Psalm 73 is not typically listed alongside those traditionally regarded as the penitential psalms. When we think of psalms of repentance, we usually bring to mind Psalm 51 or perhaps Psalm 38.  Even so, in this song, Asaph expresses deep regret for his sin. His are not sins of adultery, violence, or actions of blatant disobedience; but rather, Asaph’s transgressions involve wrong thinking–sins of resentfulness toward God.

He begins by proclaiming the truth of God’s goodness toward the pure in heart. But then he confesses his envy for the wicked. He imagines that this life contains no trials nor tribulations for those who give no care to holiness; their pride continues unchecked, and they mock God and those who fear Him.

“They say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.” (Psalm 73:11–12)

Not only does his error extend to the wicked, but he also attributes his despair to his own pursuit of godliness, lamenting that such pursuits are useless.

“Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning,” (Psalm 73:13–14).

As Charles Spurgeon so aptly puts it, “Poor Asaph! He questions the value of holiness when its wages are paid in the coin of affliction.”[1]

Thankfully, revealed truth sheds its light on the defect in his thinking, and he recognizes his foolishness.

“When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight; Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end,” (Psalm 73:16–17).

He sees that the riches of the wicked will not save them from the destruction that awaits them. It’s not their riches that condemn them–it is their disregard for the ways of the Lord.   They will awaken from the fleeting dreams of this life to the realities of eternity.

Envy of the wicked is a temptation that relentlessly haunts and badgers us as we navigate our way through a lost and fallen world. Asaph’s struggle is not unique. We look around and see a system that rewards corruption, where a devotion to God is mocked and scorned. How do we guard ourselves from coveting the prosperity of the wicked?  The answer is right patterns of thought—right thinking.

Just like Asaph, God’s truth must return us to this kind of thinking. The word of God is the key that unlocks the door of repentance, and repentance begins with a change in our thinking. Specifically, a change in our thoughts, or view, of God. When Isaiah experienced a first-person encounter with the majesty of God, he was stricken with an overwhelming realization of his own wickedness. He saw God in the heights of His holiness, and himself as a lowly creature among lowly creatures, (Isaiah 6:1-5).

Everything we do or say, sinful or righteous, begins with a thought. This is why Paul consistently admonishes us to seize control of our thought life. Read Romans 12:1-2, or Colossians 3:1-2 and notice that Paul emphasizes right thinking as essential to living a transformed life.

Unfortunately, we can be so easy on ourselves in regards to our thought life. We live under the illusion that our thoughts are secret. But the plain truth is that God sees every thought, whether wicked or honorable. So, as we daily confess our sins , let us not neglect to repent of those thoughts that command our hands, our feet, and our tongues.

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NASB95)

[1] Spurgeon, C. H. The Treasury of David: Psalms 56-87. Vol. 3. London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers. Print.

“When words are made as sharp as possible by wit and malice, they have a frightful keenness of penetration,” William S. Plumer, Studies in the Book of Psalms.

Everyone knows the playground rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  Unfortunately, as even a child knows, words are not the problem. The problem is the tongue behind the words, and the heart behind the tongue.  With carefully chosen words reputations can be damaged, relationships broken, and hearts embittered.  The damage caused by the skillful use of the tongue can endure through generations.

“…who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. They aimed bitter speech as their arrow, to shoot from concealment at the blameless; suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear,” (Psalm 64:3–4).

In this psalm we see, once again, that God is for those who rely, not on their own schemes to prevail, but rather, on their faith that the Lord will be their defender.  For there are those who seek our destruction. There are those who set themselves up as our enemy devising and executing plans to bring about our ruin. They may even be convinced of the righteousness of their cause. Here in this song, David models a God honoring response, which is simply pray and trust. The battle is God’s to wage.

“Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers, from the tumult of those who do iniquity,” (Psalm 64:1–2).

When facing the threat of those who seek to harm us, our prayer needs to be “Hear my voice”, “Preserve my life”, and “Hide me from evil.” Then, we are to trust that God will do what He has promised–that He will instill fear into the hearts of men. This may not happen when we want it to, or when we think it should.  We must trust Him in that, as well. In this, God will be glorified–when His people are content to find refuge in Him.

“Then all men will fear, and they will declare the work of God, and will consider what He has done. The righteous man will be glad in the Lord and will take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart will glory.” (Psalm 64:9–10).

From the title, we are told that this song was written by David, while he was being chased through the wilds of Judah.  Commentators are split on who, exactly, is chasing him.  It is either Saul, prior to David ascending to the throne, or his son Absalom, who sent David into exile. Nothing in the title or the text of the psalm identifies his pursuers so theologians are left to speculate.

I believe this song to be written while David was in flight from Absalom. Verse 11 says, “The King will rejoice in God.”  This would be an unlikely thing for David to say about Saul; however, he would have never referred to himself as King while Saul was still occupying the throne. Although wicked, in David’s heart Saul remained God’s anointed king.

This psalm contrasts the yearning of the flesh (v.1), and the contentment of the soul (v.5). He speaks of being in a dry and weary land (v.1), and yet he’s feasting on spiritual marrow and fatness (v.5). David is sustained by his intimate relationship with almighty God, and he regards this relationship as superior to anything offered in life (v.3). In the midst of this highly stressful circumstance, David’s focus is on the Lord, not himself.

What I find most significant about this psalm is that of its 11 verses, the first 8 contain nothing but praise. He recalls seeing God—His power, His glory, and His lovingkindness—in the sanctuary, and responds by lifting his hands in exaltation.  He remembers God while on his bed, he meditates on the Lord—His help and protection in times of need. His soul is comforted by all he knows to be true of God.

When I recall moments of great distress in my own life—never approaching the circumstance David find himself in—my inclination in prayer was to plea for relief.  To cry for help in times of despair is certainly what we should do (James 5:13), but by first considering what we know to be true of God and praising Him for who He is, our focus is no longer on our circumstances; but is instead on our Heavenly Father, who is kind and merciful.  We can then, in confidence, trust that God will care for us just as He has promised.

Psalm 62 is attributed to David and while it is not attached to a specific event, it speaks of the trials and challenges we know David faced throughout his life. Within its verses, he addresses his enemies, his own people, and his own soul.  The song reminds us of the value of preaching truth to ourselves.  In our lives, just as all who’ve gone before us, we face opposition, discouragement, disappointment, and despair. In these times it is important to remember who God is and what He has done. Then, with our minds set on things above, we tell ourselves:

There are two very important words contained in this refrain. God only.  There is nowhere else to look for a defender. There is nowhere else to place our hope. There is nowhere else to look for unending encouragement–so long as we find salvation, spiritual growth, and eternal hope encouraging. Everything we long for within our souls, can only be provided by our God who created, saved, and sustains us.

“Our salvation in no measure or degree comes to us from any inferior source; let us, therefore, look alone to the true fountain, and avoid the detestable crime of ascribing to the creature what belongs alone to the Creator.  If to wait on God be worship, to wait on the creature is idolatry; if to wait on God be true faith, to associate an arm of flesh to Him is audacious unbelief,” Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, vol. 3.

When we rely on humanity to provide these needed things, our disappointment will only multiply.  When our expectation is that those with whom we collide in work, ministry, and recreation will establish and sustain our identity, we will be discouraged. Especially, when we realize that they are often placing that same expectation on us. Likewise, when we fear man for what he may do or take away, we are ascribing power to the creature that he does not deserve.  The writer of Hebrews makes this point when instructing us to find our contentment in the Lord.  “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6).

What makes the gospel “good news” is that in Christ we have been given a new life, new affections, new hope, and a new purpose.  God takes unworthy sinners, and by His amazing grace, He saves them from the wrath they deserve. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, He finds useful things to do with them.  What more do we need than that?

There is another phrase in this psalm that is worthy of mentioning. The psalmist instructs his soul to wait in silence for the Lord. When I am troubled by one of life’s many pressures, my inclination is to complain to anyone willing to listen, or any unfortunate person trapped in the same room. This, however, is not how I want to be seen. I have been made new in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), and my desire is for Christ to be on display in my life. Not only when things go well, but especially when they do not.

Colossians 3:1-3 reminds us that our responses to life’s  various struggles need to begin with how we think.

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

It goes on to list those things we are to “put off” in order to “put on” those things characteristic of our renewal in Christ, (Col. 3:5-17).

When life disappoints us, threatens us, discourages us, or tempt us to anger, we must remind ourselves of who we are in Christ.  The apostle Peter, in his first epistle, reminds us that the blessings we have in Christ, this “imperishable inheritance,” far exceeds the various trials we face, (1 Pet. 1:6-9).  And, as those “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:2), we are called to holiness–set apart from the world in how we think, talk, and act.

By remembering who God is, we are able to remind ourselves of who we are in Christ.  He has set us apart so that we can, with boldness, proclaim Him to those desperately in need of a Savior.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” (1 Peter 2:9).

In Psalm 56 David is, again, praying for deliverance from enemies seeking his life.  Here, as in several other songs, he describes his situation, then calls on God to deliver him and vanquish those desiring to do him harm. In the middle of this Psalm, he has placed a short sentence that changes the entire tenor of the song. Immediately, the Psalm turns from turmoil and distress, to praise and thanksgiving.  Eight little words that, if read too hastily, may be overlooked for their significance.  After he calls on God to turn back his enemies, he says, “This I know, that God is for me.”

In Hebrew, the word translated that is the conjunction ki. A better rendering here might be the English word, because. The name he uses for God in this song is Elohim, which means Creator and Judge of the universe. So, David is saying, “I know my enemies will turn back because the Creator and Judge of the entire universe is for me.” His confidence is grounded in what he knows to be true of God. He knows that God is for him.

Say it to yourself, “God is for me.” What an incredible proclamation of faith this is. God, who created everything; who sits in righteous judgment over all the earth, is for us. What impact could this kind of faith have when our own circumstances seem dire; when loneliness, poverty, and helplessness bring us to moments of desperation. Likewise, Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome, after reminding us that as we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ; and, we who are predestined are also called, justified, and glorified. Therefore, “If God (who has done all these things) is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:29-31).

Of course, it’s not a matter of simply saying the words and clicking our heels together. The power is not in the words. The power rests with the person we’re talking about. The words themselves are a proclamation of a truth that has been deeply planted in our soul. This truth is planted in the heart of everyone who belongs to Christ, and it is made sure by the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit. Every promise in God’s Word that He will be our comfort, our guide, our protector, and our sustainer, is secured and fortified by the Spirit of the Living God.  We have absolute victory in Christ. How do we know? God, the Creator and Judge of the universe, is for us.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

This psalm says much about the struggles of God’s people in a world of sin and corruption. There has always been an adversarial relationship between the righteous and the unrighteous, the godly and the godless, the sinner and the saint; perhaps coming to its ultimate illustration in Christ on the cross. Forsaken and betrayed by a friend (John 13:18); scorned and ridiculed by those who arrogantly stood in judgment of Him; He was beaten and spat upon by those whom He allowed to serve as His executioners.

We must be cautious should we consider this Psalm and David’s response a model for our own response to troubles we face.  This psalm may, perhaps, serve as a mirror we hold up and see our own reflection—full of anguish and despair.  Truly, we live in a violent world that is increasingly more hostile to Jesus Christ and His teaching.  In the midst of trial, how many of us have desired wings with which to escape to a refuge far removed from the troubles we face (Ps. 55:6-8).  The temptation to call upon God to destroy our enemies is real indeed; but, is this an appropriate response for us?

Rather than looking to David and the desires of which we may be able to relate, we need remember him who was the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15).  Christ is our model.  He is a reflection of God Himself.  He taught us that those who wish to destroy our bodies are not to be feared (Matt. 10:28).  He taught us to turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:39).  And, lets not forget that even in His own agony and pain, inflicted by those He came to save (John 1:11), Jesus did not pray for their destruction. He prayed for their forgiveness. His love for man, even men who rejoiced in his suffering, never weakened nor ceased to be expressed.  Let Christ be our example, as He said… “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing,” (Luke 23:34).

The last words of the Psalm need to be our enduring theme.  Trusting God means to turn all that we fear over to Him to deal with as He wills.  This does not mean that we trust that God will bring about exactly what our heart desires, but rather that we place all that we are entirely in His hands to do as He desires.  We trust that, whatever may come, our perfect Father is working to bring about our good and His glory.  As Jerry Bridges so aptly expressed,

“If we are going to learn to trust God in adversity, we must believe that just as certainly as God will allow nothing to subvert His glory, so He will allow nothing to spoil the good He is working out in us and for us.”

Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts, New ed. (Colorado   Springs, Colo.: NavPress, 2008), 26.

When an enlisted man delivers a message from a commanding general, he carries with him the authority of the officer who sent the message, regardless of the rank of the one receiving it.  The message itself bears the same power as if the order was given directly by the commander himself, as it is given in his name.  There exists no greater authority in all of creation than that of our creator, God.  By saying, “Save me by Your name,” David’s plea is that God would save Him as an act of unimpeachable, irrefutable, and irresistible authority. To call upon the name of the Lord is to call upon God Himself.

This Psalm consists of two general parts. The first is a plea for deliverance from violent men who seek David’s life (vs. 1-3). The second part is a statement of the confidence David has in God’s deliverance, and his confidence in his own standing before God. The song concludes with a profession of God’s worthiness of praise.

David’s confidence was not based on a simple feeling of God’s affection for him. It was firmly based on God’s promise to place him on the throne as King of the nation.  God would certainly deliver David from this threat for He always keeps His promises.  When reading the account in 1 Sam. we see that not only was David sure of this, but Jonathan and Saul were sure of it as well (1 Sam. 23:17).

In his commentary, William de Burgh tells us that the church has long regarded this psalm as one of several that point to the crucified Christ on the cross. Bonar points out that Jesus , just prior to His arrest, prayed along these same lines for his disciples when He prayed, “Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one as we are one,” (John 17:11).  Clearly, we see from this psalm where we are to turn for help in times of trouble. When facing the persecutions of this world, we have nowhere else to look but to the Lord. In His name are our defense, our salvation, and our strength. We can have confidence that He will always keep His promises. Our correct and necessary response to Him is unceasing praise. We praise Him because He has already delivered us from the destruction we rightly deserve.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10, NASB95)

‎Just as we saw in Psalm 14, the fool here is not someone who lacks knowledge or the ability to discern. That would be an entirely different word in the Hebrew.  The fool in question here is someone who has willfully turned away from God, stands back, and mocks Him. No greater fool exists.

‎We live in the age of “the new atheist.” This is a moniker assigned to those who publicly ridicule believers as being irrational and unreasonable.  Their predominant claim is that the existence of God is a scientific hypothesis that has been tested and proven false.  We’ve seen them on TV, heard them on the radio, and we who know the truth shake our heads at the utter foolishness of their rant.

‎God knows all things, sees all things, and does all that He intends to do.   To say, with surety, that God does not exist is tantamount to saying; “I know all things, see all things, and discern all truth; and I’m telling you that there is nobody who knows all things, sees all things, and discerns all truth.” In actuality, there is very little that is new about the new atheism. There have always been scoffers. Proverbs 21:24 names them.  They laughed at Noah, and then begged for help when the rain came.  They jeered at the army of Israel then fled when their hero was felled by a rock flung by a shepherd boy. And, they nailed the Son of God to a cross, placed him in a tomb, and still deny against all evidence that God raised Him from the dead.

‎It’s important to remember that the atheist is not our enemy. Even those annoying hyper-intellectuals who have made careers out of publicly ranting against God are nothing more than casualties of a war being waged by a foe that is already defeated.  Their rants do nothing to hinder the gospel, and should they die in their sin, they will stand before God with no defense for their wickedness (Rom. 1:20).  Rather than our disdain, they deserve our pity.  They have embraced the lie of Satan, and in their pride and arrogance have set themselves against the God who provides every breath they take.  Arguing against a scoffer will only bring dishonor and insults (Prov. 9:7-8). They are frighteningly deceived—pray for them.  But remember God will be glorified either in their salvation, or their destruction (Rom. 9:22-23).

‎This Psalm, however, is not only referring to those who loudly and publicly dishonor the living God with the passion and zeal of an evangelist. When we proceed through life without regard to our dependence on Him; or, when we charge ahead with our own agenda, forgetting that it is God who directs our steps, we are acting like practical atheists. The psalm tells us that it is a fool who says “in his heart” there is no God.  Do you cry out to the Lord only when a crisis arises? Do you worship on Sunday and reserve the rest of the week for yourself?  Are you neglecting the importance of abiding in Christ?  When these things are true of us, we are playing the fool. There is no greater fool that he who knows the truth, but chooses to ignore it.

‎Richard Dawkins was asked what he would say to God if, when his dies, he finds that he has been wrong about Him. He responded, “I would ask him why he didn’t make himself known to me.”  Could he stand before the creator and sustainer of all that exists, who alone possesses infinite power, and in his utter arrogance suggest that God has somehow failed to make His presence known?  Perhaps he could; but I fear for his soul.

‎“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” Hebrews 10:31.

‎One of the greatest things about studying the Psalms is the wealth of truth to be found about both God and ourselves. As I read Psalm 51, I became amazed that I could simultaneously gain insight into the mind and ways of both God and man. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that truth pertaining to the creator would also shed light on the creature, but as I began make notes highlighting truths about God, I was amazed to find an equal amount of truths about myself.

‎It’s important for us to remember that Scripture contains only those truths that God has chosen to reveal about himself. It does not, nor could not, contain all truth about God. He is infinite, and the pages of Scripture are finite. As has been said, as God is limitless, we can look forward to spending eternity learning about Him. ‎Right from the start and continuing through the entire Psalm, we see that God is gracious, loving and compassionate, even when we are not.  We cannot take these attributes of God for granted, however.  Jesus exhorts us in Matthew 6:14-15 that God will hold back his forgiveness if we fail to exhibit a forgiving spirit ourselves.

‎All through the Psalm David is seeking relief from the heavy burden his sin has placed on his heart.  He longs to be freed from the pain of the constant mindfulness of his own wickedness.  There is an interesting plea that David makes in verse 14. He asks that God deliver him from bloodguiltiness.  The only other instances where this word appears are in the Pentateuch.  There is described those sins where the guilt of shedding blood is upon those who’ve committed acts of violence, or committed sins resulting in their own blood being shed.  Nowhere else in Scripture do we find the removal of bloodguiltiness expressed; and, we know that for the remainder of his days, David’s house would be one of violence and bloodshed.

‎For me this begs the question, does the forgiveness of sin result in the removal of guilt?  In other words, does justification remove the guiltiness of our sin?  Remember, justification refers to our forensic, or legal, status before God.  ‎When God declares us justified, He is choosing to regard Christ’s death on the cross as full payment for our sin.  We are made righteous by Christ’s obedience to death (Rom. 5:1, 19).  When God looks at us, He sees Christ.  The guilt of our sin is removed from the sight of God who cannot abide sin (Psalm 51:9), and we are made clean by the blood of Jesus (1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:5).

‎So, in one sense the guilt of our sin is taken away; but in another, the guilt of our sin remains in our memory as a reminder of what we are capable of, as well as a reminder of the magnitude of God’s grace toward us.  We see in David’s life, and in our own, there are sins that we commit that result in ongoing consequences.  And, even if the consequences don’t remain, the memory of our sin does.  Although these reminders may be fraught with pain and regret, we need to regard them as a blessing.

We know that it is for these sins that Christ went to the cross; and, we also know that because of the cross, we are made righteous in the sight of our Father in Heaven.  Being mindful of these truths will bring us to hear joy and gladness, and will make our broken bones rejoice.

‎Again, as the title implies, we need to read Psalm 51 within the context of the account recorded in 2 Samuel 11-12.  David engages in an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, who becomes pregnant. He then seeks to cover up his sin by bringing her husband, Uriah, home from battle to lie his wife and take responsibility for the child. When this fails, he has Uriah placed in the battle lines where he will certainly be killed.  He is then free to take the woman as his wife.  Here we see, for the first time, David’s actions described as being “evil” in God’s sight.

‎Upon being confronted by Nathan, the prophet, David faces his sin with the words, “I have sinned against the Lord.”  Nathan then tells him that God has “put away” his sin, and it will not cost him his life. However, it will cost him the life of the baby born out this sinful union.  In addition, David will be living with the consequences of his sin for the remainder of his earthly life.

Psalm 51 expresses poetically the deep, consuming agony contained in the simple sentence, “I have sinned against the Lord.”  In the first two verses of this song, David pleads for God to “blot out” his transgression, “wash” him thoroughly, and “cleanse” him from his sin. It is inadequate to simply say that David seeks forgiveness from his sin.  Clearly, David is drowning in a sea of guilt and shame. To be forgiven means that God is no longer holding our sin against us.  Nathan told David immediately that he was forgiven, but yet David makes these pleas. Clearly, Psalm 51 is about more than just forgiveness.

Verse 3 gives us some insight into what is motivating David’s pleas.  He says, “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.”  Knowing that God had forgiven him did not remove the anguish over what he had done.  The word “ever” is translated elsewhere as continually, perpetually, always, and regularly.  David is expressing that he is unable to rid himself of the nagging, unending pain over what he had done. Perhaps the most telling phrase is verse 8:

He’s not asking that God mend his broken bones. They are a consequence of his sin, and God is justified in breaking them (Psalm 51:4).  He just wants to experience joy again.  He just wants his broken bones to rejoice.

It’s important for me to understand that cleansing and purifying are works that God must do.  I am completely unable to wash myself of my sin.  The only thing I’m able to do, and far too effectively, is hide from my sin.  I can act as though all is good in the world, and I’m good in it, but it’s just an act.  The agony of my sin continues to gnaw at me even though I know that, in Christ, I am forgiven.  I understand that the price of my sin was fully and completely paid on the cross, but the agony of my sin still haunts me.  In order to hear joy and gladness again, I need God to “create in me a clean heart,” (Psalm 51:10).  I need God to “renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

I also need to understand that the memory of my sin serves God’s purpose for me.  It keeps me humble by reminding me of who I am in the flesh, and what I’m capable of.  It teaches me the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice, and the extent of His love.  It also reminds to look forward, with anticipation, to the day that I will be “free from the body of this death,” (Romans 7:24).  One day soon, the continuous cycle of sin will be no more.  The battle will be forever behind us, and we will fully know the joy of our salvation.