OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 15

Psalm 15:1-5

15:1 David asked: Who is welcome in the House of the Lord?

15:2 The person who lives honorably, humbly before the Lord. The person who does righteously. The person who speaks sincerely. 

15:3 The person whose words are kind. The person who is fair to people. The one who is peaceful with his friends. 

15:4 The person who rejects evil. The person who loves and encourages the faithful. The person who is steadfastly true to his/her word.

15:5 The person who does not financially abuse others or deal deceptively, crookedly for self-interest.

The person who lives in such a way will not be moved. That person will be established and sustained by God against all winds and waves, enemies and fears. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 14

Psalm 14:1-7

14:1 David lived as a pioneer; through his faith in action and obedience to God, he established the kingdom of Israel against its adversaries. He was taunted by fierce enemies for his faith yet he held onto it. 

14:2-3 David knew that God is vigilant for people with emphatic faith. God finds the people who are searching for Him. It occurred to David that no one was searching; each generation feels that way. 

14:4-6 Yet it was ridiculous to David that so many were not in acknowledgement of God because God would be the one to defeat them. They chose unrighteousness instead of righteousness, and that decision would ruin them. Concurrently, the righteous would find a haven in Him.

14:7 David also knew that the people of the tribes of Israel would undergo discipline and captivity. It was necessary to restore their faith and character, but Israel would be glad for it. Their return to God would make that process, that at-times harrowing journey meaningful, and productive.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of our values. That difficult process of remembering brings us back to God. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 13

Psalms 13:1-6

13:1-2 David experienced moments when he interpreted God's silence as absence. God's nature is solemn. Quiet but always active. We must remember that. He does not abandon us; He does not turn His eyes from our life; He does not turn is heart from our cause. The stronger our relationship with Him, the lighter our soul shines in the darkness. And in the darkness, we need a light. We need that hope and strength and endurance. It comes from our relationship with God. We need the light that is His quiet counsel and model of patience. 

13:3-4 David felt cornered and attacked in an impossible situation. Darkness shrouded him. He envisioned the victory of his enemy rather than the presence of His God. We all do it sometimes. 

13:5 Like David, we must refocus. We must trust in the promised word of rescue God has given us. We must rejoice in His goodness and truth that He always prevails.

13:7 Ultimately David decided to praise God; he shook off the darkness and started putting light into his heart and situation. He remembered God's faithful generosity and trusted that He is steadfast. A steadfast defender, provider, healer, and Father. We stamp the enemy, the pain and depression into the dirt with every word we speak to praise our God.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 12

Psalm 12:1-8

12:1-2 David recognized that the system of the world operated opposite from the system of heaven. Without God's intervention, peace and justice and righteousness would be overrun by chaos, injustice and evil. Through prayer and a sincere relationship with God, we call forth the intervention of heaven on the circumstances of the earth. 

12:3-4 David prayed for call to thwart evil, to mute its voice and strip it of its power. 

12:5 God has promised to raise the righteous-humble; He has promised to rise Himself and place His children in safety. 

12:6-7 David knew that God's word was authentic. God's intentions come in fruition every time. He is solid and so are His promises. Solidly held in truth for eternity. 

12:8 David knew that it was crucial for him to call upon God; on earth, the righteous are surrounded by unrighteousness. Our only defense against evil is God. God is our defense against evil but also enemy and depression, anxiety and fear, violence and darkness. Our relationship with Him is our journey into the light and away from the darkness. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 11

Psalm 11:1-7

11:1-3 In the midst of danger and oppression, David chose to put his trust in God. Instead of panicking and abandoning his faith, David reinforced it with confidence in God. The situation seemed hopeless, impossible to escape. Yet David was a child of hope, a son of a Father who makes all things possible. He remembered that, especially in the most crucial moments of his life, and it changed the outcome every time. 

11:4-6 It was a comfort to David that God weighed the hearts, the actions, of every person. David knew that God distinguishes between the innocent and the guilty, the righteous and the corrupt. Though many doubt or deny it, there is order in the world. God has established it and enforces it. David knew that God would determine what happened to him and that gave him the strength to endure.

11:7 God is and has established righteousness as the benchmark, the standard, the be-all-end-all. And He will uphold it; He will enforce it. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 10

Psalm 10:1-18

10:1-2 There are moments in everyone's life when their hope for God's intervention becomes desperate. It is not easy to be patient through times of strife; it is not easy to be understanding in times of discipline. It is extremely difficult to witness injustice and disparity. The psalmist raised these points but ultimately found reassurance in their confidence in God. 

10:3-11 We like, this Psalm, call for God to insert His justice. And inevitably, He always does. It can seem like evil and corruption hold an unshakable power but only God is that steadfast. Only God has the unchallenged power.

10:8-11 As is done here in this piece of scripture, we must call to God. He answers His children. He defends and rescues those who commit themselves to Him. 

10:12-14 Ultimately, we know that God is aware and present. We know that His favor and His power is on the side of the innocent and the just, the meek and the humble. He prepares us and strengthens us for the journey He has chosen for us; but we must commit ourselves to Him in order to put on that strength and preparation. 

10:15 God is thorough in identifying evil and then eliminating it. On earth we have freedom; some people abuse their freedom by abusing others through injustice. God is aware and He is an active, triumphant effort against it. 

10:16-18 Our God is King of Kings, the creator of the universe. He is the ultimate power and Father of the oppressed, the Father of everyone who needs Him and His glorious inheritance. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 9

Psalm 9:1-20

9:1-2 David made it a priority to praise God with his whole heart. He made it a priority to speak about the work God had done in his life: the planning, the saving, the defending, the establishing, the comforting and triumphs. God's active presence in David's life filled him with so much joy that he wanted the world to know. 

9:3-5 David trusted that God would maintain the balance of justice in his life. He was grateful to God for defending him from forces which were corrupt and stronger than he was. 

9:6-8 He was confident that God's declarations would be cemented as inevitable reality. David knew that God would always, ultimately, crush and eliminate corruption. He knew that God would be forever presence in His suppression of evil, fair and honest in his establishment of the righteous. 

9:9-10 God is a shelter for people who have been mistreated, overlooked and undervalued. To enter the refuge that is God, David reminded us that we have to put our trust in God. We have to seek Him; God has promised that all who seek His love and refuge will find it. 

9:11-12 David wanted God's children to live with gratitude and awareness of God's protection and love. God doesn't forget us, so we should never forget Him. Our relationship with God should be steadfast, constant, permeating every moment, day, relationship, conversation, action and thought. 

9:13-14 Save me, David sang, so that I can tell of Your wonder. David did not want to be saved for selfish reasons; he wanted there to be someone alive who would openly, emphatically, vocally love God and express gratitude and awe.

9:15-16 The nations had gotten themselves into trouble; they had succumbed to temptations and become slaves to their desires and corrupt leaders. They put their trust not in God but in worldly things and those worldly things and systems began to oppress them. Corrupt them. Harm them. 

9:17-18 Evil will become a wasteland. Deprived of power and of life. Corruption will face judgement. But God is willing and able to restore the repentant; He is willing to free the slave. 

9:19-20 David preferred God's will over the will of humankind. And if we hope for peace and justice, so should we. God establishes order. His decisions are not tainted like ours are. David prayed for the world, for humanity, to be humbled, so that they would finally realize God is the only righteous authority. The only authority humanity would ever benefit from.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 8

Psalms 8:1-9

8:1 David reflected on the excellency of God. He considered the world and what he knew of the universe and none of it compared to the character or power of God. It's so important for each of us to think of every detail of life juxtaposed God; from there, we see that He truly is the most pure and generous, righteous and powerful element of our lives. 

8:2 God is the ultimate power against our adversity. He orders and designs victory for His children, no matter how impossible the situation looks from our point of view. 

8:3-5 It was amazing to David that God even consider, never mind counsel and continue with humanity. The depth of God's kindness was understood by David when he considered that though we are very little, God's loves makes us matter very much. David was awed that we are even on God's radar! But not only are we seen and known by Him, we are sustained and blessed by Him, too. 

8:6-8 God designed the earth specifically for humanity. He gave us reign here. The atmosphere is perfectly tailored to support the organisms that host our souls. He planned for this journey of ours, and His written word is our map through it. 

8:9 All things reflected upon, David felt that God was excellent. And certainly He is. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 7

Psalm 7:1-17

7:1-2 David felt that without God's intervention, the chaos of the world would shred him apart. Most fortunately for David, and all of God's children (including us), God always intervenes in our lives when we pray to Him.

7:3-5 David was willing to take responsibility (and subsequent discipline) for his actions, but he felt that in this situation, he was innocent. Ultimately, he left it up to God to be the judge and to met out the appropriate outcome. 

7:6-8 Not only for himself, David wanted God to return to implement His own, error-free, justice system. The world needed it.  

7:9-10 The system needed (needs) to be reordered. David prayed for the righteous to be put into places of power and the corrupt to lose theirs. But if that were not (yet) to be the case, David knew that he could rely on the defense of God over his life against corruption. 

7:11-13 The judgement of evil and corrupt will be met with a sharp and swift sword; David was confident that not only was God aware, He was (is) also prepared. He is prepared to fully uproot and extinguish the corrupt elements of the world and humanity. 

7:14-16 David also knew that the corrupt inevitably fall into their own chaos, and are then destroyed by it. 

7:17 The most important point of David's psalm: his unrelenting praise of the Lord. For despite the trouble and chaos, God consistently provides peace and order. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 6

Psalm 6:1-10

6:1-2 David admitted and claimed his weaknesses; yet he knew that as a faithful child of God, he could ask for God's mercy. Even though David was sometimes troubled, sometimes sinful, he knew that he was a child of a magnanimous God. He could be: forgiven, healed and redirected, trusted again with purpose. 

6:3-4 A moment of desperation for the arrival of the Kingdom of God. Frustrated, disheartened and abused by circumstances in his life, David prayed for the reversal the power of God will have on the earth and corrupt systems of the world.

6:5 Save me, David asked, if only so that I can worship you. It was important to David that God received His due-credit, gratitude for all of His good and generous love.

6:6-9 David had shed many tears but he knew that God heard and understood that emotional language. Therefore David knew that his enemies, those who opposed righteousness, were targeted by God. 

6:10 More than punishment, David prayed for his enemies to feel shame for their actions. He wanted them to realize the negative impact their lives made. Shame is more useful than punishment, for shame internally motivates a person to change their behavior. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 5

Psalm 5:1-12

5:1 David asked God to listen to his prayers and also to be present in David's contemplation. With the grace of God active within his contemplative reasoning, David believed he would come to the right conclusions. 

5:2 David asked God to come into his life not only as a listener but as an authority. He promised to wake every morning eager for God's counsel. David intended to receive but also implement that counsel into his life decisions, relationships and circumstances.

5:3 Like David, we should make it a commitment to direct our thoughts to God. Every morning. We should look up because He has seen our entire day already; He knows the movements we should make. With our attention on Him, we make those movements, moving ever-closer to Him and the life He has planned for us. 

5:4-6 Know what God despises and then reject those things, those traits and ideas. Because David loved and respected God so sincerely, he wanted to become better, always, for Him. 

5:7-8 David decided to submit to God's mercy; he made a decision for his life to revere and to worship, to follow. He trusted God, wholly and emphatically, with his entire life. He knew that God would supply provision and protection and direction; and when the path seemed unclear or winding, he trusted that God would make it straight. 

5:9-10 David was surrounded by corruption. Instead of taking matters into his own hands, (which is often messy and unsuccessful) he placed them into God's hands. He called for God's justice and restoration.

5:11-12 He prayed for joy to those who trust in God (he prayed for you). David prayed for God's defense over  your life. He prayed for you to be blessed and surrounded by God, for you to have joy in God. God's love so clear and strong that David has lit by it even in the deepest darkness. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 4

Psalm 4:1-8

4:1 David had the healthy, spiritual habit of calling out to God. He had experienced, received, the grace of God over his broken heart and distress and he kept believing in it. He kept calling emphatically for God; he called for the ear of God to hear, for the heart and hand of God to respond to his prayer. David was emotionally and unsure about life but he was confident in God. 

4:2 David was frustrated with the behavior of the humanity. He felt unfairly targeted, but he was also exasperated with their seeming-instance on cruelty. Their pursuit of worthless things and shameful behavior to obtain them deeply bothered him. In that, in so man things, we can all relate to David. We have all experienced that behavior and have become overwhelmed by it. 

4:3 David found comfort in the fact that God makes a precise separation between what is cruel and what is kind. He knew that God's eyes were on his righteous behavior and that the righteously behaved are covered by the protection and authority of God. He knew that God would hear his pleas and prayers; it gave him comfort because he knew that God once God hears, he responds. And once God responds, He acts. In fact, for His children, God is constantly working. He is constantly anticipating and planning for things we do not even see. David was disturbed by his circumstances but ultimately he knew that God would secure him in justice and peace. God, and David's faith in Him, made the difference in his ability to withstand and persevere.

4:4 The King James Version of the bible states: stand in awe and sin not. The verse charges us to revere the triumphant, generous, perfect work of God in the details of our lives. We must retain our commitment to righteous behavior and we will be saved by Him. We are not the hero, God is. 

4:5 Although it is tempting, we must not descend to unrighteous, retaliative behavior. God fixes the scoreboard; we do not have to succumb to unholy behavior. We 'offer sacrifices of righteousness' when we sacrifice our opportunity to seek revenge or express cruelty and instead hand the situation to God. When we trust Him to settle the conflict appropriately. 

4:6 There are people in the world who have little or no hope. There are people who have no concept or trust of God, but David was not one of those people. And neither should we be. For we know that the love of God will light our lives, dispelling darkness and inserting a constant light. 

4:7-8 David began his prayerful song with pain but finishes it with peace. Speaking to God, trust in God, reminding himself of God's promises relaxed him and even gave him joy. He was able to rest and sleep, finally feeling the comfort of safety placed on him by God. Even in his frustration, David was happier than anymore around him because he knew and trusted in God. He had a unique and spiritual joy. God put that joy in Him, authentic and strong. 

David knew of the distinct love of God. He knew that it did not compare to any love or thing in the world. He clung to it and rested in it.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 3

Psalm 3:1-8

3:1-2 This psalm is a desperate plea; an overwhelmed David expresses his distress at the accumulation and ferocity of his enemies. His situation seemed hopeless. David's family drama might be different from our own difficulties but every human has experienced bouts of hopelessness. Onlookers believed David's situation was hopeless; but David believed in God, and for that reason, his hope sparked. 

3:3-4 David trusted God to protect him and to lift him out of desperation, externally and internally. David had an intimate relationship with God; God was involved in the intricacies of David's life. Because David trusted God, he trusted that God's presence in His life would result in his ultimate peace. So he cried out to the Lord, knowing that he would be heard. 

3:5-6 David rested in his faith; he rested in the comfort of God's love and omnipotence. When David was restored by the grace of God, he was able to face his situation with courage and determination. The Lord sustained David; God provided David what he needed to breathe and think and move and change the circumstances of his life. 

3:7 David called faithfully for God's help and safety. In desperation, David looked to God; and in a world where people look everyone but to God for help, we have so much to learn from David. God destabilizes the storms that come against us. He dulls their once-sharp bite. 

3:8 David ended the psalm with gratitude and confidence; he ended with a reminder that the Lord is our savior and the only one even able to save us from whatever demon we have. David reminded us that God's blessing covers all people willing receive. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 2

Psalm 2:1-12

2:1-3 What is the point of opposition with God? On the grand scale, and on the individual one, opposition with God is fruitless. The works of unrighteousness come to nothing, produce nothing and are inevitable stifled by the power of God. Yet the nations rage, as the psalmist pointed out. It is a useless struggle; God breaks the bonds of evil and casts their pieces away. Fruitful is the nation, the individual, that lives in accordance with God's will over the world's and His philosophy written in scripture. 

2:4-6 Annoyed with the permutations of evil done by humanity, God will reprimand each one. Yet the psalmist inserts the promised hope of the messiah; to the willing souls, is an escape from evil and the power it seems to have over life. 

2:7-9 In a decree given by God, Jesus was trusted with full authority over earth and humanity. Jesus, able to thrive in righteousness against temptation, is the source of our own triumph over it. 

2:10-12 Wisdom is reverence of the Lord; reverence of the world levels the path and directs the steps of grace. We serve Him in fear and love for the powerful and generous parent that He is. Evil fears God in a different way than the righteous do. The righteous respect God in that they fear to disappoint Him, or to represent Him poorly. We do not cower for we know He is not cruel; He is just and kind and magnanimous... for the evil, those traits of His can lead to fearsome consequences. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 1

Psalm 1:1-6

Many of the Psalms are declarations to God: declarations of love, declarations of confession, declarations of His power and promise. Several of the Psalms beckon back into past fulfillment of God's word and several hearken to the promised future. The Psalms are ancient prayers that millions have read and prayed across the world and generations; many have poured their anguish, love, praise, shame, hope and more into these words. They have weight and relevance. The inspiration of each one is our gracious Father. 

1:1 The closer to God, the firmer the peace. Peace is cultivated in His presence. Turmoil away from it. Who is our daily counselor? In our moments of weakness, who or what do we seek for strength or confirmation? Direction or wisdom? In the shift of life, who is our counselor? The first Psalm tells us that it must be God. 

If our destination is good and our journey is peace, God must be our counselor. To be counseled by Him, we must consult Him: Frequently and earnestly; but we must also listen. We must listen when He tells us, in His way, to move off of a certain path. We cannot walk in steps of anger or vengeance, greed or lust or fear. We cannot climb any mountains with those loads on our backs, weighing down and tainting our souls.

1:2 We must find our joy in God. We must delight in the exploration of His word and philosophy, in considering what He has labeled good and why. Like inquisitive children, we must value the journey of discovery. In finding God in every place. In hearing His voice in every conversation. In seeing His work in our surroundings.

1:3 The person who seeks and follows God's counsel, who delights in God, will be planted. Established. Such a person will be a strong tree, deeply rooted in the nutrient rich soil that is God, our source of life. God plants His earnest children by a river; a safe place, one which will sustain them. The living water ever-flowing through them: to guide, discipline, love and support. 

To be planted by God is to be sustained: mind, body and soul. To be planted by God is to be set up for fulfillment. Each tree of God, each earnest child, will produce good fruit. They will be a person whose life significantly impacts others' lives. Their presence changes the room, the family, the relationship, the outcome, the community, the world, even. Their commitment to God's word inserts an element to any situation that would not exist without their faith. And that element, God, changes the game, reverses the situation, redesigns its outcome. 

Planted by the river of living water, such a person will not wither. They will not succumb to any person, situation or state of mind. Throughout their life, they experience the constant breakthrough of Light.

1:4 Yet the ungodly experience a different life. They experience tumult and frequently confront, succumb to, their vulnerability in the winds of storms. They are easily blown down, withered and disassembled. It is not punishment; they simply cannot access the benefits of God they walk away from. Their distance from Him has put strength out of reach. 

1:5 Evil will not stand with the righteous; that may not now be recognized a warning to the evil, but it is always a comfort to the righteous. God is ready and able to make the separation. 

1:6 The Lord knows the way... We have an attentive God, aware and focused on the details. Our God is a hands-on worker. He is deeply entrenched in our activity here. He has planned the culmination of every endeavor, every individual. And though many think His plan is shrouded in mystery, this scripture has made His plan clear. Freedom now and judgement later. A temporary now and an eternal later; and the temporary now determines the eternal later.

Live or perish, languish, the writer of this first wisdom-psalm writes. Learn from God what is means to live or perish after the opportunity of Earth. A life focused on oneself is not living. A life focused on material gain, worldly fame, power or position is not living. It is taking. It is ignorant. It is negligent. Live or perish. Live for God, live for others, or perish.

God does not want us to languish, to exist in tumult. He does not want the breath within us to be temporary, so He teaches us how to live.