Sunday Psalm: 14 - Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!

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Psalm 14

New King James Version (NKJV)

Psalm 14

–To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

 ¹ The fool has said in his heart,
         “There is no God.”
         They are corrupt,
         They have done abominable works,
         There is none who does good.
       
 ² The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
         To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
 ³ They have all turned aside,
         They have together become corrupt;
         There is none who does good,
         No, not one.
       
 ⁴ Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
         Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
         And do not call on the LORD?
 ⁵ There they are in great fear,
         For God is with the generation of the righteous.
 ⁶ You shame the counsel of the poor,
         But the LORD is his refuge.
       
 ⁷ Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
         When the LORD brings back the captivity of His people,
         Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

* * *

"Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!"

That cry-of-the-heart prayer of David was answered in the coming of Christ -- the "salvation of Israel". Zion's King. The suffering servant of Isaiah. The Son of Man of Daniel. "The Word" of John's gospel. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords of Revelation. This is the day [of salvation] the Lord has made. This is your day of salvation. Embrace it. Take hold of it. Relish it. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!


source: biblegateway.com

Sunday Psalm: 12 -- "I Will Rise Up To Rescue Them"

Psalm 12

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹ Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!

      The faithful have vanished from the earth!

 ² Neighbors lie to each other,
      speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
 ³ May the Lord cut off their flattering lips
      and silence their boastful tongues.
 ⁴ They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.
      Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”

 ⁵ The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless,
      and I have heard the groans of the poor.
   Now I will rise up to rescue them,
      as they have longed for me to do.”
 ⁶ The Lord’s promises are pure,
      like silver refined in a furnace,
      purified seven times over.
 ⁷ Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed,
      preserving them forever from this lying generation,
 ⁸ even though the wicked strut about,
      and evil is praised throughout the land.

New Living Translation (NLT)

http://www.biblegateway.com

Sunday Psalm: 11 -- In The Lord I Put My Trust

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Psalm 11

 ¹ In the LORD I put my trust;
         How can you say to my soul,
         “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
 ² For look! The wicked bend their bow,
         They make ready their arrow on the string,
         That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
 ³ If the foundations are destroyed,
         What can the righteous do?
       
 ⁴ The LORD is in His holy temple,
         The LORD’s throne is in heaven;
         His eyes behold,
         His eyelids test the sons of men.
 ⁵ The LORD tests the righteous,
         But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
 ⁶ Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
         Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
         Shall be the portion of their cup.
       
 ⁷ For the LORD is righteous,
         He loves righteousness;
         His countenance beholds the upright.^[a

New King James Version (NKJV)Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

A key interpretive issue with this psalm is how far the quotation in the first paragraph goes. Compare the above with the NASB below:

 ¹ In the LORD I take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain;
² For, behold, the wicked bend the bow,
They ^[a]make ready their arrow upon the string
To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
³ If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

I favour the latter interpretation. Have a restful day.

source: Biblegateway.com

Sunday Psalm: 10 -- God Gives Courage

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Psalm 10 - A Prayer for Justice

    Why are you so far away, O Lord?
      Why do you hide yourself when we are in trouble?
 2 The wicked are proud and persecute the poor;
      catch them in the traps they have made.

 3 The wicked are proud of their evil desires;
      the greedy curse and reject the Lord.
 4 The wicked do not care about the Lord;
      in their pride they think that God doesn't matter.

 5 The wicked succeed in everything.
      They cannot understand God's judgments;
      they sneer at their enemies.
 6 They say to themselves,
         We will never fail;
      we will never be in trouble.
 
 7 Their speech is filled with curses, lies, and threats;
      they are quick to speak hateful, evil words.

 8 They hide themselves in the villages,
      waiting to murder innocent people.
   They spy on their helpless victims;
    9 they wait in their hiding place like lions.
   They lie in wait for the poor;
      they catch them in their traps and drag them away.

 10 The helpless victims lie crushed;
      brute strength has defeated them.
 11 The wicked say to themselves,
         God doesn't care!
      He has closed his eyes and will never see me!

 12 O Lord, punish those wicked people!
      Remember those who are suffering!
 13 How can the wicked despise God
      and say to themselves,
         He will not punish me?

 14 But you do see; you take notice of trouble and suffering
      and are always ready to help.
   The helpless commit themselves to you;
      you have always helped the needy.

 15 Break the power of wicked and evil people;
      punish them for the wrong they have done
      until they do it no more.

 16 The Lord is king forever and ever.
      Those who worship other gods
      will vanish from his land.

 17 You will listen, O Lord, to the prayers of the lowly;
      you will give them courage.
 18 You will hear the cries of the oppressed and the orphans;
      you will judge in their favor,
      so that mortal men may cause terror no more.

History is pressing on to its fulfillment -- the kingdom reign of God in Christ. So, lean in, and press on!

Sunday Psalm: 9 - The Lord Is King Forever!

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Psalm 9

Thanksgiving to God for His Justice^[a]

    I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
      I will tell of all the wonderful things you have done.
 ² I will sing with joy because of you.
      I will sing praise to you, Almighty God.

 ³ My enemies turn back when you appear;
      they fall down and die.
 ⁴ You are fair and honest in your judgments,
      and you have judged in my favor.

 ⁵ You have condemned the heathen
      and destroyed the wicked;
      they will be remembered no more.
 ⁶ Our enemies are finished forever;
      you have destroyed their cities,
      and they are completely forgotten.

 ⁷ But the Lord is king forever;
      he has set up his throne for judgment.
 ⁸ He rules the world with righteousness;
      he judges the nations with justice.

 ⁹ The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
      a place of safety in times of trouble.
 ¹⁰ Those who know you, Lord, will trust you;
      you do not abandon anyone who comes to you.

 ¹¹ Sing praise to the Lord, who rules in Zion!
      Tell every nation what he has done!
 ¹² God remembers those who suffer;
      he does not forget their cry,
      and he punishes those who wrong them.

 ^13 (A)Be merciful to me, O Lord!
      See the sufferings my enemies cause me!
   Rescue me from death, O Lord,
    ¹⁴ that I may stand before the people of Jerusalem
      and tell them all the things for which I praise you.
   I will rejoice because you saved me.

 ¹⁵ The heathen have dug a pit and fallen in;
      they have been caught in their own trap.
 ¹⁶ The Lord has revealed himself by his righteous judgments,
      and the wicked are trapped by their own deeds.

 ¹⁷ Death is the destiny of all the wicked,
      of all those who reject God.
 ¹⁸ The needy will not always be neglected;
      the hope of the poor will not be crushed forever.

 ¹⁹ Come, Lord! Do not let anyone defy you!
      Bring the heathen before you
      and pronounce judgment on them.
 ²⁰ Make them afraid, O Lord;
      make them know that they are only mortal beings.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Have a restful, joyful day as God's praise circles the globe this day.

Sunday Psalm: 8 - The Lord's Excellent Name

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Psalm 8

To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.^[a] A Psalm of David.

 ¹ O LORD, our Lord,
         How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
         Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
       
 ² Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
         You have ordained strength,
         Because of Your enemies,
         That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
       
 ³ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
         The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
 ⁴ What is man that You are mindful of him,
         And the son of man that You visit him?
 ⁵ For You have made him a little lower than the angels,^[b]
         And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
       
 ⁶ You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
         You have put all things under his feet,
 ⁷ All sheep and oxen—
         Even the beasts of the field,
 ⁸ The birds of the air,
         And the fish of the sea
         That pass through the paths of the seas.
       
 ⁹ O LORD, our Lord,
         How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

New King James Version (NKJV)Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Rest. And enjoy. Peace.

Sunday Psalm: 7 -- God protects me like a shield

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Psalm 7 - New Century Version (NCV)

A Prayer for Fairness - A shiggaion of David which he sang to the Lord about Cush, from the tribe of Benjamin.

 1 Lord my God, I trust in you for protection.
       Save me and rescue me
       from those who are chasing me.
 2 Otherwise, like a lion they will tear me apart.
       They will rip me to pieces, and no one can save me.

 3 Lord my God, what have I done?
       Have my hands done something wrong?
 4 Have I done wrong to my friend
       or stolen without reason from my enemy?
 5 If I have, let my enemy chase me and capture me.
       Let him trample me into the dust
       and bury me in the ground.
                         Selah

 6 Lord, rise up in your anger;
       stand up against my enemies' anger.
       Get up and demand fairness.
 7 Gather the nations around you
       and rule them from above.
 8 Lord, judge the people.
       Lord, defend me because I am right,
       because I have done no wrong, God Most High.
 9 God, you do what is right.
       You know our thoughts and feelings.
    Stop those wicked actions done by evil people,
       and help those who do what is right.

 10 God protects me like a shield;
       he saves those whose hearts are right.
 11 God judges by what is right,
       and God is always ready to punish the wicked.
 12 If they do not change their lives,
       God will sharpen his sword;
       he will string his bow and take aim.
 13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
       he has made his flaming arrows.

 14 There are people who think up evil
       and plan trouble and tell lies.
 15 They dig a hole to trap others,
       but they will fall into it themselves.
 16 They will get themselves into trouble;
       the violence they cause will hurt only themselves.

 17 I praise the Lord because he does what is right.
       I sing praises to the Lord Most High.

Have a great day!

New Century Version

Sunday Psalm 6: My Prayers Are Answered!

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Psalm 6 -- A David Psalm

 1-2 Please, God, no more yelling, no more trips to the woodshed.
   Treat me nice for a change;
      I'm so starved for affection.

 2-3 Can't you see I'm black-and-blue,
      beat up badly in bones and soul?
   God, how long will it take
      for you to let up?

 4-5 Break in, God, and break up this fight;
      if you love me at all, get me out of here.
   I'm no good to you dead, am I?
      I can't sing in your choir if I'm buried in some tomb!

 6-7 I'm tired of all this—so tired. My bed
      has been floating forty days and nights
   On the flood of my tears.
      My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears.
   The sockets of my eyes are black holes;
      nearly blind, I squint and grope.

 8-9 Get out of here, you Devil's crew:
      at last God has heard my sobs.
   My requests have all been granted,
      my prayers are answered.

 10 Cowards, my enemies disappear.
   Disgraced, they turn tail and run.

-- The Message

Sunday Psalm: 5 The Party Lasts All Night!

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Psalm 5 A David Psalm

 1-3 Listen, God! Please, pay attention! Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries? King-God, I need your help.
   Every morning
      you'll hear me at it again.
   Every morning
      I lay out the pieces of my life
      on your altar
      and watch for fire to descend.

 4-6 You don't socialize with Wicked,
      or invite Evil over as your houseguest.
   Hot-Air-Boaster collapses in front of you;
      you shake your head over Mischief-Maker.
   God destroys Lie-Speaker;
      Blood-Thirsty and Truth-Bender disgust you.

 7-8 And here I am, your invited guest—
      it's incredible!
   I enter your house; here I am,
      prostrate in your inner sanctum,
   Waiting for directions
      to get me safely through enemy lines.

 9-10 Every word they speak is a land mine;
      their lungs breathe out poison gas.
   Their throats are gaping graves,
      their tongues slick as mudslides.
   Pile on the guilt, God!
      Let their so-called wisdom wreck them.
   Kick them out! They've had their chance.

 11-12 But you'll welcome us with open arms
      when we run for cover to you.
   Let the party last all night!
      Stand guard over our celebration.
   You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers,
      for decking us out in delight.

Bonus points if you can figure out which Psalm is portrayed in the photo! I used to have a fair grasp of biblical Hebrew, but, alas, it has waned.

Have a God-blessed day!

Sunday Psalm: 4 -- I Have God's More-Than-Enough

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Psalm 4 A David Psalm

 1 When I call, give me answers. God, take my side! Once, in a tight place, you gave me room;
   Now I'm in trouble again: grace me! hear me!

 2 You rabble—how long do I put up with your scorn?
   How long will you lust after lies?
   How long will you live crazed by illusion?

 3 Look at this: look
   Who got picked by God!
   He listens the split second I call to him.

 4-5 Complain if you must, but don't lash out.
   Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking.
   Build your case before God and wait for his verdict.

 6-7 Why is everyone hungry for more? "More, more," they say.
   "More, more."
   I have God's more-than-enough,
   More joy in one ordinary day

 7-8 Than they get in all their shopping sprees.
   At day's end I'm ready for sound sleep,
   For you, God, have put my life back together.

-- The Message, by Eugene Peterson

(Someone said that God will put your life back together -- as long as you give him all the pieces!)

Jesus referred to himself as both David's son and David's Lord -- figure that one out! He quoted from the Psalms and used the Psalms to direct and soothe his own life. And no greater man ever lived than Jesus.

It's Sunday -- drink well from the well and be well.

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• Lesser known characters :: Benhail (thepauls.wordpress.com)
• Spent by the Hostility of God's Hand (obsecrations.wordpress.com)
• Hungry...What Kind Of Hungry Are You? (awakenedbride.wordpress.com)
• "Embittered, Stupid, Unthinking - Yet Always With You, Lord" ( Psalm 73: 23, HCSB ) by Carley Evans (lambskinny.wordpress.com)

Sunday Psalm: 3 -- Real Help Comes From God

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Psalm 3

 1-2 God! Look! Enemies past counting! Enemies sprouting like mushrooms,
   Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery:
   "Hah! No help for him from God!"

 3-4 But you, God, shield me on all sides;
   You ground my feet, you lift my head high;
   With all my might I shout up to God,
   His answers thunder from the holy mountain.

 5-6 I stretch myself out. I sleep.
   Then I'm up again—rested, tall and steady,
   Fearless before the enemy mobs
   Coming at me from all sides.

 7 Up, God! My God, help me!
   Slap their faces,
   First this cheek, then the other,
   Your fist hard in their teeth!

 8 Real help comes from God.
   Your blessing clothes your people!

Eugene Peterson, The Message

Have a blessed day.

Related articles

• "O LORD, how many are my foes! (sisterdot.wordpress.com)

Sunday Psalm: 2 -- "If You Make A Run For God, You Won't Regret It!"

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Psalm 2

   Why the big noise, nations? Why the mean plots, peoples?
   Earth-leaders push for position,
   Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks,
   The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers:
   "Let's get free of God!
   Cast loose from Messiah!"
   Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing.
   At first he's amused at their presumption;
   Then he gets good and angry.
   Furiously, he shuts them up:
   "Don't you know there's a King in Zion? A coronation banquet
   Is spread for him on the holy summit."

   Let me tell you what God said next.
   He said, "You're my son,
   And today is your birthday.
   What do you want? Name it:
   Nations as a present? continents as a prize?
   You can command them all to dance for you,
   Or throw them out with tomorrow's trash."

   So, rebel-kings, use your heads;
   Upstart-judges, learn your lesson:
   Worship God in adoring embrace,
   Celebrate in trembling awe. Kiss Messiah!
   Your very lives are in danger, you know;
   His anger is about to explode,
   But if you make a run for God—you won't regret it!

-- Eugene Peterson, The Message

Have a blessed day!

Sunday Psalm: 1 -- How Well God Must Like You!

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How well God must like you— you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.

 2-3 Instead you thrill to God's Word,
      you chew on Scripture day and night.
   You're a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month,
   Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom.

 4-5 You're not at all like the wicked, who are mere windblown dust—
   Without defense in court, unfit company for innocent people.

 6 God charts the road you take. The road they take is Skid Row.

-- The Message