God does not exist.”
This philosophy is rampant today. People riot feeling entitled to their rage, and more so because they know they can get away with it. People abort babies because “it’s just a blob of tissue,” ignoring the Creator who is making the child in His own image. When you take God out of the equation, there is no baseline for morality. God allows evil because He is gracious and slow to anger, but this does not mean He will ignore it forever. God’s judgments may be at a distance now, but they are coming.
David closes the section with another thought of the wicked man:
He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and will never see.”
The wicked tries to reason that there is no God, but in his heart, truth whispers to the contrary. I believe a true atheist is a rarity. Atheists work so hard to “disprove” God’s creation. In moments of honesty, they choose to dismiss God. In doing so they validate the truth of His existence.
Verses 12-15
David asks God to act, reminding Him the helpless are trusting Him to do so. Verse 14 reads,
You are a helper of the fatherless.
I imagine myself as a child being bullied. As my Heavenly Father towers over my enemy, his eyes widen in fear. All enemies shrink in the presence of my God. I can count on Him to deliver me.
Verses 16-18
These verses are especially dear to my heart. They remind me God’s rule is eternal, despite what I see around me today. He will deliver the helpless and humble. He will bring justice to the abused and oppressed. The traffickers and government officials bringing harm to so many will be punished. Hope will reign. Love will heal.
This post is Day 10 of the 31 Days of Journaling through the Psalms series. If you would like to read the first post, Psalm 1: The Wise and the Wicked, click here. The introduction to the series can be found here.
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by Donya Dunlap | Oct 9, 2016 | Bible Study, How Great is Our God, The Spiritual Life
Psalm 9 returns to the theme of David lamenting his enemies, this time on the worldwide scale of the nations. However, he chooses to pause in the midst of his pain to look up.
Verses 1-2
David begins with an explosion of thanks and praise to God for who He is. The first two verses are charged with emotion and a sense of commitment to the Lord.
Verses 3-6
Moving from praise of God’s person to praise for His actions, David speaks of his enemies and God’s victory over them. He takes no praise for himself, but praises God for being a righteous judge. God leaves nothing behind. He wipes away the enemy, their cities, and their memory.
Verses 7-10
In this next stanza, David continues praising God, building on the truths of the first six verses. The Lord’s throne is eternal in the heavens. His rule is over all nations forever, but not as a tyrant. God is a fair ruler and a refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble. He is a leader people trust because of His track record. He is faithful and has not abandoned His own. This is important to remember in times of darkness. You may feel alone, but God is there. He will never leave you.
Verses 11-12
Verses 11 and 12 echo the previous thoughts with force. Even when God allows death to occur, He does not forget the afflicted. He takes an account of those who shed blood and brings judgment upon them. Not just physical blood either, but emotional and spiritual abuse too. God is not blind. He sees. We can take great comfort from this in our own suffering.
Verses 13-14
With the above in mind, David prays for rescue. He asks for God to remember his affliction. He pleads for grace, which leads to additional praise.
David never withholds or waits to praise God. While I might wait to see how God chooses to answer my request, David lifts up songs of thanks in the midst of his trial and trusts that God will come through for him. He demonstrates faith not tossed about by circumstances as James 1:5-7 instructs.
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.
Verses 15-16
The next verses reveal a bit of God’s sense of humor. David rejoices that the nations have fallen, and reveals that it came about by their own hand. This seems to be a repeating theme in David’s writing. The nations are caught in their own nets. You reap what you sow!
Verses 17-18
David repeats that the wicked will perish and the oppressed will be remembered. This gives validation to our feelings of loneliness and abandonment, but shines on them with truth. God sees. He knows. And He will make all things new.
Verses 19-20
In closing, David pleads with God to act. God has His own timeline for bringing about justice, but He also hears the prayers of His saints. David ends with words applicable then and now,
Let the nations know they are only men.
Let us remember the same!
This post is Day 9 of the 31 Days of Journaling through the Psalms series. If you would like to read the first post, Psalm 1: The Wise and the Wicked, click here. The introduction to the series can be found here.
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by Donya Dunlap | Oct 8, 2016 | Bible Study, The Spiritual Life
Psalm 8 is the first of the Thanksgiving psalms. A welcome breath of joy and praise after the previous songs of lament and penitence.
Verse 1
David begins by calling upon the Lord using His name, Yahweh, the Hebrew name YHWH, meaning the Lord, the eternal, self-existent One, the “I Am.” This is a very personal name for God given especially to the Jewish nation. He writes,
Yahweh, our Lord, how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!
It is no wonder this psalm has been the inspiration for many modern songs of praise as well.
Verse 2
Verse 2 is interesting and somewhat confusing. David acknowledges that God himself has enemies, a thought I imagine he finds comforting. What is odd is that he says God uses the praises of children, even infants, to stop or silence the enemy. What praise can an infant give? Is it simply that they exist, created in God’s image, that the enemy is thwarted by their coos and cries? Perhaps. He sees to reference man created in the image of God again in verses 5-6 so it is possible the echo enhances the meaning of the earlier words as well.
Verses 3-8
Verses 3 and 4 are some of my favorites in all of Scripture. I love them partially because they are beautifully poetic words, and partially because I feel the same way when I look into the night sky and realize the expanse of the majesty represented by a spattering of tiny white dots.
What is man that You remember him, the son of man that you look after him?
God, Your majesty is so fantastic (and I mean that in the weightiest sense of the word). By the word of Your mouth You created galaxies that take our breath away. Why would You give a second’s thought to a sinful, rebellious, ungrateful mortal?
The answer lies in the rest of the psalm.
We matter because God granted us significance. The image of Himself stamped on our bodies; the whisper of His Spirit stirring about our souls. The reflection of His work in our work. On our own we would be nothing. His imprint makes our lives meaningful.
Verse 9
David closes the psalm with the same expression of praise that he used to open the psalm. I hope to hear David sing and play the original melody in heaven someday. I sense in my soul it is beautiful.
This post is Day 8 of the 31 Days of Journaling through the Psalms series. If you would like to read the first post, Psalm 1: The Wise and the Wicked, click here. The introduction to the series can be found here.
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by Donya Dunlap | Oct 7, 2016 | Bible Study, The Spiritual Life
Psalm 7 is another song of lament, this time expressing frustration following the verbal attack of Cush the Benjamite. For many of David’s psalms, we can cross reference the passage with other Bible passages to get background on the situation. However, the only time Cush the Benjamite is mentioned is here in the heading.
Verses 1-2
David speaks from a place of grief during a time when there is personal risk to his life. He seeks refuge in Yahweh for safety, hearkening back to imagery of his shepherding days. He describes a lion tearing apart a lamb unless the shepherd acts as the lamb’s defender.
Verses 3-5
As the passage continues, David holds up his honor as collateral to God. He states that if he has done wrong to another as his accuser claims, God should allow an enemy to “trample me to the ground and leave my honor in the dust.”
Verses 6-8
Knowing that he is not at fault in this matter, David calls on God to rise up, awake, and judge what is true. He seeks the justice of God his Defender to vindicate him.
Verses 9-11
David prays for evil come to an end and for the righteous to be established. He acknowledges that God takes into account more than actions alone, calling Him the One who examines the thoughts and emotions. David seeks not to protect himself, but states,
My shield is with God who saves the upright in heart.
This is of primary importance to me as the news in recent months has been full of racial tension and killings. As I read the heartbreaking accounts, I remind myself:
- I don’t know the full story. As David said, only God knows the thoughts and emotions of a person.
- Hatred, anger, and racism are tools of Satan. Love is the answer. It always is.
- As Christians, we should look to God for our defense, not the government and not personal retribution.
Verses 14-16
Verses 14-16 are an emotionally charged warning to the wicked. David describes a person full of evil digging a pit for another person’s demise and falling into it himself, bringing violence on his own head. If this scene could be televised, it would be a clip on tonight’s news broadcast. To quote a man intimately familiar with prejudice,
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
BrainyQuote.com, Xplore Inc. 2016
We like to think we are 100% right and the people against us are 100% wrong. Rarely, if ever, is that the case. People are imperfect. We assume motives and misjudge intentions. It is always right to ask God to show you were you went wrong in a matter. Seek forgiveness in repentance and humility.
Verse 17
David concludes the song with thanks to the Lord for His righteousness. He sings praise to the name of the Most High. Using the Hebrew names for God as written in the Complete Jewish Bible, this verse reads:
I thank ADONAI for His righteousness and sing praise to the name of ADONAI ‘Elyon.
David uses various names of God throughout the psalm which adds a significant level of meaning to his words. Time prevents further development, but it is a topic which could be explored through personal study at a later time.
No matter how broken we are as humans, God is always pure, righteous, and holy. As such, He is worthy of our praise and delights in our thankfulness. He rejoices in our submission to His authority.
This post is Day 7 of the 31 Days of Journaling through the Psalms series. If you would like to read the first post, Psalm 1: The Wise and the Wicked, click here. The introduction to the series can be found here.
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by Donya Dunlap | Oct 6, 2016 | Bible Study, The Spiritual Life
Psalm 6 is the first of seven psalms considered “penitential” and the third psalm in a row to begin with an imperative verb.* In this case, David is afraid for his life and pleads for mercy and healing.
Verses 1-5
In the opening verses, David details his physical state, and it is pitiful. He describes himself as weak, shaking, and in terror. It seems this has been going on for some time and that he is desperate for relief. He asks God “how long” and pleads for rescue. He appeals to God’s desire for worship to spare his life.
There is no remembrance of You in death; who can thank You in Sheol?
Remembering back to my college days, Sheol is that place prior to the cross where souls dwelt after death. It is believed that when Christ died, He descended to Sheol, conquered death, and returned to heaven with the saints in tow. Some believe that Sheol is simply the Old Testament term for the New Testament places referred to as heaven and hell. However, I am inclined to believe the former as it seems more in line with verses on Christ’s death and resurrection. I must confess I have not done sufficient study on the matter to say either way for sure.
Verses 6-7
David expounds upon his physical condition in this stanza. He is weary from the emotional struggle, his tears wet his pillow and bed every night, his eyes are swollen from crying. We’ve all been there. haven’t we?
This tells me:
- God heard all of David’s complaints. Nothing was left out.
- Despite his physical need, David never loses his faith.
- God welcomes our honesty in prayer.
Verses 8-10
The closing verses are especially convicting to me. David is so afraid that he trembles and can’t sleep. And even though nothing had changed outwardly, David believes God hears his prayer and trusts an answer is on its way. What faith! He writes that his enemies will be disgraced. Oh that my prayers would be so faith-filled.
This post is Day 6 of the 31 Days of Journaling through the Psalms series. If you would like to read the first post, Psalm 1: The Wise and the Wicked, click here. The introduction to the series can be found here.
To receive email reminders of new posts, please subscribe. As a thank you, you will receive a free ebook, The Wonder Woman’s Manifesto.
*Taken from notes in The Study Bible for Women: Holman Christian Standard Bible. 2014. Holman Bible Publishers. Nashville, TN.
by Donya Dunlap | Oct 5, 2016 | Bible Study, The Spiritual Life
This is again a Davidic lament opening with a plea to God. As a musician, I love the direction given in the headings of these songs. Psalm 4 is to be sung with stringed instruments and Psalm 5 with flutes. These instructions remind us that the psalms were written in a very different culture and for a purpose.
They also remind us that David was a musician in addition to being the beloved shepherd king. He allowed time for his passions despite his responsibilities, as should we. This is a part of practicing sabbath. Our many gifts were given by God for our enjoyment and the enjoyment of others. God is glorified when we use our abilities, even when it’s not related to our jobs or ministries.
Verses 1-3
David directs his prayer to “my King and my God”—an indication as to what is on his mind. Verse 3 is of great importance. It reads,
At daybreak, Lord, You hear my voice; at daybreak I plead my case to You and watch expectantly.
Before the start of the day, David meets with God. This isn’t a casual prayer over coffee. David comes before God to plead with Him. He isn’t shy in approaching his King. This comes from a close, personal knowledge of who God is and how He views His children. David’s understanding of God is further indicated in the verses to follow which point out God’s holiness and enmity towards sin.
Also, at the end of verse 3, David reveals his attitude in prayer. He “expectantly” waits on God to act. There is no hoping God will act or wishing He might. He asks in faith, nothing wavering.
Verses 4-8
David boldly calls out the sin of his adversaries as a reason for God to destroy them. He feels confident in doing so because of God’s holiness. In contrast, he reminds God of his own faithfulness in worship. He asks God to help him on his journey and lead him in righteousness. His desire is to stay true to God despite the attacks against him.
Verses 9-10
David’s focus again returns to his adversaries. He lists their sins and asks God to punish them. When you break down the verses, it seems almost repetitive. However, there are important details that should not be overlooked.
- Repeating and expounding thoughts are part of the style of Hebrew poetry.
- David keeps nothing back from the Lord. The sins of others and his own transgressions are brought before God. We should emulate this in our prayers as well.
Verses 11-12
David ends the psalm in praise to God for sheltering the righteous. The Lord gives refuge, joy, and favor that protects them like a shield. This is what a good King does for His people. He protects against enemies and allows His people to dwell in security. In response, the people praise His goodness and honor Him with their loyalty.
This post is Day 5 of the 31 Days of Journaling through the Psalms series. If you would like to read the first post, Psalm 1: The Wise and the Wicked, click here. The introduction to the series can be found here.
To receive email reminders of new posts, please subscribe. As a thank you, you will receive a free ebook, The Wonder Woman’s Manifesto.
