Psalms 103:1

Psalms 103:1 aays, A Psalm of David.  This is called a psalm of David, then verse one says, Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.  Like David, as Christians we should bless God with all that is within us.  We should hold nothing back. Verse two adds, Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  David said he would bless the LORD and not forget all His benefits, but we serve God for spiritual and not material things.  Verse three continues, Who forgiveth all mine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;  As David said, God forgives all our sins, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse four states, Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;  David said God not only redeems us from destruction, but also crowns us with His lovingkindness and tender mercies.  Verse five adds, Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  David said that God renews our strength, and our faith should renew our strength, even as we get older.  Verse six declares, The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.  Once more, I don't believe that this means all who are oppressed for any reason, but all who are oppressed for their faith in God.  God's righteousness and judgment will set us free from the oppression of sin, if we will only put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seven adds, He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.  God made His ways known to Moses and the people of Israel, and His ways have not changed.  Verse eight continues, The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  God's mercy is available to all, and He is slow to anger and quick to show mercy.  Verse nine says, He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.  Though slow to anger, God will not chide us forever and keep His anger from us if we refuse His gift of salvation. Verse ten adds, He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  God doesn't deal with us based on our sins if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but otherwise one day He will.  Verse eleven continues,  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.  David said God's mercy toward those who feared, or put their faith in God, was even greater than the heavens. 

Psalms 102:13

Psalms 102:13 says, Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.  Zion was in distress, but David said God would have mercy on Zion again, when His timing was right.  We can be certain that God always has mercy on His people, even in times of distress.  Verse fourteen adds, For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.  The people of Israel still took pleasure in the house of God, even if it was reduced to stones.  There was still hope in the things of God, just as there is today even if they seem to be trampled down by the world.  Verse fifteen continues, So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.  David said that the heathen would come to fear the name of God, and when God comes in judgment if not before they certainly will, and even the most powerful people in the world will do so.  Verse sixteen declares, When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.  God would be the One to rebuild Zion. The people of God are established by His actions and kept by His power.  Verse seventeen adds, He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.  God will always hear the prayer of the destitute if they are His people.  Our earthly status does not determine our relationship with God, and even the poorest may come to Him.  Verse eighteen states, This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.  We today read of what David said and if we believe in God's word, beginning by believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will praise the Lord.  Verse nineteen adds, For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;  God has always looked down from above on the earth and always will.  Verse twenty continues, To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;  Simply being a prisoner does not save one,but being a prisoner because of our faith in God, and maybe even being sentenced to death for the same, causes God to hear our mornings.  Of course, we are all prisoners of sin and under its death sentence until we accept the salvation of Christ.  Verse twenty-one says, To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;  God will save His people so that His name will be praised.  Verse twenty-two adds, When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.  We may not be able to gather together all kingdoms to worship God, but we as Christians can certainly gather together to worship Him.  Verse twenty-three states, He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.  The people of Israel were in a weakened state in the world, but God was still the source of their strength and victory.  We may find ourselves in a weakened physical state today, but if our faith in Christ remains strong, that is all that matters.  Verse twenty-four adds, I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. David asked that God not allow him to die while he should still have a lot of years of life remaining.  Whatever age we physically die at, if we are saved by God's grace, our life is everlasting.  Verse twenty-five declares, Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.  God created the universe a long time ago, and His power will never diminish.  Verse twenty-six adds, They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:  Whether we are followers of Christ or His enemies, this is the fate of us all if Christ does not return first.  Verse twenty-seven continues, But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.  God never changes.  Verse twenty-eight concludes, The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.  God's servants, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, will live with God forever. 

Psalms 102:1

Psalms 102:1 says, A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.  This is identified as a prayer of the afflicted who are overcome by the world, then verse one says, Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.  First there is a call for God to hear the prayer, and we can be certain that as followers of Christ God always hears our prayers, especially when we pray for others who are afflicted.  Verse two adds, Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.  When we are in trouble because of our relationship to God, we can be certain that He does not hide from us and that He answers our prayers in the best way at the best time.  Verse three continues, For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.  The psalmist, whom I assume to be David, asks that God answer his prayers quickly because his life is so brief.  Our lifetime on earth may be brief, but we have everlasting life spiritually, so we have all the time in the world for God to answer our prayers as Christians.  Verse four states, My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.  When David said his heart was smitten, he didn't mean that he was in love as we often us the term, but that his heart was failing physically.  His memory also seemed to be going.  As we get older, even if we don't have other afflictions, we may find ourselves to be the same way.  Verse five adds, By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.  David said he was now groaning and basically skin and bones.  Still, the physical life is not what he or we should be focused on, but the spiritual life is.  Verse six says, I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.  David said he felt as out of place as a pelican would be in the wilderness.  As followers of Christ, we really are out of place in this world, whether we are old and afflicted or young and prosperous.  Verse seven adds, I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.  David seemed to be feeling that he was totally alone in life, and at times we may almost feel the same way in our spiritual life.  Verse eight declares, Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.  We like David may feel that our enemies, and I believe this would be those who oppose God, are against us all day long, but as long as God is for us, that is all that matters.   Verse nine adds, For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,  This is a reference to mourning, and even if life seems to be totally against us as Christians we should rejoice in the Lord instead of mourning about our situation.  Verse ten continues, Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.  David then seems to blame God for his situation, and we should never do that.  Verse eleven states, My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.  David again spoke of the shortness of his life, and no matter how long we live on this earth, our life will always be very brief from an everlasting perspective.  Verse twelve adds, But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.  As stated, God will endure forever to be remembered, or known, to all generations. 

Psalms 101:1

Psalms 101:1 says, A Psalm of David.  This is identified as a psalm of David, then verse one says, I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.  David said he would sing of the mercy and judgment of God, and if we don't accept the mercy of God by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then one day we will face the judgment of God.  Verse two adds, I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.  David said he would behave perfectly when God came to him and that he would walk with a perfect heart.  We should strive to behave perfectly when we come to God through faith in Christ and to walk with a perfect heart, but we still too often fail to do so.  We are only made perfect before God through our faith in Jesus Christ and not by our own actions.  Verse three continues, I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.  David said he would set nothing wicked before his eyes and that he hated the work of those who turned aside from God.  As followers of Christ, we should not allow anything other than God's will to become our focus, and we certainly should never turn aside from our faith.  Verse four states, A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.  David said his heart would not stray away from God and that he would not know any wicked person.  Though our heart should never stray away from God, we are called on to reach out to the wicked people of the world with the gospel.  Verse five adds, Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.  David continued to say that he would cut off all those who acted in self satisfying ways instead of following God's leadership, but he was often the same way. I don't believe that we are to claim that we are perfect and above everyone else as Christians.  We are still but sinners saved by grace.  Verse six declares, Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.  David said that he would look to the faithful of the land and that they would serve him.  We should look to other Christians for fellowship, but we should not expect them to serve us.  Verse seven adds, He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.  David said that those who dealt deceitfully would not live in his house.  We often cannot remove all deceitful people from our house or circle of friends, but we can make sure that we are not deceitful ourselves.  Verse eight continues, I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.  Though David said he would quickly destroy all the wicked of the land so that they might be cut off from the city of the LORD, this is not what we are called on to do.  We are to reach out to them with the love of God so that they might put their faith in Christ and become a part of the family of God. 

Psalms 100:1

 Psalms 100:1 says, A Psalm of praise.  This is called a psalm of praise, then verse one says, Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.  All nations were called on to make a joyful noise unto the LORD.   Matthew Henry says that the Jewish people say this psalm was written to be sung with their thanks offerings, but it has a universal call that is not a part of their belief.  It is the gospel church that reaches all nations, and we as followers of Christ are the ones who are to sing praises to Him.  Verse two adds, Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.  Serving God should bring us gladness, and we should sing His praises everywhere, because wherever we are as Christians should be His court.  Verse three states, Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  In order to sing praises to God, we must first know Who He is and who we are in relationship to Him.  He is the Creator of all things, including us, and if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are the sheep of His pasture.  Like sheep, we are to depend on God as the Good Shepherd, Who provides for our needs and protection.  We are to recognize and follow His voice.  Verse four declares, Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  We are to enter into God's presence with thanksgiving and praise.  There should never be a reason for us to be complaining to or about God and His work in our life as Christians.  Verse five adds, For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.  As followers of Christ, we are to sing praises to God because of His everlasting mercy and the fact that His truth never changes. 

Psalms 99:1

Psalms 99:1 says, The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.  Matthew Henry says this psalm was written to remind the Jewish people that they were not to forget God's laws as the awaited the coming Messiah, and we should not forget God's laws as we await the return of the Messiah.  God still reigned then and He still reigns now.  Verse two adds, The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.  As God reigned in Zion then and was high above the people, He still reigns today.  Verse three continues, Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.  The people of Israel were not to forget to praise the name of God because it was holy.  We as followers of Christ are not to forget to praise God for the same reason.  We should praise God because of Who He is and not for what He has done for us materially.   Verse four states, The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.  The people of Israel, from the king on down, were called on to execute righteousness and judgment.  We as individual Christians and as Christians collectively need to do the same thing.  Verse five adds, Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.  We today as the people of Israel then are to worship at the footstool of God.  We will never be God's equal, but are to come to Him in humility.  Verse six continues, Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.  The people of Israel were reminded that those who came before them had called on God and He had answered them.  We have the Bible, and the testimony of others, to remind us that God always hears His people and answers their prayers, even if the answer is no.  Verse seven declares, He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.  God spoke to the people of Israel in pillar of cloud, and they kept His testimonies and ordances.  God speaks to us today as followers of Christ through the Bible and the Holy Spirit, and we need to keep His ordances.  Being a Christian does not make us free to do anything and everything that we want to do.  Verse eight adds, Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.  God was and still is the God Who forgives us if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but He still will hold us accountable if we stray away from His laws.  Verse nine continues,  Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.  We should exalt God in all that we do, because the LORD our God is holy. 

Psalms 98:1

Psalms 98:1 says, A Psalm  This simply says it is a psalm, then verse one says, O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.  The people of Israel were called on to sing a new song to God because of the marvelous things He had done.  This psalm is a prophesy of the coming Messiah, and His coming is the marvelous thing that God has done that means the most.  Verse two adds, The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.  When Jesus came, He made known the salvation plan of God and showed God's righteousness openly to the heathen, which everyone is until they accept Him as their Savior and Lord.  Verse three continues, He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.  Though God made His covenant with the people of Israel, it was to call all people to Him through faith.  As Christians, we have entered into a covenant relationship with God that separates in us from the rest of the world, but part of that covenant relationship calls on us to witness to the lost people of the world.  Verse four states, Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.  The whole world is called on to make a joyful noise unto the LORD and to rejoice and sing loudly to Him.  Verse five adds, Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.  People are called on to play music and sing to the LORD.  Verse six adds, With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.  This just continues to tell the people that they are to worship God using musical instruments, and this still applies to the church today.  Verse seven declares, Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein,  There is the beginning of a call for all of  God's creation to call out to Him, from the seas and hills to all the animals that live in them.  Verse eight adds, Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together.  Though mankind is the only part of creation with an everlasting soul, when God is truly in charge, all of creation works together for our good.  Verse nine continues, Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.  God is one day coming in righteousness judgment, and the only way that we can be declared righteous is by faith in Jesus Christ.