Psalms by Mike Sullivan & Gary DeLashmutt (2021)

The majority of the Psalms are prayers, but the first two Psalms are not. They instead teach us truths that are crucial to effective prayer. An effective prayer life is ignited, sustained and guided by God's Word. Unlike eastern religions where you are instructed to empty your mind, the Bible says to fill your mind with God's Word, to meditate day and night, to abide in His Word. This will result in genuine happiness as we become like a tree planted by streams of water rather than chaff that is blown away by the breeze.

Like the first Psalm, Psalm 2 is not a prayer but more instruction on how to pray effectively. This Psalm instructs us to bend to God's will because that is in our rational self-interest. Our attitude to God's right to rule us, our beliefs about his goodness, shapes how we pray to him. When we understand he is good, he has the right to rule us, and how desperately we need his rescue, that should affect our willingness to bow to his rule.

Psalm 19 describes how all of creation declares the glory of God. He has revealed Himself through general revelation in the world he has created, not just earth but all of creation and the heavens above. He has also shown Himself through the words He has spoken, the Bible. In His Word there is both warning and great reward.

In Psalm 3 David takes refuge in God by pouring out his troubles to God in a raw, unvarnished, child-like way, affirming to Him what he knows about Him that counteracts his current adversity and finally, making his request for God to work through this adversity somehow to benefit him and others.

From where did David's courage come? It came from being near to God. The one thing he was passionate about was to be near to God all the days of his life. Because David saw God in nature, in the things He had made, and in his Word, he was able to draw courage even in times of great difficulty and ongoing crisis. Because David could see the goodness of God in the land of the living, he could pour out his heart to God and recount what he knew of God and be at peace as he waited on the Lord.

While King Solomon is praying for his own ability to reign properly, he is also alluding to the ultimate reign of Messiah. King Messiah's reign will be marked by God-given moral integrity and wisdom. It will bring unparalleled peace and prosperity. It will be world-wide and everlasting. It will fulfill God's promise to Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him.

Imprecatory psalms that call down judgment on evil-doers may cause discomfort in modern readers and tempt them to avoid those psalms. But then one would have to excise a significant portion of Scripture. But taking a closer look, one sees that in Psalm 58 that David does not seek personal vengeance but that God would intervene to uphold His reputation. David desires the wicked rulers would repent so they can take refuge in God. Reaping the consequences of evil behavior is an act of God's love designed to bring us to repentance so we can receive forgiveness.

Psalm 22 is an extraordinary prophesy of the crucifixion of Jesus given hundreds of years before the torture method was invented. Modern medical science confirms the description of death described in Psalm 22 is consistent with death by crucifixion. Psalm 22 is an astonishingly accurate prediction of what Jesus came to earth to accomplish. Since the Bible has been so reliable with prophecy that has come to pass, we can just as confident in the prophesies that are yet to come. Therefore we can trust what God says about the future.

Modern readers of the Bible often have a negative reaction upon first hearing the phrase "the fear of the Lord." They mistakenly think we are called to be afraid of God but we must let the Bible interpret itself. The Bible says to fear the Lord means to stand in awe of Him, which means to ponder his greatness, power, intelligence, beauty, and wisdom as it is revealed through His creation. We can demonstrate we fear the Lord by trusting in His lovingkindness, and following His moral instruction. A synonym for "fear of the Lord" is humility before God.

In this Psalm, David calls on himself, God's people and all of creation to praise God. C.H. Spurgeon says this Psalm peaks "overtop the rest." Because God's compassion and grace are inexhaustible and He offers mercy we don't deserve, we must forget none of His benefits. If we neglect giving God the praise He deserves, we risk becoming an ingrate who is increasingly deceived and more easily overwhelmed. But for those who revere him, His lovingkindness is from everlasting to everlasting.

While it is embarrassing to be compared to sheep as they do not have a sterling reputation for intelligence, the important point to remember is we have a shepherd. We have a Good Shepherd, Jesus, who leads us, protects us and teaches us to love people. Not only that, but like a good shepherd, He sacrificed His life for us.

Psalm 118 is a processional psalm that Jewish pilgrims would sing as they walk toward the city of Jerusalem during the Passover Week. Every Jew would have been very familiar with this psalm. When Jesus entered the temple during His final week on earth, He applied this psalm to Himself by identifying Himself as the stone the builders rejected. The Jews knew the stone represented the victorious king of the Jews.

When the Psalmist considers the question of what is man, he recognizes that the basis for understanding man is to understands who God is. God displays His might through the weak. With God, even the weakest people can do great things. In His mercy, He confers dignity on us. Humans bear the image of God. God send us into the world to rule by making us co-rulers with Him. Jesus asks us to use the great power and resources we have as co-rulers to serve others.