Psalms 114:1

Psalms 114:1 says, When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;  In this psalm, David once again reflects on God's work in Israel, starting with His freeing them from Egypt.  We need to at times look back on how God has been at work in our life, beginning with how He freed us from the power of sin when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse two adds, Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.  God established the government of His people.  Even if we do not have a government that follows God's direction, His commandments and laws, we as Christians are a part of His everlasting kingdom and should follow Him in all that we do.  Verse three continues, The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.  Those around the people of Israel saw God's great work in establishing the people of Israel as His people, and were driven back by the sight of His great power.  People today may not be driven back by the sight of God's work in redeeming us, but one day they will be.  Verse four states, The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.  The mountains shook when God came down to give His law to Moses.  Verse five asks, What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?  The psalmist asked what caused the Red Sea and the Jordan to be parted.  This was not a natural occurrence, but the power of God at work.  Our salvation through our faith in Jesus Christ is not a natural occurrence, but is God's work in redeeming us if we accept His redemption.  Verse six adds, Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?  The movement of the mountains was included in the question of what caused it to happen.  It was not an earthquake, but God Who moved them.  We need to have a mountain moving faith today.   Verse seven declares, Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;  The world should tremble at the presence of God, in fear if we are not saved and in awe if we are.  Verse eight adds, Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.  We serve a God Who can get water out of a rock and Who can move mountains and divide the seas if necessary, so we need not live in fear of the powers of the world.

Psalms 113:1

Psalms 113:1 says, Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.  David called on the servants of the LORD to praise Him, and these are the people who put their faith in God.  This would be all who are followers of Christ today.  Verse two adds, Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.  God's name will be blessed forever more, whether we bless Him or not.  God's name will always be blessed because of Who He is and not because of who we are. Verse three continues, From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’s name is to be praised.  David said that we are to praise God all day long, and we should praise Him all night long as well if we are awake.  As followers of Christ, there should not be a time when we do not praise God.  Verse four states, The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.  God is more powerful than any nation, yet we sometimes fear them more than we respect Him.  Verse five asks, Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, This is a rhetorical question that is easily answered by those who are followers of Christ, and the answer is no one.  Verse five adds, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!  God humbles Himself to look down on mankind, and certainly humbled Himself to send us a Redeemer.  When people rebel and sin against God, He could simply eliminate them, but instead He chooses to redeem them, or more accurately us, since we are all guilty of sin.  Verse seven declares, He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;  We are all spiritually poor if not financially poor and need to be raised up out of the dust and the dunghill of sin.  Verse eight adds, That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.  When God lifts us up, we have a purpose, and that is to make His name blessed in our lives and the world.  Verse nine continues, He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.  God is the One Who gives life and can even bless women who have felt like they were barren with a baby.  This does not mean that He always will, but He has the power to do so. 

Psalms 112:1

Psalms 112:1 aays, Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.  David called on people to praise the LORD, and said that those who feared, or respected Him and delighted in His commandments would be blessed.  We need to do these things as Christians today.  Verse two adds, His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.  We certainly need a generation of the upright today to do mighty things for God in the world.  Verse three continues, Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.  This is not a promise of material wealth, but of blessings from God when we live by faith in Him.  Matthew Henry says that material wealth is not something we seek in our heart, or are focused on.  Verse four states, Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.  The upright are those who put their faith in God, and Jesus Christ is the light shining in the darkness.  Jesus Christ is gracious, full of compassion, and righteous, and as Christians we are called on to be like Him.  Verse five adds, A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.  David tells us that if we are good people, which we can only be by following God by faith in Jesus Christ, that we are to be helpful to those in need without calling attention to ourselves.  Verse six declares, Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.  The righteous, those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, Whom David looked forward to coming and we look back on as having come, will not be moved but will have an everlasting remembrance by God.  We are God's forever once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse seven adds, He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.  We hear many evil tidings today, but David tells us that if we have put our faith in God we need not be afraid.  Verse eight continues, His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.  Again, we should have the desire for our enemies that they come to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, but we should not be afraid of them.  God will one day judge them, and that is all that should matter.  Verse nine says, He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. We are to be generous with the poor because God is generous with us.  Verse ten adds, The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.  When the wicked see people truly living by God's guidance, they will be grieved and one day will perish. 

Psalms 111:1

Psalms 111:1 says, Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.  As the church today, this should be our goal.  Of course, the only way this can happen is if we each individually praise the Lord with our whole heart.  Verse two adds, The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.  God's work is no less great today, and we should seek His works out because they bring pleasure to us.  Verse three continues, His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.  The work of God will never be anything less than honorable and glorious, and His righteousness will endure forever.  We can only be made righteous through the work of God Who sent Jesus Christ to die in our place, and if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we will be made righteous forever.  Verse four states, He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.  As David said, God expects His glorious works to be remembered, and God does them because of His grace and compassion.  Verse five adds, He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.  God provides for His people, and will never forget His covenant with them.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we enter into a covenant relationship with God that will never be broken.  Verse six continues, He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.  God showed His works to the people of Isreal in many ways, but the final and lasting way was when Jesus Christ died on the cross, and this is the work that we must look to first to be a part of His kingdom.  Verse seven says, The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.  God does work to judge sin, which is why we must strive to keep His commandments, especially if we are followers of Christ.  Though we will not be made righteous by God's commandments, because we all fail to keep them at some point, we are not excused from keeping them.  Verse eight adds, They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.  God's commandments did not end when Jesus Christ came to die for our sins, but will last forever, and we should keep them in righteousness and truth.  Verse nine continues, He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.  Though David may have been referring to God's deliverance of the people of Isreal out of Egypt in the past, what he said applies to our deliverance from the penalty of sin by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross forever more.  God sent everlasting redemption to His people, those who accept the redemption of Christ.   Verse ten concludes, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.  The fear of God, that knowledge of Who He really is and the awe that it brings, is the beginning of wisdom and if we have a good understanding of this, we will keep His commandments.  I don't believe this means that we are to be afraid of God as followers of Christ.  We are to praise Him forever, because even with His great power, He loves us enough to provide for our salvation. 

Psalms 110::1

Psalms 110:1 says, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.  This psalm is completely about Jesus Christ.  Matthew Henry points out that Jews of old recognized this, but Jews today don't.  The LORD, God the Father, called on my LORD, Jesus Christ, David's and everyone's Messiah, to sit at His right hand.  God the Father also said that He would make the enemies of Jesus His footstool, and when Jesus Christ returns in judgment, they all will realize that this has always been true.  Verse two adds, The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.  Jesus Christ is the rod of truth sent out of Zion into the midst of His enemies.  They thought they had defeated and destroyed Him, but He only allowed them to let Him complete His task of providing salvation for all who will put their faith in Him, even those who crucified Him.  Verse three states, Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.  This applies to everyone who ever has or ever will accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  We are a part of God's everlasting kingdom, and should give all praise to God because of this.  Verse four adds, The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.  Jesus is our priest forever, and He is the One Who ever will be.  He is also said to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, who was not a priest by earthly descendent, but by Devine appointment.  Verse five declares, The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.  When Jesus Christ returns in judgment, He will strike down all of the enemies of God.  Verse six adds, He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.  Those who do not put their faith in Jesus Christ will be struck down to be sent away into everlasting punishment.  Verse seven continues, He shall drink of the brook, in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.  Matthew Henry says this brook along the way refers to when Jesus drank the bitter waters of our sins so that we might have salvation.  This stood between God and us, and Jesus removed it.  Jesus now can lift up His head in victory, and so can we if we put our faith in Him as our Savior and Lord. 

Psalms 109:21

Psalms 109:21 says, But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.  David asked God to do good to him and deliver him for God's name's sake because God's mercy was good.  As followers of Christ, we are not delivered because of our own goodness, but because of the mercy of God.  It is His name that we should praise.  Verse twenty-two adds, For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.  David may have been rich, at least at times, but he was poor and needy spiritually, as are we without Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-three continues, I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.  David, the great warrior king, said he felt that he was but a declining shadow, weaker than a locust.  He felt his end was near, and he was troubled in his spirit and mind.  If we feel that the end of our life is near as Christians, we need not be troubled in spirit or mind.  Verse twenty-four states, My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.  David just continues to speak of his physical decline.  Verse twenty-five adds, I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.  David said that instead of fearing him, he had become a reproach to people.  As we grow older, we may become ignored or looked down on by people, but if we have put our faith in God, He is still with us to give us strength.  Verse twenty-six declares, Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:  No matter how old or young, rich or poor, this can only be our request to God.  He saves us according to His mercy.  Verse twenty-seven adds, That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it.  When God saves us, or even blesses us after salvation, we need to make sure that the people around us know that it is by the hand of God that we are saved and blessed.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.  David said let the world curse him, but that he would continue to rejoice in God.  We may be cursed by the world, but as Christians we need to continue to praise God no matter what.  Verse twenty-nine says, Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.  If we are followers of Christ, one day this will be the fate of those who hate us because of our faith in Him.  Verse thirty adds, I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.  Like David, we need to greatly praise the LORD, no matter what is happening in our life.  Verse thirty-one continues, For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.  David said that God would stand at the right hand of the poor to save them from those who condemn them.  Once more, being poor does not bring one salvation, but God will save all who put their faith in Jesus Christ, who are spiritually poor until they do.

Psalms 109:12

Psalms 109:12 says, Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.  David is still talking about the wicked, and says that none should show mercy to him or his children.  This is not to be our attitude as followers of Christ today though.  Verse thirteen adds, Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.  David asked that the prosperity of the wicked be cutoff and their name forgotten in the coming generations.  We would do well to forget the names of the wicked in one respect, but it is good to remember them and the evil they did in another, so that we might learn how to avoid others like them.  Verse fourteen states, Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.  God is going to remember the iniquity of everyone, unless we come to Him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  We have all at one time been guilty of sin, so we need to pray for the salvation of others.  Verse fifteen adds, Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.  David calls for the wicked to be continually before the LORD in judgment so that He may cut their memory off from the earth.  God is one day going to cut off the memory of the wicked, when He comes in judgment.  Until then, we are called on to share with them the gospel of Christ.  Verse sixteen continues, Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.  David asked that God cut off the wicked because they did not show mercy but instead persecuted the poor and needy.  As Christians, we are called on by God to show mercy on the poor and needy, but we too often look down on them I believe.  Verse seventeen declares, As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.  Cursing here does not refer to using profanity, but on pronouncing curses on the poor and needy.  The wicked delighted in pronouncing curses on people instead of blessings.  We as Christians are called on to pray for and help those in need, especially the children.  Verse eighteen adds, As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.  David said that since the wicked clothed themselves in cursing, or wishing for the worst for others, that God should pronounce His curse upon them.  Verse nineteen continues, Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.  David said that just as the wicked had draped themselves in curses against others that God should drape them in their own curses.  We need to be careful that we as followers of Christ do begin to wish those who are evil to be destroyed more than we pray for them to be saved.  Verse twenty concludes, Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.  David asked that all this be what happened to the wicked and to those who spoke evil against him.  Once more, we are called on to pray for the salvation of the wicked, even if they speak evil against our soul.