Psalms 97:1

Psalms 97:1 says, The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.  This psalm says much the same as the last one, and that is that God reigns.  Since God reigns, and reigns in particular over those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, we are to rejoice.  Verse two adds, Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.  Though the world without about God may be full of darkness, righteousness and judgment come through God and a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse three states, A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.  Though we may not see it, a fire does await those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ.  Verse four adds, His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.  God's power is compared to lightning, there for all the world to see.  I don't believe that anyone can honestly deny the evidence of the existence and power of God, though many, many claim to.  Verse five continues,  The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.  God has the power to melt the hills, or the whole earth for that matter, with His word.  We either accept that or reject it.  Verse six declares, The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.  Even the heavens declare the righteousness of God and show His glory to all the world.  Verse seven adds, Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.  When Jesus Christ returns in glory, all those who put their faith in idols will be confounded, so there is a call by David for everyone to put their faith in Jesus Christ and to worship Him alone.  We cannot worship Jesus Christ and still worship any idol.  Verse eight says, Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD.  Those who are truly God's people hear and rejoice because of God's judgments, which bring them into an everlasting relationship with God as a part of His kingdom.  Verse nine adds, For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.  We, like the people then, worship God because He is above everything else.  Verse ten states, Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.  We who love God, His people through our faith in Jesus Christ, are called on to hate evil because God has preserved our souls.  We should have no fear of the evil of the world, because as followers of Christ we have everlasting victory.  Verse eleven adds, Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.  The Light of God shines for those who are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.  As Christians, we are made upright in our heart and should live in gladness.  Verse twelve continues, Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.  We, those who are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ, which is the only way to be made righteous,  need to give thanks to God in remembrance of what He has done for us.  We have everlasting life through our relationship with Jesus Christ, and for this we should daily rejoice. 

Psalms 96:1

Psalms 96:1 says, O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.  David calls on the people of Israel especially, and all the people of the earth in general, to worship God with a new song.  We as Christians need to worship God with songs today.  Verse two adds, Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.  Not only were they to sing unto God, but they were to show His salvation to those around them everyday.  Today, as followers of Christ, it is our responsibility to share the gospel with those around us, not just on Sunday in church, but everyday wherever we are.  Verse three continues, Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.  Like the people of Israel, we are to declare the glory of God to the heathen, those who do not believe in Him.  Verse four declares, For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.  We are to share the gospel because of the greatness and goodness of God.  He is to be praised and feared above all gods.  Verse five adds, For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.  As David stated then, so it is today, that all other gods are idols, and God alone is the Creator of everything.  Verse six continues, Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.  We need to acknowledge the honor and majesty of God and to live protected by His strength.  Verse seven states, Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.  David called on all people of the earth to give God glory and acknowledge His power.  We as Christians are called to do the same thing today.  Verse eight adds, Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.  God is still and always will be due our giving Him all the glory and worshipping Him with our tithes and offerings.  Verse nine continues, O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. As David said then, we are to worship God for the beauty of His holiness.  Verse ten says, Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.  David called on the people of Israel to tell the world that God reigns and that His world will not be moved by them and also, that He will judge the world righteously.  God is still in control, and we will one day be judged by His righteousness, and the only way to avoid being condemned is to accept Jesus Christ as one's Savior and Lord.  Verse eleven adds, Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.  David calls on the whole of creation to rejoice at the righteousness of God.  Verse twelve continues, Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice.  This is a continuation of the call for all of God's creation to worship Him, and one day everyone will acknowledge the righteous of God, but for too many it will be too late.  Verse thirteen concludes, Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.  As David stated, one day God is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and truth.  The only way we can be found not guilty is by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. 

Psalms 95: 1

Psalms 95:1 says, O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.  As the psalmist called on the people of Israel to do then, to sing and make a joyful noise to the rock of their salvation, so should we as followers of Christ do today.  Verse two adds, Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.  As the people of Israel were asked to do then, we today as Christians should come into God's presence with thanksgiving, because He is the only One Who can provide us with salvation.  We do not worship Him for material reasons, but for spiritual ones.  Verse three declares, For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  This always has been and always will be true.  God is above all else, even the things that we might attempt to make a god in our life.  Verse four adds, In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.  God is the God of everything and every place.  Verse five continues, The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.  As stated already, everything belongs to God, both the sea and the land of the world, and everything else in the universe itself.  Verse six states, O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.  We as followers of Christ must humble ourselves before God and worship Him alone.  Verse seven adds, For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.  If we will hear his voice, even though to be a sheep is today used as a term of derision, we are called on to be the sheep of God.  Like sheep with a shepherd, we are to be obedient to His voice and dependant on Him to guide us and keep us safe.  Verse eight says, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:  The people of Isreal were called on to not harden their hearts against God, and if we are Christians then we should never harden our hearts to the will of God, as the people of Israel did in the wilderness, and we should call on the lost of the world to not do so.  Verse nine adds, When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.  When the people of Israel refused to follow God's will and tempted Him, He proved that He was God by His work.  Today, even though we can see the work of God throughout the universe, we see His redemptive power through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  Verse ten continues, Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:  God was grieved by the people of Israel, whom He had delivered from Egypt, and for forty years in the wilderness as a generation who didn't put their faith in God they were never allowed into the promised land.  It is not enough to claim to be a part of God's kingdom without putting our faith totally in Him, beginning by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse eleven concludes, Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.  God did not let the people of Israel who did not truly believe in Him into the promised land.  Likewise, He will not let anyone into the kingdom of heaven if they do not truly put their faith in Jesus Christ. 

Psalms 94:12

Psalms 94:12 says, Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;  The psalmist says that we are blessed if God does chastise us to teach us His law.  Still, we seldom feel blessed if God does chastise us.  Verse thirteen adds, That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.  Adversity sent from God to teach His people His law results in rest in the end, and avoids the pit dug for the wicked.  Verse fourteen states, For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.  The psalmist says that God will not cast off His people nor forget their inheritance.  Verse fifteen adds, But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.  Even if the people of Israel were suffering at this time, and much of the suffering coming from their enemies, the righteous would be restored in God's time.  It may seem that the world is defeating us today as followers of Christ, but we will be victorious in the end.  Verse sixteen asks, Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?  This is the question that God asks today, and as Christians we must answer we will stand for Him.  Verse seventeen adds, Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.  The psalmist said he had almost remained silent instead of speaking up for the LORD, but the LORD was his help, and He is ours today.  Verse eighteen continues, When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.  The psalmist said when he slipped in his walk for God, then God held him up.  If we begin to falter in our faith, God stands ready to hold us up.  Verse nineteen declares, In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.  The psalmist said that in the multitude of thoughts about what was going on in the world that thoughts of God brought Him comfort.  This should be true for us today as followers of Christ.  Verse twenty asks, Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?  Those who live in iniquity, even if they are in positions of power, will never have fellowship with God.  Verse twenty-one adds, They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.  Those in power often seem to gather together against the righteous, or those who have put their faith in God.  Verse twenty-two states, But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.  As Christians,  God is our defence and our Rock of refuge today.  The world will never defeat us in the end as long a we remain faithful to God.  Verse twenty-three adds, And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.  When Christ returns and God's judgment comes, those who have refused to acknowledge their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will be cut off from God forever. 

Psalms 94:1

Psalms 94:1 says, O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.  The people of Israel were being oppressed, and they appealed to God as the only One to whom vengeance belongs.  Even if we are wronged in the world, we are not to act out of vengeance.  Verse two adds, Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.  Of course, God never has to lift Himself up, as He is always above His creation.  Verse three states, LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?  We today are not the first to feel as though the wicked seem to be triumphing, though they really aren't.  Verse four adds, How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?  Again, it may seem that this is the situation again today, when the wicked seem to boast about themselves.  Verse five continues,  They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage.  There is a movement today throughout the world it seems, as there was then, to deny the authority of God and to tear down His traditions, which are built on His laws.  Verse six concludes, They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.  The weaker have always been exploited by the stronger, and this is still true today.  We as followers of Christ must do everything we can to help them instead.  Verse seven declares, Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.  The psalmist said that those who were treating others unfairly claimed that God would never react against those who deny His authority.  Verse eight adds, Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?  The question was asked then and still applies today as to when the brutish and the fools would become wise, which can only happen through acknowledging God.  Verse nine asks, He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?  The answer to the question of whether or not the God Who created everything would hear and see what was going on in the world, and the answer is yes.  God is not a distant and uninvolved God, but He is active in the world today.  Verse ten continues, He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?  God does stand ready to correct people and teach them real knowledge, which comes by first accepting the knowledge that salvation is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse eleven states, The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.  The thoughts of people, those that are not founded on faith in God, are indeed vanity, or worth nothing. 

Psalms 93:1

Psalms 93:1 says, The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.  The psalmist tells us that God is clothed in majesty and strength.  No matter how majestically and powerfully the rulers of the world may be clothed today, they pale in comparison to God.  Verse two adds, Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.  God's throne, unlike the thrones of people, is of old, or from before the beginning of time and it is everlasting, just as God Himself is.  No matter how long a person may reign in the world, their reign has a beginning and will have an end if it hasn't already.  Verse three states, The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.  Matthew Henry says this is a reference to the opposition that is thrown at the church.  The heathen, or those who do not believe in God or reject His power, may rage against God and us as followers of Christ, but they will never be victorious.  Verse four adds, The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.  As just stated, God will always be victorious, as will those who put their faith in Jesus Christ spiritually.  We may be defeated physically, but as long as we live by faith in Jesus Christ we will never be defeated spiritually.  Through faith in Christ, we have everlasting life with Him, and this is assured by God Himself.  Verse five declares, Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.  We can be certain of God's victory over all the evil in the world because what He says is always true.  Of course, we have to first accept the fact that He is indeed God and come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ to believe and understand this.  Whether we do or not though does not change the fact that it is true. 

Psalms 92:1

Psalms 92:1 says, A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.  This is called a psalm or song for the Sabbath day, then verse one says, It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:  As then, today it is good to give thanks and sing praises to God, Who is the Most High.  Verse two adds, To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,  The people of Israel were called on to worship God day and night, or at all times, and so should we.  Verse three continues, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.  Once more, they were instructed to use musical instruments in worship, so we should not believe that it is wrong to do so today.  Verse four declares, For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.  As Christians, we should be glad at the work of God Who triumphed over sin and death through the works of His hands, which was sending His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place.  Verse five adds, O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.  God's works are indeed very great and His thoughts very deep.  We can never really understand the thoughts of God, but fortunately we don't have to.  All we have to understand is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and if we accept Him as our Savior and Lord, that is all that really matters.  Verse six says, A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.  Those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ are the brutish or stubborn ones, and are also fools because they have denied God.  Verse seven adds, When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:  Though the wicked may flourish in this lifetime, it is still their fate to be doomed forever, separated from God and His love.  Verse eight declares, But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.  God is the Most High forevermore.  We either believe this or we have not truly come to accept God as our heavenly Father.  Verse nine adds, For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.  If we have not accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, then we are enemies of God and workers of iniquity.  Verse ten says, But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.  Those who do put their faith faith in God will be anointed with fresh oil.  Verse eleven adds, Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.  I believe this is saying that we as followers of Christ will see those who are our spiritual enemies destroyed one day, but I don't believe it should be our desire.  Verse twelve states, The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  As Christians, made righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, we should flourish spiritually.  Verse thirteen adds, Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.  If we would flourish in life spiritually, then we must be planted in the house of God.  Verse fourteen continues, They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;  As the psalmist stated, we as followers of Christ should still be bringing forth fruit for God, even in our old age.  Verse fifteen concludes, To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.  We worship God because He is upright and there is no unrighteousness in Him.