Bible in Brief

Psalm 19[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.

3 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.

4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

5     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.

Welcome to Bible in Brief. May you know the Lord Loves You.

May you feel lighter knowing that He can carry any burden for you.

I’m Rebecca Foster and this podcast season 1 includes readings from the Psalms, reflection and a musical rendition from the Psalms Project based on the Psalm.  

 
Psalm 34[a][b]

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

1 

I will extol the Lord at all times;

    his praise will always be on my lips.

2 

I will glory in the Lord;

    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3 

Glorify the Lord with me;

    let us exalt his name together.

4 

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

    he delivered me from all my fears.

5 

Those who look to him are radiant;

    their faces are never covered with shame.

6 

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

    he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

    and he delivers them.

8 

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

9 

Fear the Lord, you his holy people,

    for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 

The lions may grow weak and hungry,

    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 

Come, my children, listen to me;

    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 

Whoever of you loves life

    and desires to see many good days,

13 

keep your tongue from evil

    and your lips from telling lies.

14 

Turn from evil and do good;

    seek peace and pursue it.

15 

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

    and his ears are attentive to their cry;

16 

but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

    to blot out their name from the earth.

17 

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;

    he delivers them from all their troubles.

18 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 

The righteous person may have many troubles,

    but the Lord delivers him from them all;

20 

he protects all his bones,

    not one of them will be broken.

21 

Evil will slay the wicked;

    the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

22 

The Lord will rescue his servants;

    no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 33

1 

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;

    it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

2 

Praise the Lord with the harp;

    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

3 

Sing to him a new song;

    play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 

For the word of the Lord is right and true;

    he is faithful in all he does.

5 

The Lord loves righteousness and justice;

    the earth is full of his unfailing love.

6 

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

    their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

7 

He gathers the waters of the sea into jars[a];

    he puts the deep into storehouses.

8 

Let all the earth fear the Lord;

    let all the people of the world revere him.

9 

For he spoke, and it came to be;

    he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 

The Lord foils the plans of the nations;

    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11 

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,

    the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12 

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

    the people he chose for his inheritance.

13 

From heaven the Lord looks down

    and sees all mankind;

14 

from his dwelling place he watches

    all who live on earth—

15 

he who forms the hearts of all,

    who considers everything they do.

16 

No king is saved by the size of his army;

    no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

    despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,

    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19 

to deliver them from death

    and keep them alive in famine.

20 

We wait in hope for the Lord;

    he is our help and our shield.

21 

In him our hearts rejoice,

    for we trust in his holy name.

22 

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,

    even as we put our hope in you.

Welcome to Bible in Brief. May you know the Lord Loves You.

May you feel lighter knowing that He can carry any burden for you.

I’m Rebecca Foster and this podcast season 1 includes readings from the Psalms, reflection and a musical rendition from the Psalms Project based on the Psalm.  

Psalm 32

Of David. A maskil.[a]

1 

Blessed is the one

    whose transgressions are forgiven,

    whose sins are covered.

2 

Blessed is the one

    whose sin the Lord does not count against them

    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 

When I kept silent,

    my bones wasted away

    through my groaning all day long.

4 

For day and night

    your hand was heavy on me;

my strength was sapped

    as in the heat of summer.[b]

5 

Then I acknowledged my sin to you

    and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess

    my transgressions to the Lord.”

And you forgave

    the guilt of my sin.

6 

Therefore let all the faithful pray to you

    while you may be found;

surely the rising of the mighty waters

    will not reach them.

7 

You are my hiding place;

    you will protect me from trouble

    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

9 

Do not be like the horse or the mule,

    which have no understanding

but must be controlled by bit and bridle

    or they will not come to you.

10 

Many are the woes of the wicked,

    but the Lord’s unfailing love

    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11 

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;

    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Welcome to Bible in Brief. May you know the Lord Loves You.

May you feel lighter knowing that He can carry any burden for you. I’m Rebecca Foster and this podcast season 1 includes readings from the Psalms, reflection and a musical rendition from the Psalms Project based on the Psalm.  

 Psalm 31

1  In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me,  come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge,

    a strong fortress to save me. 3  Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4  Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.

5 

Into your hands I commit my spirit;

    deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

...

9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;

    my eyes grow weak with sorrow,

    my soul and body with grief.

10 

My life is consumed by anguish

    and my years by groaning;

my strength fails because of my affliction,[b]

    and my bones grow weak.

11 

Because of all my enemies,

    I am the utter contempt of my neighbors

and an object of dread to my closest friends—

    those who see me on the street flee from me.

12 

I am forgotten as though I were dead;

    I have become like broken pottery.

13 

For I hear many whispering,

    “Terror on every side!”

They conspire against me

    and plot to take my life.

14 

But I trust in you, Lord;

    I say, “You are my God.”

15 

My times are in your hands;

    deliver me from the hands of my enemies,

    from those who pursue me.

16 

Let your face shine on your servant;

    save me in your unfailing love.

17 

Let me not be put to shame, Lord,

    for I have cried out to you;

but let the wicked be put to shame

    and be silent in the realm of the dead.

18 

Let their lying lips be silenced,

    for with pride and contempt

    they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19 

How abundant are the good things

    that you have stored up for those who fear you,

that you bestow in the sight of all,

    on those who take refuge in you.

20 

In the shelter of your presence you hide them

    from all human intrigues;

you keep them safe in your dwelling

    from accusing tongues.

21 

Praise be to the Lord,

    for he showed me the wonders of his love

    when I was in a city under siege.

Psalm 3[a]

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

1 Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!

2 Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.”[b]

3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

4 I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

5 I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

7 Arise, Lord!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

8 From the Lord comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people.

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations conspire[a]
    and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.

5 He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 “I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father.

8 Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will break them with a rod of iron[b];
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,

2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.

3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Welcome to Bible in Brief. May you know the Lord Loves You. May you feel lighter knowing that He can carry any burden for you. I’m Rebecca Foster and this podcast season 1 includes readings from the Psalms, reflection and a musical rendition from the Psalms Project based on the Psalm.   Psalm 30[a]

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.[b] Of David.

1 

I will exalt you, Lord,

    for you lifted me out of the depths

    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2 

Lord my God, I called to you for help,

    and you healed me.

3 

You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;

    you spared me from going down to the pit.

4 

Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;

    praise his holy name.

5 

For his anger lasts only a moment,

    but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night,

    but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 

When I felt secure, I said,

    “I will never be shaken.”

7 

Lord, when you favored me,

    you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm;

but when you hid your face,

    I was dismayed.

8 

To you, Lord, I called;

    to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9 

“What is gained if I am silenced,

    if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise you?

    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 

Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;

    Lord, be my help.”

11 

You turned my wailing into dancing;

    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 

that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

    Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

REFLECTION

This Psalm has a very famous quote within: 

weeping may stay for the night,

    but rejoicing comes in the morning.

I have heard this so many times, even in the secular world but never knew where it came from - Psalm 30.

This tells us that weeping is but for a season. We all go through a season of weeping. But at the end of every season of weeping, there will be joy.  There will be a new day. There will be a new start. For you. For all of us. 

The previous psalms - 28 and 29 - encouraged me to reflect on how God speaks to us or doesn’t speak to us. This Psalm, Psalm 30, refers to how we speak to God … it’s a good question - is this relationship that we have with God a two way thing? Does he spark? Do we? Or is it a one way monologue? Relationships don't work like that… they are two ways. God speaks to us and we are meant to hear and reciprocate. To hear him and to speak to him.