In the midst of a world hostile to the exclusivist claims of the God of Israel, the psalmist declares the pre-eminence of Yahweh. He longs to see Yahweh glorified above the many false gods and false claims of the surrounding nations. The vision of this psalm is that, as God blesses his people, his glory will … Continued

Psalm 88 is often referred to as ‘the psalm of darkness’ because it appears to lack any ray of light. Many other lament psalms end with songs of celebration as faith rises up to take hold of God. Not so in this psalm. On the contrary the psalmist says, towards the end of the psalm, … Continued

Psalm 124 is a psalm of corporate thanksgiving for an act of God’s deliverance for the faith-community. Evidently God had saved them from some serious calamity, probably some military threat. This is the sort of Psalm that might have articulated the relief and praise following God’s deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian threat in the … Continued

Psalm 134 was obviously written for a formal worship context in the temple. There seem to be two distinct parts to this psalm. The first is a call to worship and the second is a blessing. In our adaptation of this psalm we have likewise distinguished those two elements giving the call to worship a … Continued

Psalm 34 is a blend of thanksgiving and wisdom and the two fit together quite naturally. Thanksgiving psalms celebrate specific things that God has done and from these experiences we learn about God’s ways. So, the psalmist moves from testimony to exhortation as a natural consequence. The psalm has been identified with David and the … Continued

Psalm 60 is a great example of the conversation nature of prayer. It also has all the marks of the kind of faith-filled approach to God that the psalms enjoin to us. The first line may seem more like despair than faith: “You have rejected us.” However, in this statement is a bold covenant ‘provocation.’ … Continued

Psalm 16 is a song of trust and devotion to God. The psalmist declares his devotion to God but also to God’s people (vs.3). Whilst those who trust in God will see the faithfulness of God, those who trust in idols will only ever end up disappointed. Trusting in anything more than God only leads … Continued

Psalm 68 is a complex psalm but it’s main theme is simple. It is a declaration of the sovereign power of God who is judge over the earth. It appeals to God as the judge of the earth and in some important ways finds its fulfillment in the second coming of Christ as envisaged in … Continued

The first three verses of Psalm 92 are the key to understanding the purpose of this psalm. The psalm itself was evidently presented as a kind of thank offering following some answer to prayer. The psalmist, probably a king or governor, had seen God work a great victory for him against some evil threat and … Continued

Psalm 46 is a powerful declaration of the absolute security of those who live in God’s purpose. The promise of this psalm is that those who entrust themselves to God and his purpose will never be thwarted. They may experience hardship but nothing will be able to impede what God had planned to do in … Continued