Who, When, Where

Written by Unknown.
Moshe wrote Psalm 90 around the time of the exodus so in the 40 years leading up to 1400BC.
David wrote 73 of them around 1000BC. Asaph wrote 12 of them also around 1000BC, and the sons of Korah wrote 11 of them around then too.
Heman the Ezrahite wrote Psalm 88 around 1000BC, and Ethan the Ezrahite wrote Psalm 89 around the same time.

Solomon wrote 2 of them, #72 and #127 in the mid to late 900’s BC.

And about 50 of the psalms are anonymous and we don’t know who wrote them or when. But presumably in that same time period, maybe down as far as 400BC.
Most would have been written in and around Jerusalem. But again, because some are anonymous we can’t be sure where they were written either.

Summary

Psalms is a collection of songs. Quite a few are prayers to Yahweh, most are celebrations of who he is and what he has done.

In the process they really expose a lot of the things the Jews did wrong along the way. And how Yahweh bailed them out anyway.

Before You Read

If I started a song, do you think you could continue it?
“She loves me, …”. I’m pretty sure you could finish that one. Yeah?
Let me ask you, when did you sit down and memorize it? Or did you just play it enough times that it just “stuck”?
Music can touch your soul. It can also help you memorise lyrics. Something in our brains likes rhythm and sound. And when we hear the same ones again, we remember.

How many Bible chapters have you memorized?
When my children were school age, we used to memorise a chapter of the Bible every month. For kids it’s pretty easy. Their brain seems to be in a remember everything kind of mode.
But really, reading it out loud together every day for a month, … even adults have a good chance of memorising that.

What are the big things the Jews did wrong?
How are Christians doing with those?

Key Verses

Psalms 1:1-3

Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that produces its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.

Does Yahweh’s law delight you? Do you meditate on it? Thinking about what it means, and how you can apply it to your life?
Of course, we’re not Jews, so we’re not under the law. But it could still be very useful to think about why that was a law for them. Why does God value that particular behaviour. And how, as Christians, free of the Law, can we go beyond that law and live it out in front of those around us?

Psalms 8:3-4

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;
what is man, that you think of him? …

It’s a great thing to lie down outside, well away from the city and the lights and look up at the stars. To think about how big that sky is. The nearest star is 4 years travel, even if we can travel at the speed of light. And that’s the nearest one.
The planets are all so amazing, and all so different.
Even the moon. Imagine if you looked up tomorrow and it was gone. Permanently.
And in all that. In all those stars, in all those planets. Mankind is uniquely important to Yahweh. We’re the only species which ever sinned. And yet we’re also the only species he ever asked his son to die for.

Psalms 12:2

Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.

Honestly, 40 years ago I don’t think it was like this the way it is now. It seems to me that the world has given itself over to image and self esteem. This opens it up to deceit by flattery more than ever before, and there is no shortage of people willing to take advantage of that, and of you.
Watch out.
Or maybe I’m just getting old?

Psalms 12:6

Yahweh’s words are flawless words, as silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times.

What a contrast with verse 2. If only we valued our words more. We would choose them much more carefully. We would be much more aware of what our words are saying about us, especially when we’re talking about others.

Psalms 13

How long, Yahweh? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day?
How long shall my enemy triumph over me?
Behold, and answer me, Yahweh, my God.
Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;
Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”;
Lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in your loving kindness.
My heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to Yahweh, because he has been good to me.

How long?
What if it’s 30 years before Yahweh relieves your suffering? You willing to endure that. What if it brings glory to him when you do?
What if you’re born blind, and you suffer like that for 30 years, but then Yahweh sends his own son to heal you in front of all his critics, to prove that he is Yahweh’s son.
You willing to do that?

Us demanding the Yahweh heal us of suffering now, is like a pawn on a chess board demanding to become the king.

Psalms 14:1

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

I said that once. To my friends when I was at university. I thought I meant it. But inside I was thinking, “I hope he doesn’t kill me for saying that!”

BTW: this psalm is quoted by Paulus in Romans 3.
He shows that Yahweh is faithful even though none of us really seeks him out or does his will. And that Yahweh himself takes the initiative to reach out to us and draw us to himself.
So incredible when you think about it eh. If you were God, would you do that? Or just let them rot?

Psalms 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer.

I disappoint myself so often with the words that come out of my mouth, and especially with some of the things I catch myself thinking about in my heart.
And I hate to think how much Yahweh is disappointed in them if even I feel like they need correction.

Maybe you don’t feel that way. I did meet a really holy man once when I had been a Christian less than a year. He was a visiting Bible teacher at my church. I even said to him how much I hoped that one day I could be as holy as him. His reply? “Oh you have no idea. I am so far from holy.”

Psalms 20:7-8

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust the name of Yahweh our God.
They are bowed down and fallen, but we rise up, and stand upright.

How about you? You trusting in Yahweh? Or money? Your “image”? Something else?
Read verse 8. You can tell your future based on your answer.

Psalms 22:1

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Was Yeshua quoting this when he cried out that phrase when he was dying? It’s pretty horrific to think that the father abandoned his son. He had to turn his back, while the son who had always existed with him, was tortured for our sins. Part of his punishment, which would have been our punishment, was being separated from Yahweh.

How about you? Ever felt like God has abandoned you?
Has he? I know it can feel like it sometimes, but if you’re a Christina, he never will. You might not get everything you wanted, you might have to endure some really awful stuff. But unlike when he did abandon Yeshua, he will never abandon you, and whatever you go through, he will go through it with you.

Psalms 22:14

I am poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is melted within me.

This sounds like Yeshua again doesn’t it. When they speared him in the side to make sure he was actually dead, “blood mixed with water” oozed out. Just like this, his heart, like wax, melted within him.

Psalms 22:16

For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.
They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.

So many lines in this psalm sound like what happened to Yeshua when he was killed.
This is why we call this a “Messianic Psalm”, because it appears to be prophetic of Yeshua, even though it was written by King David about his own suffering 1,000 years earlier.

Psalms 23

Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.

Definitely the most well known psalm of all 150 of them.
No surprise that David, originally a shepherd, who lovingly looked after his sheep and even protected them from a bear and from a lion, sees Yahweh as his shepherd, and feels totally safe and secure because he knows how safe and secure his sheep were with him as their shepherd.
How secure are you?
Is Yahweh your shepherd, or have you wandered away?
Is it time to head back to the flock, and the loving protection of your shepherd? I’m sure he’s looking for you. And if this is stirring things in your heart, then for sure you know he’s looking for you as well.
Come back to him. You’ll never regret it.
All the things he might tell you to stop doing, are dangerous anyway, and not good for sheep.

Check out Rules for Christian Living and see why sheep should stay away from swamps, cliffs and dandelions, even when there is no fence.

Psalms 32:3, 5

When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
…
I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn’t hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

If Yahweh is revealing your sin, even if he’s only revealing it to you, it is because he wants you to change.
You can’t change.
But if you let him, he will change you.
It starts with you becoming aware that you need to. The next step is you confessing to him and asking him to change you.

Still refusing to confess? Refusing to admit even to yourself that you have sin issues? Who are you kidding? He already knows. He just wants you to start the next stage of the improvement of your character by admitting it.

Psalms 33:16-19

There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power.
Behold, Yahweh’s eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness;
to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine.

It’s easy to think you have power isn’t it. When your income is good, when your life is going well.
Don’t worry, if you get too caught up in your own greatness, your own abilities, Yahweh will bring something along to remind you that you need to depend on him, not just for success, but for survival.
Without Yahweh’s permission you would never draw another breath.

Psalms 37:1-3

Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
Trust in Yahweh, and do good.

It’s hard when we see people who are obviously self focused and greedy getting ahead in the world. Living a life of luxury and abundance. Owning big flashy houses and driving nice cars.
But that’s the world. They’re serving the world, so they are given worldly rewards.
Ask them again 30 seconds after they die. “What do you have now?”. Answer: “Nothing. Hell. For eternity.”
Like the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Their #1 desire will be to come back and warn their loved ones. But they will never be able to do that.

Your eternity will be so incredibly different to theirs.
Trust in Yahweh, and do good.

Psalms 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”

We need to do more of that. (Me too).
I remember once when I was young and passionate and having hours of “quiet time” every day. (A bit easier when you work in the church). I wanted to encourage everyone to spend more time like that. So I got them all to stand, (it was a sermon), I thought I’d work my way up to an hour a day and then use those still standing as an example to follow, and to talk with about their quite times.
I started at 15 minutes. “Sit down if you spend less than 15 minutes a day in quiet time with God”. The whole church except 2 people sat down.
I didn’t know what to do, it really threw me. I thought only a few people would sit down at that one.

It’s very easy to give in to a busy life. To the demands of work, and family, and life. Somehow we find time for TV though?

We need to spend more time, quietly sitting with Yahweh and listening to him.

Psalms 50:8-14

I don’t rebuke you for your sacrifices. Your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I have no need for a bull from your stall, nor male goats from your pens.
For every animal of the forest is mine, and the livestock on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the mountains. The wild animals of the field are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Pay your vows to the Most High.

We make sacrifices to Yahweh. Jews offered him animals, we usually offer him money. The modern Christian teaching seems to be 10% of your income. But there’s no need to restrict yourself.
God asked the Jews for animals, but not because he was hungry! Not because he needed them. He owns all the animals. He’s asking them to give to see if they will. To test their hearts.
Same with us, he doesn’t need our money! It’s all his money. He’s asking us to give to see how much of his money we will keep for ourselves, and what we will spend it on.
For sure you can give more than 10% of your income to him if you want to. Or should I say, you can keep less than 90% of his money which he’s put into your hands if you want to.

Psalms 51:1-4

Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.
Against you, and you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight; that you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.

Would he, or we for that matter, have dared to ask Yahweh to do that if we knew what it was going to cost God to answer it?
It’s like realising you can’t possibly afford to buy a house, or even rent one, and you ask someone you met to pay for it, even though if they do, it will cost them everything they have.
And they say “Yes”.

Psalms 51:10-12

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.
Don’t throw me from your presence, and don’t take your holy Spirit from me.

Once we are saved our whole mentality changes doesn’t it. Now we absolutely hate our sin. We still sin, although hopefully less and less as the years pass. But now we hate it. Before we loved it.
Our spirit doesn’t just need a one off fix. Salvation is guaranteed after that, but changing our hearts, changing our desires takes correction after correction after correction.
Don’t give up. You’ll never get there, but live a life which shows that you actually do appreciate the massive gift you were given, and the massive cost that Yeshua and his father paid so you could be saved.

Psalms 51:16,17

For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Do you sacrifice to God?
Do you sacrifice yourself to God?
Is your heart broken and contrite?
Or you really don’t care?

Psalms 53:1

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” … There is no one who does good, no, not one.


I said that once when I was a teenager, and hoped he wouldn’t kill me for saying that!
Fortunately he loves me, and still reached down to save me from myself.
And I’m not alone. “There is no one who does good”.

Psalms 63:1

God, you are my God. I will earnestly seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.

Are you that thirsty for God? Am I? Like someone in a dry and weary land, where there is no water. Imagine how thirsty that person would be. Imagine their reaction if you offered them an icy cold glass of water.
Or are you more the “God? Meh.” kind of thirsty. I’d rather drink coffee, but when I’m desperate I’ll drink water kind of thirsty. The kind who only seeks God when they’re desperate, and they need him to fix some mess they made in their life.
Get to know God better. You’ll like him.

Years ago there was a young woman in our church who was totally sold out to Yeshua. Kind of like I imagine Jeanne Guyon was.
She would race home from university every day to go and sit outside alone with Yeshua. She was so devoted. (I’m sure she still is). And it just shone out of her. It was so beautiful to see.

Psalms 65:3-4

Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions.
Blessed is one whom you choose, and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts.

This is unusual for the Old Testament. The idea that God will atone for our sins. Most of the Old Testament is more like, “if you break the rules, you die and go to eternal punishment”. Which coupled with, “and everyone breaks the rules” is a pretty bleak picture.
And then verse 4 even talks of God choosing, calling, some people to come near to him. I don’t think that’s talking about selective salvation, but more about people like Paulus. He was passionate for God, but actually working against him and killing his people. God chose him and called him in a way he really couldn’t refuse. And then God used him to build the church in amazing ways.
But the reality is, we don’t see God until he is calling us. Sadly some people do seem to ignore when he calls. But if you found him it’s because your spirit finally recognised his call and went looking.
What is he building in his church through you?

Psalms 74:14

You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to people and desert creatures.

We’re not sure what Leviathan was. But from his appearance in Job and Isaiah it seems he was some huge serpent which lived in the ocean.
In Job it seems his breath was so hot it could start a fire. Like a dragon.
But heads here is plural. So it seems he was even possibly a multiple headed “fire” breathing sea dragon of some kind.
And formidable. Nobody could defeat it except Yahweh himself.
Maybe dragons aren’t just from kids stories?

And even on a general note. We need to be really careful when we interpret the Bible exclusively in terms of our assumptions based on how the world is now. We need to be open to other ideas and possibilities.
It might not matter much whether leviathan was a fire breathing dragon, or just a big snake. But when we start assuming God is like this or like that just because that’s how the world is where we grew up… That could be really dangerous. Ask Yahweh to reveal to you any misconception like that which you might have.

Psalms 81:13

Oh that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

Why do we do that? It’s almost like we’re saying to God, “Thanks for saving me, now let me get back to my sinful life I had before.”
God is offering us so much more. But something inside us fights against listening to him. I feel like I do this too. I feel like I could have achieved so much more for God than I have. My life could have been so much more blessed, so much more satisfying if I had listened to God more and to my sinful self less.
Let’s ask God to speak to us, and do everything we can to listen, even if it’s just this once.

Psalms 82:4

“Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
4Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”

There are quite a few places where God tells us to defend the weak, the poor, the fatherless…
Some do, but most churches don’t tend to do it much though. If they do it’s often done through one or two people, and the rest of the church can just sit back and tick the box saying they’ve helped the poor, even if they wouldn’t be able to name a single one of them.
They don’t always need money. Sometimes they just want someone to care.

If you feel uncomfortable hearing this, there are a few chapters you should avoid, (they all speak of our responsibility to help the poor).

Exodus 23; Leviticus 19; Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 10; Deuteronomy 14; Deuteronomy 15; Deuteronomy 16; Deuteronomy 24; Deuteronomy 26; 2 Samuel 12; Esther 9; Job 20; Job 22; Job 24; Job 29; Job 30; Job 31; Job 34; Psalms 10; Psalms 12; Psalms 35; Psalms 41; Psalms 68; Psalms 69; Psalms 72; Psalms 82; Psalms 94; Psalms 112; Psalms 113; Psalms 140; Psalms 146; Proverbs 14; Proverbs 16; Proverbs 19; Proverbs 21; Proverbs 22; Proverbs 23; Proverbs 28; Proverbs 29; Proverbs 30; Proverbs 31; Isaiah 1; Isaiah 3; Isaiah 10; Isaiah 29; Isaiah 32; Isaiah 41; Isaiah 58; Jeremiah 5; Jeremiah 7; Jeremiah 22; Ezekiel 16; Ezekiel 18; Ezekiel 22; Ezekiel 22; Daniel 4; Amos 2; Amos 4; Amos 5; Amos 8; Zechariah 7; Malachi 3; Matthew 19; Mark 10; Luke 14; Luke 18; Acts 20; Romans 15; Galatians 2; James 2;

Maybe read those chapters one a day and then see how your feel at the end of it.

Psalms 84:10

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

The wicked in this world sometimes seem to have it all. Big fancy houses, flashy cars, all the jewellery and fashion.
And sometimes we seem to have nothing. A low income, a rented house, a 10 year old car.
And then we all die. And suddenly they have nothing, and we seem to have everything. Not flashy, but we’re allowed to walk in and out of God’s house whenever we want because we’re family. And they’re not even allowed to come up to the outside of the door. They can only look from a distance and think, “could have, should have… d’oh”.

But also as Paulus said, “if our hope is only for the afterlife we don’t have much.” The other issue is that we can be happy here with not much. Behind the facade and pretence, the wicked rich aren’t happy anyway. They pretend they are. The magazines and media make it look like they are. But they’re not. They fight. They cry. They still get sick. They’re still never satisfied.

Even if you end up as a doorkeeper in the house of God, you’re a mile in front of them already. Don’t forget that.

Psalms 91:10

no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.

I selected this verse to show how dangerous it is to take a verse out of context and claim that it applies to you. (Just because you want it to).
We don’t know who wrote this psalm. We do know that Moshe wrote psalm 90, but that doesn’t mean he wrote psalm 91.

It seems to be generically saying that if you put your trust in Yahweh he will protect you. The way a mother bird covers her chicks with her wings to protect them.
That you won’t come to harm even if everyone around you dies.
But if this was guaranteed, there would be a lot less Jews and Christians killed by evil people.
From what we know, even the apostles were almost all killed in atrocious ways. And I doubt that any of us would claim we trust in Yahweh more than they did.

Presumably it does apply to Yeshua. And Satan tried to deceive him into proving that it did in the desert. Yeshuah didn’t fall for that and just answered, “You shouldn’t test Yahweh your god”.

So don’t just say that a verse applies to you because you want it to. That is dangerous, and it is often even false teaching.

Psalms 96:5

For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but Yahweh made the heavens.

Lots of people have a god. Lots of countries have gods.
But only one of them is real.
The rest are just man made idols. Seriously who can justify believing in a god which is carved by a person! How can it possibly have any more power than the person who carved it. (Although I do wonder sometimes if some of them are demon powered).

But Yahweh created the heavens.
We can’t even make a single living cell, but he made the entire universe.

And he loves us. Wow.

Psalms 103:8-10

Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.
He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities.

Sometimes we get the feeling that … you sin, Yahweh is angry and wants to kill you.
While he would be 100% justified if he did. That’s not really his way is it. Throughout the Old Testament we see his patience and mercy on people who constantly reject him, and how he constantly works to get them to change. And his constant desire to be able to bless his people. (Who, honestly, don’t deserve it based on their behaviour).
If Yahweh had dealt with me according to my sins, I’d be dead. Decades ago. You too right?

Psalms 105:42

For he remembered his holy word, and Abraham, his servant.

Yahweh had promised Abraham that his descendants would have their own land. He swore a covenant with him In Genesis 15. But Yahweh told him they would be afflicted for 400 years before he fulfilled it for them.
Galatians 5 tells us it was 430 years from the day of the covenant, to the day of the giving of the Law. (Btw this means they were in Egypt 215 years, not the 400 usually taught in churches). Read this article Dating Creation for more details.

Psalms 106:19-20

They made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped a molten image.
Thus they exchanged their glory for an image of a bull that eats grass.

After seeing the incredible way Yahweh delivered them from slavery in Egypt, so quickly they gave up and made their own “god”. They made it themselves. They melted the metal, they cast the image. And then they worshipped it. How can people be so stupid. Yet all around the world we do exactly that.
Romans 1 talks about the same thing, “they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a likeness of the image of a mortal person, and of birds, and of animals, and of reptiles.”

Even when we have seen God working right in front of us, we still go back to idols so easily. Why?!

Psalms 106:34-37

They didn’t destroy the peoples, as Yahweh commanded them, but mixed themselves with the nations, and learned their works.
They served their idols, which became a snare to them.
Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

Oh we think we’re so smart don’t we. Yahweh says when you get there, destroy the people completely. But we get there and say, “Oh they don’t look so bad, we don’t need to kill them all.” And then we end up serving their idols and sacrificing our children to demons.

Oh is this the same now or what! Yahweh tells us not to have anything to do with certain behaviours, but in our superior intelligence we decide it’s OK, it’s not that bad. And we expose our children to things which end up destroying them and their relationship with Yahweh.
This generation now is also quite literally sacrificing our children to demons.

Psalms 107:6, 13, 19, 28, 43

Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble, he saves them out of their distresses.
Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distress.
Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of Yahweh.

I’m sure you see the pattern. They mess up. They call to Yahweh, he saves them. Repeat.
Most of us are in the same pattern with our own lives. We keep messing up. Yahweh keeps saving us from the mess we made. (Not eternal salvation, that’s only needed once, but just cleaning up and getting us back on the right track).
If you’ve messed up, you know what you need to do.
He’ll be there for you. Without judgement, just with loving mercy to help sort your life out again.

Psalms 109:21

But deal with me, Yahweh the Lord, for your name’s sake, because your loving kindness is good, deliver me;

Here he is, standing up for Yahweh, and being persecuted for it.
Most of this psalm is asking Yahweh to bring about devastation on those who oppose him. Those who are oppressing him.
Is that what we want? Destruction and annihilation of anyone who is against us for being Christian?
Wasn’t that us before we got saved? Before Yahweh reached out to us and shone love into our hearts?
It’s a bit hypocritical isn’t it? To call down destruction on them, but then to call down love and kindness on ourselves when it was Yahweh who led us from being one of them to being one of his?

Psalms 110

Yahweh says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.”
…
Yahweh has sworn, and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

This is another “Messianic Psalm”. Reading it makes you think of Yeshua right?
Hebrews 7 also talks of Yeshua being of the order of Melchizedek. And I cover the importance of that in this article.
Yeshua is not a Levitical priest. This is why we are not under law, but under grace. (Melchizedek was a priest before the Law was given).

Psalms 115:4-7

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
They have mouths, but they don’t speak. They have eyes, but they don’t see.
They have ears, but they don’t hear. They have noses, but they don’t smell.
They have hands, but they don’t feel. They have feet, but they don’t walk, neither do they speak through their throat.

We just keep seeing the futility of idols in Psalms.
And anyone with even moderate intelligence can see that an idol is still an inanimate object. Can’t speak, can’t hear, can’t see, can’t smell, can’t feel, can’t walk.
How embarrassing for you if you worship it. You may as well worship a rock.
Read the rest of the psalm. The answer is clear. “Trust in Yahweh”.

Psalms 117

Praise Yahweh, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!
For his loving kindness is great toward us. Yahweh’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise Yah!

The shortest chapter of the Bible. You could even memorise that pretty easily, and at least you could tell people at parties that you memorised a whole chapter of the Bible.
But after that you might want to memorise more. Like one of these:
Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd…
1 Corinthians 13 Love is patient, love is kind…
Romans 8 There is therefore now no condemnation…
Proverbs 3 Trust in the Lord with all your heart…
Galatians 5 The fruit of the Spirit is…
Ephesians 6 Put on the full armour of God…
Philippians 4 Do not be anxious about anything…

Pick one, and read it out loud once every day for a month and see how you go.

Psalms 119:9, 11

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

It’s true. If you learn what God wants, and live by it all day every day, staying sinless. You will be saved.
Trouble is, none of us has ever been able to do it, except Yeshua.
Some people do have this in their heart the way this psalmist says, but they just can’t do it.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.

Psalms 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.

Want to know how to live better? Read the Bible. Study the Bible. Talk about the Bible with other people who have done that.
I once heard of an older Christian who really struggled to remember anything, especially as he got older. He used to read chapters of the Bible every day, but his mind was like a sieve and he just couldn’t remember what he had read.
Someone asked him, “Why do you bother if you can’t remember what you read?” His answer, “My mind is like a sieve and the words just wash straight through. But boy is it clean!”

Psalms 121:8

Yahweh will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forward, and forever more.

This is a psalm for Israel. That Yahweh is their protector. He is watching over them. And he always will be.
The modern anti-semitic movement has no idea who they are up against. They will not succeed.

Psalms 127:1

Unless Yahweh builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless Yahweh watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain.

Want to do something? Talk it over with Yahweh first, because if he’s not behind it, you’re wasting your time.
Just when Yeshua said that anyone wanting to build a tower needs to make sure they have enough money first before they start.
Want to build a church? Start a mission? Run a Sunday school? Make sure Yahweh is behind that first.
We seem to assume he always will be, but honestly I don’t think he always is. There is one church. Your church is part of that. So just like Romans 12 and the illustration of parts of a body, your church doesn’t have to do everything. And I would even go as far as saying, your church shouldn’t try to do everything.

Psalms 133:1

See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!

And yet, Christians seem to be constantly arguing and dividing over mostly trivial points of doctrine.
Basically, if we both agree that the only way to be saved is through Yeshua’s sacrifice on our behalf, then we’re brothers. The rest is just stuff we can agree to disagree on, and we still celebrate that we’re brothers.
I remember the first time I was looking for a church in San Jose. I checked the yellow pages. There were something like 48 pages of different churches. All under their denominational groupings.
There is ONE church. Find a way to live in unity.

Psalms 135:6

Whatever Yahweh pleased, that he has done

Yahweh, and only Yahweh can do whatever he wants.
Nobody can stop him. Everyone else needs his permission.

Psalms 136

for his loving kindness endures forever

Read this psalm and when you’re done make one statement. That will be it, “for his loving kindness endures forever”.

Imagine if Yahweh had all the power he has, but didn’t love us. Imagine if he despised us for destroying the beautiful creation he had made.
To put it bluntly, we’d be ______.
The only reason we have any hope at all, is because of Yahweh’s loving kindness.

Psalms 139:1-4, 23-24

Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue, but, behold, Yahweh, you know it altogether.
…
Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

I assume you’re like me, and you have thoughts you wish Yahweh didn’t know. (Or maybe it’s just me).
But he does. He knows you inside out. Better than you know yourself.
And yet, he still loves you! More than you love yourself.

Like David, hand yourself over to him. Don’t try to hide your thoughts from him, but open up to him, ask him to search you out and see if there is any wickedness in you. Not so he can judge you for it, but so he can lead you into ways to get rid of it from your life.
Trust him, he wants you to be a better you. Even more than you want it yourself.

Psalms 146:7-9

Yahweh executes justice for the oppressed;
Yahweh gives food to the hungry.
Yahweh frees the prisoners.
Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind.
Yahweh raises up those who are bowed down.
Yahweh loves the righteous.
Yahweh preserves the foreigners.
Yahweh upholds the fatherless and widow.

Do you?

Psalms 147:20

He has not done this for just any nation. They don’t know his ordinances.

A reminder to Israel that they are special. Yahweh is their god, they are his people. And he hasn’t done that for any other nation.
How much more for us as Christians!

Psalms 150:6

Let everything that has breath praise Yahweh!

After You Read

What verses really stood out to you?

How would you summarize this book in a sentence or two? What is it about? What is God trying to say to us?

Which psalms stood out to you?
Did any of them say things you didn’t know were there?

Would you consider memorising one or two?
Do you have someone you could do that with?

In what ways do you see this generation making the same mistakes we read about in so many of the psalms?

How do the psalms differ from the music your church sings?

What is the outstanding thing you need to change after reading the psalms? Your attitude? Your prayer life? Your behaviour?

If Yahweh examined your life, what would you need to change?
Ask him to get that started. It might take a while, especially if it’s a big thing. But you know from Psalms that he wants a better future for you even more than you want it yourself.