Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! The Lord said to my own Lord, Sit here, at my right hand. And as You sit, and as You reign, I will make a footrest from Your foes. The Lord shall send the rod of strength, From out of Zion comes …
The Need to Banish Lying Tongues
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Of mercy and judgment I will sing; Unto You O Lord, I will always sing. I will walk in wisdom, in a perfect way. When will You come down to me? Within my house I will walk the same way, With a …
And You Help Me Pursue
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Oh God, my Lord and God, I seek You early in the morning. My soul thirsts for You, My body longs for You In a dry and thirsty land, Where there is no water. I long to see Your power and glory, …
A Prayer of Imprecation
One of the easiest things in the world to misunderstand (and therefore to misrepresent) is the biblical pattern of imprecatory prayer. It is very easy to interpret the practice as some kind of primitive voodoo doll custom, practiced only by the petty and vindictive. But for those who are open to a very fine treatment …
A Fourth Decade of Psalms/Psalm 38
Introduction: This is a striking psalm, and is listed among the penitential psalms. It begins with virtually the same words as Psalm 6, the first of the penitential psalms. But the repentance shown by David here is quite distinct from what many Christians call repentance, and this is something we really need to deal with. …
He Will Destroy All Battle Gear
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! God is known through Judah’ hills, His Name is great in Israel. Salem holds His dwelling place, His tent of praise on Zion’s mount. He breaks the arrows and the bows, The shields and swords, all battle gear. Our God is greater …
A Fourth Decade of Psalms/Psalm 37
Introduction: One of the temptations that the righteous have to deal with is the temptation of envying the unrighteous. This is a psalm to set that temptation in its propher context, and so to help us deal with it. The Text: Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of …
A Fourth Decade of Psalms/Psalm 34
Introduction: This psalm is an acrostic—what the Latin Fathers called psalmi abcedarii. There are nine of these psalms total, and it is a pity that we can’t figure out a way to bring this across in translation. The Text: I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. …
A Fourth Decade of Psalms/Psalm 33
Introduction: God is greatly to be praised. He is worthy of all honor and praise. Our ability to praise Him falls short of necessity, and yet we are still summoned to it. Unlike the failures of sin, there is a glorious failure in praising God. Who can even begin to do it justice? The Text: …
A Fourth Decade of Psalms/Psalm 32
Introduction: This is categorized as one of the penitential psalms, but the heading lists it as a maskil, a teaching. In one of the other penitential pslams (51), David vows that as a result of his forgiveness, he will teach sinners the way (51:13). It is quite possible that this pslam is a fulfillment of …