Psalm 52-55

Monday's- Thursday's Daily Word and Thought Journal (By: Yusun Beck)

Psalm 52-5514 Jan 2008

Psalm 52

"Futility of Boastful Wickedness.

For the choir director. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, "David has come to the house of Ahimelech."

1Why do you ^(A)boast in evil, O mighty man?
The ^(B)lovingkindness of God endures all day long.
2Your tongue devises ^(C)destruction,
Like a ^(D)sharp razor, ^(E)O worker of deceit.
3You ^(F)love evil more than good,
^(G)Falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah.
4You love all words that devour,
O ^(H)deceitful tongue.
5But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch you up and ^(I)tear you away from your tent,
And ^(J)uproot you from the ^(K)land of the living. Selah.
6The righteous will ^(L)see and fear,
And will ^(M)laugh at him, saying,
7"Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
But ^(N)trusted in the abundance of his riches
And ^(O)was strong in his evil desire."
8But as for me, I am like a ^(P)green olive tree in the house of God;
I ^(Q)trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.
9I will ^(R)give You thanks forever, because You have done it,
And I will wait on Your name, ^(S)for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones." (Quoted from http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm)

Evil boasts is foolishness because it is what destroys us and ensnares us. We must not worry about the boasts of the wicked. We must be encouraged to do right and trust in God. The wicked are futile and will not prevail.

15 Jan 2008

Psalm 53

"Folly and Wickedness of Men.

For the choir director; according to Mahalath^[a]. A Maskil of David.

1^(A)The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God,"
They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice;
^(B)There is no one who does good.
2God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there is ^(C)anyone who understands,
Who ^(D)seeks after God.
3^(E)Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.
4Have the workers of wickedness ^(F)no knowledge,
Who eat up My people as though they ate bread
And have not called upon God?
5There they were in great fear ^(G)where no fear had been;
For God ^(H)scattered the bones of him who encamped against you;
You ^(I)put them to shame, because ^(J)God had rejected them.
6Oh, that ^(K)the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores His captive people,
Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad" (Quoted from http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm)

Only a fool denies God. There is a God, and He is over us all. Men are wicked, but God is not. God saves and brings salvation. Praise God and rejoice in His justice and salvation.

16 Jan 2008

Psalm 54

"1.

Prayer for Defense against Enemies.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, "Is not David hiding himself among us?"

Save me, O God, by ^(A)Your name,
And ^[a]vindicate me by ^(B)Your power.
2^(C)Hear my prayer, O God;
^(D)Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3For strangers have ^(E)risen against me
And ^(F)violent men have ^(G)sought my life;
They have ^(H)not set God before them. Selah.
4Behold, ^(I)God is my helper;
The Lord is the ^(J)sustainer of my soul.
5^[b]He will ^(K)recompense the evil to my foes;
^(L)Destroy them ^(M)in Your faithfulness.
6^(N)Willingly I will sacrifice to You;
I will give ^(O)thanks to Your name, O LORD, for it is good.
7For He has ^(P)delivered me from all trouble,
And my eye has ^(Q)looked with satisfaction upon my enemies." (Quoted from http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm)

God will come to our rescue, and we will be delivered from our troubles. Delivery is always a curious wonder as to how for me. I don't know whether it is in life, or whether it is in death. I do know, however, that those who trust in God will go to heaven in death and be blessed with eternal life. So, I would say that it depends on God's will for your life, and we just need to willingly surrender and submit ourselves to a service of trusting God, and let God do His work in us.

17 Jan 2008

Psalm 55

"Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.

1^(A)Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And ^(B)do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2Give ^(C)heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my ^(D)complaint and ^[a](E)am surely distracted,
3Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the ^(F)pressure of the wicked;
For they ^(G)bring down trouble upon me
And in anger they ^(H)bear a grudge against me.
4My ^(I)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of ^(J)death have fallen upon me.
5Fear and ^(K)trembling come upon me,
And ^(L)horror has overwhelmed me.
6I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and ^[b](M)be at rest.
7"Behold, I would wander far away,
I would ^(N)lodge in the wilderness. Selah.
8"I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the ^(O)stormy wind and tempest."
9Confuse, O Lord, ^(P)divide their tongues,
For I have seen ^(Q)violence and strife in the city.
10Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.
11^(R)Destruction is in her midst;
^(S)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her streets.
12For it is ^(T)not an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who ^(U)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13But it is you, a man my equal,
My ^(V)companion and my ^(W)familiar friend;
14We who had sweet ^[c]fellowship together
^(X)Walked in the house of God in the throng.
15Let death come ^(Y)deceitfully upon them;
Let them ^(Z)go down alive to Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.
16As for me, I shall ^(AA)call upon God,
And the LORD will save me.
17^(AB)Evening and ^(AC)morning and at ^(AD)noon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
18He will ^(AE)redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me,
For they are ^(AF)many who strive with me.
19God will ^(AG)hear and answer them--
Even the one ^(AH)who sits enthroned from of old-- Selah
With whom there is no change,
And who ^(AI)do not fear God.
20He has put forth his hands against ^(AJ)those who were at peace with him;
He has ^[d](AK)violated his covenant.
21His speech was ^(AL)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were ^(AM)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn ^(AN)swords.
22^(AO)Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you;
^(AP)He will never allow the righteous to ^(AQ)be shaken.
23But You, O God, will bring them down to the ^(AR)pit of destruction;
^(AS)Men of bloodshed and deceit will ^(AT)not live out half their days
But I will ^(AU)trust in You." (Quoted from http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm)

The treacherous will be dead. They will not live eternally. This is our life and truth. Only God will remain with His children. What else matters?