Psalm 105 Time to remember

Psalm 105

First things first, sorry for the lack of posts in the last month - I am still here, but a lot has happened.

Anyway - on with the Psalm

The Psalm exhorts us to praise God and proclaim his name, make known among the nations what he has done.

So here goes.....

The Psalm talks about some of the amazing things that we have seen before - people like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who received the promises of God,
Joseph, the slave who became second in control of a country
Moses the deliverer and lawgiver to Israel.
The Psalm mentions the plagues of Egypt and the leading of God in the wanderings in the wilderness

So what is my story then? What can I tell of the works of God that I have experienced?

Let me think about that one and I'll come back to it later - it is a bit too late in the evening to do it justice now!

Psalm 104 A great God

Psalm 104

Praise the LORD, my soul.

Sometimes I think of God in human terms - it is easy to limit God and bring him down to human level, this Psalm kid of puts that into perspective.

LORD my God, you are very great - you are clothed with splendour and majesty.

God stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters

As an engineer it is sometimes difficult to ratioinalise the language of this psalm with our post Einstein understanding of physics.

The poetry of the Psalm describes God's messengers as fure, clouds his chariot 

God set the earth on its foundations, covered it with water, creating the dry land and ecosystems.

God made plants for mankind to cultivate and for wild animals and gives strength and skill to the hunters 

I'm going to borrow an idea from a character called St Linness who was the creation of a Methodist minister from Halifax -

Three men, one of them St Linness, one an artist and the third a scientist, were watching a spectacular sunset across the fields

"What an amazing paintbox God has - just look at those colours and the spectacular sunset - it's beautiful" Said the Artist.

"It is caused by the refraction of light through the atmosphere, the dust in the atmosphere is simply lengthening the wavelength which is why the sky is such a vivid red coilour. Though I have to say it is extremely pretty.

"I think the miracle is on this side of the fence - we are amazed by this beauty of God's creation" Said St Linness

Psalm 103 Praise the LORD Oh my soul

Psalm 103

There is a song that we sing at church sometimes by a guy called Matt Redman that this Psalm reminds me of., the song is called 10 000 reasons.

The Psalm starts Praise the LORD, my soul, all my inmost being praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, my soul and forget not all his benefits,

What are the benefits of being a fried of God?

There are some -
Forgiveness of sins, 
The Psalm says heals all your diseases - this one I have a bit of an issue with.
There are many men and women of faith, good friends of God, who suffer disease and infirmity
Jesus himself suffered terribly during his arrest, trial and summary execution - and Jesus was not only a friend of god but, Christians believe his son.

God also redeemed my life from permanent abode in the pit.
God crowns with love and compassion and satisfies with good things.

When I think about this - sometimes I get to wondering - I would like to chance to prove that being excessively wealthy would not change me - surely if God satisfies my desires - this is surely not out of the question?
However - I am forced to the conclusion that God gives good things. and possibly I would change if I became spectacularly wealthy overnight!

The Psalm continues that God works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
God made his ways known to Moses and his deeds freed the people of Israel from slavery.

The Psalm continues

God is like a father and has compassion on his children and on those who fear (respect) him.
He knows that mortal life is fleeting, but from everlasting to everlasting is the love of Gid.

The end of the Psalm is an exaltation to the Angels in heaven.
Praise the LORD you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Praise the LORD all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
Praise the LORD all his works, everywhere in his  dominion.

Praise the LORD, my soul..

Psalm 102 A prayer from a hard place

Psalm 102

This Psalm is headed - the prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the LORD.

Hear my prayer, LORD, let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me

We saw in the book of Job the case of a guy who suffered a lot.- this psalm is a similar theme.

The writer of the Psalm is not in a good place, his bones ache, his heart feels blighted, and he forgets to eat his food.

There is a message in this Psalm that I find somehow there is a future beyond the suffering.
In the Psalm the descendants will be established before God and the children of god's servants will live in his presence.

Job had assurance "I know that my redeemer lives" 

For me, the message of the Psalm is that God is present in suffering and there is an end to it.

Psalm 101 A song of God's love and Justice

Psalm 101

One of the recurring themes of the Bible is that God is both loving and just- here in this psalm David sings of God's love and justice and raises his song of praise.

God in the  Bible is known for his love and justice, yet that requires us to live in the light of this holyness and love.

I try to live my life as one of the "good goys". And I fail in this repeatedly. In the Psalm David vows to conduct the affairs of his howse with a blamless heart and to live a blameless life .

For me the thing that God's holiness, love and justice means that we should look with approval on anything that is vile, and we should oppose those that do
We are also called on to oppose evil things that are contrary to the justice and love of God.

David says that he will keep an eye on the holy in the land and they will be with him.

Psalm 100 Come on into the house of God

Psalm 100

This is entitled A Psalm for giving grateful praise.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
Come before him with joyful songs.

I was chatting with a friend last night and we talked for a bit about a pilgrimage I did a few years ago.
The last sentence here put me in mind of this - a pilgrimage is a physical journey with a spiritual destination - the pilgrim is journeying to meet with God.

When the end of the journey comes in sight the songs take on another level of joy. Some of the Psalms pick up this theme.

Know that the LORD is God - it is he who made us and we are his and not we ourselves;
we are his people the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise - 

I sometimes understand why quiet in church is nice - but there is also a place for joyful singing and praise. I'd love to see a flash mob choir and band in a cathedral I think that would give a glimpse!

The Bible is pretty certain that God is good, loving and faithful. Critics say that this is propaganda from a repressive authoritarian church that cannot allow any message but theirs.
We hear about how the church repressed science, promoted slavery and ignorance, destroyed pagan faiths and wiped out indigenous beliefs - though a fairly cursory look at the evidence will show that this is blatantly not substantiated in fact most of the time

Because the LORD is good and his love endures forever, high faithfulness continues through all generations - so why not give thanks and praise his name.

Psalm 99 The LORD Reigns

Psalm 99

What to do when God is in charge?

Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean - not the former Archbishop of Canterbury, so easy to get those two mixed up!) does a routine "introduction to hell" where the Devil is arranging torment for the damned souls after the final judgement.
One group mentioned are the Atheists - "I bet you feel a right bunch of Charlies right now"

In the Psalm the LORD reigns, let the nations tremble - he sits enthroned between the cherubim, (a group of angels), let the earth shake.

Great is the LORD in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.
Let them praise your great and awesome name - he is holy.

As Christians we believe that God is holy, Just and true, yet full of compassion and mercy.

The King (of the earth) is mighty, he loves justice - 
You have established equity; In Jacob you have done what is just and right.

The Psalm mentions a few of the characters we have met 
Moses and Aaron, Samuel
Samuel was among those who called on the name of the LORD.

God, we believe, does answer prayers, even from ordinary people like me!


Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.

God however does not respect or overlook evil and hatred - he rebukes and educates his people in the right ways, however those who absolutely refuse are punished and cast out from the presence of God.

I admire characters like Abraham, Samuel and David that we have met so far in our tour of the Bible - they had a relationship with God that was very much 2 way. I believe that anybody can have that relationship with God. All you have to do is turn to him.

Psalm 98 To a God who does marvellous things

Psalm 98

This psalm has no author attributed.

Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvellous things 
His right had and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

In my view this Psalm has a point - because, through the Bible so far, we have seen God's love and care for the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants despite how they went out of their way to ignore the good advice and laws that God had put in place.

However it is from Israel that we non jews have faith in one God and the knowledge of salvation.

Shout for joy to the LORD all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.
Make music to the LORD with the harp (guitar if you want), with the harp and sound of singing with trumpets (note modern trumpets are only about 300 years old - the valves were not around in biblical times - probably the trombone is more related to the biblical trumpet - spoken as a trombonist!)

There is one occasion where Jesus is coming into Jerusalem and is instructed to tell the people who were close to rioting in their excitement - Jesus tells the authorities that if the crowds are silent, the stones will break out into song.

In the Psalm all of nature is shouting with Joy, let the sea resound and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands and the mountains sing together for joy.

There is an assurance in the Bible - For he (God) comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness and the people with equity.

The church seems to have got the idea into its head that the last judgement is a thing to scare people into following the churches teaching without question

In the Psalm the coming of God is an occasion of celebration and joy - not one of doom and disaster.

For me te Bible is the story of the salvation of God and his interaction with humanity.

  

Psalm 97 Your God?

Psalm 97

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad, let the distant shores rejoice.

One thing I have been told when talking bout my faith is that people in effect say (though generally not is as few words as this) "Shut up, go away, you go and do your religion stuff and let me carry on as I was!" 

In this Psalm God is ruler over all the earth, surrounded by clouds and darkness, with righteousness and justice at the foundations of his throne.

Here God's enemies are consumed by fire from the presence of God and all people see God's glory.
Even those who do not believe in him - those who worship false gods realise the falseness of their beliefs.

For God is the Most High over all the earth, exalted above all gods
Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Let me mention here the Christians around the world lose their lives, but I dont think that this Psalm is entirely wrong - I believe that those who die for and in faith are not afraid as Jesus put it "Of those who can only destroy the body" 

Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.

I believe that God will one day call everybody to account, but if I am wrong what have I lost?
If I am right though, what can I gain?

Psalm 96 - Modern music

Psalm 96

Sing to the LORD, a new song; Sing to the LORD all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name.

If there is one thing about Church and services that is controversial it is the music - for as long as there has been music in church - there has been complaints about music in church.
Music likes and dislikes are pretty much a matter of taste and what enthuses you may not excite me.

Personally I love many of the traditional hymns, but there is also a place for modern church music as well - the tradition of church music is one where changes are continual - there are some old hymns and chants that bore my socks off and there are some modern songs that leave me wanting a lot less!

One modern song, and sorry if this is one of your favourites is by Graham Kentrick and is called "Heaven is in my heart" - the sentiments and tune are (in my opinion) cringe worthy.
I am going to choose that song for that funeral - it'll literally be sung over my dead body!


Anyway, back to the Psalm!!

Proclaim his salvation day after day, declare his glory among the nations his marvellous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise. He is to be feared above all gods.

Let me talk about that for just a moment - fearing God is not the same as being AFRAID of God.
I'll nick a bit from C.S. Lewis Narnia books - When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are told about the great Aslan 
"Is- is he a man?" asked Lucy
"Aslan a man!" said Mr Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the woodand the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the sea. Don't you know who is the king of beasts? Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great lion"
"Ooh!" Said Susan, "I'd though he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will dearie, and no mistake" Said Mrs Beaver, "If there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly"

In the books (which I have loved since I was at Primary School) Aslan is not safe, but he is good, just and fair.
Aslan is the image CS Lewis uses for Jesus in the books.

In the Psalm the gods of the nations are all just idols, but God has made the heavens.

Let the heavens rejoice, the the earth be glad.
Let the sea resound and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
Let all the trees of the forest sing for joy, let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.

I expect my knees will be trembling a bit on that day - but then I'm (hopefully) not plain silly, nor (probably) braver than most!

Psalm 95 What are you waiting for?

Psalm 95

"Come, let us sing for joy to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song."

Consider that an invitation! 

Why should we worship God? 
Well I will ask why not? 

I was watching a video on you tube the other day of Tony Hawks (the comedian not the skateboard guy!) Somebody asked him what he does when he is feeling less than happy.
He replied "I ask myself, who am I thinking about now?".
Tony went on that when he finds himself there he is thinking about himself.
He makes a concious effort to think of others.
Sometimes shifting your attention to God makes you feel better about yourself. It certainly beats wallowing in self pity!

God, after all, is the great God, king above all gods.
In his hands God holds the earth and sea, the mountain peaks belong to him as their maker.

One thing we tend not to do in church is bow down in worship, though sometimes we do kneel before God.

God is our God and we are his people, the flock under his care.

The Psalm takes a slightly darker turn here - with advice that if you hear God's voice, don't ignore it 
The people of Israel did that at Meribah and at Massah in the wilderness.

Despite the fact that they had seen and heard God, they ignored him and angered him.

So much that God kept them out of the promised land for 40 years.
With an oath "they shall not enter my rest"

Psalm 94 The God of the Bible is vengeful?

Psalm 94

The LORD is a God who avenges - well you heard it here last - Richard Dawkins and his like have been saying it for years

But are they right?

In this Psalm God is asked to pay back the proud what they deserve.

How Long LORD will the wicked ,how long with the wicked be jubilant? They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting.
They crush your inheritance, they slay the widow and the foreigner, they murder the fatherless.

Personally I think people who go around doing this sort of thing are not very nice. Notice that foreigners, orphans and the vulnerable in society as his inheritance.

They say that God does not see them and takes no notice of what they do if he does.

If you think and believe that God does not care or see what you do I'd say all bets are off and the wickedest pits of human depravity can run rampant!

If God is against people like this, 

When I said, my foot is slipping your unfailing love, LORD, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me your consolation brought me joy.

In my experience the proud and arrogant are not likely to respect God but God welcomes with open arms those who are weak, humble and powerless.

Psalm 93 God Vs Coastal erosion

Psalm 93

"The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty: the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with stength......You are from all eternity."

"The seas have lifted up, LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice:the seas have lifted up their pounding waves, Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea."

Coastal erosion can be devastating, over time houses once a long way from the sea gradually get closer to the cliff tops - eventually the sea claims the house and the investment is destroyed.
I actually went to school in a town where the opposite has happened - it used to be an island, but now is nearly 2 miles inland!

Over the period of Earth's existence mountains have risen and fallen, continents have split and collided, yet Christians believe that God is creator and sustainer of the planet and its inhabitants.

Holiness adorns God's house for endless days and his statutes stand firm for days without end.

  

Psalm 92 A day well spent

Psalm 92

This Psalm was written for the Sabbath.

It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High,
Proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.

Sometimes I get really into the moment, at work, in a game making a You tube video, at church, playing my Euphonium or Trombone.

Particular times that are amazing is when I am playing in worship and I kind of enter heaven on earth.
There is a line from the Blues Brothers 2000 - I've used it before "No pharmaceutical product can match that feeling you get when the music is playing and the crowd is jumping and the joint is rocking"

The same applies in church when the spirit of God most high feels close.

When I am , to quote a hymn, "lost in wonder, love and praise" I feel like I would like to stay there forever.

"The Righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in the house of the LORD.

Flourishing in the courts of our God they will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming "The LORD is upright - he is my rock, and there is no wickedness in him."

Psalm 91 Living with God

Psalm 91

This is one of my favourite Psalms,
In the opening 2 verses 4 Hebrew names are used for God - in the New Jerusalem Bible they are used

Whoever dwells in teh shelter of the Most High (Elyon) will rest in the shadow of the almighty(Shaddai).
I will say of the LORD (Yahweh) he is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust.

Interesting fact, Satan quoted from this Psalm when he was tempting Jesus -
verse 11 - For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways: they will lift you up in their hands so you will not strike your foot against a stone.

In the Psalm God saves from the snare of the fowler, and the deadly pestilence....
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence or plague.

That is not to say that we are immune from plague or pestilence (or war if it comes to that), but faith and trust in an almighty God means that we don't have to fear them.

I was heartened to hear of nurses and doctors going to East Africa during the recent ebola epidemic, taking as few risks as possible, but helping out as best they could despite the risks.

There was a British nurse who contracted Ebola. He recovered and went back out there.

Or the German politician in the news today who has invited to refugees into his house and helped them to find work locally. After he met them at church.

Because he loves me, says the LORD, I will rescue him, I will protect him for he acknowledges my name. 

I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honour him, with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Wouldn't it be a really inspiring lead if our politicians, instead of moaning and preaching at us, used their (ample) salaries and (state subsidised) housing to help refugees and actually get to know these people, perhaps give a meal to the hungry?

Psalm 90 From Everlasting to Everlasting

Psalm 90

This is the start of part four of the book of Psalms.

This is attributed to Moses, the man of God.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations
Before the mountains were born or you bought forth the whole world.
From everlasting to everlasting you are God.

In the eyes and hand of God we are little more than dust and breath.
A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

Life is fragile in this world, one only has to look at the news to see that.

I personally do not believe that God is cruel and capricious, things happen be they caused by human activity or natural forces. I believe that how we respond to illness and disaster is more important than blaming God or seeking compensation - stuff happens.

Psalm 89 God's great love

Psalm 89

This is quite a long Psalm, at 52 verses.
It is a Maskil or Ethan the Ezrahite - whatever that means and whoever he was!

I will sing of the Lord's great love for ever:

There was a song we used to sing at church many, many years ago which was at least in part inspired by this psalm.

In the Bible, God promised to David that he would never fail to have a descendant on the throne, if his descendants would follow the commands of God.

Reading the story of David, his life was full of turmoil, and politically he was probably not that strong, yet his faith made him strong in God - the strength of God in this Psalm.

In the middle of the Psalm they recall that David's descendants did not keep the law and God renounced his promise.

Yet as a Christian I believe the the Lord Jesus is sitting on the throne in heaven - as a descendant of David.

Psalm 88 Hello Darkness my old friend

Psalm 88

This is not a particularly happy Psalm - hence the quote from a popular song lyric in the title!

Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you. 

May my prayer come before you

Turn your ear to my cry.

I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death.

Effectively the author of the Psalm feels at, if not literally his life's end, the end of his strength.

It is interesting some of the questions here - there is no particular belief here in the afterlife.

There are branches of Christianity that seem to preach that it will all turn out right in heaven - I personally don't know for sure if there is an afterlife.

I live life, believing by faith in an afterlife - but just in case I am wrong I would like to leave this world better than I found it.

I believe in eternity - but it starts here and now. 

God help me not to put off doing the good I can do today.

Before I go. 

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Psalm 87 Glorious things of thee are spoken

Psalm 87

This is a Psalm of the sons of Korah - it seems to be in praise of Jerusalem, though seen through either rose tinted glasses or from a spiritual realm.

Have you ever read the Narnia books by CS Lewis? I first read them when I was young and still love them. In the final book, the last battle the characters are forced through a stable door to discover the land of Narnia on the other side- but a more perfect Narnia with all the characters from the earlier books.
Aslan (the metaphor for Jesus) tells them  that they are in heaven where no good thing is ever lost and invites all the people to come "further up and further in" to the great adventure that is heaven.

Even on the earthly plane that we inhabit, Jerusalem is a unique city - it is holy in 3 of the worlds major religions, the psalm records Rahab and Babylon, the lands of the Philistines, Tyre and Cush as places and people who acknowledge God.

It is interesting that Jesus was not actually born in Jerusalem - and wept over Jerusalem as he entered for the last time.

I find it hard to get enthusiastic about cities.
I don't feel any more British having been born in the Capital city than my brother who was born in Hastings.... 

In the scheme of things I guess it is where God is present that makes a place special - that can be a bustling city, but just as easily a remote hermitage. 

Psalm 86 A poor and needy prayer

Psalm 86

I thought that the Psalms of David were finished some time ago - yet here we have a new Psalm attributed to David.

The Psalm starts with David asking God to hear him and answer him, guard his life as he is faithful.

God is unique to David as he is the only god that actually answers him

David Prays in the Psalm "Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness.
Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name.

I will glorify your name forever, for great is your love toward me.

Changing the subject - Today in the news it seems that probably portions of the oldest Koran in the world has been discovered in a collection of books donated by the Christian philanthropist (and chocolate maker)  Mr Cadbury who wanted to encourage Birmingham as a centre of religious studies - even if the religion is not one that was shared, Cadbury wanted to encourage the search for God from whatever source.

Psalm 85 The goodness of God

Psalm 85

You, LORD showed favour to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered al their sins.
You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fuerce anger.

Some of the last few psalms have been asking why God is so angry with Israel and mourning the destruction of the nation.

In verses 4-7 the same questions are being asked,God still appears to be angry with his people.

I will listen to what God the LORD says; He promises peace to his people, his faithless servants - but let them no turn to folly.
Surely his salvation is near those who fear him that his Glory may dwell in our land.

The Psalm finishes with an image of the land where God dwells .

Love and faithfulness meet together; Righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth and Righteousness looks down from heaven.

The Lord will indeed give what is good and our land will yield its harvest.
Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.

Psalm 84 Chez God

Psalm 84

This is a psalm of the Sons of Korah - According to Gittith the introduction says.

My most precious and amazing memories are of times when I found myself in the welcoming presence of God, spending time in the presence and house of God is truly amazing.
The Psalmist agrees with me here - listen

How lovely is you dwelling place, LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the LORD, my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Birds of the air make their nests in the temple, close to the alter - and the writer is a bit jealous as it seems!
Interesting that Jesus said "Birds have their nests, foxes their dens, but I have nowhere" the temple in Jerusalem was the most holy place on the planet, but the son of God did not live there!

Those who live in the house of God are blessed - forever praising God their strength.

Blessed are  those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

In my time I have been on pilgrimage 3 times on a particular pilgrimage - I decided a really good description of a pilgrimage is a physical journey through spiritual realms and to a spiritual destination.

The feeling of joy and thanksgiving I had when we arrived at the slipper chapel at Walsingham was very profound.

The Psalmist says that one day with God is better than a thousand days anywhere else, and the doorkeeper of the house of God is better off than living in the luxury of the wicked.
For the Lord is a sun and a shield, bestowing favour and honour.

Psalm 83 When God is deaf and silent

Psalm 83

This is another Psalm of Asaph.

I'm honestly not sure about this particular Psalm - let's have a look and I'll try and explain

O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God.
See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads, with cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.

Here is the bit I find a bit difficult - I don't believe that my enemies are necessarily the automatic enemies of God as is suggested in this psalm.

The Psalm goes on to suggest to God carries out certain punishments and retributions against his enemies, again I don't suggest that this is up to us.

I guess I can agree with the last verse - Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD - that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 82 Judging the "gods"

Psalm 82

This is another Psalm of Asaph.

The Psalm starts with God in judgement, presiding in the great assembly rendering judgement among the "gods"

How long will you (the Hebrew is plural) defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?

The judgement of God is to to defend the cause of the poor and the oppressed. 
Rescue the weak and the needy and to deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

The "gods" know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk aboiut in darkness, all foundations of the earth are shaken.

The Bible seems to have little understanding of the concept of polytheism - so far the Bible seems to have a real downer on worshipping other gods.

"I said "you are gods, you are all sons of the Most High"
"But you will die like mere mortals, you will fall like every other ruler"

Rise up, O god, judge the earth for all the nations are your inheritance.


So, what do I think about this psalm? God is the judge of the world - I believe that, to quote Abraham "Surely the Judge of the earth will do right?" 

I think that Abraham is quite right - God will do the right thing and he will judge everybody on earth one day, and he will be fair.

I believe in a Just and Holy God who will judge all people fairly - if you do not believe in God, that's up to you, one thing though, if God does exist - he believes in YOU!

The rest I leave for you to ponder....

Psalm 81 Sing for Joy!

Psalm 81

There is  a recurring theme in the Bible, not in every chapter but quite often - Rejoice

This psalm starts off with the injunction "Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
Begin the music, strike the timbrel, play the melodious harp and lyre. Sound the trumpet....

In other words "Strike up the band"!
I bought the trumpet in as in the version of the Bible I have with me it talks about sounding the ram's horns at the regular lunar festivals, but as a trombonist I thought it deserves including in with the "lesser" stringed, woodwind and percussion instruments!

The Psalm mentions that the full moon and new moon festivals were a command from God.

"I heard an unknown voice say - I removed the burden from their shoulders, their hands were set free from the basket.
In your (Emphasis is mine) distress you called and I rescued you"

Interesting change of tense here - God removed Their burden, but when you called out I rescued YOU.

Interesting I think here that God cares to listen to and rescue "you"

I'm writing this from a hotel room in Shanghai, China, and during this trip I noticed a couple of things - I have sold a lot of my information to Google in return for a lot of things including e-mail, this blog is hosted by Google and you tube (my channel is the Eccentric Milliner if you have not seen it!) - but Google are not in China - getting my e-mail and so much I take for granted is a real pain! (I'm using a VPN to access this site)
One thing I also noticed - prayer works here just as well as it does when I can freely access Google, and no VPN is needed to talk to God!

The psalm continues with a plea, if you would only listen and hear me, my people, don't go chasing other gods.

I am the LORD your God who bought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

There is another theme that occurs here as well as several other places - 
"If my people would only listen to me, would only follow my ways....."
You would be fed with the finest of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

Psalm 80 The Shepherd of Israel

Psalm 80

This is another Psalm of Asaph - this is to the tune of "The Lillies of the Covenant" 

Following on I think in theme from Psalm 79 where God is angry with Israel, this Psalm is looking back into the history of Israel.

God is described as the Shepherd of Israel.

However God has allowed Israel to be invaded by enemies and the flock of God has been scattered.

The Psalm ends with 

Return to us, God Almighty!

Look down from heaven and see!

Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised for yourself.

Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; 

Revive us and we will call on your name. Restore us LORD God Almighty; 

Make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

Psalm 79 In the aftermath of catastrophe

Psalm 79

This is a Psalm of Asaph, I'm not sure who he was, but from context it appears to have be written after the fall of Jerusalem.

The Psalm starts with a call for God to observe what has happened, Jerusalem, the city where God has his dwelling on earth, has been defiled, the dead are lying with nobody to bury them, being slowly consumed by birds.

Jerusalem has become an object of scorn and contempt the people abandoned by God.

How long will the anger of God burn against his people? 
How long will it be before God turns his attention to the other nations that do not know or acknowledge him? For they have invaded the land promised of old to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

God is implored to overlook the sins of the past, of previous generations, and come quickly to the aid of the suffering people now for the Glory of his name so that people would not ask "where is their god?"

I don't know that I totally agree with the sentiments of this Psalm - the Psalmist asks God to visit the fate of Jerusalem seven fold on their enemies for the contempt they have shown.

Then Israel will rejoice and praise God forever.

When bad things happen (and trust me, they do), I think it is better to trust God that he knows what he is doing and that he will eventually bring it to an end.

I don't necessarily think that suffering of others is required for us to praise and worship God, even if they are not very nice people.

Certainly justice should be carried out and there is a definitely place for justice, but not for vengeance or gloating.

Psalm 78 Word of mouth

Psalm 78

There is an old joke when an RE teacher asked his class a question "Who destroyed the walls of Jericho?"

Nobody in the class knew the answer. The teacher sent word to the parents, one of whom wrote back "It wasn't our Kevin, I'm sure, but if you can show it was him, I'll make it good."

Word reached the headmaster who contacted the local authorities the nobody knows who destroyed the walls of Jericho - the council sent back to get them repaired and the bill would be settled.

Not a very good joke I know, but many people do not know the stories or message of the Bible.
One of the people who inspired me to write this blog was a guy called David Plotz who had never heard the tale of Dinah and Shechem, which is in Genesis 34.

This Psalm is not too dissimilar, it starts with
"My people, ear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter things, things from of old - 
Things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us."

"We will not hide from them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD."

There are a lot of people who seem to despise the idea of oral tradition, preferring presumably that written tradition that has led to the likes of twitter, facebook and , ironically, this blog!
There is something to be said about telling stories-pretty much the whole movie and TV industry does the same thing!

In the Torah (the law books) the people of Israel are encouraged to think about and chat about the law of God "Talk and discuss these things while travelling - bind them to your wrist and forehead - write them on the posts of your doors - talk about them to your children.

In my humble way I think I am trying to make sense of the story of God and men - and the story of my faith, I'm not married and have no children myself, but I hope that I can tell what I know of God.

Psalm 77 To a silent God

Psalm 77

Sometimes I feel that I am quite close to God, but there are times when God seems a million miles away and that he really either does not care or is particularly angry.

This Psalm appears to be from the distant place.

The Psalmist cries out to God, seeking God in his distress.
He cannot sleep, and thinking about God is difficult, and remembering the good times only leads to the question - has God rejected me forever? Has God forgotten mercy?

In his book "A short history of nearly Everything" By Bill Bryson, he examines existence in the light of scientific understanding and knowledge - In the light of the mere improbability of our existence there is a meaning - this is something that the psalmist kind of echoes - 

He will remember the works of God in making the world. And in the events of the birth of the nation of Israel - the escape from slavery in Egypt.

I find it somehow interesting to consider that, but for either remarkable genealogical co-incidence or the grace of God we can read and write these things on a Google blogging site, rather then taking in a lungful of breath and diving for another mouthful of that delicious plankton!

In the apparent absence of God, sometimes it is as well thinking about the really big picture 

Psalm 75 A close God

Psalm 75

This is a Psalm written by Asaph to the tune of "Do not destroy".

We praise you, God, we praise you for your name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds.

There is a telling word in the start of this Psalm - "We".
I've heard hundreds of times over the years that somebody I am talking to "Is a Christian, but doesn't go to church". 
I'll happily admit that I'm in absolutely no position to judge other people and it is possible to be a Christian without going to church just as much as going to church does not mean that you are a Christian.
However there has always been a corporate sense to faith and worship and that the things you don't like about church may be outweighed by the positive things you do get from being a part of a group of believers.

The other thing from this first sentence that struck me is "your name is near" - God is not some distant concept, abstract and hard to understand like some of the particles they are trying to discover in experiments like the Large Hadron Collider.

God is recognised here as the just judge of the earth and that he can tell the arrogant to stop boasting and the wicked not to try their strength against immortal God.
People cannot exalt themselves before God - As I write this the Queens Birthday Honours list has been published, many of the people on the list have been recognised for their work and honoured for their contribution - I don't imagine that any one of them wrote to the Queen suggesting that they deserve an honour, it is not their choice, it is the gift of the Queen.

The judgement of God is described as a cup of spiced wine that the wicked drink down to the dregs. Again, when Jesus was praying just before his arrest and death he prayed "take this cup from me". As a Christian I believe that Jesus drank the cup of God's judgement.

The Psalm ends with a commitment to praise the God of Jacob who destroys the strength of the wicked but gives strength to the righteous.

We are now half way through the Psalms and nearly half way through the Bible.

Psalm 74 O God Why?

Psalm 74

People with faith never need to despair, Right? 
Wrong - totally wrong in fact, faith does not make the questions go away, nor does it always answer them - I think of myself as a person of faith and if you have read much of my blog you will know that I have a shed load of questions, a bucketful of doubts and a whole mountain of things I don't know!

This Psalm is written from the point of a person of faith I think, Asaph, the author I don't know much about - if anybody knows his story please share it.

O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?

Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed - Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has bought on the sanctuary.

Verse 9 
We are given no signs from God; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.

It seems to me that Asaph and this Psalm date from the time that Judah has been finally destroyed. The Bible falls silent for about 400 years.

Verse 12 - 17 talk about the acts of God in the past during creation.

The Psalm ends with a request that God rescues the and not to ignore his enemies.

For me the big thing in this Psalm are the questions and, almost anger to a God who does not appear to care with a vital central section in verse 12 that starts with "But"

But God is my king from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth.

Among the questions there is a rock of certainty that is Immortal - Sometimes we land on the rock with a heck of a thump and sometimes we have nothing else but to cling tight to the rock amid the turmoils of life falling to pieces.

Psalm 73 The Pure in heart

Psalm 73

Surely God is good to Israel , to those who are pure in heart.

This is book 3 of the book of Psalms, and this particular Psalm is one of Asaph.

The psalmist admits to nearly falling- "my hand had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggles, their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.

The psalm goes on to tell how the arrogant and wicked have things so easy and continues
Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.

The Psalmist goes on 
When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God then I understood their final destiny 

My flesh and heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

As for me it is good to be near God. I have made the sovereign LORD my refuge I will tell of all your deeds.

Note to self - stay close to God and don't worry about those other who have it too easy.

Psalm 72 Long Live the King

Psalm 72

This is a Psalm of King Solomon - there is a rather royalist bent to this particular Psalm.

The prayer is that God would endow the king with his justice and his royal son with righteousness.

The prayer of the king is that the land would bring prosperity to the people, defend the allficted among the people and save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.

May he rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth

For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help, 
He will take pity on the weak and the needy.... 
He will rescue them from oppression and violence for precious is their blood in his sight

This is the kind of ruler that I can respect to be honest - and I think that this psalm does kind of point to Jesus - the descendant of David.

Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvellous deeds.
Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen and Amen

The Psalm ends with a note that this is the last Prayer of David son of Jesse in the book of Psalms.

Psalm 71 Faith that lasts a lifetime

Psalm 71

On what do we base our life foundation? Jesus talked about wise and foolish builders making wise or silly changes on foundations.

If all else goes down, what do I have left? 

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame....
Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go.

God is not only a refuge, and a rock, verse 2 talks about God in his righteousness rescuing and delivering - giving commands to save his cared for one - delivering from the grasp of the evil and cruel.

Personally I first became a Christian (Decided to follow Jesus and ask him to be Lord of my life) when I was aged 9 - it is now 34 years later and I still do my best to follow his teachings and examples. (And all too often doing it very badly!)

The Psalmist has also had faith in God from a young age, having relied on God from his birth and before, and because of this he will praise God.

Have you ever come across the book by Bill Bryson "A short history of nearly everything" which is pretty much a history of science as we know it. 
When I came across the introduction to this book it blew me away - using science he explains how unlikely it is that we are alive using terms like wonder, under-appreciated, and miracle.

I am also lucky enough to have parents and grand parents who are Christian, my grandfather and grandmother are now in their 80s but still follow the God of their youth - verse 9 of the Psalm talks about God not casting the writer away when they are old, and not forsaking when earthly strength fails

The psalmist here has always got hope (I wonder why that word is used not faith?) and will praise God more and more.

Sometimes I struggle to elucidate the things God has done in my life, yet God has been teaching me his ways, and I expect to still be learning and talking about what I have learned for a long time to come.

Verse 20 describes that he has seen his share of bitter troubles, yet God sustains and restores him.

The Psalm finishes with praising God on musical instruments and being so full that shouting for joy is a very real possibility.

I admit that all too often I don't feel like shouting for joy, perhaps I should!