Seeing Jesus in the Psalms

  Psalm 120 PSALMS 120 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. 1 I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. 2 Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people. 3 O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you? How will he increase your punishment? 4 You will be pierced with sharp arrows and burned with glowing coals. 5 How I suffer in far-off Meshech. It pains me to live in distant Kedar. 6 I am tired of living among people who hate peace. 7 I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war! MAIN POINT: If you want peace, then call out to the Lord and come out from among the murderous companions in this world. In short, REPENT and SEEK THE LORD. As I read Psalm 120 I kept thinking of this phrase found in a few verses in the Bible. “Their feet are swift to shed blood” Romans 3:15 This idea (expressed in slightly different ways) which doesn’t appear in Psalm 120 but does appear in Proverbs 1:16, 6:18 and Isaiah 59:7-8 is the ...

  Psalm 107 Have you ever played a game like Civilization, Sim City or Settlers of Catan? Psalm 107 is a bit like that. Not that it is a game but that it is the ups and downs of humankind. And the heights and depths of the human experience are summarised by this account of our ups and downs. And each time you see the same scenario.  6 "LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. ...  13 "LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. ...  19 "LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. ...  28 "LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. Psalm 107:6, 13, 19, 28 NLT Main Point: The godly response to ups and downs of human history is to be moved to praise because you can see how God sends the Lord Jesus to help those who call for His help. Psalm 107 encourages you to view things from God’s perspective. I...

  Psalm 106 Need a boost? Then this is the Psalm for you. Oh not a sugar-coated, lying boost of falsehoods but a real-life emotional rollercoaster of a relationship that shows how much of a hero God is for His people and an invitation for you to join. In fact the Psalm starts and ends with the opportunity to Praise the Lord. And not just randomly but with reasons, because God is good. Good? you may ask, and the author says Yes, of course good--look, His faithful love endures forever. And we all know forever is a really long time. You’ll need forever, though, because you have been challenged to make a list of all of God’s glorious miracles and of course, that will take you forever. So get on with it. Make your list. I have made such a list and found indeed I didn’t have enough time or paper to complete it. The glorious miracles of God are more than we can count. You can start with a couple of personal miracles. Look in the mirror and ask yourself, are you like God: Do you have joy...

  Psalm 60 “A psalm of David useful for teaching ” -- even before I explore the content of this Psalm I must stop and consider this “teaching” phrase. I have read the Psalm and copied the words and wonder, am I seeing this phrase for the first time? Once again I have compared several versions (translations) of the Bible. I’ve also read the various commentators looking for insights I missed.  I don’t feel that Calvin, Wesley, Henry, Barnes, Barnes, Kinder, Cambridge and others have added a tremendous amount to my search for understanding. Father God, please reveal to me what your word means here. Why is it particularly good for teaching? Father God, what do you want me to learn?  Father, how are you revealing your King Jesus and what are you telling me about your character? I ask for wisdom and insight, in the name of Jesus, Amen. I see a contrast in the Psalm from beginning to end.  David tells us God rejected His people , broke His people and was angry with His peo...