Biblical Reflections

Psalm 94 is a community lament, written at a time when the wicked exult in their wickedness and oppress the faithful, many of whom are socially weak. It breaks briefly from the kingship psalms around it to ask God to take action and protect His people. Andrew walks through the psalm in five movements. **Verses 1–3 — The appeal for justice.** "O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of th...

Psalm 93 is a hymn of praise for God's kingly rule over creation. He is the universal King. It opens a run of psalms (93 and 95–99) that celebrate God's reign over everything He has made. In this episode Andrew walks through all five verses and shows why a psalm that never once turns the focus to us is such a gift to our worship. **Verses 1–2 — The King is enthroned.** "Yahweh reigns; he is robed...

Psalm 92 carries a superscript found nowhere else in the Psalter: "A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath." It is a hymn of thanks and praise to God for giving Israel the Sabbath, and Andrew finds in it a model for how we pray. Verses 1–5 — Praise. It is good to give thanks and sing praises to YHWH, El Elyon, the Most High. This praise is built on declaring God's names, extolling His steadfast love and f...

Psalm 91 is a hymn of confidence in the face of danger and trouble. It carries no superscript, and it moves through four movements — from the one who prays, to the singer assuring him, to God himself speaking. Andrew works through its metaphors and lands on the verse that unlocks the rest. Verses 1–2 — The refuge. The basic theme: God is my refuge, my safe place. Notice the metaphors — shelter, sh...

Psalm 90 is a community lament during a time of unspecified disaster — but you can feel that it is also the lament of an old man. It is the only psalm attributed to Moses, and it opens Book 4 of the Psalter. Andrew reads it with Moses at the end of his life in view, and finds his way to the gospel hymn "I'll Fly Away" and the 1966 film Alfie along the road. Verses 1–2 — The eternal God. The Lord h...

Psalm 89 is a community lament, but it celebrates the Davidic kingship as God's special gift to his people. The heir of David is the divinely appointed ruler over Israel, whose task is to lead the people faithfully — and so the people pray for that king to lead them out of their present disaster. The disaster is not in doubt: Babylon has destroyed the city, the temple, and the throne. Verses 1–4 —...

Psalm 88 is an individual lament — the darkest in the Psalter. The singer is so overwhelmed with troubles that even his friends shun him, and he comes to fear that God is shunning him too. What do you do when it seems God does not answer? Andrew walks through four movements of a prayer that never resolves, and finds the faith hidden inside it. Verses 1–2 — The cry. "O Yahweh, God of my salvation,...

Psalm 87 is a hymn celebrating Zion — Jerusalem, the city of God. It is also prophetic, foreseeing the ingathering of the nations into Zion as fellow citizens with Israel in the kingdom of God. Andrew walks through its three movements, including a verse that has divided interpreters for centuries. Verses 1–3 — The LORD loves Zion. On the holy mount stands the city he founded. Yahweh loves the gate...

Psalm 86 is an individual lament of David, written while a band of insolent men sought his life — and at the same time a prophetic hymn looking ahead to the day when all the nations come and worship God. Andrew walks through its three movements and draws out a pattern worth copying in your own prayers. Verses 1–7 — The appeal. A general call for God to preserve and save the life of his servant. No...

Psalm 85 is a community lament because God is withholding blessings, likely a good harvest, because the people have been unfaithful. The people ask for forgiveness for all of the people. They recall God’s steadfast love, his faithfulness to the covenant, and his righteousness. 1-3 – The psalm begins by recounting a past time when God showed his favor, forgave his people, and restored their fortune...

Psalm 84 is a pilgrimage hymn as the people travel to Israel for one of three Feasts that required all Hebrew men who were able to be present at the Tabernacle/Temple. The intent of the psalm is to cause delight in the eyes and the hearts of God’s people to joy and privilege of worshipping in God’s house, Temple. 1-4 – The singer begins with describing the dwelling place of God and how blessed are...

Psalm 83 is a community lament in which God’s people are threatened by gentile enemies. The prayer is that God will defeat the gentile enemies so that they may come to know the true God. This is an example of how we, as followers-of-Jesus, should pray for the defeat, not of our national enemies, but of our spiritual enemies so that they in defeat may come to know the true God. 1-8 – This is a call...

Psalm 82 is a community lament. Although some classify it as a prophetic hymn like Psalm 81. The idea here is that the reference to “gods” is a metaphor for unjust judges whom God will judge. The psalm is an encouragement for those who are weak and low on the social scale, who suffer unjustly from those in authority over them. Further this psalm is a call to those who wield authority such as judge...

Psalm 81 is a prophetic hymn, sort of. This psalm challenges the people to faithfully follow the covenant and if they do follow the covenant, then covenant blessings would come. This psalm may have been used during the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). 1-3 – Here is a jubilant call to worship with shouts of joy. 4-7 – Then there is a recounting of how God car...

Psalm 80 is a community lament in which some of the people received harsh treatment from the gentile nations.   1-3 – Stir up your might to save us and to restore us.   4-7 – How long will God be angry with his people.  Obviously, they have been unfaithful.  [YHWH] Elohim Sabaoth   8-15 – The people are described as God’s grape vine   16-19 – Restore us and make us faithful.  

Psalm 79 is a community lament because of a great disaster had befallen Jerusalem, likely the Babylonia destruction.  Psalm 79 is similar to Psalm 74.  Disaster came to Jerusalem because Israel did not keep the covenant in faith.  This is also a psalm of confession, that seeks forgiveness and promises to be faithful in the future.   1-4 – Gentile nations have defiled the Temple and slain the peopl...

Psalm 78 is a historical psalm recounting historical events when God preserved his people, even in their disbelief, and purged them of unbelievers along the way.  The point is so that future generations will take these lessons to heart and that they will faithfully embrace the covenant.   1-8 – We must recount past deeds so that our children do not forget and fail to keep covenant commandments.   ...

Psalm 77 is a community lament, perhaps because the people were suffering under God’s anger for some unfaithfulness.  Each person singing acknowledges that they are part of the congregation and that their individual well-being is bound up with the well-being of the whole congregation.   1-3 – I cry aloud to God in the day of my trouble.  I cry, moan, meditate, and faint, with my hand outstretched....

Psalm 76 is a hymn celebrating Zion as the place God has chosen for his people and his Temple. The people sing at the privilege of going to Zion and there worshipping God. 1-2 – God has made his abode in Zion. 3-9 – No one can stand against God on Zion. God rebukes the Gentile invaders. 10-12 – All the people should praise God and bring him gifts for his saving power to protect, Zion, the city, th...

Psalm 75 is a hymn of praise.  The psalm thanks God for the wonderful things he has done for Israel and celebrates that God is judge of all the earth and will one day put down the wicked and lift up the faithful.   1 – We give thanks to God and recount his wonderous deeds.   2-5 – God declares that at the set time he will judge the earth, rebuking the boastful and the wicked.   6-8 – It is God who...

Psalm 74 is a community lament, a cry of anguish over a disaster that has fallen on the people and destroyed the Temple of God. There is the plea that even though this may come from God in punishment, yet do not let the Gentiles scorn God for this tragedy. 1-3 – Why God did you let this tragedy happen to us? 4-8 – A description is presented of how the Temple of God, the dwelling place of god’s nam...

Psalm 73 is a psalm of wisdom and the first psalm in Book 3.  Asaph struggles with the question of why do the wicked prosper.  Spoiler alert, ultimately the faithful and the wicked have different destinations.   1-3 – The wicked prospered and Asaph envied them.   4-12 – The wicked are free from the troubles that the faithful face on a daily basis.   13-15 – Asaph had bitter feelings and felt that...

Psalm 72 is last psalm of Book 2.  It is a royal psalm praying for the heirs of David to have success in their assigned tasks as king, such tasks include:  ruling God’s people well, protecting the poor and needy, and bringing blessing to all the nations of the world.  This psalm anticipates the Messiah and his worldwide rule of all peoples.   1-4 – Let the king rule/judge the people justly.  The a...

Psalm 71 is an individual lament in which a faithful person is in danger from enemies who would hurt him by taking advantage of a weakness or distress.  It appears to be taken from parts of Psalms 31 and other Davidic psalms.   1-3 – The singer opens with a profession of faith by being assured of God’s covenant promises.  God is righteous, that is he is faithful to keep his promises, and this is t...

Psalm 70 is an individual lament to be rescued from gloating enemies. 1-3 – Deliver me from those who seek my life, those who say, aha, aha. 4-5 – Now a call for the faithful, those who seek God, to rejoice when God’s delivers the singer. Such a rescue would be evidence and assurance to the poor and needy that God keeps his promises.