You Can Read the Bible Guided Podcast

The composer of Psalm 105 instructs the congregation to not only “Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name…” but to also “…make known his deeds among the peoples!”  We’ve seen the connection between worship and memory before, but perhaps not as thoroughly as we observe in this reading today.   

These Psalms celebrate the LORD’s dominion over the physical world: O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.  The author of Psalm 104 is not satisfied to simply acknowledge that the LORD created the world – which was a bold statement in itself.  Instead, with gifted imagery his poem imagines the creation for us.  He’s so taken with it, in fact, that he calls on the LORD himself to rejoice in His works.

These Psalms also celebrate the LORD’s particular interest in the children of Abraham. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel… He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and He led them through the deep as through a desert… Remember me, the author of Psalm 106 prays, when You show favor to Your people; help me when you save them, that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. 

And these Psalms celebrate the LORD’s faithfulness to His covenant.  He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance."  Even when Israel was unfaithful, and rebelled by the Sea, at the Red Sea…  Yet He saved them for his name's sake, that He might make known his mighty power.

Consider the force of observation and the poetic recollection in these Psalms.  They are thorough history lessons from centuries past that prove to the composer that the LORD’s faithfulness, and steadfast love, endure forever. 

Our verses for this week are Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 103 through 107.  Now let’s read it!

The composer of Psalm 105 instructs the congregation to not only “Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name…” but to also “…make known his deeds among the peoples!”  We’ve seen the connection between worship and memory before, but perhaps not as thoroughly as we observe in this reading today.   

These Psalms celebrate the LORD’s dominion over the physical world: O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.  The author of Psalm 104 is not satisfied to simply acknowledge that the LORD created the world – which was a bold statement in itself.  Instead, with gifted imagery his poem imagines the creation for us.  He’s so taken with it, in fact, that he calls on the LORD himself to rejoice in His works.

These Psalms also celebrate the LORD’s particular interest in the children of Abraham. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel… He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and He led them through the deep as through a desert… Remember me, the author of Psalm 106 prays, when You show favor to Your people; help me when you save them, that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. 

And these Psalms celebrate the LORD’s faithfulness to His covenant.  He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance."  Even when Israel was unfaithful, and rebelled by the Sea, at the Red Sea…  Yet He saved them for his name's sake, that He might make known his mighty power.

Consider the force of observation and the poetic recollection in these Psalms.  They are thorough history lessons from centuries past that prove to the composer that the LORD’s faithfulness, and steadfast love, endure forever. 

Our verses for this week are Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 103 through 107.  Now let’s read it!

“‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”  - Deuteronomy 27:19

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.  – Isaiah 1:16-17

Psalm 94 is an especially powerful call for the LORD to intervene: O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!  Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! 

Listen closely to the Psalmist’s complaint: They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.  They crush Your people, O LORD, and afflict Your heritage.  They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless…  The Psalmist knows the law and the prophets; he knows how things should be among the people of God.  Here in Psalm 94, the law and the prophets intersect upon a prayer of one who is confident only because the LORD is his help: “They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.  But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.”  

But a sharp turn occurs in Psalm 95, and the remainder of today’s Psalms are calls to the congregation to celebrate and worship the LORD.  “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” bears no resemblance to the shadow of suffering and lament to which we’ve grown accustomed.  Psalm 94 feels like rock bottom, against which Psalm 95 and its successors jolt our senses. 

But neither is out of place, if we consider the course of life.  The petition for the LORD’s vengeance and the celebration of the LORD’s rescue are, for the righteous, a firm acknowledgement of the LORD’s sovereignty and faithfulness.  For the Psalmist knows, and wants the congregation to sing, that “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”

Our verses for this week are Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 94 through 102.  Now let’s read it!

“‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”  - Deuteronomy 27:19

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.  – Isaiah 1:16-17

Psalm 94 is an especially powerful call for the LORD to intervene: O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!  Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! 

Listen closely to the Psalmist’s complaint: They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.  They crush Your people, O LORD, and afflict Your heritage.  They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless…  The Psalmist knows the law and the prophets; he knows how things should be among the people of God.  Here in Psalm 94, the law and the prophets intersect upon a prayer of one who is confident only because the LORD is his help: “They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.  But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.”  

But a sharp turn occurs in Psalm 95, and the remainder of today’s Psalms are calls to the congregation to celebrate and worship the LORD.  “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” bears no resemblance to the shadow of suffering and lament to which we’ve grown accustomed.  Psalm 94 feels like rock bottom, against which Psalm 95 and its successors jolt our senses. 

But neither is out of place, if we consider the course of life.  The petition for the LORD’s vengeance and the celebration of the LORD’s rescue are, for the righteous, a firm acknowledgement of the LORD’s sovereignty and faithfulness.  For the Psalmist knows, and wants the congregation to sing, that “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”

Our verses for this week are Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 94 through 102.  Now let’s read it!

You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!”  For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.  – Psalm 90:3-4

Psalm 86 is a Psalm of David that breaks neatly into thirds.  The first stanza is a prayer that the LORD will hear and in the conclusion David lays out his concerns.  The Psalm pivots around the middle verses: “There is none like you among the gods, O LORD, nor are there any works like yours… I give thanks to you, O LORD my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.  For great is Your steadfast love toward me; You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.  Pay attention to this pattern throughout the Psalms: whether a cry, a lament, or a celebration, the composers keep their focus on the LORD.

Pay attention also to the wild swings of emotion throughout the next few chapters.  Psalm 87 is a celebration of Zion, while Psalm 88 cries out “O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?  Why do you hide your face from me?”  Listen closely to discern the causes of the writer’s grief, but also notice his belief that this misfortune is a manifestation of the LORD’s wrath.  And Psalm 89 is an exuberant tribute: “I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD forever…” before turning, again, to the familiar question: “How long, O LORD? Will You hide yourself forever?”

Psalms 91 through 93 are more general verses of praise and thanksgiving, and our reading pivots abruptly around Psalm 90.  This is the first Psalm of Book Four, and it is attributed to Moses, “The Man of God.”  The LORD’s sovereignty stands in the background of this contemplation but foremost on Moses’ mind is man’s mortality.  Listen thoughtfully to this poem, consider its wisdom, and imagine its significance in this book of worship. 

Our verses for this week are Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 86 through 93.  Now let’s read it!

You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!”  For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.  – Psalm 90:3-4

Psalm 86 is a Psalm of David that breaks neatly into thirds.  The first stanza is a prayer that the LORD will hear and in the conclusion David lays out his concerns.  The Psalm pivots around the middle verses: “There is none like you among the gods, O LORD, nor are there any works like yours… I give thanks to you, O LORD my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.  For great is Your steadfast love toward me; You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.  Pay attention to this pattern throughout the Psalms: whether a cry, a lament, or a celebration, the composers keep their focus on the LORD.

Pay attention also to the wild swings of emotion throughout the next few chapters.  Psalm 87 is a celebration of Zion, while Psalm 88 cries out “O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?  Why do you hide your face from me?”  Listen closely to discern the causes of the writer’s grief, but also notice his belief that this misfortune is a manifestation of the LORD’s wrath.  And Psalm 89 is an exuberant tribute: “I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD forever…” before turning, again, to the familiar question: “How long, O LORD? Will You hide yourself forever?”

Psalms 91 through 93 are more general verses of praise and thanksgiving, and our reading pivots abruptly around Psalm 90.  This is the first Psalm of Book Four, and it is attributed to Moses, “The Man of God.”  The LORD’s sovereignty stands in the background of this contemplation but foremost on Moses’ mind is man’s mortality.  Listen thoughtfully to this poem, consider its wisdom, and imagine its significance in this book of worship. 

Our verses for this week are Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 86 through 93.  Now let’s read it!