Psalms 25:1

Psalms 25:1 says, A Psalm of David. After identifying this as a psalm of David, verse one says, Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. David said he lifted up, or gave, his soul to God, and so must we.  We must give everything that we are, have, or ever hope to be, to God.  Verse two adds, O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.  David asked that he not be ashamed of trusting in God, and also that because of his trust in God that his enemies not be allowed to triumph over him.  As long as we trust in God, whatever happens in this lifetime, we will be successful over our enemies by God's power and strength.  Verse three continues, Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.  David asked that no one who trusted in God be ashamed, and also that those who sin without cause to be ashamed.   We certainly should never apologize for or attempt to hide the fact that we are followers of Christ.  Unfortunately, most of these who openly sin against God are not ashamed of the fact, and instead often openly brag about it, but we still need to be in prayer for them.  Verse four declares, Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.  David asked God to guide his life by showing him God's ways and teaching him God's path.  We need to be in constant communication with God, studying His word, and then He will guide our life to where we need to be.  Verse five adds, Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.  David continues to ask God for His guidance and says that He is the God of his salvation.  David wanted to live by the truth of God.  As Christians, God is the God of our salvation, and we must live by the truth of His word and by His guidance. This is a continual thing, and not just an occasional one.  Verse six asks, Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.  David asked God to remember him in His tender mercies, which had always been present.  From the beginning of creation,  God has always been a merciful God, but He does expect people to reach out to Him in faith.  Verse seven states, Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.  David asked God to not remember the sins of his youth nor his transgressions according to God's goodness and for God's glory.   When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, all our sins are forgiven and forgotten, and we need to give God the glory for it.  Verse eight declares, Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.  David declared God to be good and upright and said that He would teach sinners His way.  We are all sinners, and in order to be taught the ways of God we must first put our faith in Jesus Christ.  Then, God will teach us His ways.  Verse nine adds, The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.  David said the meek, those not full of self pride, would be guided by God's judgment and taught His ways.  We cannot come to God in pride and arrogance, but must come humbly to Him.  Verse ten adds, All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.  David said all of God's paths were full of mercy and truth for those who kept His covenants.  We as followers of Christ are called on to follow God in a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.  We are still to keep God's laws, even though we are saved by Christ.  Salvation does not exempt us from following the laws of God.

Psalms 24:1

 Psalms 24:1says, A Psalm of David.  After being identified as a psalm of David, verse one says, The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.  David said that the earth and everything in it, including the people, were God's.  God is the Creator of all things, and therefore everything is His.  He could have created mankind without a choice as to whether or not to follow Him, but He gave them free will as to whether or not they would.  God then provided a way of salvation after mankind sinned, but still still gave them free will as to whether or not to accept His salvation plan.  Verse two adds, For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.  David continues to speak about God as the Creator of the earth, as He set the land upon the seas.  Verse three asks, Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?  David asked who could go up to God by their own ability.  We can only reach God because He calls us and allows us to come into His presence.  Verse four answers, He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.  David lists a few things required before a person can enter into God's presence,  such as clean hands, a pure heart, and being one who has not lifted up his soul in vanity or sworn deceitfully.  Still, we know that no one can meet all these requirements all the time,, which is why the only ones who can come into God's presence are those who come by faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse five adds, He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.  Those who come to God with the penalty of sin removed from their lives through the righteousness of Christ will receive a blessing from God.  Verse six continues, This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.  David said that those around him were a generation that sought God's face.  We must be a generation that seeks God's face or will, because each generation must do so.  Verse seven declares, Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  David said that if we opened our hearts to Jesus Christ that He, the everlasting King of glory would come in.  It is always the choice of each individual whether or not to accept Jesus Christ as his or her Savior and Lord.  Verse eight asks, Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.  David asked who the King of glory was, and answered that it was the Almighty God, the only true God.  If we are to be followers of Christ, we must acknowledge that God is the only true God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  Verse nine says, Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  Again,  David tells us if we will open our hearts to Jesus that He will come in.  God does not force Himself into anyone's life, even though He could.  It is the choice of each individual whether or not to invite God into his or her heart.  Verse ten declares, Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.  Once more, David asked Who the King of glory was and answered the LORD of hosts, the Creator God.  There has always been and always will be only one true God. 

Psalms 23:1

Psalms 23:1 says, After being identified as a psalm of David, verse one says, The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  David said that since the LORD was his shepherd that he would not want for anything.  This meant that David had a personal relationship with the LORD, and that He would supply all of David's needs.  If we are followers of Christ, we need to have that same faith.  Verse two adds, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  Since David said the LORD was his shepherd, he used an analogy that would have made a sheep content.  David said that the LORD made him lie down in green pastures, and not in some grand palace, and that He lead him by still waters.  These were what sheep needed for food and drink.  We today should be content when God provides us with what we need in life, and not be disappointed if He doesn't provide us with what we want.  Verse three declares, He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.   David said the LORD, or God, restored his soul.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, our soul is restored.  David also said God led him in the paths of righteousness for God's name sake.  When we follow the path of righteousness, it reflects glory on the name of God.  Verse four adds, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  David said that even if he was in the valley of the shadow of death that he would fear no evil around him.  We hear a lot about the evil in the world today, but if we are Christians we should not be afraid of it.  David said that the reason he feared no evil was because God's rod and staff protected him.  This was another Shepherd analogy, and David didn't say it was because of his great abilities or weapons, but because God protected him that he was unafraid in bad situations.  We need to put our faith in God's protection, and not in our own strength or any weapon that we might have.  Verse five states, Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  David said that God prepared a table for him in the presence of his enemies.  David didn't say that God removed him from his enemies, but the He provided for David's needs in their presence.  He also said that God anointed his head with oil and that his cup ran over.  God went above just meeting David's needs when he was in the presence of his enemies, but He blessed David with an abundance of what was expected at a meal.  God's blessings will always meet our needs, but they will also show His abundant love and grace for us.  Verse six concludes. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.  Since David was often under attack, it was God's goodness and mercy that gave him peace and security.   If we feel that we are under attack in the world today, we as followers of Christ should still acknowledge that God's goodness and mercy will be with us all the days of our lives.  David said that he would live in the house of the LORD forever, and as Christians, we know the we have everlasting life with God through our faith in Jesus Christ.  This is one of David's best known psalms, and in it he basically declared himself to be a sheep in God's pasture, and yet we today look down on those that are called sheep. I believe that we sometimes want to think more highly of ourselves than what God calls us to be.

Psalms 22:22

 Psalms 22:22 says, I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.  David said he would declare God's name to his brethren.  We need to do that as well, but even more so we need to proclaim God's word to everyone we meet.  Verse twenty-three adds, Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.  David then called on people who believed in God to praise Him, especially the people of Israel, God's chosen people.  Like them,we need to have an awesome respect for God.  I don't believe we are to be afraid of God as followers of Christ, but we are to recognize His complete power in the universe.  Verse twenty-four continues, For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.  David said that God had not despised nor abhorred the afflicted, nor had He hidden His face from them, and when they cried out to Him, He heard them.  We can never be so bad that God will turn away from us, and if we call out to Him in faith He will always hear us.  Verse twenty-five states, My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.  David said that he would declare his praise of God to the people and that he would keep his vows to Him.  It is not enough to just praise God without keeping our vows to Him.  Verse twenty-six adds, The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.  David said the meek would eat and be satisfied.  I believe that as followers of Christ we are to be meek and humble people and not loud and bragging on our own abilities.  If we humbly put our faith in God, then we can eat and sleep in peace.  Verse twenty-seven declares, All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.  David said that people throughout the world, and not just the people of Israel, would turn to God and worship Him.  God is worshipped throughout the world by people today, but not by all the people of the world.  Verse twenty-eight adds, For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations.  David declared God to be the ruler of all nations.  Even if they don't acknowledge God's sovereignty in this lifetime, when Jesus Christ returns in judgment, every person who ever lived will acknowledge God's sovereignty.  Verse twenty-nine continues, All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.  David said that everyone would one day be held accountable, as I had stated.  We cannot keep our own soul alive, nor can we destroy it.  All we can do is choose our everlasting destination by either accepting or rejecting salvation made available through Jesus Christ.  Verse thirty says, A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.  David said there would always be a remnant that served God and that those who did would be counted as a generation to God.  As followers of Christ, we are part of that remnant.  Verse thirty-one adds, They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.  David said that the coming generations that put their faith in God would declare His righteousness to the world.  This is our responsibility as Christians today.

Psalms 22:11

Psalms 22:11 says, Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. David asked God to be close to Him, because trouble was near him.  We need to always be close to God and ask Him to always be close to us, because trouble is always near and God is the only One we can rely on to always help us.  Verse twelve adds, Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.  David said he had many very strong enemies around him.  If we feel that the evil of the world has surrounded us today, we are not the first people to feel so.  Verse thirteen continues, They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.  David felt that everyone was speaking against him, and it may seem that most people in the world today speak out against Christians, but we need never be afraid, because God is with us.  Verse fourteen states, I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.  David, the mighty warrior that he was, said he felt as weak as water.  Still, it was not his strength that he was to rely on, but God's strength.  When we feel our weakest, that is when we especially need to look to God for strength.  Verse fifteen adds, My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.  David continues to speak about how weak and helpless he felt.  If we feel weak and helpless today, we need to focus on God and not our situation.  Verse sixteen continues, For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.  This is once more a reference to Jesus Christ,  Who had His hands and feet pierced on the cross.  Matthew Henry says the first twenty-one verses are a reference to Christ, but I believe most of the verses refer to how David was feeling at the time as well.  Verse seventeen says, I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.  Again, we know that those that crucified Jesus looked on Him with contempt, so we should not be surprised if they do the same to us today if we are followers of Christ.  Verse eighteen declares, They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.  This is a definite prophesy about what happened to Jesus when He was crucified.  Verse nineteen adds, But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.   Whether this refers to Christ or David himself, it should also be our prayer.  We need God's help to be successful in our Christian walk, whether in times of trouble or times of prosperity.  Verse twenty continues, Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.  Verse twenty-one concludes, Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.  David asked God to deliver his soul from the sword.  We can rest assured that through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord that God has already delivered our soul from all adversity. 

Psalms 22:1

Psalms 22:1 says, To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.  As often is the case, we have the introduction, then verse one says, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?  David asked God why He had forsaken him, and we recognize these as the words of Christ on the cross as well.  Of course, though David was God's chosen leader for His people, he could not bring them salvation, and if he felt that God had deserted him, it was for a different reason than Jesus Christ did.  If we feel that God has deserted us today, it will never be because He has actually done so if we are followers of Christ.  Verse two adds, O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.  David said he called out to God day and night, but that God did not hear him.  Once more,we know that God will always hear His people when they call out to Him, but we may sometimes feel that He doesn't because we are calling out for our own reasons and not for God's will to be done in our life.  Verse three declares, But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.  David said that even if he felt God had forsaken him, that he still recognized the holiness of God.  We must never forget the holiness of God, even if we feel that He has somehow forgotten us.  Verse four adds, Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.  David said he knew that when the people of Israel put their faith in God in the past that He delivered them.  We have the Bible to attest to this, especially with Jesus Christ.  We also have the testimony of other Christians.  Verse five continues, They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.  David continues to speak of God's deliverance of the people of Israel in the past.  We have even more people that we can point to that God delivered when they called out to Him in faith.  Verse six states, But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.  David, though God's chosen king, said he was but a worm and despised by men. We today often don't like to think of ourselves as being so lowly, even changing the words of a hymn that said such a worm as I to sinners such a I.  Verse seven adds, All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, Verse eight continues, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.  David said people mocked him because of his situation and said that David had trusted in the LORD but that the LORD had not delivered him.  We cannot judge God's deliverance on earthly situations.  Verse nine declares, But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.  Verse ten adds, I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.  David said God was with him while he was still in the womb.  We can never deny the fact that even those in the womb are God's creation. 

Psalms 21:1

Psalms 21:1 says,To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.  Once more, after the introduction, verse one says, The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!   David was the king, so he really was saying that he would rejoice in God's strength, and so should we, no matter our status in life.  Verse two adds, Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.  David said God had given him everything he desired, not denying any request.  As long as we make our requeste in accordance with God's will, He will always grant our request, but that doesn't mean that He will give us everything we desire.  Verse three continues, For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.  David said that God had made him king.  God should always be the One Who is given the credit to for our success in this lifetime.  Verse four states, He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.  David said God gave him life forever and ever.  When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, He gives us everlasting life.  Verse five adds, His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.  David said God's glory was great because He was the One Who provided salvation.  Salvation always has and always will come from God, and we should give Him all the praise for it.  Verse six adds, For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.  David said God had made him blessed forever and exceedingly glad with God's countenance.  God's blessing is everlasting to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and we should be exceedingly glad in His presence.  Verse seven continues, For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.  David said that by God's power he would not be moved, and neither will we be if we are living by faith in Christ.  Verse eight declares, Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.  As David said, God will find out all those who are His enemies, and until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we will be enemies of God.  Verse nine adds, Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.  David spoke of the enemies of God being devoured by fire, and those who do not accept salvation through Christ will one day find themselves in the fires of hell.  Verse ten continues, Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.  Even the descendants of those who are the enemies of God, unless they come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, will be in the fires of hell as well.  Verse eleven states, For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.  David said God's enemies intended evil against Him but were unable to perform it.  There are many people today who do everything they can to discredit God, but they will never be successful in doing so.  Verse twelve adds, Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.  David said that God's enemies would attempt to turn away from His judgment, but they would be unsuccessful in doing so.  Verse thirteen concludes., Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.  David then called on people to exalt God because of His strength and power.  We serve the all-powerful God as followers of Christ, and we need to give Him all our praise.