Psalm 90
Moses lived long before David and as far as we know, this psalm is the oldest in the book of Psalms. In Deuteronomy 32 we have a song of Moses and in Deuteronomy 33 we have his blessing which is also in the form of a psalm. Psalm 90:1 makes us think of Deuteronomy 33:27.
In the first part of the psalm, vs. 1-4, he speaks about God’s greatness. His people have always dwelt with Him, but Jehovah was God before anything was created, v. 2. Eternity is like the years of time, but without beginning and without end. God always was and always will be. God is greater than man, v. 3. We think a thousand years is a long time, but in the sight of God it is like a single day, v. 4. Peter added that in God’s sight one day is like a thousand years, 2 Peter 3:8.
Moses led Israel out of Egypt and they were guided by the Lord to Kadesh. This was on the edge of the land of Canaan and the nation could have entered at that time. However they were afraid, did not believe God’s promise and would not obey His command. God turned them back to wander in the wilderness for 38 years until all the men of war had died, Deuteronomy 2:14. Nearly 100 people died every day. Moses, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones left.
In the next section of our psalm, vs. 5-10, Moses spoke of the shortness of man’s life. He said it is like a dream or like grass, vs. 5, 6. God is angry because of our sins, vs. 7, 8. Even today men usually live to be no more than 70 years old, but sometimes as much as 80, v. 10. While this seems like a long time to young people, it really passes away very quickly. Therefore we should be careful not to make God angry, v. 11. We should consider that we only have a few days at the most and ask God for wisdom, v. 12.
Moses asked God to teach them, v. 12, forgive them, v. 13, satisfy them, v. 14, make them glad, v. 15, show them His glory, v. 16, and establish them, v. 17.
Moses had prayed for himself that Jehovah would show him His glory. It was not possible for a man to see the face of God, but God showed him His goodness, His grace and His mercy, Exodus 33:18-20. We too see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:6. As we think about the shortness of life we should use our days and hours for the glory of the Lord. Remember too that men around us will not live forever. After death comes judgment, Hebrews 9:27.
Psalm 91
Many people think that this psalm was written by Moses, but the old Greek Bible said it was written by David. We can be sure that someone who really knew the Lord was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write it.
A general promise is found in verses 1 and 2. It is possible for the one who believes in Christ to dwell or abide in the presence of the Lord. Most High is a name of God which shows His greatness over all creation. Almighty means that He has the power and the love to take care of His own. The man who walks with God day by day will be able to trust in Him at all times.
One of the most wonderful truths of the New Testament is that we can dwell in Christ and Christ in us. In fact the Holy Spirit and the Father and Son dwell with or in the believer, John 14:17, 23; 15:5.
In the next part of the psalm, vs. 3-11, the Holy Spirit promises that God will take care of His child.
1. He will deliver you from danger like a bird that someone is trying to catch. He will also keep you from deadly illnes, v. 3.
2. Sometimes an animal will try to attack a young bird, but the mother will cover it with its wings. In verse 4 you see that God will keep you safely under the shield of His faithfulness, His truth.
3. You need not be afraid at any time, day or night, or at noon, vs. 5, 6.
4. Even though others fall around you, it will not come near you. You will see how God punishes the wicked. You will not fall because the Lord Jesus has taken your punishment, vs. 7, 8.
5. If you dwell with the Lord, no evil will come near, vs. 9, 10.
6. Even if you kick your foot against a stone you will not fall because God’s angels will look after you, vs. 11, 12. In the New Testament we see that angels do take care of those who belong to the Lord, Hebrews 1:14. God promises specially that we do not have to fall into sin, Romans 14:4.
7. The lion, the greatest of wild animals, and the adder or serpent are both pictures of Satan, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelation 12:9. In our psalm verse 13 gives a promise of complete victory over Satan.
In the last part of the psalm, vs. 14-16, God promises to deliver the one who loves Him, to answer his prayer, to give him a long life and satisfaction.
The only One who has always dwelt with the Father is the Son, John 1:18. As we have seen in psalms 1 and 15 the righteous Man is really the Lord Jesus Himself. These promises are for us and for the child of God in Old Testament days. Finally and completely they are true only of the Lord Jesus.
When Satan tried to tempt the Lord, he used verses 11 and 12. He tried to get the Lord to jump off the top of the temple to prove to all the people that He was the Christ. The Lord Jesus said that we should not put God to the test. God has promised to look after us, but we should not plan to get into danger just to see if God will keep His promise, Matthew 4. 5-7. It is terrible to think that Satan would stand before his Creator the Son of God and suggest that He should sin. The Lord answered Satan and used another verse from the Old Testament, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test”, Deuteronomy 6:16. He answered as a Man, but still He must have thought of Satan the creature trying to put His God to the test. The Lord would also remember the next verse after the one which Satan used, v. 13. This promise to the Lord Jesus that He would get the victory over Satan must have brought Him comfort at that time. This is not to say that the Lord Jesus could have sinned or might have sinned. It is impossible for God or the Son of God to sin, but Satan did everything he could. As Christians we can be tempted to sin and sometimes fall into sin. God has prepared a way for us to get the victory every time. This is one of the blessings which we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. He has never failed and never will.
Psalm 92
This is a song for the sabbath day. In the Old Testament God’s people were commanded to rest on the seventh day. In the New Testament Christians remember the Lord and take up an offering on the first day of the week, Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2. Psalm 92 is a song of praise for the work of God. We know much more about the work of Christ on the cross and have much more for which we should praise God.
In this psalm the writer says it is good to give thanks to the Lord with the voice, v. 1, and with musical instruments, v. 3. The Lord’s loving kindness should be declared, not only on the sabbath day, but everyday, morning and night, v. 2. This psalm is a song of praise to Jehovah whose name is found seven times. Can you find these seven verses? In the first verse He is seen as God Most High. The writer’s reason for praising God for His work is the joy he himself has received, v. 4. Not only God’s works, but His thoughts are wonderful, v. 5.
The next section is a warning to the wicked. A dull or stupid person does not seem to understand that the wicked may APPEAR to succeed, but they will soon come under the judgment of God, vs. 6, 7. Jehovah is on high and His enemies shall perish, vs. 8, 9. The writer also expected to be exalted when his enemies had been put down, vs. 10, 11.
This should be a comfort to all the righteous, vs. 12-15. They are planted like strong trees in the house of the Lord, vs. 12, 13, Psalm 1:3; 52:8. Even in old age they can show that the Lord is righteous, vs. 14, 15.
We can see that the author of this psalm like David knew the Lord as his Saviour. God’s enemies will be destroyed like grass, vs. 7, 9, while the righteous will continue like a tree, v. 12.
“Praise the Saviour, you who know Him.”
Psalm 93
The writer of this little psalm was sure of Jehovah’s power. As King He is clothed with glory and strength. The world cannot be moved, much less the throne of the everlasting God, vs. 1, 2.
God’s enemies may rise up like a great flood of waters, but the Lord is over them all, vs. 3, 4, Psalm 65:7. The writer is certain that victory belongs to Jehovah. He is also sure about God’s Word. Everything in His house is holy forever.
This little psalm should be a comfort to us. When we see the enemies of the truth making trouble God’s power is the same as ever. He will soon be seen working for His people.
Psalm 94
The writer of this psalm prays to God for vengeance or punishment on evil doers and specially on wicked judges, vs. 16, 20. He cries to the Lord God, the Judge of the earth, to punish these people, vs. 1-3. He prays in this way because of their proud speaking, v. 4. They try to destroy God’s people, v. 5, and specially the helpless, v. 6. They think that God will not know, v. 7.
Before God pours out His vengeance, the Holy Spirit gives some instruction to these people, vs. 8-11. How foolish to think that the One who created the ear and the eye would not Himself know everything! He punishes the nations and He will punish the wicked judges of Israel, v. 10. God knows everything including the thoughts of men, v. 11.
At first God punishes men a little so that they will learn their lessons. This chastening can be a real blessing, v. 12, specially for the people of God, v. 13. The wicked will go down into the pit, but the Lord will not leave His own people, vs. 14, 15. This truth is found in Proverbs 3:11, 12 and Hebrews 12. 5-11. The Father will not put His children out of His family for sin, but He will surely chasten them. God also speaks to the unsaved and gives them a little trouble to warn them to turn to Him, Job 33:14-30.
In the last part of the psalm we have the writer’s confidence that the Lord would save him. If the Lord had not helped him, these wicked men would have put him to death, vs. 16-18. He remembered these things and got comfort in his heart, v. 19. These wicked rulers cannot join with God. Those who are on God’s side should be separate from evil men. This is clearly seen in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. These wicked judges did not act with God, v. 20, nor judge righteously, v. 21. The Lord would surely protect His servant and judge the wicked judges, vs. 22, 23.
We have seen in Psalm 82 Asaph warning the wicked judges. We are told to pray for those who are in authority over us, 1 Timothy 2:2. We also look forward to the time when the Lord Jesus Christ will reign righteously in this world.
Psalm 95
There are seven psalms in this part of the fourth book which tell us that the Lord rules: 93:1; 95:3; 96:10; 97:1; 98:6, 9; 99:1. Some call upon us to sing His praise: 95:1; 96:1; 98:1; 100:1.
In the New Testament we learn that David wrote this psalm, Hebrews 4:7. In the first part he calls upon the people to rejoice and worship the Lord. In the second part the Lord warns them not to turn away from Him.
David exhorts the people to come and sing thanksgiving to Jehovah, vs. 1, 2. They should do this because Jehovah was the great God and King, v. 3. The world is His, v. 4, because He made it, v. 5. Then the call is to worship the Lord our Maker, v. 6, and Shepherd, v. 7.
God loves to have the praise and worship of His people, John 4:23, and the first part of this psalm as all Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. But God knew that the heart of man is very changeable and so brings in a warning not to turn from Him. He asks them to listen to His voice and not to harden their hearts. The people of Israel did not believe that God would look after them. When they had no water, they complained and put God to the test at Massah and Meribah, Exodus 17:1-7. Many times they showed that they did not really believe in God. When they came near the land of promise, they did not believe that God would give it to them and turned back. God made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until all the grown up men had died, Numbers 14:20-23.
This is also a very strong warning to us as Christians. We can be joyful, we can worship the Lord as our Creator and Shepherd. Some have done these things and then turned away to sin again, Hebrews 3. 7-4:7. God is still grieved when people do not believe in Him.
Psalm 96
In 1 Chronicles 16, verses 7 and 23 to 33 we see that David knew Psalm 96. In it the writer calls upon the nations to praise the Lord.
In the first part, verses 1-6, he tells them to sing anew song to Jehovah, v. 1, Isaiah 42:10, and to show His salvation to others, vs. 2, 3. They should do this because Jehovah is greater than any god, v. 4, Psalm 95. 3. These gods are only idols, but the Lord is the Creator, v. 5. All glory is His, v. 6.
In the second part of the psalm the writer calls on the peoples of the world to give glory to Jehovah. They should bring an offering to the temple and worship the Lord, vs. 7-9. They should also tell other people around them that Jehovah reigns and will judge righteously, v. 10. More, He is coming to this world, vs. 11-13. All nature will rejoice and the Lord will judge the world in truth. Only those who do not want the truth will be sorry when He comes. This is another reason why we should tell men the truth about God. If they know the truth and believe in the Lord they will be glad to hear about His coming again.
Psalm 97
In this psalm also we see Jehovah reigning and the nations called to rejoice in Him, v. 1. He rules in righteousness, v. 2, and all His power is seen in nature, vs. 3-5.
The heavens declare His righteousness, v. 6 (and His glory in 19:1). In Psalm 96. 5 we see that the gods of the nations are idols. In 97:7 those who worship these idols are put to shame. In fact all these gods must bow down before the Lord. The last part of verse 7 is used by the Holy Spirit to show that Christ is the Son of God and greater than any creature worshipped by man, Hebrews 1:6. Angels are spirits. Those spirits who do not obey are called demons and these are the gods of the nations, 1 Corinthians 10:20. All angels, spirits, demons and all creatures will bow before the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians 2:10, 11. Our Saviour is none other than God Himself, Titus 1:3, 4.
The people of God are glad because Jehovah is above all others, vs. 8, 9. The Lord loves and cares for His own. He gives life and light and joy to them, vs. 10-12.
This psalm looks forward to the time when the Lord Jesus Christ will reign in this world, and all nations will be blessed in Him. How much more we who know Him now as our Saviour!
Psalm 98
In this psalm Israel is again called on to sing a new song to Jehovah. They should do this because He has gained the victory, v. 1, and made known His salvation, v. 2, and remembered His love, v. 3. This is specially for Israel, but the nations have seen it, even those who live far away at the ends of the earth.
The whole earth should make a joyful noise to Jehovah, with the voice, v. 4, and with musical instruments, vs. 5, 6.
Even nature will be glad: the sea, the world, the hills, when the Lord comes to rule and judge, vs. 7-9. The Lord should be praised because of His victory, v. 2, because He is King, v. 6, and Judge, v. 9. When the Lord comes, all nature will be blessed, but only man has a spirit and can really praise God. As Christians we know the grace of God more than Israel in the past or in the future. We should count our many blessings and praise Him for what He is and for what He has done.
Psalm 99
This psalm is another call to praise because the Lord reigns. The ark of Jehovah was a box made of wood and metal. On top of it was the form of two angels called cherubim. The ark is a picture of the throne of God, v. 1, Psalm 80:1. Jehovah is great, holy and righteous, vs. 2-4. All the people of the world should worship before Him, v. 5.
In the past He answered the prayers of Moses, Aaron and Samuel, v. 6. He revealed His will to His people, v. 7. He forgave their sin, v. 8, but punished them if they did wrong. Verse 9 is a refrain, much the same as verse 5. Today we often sing a refrain after each verse of a song. We should praise the Lord for His goodness, but also remember His holiness. We should love Him and fear Him.
Psalm 100
This little psalm also tells us to praise the Lord. In verse 1 the writer calls upon the people of all lands. It is God’s will that all peoples should know Him and praise Him, Psalm 96:7; 97:1; 98:4. They can serve Him and come near Him, v. 2. They should know that Jehovah is God their Creator, but He only calls true believers His people and His sheep, v. 3. Only Israel could enter into the courts of the temple, v. 4. Yet the way was open for any believer to join the people of Israel. The temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations, Isaiah 56:6, 7.
God does not ask us to worship Him without good reason and the last verse of the psalm tells us of His goodness, love and faithfulness or truth. We have seen reasons for praising God in Psalm 95:3, 7; 96:4, 13; 98:1, 9; 99:9. Also read Revelation4:11; 5:9, 10; 19:1-6. Our worship to God should be according to knowledge. We should always offer up a sacrifice of praise to God with our lips, Hebrews 13:15.
Psalm 101
It seems that David wrote this psalm when he first became king of Israel. He states the rules which as king he wants to follow. The first thing is to praise Jehovah, v. 1. The second is to walk in the right way and for this he needs the help of the Lord, v. 2. In his own life he will be very careful and he will not allow wicked men to be near him, vs. 3-5. He will help those who are faithful and only such will work for him, v. 6. He does not want in his house people who tell lies, v. 7. As king he will take away all wicked men from the land of Israel and from the city of Jerusalem, v. 8.
These are good rules for a king, but David failed to carry them out. He fell into sin himself and did not righteously judge his own sons Amnon and Absalom, nor the head of his army Joab. The first and only completely righteous King of this world will be the Lord Jesus Christ and we look forward to His kingdom. Most of us are not kings, but we all give an example to people who live with us and near us. Let us be sure that we give them a good example.
Psalm 102
This is another prayer of a man in trouble who turned to the Lord for comfort. His prayer is addressed to Jehovah in the day of trouble, vs. 1, 2. He is sick and feels that he does not have long to live, vs. 3, 11. He does not eat his food and his body is thin, vs. 4, 5. He cannot sleep and feels very much alone like a bird in the wilderness, vs. 6, 7. His enemies laugh at him, but he takes his trouble as from God, vs. 8-10.
As he thinks about the Lord he takes comfort. His own life may be very short, but Jehovah will continue forever, v. 12. More still, the Lord will rise up when the time comes and have pity on Jerusalem, a city which His servants love, vs. 13, 14. When He comes, the nations will fear, vs. 15, 16; and God will remember the poor, v. 17. When the Lord looks down from heaven to deliver His people, it should be written in a book so that men in the future will praise the Lord, vs. 18-22.
In the last part of the psalm the writer speaks of his own short life, vs. 23, 24. Even the heavens and the earth will pass away. Jehovah made them and when their work is finished, He will change them, vs. 25, 26, 2 Peter 3:10-13. Jehovah is always the same, v. 27. Before He created the world and after it is passed away, He can say “I AM”. With this comfort His people can dwell in safety, v. 28.
The Holy Spirit used verses 25-27 to prove that Christ is the eternal Son of God, Hebrews 1:10-12. We should never let any man try to teach us that Christ is only a Man or that He was created by God. Our Saviour is God Himself. This is our comfort when we are sick or when our enemies laugh at us. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever,” Hebrews 13:8.
Psalm 103
This psalm of David has no prayer but is wholly a psalm of praise to Jehovah. The first two verses give us the key which will open the door so we can understand this psalm. David calls on his own soul to bless the Lord and not to forget all His benefits. Some of these benefits are given in verses 3 to 5. God forgave his sins and healed him when he was sick, v. 3. He saved his life and satisfied him with good things, vs. 4, 5.
In the next part of the psalm, vs. 6-18, David describes the character of Jehovah. He is righteous, v. 6. He reveals Himself, specially to Israel, v. 7. The Lord reveals Himself as a God of mercy, v. 8, as He had done to Moses, Exodus 34:6, 7. He does not quickly become angry with His people. When He does, He will not remain angry forever, vs. 8, 9. Even when they sin, He is still a God of love, vs. 10, 11, Psalm 57:10. He removes the sin of His people far from them, v. 12. He remembers our weakness, vs. 13, 14. He knows that our time on earth is short, vs. 15, 16. His love for those who fear Him and obey Him will never come to an end, vs. 17, 18.
So the Lord shows great mercy to men. He also has great power and rules over all, v. 19. No wonder David called on angels to praise Jehovah, vs. 20, 21. All His works will praise Him and David wants to do the same, v. 22.
As you read this psalm again, notice in verse 3 God forgives his sins before healing his sickness. Sometimes God speaks to men through sickness, Job 33:19-30. If we confess our sins He will first forgive us, then perhaps heal our bodies. This is what the Lord Jesus did in Matthew 9:2, 6. Also read James 5:15, 16.
This psalm tells us that the Lord in His mercy will remove our sins as far as the east is from the west, v. 12. No one can measure how far that is. In Micah 7:19 we read that God will cast our sins into the deep sea. In the new covenant the Lord will not remember sin any more, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:10-12. In the New Testament we see very clearly that God can forgive sin only because Christ paid the price. We ought to praise the Lord more than David could.
Psalm 104
In Psalm 103 we are called upon to praise God our Redeemer. In Psalm 104 He is seen as Creator. The great Lord is clothed with honour, v. 1, and light, v. 2. He created heaven to live in and angels to serve Him, vs. 3, 4, Hebrews 1:7.
God’s power was seen in creating the world, v. 5. At first it seems that the earth was covered all over with the waters of the sea, v. 6. God raised the mountains and gathered the water together, Genesis 1:9. After the flood He promised that the waters of the sea would never again cover the whole earth, Genesis 9:11, Psalm 104. 5-9.
God also controls nature so that His creatures can live in this world, vs. 10-18. He commanded the earth to bring forth plants and fruit trees, Genesis 1:11, 12. These were for food for birds, animals and man, Genesis 1:20-27. In this psalm He gives water for birds and animals, vs. 10-13. He thinks of food for man and animals, vs. 14, 15, and a home for birds and animals, vs. 16-18. God also controls the sun and moon, vs. 19-23, for the benefit of man and animals.
God’s wisdom is also seen in nature. Both earth and sea are full of creatures small and large created by the Lord, vs. 24-26. The great God supplies food for all His creatures, vs. 27, 28. Life and death are in His hand, vs. 29, 30.
The last part of the psalm tells of the glory of the Lord which will last forever. The Lord is pleased with His work, v. 31, Genesis 1:31. The Creator is still in control, v. 32. The psalmist promises to praise God as long as he lives, vs. 33, 34. He looks forward to the time when there will be no more sin in the earth, v. 35.
The study of nature should lead the believer to give glory to the Creator. All men should be thankful to God for supplying their daily food. Like the psalmist we should call upon all that is within us to praise the Lord. The last words in verse 35 are found many times in the book of Psalms, especially the last part of the book.
Psalm 105
Here the Holy Spirit calls on the people to give thanks to Jehovah because of all that He has done for Israel. The first part, verses 1-4, is a call to praise: to sing God’s praise and tell others about Him, vs. 1, 2; to rejoice and seek the Lord, vs. 3, 4.
Most of the psalm is a call to remember what the Lord has done. God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that He would give their children the land of Canaan, vs. 5-11. As a family they were only few in number and strangers in the land, yet God looked after them, vs. 12-15. When the time came, He kept back the rain so that there was great hunger in the land of Canaan and the land of Egypt. Joseph was a servant and a prisoner, vs. 18, 19, but God made him the ruler of the people, vs. 20-22.
His father Israel came to Egypt and the family grew larger, vs. 23, 24. When the Egyptians hated God’s people, He sent Moses and Aaron to deliver them, vs. 25-27. In Exodus 7-12 we read of ten plagues or blows which the Lord sent on Egypt before they were willing to let His people go. Some of these are given in Psalm 78:43-51. Here eight of the ten are referred to, but in a different order. The ninth plague, darkness, is here given first, and the fifth and the sixth plague are not found in this psalm. Finally the Lord destroyed the oldest son in every home, v. 36. The Egyptians were glad to see Israel go and gave them money for all the work they had done for many years without pay. In the wilderness God gave the people a cloud of fire to keep and guide them. He also gave them food and water, vs. 39-41.
Why did God do all this for Israel? The purpose is found in the last part of the psalm, vs. 43-45. He gave them the land of Canaan so that they would keep His laws and praise the Lord. This is for us also. The grace of God has appeared to save us and to teach us to live godly lives in this world and to wait for the appearing of Christ, Titus 2:11-14. He gave Himself to save us from sin so that we would be pure, a people who bring Him pleasure and do good to others.
Psalm 106
This psalm tells again the history of Israel, but brings in the nation’s sins. The first part is a call to the people to praise Jehovah, vs. 1, 2. No one could tell out all of the Lord’s praise, but there is a blessing for those who practice righteousness, v. 3. The writer prays for the Lord’s favour, vs. 4, 5.
The main part of the psalm, vs. 6-46, tells of some of God’s dealings with His people when they fell into sin. The writer does not say that he and the people with him are any better than their fathers of old, v. 6. Though the fathers had seen God’s great miracles in Egypt, they soon rebelled at the Red Sea. Still God saved them for His own sake. He led them through on dry land and destroyed the Egyptians, vs. 7-11, Exodus 14. Then they sang a song of praise, v. 12, Exodus 15.
They soon forgot this. They put God to the test by demanding meat to eat. God gave them wild birds to eat, but punished them for their sin, vs. 13-15, Exodus 16, Numbers 11.
Then some of them became jealous of Moses and Aaron. Dathan and Abiram fell into the earth and 250 men who followed them were destroyed with fire, Numbers 16. God gave the Law to Moses and the people promised to obey. Just a few days later they broke the first and second commands by worshipping an image, Exodus 24:3; 32:8. This sin is described in our psalm, vs. 19-22, and their punishment in verse 23. Moses prayed that God would not destroy them, Exodus 32:9-14. When they reached the edge of the promised land, they refused to enter. God said they would all fall in the wilderness and their children would live in strange lands, vs. 24-27, Numbers 13, 14.
Even then they did not learn the lesson. They joined with the. people of Moab, they committed sins and they worshipped the god Baal. A terrible disease broke out. Many people died. Phinehas, the son of the priest, boldly took a stand for the right and God’s anger was turned aside, vs. 28-31, Numbers 25.
Another time they made God angry at Meribah. Even Moses said what was wrong, vs. 32, 33, Numbers 20.
When they did get into the land, they mixed with the people of the land. They served idols and put their own children to death, vs. 34-39. The people of the land were very wicked and God had commanded Israel to destroy them. Instead of that Israel followed the evil practices of the nations. God had to punish Israel, vs. 40-43. In the book of Judges we read seven times that they cried to God in their trouble. Each time the Lord raised up a saviour and gave them the victory. Soon they fell into sin and had to be punished again.
The last two verses of the psalm, like the first part, give us prayer, v. 47, and praise, v. 48. The last verse of the psalm marks the end of the fourth book.
What a sad history of Israel! Again and again the Lord delivered them, but they never seemed to learn the lesson. Are we any better? We have the whole Bible and all the lessons in it. Yet we forget many times the law of the Lord and fail to obey Him. Through the whole Bible we learn of man’s failure without Christ. The Lord taught us that apart from Him we can do nothing, John 15:5. Like Paul we can do all things in the strength of the Lord, Philippians 4:13.