A Psalm a Day Keeps Satan Away: The Podcast

Psalm 68 – Don’t Miss the Parade! By now, it should not surprise you that Psalm 68 is participating in yet another intertextual conversation with a passage found elsewhere in the “Ta-NAHK.” The Tanahk is the Hebrew Bible, what we, as Christians, call the Old Testament. Tanahk ( תָּנָ״ךְ ) is a Hebrew word created from an acronym. The three Hebrew consonants in the word sound like ‘T,’ ‘N,’ and ‘K....

Psalm 67 – Blessings Psalm 67 holds an interesting place in Judaism and exhibits some of the cool Jewish literary techniques that we have already noticed. There is repetition of a particular word which brings emphasis to that word: ‘ba-Rahk’ ( בָּרַךְ ), “to bless,” is repeated 3 times in the short text (vv. 1, 6 & 7);thus, we can say that this is a “G-d’s blessing” psalm. There is intertextual “c...

Psalm 66 - Testing Today’s psalm is a classic communal hymn of praise that morphs into an individual hymn of praise. There is nothing unusual about that (or the reverse). This structure reinforces Jewish theology that our communal salvation, praise, suffering, etc. is deeply intertwined with our individual salvation, praise, suffering, etc. I think Christianity has lost some of that mindset. I see...

In this episode, Pastor D-Wach reflects on personal experiences and significant global events that have transpired since the last podcast. He shares updates about his family, a recent trip, and the sale of his parents’ house. The conversation also touches on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the ongoing conflict in Israel, and the importance of spiritual awakening over political solutions. Pastor...

Psalm 65 – Who is this Man? We start our discussion today in the most logical place, which is in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, chapter 8 verses 23-27. Jesus had been teaching in the villages around the Sea of Galilee. The text says, “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesu...

Psalm 64 – God Wins! We start our discussion today in the most logical place, which is in the New Testament book of Philippians, chapter 2, verses 9 – 11: “Therefore God has highly exalted him [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Ch...

Psalm 63 – Seeking Discomfort I texted Steve “The Rev” Allen last night and asked, “Quick and off the cuff: three thoughts on what the Israeli desert means to you.” His answers: 1. Discomfort is a teacher. 2. Comfort is usually not. 3. The Hebrew word for desert has as its root the word ‘da-VAR’ ( דָּבָר ) which means ‘word.’ If you listen in the desert, you can hear a word for your life. Today’s...

Psalm 62 – Strong AND Loving Psalm 62 gets little attention from modern Christian scholars. It is yet another psalm of lament and trust that follows the standard “formula” that we have seen numerous times to this point. But in the Jewish world, it has significant meaning, and I think we would be wise to pay attentionn. Verses 11-12a offer one of the most important theological concepts in all of Sc...

Psalm 61 – Our Spiritual Heritage: Passing the Baton After experiencing numerous lament (complaint) psalms, we can easily recognize yet another example in Psalm 61. The psalmist cries out to G-d and beseeches G-d to hear his prayer. He longs to be in G-d’s tent, His Temple, and “take refuge in the shelter of [its] wings.” (v. 4) But as is the case with lament/complaint psalms, the text pivots at v...

Psalm 60 - Truth Steve “the Rev” Allen, a key member of the highly acclaimed Advanced Research Department of The Psalm a Day Keeps Satan Away Community, alerted me to some interesting data regarding today’s lengthy superscript to Psalm 60. The intertextual Scriptural reference seems to be from II Samuel 8 and 10. The Rev noted several historical discrepancies between the superscript and the text f...

Psalm 59 – Household Idols This is the third straight psalm where the superscript instructs the leader to play the song to the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” It is a very interpretive translation: all Jewish translators/interpreters, and some Christian ones, punt the attempt and simply retain the archaic Hebrew אַל־תַּשְׁחֵת֮ ‘ al tash-HETH’ because no one really knows what it means. Such is the realit...

Psalm 58 - Leadership “O God, smash their teeth in their mouth; shatter the fangs of lions, O LORD.” That is the petition of the psalmist in verse 6. This isn’t the first psalm to articulate imprecations and curses upon one’s enemies and it won’t be the last! This is a strange text that doesn’t resonate well for us modern readers. It is doubtful that it is in anyone’s top five. Thus, it is easy to...

Psalm 57 - Corners There comes a point in time, amid evil and chaos and crisis, when you KNOW that “it will all come out in the wash” as my grandfather used to say. You have “taken refuge in the shadow of your [G-d’s] wings”(v. 1) and you recognize that He “sends from heaven and saves me.” (v. 3) Our lengthy superscript alludes to this reality with yet another intertextual reference to David and S...

Psalm 56 Do you believe in the power of prayer? Do you believe that G-d hears your laments (complaints) and petitions? The inspired writers of the Scriptures believed so. We start our reflection today in the most obvious place, which is in the New Testament book of Revelation. In chapter 4, John, the writer of the text, describes himself as being whisked away through a door of earthly existence in...

Psalm 55 - Betrayal Betrayal is one of the tragic consequences of the fallen human condition. Husbands betray wives (and vice versa), children betray parents (and vice versa). Employers betray employees (and vice versa). Friends turn against each other and become enemies. In this unique lament (complaint) psalm, the complaint to G-d morphs from a complaint against enemies to a very personal compla...

You are invited to join Reverend David Wachter on a Footsteps of Paul tour of Greece and Ephesus! 11 days / 10 nights April 29 – May 9, 2026 Soak up Mediterranean sights, sunshine and history with all of these included features : * Professional Greek tour guide as well as Biblical teaching by Reverend David Wachter * Arrival transfer from Thessaloniki airport to hotel (if arriving with designated...

Psalm 54 - Submission The superscript tells us that this time it is the Ziphites that rat out David. He is deep in the hill country of the Judean desert hiding and avoiding Saul, the King of Israel, who is desperate to capture David because he is jealous of David’s anointing as the true King of Israel. Once again, the compilers of the Psalms have inserted an intertextual link in the superscript to...

Summary In this episode, I interview Boaz Shalgi regarding the current situation in Israel amidst ongoing conflict with Iran; we also reflect on Psalm 53 and its relevance to the present circumstances. We explore the dynamics of regional politics, the role of international players, and the spiritual implications of the events unfolding. The conversation emphasizes the importance of seeking G-d’s p...

Psalm 52 This is an atypical psalm in that it is not directed to G-d or to the faith community; rather, it is a “speech” directed to an “evil one” who is sarcastically referred to as “the hero,” the “mighty man,” the “brave fellow,” depending on your translation of verse one. That man is personified in the superscript as Doeg, who ratted out David to King Saul, when David had fled to the priest, A...

Psalm 51 Yes … this one is a top fiver on everybody’s list! Technically, Psalm 51 is categorized as a lament (complaint) psalm, but immediately one recognizes a different tone. There is no shaking of fists at G-d because of the writer’s plight as is typical of most laments. This prayer is the psalmist’s confession of sin. It is stark, real and vulnerable. The psalmist is totally empty and spent as...

Psalm 50 – Grace First, Then Obedience We note right from the beginning that Psalm 50 is different. First, the superscript attributes the text to Asaph, who was a Levitical priest serving in the Temple in Zion (Jerusalem). Second, the text is prophetic and oracle-like, morphing from Asaph’s poetic description of the Holy One’s entrance into the presence of His people in the Temple to G-d’s direct...

Psalm 49 – The Redemption of Our Fragile Lives In 2023, during our second cycle through the Psalms, we came to Psalm 49 in mid-July. It had been a rough start to the week: we were with our daughter Hannah at a couple of hospitals dealing with a non-life-threatening issue that ultimately required a series of surgeries; we had also learned about a tragic and fatal car accident involving a dear frien...

Psalm 48 - Mountains In 2022, with a group of intrepid travelers (all of whom are Psalm a Dayers), we woke up in the middle of the night, bussed to the base of Moses Mountain near St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt, and commenced a 4 mile climb to the summit; it is the probable “Mountain of God” so central to the Exodus story. Led by Ahmed, our Bedouin guide, a group of us made it to the to...

Psalm 47 – Clap Your Hands We have noted that while there are hints of an overall structure to the ordering of the psalms, no one has been able to articulate what it is. We have also observed that within the psalms there are “mini structures” or themes that span a particular grouping. I believe that Psalm 47 is the logical extension of Psalm 46. Yesterday, we recognized G-d’s transcendent power an...

Hey Folks! Listen to the podcast episode for a recap of our recent trip to Greece and Turkey Get full access to Go Forth at goforth0913.substack.com/subscribe