On the heading of this Maskil of Asaph see the comments on Pss 32, 50. The content of this psalm concerning the perpetual ruins of Jerusalem and the damage to the sanctuary (vv. 3-11) indicates that it was written sometime after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (586 BC).
A. Recognizing God’s Correction (74:1-11)
74:1-2. By the opening expression, why have You rejected us? (cf. v. 11), the psalmist did not mean that God had forsaken His people. Rather, he was describing his feelings in the midst of Israel’s affliction at the hands of their enemies (cf. comments on 44:9, 60:1). Despite his emotions, the psalmist had an unshakable conviction that Israel, the sheep of Your pasture (cf. 23:1; 100:3), were always God’s people. Asaph prayed, Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, Which You have redeemed (v. 2). This is the same terminology used by Moses at the time of the exodus (cf. Ex 15:13-18) to describe God’s relationship with Israel, His inheritance (cf. comment on Ps 28:9). He also asked the Lord to remember Mount Zion, where You have dwelt in the temple (cf. 2:6; 9:11).
74:3-11. The Lord’s footsteps is poetic personification calling for God to Turn and help Jerusalem. The city was in ruins, because the enemy ha[d] damaged everything … burned Your sanctuary and defiled the dwelling place of Your name (vv. 3, 7). The destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon is detailed in 2Kg 25:1-21; Jr 52. The enemies said, Let us completely subdue them, oppressing the people of Israel (v. 8). Plus, there was no prophet … among us who knew how long these terrible events would last (vv. 9-10).
B. Affirming God’s Sovereignty (74:12-17)
74:12-17. Despite this worst of all events, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, God is my king from of old, Who works deeds of deliverance (v. 12). This section focuses on God’s absolute sovereignty on Israel’s behalf at the exodus from Egypt (You divided the sea by Your strength, vv. 12-15; cf., Ex 14–15), and on behalf of humanity in general at creation (You have prepared the light and the sun … established all the boundaries of the earth, and made summer and winter (vv. 16-17; cf. Gn 1:1-31). The reference to the heads of Leviathan in v. 14 is a figurative description of the manifold forces (Pharaoh and his military units) that came against Israel at the exodus, just as Leviathan is also used as a figurative label for all the world’s forces that will one day array themselves against Israel before God’s final judgment (cf. Is 27:1).
C. Requesting God’s Deliverance (74:18-23)
74:18-23. It is not ultimately Israel whom the enemy has reviled, but the God of Israel, whose name they had spurned (v. 18; cf. 83:2-3; 1Sm 17:45).The psalmist affirmed that his motivation for imploring God’s deliverance of His people was God’s glory and honor (cf. comments on Ps 23:3). God’s enemies are called foolish because they refuse to believe God (vv. 18, 22; cf. comment on 14:1). The psalmist prayed, Arise, O God, and plead Your own cause (v. 22), that is, defend Your reputation against those who rise against You (v. 23; cf. 2:1-3) by acting on Your covenant with Abraham, which entailed the survival and blessing of Israel. The answer to this prayer request is in the next psalm.
Psalm 75: Praise for God’s Sure Justice
On the heading of this Psalm of Asaph, see the comments on the headings of Pss 3–4, 50. On the phrase a Song, cf. Ps 46. This psalm is also accompanied by the instruction that it be set to Al-tashheth (cf. Ps 57). In Ps 74, Asaph asked how long God would delay in vindicating His people. As a response, in Ps 75 (cf. esp. vv. 2-5), God makes it clear that He chooses to act on His own timetable (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 332).
A. Thankfully Affirm God’s Sure Justice (75:1-3)
75:1-3. God’s nearness and justice are acknowledged in the opening: We give thank to You, O God, we give thanks, For Your name is near (cf. 5:11; 23:3; 25:11; 31:3). God’s wondrous works (lit., “wonders”) designates His acts of deliverance as a judicial response to the affliction of His people by those who transgress His revealed standards and authority (cf. comments on 9:1-2; 40:5). And just as His justice has already been executed in history, so too does God Himself promise that in the future, at an appointed time (v. 2) known only to Him, He will deliver His people and execute inevitable, final judgment on the earth and all who dwell in it (v. 3; cf. comments on 46:4-7).
B. Boldly Share God’s Sure Justice (75:4-8)
75:4-5. Addressing the boastful and the wicked—both among the Gentiles as well as among God’s people Israel—and in light of His already proven and inevitable final justice, Asaph exhorted evil people not to lift up their own horn on high, that is, not to assert their own strength and ability (as symbolized by a horn, cf. Dt 33:17; 1Kg 22:11; Ps 18:2).
75:6-8. The wicked should not speak with insolent pride (v. 5) because there is no Judge greater than God—not from the east, nor from the west (comprising all geographical distance), Nor from the desert comes exaltation (lit., “from the wilderness of mountains”). These inclusive geographic phrases introduce that God is the Judge over all; He alone ultimately puts down … and exalts (v. 7). The cup is a metaphor here referring to the LORD[’s] judgment (cf. 60:3; Is 51:17; Jr 25:15; Hab 2:16) which all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs (v. 8), meaning to experience God’s judgment fully.
C. Continually Declare God’s Sure Justice (75:9-10)
75:9-10. Asaph affirmed the goal of God’s justice in wondrous works of the deliverance of Israel by judging their enemies at the exodus (vv. 1-3) as well as by His final judgment of all the wicked of the earth (vv. 4-8). The psalm begins with giving thanks (v. 1) and concludes with the declaration to forever … sing praises to the God of Jacob (v. 9; cf. 14:7; 20:1).
Psalm 76: God’s Defense of Israel
On the heading of this Psalm of Asaph, see the comments on the headings to Pss 3–4. This is also a Song (cf. introduction to Ps 46) to be accompanied by stringed instruments. On the thematic connections of this psalm with those that surround it, Sailhamer writes, “With Ps 73, he [God] is the God whose dwelling place is Zion, the site of the temple. With Ps 74, he is the God who comes in judgment upon those who have oppressed the godly. With Ps 75, he is the God who acts at his appointed time and thus is the one who is to be feared [76:11] …” (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 332).
A. Among His People in the Land (76:1-3)
76:1-3. The psalmist affirmed the special sense in which God is known in Judah. He is not merely among them in the omnipresent sense whereby He is everywhere and “in Him all things hold together” (Col 1:17), but He is also known, indicating the intimate familial relationship of God to Israel corporately and to the righteous within her individually (cf. comment on Ps 1:5). This special relationship is visibly highlighted by His tabernacle (the temple) in Salem (Jerusalem; cf. Gn 14:18) and His dwelling place … in Zion. This speaks of God’s manifest presence within creation both historically, as the site where His cloud of glory dwelt (cf. Ex 40:34-38), as well as for all eternity, when He will establish His kingdom on earth (cf. Ezk 43:7; Rv 21:22-27).
B. Among His People outside the Land (76:4-10)
76:4-8. God is presented as resplendent, More majestic than the mountains (cf. Ex 15:6, 14; Pss 8:1, 9; 29:4; Is 63:1). His triumphant defense of His people is illustrated by the destruction of the Egyptian army at the exodus: Both rider and horse were cast into the deep (v. 6; cf. Ex 15:1; Ps 74:12-15). The Lord caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still (v. 8; cf. the Introduction to Esther and comments on Est 8:17).
76:9-10. Even the most difficult circumstances, the wrath of man, as exemplified by the wicked Egyptians, shall praise You. The outcome of God’s judgment on the wicked will ultimately bring Him praise (cf. 2:6-8).
C. Beyond His People throughout All Lands (76:11-12)
76:11-12. The psalm culminates by affirming that not only is God known in Judah (v. 1), but ultimately He is (and will be) feared (recognized as “awesome”) by the kings of the earth (Gentile nations) when they acknowledge the sovereign rule of the God of Jacob (v. 12; cf. v. 7; 2:4-12; Is 45:23; Rm 14:11; Php 2:10).
Psalm 77: Finding Comfort in God
On the heading of this Psalm of Asaph, see the headings of Pss 3– 4. For the instruction according to Jeduthun, see introduction to Ps 62. Although there was scant evidence of God’s miraculous intervention in his own day (cf. 74:9), Asaph chose to meditate on God’s mighty deeds from the past (cf.; 77:5-12; (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 332).
A. Express Need (77:1-10)
77:1-2. The psalmist expressed his heartfelt need for comfort: My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud … and He will hear me. He turned to the Lord, the only One who could truly bring his soul comfort. Both in the day of … trouble and in the night, he stretched out his hand without growing weary of pleading with the Lord for help.
77:3-8. Asaph held nothing back in his prayers, but in remember[ing] (turning to) God, he was disturbed (v.3, better translated “distressed”). I sigh would be better translated “I pour out my complaint,” as in the headings of 102 and 142:2 (see comments there). Instead of being comforted when he recalled the days of old … the years of long ago when he had a song in the night (vv. 5-6), now (in the midst of unanswered prayer and problems) he wondered if God’s lovingkindness [had] ceased forever, if His promise [had] come to an end (v. 8).
77:9-10. Asaph also wondered, Has God forgotten … has the right hand of the Most High … changed? The right hand is the image of God’s power, which He uses on behalf of His people (cf. Ex 15:6, 12). These are emotional questions arising from circumstances (cf. comments on Ps 44:9; 60:1; 74:1).
B. Affirm the Principle (77:11-15)
77:11-15. With a determined attitude Asaph applies the essential principle of finding the Lord’s comfort in difficult times by refocusing on the Him. Asaph will remember His deeds and His wonders (the word here has a collective sense, as again in v. 14) of old. Instead of allowing the present difficult circumstances or unanswered prayer to: (1) cause distress when remembering the Lord (vv. 3-6), or (2) cause doubt about the very character of God (vv. 7-10), instead remember the truth: Your way, O God, is holy … You have by Your power redeemed Your people (vv. 13, 15; cf. comments on 9:1; 40:5; 75:1), The “remembering” here entails meditation (v. 12, I will mediate; cf. comment on 1:2). God’s lovingkindness is grounded in His unconditional covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, here identified as the sons of Jacob and Joseph (cf. comment on 74:1-11).
C. Select an Example (77:16-20)
77:16-20. Two specific example of God’s concern and deliverance are given. The first is God’s power at the parting of the Red Sea: the waters saw You, O God … the earth trembled and shook (vv. 16-18) as God took action on behalf of His people Israel at the exodus (referred to by Asaph also in 74:13-15; 76:5-7; 78:13; 80:8a; and 81:6, 10a). The second is His character as the Shepherd of Israel, leading His people like a flock (cf. 100:3) under the leadership of Moses and Aaron (v. 20; cf. Ex 4–6).
Psalm 78: A Celebration of the Lord of History
This psalm, a Maskil (cf. introduction to Ps 32) of Asaph (cf. introductory comments on Ps 50), is especially appropriate following Ps 77 where Asaph determined to meditate on God’s mighty deeds from the past. Here he did that explicitly with the intent of educating a younger generation about the works of the Lord on behalf of His people Israel throughout their history (vv. 2, 4) (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 332). This is an acrostic psalm, composed of 77 lines in Hebrew in seven symmetrical stanzas following an 11-line introduction: 8 lines/16 lines/9 lines/16 lines/9 lines/8 lines.
A. The Purpose: To Teach Later Generations of God’s Faithfulness (78:1-8)
78:1-2. The psalmist described his instruction as a parable (“teaching stories/illustrations”) and dark (lit., “riddles/enigmatic”) sayings. The phrase dark sayings does not mean something sinister or negative, but rather an enigmatic saying used for instruction. This does not imply that the meaning of his words was unclear, but that the meaning would be clear only to those who had the spiritual capacity to understand it, namely, those whose heart was right before the Lord. To those whose heart was not right, (i.e., the unfaithful whose heart had not been circumcised; cf. Dt 10:16; 30:6; Jr 4:4), the truth of this psalm—which concerns a fundamental aspect of the expressed relationship between God and those whom He has chosen—would remain obscure and seem like “foolishness” (1Co 1:18). Precisely for this reason v. 2 is cited (in typical paraphrase) in Mt 13:35 to describe Jesus’ periodic teaching in parables (cf. the citation of Is 6:9-10 in Mt 13:10-17 with a similar point).
78:3-4. The purpose of this psalm is to recount God’s faithfulness throughout Israel’s history, to tell … the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. The history is presented somewhat chronologically, yet with significant overlapping of historical periods and events.
78:5-8. Foundational to this history is that God established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel (v. 5). Surprisingly, the psalmist did not start with the creation of the world or the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Rather, he began with God’s gift of the law to Moses. The purpose of the law was to teach the next generation to know the Lord, and in turn teach the same to the next generation (v. 6). Thus, each generation, would learn to put their confidence in God (v. 7). The point of this psalm was to teach this later generation to learn from Israel’s history and not be like their fathers who were stubborn and rebellious … and were not faithful to God (v. 8). Through the history of God’s faithfulness and Israel’s rebellion, this generation would learn to follow the Lord.
B. The Record: The History of God’s Faithfulness to Israel (78:9-64)
This large section is parallel to, and quite likely the exemplar for, Stephen’s defense in Ac 7:2-53. The point in both cases was to review the record of God’s faithfulness for the consistently rebellious people whom He had chosen. Like Asaph in the present psalm, Stephen also focused his review on the early generations of Israel (especially in the wilderness), highlighting their culminating expressions of sin and God’s consequent correction (cf. vv. 17, 40-43, 58 with Ac 7:39-43), and concluding with God’s gracious establishment of the Davidic monarchy and the building of the temple in Jerusalem (vv. 69-70; cf. Ac 7:46-50).
1. Divided Kingdom History/Exodus History (78:9-16)
78:9-16. The sons of Ephraim were the northern ten tribes of Israel. Saying they turned back in the day of battle (v. 9) is a metaphor for Israel’s betrayal of her covenant to worship God as He commanded at the temple in Jerusalem. Instead, they refused to walk in His law (v. 10) by worshiping false gods in Samaria and Bethel under the leadership of Jeroboam when the kingdom divided (cf. 1Kg 12; 2Ch 10). Many of the miraculous events of the exodus, which they should have remembered, are recounted here (cf. Ex 7–17; Nm 20:8-11).
2. Wilderness Wandering History (78:17-33)
78:17-33. Despite God’s faithful deliverance and care (vv. 11-16), the Israelites still continued to sin against Him (v. 17). This is an overview of their rebellion against the Most High in the desert during the 40 years of wilderness wandering (cf. Nm 11). Because the generation that came out of Egypt sinned and did not believe in God or trust in His salvation (v. 22), they all died in the wilderness, their days came to an end in futility (v. 33; cf. Nm 14:22-23, 28-35).
3. Period of Judges History (78:34-39)
78:34-39. When Israel entered the promised land of Canaan, they were under the leadership of the judges. This period was characterized by a cycle of sin and judgment: He killed them for their sin (v. 34), so they returned to Him for a short time before they were again [un]faithful to His covenant (v. 37; cf. Jdg 3:7-8; 17:6; 21:25).
4. Exodus History (78:40-53)
78:40-53. This is a summary review of rebellion in the wilderness (v. 40), looking back again with a general overview of the plagues in Egypt (v. 43). The Passover was the central miraculous event in Israel’s history (cf. Ex 12:1-23). The Lord commanded Israel to celebrate the Passover each year and to teach its significance to each generation (cf. Ex 12:24-27). God smote all the firstborn in Egypt and led forth His own people like sheep (vv. 51-52).
5. Conquest History (78:54-64)
78:54-64. After the exodus and 40 years of wilderness wandering, He brought them to His holy land (v. 54). The land of Israel, or Canaan, is specifically identified as God’s holy land (cf. Lv 25:23; Zch 9:16), which He gave to the Jewish people by His covenant forever (cf. Gn 12:1-3; Jr 7:7; 25:5). The Lord drove out the nations before them (v. 55; cf. Jos 11:16-23), Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God (v. 56). This section gives a similar sad account as vv. 34-39.
C. The Triumphant Culmination of God’s Choice in the Messianic Line (78:65-72)
78:65-66. The Lord’s defense of Israel begins with a poetic description that says the Lord awoke as if from a sleep. Of course, the Lord does not sleep (cf. 121:4). The phrase as if from indicates the feeling that the Lord had been inactive/asleep; finally, at last, the Lord was defending His people after a period of seeming inactivity. He began by driving His adversaries backward; these enemies of Israel were the enemies of the Lord (cf. 83:2-5) and He put on them an everlasting reproach (v. 66). God’s decisive victory will come when the messianic King rules the earth (cf. 2; 146:10; Lk 1:32-33).
78:67-69. This section presents God’s choice of Judah, the tribal line of Messiah; the location of Zion, the ultimate messianic royal city; and the line of David, the dynasty of the future Messiah. God rejected the tent [household] of Joseph, although the Lord was with him (v. 67; cf. Gn 39:2-3, 19, 23). Likewise God did not choose the tribe of Ephraim for the messianic line (cf. Gn 48:5; 20; Is 7:17).
Instead, God chose the tribe of Judah (v. 68), not by virtue of the birth order of Judah, (he was the fourth-born son, not the first-born, cf. Gn 29:35), nor by reason of his righteousness, but by God’s sovereign choice. Within the tribal territory of Judah, God chose … Mount Zion, beginning with Abraham’s offer of Isaac there (cf. Gn 22:2; 2Ch 3:1; Ps 132:13-14). God then directed David to buy the land for the temple (cf. 2Sm 24:18-25) and directed Solomon to build the temple there (cf. 2Ch 3:1-2). He chose Mount Zion as the place which He loved (v. 68; cf. 87:2); there the Lord built His sanctuary both historically (cf. 1Kg 6; Ezr 3) and for all eternity (cf. Ezk 43:7; Rv 21:22-27).
78:70-72. God also chose David (cf. 1Sm 13:14; 16:1, 3, 7; Ac 7:46; 13:22) as the head of the messianic line (cf. Ru 4:18-22; 2Sm 7:8-16; Mt 1:1, 6; 9:27). David, who had been a shepherd, was called by the Lord to shepherd Jacob His people (v. 71). David was the prototype of the Good Shepherd, the Messiah Jesus (cf. Jn 10:11; Rv 7:17).
Psalm 79: A Collective Appeal for Deliverance
On the heading of this psalm of Asaph, see the comments on the headings to Pss 3 and 50. This psalm continues the history from Ps 78. it is a national lament for a catastrophe that struck Jerusalem, probably the Babylonian destruction of the city and the Solomon’s temple and the captivity in 586 BC. Psalm 79 describes the subsequent apostasy and judgment of Judah (esp. vv. 1-7) to indicate the spiritual unworthiness of the entire nation, both northern and southern tribes. The psalmist thereby emphasized the need for, and his confidence in, God’s unfailing grace and covenant faithfulness in the midst of the current disaster (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 333).
A. Acknowledging God’s Judgment (79:1-7)
79:1-4. The description of Jerusalem is dire: O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance (v. 1; cf. comments on 47:4; 68:9). The Gentile nations around Israel had defiled Your holy temple and laid Jerusalem in ruins (the destruction by Babylon; cf. 2Kg 25). People were lying dead in the streets as food to the birds; their blood was poured out like water round about Jerusalem (vv. 2-3). The disaster had made the survivors a reproach to their Gentile neighbors.
79:5-7. The question How long, O Lord? Will You be angry forever? indicates these tragic events were the result of God’s judgment. Acknowledging the LORD was angry at His people implies the recognition of God’s judgment on their sin. Moreover, the word jealousy in v. 5 is not the petty emotions of an insecure heart, but rather God’s zeal for the full devotion and worship of His people (cf. Dt 4:24-31). The situation was so terrible the psalmist pled for God, Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You, and have devoured Jacob (v. 6), the people of Israel. See comments on imprecatory psalms in Introduction: Types of Psalms.
B. Imploring God’s Mercy (79:8)
79:8. Having affirmed God’s chastisement and therefore their sins which caused the judgment, the psalmist now led his people in petitioning God: Let Your compassion (mercy out of love, cf. 25:6) come quickly.
C. Focusing on God’s Glory (79:9-13)
79:9-12. The motivation for this petition—and, of course, the ultimate goal of Israel’s (as any believer’s) chastisement—is the glory of God’s name (i.e., God’s “name” is often used by metonymy for God Himself; see comment on 20:5). By reproaching Israel, these enemies were ultimately reproaching God Himself. Jerusalem had become a reproach to her neighbors (v. 4), yet the reproach with which they have reproached was against You, O Lord (v. 12). Therefore, by delivering His people, God was vindicating (i.e., proving the infallibility of) His covenant promises to preserve His people (cf. comments on 76, 83).
79:13. The psalm centers on the Lord’s relationship with His people. It begins by identifying Israel as God’s inheritance (v. 1) and ends by identifying them as Your people and the sheep of Your pasture (cf. 74:1; 100:3). God’s deliverance would serve as another occasion for all generations (cf. 78:4) to tell of His praise.
Psalm 80: God’s Shepherding of His People Israel
On this Psalm of Asaph, see introductory comments to Pss 4 and 50. This psalm is set to El Shosahannim (“Lilies,” cf. introductory comments on Ps 60; cf. headings on Pss 45 and 69). Eduth is a legal term meaning “testimony,” probably because it serves to provide a legal testimony regarding the just historical basis for God’s correction of His people. Psalms 78 and 79 describe God’s judgment of the apostate northern and southern tribes, casting some doubt on the possibility of the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant and the future restoration of the nation. But Asaph reassured his readers that there would be such a restoration under the supreme Son of David (called “son of man” in v. 17).
Psalm 80 indicates that the hope of this future restoration did not hang on any of the previous sons of David. Since the book of Psalms was edited into its final form in post-exilic times, Israel had no king to fulfill its hopes at this point in its history, giving this psalm a decidedly prophetic and messianic flavor (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 333; also see Introduction: Background and introductory comments to Ps 69).
A. The Reality of the Correction (80:1-7)
80:1-3. Israel’s relationship with the Lord is immediately indicated by the description of God as the Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock (v. 1; cf. 23:6; 77:20; 78:52). God is portrayed in great majesty enthroned above the cherubim (cf. 1Sm 4:4; Ezk 1:22-28). The request God, restore us indicates that God was correcting His people (cf. Pss 28:1-2; 50:7, 21). To cause Your face to shine upon us (v. 3; cf. vv. 7, 19) is requesting God to bless them and is drawn from the Aaronic benediction (cf. Nm 6:22-27; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1).
80:4-7. Addressing God as LORD God of Hosts further indicates His majesty (cf. v. 1; 1Sm 17:34; 1Ch 17:24; Pss 46:7; 69:6). Israel’s suffering is described with words like bread of tears … drink[ing] tears, and being made an object of contention (vv. 5-6; cf. 79:4). Asking How long will You be angry? (v. 4) forms one of the links connecting this psalm to the previous psalm (see comments on 79:5). The intended goal of chastisement was that God would restore them to spiritual health (v. 7 is parallel to v. 3).
B. The Basis of the Correction (80:8-13)
80:8-13. This section of the psalm is in the form of a parable. The vine metaphor was frequently used of Israel (cf. Is 3:14; 5:1-7; 27:2; Jr 2:21; 12:10; Ezk 15:1-8; 19:10-14; Hs 10:1; 14:7). Here the vine describes Israel in terms of the exodus from Egypt and settling in Israel. The basis of God’s correction was His unconditional, sovereign election of Israel, grounded in His covenant with and promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (cf. Gn 12:2-3; 17:7-8; Ps 105:8-10; Rm 9:7-8; Gal 3:18-19). This point is vividly portrayed by the image of Israel as a vine, being removed/transplanted by God from Egypt to Canaan, His holy land (v. 8, cf. 78:54-55). In Canaan, God also cleared the ground (v. 9) of the Gentile nations to provide space for the vine of Israel, so it took deep root and filled the land (cf. comments on 74:1-11). At one time the Israel the vine flourished so that the mountains were covered with its shadow (v. 10), but now God had broken down its hedges that protected the vineyard and whatever moves in the field feeds on it (v. 13), indicating that Israel was being oppressed by the nations.
C. The Goal of the Correction (80:14-19)
80:14-15. Again the prayer, directed to the God of hosts, was for Him to take care of this vine … which Your right hand has planted (vv. 14-15; cf. v. 8). Israel was called the son [lit., “branch”] whom You have strengthened for Yourself.
80:16-18. Although the vine had been burned with fire and cut down, this was because of the rebuke of Your countenance. The goal of God’s correction was to restore Israel to Himself. Then afterwards, we shall not turn back from You; Revive us (lit., “give life”) so we will call upon Your name.
80:19. The psalm concludes with the image of restoration by God using the phrase that unites the psalm: Cause Your face to shine upon us (v. 3, 7, 19; see comments at v. 3; 11:7b; 15:5b; 44:3; 56:13) and we will be saved (v. 3, 7, 19). The Lord is the only hope of salvation.
Psalm 81: The Characteristics of God’s Collective Call to Renewal
On the heading of this Psalm of Asaph, see the comments on the heading to Ps 50. It is for the choir director; on the Gittith, see the comments on Ps 8. Written from exile, Ps 80 contained a plea for God to restore the people of Israel and their nation (see esp. vv.1-7, 14-19). Now Pss 81 and 82 are the Lord’s reply. Israel’s national restoration (not personal salvation) was conditioned upon their need to become obedient to Him (81:12-14). If they would do this, God would bless them (v. 16; Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 333).
According to ancient Jewish tradition, based on the blowing of trumpets (v. 3), this psalm is recited on The Feast of the Trumpet Blowing (also called Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year; cf. Lv 23:24-25; Nm 29:1). In a sense, this is a hymn to challenge the people of Israel to covenant faithfulness. It gives an overview of the history of the covenant, using the Torah/Pentateuch.
A. A Customary Event (81:1-4)
81:1-2. The psalm begins with a call to worship: Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob, and encourages worship with a variety of instruments.
81:3-4. The trumpet (Hb. shofar), the ram’s horn trumpet (cf. Ex 19:13), was to be blown at appointed feasts, at the new moon (cf. Nm 10:10; 28:11-15), at the full moon (cf. Lv 23:34), and at God’s appointed times (cf. Lv 23:34). As a supplement to—and reinforcement of—the individual obligation to continually “renew” (maintain the vibrancy of) one’s walk in righteousness, God also commanded the regular collective observance of a feast day. For it is a statute for Israel, An ordinance of the God of Jacob (v. 4). This feast day is Rosh Hashanah, as noted above, which falls on the new moon (i.e., the first day) of the seventh month. The focus of this festival is national spiritual renewal—as in this psalm—through repentance (cf. vv. 8-9, 11-13) and praise (cf. vv. 1-2).
B. A Commemorative Event (81:5-7)
81:5-7. As an impetus to spiritual renewal, God reminded His people of His past concern for them in their early days as a people—how He went throughout the land of Egypt (v. 5, an allusion to His judgment of the Egyptians by the 10th plague, cf. Ex 11:4) and relieved their shoulder of the burden of slavery, freeing their hands … from the basket of straw they would gather for making bricks (v. 6; cf. Ex 5:7). He did all this, moreover, even though the people did not deserve it—as seen in that God proved them (i.e., refined them [through correction]; see the verb also in Zch 13:9 where the NASB translates it “test” and “tested”). When the people of Israel called in trouble the Lord rescued them (v. 7).
C. A Confessional Event (81:8-16)
81:8-10. The Lord called His people to himself: O Israel, if you would listen to Me! This is reminiscent of the Sh’ma, the watchword of Israel (cf. Dt. 6:4), where He reminded them to be faithful to Him. Let there be no strange god[s] among you because I, the LORD, am your God (vv. 9-10)). Just as He fed the people with manna in the wilderness of Egypt (cf. Ex 16:14-21), so God commanded them, Open your mouth wide and I will fill it (v. 10), not with manna this time, but with His own goodness.
81:11-16. Despite the record of God’s care, Israel did not obey the Lord. The key idea here is that God wanted Israel to listen (vv. 11, 13) to Him. If they would walk in [His] ways, He would subdue their enemies and richly bless them, using the poetic imagery of satisfying them with honey from the rock (v. 16; cf. Dt 32:13), meaning divine providence.
Psalm 82: God’s Sovereignty over the Nations
On the heading of this Psalm of Asaph, see the comments on the headings to Pss 3 and 50. In Ps 82, God continued to respond to the pleas of His people in Pss 80 and 81 by continuing to call them to obey Him (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 333).
A. God’s Position (82:1)
82:1. The congregation in which God takes his stand (i.e., to execute judgment, as God’s “standing” is elsewhere intended; cf. Is 3:13) was the congregation (i.e., people) of Israel, to whom this same expression “congregation (of the LORD)” is elsewhere applied (cf. Nm 27:17; Jos 22:16-17). So too the rulers (Hb. elohim, lit., “gods”) in the midst of whom He judges were the leaders of Israel to whom the ministry of teaching, modeling, and enforcing God’s Word was entrusted, such as the judges and priests in the OT and the scribes and Pharisees in the NT. The gods (v. 6a) here were the same contextually as those Jesus cited (cf. Jn 10:34). He further defined “gods” as those “to whom the word of God came” (Jn 10:35; see comments there). Both on the lips of Jesus and here, the word referred to men such as Moses (designated elohim in Ex 4:16), the judges who assisted him (designated elohim in Ex 21:6; 22:7-8, 27), and the subsequent judges and leaders of Israel (cf. Jdg 5:8; Ps 138:1). In all these instances where the epithet “gods” (elohim) is applied to men, it should be understood in the sense of “proxies or representatives of God.” The point of this verse is thus to underscore God’s preeminent position as the final Judge who will pass judgment on all other judges.
B. God’s Challenge (82:2-4)
82:2-4. God’s challenge here essentially repeated the injunction of Lv 19:15-16 in which God instructed His people at the outset of their nationhood and spoke to them continually thereafter through His prophets (cf. Is 1:17; Mc 6:8). His message was that they not judge unjustly or show partiality to the wicked (v. 2), but rather that they vindicate (i.e., plead the cause of) the weak and fatherless (or “orphan”; this word elsewhere is translated “orphan,” referring to a pre-adolescent who has no father), the afflicted and destitute (v. 3), those who have no one else to help them or plead their cause (see Jb 29:12, where “orphan” is also used).
C. God’s Judgment (82:5-8)
82:5-8. The psalmist affirmed the Lord’s inevitable judgment of those judges and leaders (v. 6), designated gods in v. 1, who continue to judge unjustly (v. 2), at which time all the foundations of the earth will be shaken (v. 5), for He is the One who laid them (cf. 75:3; 104:5). This imagery points to the final judgment of Rv 20:11-15 that immediately precedes God’s remaking of the heavens and the earth. Asaph’s closing affirmation that it is You who possesses all the nations (cf. Ps 2:8) further emphasizes God’s right to enact this final judgment, as well as that this judgment will be enacted by the Son of God.
Psalm 83: Imprecation as Affirmation of God’s Gracious Promises
On the heading of this Psalm of Asaph see the comments on the headings to Pss 3 and 50. It is described as A Song (see introduction to Ps 46). Thematically, the three parts of this psalm parallel the three essential provisions or, more precisely, promises (cf. Gal 3:17-18) of the Abrahamic covenant: an eternal land, an eternal people, and eternal blessing (for Israel and all nations). The fulfillment of these promises, and not the destruction of the psalmist’s enemies as such, drove his imprecation in this psalm.
One of the central themes of Asaph’s psalms (73–83), of which this is the last, is imploring God to deliver His people, city, and temple. These all lay in ruins and provided the Gentile nations grounds for mocking Him. Asaph therefore called upon God to judge those nations so they would recognize His supremacy (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 333-34).
A. To Make Israel an Eternal Nation (83:1-8)
83:1-5. The opening of this psalm is a plea: O God, do not remain quiet … silent … still, but instead take action against Your enemies. The expression exalted themselves (v. 2) is lit., “lifted up (their) head,” referring to the mustering and counting of soldiers in preparation for battle against God’s people. They make an uproar against the Lord (cf. Ps 2). The threat was against Israel by her many enemies, who collectively conspire together against the people of Israel to wipe them out … That the name of Israel be remembered no more (vv. 3-4).
However, because the plans were made by the enemies of the Lord, these words were ultimately directed against God Himself, since He established Israel as a distinct people (cf. Gn 12:2) and promised that they would remain so forever (cf. Jr 31:35-37). It was He who gave them their name (cf. Gn 12:2; 32:28), the name itself bearing witness to the character of God. “Israel” literally means “God strives,” that is, “strives for Israel”; (see comment on Gn 32:28). These people who hate You (v. 2) conspire together (v. 2, conspired together, v. 5) and Against You they make a covenant (v. 5). These words indicate that hatred against the people of Israel was in actuality hatred of the God of Israel.
83:6-8. The enemies were Gentile nations which had a history of aggression against Israel: Edom (cf. Am 1:11), the Ishmaelites (cf. Gn 25:12-18), Moab (cf. Is 16), the Hagrites (cf. 1Ch 5:10), Gebal (cf. Ezk 27:9), Ammon (cf. Am 1:13-15), Amalek (cf. Dt 25:17-18), Philistia (cf. 1Sm 17), Tyre (cf. Ezk 26:1–28:19), and Assyria (cf. 2Kg 17:1-6). The statement that these nations had become a help to the children of Lot, the Moabites and Ammonites (cf. Gn 19:36-38), is a summary of the coalition of enemies against Israel. Although they had all opposed Israel in the past, this assault appears to refer to the end of days, when the nations will gather against Israel (cf. Ps 2:1-2; Zch 14:2).
B. To Give Israel an Eternal Land (83:9-15)
83:9-15. This is a plea for the Lord to Deal with them (those nations listed vv. 6-8) as He did with Midian … Sisera and Jabin during the time of the Judges (cf. Jdg 4, 7). The mention of those destroyed at En-dor (cf. Jos 17:11) … Oreb … Zeeb … Zebah and Zalmunna (cf. Jdg 7–8) is another list of enemies defeated by the Lord.
Consistent with their collective intention to wipe out the people of Israel, the enemies of God’s people also sought to possess the pastures of God, the land of Israel, for themselves (v. 12)—an intention that was likewise ultimately directed against God since He gave Israel that land as an everlasting possession (cf. Gn 13:15; 17:8; Ps 105:10-11). This same intention continues unabated to the present day among Israel’s many enemies
C. To Bless All Peoples with Eternal Life (83:16-18)
83:16-18. Counterbalancing the imprecation in this psalm (as also, even if implicitly, in any other imprecatory psalm or statement in Scripture) is God’s final and greatest promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that through them all nations of the earth will be blessed (cf. Gn 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). This promise was here explicitly affirmed by Asaph, who implored God to fill the faces of Israel’s enemies with dishonor, with the goal that they may seek God’s name (v. 16) and know that it is He alone, whose name is the LORD, is the Most High (cf. 14:19) over all the earth (v. 18; cf. Gn 11:4; 12:2; Pss 20:5; 23:3; Mal 1:11).
Psalm 84: The Threefold Aspects of True Blessedness
On the heading of this Psalm of the sons of Korah, see the comments on the headings of Pss 3–4; 42–43, and Introduction: Author. The three parts of this psalm comprise those three concurrent aspects (not progressive “steps”) of the believer’s walk with the Lord, as presented in terms of worship in Zion. Whereas Asaph’s psalms mourned the destruction of the nation and the temple, this psalm anticipated the temple’s restoration and the prospect of glorious worship there (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 334).
A. Dwelling in God’s Presence (84:1-4)
84:1-4. The first aspect of true blessedness is proximity to the LORD of hosts whose presence on earth was centered in His dwelling places—the plural form referring to the temple compound and all its distinct sections (as in 43:3; 46:4). The psalmist’s soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD (v. 2; cf. 42:1), a poignant indication of the psalmist’s focus on being in God’s presence All those who love God should yearn to dwell in God’s house, not simply as the priest who served there, but as the Lord’s guest enjoying His presence (v. 4; cf. comments on 15:1; 23:6).
B. Living in God’s Strength (84:5-7)
84:5-7. True blessing accrues to the person (Hb. adam, which, though usually translated man, is properly a designation for any human individual) who finds his strength … in God alone (v. 5; cf. 1Sm 30:6). No matter what happens, even Passing through the valley of Baca (“weeping,” v. 6), the saddest of times, those who trust in the Lord can transform those tears and make the valley of weeping into a spring of water. People such as this go from strength to strength (v. 7a). No matter where they go or what their circumstances may be, God’s strength is always available to them; and to “recharge” this strength they appear regularly before God in Zion (v. 7b). This refers to the three pilgrimage festivals (Unleavened Bread, Weeks [Pentecost], and Tabernacles), when God commanded that every man in Israel “appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses” (Dt 16:16). Likewise, today we should seek God’s presence through study of His Word as our resource of fellowship, refreshment, and strength.
C. Trusting in God’s Grace (84:9-12)
84:9-10. After praising God (vv. 1-7), the psalm transitioned with a prayer that was likewise focused on the joy of fellowship with God in His presence. For a day in Your courts is better than thousands outside away from Him (v. 10).
84:11-12. The Hebrew in the phrase the LORD gives denotes an ongoing/unending action; grace indicates it is God’s consistent, never-ending supply to His people throughout the OT, both by protecting and providing for them, as well as by granting them grace (or “favor”) in the eyes of others (cf. Gn 39:21; Ex 3:21; 11:3; 12:36; Dn 1:9). The description of God as a sun reinforces the concept of God’s grace as the giver of life; being a shield indicates that He is the One who protects life (v. 11).
Psalm 85: The Three Tenses of Divine Love
On the heading of this Psalm of the sons of Korah, see the comments on the headings of Pss 3–4; 42–43. This psalm reiterates the hope of God restoring Israel in the future, but the righteous must prepare for this coming deliverance by continued obedience and faithfulness (cf. 85:8; Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 334).
A. Divine Love in the Past (85:1-3)
85:1-3. In the past the Lord … showed favor to the … land of Israel. God’s showing of favor is specifically associated in Scripture with His “compassion” or “tender love” (cf. Is 60:10). This tender love was expressed toward Israel in the past by His having restored the captivity (better translated “fortunes”) of Jacob—referring to God’s restoration of the people to an outward state of prosperity following a period of correction or testing during the Babylonian exile (cf. the same expression in Jb 42:10; Ezk 16:53). But more importantly, He forgave the iniquity of [His] people [and] turned away from [His] burning anger (v. 3). The Babylonian exile was a judgment for failing to obey the Lord (cf. Jr 25:1-11), and return to the land of Israel was an evidence of the Lord’s forgiveness.
B. Divine Love in the Present (85:4-7)
85:4-7. Based on the example of God’s past expression of love toward His covenant people, the psalmist expectantly implored God’s present expression of the same. During the current difficulties, he asked God to revive us again, that your people may rejoice in You. That God did show them lovingkindness (chesed, a synonym of the word translated favor in v. 1) is evident from God’s declaration through Malachi “I have loved [denoting action begun in the past and continuing unabated into the present] you” (Mal 1:2).
C. Divine Love in the Future (85:8-13)
85:8-13. There is a confidence in the future under the Lord’s loving command: He will speak peace to His people; those who are obedient to the Lord are called His godly ones (v. 8). That God will continue to express His compassion and love toward Israel in the future is emphasized by the phrase, Lovingkindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. These are especially poignant and memorable because all these ideal qualities and attributes are ultimately fulfilled and eternally exemplified in the Messiah (cf. Is 11:1-5; Zch 6:13).
Psalm 86: Prayer to the Sovereign Lord from His Servant
In its heading this psalm is of David (the only Davidic psalm in Book Three of the Psalms) and described as A Prayer (see introduction to Ps 17). The psalm’s theme of God’s sovereignty (i.e., lordship) and the psalmist’s corresponding servanthood, is emphasized by the sevenfold repetition (signifying perfection and completion) of the word Lord (Hb. adonai lit., “my Lord/Master/Sovereign,” as opposed to LORD = Yahweh; vv. 3a, 4b, 5a, 8a, 9a, 12a, 15a), and by the threefold repetition (signifying the “utmost” of something, equivalent to the English superlative) of the expression Your servant (vv. 2b, 4a, 16a; on these repetition methods see introduction to 110. This psalm of David may have been inserted here into the “Korah psalms” to illustrate that God does hear the prayers of the righteous in which they cry out for deliverance and forgiveness (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 334).
A. Affirming the Lord as His Sovereign (86:1-5)
86:1-5. The psalm begins with a direct request, Incline Your ear … and answer me (cf. 17:6; 31:2). The request for an answer to prayer is predicated on the character of the Lord. Prefacing the concept of God’s perfect sovereignty, as signified by the sevenfold repetition of Lord (adonai) throughout the psalm (as in Ps 85, see introduction to Ps 86), is the concept of God’s unique sovereignty (that He is the sovereign of all creation with no one of superior authority or ability over Him). This is signified by the threefold repetition of Lord in this opening section. David also employed two other common biblical designations of the Lord in this section: LORD (Yahweh, in v. 1a) and God (elohim in v. 2b), whereas in v. 5 he employed descriptions of God that are more relational: a Sovereign who is ready to forgive (v. 5; cf. Ex 34:7) as well as one who is abundant in lovingkindness (v. 5; cf. Ex 34:6). On the expression, Be gracious to me (v. 3), see comment on 56:1.
B. Affirming the Lord as the Only Sovereign (86:6-13)
86:6-10. Again there is a request: Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer and supplications! In this section David emphasized the uniqueness of his Sovereign—not only that there is no one above Him, but also that there is no one like Him (v. 8; cf. Ex 15:11). No other sovereign can be credited with having made all the nations (v. 9, referring both to His material creation of humanity as well as to His division of humanity into distinct linguistic and political entities at Babel; cf. Gn 11:9). And there is no other sovereign whom all nations … shall one day come and worship before (v. 9; for only God is to be worshiped; cf. Ex 34:14; Lk 4:8). This statement refers specifically to the nations’ worship of Messiah, to whom this passage is applied in Rv 15:4.
86:11-13. In order to begin to understand the sovereignty of the Lord, it is essential to know Him better daily by obeying the instruction: Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name (v. 11; cf. Ps 1; 111:10). David’s affirmation that God had delivered his soul from … Sheol (v. 13) expressed his confidence in his relationship with the Lord even unto death. It was also a foreshadowing of David’s confidence in the resurrection of the coming Messiah, as he “looked ahead” and understood that truth (cf. Ac 2:31 and comments on Pss 16:10; 49:14-15).
C. Affirming the Lord as the Perfect Sovereign (86:14-17)
86:14-17. At this point, the psalm turns to address David’s enemies, characterized as arrogant men who have risen up against him and have not set [God] before them. David affirmed the perfection of his Sovereign—perfect in His divine attributes (such as omniscience and omnipresence) not possessed by people, and in His attributes that people may also have (such as His righteousness, holiness, or faithfulness). David also affirmed God’s attributes most important to the Jewish people, such as His loyal love (You, O Lord, are … abundant in lovingkindness, v. 15), truth (v. 15), mercy (You, O Lord, are … merciful; v. 15), grace (be gracious to me, v. 16; gracious, v. 15), and His imparting of help and comfort (You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me, v. 17).
Psalm 87: On the Preeminence of Zion
On the heading of this Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song, see the comments on Ps 3, 42–43; 46. This psalm is a celebration of Zion (Jerusalem) as the city of God and affirms that God will restore Israel someday. When He does, the Gentile nations also will receive great blessings along with Israel. Israel will be a people of supreme blessing, and will exhibit God’s majesty most powerfully because of His faithfulness to His covenant with David and Abraham (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 335).
A. Zion the Place of God’s Choice (87:1-3)
87:1. The opening phrase His foundation is in the holy mountains (cf. 2:6; Is 56:7) reflects that the Lord founded Zion (cf. Is 14:32). He chose the location for the temple and when it was built there on Mount Moriah (cf. 2Ch 3:1), the glory of the Lord filled the temple (cf. 2Ch 7:1-3). The plural of mountains may be a plural of majesty, or it may indicate the location being surrounded by mountains like Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus. Furthermore, the mountain is holy because the Lord will return in glory and holiness to the temple (cf. Ezk 43). That glory had been visible in the past in the tabernacle (cf. Ex 40:34 and comment on Ps 2:6) and will come again to the temple in the future.
87:2-3. The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than any other place in Jacob (the land of Israel). He chose Zion (cf. comments on 2:6; 3:3-4; 9:11-12; 48:2) to be the focal point of His visible presence on earth, not just in history during the days of the two temples, but also when He returns to establish His kingdom on earth and for all time thereafter (cf. Jr 3:17; Ezk 43:7; Rv 21:22-27). For the meaning of loves, see the comment on Ps 78:65-72. Biblically, Mount Zion is synonymous with Mount Moriah. It was the site of the binding of Isaac (cf. Gn 22), and the location purchased by David for the temple at the Lord’s direction. Today, the area identified as Mount Zion in Jerusalem, outside the walls of the Old City, is not on the same location as the biblical site.
B. Zion the Place of God’s People (87:4-6)
87:4-6. In the future, when the Messiah returns to rule on earth in Jerusalem, Zion will be the focal point of God’s rule when people of the Gentile nations will worship the Lord at His holy mountain (cf. Is 56:7). Although this list is brief—and hence necessarily selective—the expansiveness and force of God’s mercy and grace (in fulfillment of His promise in Gn 12:3b) are poignantly emphasized by calling attention to the promise that some of Israel’s archenemies will be numbered among those who know Me (i.e., who have a relationship with God; see comment on Ps 1:6). Those nations include Rahab (a poetic designation for Egypt; see Ps 89:9-10; Is 51:9-10), Babylon (destroyer of Jerusalem, cf. Ps 137:1-9), and Philistia (cf. Is 19:19-25).
C. Zion the Place of God’s Salvation (87:7)
87:7. The psalm concludes with a brief glimpse of the praise and rejoicing that will characterize that future time when God rules from Zion, when those who sing as well as those who play the flutes (or “who dance”)—both of which activities are associated in Scripture with rejoicing and praise (cf. 1Sm 18:16; 1Kg 1:10)—will say, All my springs of joy are in you. This may look forward to the life-giving waters which will flow from the temple in the Messianic Age, making the Dead Sea fresh (cf. Ezk 47:1-12; Ps 46:6; Rv 22:1-3), or to springs of salvation (as in Is 12:3). Either way, the springs are a source of life flowing from God Himself and Messiah the Lamb on His throne in Zion (cf. Rv 22:3).
Psalm 88: The Reasons for Seeking Relief from God’s Correction
On the lengthy heading of psalm, A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, see the comments on the headings to Pss 3–4, 42–43, 46. For according to Mahalath see Ps 53; Leannoth (“for singing loudly,” as in Ex 15:21; 1Sm 21:11; Ps 147:7; cf. “I have cried out” in 88:1, 13). In his Maskil (see introduction to Ps 32) of Heman the Ezrahite (see Introduction: Author), Heman lamented his suffering which he saw as coming from God’s sovereign hand. Since God was sovereign over his sufferings, Heman also viewed God as equally sovereign over their removal—hence he cried out to Him for relief. The righteous must learn to remain close to God even during difficult times, and Heman’s pleas to God mirror the feelings and prayers of all those who are still awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promises (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 335).
A. Plea for Restoration of Vitality (88:1-9)
88:1-5. This prayer to the LORD, the God of my salvation was so urgent that the psalmist cried out by day and in the night. The psalmist described his troubles (v. 3) as feeling like he was forsaken among the dead (v. 5). Thus, this psalm is a response to God’s discipline. On Sheol (v. 3) see the comment on 49:14-15.
88:6-9. The drowning image of You have put me … in the depths … You have afflicted me with all Your waves (vv. 6-7) is similar to Jonah’s experience (cf. Jnh 2:3). Yet even worse, the psalmist understood the Lord had done this: You have (vv. 6-8). He recognized that he was under [God’s] wrath (v. 7); nonetheless, the psalmist called upon [Him] every day (v. 9; cf. 22:2; 86:3).
B. Plea for Restoration of Worship (88:10-12)
88:10-12. Using four rhetorical questions, typical of disputation arguments, this section is an appeal to God to help the psalmist before he died. The questions imply a “no” answer, but are not denying the resurrection or hope of the afterlife as revealed in the OT (cf. 16:11; 23:6; Is 26:19; Dn 12:1-3). Rather, this was an appeal to the Lord to allow the psalmist to continue living, so God could bless him and allow him to worship God on earth. Abbadon (v. 11; lit., “place of destruction”) is a synonym for hell.
C. Plea for Restoration of Relationship (88:13-18)
88:13-18. This section reviews the early part of the psalmist’s prayer, but from the perspective of crying out in the morning. The themes in vv. 13-18 are similar to vv. 1-9: e.g., You reject my soul (v. 14/v. 6); I suffer Your terrors (v. 15-16/v. 6); I am overwhelmed by waves of water (v. 17/v. 7); I am removed from lover … friend … acquaintances (v.18/v. 8).
The psalmist lamented what was to him the most distressing of all the consequences of God’s discipline, namely, his sense of broken relationship with God (vv. 7, 14) This is not to say the psalmist believed that because of the sin(s) for which he was being corrected, his relationship with God had been severed or annulled. Rather the proper (i.e., healthy, unhindered) experience of that relationship had been diminished or hindered. The psalmist’s reference to God rejecting him (v. 14) is thus not an actual statement of a theological fact, but was an expression representing the tortured depth of how he felt at the time (see comments in 44:9; 60:1). His reference to God’s hiding His face draws directly from the wording of God’s threat of chastisement (not rejection or abandonment) to the fledgling nation (cf. Dt 31:17-18 and “Finding God in the Book of Esther,” in the Introduction to Esther).
Psalm 89: God’s Faithfulness to the Davidic King
For background on a Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite see Ps 32 and Introduction: Author. Ethan the Ezrahite appears to have been a poet or wise man from the court of King Solomon (cf. 1Kg 4:31). He appears to have written an ode to the glorious nature of the Davidic covenant. Perhaps he longed for the covenant to be fulfilled through Solomon. However, the failures of Solomon (cf. 1Kg 11) and the rest of the Davidic kings caused the fulfillment of the promise to be found much later, by the messianic Son of David.
The key idea in this psalm is the unconditional and inevitable fulfillment of the Davidic covenant, grounded in God’s lovingkindness (chesed) and faithfulness. This is underscored by the sevenfold repetition of each of these words (lovingkindness in vv. 1, 2, 14, 24, 28, 33, 49; faithfulness in vv. 1-2, 5, 8, 24, 33, 49).
Not all of God’s people wait for His deliverance with great hope, as Ps 88 made clear. Psalm 89 emphasizes that this deliverance will come someday, and the righteous can console themselves with its certainty and its glory when it arrives. Its arrival will take place in connection with the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant in the seed, or descendants, of David (89:3-4, 29, 36), the Messiah (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 335).
A. God’s Faithful Character (89:1-18)
89:1-4. The themes of God’s lovingkindness … and faithfulness are introduced, then linked to the covenant the Lord had sworn to David (see comments on 2Sm 7:11-17). The three aspects of the Davidic covenant are an eternal house (i.e., dynasty), an eternal kingdom, and an eternal throne—all fulfilled in Messiah Jesus the Son of David (cf. Lk 1:32-33). The unconditional nature (and hence inevitable fulfillment) of this covenant is indicated by: (1) the repeated references to God’s lovingkindness (cf. comment on 5:7) and faithfulness (on its unconditional nature see the comment on 88:11); and (2) the singular form of the verb translated I have made in v. 3, indicating that the fulfillment of all aspects of the Davidic covenant depended on God alone, and thus its unconventional nature. The seed introduced in Gn 3:15 can be traced throughout the whole OT and refers ultimately to the supreme Son of David, the Messiah (cf. Ac 2:20). The phrase build up your throne (v. 4) is a promise of the Davidic covenant.
89:5-10. This stanza of the psalm is praise to the Lord for His wonders and faithfulness, the fact that He is awesome above all and rule[s] … the sea (creation) and crushed and scattered [His] enemies. In summary, it depicts the incomparable LORD God of hosts (v. 8; who is like you, O mighty LORD?; cf. Pss 35:10; 71:19; 77:13; 89:6; 113:4; Ex 15:11; Mc 7:18).
89:11-14. The stanza begins with an overview of God’s greatness. The Lord created everything (vv. 11-12). He rules the world with a strong arm … righteousness … justice … lovingkindness and truth.
89:15-18. The focus narrows to the Lord’s relationship with His people Israel. How blessed are the people who … walk (cf. Ps 86:11) in the light of Your countenance (cf. 1; 44:3) and know the Holy One of Israel (v. 18; cf. 71:22).
B. God’s Choice of David as King (89:19-29)
89:19-29. The Lord chose David to be king of Israel (vv. 20-21; cf. 1Sm 13:14) and be anointed—according to God’s direction—by Samuel (cf. 1Sm 16:1-3). Because God’s covenant with David is unconditional, there is no doubt that He will keep (or “preserve,” “uphold”) it for him forever … establish his descendants [lit., “seed,” referring to an individual, the messianic King] forever, and establish his throne as the days of heaven (a poetic phrase meaning “forever”). These are all aspects of the Davidic covenant (vv. 28-29; cf. 2Sm 7:12-13).
C. God’s Unconditional Covenant with David (89:30-37)
89:30-32. The future Davidic kings (Solomon and the 20 kings of Judah, cf. 1Kg 11:42–25:30; 2Ch 9:31–36:21) often failed to follow the Lord, and He punish[ed] their transgression with the rod, culminating in the Babylonian captivity.
89:33-37. But the Lord will always be faithful not to violate the covenant He had made with David and swore by His holiness (vv. 34-35). There can be no stronger guarantee, because the Lord would not lie to David. The covenant is fulfilled in His descendants (lit., “seed”, cf. comments on v. 29), that is, the Messiah (cf. Mt 1:1, 17; Lk 1:32; 20:42-44). The Davidic covenant shall be established forever like the moon (cf. Jr 31:35-37).
D. God’s Discipline on the Davidic Throne (89:38-52)
Psalm 89 begins with praise to the Lord and joyful celebration of David and the Davidic covenant. The conclusion of the psalm (vv. 38-52) is a radical shift into questions and sorrow. This final section seems to have been added in the postexilic period, when the psalms were made into a book and when Jerusalem was in ruins, the nation was in exile in Babylon and there was no king on the throne of David (vv. 38-45 describe a situation much later than the time of Ethan the Ezrahite, the Davidic crown was in the dust [v. 39], his throne had been cast to the ground [v. 44], and the walls and strongholds of Jerusalem were destroyed [v. 40], all indicating that this was a post-exilic addition to the psalm). Yet it ends in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah, listening for the footsteps of Your anointed (v. 51), a rabbinic phrase for the coming of the Messiah.
89:38-45. At this point it seemed God had cast off the nation of Israel and rejected His people, and was full of wrath against [His] anointed kings (v. 38). Each verse in this section except v. 41 contains the refrain You have …, indicating all the dire circumstances that had befallen Jerusalem were the result of God’s judgment. The prophets as well as Kings and Chronicles provide the details of Israel’s behavior which led to this judgment. It seemed (although impossible, cf. vv. 36-37) that God had spurned the covenant of [His] servant David (cf. vv. 3, 20), for God had cast his crown in the dust … broken down the walls of Jerusalem, made all his enemies rejoice and cast his throne to the ground.
89:46-50. This section asks How long, O LORD? (cf. 6:3) will these awful condition prevail; Will You hide Yourself forever? (cf. 10:1; 13:1; 27:9). The psalmist then recalled God’s former lovingkindnesses and faithfulness to David (v. 49). Since he could not live forever, the author appears to be asking God to fulfill the Davidic covenant by sending the Messiah, the Son of David.
89:51-52. Because of God’s judgment on His people, God’s enemies had reproached the Lord’s reputation, particularly concerning the promised coming of the Messiah. They disbelieved that they would soon hear the footsteps of Your anointed (Hb., Messiah). Thus, after the exile, it appears that this addition to the psalm is calling for the Lord to fulfill the Davidic covenant, not by restoring the Davidic line, but by sending the messianic King.
This psalm, which concludes Book Three, ends with the short doxology: Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen (cf. 41:13; 72:18-19; 106:48; 50:6).
IV. Book Four: Responding in Worship to God’s Fatherly Discipline (Pss 90–106)
Psalm 90: A Prayer to God Eternal in Response to the Brevity of Life
Consistent with its placement at the beginning of the fourth of the five Books of Psalms, this psalm focuses on and hence introduces the main theme of Book Four, which, parallel to the fourth book of the Pentateuch (Numbers), concerns God’s fatherly correction of His national son Israel. This is a Prayer of Moses, the man of God, (see Ps 17 introduction). That this psalm is attributed to Moses reinforces the parallel between Book Four of the Psalms and God’s discipline of Israel in the wilderness wanderings. In addition to this psalm’s prayer, Moses wrote at least three other psalmic compositions: two “songs” (Ex 15:1-18; Dt 31:30–32:43) and one blessing (Dt 33:1-29).
A. Affirming the Eternality of God (90:1-2)
90:1-2. The prayer begins by affirming Israel’s relationship with God: Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. God’s right to bring correction (detailed vv. 3-12) is based on His character and relationship with Israel. That God has been Israel’s dwelling place (their impregnable source of refuge and protection; cf. Pss 71:3a; 91:9b) in all generations was proven in the past and promised in the future. Moses employed the same expression in Dt 32:7 (where it is parallel to “eternity”). Moses referred figuratively to God as Creator, having given birth to the earth and the world. The world refers here not just to the inanimate world, but to all of creation, particularly to humanity (cf. Pss 96:13; 98:9). He emphasized God’s eternality: Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
B. Acknowledging Man’s Mortality and Need for Wisdom (90:3-12)
90:3-6. In this section Moses acknowledged the justice of God’s disciplinary correction of Israel, beginning with an allusion to His first act of corrective discipline: You turn man back into dust (v. 3; cf. Gn 3:19). He also illustrated God’s eternality: For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday … Or as a watch in the night (v. 4; cf. Jdg 7:19).
90:7-12. Sin was explicitly acknowledged and confessed with the words, You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence (v. 8). The eternality of the Lord (vv. 1-2) is a dynamic contrast to the descriptions of the brevity of human life: (1) as brief as a sigh (v. 9; lit., “whisper”); (2) the average length of life being only seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years (v. 10); and (3) soon … we fly away (or die; v. 10). In light of the shortness of life the plea to the Lord is: teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom (v. 12). In order to make the most of their short lives (even the longest life is short in contrast to eternity), those who love the Lord need to be aware of how they spend time. This text urges believers to make the most of each day by obeying the Lord and living according to the wisdom in His Word (cf. Pss 1:1-3; 86:11; Pr 9:10; 19:23).
C. Asking for God’s Favor and Blessing (90:13-17)
90:13. Having confessed Israel’s sin on their behalf, Moses implored God to return and comfort His people (cf. 6:3-4); to be sorry for (lit., “appeased” or “propitiated”) [His] servants, in that their confession of sin was genuine and the judgment had lasted long enough.
90:14-16. When fellowship with the Lord is restored, then it is possible to be satisfied with the Lord’s love (O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, v. 14). The Lord had never ceased to love His people, but their sin had prevented their experiencing His goodness. The motivation for this petition, ultimately, was not simply that Israel’s circumstances might be improved, but that they may sing for joy and be glad (v. 14), that is, that they might proclaim God’s glory through their worship (cf. 32:11; Jr 31:7; Zch 2:14).
90:17. In the closing request, Let the favor (lit., “beauty,” cf. 27:4) of the Lord our God be upon us, Moses was reflecting his brother Aaron’s famous blessing on Israel (cf. Nm 6:22-26). In asking the Lord to confirm … the work of our hands Moses was requesting approval of and blessing for all their efforts to serve Him (cf. Dt 14:29; 16:15; 24:19).
Psalm 91: Concerning Personal Security
Though this psalm has no heading in the Hebrew text, early Jewish tradition has given it several attributions: to David (LXX), to Solomon (the Midrash on Psalms), to Moses (Midrash on Psalms), or as a joint composition by David (vv. 3-8, 10-16) and Solomon (vv. 1-2, 9; (the Targum). A theme in Ps 90 is God as the refuge of Israel (90:1) and the brevity of life (90:7-12). Psalm 91 encourages the readers to find their refuge in God when they have not yet experienced the fulfillment of all God’s promises (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 336).
A. The Believer’s Source of Security (91:1-4)
91:1-2. The source of one’s security is found in the Lord: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Security is not in one’s circumstances or personal ability, but in God. Believers are to turn to Him not only in times of distress or need, but continually, as indicated by the opening reference to He who dwells (i.e., a person who sees himself, whether awake or asleep, as being in the Lord, and hence protected by Him from any lasting harm, whether physical or spiritual).
Abiding in His shadow (cf. v. 4), suggesting both His proximity to His people and the relief He provides from scorching heat, indicates protection and security (cf. 121:5; Is 30:2-3; 49:2; 51:16). The Lord will be his refuge (cf. Ps 46:1) and fortress (cf. 31:3).
91:3-4. Yet this protection is as gentle and warm as a mother bird sheltering her young. He will cover you with His pinions … under His wings you may seek refuge (v. 4; cf. Pss 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 68:13). The protection provided by the Lord is His faithfulness (cf. Dt 7:9; 36:5, 89:2; 98:3). This is an image of protection used by Messiah Jesus regarding the Jewish people (cf. Mt 23:37).
B. The Extent of Security in the Lord (91:5-13)
91:5-6. The psalmist here gave examples of threatening situations (both day and night) from which the Lord will keep the believer safe, so he should not be afraid of the terror by night … arrow that flies by day … pestilence that stalks in darkness, or destruction that lays waste at noon (v. 6).
91:7-8. The parallel numeric poetic construction of a thousand and ten thousand expressed security against outrageous odds: it shall not approach you.
91:9-10. The extent of the security afforded to the individual is rooted in making the Most High his dwelling place. The image of No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent (lit., “dwelling”), is a link back to the Lord’s protection of Israel during the plagues on the Egyptians at Passover (cf. Ex 11:6-12). This verse is not a universal promise of safety for all believers. It might be paraphrased, “No disaster or trouble will come upon a believer except if it is part of God’s loving plan.”
91:11-13. This illustration is of the Lord’s care as quoted by Satan to Jesus during His temptation in the wilderness (cf. Mt 4:6; Lk 4:10-11, see comments there). If this principle was true of any believer, how much more would it be true of the Messiah, the Son of God? Additionally, the words He will give His angels charge concerning you is a strong OT support for the concept of guardian angels (cf. Heb 1:14 for NT support).
C. The Intimacy of Security in the Lord (91:14-16)
91:14-16. This last section highlights the importance of relationship with the Lord: Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him. To know My name (v. 14) means to know the Lord (cf. 5:11; 23:3; 25:11; 31:3). The intimacy of being in a relationship with God is emphasized by His reference to being with him (with individual believers) in his trouble (v. 15; cf. vv. 5-8). God affirms the full and final salvation (v. 16; cf. 62:1) of the one who trusts in Him and whom therefore He will set … on high (v. 14), in an unassailable place—that is, in Him, the Most High, who is the believer’s dwelling place (vv. 1, 9).
Psalm 92: A Song of Weekly Praise
On the heading of this Psalm, a Song, see the comments on the headings to Pss 3 and 46. It is to be sung on the Sabbath day. According to ancient Jewish tradition, this psalm was sung by the Levites in the Second Temple period at the time of the daily Sabbath offering (Mishnah, Tamid vii.4). This unique psalmic association with the Sabbath (seventh day) is underscored by the observation that this is also the only psalm in which the four-letter name for God (called the Tetragrammaton and typically translated Lord or Yahweh) is repeated seven times (vv. 1, 4-5, 8-9, 13, 15), a number that signifies perfection or completion. In Ps 90, the psalmist drew attention to God’s attributes of power and authority as they relate to humanity’s, especially Israel’s, accountability to Him. Psalm 91 emphasizes God’s power and authority, but as they relate to His tender care of Israel. In Ps 92 emphasis is placed upon God’s love and steadfastness, as well as His blessings upon the righteous and judgment upon the wicked. Its exalted description of God paves the way for the hymns portraying God’s sovereign power and authority in Pss 93–99 (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 336).
A. A Song for the Privilege of Praise (92:1-4)
92:1-4. The psalmist praised God because it is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High. He praised God for being able to give thanks to Him (v. 1). He recognized that doing so (like worship in general) was not a right but a privilege, granted not on the basis of the psalmist’s personal merit, but of God’s lovingkindness (v. 2; chesed, see Ps 5:7) and faithfulness (see Ps 88:11). These terms are elsewhere paired or employed in parallel to underscore God’s unconditional mercy and grace (cf. 89:1-2, 24, 33, 49; 98:3) which the psalmist is eager To declare. The LORD had made [the psalmist] glad by what He had done, specifically, the works of [His] hands (v. 4).
B. A Song for the Lord’s Justice (92:5-9)
92:5-9. Since persecution by the ungodly is an inevitable component in the lives of “all who desire to live godly” (2Tm 3:12), this model of weekly prayer—which is intended to contribute to the spiritual and emotional recharging of the believer—here reminds the worshiper that this life is but a drop in the ocean of eternity, and that the sprout[ing] up (i.e., flourishing) of the wicked is like the grass (v. 7). In contrast, God is eternal (You, O LORD, are on high forever) (v. 8; cf. 92:2). Though God in His forbearance may allow some among those who do iniquity (v. 9; cf. v. 7, lit., “those doing iniquity,” i.e., an ongoing unrepentant lifestyle) a brief time to flourish so that they might repent, He will inevitably requite them should they not repent with destruction forevermore, that is, with eternal condemnation (v. 7; cf. 83:17; Dn 12:2).
C. A Song for the Lord’s Great Love (92:10-15)
92:10-15. The reminder of God’s inevitable condemnation of the wicked in the previous section is here counterbalanced by focusing on what God had already done for the psalmist in exalting his horn (symbolizing the giving of strength based in God’s salvation; see 17:3; 74:5) and having anointed him with fresh oil (symbolizing the giving of joy; see 23:5). The condemnation of the wicked is also counterbalanced by what God will yet do for the righteous, that is, that he will be planted (lit., “transplanted,” as in Ezk 17:8, 23) in the house of the LORD and flourish in His courts (v. 13; on the eschatological sense of this thought, see the comments on 23:6 and 84:1–4).
Psalm 93: Affirming God’s Rule as the King of Creation
Though this psalm has no heading in the Hebrew text, early Jewish tradition (the LXX) attributes it to David and also identifies it (in both the LXX and the Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 31a) as the psalm that was recited by the Levites in the Second Temple period on the sixth day of the week (i.e., Friday) because on it “He completed His work (of creation) and commenced reigning over (all) of them (i.e., His ‘creations’).” God’s universal rule is also a primary theme of this psalm. Psalm 93 emphasizes God’s powerful creation and governance of the world, themes forecast in Pss 91–92 (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 336-37).
A. By His Work of Creation (93:1-2)
93:1-2. The opening declaration, The LORD reigns, affirms God’s ongoing reign, not just at the present time, as the present tense translation reigns equals “on-going/unending.” Furthermore, His eternal reign is associated with God as Creator, by the explicit reference to the world being firmly established (cf. 24:2; 104:5). Implicit in the concept of God having established the world, moreover, is the concept of His preexistence (You are from everlasting, v. 2; lit., “from eternity”). The word everlasting signifies no ending, whereas “eternity” signifies both no ending and no beginning, spanning eternity past to eternity future.
B. By His Transcendence over Creation (93:3-4)
93:3-4. God’s great power as Creator is vividly depicted by the reference to the floods (repeated three times for emphasis in v. 3; cf. 86:1-5), pounding waves … many waters and mighty breakers, symbolizing the unstoppable and overwhelming power of creation as perceived by humanity (cf. 2Sm 22:5; Jnh 2:3-5). Yet these roaring waters are not as mighty as the LORD on high whose power is more than the sounds of many waters, than the mighty breakers of the sea (v. 4; cf. 18:15-16; 29:3-4; 77:19; 88:7; Is 8:7-8).
C. By His Special Revelation within Creation (93:5)
93:5. God’s rule is affirmed by His testimonies, that is, the specific revelation of His Word, and the law in particular (cf. Dt 4:45; 6:20; Neh 9:34; Pss 78:56; 119:22, 24, 59, 79). The law clearly testifies both to God’s universal rule as the Creator of heaven and earth (cf. Ex 20:11; 31:17) and to the holiness that resides exclusively in Him (cf. Lv 10:3), and distinguishes Him perhaps more than anything else from His creation. Hence the three-fold repetition of “holy” in Is 6:3 and Rv 4:8. No other attribute of God has such a three-fold attribution.
Psalm 94: Praying for God to Judge
This psalm, as the previous one, has no heading in the Hebrew text. Early Jewish tradition (the LXX), as with Ps 93, attributes it to David. Psalm 94 is identified in both the LXX and the Babylonian Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 31a) as being recited by the Levites in the Second Temple period on the fourth day of the week (i.e., Wednesday). This is so because on the fourth day God created the sun and the moon, and He will one day take vengeance on those who worship them (consistent with how the psalm begins: O Lord, God of vengeance). Since God is the sovereign King (Ps 93), it is appropriate to draw attention to His role as sovereign Judge (Ps 94) (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 337).
A. For the Sake of God’s Glory (94:1-7)
94:1-3. The Lord is presented as a God of vengeance (twice for emphasis in v. 1). The English term vengeance is often associated with cruelty, insensitivity, and unreasonable or excessive retribution for some perceived injustice. This is not the meaning of the Hebrew term, which indicates strictly and justifiably upholding or carrying out justice or righteousness against wrongdoing. So a more appropriate translation would be “vindication.” God, the Judge of the earth (v. 2; cf. Gn 18:25), is being called upon to take action against those who do wickedness (v. 4). By asking How long[?] … How long[?] in vv. 3-4, the psalmist leaves the act of vindication, along with its timing and means, up to God (cf. Dt 32:35; Rm 12:19; Heb 10:30).
94:4-7. The offense to God Himself is further emphasized in that the wicked crush Your people … and afflict Your heritage (v. 5; cf. 28:9; 33:12; 72:4; 79:1). The wicked are acting in defiance, knowingly or not, of God’s covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with regard to both His choice of Israel and His faithfulness to His people (see the comments on 74:1-11; 77:11-15; 88:10-12). They have said, “The LORD does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed” to their wicked behavior, especially in relation to their persecution of the people of Israel (v. 7; cf. 3:2; 10:11).
B. With Recognition of God’s Mercy (94:8-16)
94:8-11. This warning was to those among the people of Israel who thought God had abandoned them to the wicked. The senseless among the people, are those among His own people, Israel (as indicated by the singular noun for people, typically used to designate the nation of Israel, as opposed to the plural used for the Gentiles, often designated by the plural term nations). These stupid ones, like the fool in Ps 14, doubted the reality of divine justice because they believed God was incapable of perceiving and responding to human injustice, or else He was simply not there (atheism). To these people who did not understand (v. 8; cf. 14:2), the psalmist pointed out that God not only does hear and see (v. 9) all that is said and done, He also knows (understands at the deepest level) even the thoughts of man, that they are a mere breath (v. 11; i.e., transient; see the citation of this verse in 1Co 3:20 and the comments there).
94:12-13. The psalmist contrasted the foolishness of those Israelites who denied God’s justice or power to act with the godly man who understood the necessity of the Lord dealing with sin in Israel: Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD … whom You teach out of Your law. The nation’s present affliction was an expression of God’s discipline rather than His inability to protect them against the wickedness of their enemies.
94:14-16. Ultimately, God would deal with the wicked oppressors of Israel, and thereby turn His people back to Him. No matter what happened, the LORD will not abandon His people, nor … forsake His inheritance (v. 14). The judgment of the Lord would cause the upright to follow Him and they are called to take a stand against those who do wickedness (v. 16).
C. In the Light of God’s Plan (94:17-23)
94:17-23. When affliction by the wicked and the apparent delay of divine justice caused anxious thoughts to multiply within him (v. 19), the psalmist found consolations for his soul in at least two sources: (1) God’s lovingkindness (chesed, v. 18; cf. comment on 5:7) toward him; and (2) his confidence that God will destroy those who do wickedness (cf. vv. 4, 16) in their evil (v. 23). The psalm begins by calling on the Lord to avenge the wrong done to His people (v. 1) and concludes with the assertion The LORD our God will destroy them.
Psalm 95: Rejoicing in the Lord’s Beneficial Works for Humanity
Though this psalm has no heading in the Hebrew text, early Jewish tradition (the LXX) attributes it to David (cf. 93–94, 96, 99). Davidic authorship is confirmed by the explicit reference to him in Heb 4:7 as the one through whom this psalm was revealed. Several themes from previous psalms (namely God as Creator, Judge, Deliverer, Object of worship) are woven into this one. But Ps 95 also includes a more explicit warning (starting at v. 7b) to God’s people in light of these attributes He possesses. As mighty as He is, and as faithful as He is to Israel, He is not to be trifled with (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 337).
A. The Lord as the Creator (95:1-5)
95:1-5. David began by exhorting his people Israel, O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD (cf. v. 6; 66:1). God is worthy to be praised because He is: (1) the rock of our salvation (the Secure and Stable One who brings our deliverance; v. 1; cf. 18:2); (2) a great God (the only true One; v. 3; cf. 48:1); (3) a great King above all gods (v. 3; cf. 10:16); and (4) the One whose hand created the earth … mountains … sea and dry land (vv. 4-5; cf. Gn 1; Pss 124:8; 134:3). To sing for joy typically signifies the joyful singing attending worship (cf. 20:5; 63:7; 92:4; 132:16; Is 35:2; 52:8).
B. The Lord as Good Shepherd (95:6-7a)
95:6-7a. Here David called the people of Israel to express submission to the Lord by their posture and attitude in worship: Come, let us worship and bow down … kneel before Him. To bow down and kneel is to do homage to and acknowledge God’s sovereignty. Again the Lord is presented as Creator, our Maker (cf. vv. 4-5), and the Great Shepherd, for we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand (cf. 23; 28:9; 80:1). This highlights not so much God’s sovereign power over creation as His specific, intimate, and consistent role in caring for His covenant people, Israel. To emphasize this concept of relationship, the psalmist referred to Israel as the people of God’s pasture.
This term is employed elsewhere in two ways: (1) by metonymy it substitutes pasture for “sheep” since the two are closely related, and designates the focus of the shepherd’s action (i.e., the flock that is in the pasture, as in Jr 10:21); and (2) as the shepherd’s action itself (pasturing the sheep), it entails the provision of all that is necessary for the well-being of the flock (i.e., land, ample food, protection from enemies). This OT imagery of God as the Shepherd of Israel was applied by Jesus to Himself (Jn 10:11-17, 26-30) in one of the few NT passages where He explicitly affirmed His co-equality with God the Father. See the comments on Jn 10.
C. The Lord as the Rest-Giver (95:7b-11)
95:7b-11. The psalms often entreat the Lord to hear the request of His people (cf. 4:1; 27:7). However, this last section is an urgent admonition to listen today and obey the Lord, to hear His voice (cf. Dt 6:4; Ps 50:7). The word hear indicates obedience, not just processing information. The warning is Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah … in the day of Massah in the wilderness (v. 8; cf. Ex 17:2-7; Nm 20:13). This refers to the event after the exodus from Egypt when the people of Israel refused to listen and obey the Lord to enter the promised land (cf. Nm 13:1-33; regarding the land promise cf. Gn 12:1-3; 50:24). Therefore, the Lord disciplined them with forty years of wandering the wilderness, until all those in that doubting generation died and did not enter into the promised land (vv. 10-11; cf. Nm 14:20-35). The promised land is the place where God will give His people rest (cf. Ex 33:14; Dt 3:20; 12:10; 25:19; Jos 1:13). This passage is quoted in the NT as a warning to followers of Messiah against unbelief and disobedience (cf. comments on Heb 3:7-11; 4:1-7). The rest in view here is not merely a physical rest (peace and tranquility), but rather the rest of a right relationship with the Lord, and in the ultimate sense signifies the rest of the messianic kingdom when King Messiah rules on earth (cf. Is 11:1-16).
Psalm 96: An Exhortation to Praise the World’s Once and Future King
Though the Hebrew text of this psalm has no heading (like Pss 93–94, 95, 99), it is almost certainly to be attributed to David because: (1) the entirety of the psalm is given with minor variations in 1Ch 16:23-33 as part of a psalm of thanksgiving ascribed to David cf. 1Ch 16:8-36); and (2) early Jewish tradition (the LXX) attributes it to David. As in Ps 95, God’s sovereign governance of the world is made clear (cf. 95:1-7a; 96:1-9), as is His authority to judge the world (vv. 10-13; cf. 95:7b-11; Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 337). Each of the three stanzas of Ps 96 begins with a call to give praise to the Lord.
A. Let Israel Praise the Lord, the King (96:1-6)
96:1-6. This is a hymn (Sing is used three times in the first two verses) celebrating God’s kingship over all creation, similar to Ps 93, and begins with a call to worship: Sing to the LORD a new song (cf. comments on 33:3); Sing to the LORD, all the earth. The word earth (Hb. eretz, “land”) is often used specifically for the land of Israel, thus indicating that this psalm is directed specifically to the people of Israel. They are to Tell of His glory among the nations … among all the peoples (v. 3) who had been worshipping idols instead of the LORD [who] made the heavens (v. 5; cf. Gn 1–2; Ps 89:11-12). (For splendor and majesty see comments on 21:5).
B. Let the Nations Praise the Lord, the King (96:7-10)
96:7-10. Here the Gentile nations, the families of the people, are invited to worship the Lord, to Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name (v. 8; cf. comments on 5:11). Once the nations acknowledge God, they are invited to Worship [Him] in holy attire (v. 9; lit., “splendor of holiness” elsewhere applied to God’s people; cf. 1Ch 16:29; Pss 29:2; 110:3). This point is further emphasized by the universal challenge to say (i.e., affirm) that the LORD reigns (as in Ps 93:1, the tense of the verb is translated better as “has been reigning,” i.e., ever since the beginning of creation until now).
C. Let all Creation Praise the Lord, the King (96:11-13)
96:11-13. Because God is King over Israel and the nations, all creation is called to praise Him. The inanimate creation is pictured with anthropomorphic qualities: Let the heavens be glad … the earth rejoice … the sea roar … the field exult and the trees … sing for joy (vv. 11-12; cf. Is 55:12). They are the retinue Before the LORD, for He is coming … to judge the earth, and at that time every knee will bow before the righteous Judge (cf. Pss 7:11; 9:8; 50:4; 67:4; 75:7; Is 11:4-5; 45:23; Rm 14:11; Php 2:10; Rv 19:11). In the future the Lord will establish His righteous reign on earth, when Messiah Jesus will reign from Zion and the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (cf. Ps 2; Is 11:9).
Psalm 97: God, The Ruler of the Universe
Though the Hebrew text of this psalm has no heading, early Jewish tradition (the LXX) attributes it to David (also Pss 93–94, 95–96, 99). As in Pss 95 and 96, the theme of God’s good governance of the universe (97:1) is followed by His authority to judge it and the people in it (97:2-12; Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 337).
A. His Reign over Creation (97:1-6)
97:1. The first verse of this psalm, linked in theme to 96, sets its tone: The LORD reigns, let the earth [Hb., eretz, land] rejoice, let the many islands be glad. The earth refers to the land/people of Israel (cf. 96:1 and comments there), while the islands (lit., “coastal regions”) is a common synonym for the nations around the Mediterranean Sea, which serve as representatives of all the Gentile nations (cf. Is 42:4).
97:2-6. The description of the features attending God’s manifest presence parallels other passages regarding the display of His power: Clouds and thick darkness: (v. 2; cf. Dt 4:11; 5:22; Ezk 1:4-28); Fire (v. 3; cf. Ex 13:21; Lv 9:24); a burn[ing] (v. 3; cf. Mal 4:1); lightnings (v. 4; cf. Ex 19:16; Ezk 1:13-14); and a melt[ing] (v. 5; cf. Am 9:5). Regarding Righteousness and justice (v. 2; cf. 33:5 and comments there), He is the Lord of the whole earth (v. 5; cf. Is 6:3).
B. His Reign over the Supernatural World (97:7-9)
97:7-9. The psalmist affirmed God’s dominion over the gods of the Gentiles, represented by their graven images and idols (v. 7). The reality of these gods was granted here for the sake of argument, because they were perceived as gods by the pagans (cf. Ex 12:12; 18:11).
C. His Reign over His People (97:10-12)
97:10-12. God’s dominion over His godly ones (lit., recipients of Hb. chesed, “lovingkindness”) is underscored by the fact that He preserves their souls and delivers them from the hand of the wicked (v. 10), and that His people are glad to give thanks (a component of worship) and obey God (v. 12). They hate evil, a concept that is associated with doing and keeping God’s Word (cf. Pr 8:13; Am 5:15).
Psalm 98: A Challenge to Praise the Messianic King
On the heading of this psalm, see the comments on the heading to Ps 3. Early Jewish tradition (the LXX) attributes this psalm to David (as is true of Pss 93–94, 95–96, 97, 99). Psalm 97 ended on a note of the righteous rejoicing at the prospect of God’s coming in judgment (cf. vv. 10-12). Psalm 98 continues this theme. Sailhamer writes, “God’s judgment of the wicked means salvation for the righteous (vv. 1-3)” (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 337).
A. The Basis of the Challenge (98:1-3)
98:1-3. The exhortation is to sing to the LORD a new song (cf. comments on 33:3; Is 42:10). As at the beginning of Ps 96, moreover, this exhortation is directed not only to the assembly of Israel, but to all the earth. The basis for this exhortation and challenge is twofold: (1) because God has done wonderful things (v. 1; see comments on 9:1; 40:5; 96:3) entailing the display of His universally preeminent power over humanity symbolized and emphasized by God’s right hand and holy arm in v. 1b (cf. 44:3; 77:15; Ex 15:6, 16; Is 53:1); and (2) because He has displayed His gracious and faithful pursuit of intimacy with humanity, represented by His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel (v. 3a), on whose behalf He has made known His salvation to the nations (vv. 2-3; cf. Ps 96).
B. The Extent of the Challenge (98:4-8)
98:4-8. The extent of the psalmist’s exhortation is vividly underscored by the sources of God’s praise, which extend from all the earth (Hb., eretz, v. 4) including its animals (v. 7a, all the sea contains), its people (v. 7b, those who dwell in it), and even its inanimate parts (v. 7a, the sea; v. 8a, the rivers; v. 8b, the mountains), and the diversity of God’s praise, represented by the multifaceted ways in which that praise is produced: by shouting joyfully (vv. 4a, 6b), by singing (vv. 4b, 8b), with the lyre (v. 5), with trumpets and the horn (v. 6a), by roaring (v. 7a), and by clapping (v. 8a).
C. The Consummation of the Challenge (98:9)
98:9. The universal challenge to praise God will not remain open forever, but will come to an end (though, of course, the praise will continue among the righteous) when He comes to … judge the world with righteousness. This refers (as in 96: 10, where similar wording is used) to the advent of the messianic King, who will judge all those who have rejected Him (cf. 2:9, 12; Heb 9:27; Rv 20:12).
Psalm 99: The Exaltation of God’s Royal Holiness
Though the Hebrew text of this psalm has no heading, early Jewish tradition (the LXX) attributes it to David (as is true of Pss 93–98). The primary theme in Pss 93–98 was God’s governance of the world. Here the primary focus is upon God’s unique love for and forgiveness of Israel, demonstrated especially in His selection and use of Moses and Aaron to provide expert leadership for Israel (cf. vv. 6-9; Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 337).
A. The Lord Reigns in Zion (99:1-5)
99:1-3. The psalmist continues one of the central, unifying themes of the preceding psalms in Book Four: The LORD reigns (v. 1; cf. 93:1; 96:10; 97:1). In Ps 99, the theme of God’s rule is considered, specifically how the various expressions of God’s holiness reflect His universal rule (as emphasized by the repeated refrain Holy is He in vv. 3b, 5b and holy is the LORD in v. 9b). In this opening section the universal aspect of God’s rule is correlated with the manifestation of God’s holiness in creation—signaled first and foremost by the reference to Him being enthroned above the cherubim (v. 1, cf. 97:1-6 and comments there).
This description of the Lord refers not only to His presence in the cloud of glory over the cherubim that crowned the ark of the covenant (cf. Ex 25:22; 1Sm 4:4; Ezk 1), but also to His preeminent position on the throne of heaven (over all creation) over the surrounding cherubim who stand in readiness to do His will within creation (cf. Ezk 10:1-15; Is 6:1-13). This thought of God’s holiness on the worldwide level is also indicated by the exhortations to let the peoples tremble and let the earth shake! The shaking of the earth is like the response of the heavenly temple itself to the holiness of God in Is 6:4 (where “trembled” can also be rendered “shook”). The LORD is great in Zion (v. 2; cf. 2:6; 9:11 and comments there) … Holy is He (vv. 3, 5).
99:4-5. The strength of the King, the Lord, is characterized by His love of justice, His equity (or “uprightness”) and righteousness, all here in relation to His people, Jacob (cf. 14:7 and comments there). Following naturally on the concept of God’s holy rule over creation as represented by His enthronement over the cherubim, the psalmist next reflected upon God’s holy rule as represented by His code contained within the ark, that is, the law as epitomized by the two tablets of testimony (cf. Ex 25:16; Dt 10:5; 1Kg 8:9). The terms justice, equity, and righteousness are often linked to the law and are characteristics of the Lord and His Word (cf. Ps 33:5 and comments there). To worship at His footstool (cf. 132:7) is a metaphor for worshiping at His feet, because Holy is He ( vv. 3, 5).
B. The Lord Gave His Priests and Prophets (99:6-9)
99:6-7. The reference to Moses and Aaron (both Levites; cf. Ex 2:1) concerns the Lord’s provision of the priests and tabernacle with the sacrificial system for sin (cf. Lv 17:11). Then Samuel was included among those who called on His name as a priest who was the last of the judges and the first in the office of prophet of Israel (cf. 1Sm 7:15-17; 12:19-25). The brief history of God’s care for Israel is from the pillar of cloud during the exodus (cf. Ex 33:3; Nm 12:5) to those faithful unnamed individuals who kept His testimonies.
99:8-9. God’s relationship with faithful individuals in Israel is clear, for O LORD, our God, You answered them. The reference to God as a forgiving God highlights the result of that priestly work in which God’s holiness is most often encountered and affirmed by the common Israelite in atonement. The reference to His holy hill, where the temple was located on Mount Zion (cf. 2:6, 9:11 and comments there), highlights the exclusive location where sacrifices were offered and atonement accomplished.
Psalm 100: A Song of Thanksgiving to God
On the heading of this Psalm for Thanksgiving (or more literally “a thank offering”), see the comments on the heading to Ps 3. Given both the Levitical and temple context of the Psalms’ original compilation (see Introduction: Date) and the frequent use of the Hebrew term translated here as Thanksgiving to designate a “thanksgiving sacrifice” (cf. Lv 7:12; 22:29; Jr 17:26; Am 4:5), this psalm was probably sung in connection with temple sacrifices. God was celebrated as the sovereign Governor of all creation in Pss 93–99. It is fitting that here He be praised as the One who, in His sovereign power, chose Israel as the recipient of His covenantal blessings (vv. 3-5; Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 338).
A. Thanking God for His Sublime Uniqueness (100:1-3a)
100:1-3a. The psalm beings with the call to praise: Shout joyfully to the LORD (cf. 32:11; 33:3). The psalm is addressed to the people of Israel; all the earth (Hb. eretz, land) is the particular name for the land of Israel, which is a metonymy for the people of Israel. They are to serve (in the service of worship) the LORD for who He is, focusing on the fact of His deity in general as opposed to any specific attribute(s), that is, because He is the LORD [Hb. Yahweh, His uniquely revealed name] Himself is God. The pronoun Himself, which is usually not supplied except for emphasis, underscores that the LORD alone is God. Both in concept and wording, this fundamental basis of worship recalls the central confession of biblical faith: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is One!” [unequaled or unique; Dt 6:4].
B. Thanking God for His Gracious Election (100:3b-c)
100:3b-c. The psalmist continued his exhortation to praise and thanksgiving by declaring, on behalf of Israel, that It is He (the one and only God as affirmed in the previous clause) who has made us. This refers not to God’s creation of humankind in general, but rather to His choice of Israel as His unique people (cf. Dt 32:6, 15; 1Kg 8:51; Pss 28:9; 74:2). Furthermore, the psalmist affirmed that because God had made them, they are His people and the sheep of His pasture (cf. comments on 23 and 95:6-7).
C. Thanking God for His Faithful Love (100:4-5)
100:4-5. Drawing out the implication of Israel as being the “sheep” of God’s “pasture,” the psalmist exhorted his people to offer God thanksgiving and praise because of His lovingkindness and faithfulness toward them (see comments on 5:7; 88:11). The conclusion is God’s faithfulness to Israel forever: The LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations (v. 5; cf. 36:5-7; Jr. 31:34-37).
Psalm 101: King David’s Resolve to Reign Righteously
On the heading of this Psalm of David, see the comments on the heading of Ps 3. This psalm is an expression of King David’s commitment to reign righteously, and to establish this pattern for future kings of Israel. The psalm is built around seven “I will” statements. The first stanza (vv. 1-4), is the king’s commitment to reign righteously by giving heed to the blameless way; the second stanza (vv. 5-8) is the king’s commitment to punish the wicked but reward the blameless under his rule. Ultimately only Messiah Jesus, the great Son of David, can and will fulfill the commitments and ideals of Ps 101.
In Pss 93–99, God’s universal rulership and authority to judge in righteousness were emphasized. Here, in this devotional psalm by David, the reader encounters not just the king of Israel, but the child of God earnest to walk in righteousness as befitting one who loves the righteous God, and who was loved by Him (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 238).
A. The King Is Committed to Personal Righteousness (101:1-4)
101:1-2. In light of God’s everlasting lovingkindness (Hb., chesed, loyal love) and justice extolled in the previous psalms (cf. 98:9; 99:1-4; 100:5), Ps 101 develops a new and complementary theme of King David’s commitment to live and reign with personal righteousness: I will give heed to the blameless way (or “behave purely”; cf. 18:32; 119:1; Pr 11:20; 13:6); I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart (v. 2). David’s pursuit of the Lord began with the determination to live his life daily (walk; cf. 1:1; 86:11; 89:15) by developing integrity (or “purity,” signifying moral wholeness based on emulation of God’s character as revealed in His Word) in his heart, his conscious inner self.
101:3-4. David’s determination to set no worthless thing (Hb. Belial, often translated “wicked”; cf. 1Sm 10:27; 30:22; 1Kg 21:10, 13) before his eyes indicates a determination not to be drawn away to wickedness. In obedience to the Lord, the righteous will hate the work of those who fall away into apostasy from the Lord (cf. Ps 26:5; 97:10). A perverse heart is the opposite of a blameless/godly heart. By departing from these sinful practices, David will know [participate in/be intimately involved with] no evil (cf. Pr 11:20).
B. The King Is Committed to Establish Righteousness in the Land (101:5-8)
101:5. David vowed he would be careful about the character of his people (vv. 5, 7), as well as who he engaged as personal friends or allowed to have influence in his administration. Pure speech is an evidence of a pure heart, but anyone who secretly slanders his neighbor is committing serious sin (cf. Ex 20:16; Ps 15:3; Is 32:7) which can irreparably damage the innocent, so the righteous king will destroy (lit., “silence”) that wicked person. Likewise, the person who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart (the second phrase expands on the first) were under condemnation because they were unwilling to submit to the leadership of God’s anointed king. These are attitudes David would not endure, but he would destroy the wicked. These were serious issues because they violate the Lord’s command to “love your neighbors as yourself; I am the LORD” (Lv 19:18; cf. Mt 22:34-40).
101:6-8. Just as the king would take action against slander and pride, so too he would keep his eyes … upon the faithful … that they may dwell with me. A person who is faithful walks, or lives, a life characterized by obedience to the Lord (see comment on Ps 1:1; cf. Gn 5:22; 6:9; Ps 26:11; 81:13; 86:11). To walk in a blameless way (v. 6) does not mean living a sinless life, but a determination to consistently obey the Lord. Such a person is the one who will minster to me, that is, serve as an attendant or personal advisor to the king of Israel. On the contrary, anyone who practices deceit or spreads falsehood would not have a position in David’s court or in his friendship. He had a serious plan Every morning to destroy (“silence”) all the wicked and those who do iniquity (v. 8). David would not allow them to have a place in the land (of Israel), so he would remove them from the city of the LORD, Jerusalem (cf. 46; 48; 87).
Psalm 102: Prayer from the Corrected Believer
Regarding the heading of A Prayer of the Afflicted (better, “an afflicted one,” not the Afflicted as in the NASB), see the Ps 17 introduction. This prayer is intended as a model for any afflicted (i.e., chastised; see v. 10) believer when he or she is faint (signifying not only physical, but also emotional ebbing, despair, and depression, as in 61:2; 77:3) and pours out (signifying a full and sincere confession) his complaint (see 142:2) before the LORD. The content of the psalm calling for compassion on Zion, which was in ruins (vv. 13-14), suggests the psalm was written or edited following the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. This psalm, in which the psalmist yearned for the restoration of Zion (Jerusalem), is placed between two psalms of David, a fitting location since it is ultimately the Son of David who will provide final deliverance of the city and the nation (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 338).
A. Affirming God’s Correction (102:1-11)
102:1-7. Consistent with the verb in the heading, the psalmist presents the reader in this opening section with a model of a sincere and deeply personal complaint: Hear my prayer, O LORD! … Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress (vv. 1-2). This models any believer’s lament or complaint as a valid component of prayer. This complaint is expressed to God and God alone. Because God, ultimately, directs the steps of everyone (cf. Pr 20:24), any resolution of one’s situation is in His hands to effect in accord with His will. The psalmist presented his situation with poetic descriptions of suffering: days … consumed in smoke … bones … scorched like a hearth … heart … smitten like grass and withered … bones … cling to my flesh (vv. 3-6). The closing images of a pelican of the wilderness and an owl of the waste places present the idea of a lonely situation.
102:8-11. The psalmist affirmed that the reason his enemies had reproached him to such an extent that he had eaten ashes (ashes were put on one’s head as a sign of mourning, cf. Is 44:20) like bread (so these ashes of mourning had become mixed with his food) and mingled my drink with weeping (cf. Pss 42:3; 80:5) was just. It was Because of Your indignation and Your wrath (v. 10; see comment on Ps 30:5; cf. Is 60:10). The psalmist’s agony was his sorrow at feeling cast … away from the Lord.
B. Affirming God’s Compassion and Grace (102:12-17)
102:12-17. The psalmist had hope even in the midst of his difficult circumstances and the disaster which had befallen Jerusalem: But You, O LORD, abide [lit., “sit enthroned”] forever. … You will arise and have compassion on Zion (vv. 12-13). The LORD is not only just and righteous, but is also compassionate (see comment on 26:11) and gracious. Because of the unconditional nature of the Lord’s covenant with Israel (cf. Gn 12:1-3; Ps 100:3), the psalmist declared with absolute confidence, no matter what the timing or events, that the Lord would arise and have compassion on Zion (see comments on 2:6; 9:11), for it is time to be gracious to her (v. 13); cf. 18:1; 30:5).
The remarks about Zion indicate that this psalm expressed national as well as personal distress, arising from the Babylonian exile. Although Jerusalem was in ruins after the destruction, Surely Your servants find pleasure in her stones and feel pity for her dust (v. 14; cf. 48:2; 12; 87:2; 137:5). When the Lord has built up Zion … and appeared in His glory (v. 16, an event so certain it is written in the Hb. prophetic perfect tense as if it had already occurred), then the nations will fear the name of the LORD and all the kings of the earth Your glory (v. 15; cf. 2). The psalmist found encouragement for his own situation by looking to God’s relationship with Israel collectively as a paradigm of His relationship with the psalmist individually, both relationships being based on the same divine expressions of mercy, grace, and unconditional choice.
C. Affirming God’s Purposes (102:18-28)
102:18-22. Verse 18 is unique in the Psalms in calling for a record to be written for the generation[s] to come. No matter what happened, the Lord would be faithful to all future generations, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD … and tell of the name of the LORD in Zion (vv. 18, 21). Although at the time of the writing of the psalm Jerusalem was in ruins and the Jewish people in exile, these future celebrations of praise will take place in Jerusalem, and at that time the Gentile kingdoms will serve the Lord (v. 22), which seems to be an eschatological perspective of the millennial kingdom when all the nations will worship the Lord in Zion (cf. 2:4-8; Is 56:7; Zch 8:23).
102:23-28. The psalm shifts back at this point to the psalmist’s personal circumstances, when God had weakened [his] strength and shortened [his] days. Simultaneously, there is praise to the Lord as Creator, You founded the earth (v. 25), and as the Eternal God, You are the same … Your years will not come to an end (v. 27, descriptions applied to the Lord Jesus, cf. Heb 1:10-12; see comments there). The psalm concludes with confidence in the survival of the Jewish people: The children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants [lit., “seed”] will be established before You (v. 28; cf. Gn 12:1-3; 2Sm 7:24; Is 49:15-16; Jr 31:35-37).
Psalm 103: Blessing God for His Benefits in Dealing with Humanity
On the heading of this Psalm of David, see Ps 3. This hymn of praise celebrating the great goodness of the Lord is connected to the restoration of Zion (cf. 102) and the spiritual restoration of the people of Israel. This spiritual restoration comes only through the forgiveness, grace, and mercy of God, the primary themes of this psalm (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 338).
A. The Scope of His Benefits in Dealing with Humankind (103:1-14)
103:1-5. The opening clause, Bless the LORD, O my soul, is repeated again at the end of the psalm, serving to emphasize its central idea (cf. “inclusio” in Introduction: Genre; cf. 104:1). Humanity is obligated and privileged to bless (i.e., to express praise and thanksgiving to) the LORD for the manifold benefits, and should be careful not to forget any of these blessings. In their scope, God’s benefits are both spiritual and physical; David began by pointing to the central benefit of the Lord being the One (i.e., the only One; cf. Ps 49:7-9; Is 43:25) who pardons all man’s iniquities and redeems [his] life from the pit (v. 4, death and separation from God; cf. 30:1). The psalm also praises God as the One who (ultimately; cf. Is 33:24; 35:5-10; Rv 21:4) heals all your diseases (v. 3). The blessings are personal and relational: the Lord crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion and satisfies your years [lit., “desires”] with good things (v. 5). Describing youth being renewed like the eagle is appropriate because the eagle is a symbol of strength, vitality, and endurance (cf. Is 40:31).
103:6-10. God’s righteous deeds are illustrated by the Passover, alluding to God’s revelation to Moses (cf. Ex 34:6) and His acts to the sons of Israel during the exodus. His character is summarized: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness (v. 8; cf. 86:5, 15; Ex 34:6-7). The warning that God will not always strive with us provides another view of the Lord, who is just and will not overlook sin, yet in His mercy will not deal with us according to our iniquities if we trust Him to forgive our sins (vv. 9-10).
103:11-14. God’s lovingkindness [is] toward those who fear Him (cf. 111:10) and as far as the east is from the west so far will He remove our transgressions from us (v. 12). This was accomplished in the OT by the offering of sacrifices with a faithful heart, and in the NT by faith in Messiah Jesus the final sacrifice (cf. Heb 10:1-18). Then God’s kindness is illustrated as a father who has compassion on his children (v. 13).
B. The Duration of His Benefits in Dealing with Humankind (103:15-18)
103:15-18. To underscore the unending duration of God’s benefits to those who keep His covenant, David pointed to man’s temporary physical nature; his days are like grass (v. 15; cf. 102:11; Is 40:6-8). He then contrasted mortal humanity with God’s eternal lovingkindness (Hb. chesed; cf. 5:7) which is from everlasting to everlasting (v. 17; cf. 90:2). The expression those who keep His covenant (v. 18) refers to those who, like Abraham, believe in the truth of God’s Word and strive, however imperfectly, to uphold it (see comment on Gn 15:6; 26:5).
C. The Purpose of His Benefits in Dealing with Humankind (103:19-22)
103:19-22. David referred to the Lord as the Creator who established His throne in the heavens (cf. Ps 9:7; 11:4; Ezk 1) and as the King who in His sovereignty rules over all (“everything” more accurately signifies every created thing, whether animate or inanimate, material or immaterial). To affirm His benefits, compassion, forgiveness, eternality, and lovingkindness, the only response must be the threefold Bless the LORD (vv. 20-22), punctuated by the climactic declaration, Bless the LORD, O my soul! (v. 22).
Psalm 104: Blessing God for His Work as Creator and Sustainer of Life
Though the Hebrew text of this psalm has no heading, likely its attribution to David is suggested by: (1) its close thematic and verbal parallels to Ps 103, which is explicitly a Davidic psalm; and (2) the ascription of this psalm to David in early Jewish tradition (i.e., the LXX and the Midrash on Psalms, v. 1 [§2]). This hymn of praise is offered to God as Creator and Sustainer. The last line of the psalm is a reminder that the earth is not yet perfect and awaits the rule of the messianic King to eliminate the wicked and provide final redemption (cf. Rm 8:22-24).
A. Bless the Lord for His Work as Creator (104:1-23)
104:1-2a. As in the previous psalm, so in this one the psalmist began and concluded (v. 35) with the exhortation, Bless the LORD, O my soul! (see comment on 103:1). He was thus signaling at the outset that the theme of the present psalm was intended to complement that of the previous one. Whereas Ps 103 affirmed the praise due to God for His benefits to humankind, Ps 104 affirms the praise due to God for His creation of the world. The Lord is described as glorious very great … clothed with splendor and majesty (cf. comments on 21:5). These poetic descriptions of His glory (cf. 8:1, 3; 104:1, 131; Is 2:10, 19, 21; Jb 38–41) are linked to His eternality in the phrase, Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak. God alone is creator of the world.
104:2b-3. These verses continue the overview of creation in poetic terms: stretching out heaven … lay[ing]s the beams of the waters, making the clouds His chariot, and walk[ing] upon the wings of the wind.
104:4. God creates winds (better translated “angels”) and flaming fire (or “ministers of flame”) to obey Him (cf. 102:21). Hebrews 1:7 uses the LXX translation of v. 4a in a passage showing that Jesus receives higher honor than the angels.
104:5-9. The creation overview concludes with general statements of God’s great power: He established the earth and set a boundary for the oceans (the deep, v. 6).
104:10-13. The Lord’s provision for and the beauty of His creation is the emphasis of this stanza. He provides springs of water for every beast of the field so that the earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.
104:14-23. God provides everything humanity needs in the process of caring for the earth. He gives food for the cattle (referring to a category of animal created specifically for man’s use; cf. Gn 1:24); vegetation for the labor of man (cf. Gn 3:23), plus wine which makes man’s heart glad (cf. Pr 3:20; although wine is a gift from the Lord, drunkenness is forbidden, cf. Pr 20:1) and the moon for the seasons (v. 19, referring to the regular observance of Israel’s festivals of redemption at God’s “appointed times”; cf. Lv 23:2, 4, 37, 44; Neh 10:33; the idea of seasons of the year is too ambiguous; see comment on Gn 1:14); and the cycle of life, work, and rest for humanity and animals (vv. 20-23).
B. Bless the Lord for Sustaining the Life of All Creation (104:24-35)
104:24-30. A summary statement O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all speaks of God’s creation of the earth … the sea and the animals (vv. 24-15). The Lord supplies all their food and either gives them life or take[s] away their spirit (which should properly be translated “breath,” since “spirit” may be taken to signify a soul, which animals were never given; cf. comment on Gn 2:7;), and they return to their dust (v. 29; cf. Gn 3:19).
104:31-35. The response to glorify God as Creator is Let the glory of the LORD endure forever … I will sing to the LORD as long as I live (vv. 31, 33). This glorification is achieved both through the praise and worship of those who love God and truly know Him (cf. 1:6; this is, of course, the psalmist’s personal perspective as expressed in vv. 33-34 and 35b), as well as through His just judgment of sinners and removal of the wicked from His presence forever (v. 35a; see comments on 69:22-28). The psalm closes with the well-known exhortation to praise, Hallelujah (Praise the LORD), which occurs only in Psalms, and here for the first time.
Psalm 105: Praise to the God of the Abrahamic Covenant
Though the Hebrew text of this psalm has no heading, evidence for its partial, if not complete, attribution to David is attested by: (1) the presentation of vv. 1-15 in 1Ch 16:8-22 as part of a psalm of thanksgiving ascribed to David ; and (2) the attribution to David of v. 38 (and by implication the rest of the psalm) in Jewish tradition (i.e., the Midrash on Psalms, v. 38 [§11]).
A. Praise for Choosing the People of Israel and Giving Them the Land of Israel (105:1-15)
105:1-11. The opening verses are a call to give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name … Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad … Remember His wonders (vv. 1, 3, 5). The psalm is addressed to the seed of Abraham … sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! (v. 6). The Jewish people are God’s chosen people through the covenant the Lord made with Abraham (cf. Gn 12:1-3) and confirmed with Isaac (cf. Gn 26:23-25) and Jacob (cf. Gn 35:9-12; Dt 7:6-7). This psalm focuses on God’s faithfulness in upholding the three promises/provisions of the Abrahamic covenant: possession of the Holy Land, a numerous people, and multi-faceted blessings (cf. comments on Gn 12:1-3).
The psalmist began by exhorting his audience (Israel) to make known [the Lord’s] deeds (i.e., His sovereignty and character as borne out by His deeds of salvation and judgment) among all the peoples of the earth. This reflects God’s primary motivation in making His covenant with Abraham, namely, to bless all peoples through him, and ultimately through his seed, the Son of God. To provide a defined venue through which to bring this seed of blessing, God: (1) sovereignly chose the line of Abraham … Isaac, and Jacob (vv. 9-10). From the patriarchs God created “a people for His own possession” (Dt 7:6; a choice based on God’s grace alone; see the comments on Rm 9:6-8); and (2) sovereignly gave them the land of Canaan as their everlasting inheritance (v. 11). That the land is an everlasting inheritance of the nation of Israel follows logically from the Abrahamic covenant under which it was promised, being an everlasting covenant (v. 10; cf. Gn 17:7-8).
105:12-15. In addition to Israel’s creation as a distinct people, God’s covenant with Abraham also involved their preservation as a people regardless of whether they conducted themselves in a manner worthy of their being called His people (vv. 24, 43). This section includes a quick review of God’s care for His people when they were only a few … in number, and protected them (He permitted no man to oppress them, v. 15) even when Abraham made bad decisions (cf. Gn 12:11-20; 20:2-7).
B. Praise for Preserving His People outside Their Land (105:16-41)
105:16-24. This is an overview the time there was a famine upon the land of Israel. This was followed by the experience of Joseph from his time as a slave until he became ruler over all his [Pharaoh’s] possessions, until Israel [Jacob] also came into Egypt (also called Ham; cf. v. 27; 78:51; 106:21-22; Gn 10:6). The psalmist explored specifically how God provided for and protected the people of Israel so that they became very fruitful (v. 24) The narrative account of this is found in Gn 39–41.
105:25-36. This is the retelling of the call of Moses after the people of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years, culminating with the plagues on the Egyptians and the deliverance of the Jewish people at Passover when the Lord struck down all the firstborn of Egypt (v. 36). The narrative account of this is found in Ex 1–13.
105:37-41. What follows is a sketch of the deliverance from Egypt. He brought them out, followed by the Lord’s guidance with the cloud and provision of quail … the bread of heaven (manna), and water from the rock on their way to the promised land (cf. Ex 14–17). God cared for His people even when they were outside of their homeland for a period of about 400 years (cf. Gn 15:13).
C. Praise for Establishing His People within Their Land (105:42-45)
105:42-45. The psalmist reflected on God’s faithfulness in restoring His people to their land as He remembered His holy word with Abraham His servant so that He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen ones (cf. v. 6) to the lands of the Canaanite nations that He gave them (v. 44) as an everlasting inheritance according to His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (cf. vv. 8-11). God’s blessing was expressed not only by His giving Israel land, but also by His giving them a land already prepared to live in by the labor of the Canaanite peoples (v. 44; cf. Dt 6:10-11). This continues the pattern already presented in God’s original creation of mankind’s home in which everything was fully prepared for humanity before their creation, and also anticipates the same scenario for the final home of God’s people in the hereafter (cf. Jn 14:2-3). On the concluding exhortation Praise the LORD! see the comment at the end of Ps 104.
Psalm 106: Praise for God’s Faithfulness to His Unfaithful People
The Hebrew text of this psalm has no heading. Verses 40-47 bear the hallmarks of an exilic perspective, and quite likely represent the words added at or after the Babylonian exile to continue and hence emphasize the picture of God’s unbroken correction of and lovingkindness toward His people. Similar to Ps 105, this psalm is a historical psalm that reflects the psalmists understanding of God’s faithfulness as demonstrated in the Abrahamic covenant in the Pentateuch, and appeals to God to provide salvation to His people based upon His faithfulness to that covenant (v. 4; Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 339).
A. The Basis of God’s Faithfulness (106:1-5)
106:1-5. The psalmist began with a call to Praise the LORD! for those aspects of His character that undergird His faithfulness to Israel. His goodness (He is good) is a term that first occurs in the creation account and describes what is of utmost good for mankind; see comment on Gn 1:4; also His lovingkindness (cf. comments on (Ps 5:7). On the basis of these two divine attributes, God chose Israel as “a people for His own possession” (Dt 7:6). This is emphasized by four descriptive titles applied to Israel in vv. 4-5: Your people … Your chosen ones … Your nation, and Your inheritance (cf. 105:6 and comments there; Dt 9:27-29; 1Kg 8:53).
B. The Expression of God’s Faithfulness (106:6-46)
106:6-12. Certainly the Lord is faithful (cf. comments on 23:6; 85; 88) but His people often fail to be obedient to Him. The majority of this psalm focuses on the ongoing cycle of God’s correction of sinful Israel beginning with the exodus generation: We have sinned like our fathers … in Egypt [who] did not understand Your wonders … but rebelled by the sea (vv. 6-7). Despite their sin He saved them for the sake of His name … He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them (vv. 8, 10; cf. 23:3 and comments there).
106:13-27. The history continues to review the journey to the promised land when They quickly forgot His works, tempted God in the desert (vv. 13-14), made a [golden] calf in Horeb (v. 19, cf. Ex 32:4), and forgot God their Savior (v. 21). When the 12 spies were sent to evaluate the promised land, they despised the pleasant land (v. 24); only Joshua and Caleb trusted the Lord while the other 10 spies did not listen to the voice of the LORD (v. 25; cf. Nm 13:32-33).
106:28-31. During the wilderness wanderings, instead of faithfully following the Lord their God, many people worshiped the pagan god Baal-peor (cf. Nm 25). Yet, the priest Phinehas led a faithful remnant in following the Lord, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness (vv. 30-31), using the same phrase that described Abraham’s faith (cf. Gn 15:6). Righteousness comes by faith in the Lord, and this is true for all generations forever (v. 31).
106:32-33. Israel also provoked God’s wrath at the waters of Meribah (cf. Ex 17:1-7; Nm 20:2-13). Twice the people complained about the lack of water in the wilderness, this one likely referring to the event at the end of the wilderness wanderings (cf. Nm 20). Although Moses demonstrated a lack of faith by striking the rock (cf. Nm 20:12), there are no allusions here as to responsibility. It was the people who rebelled against God’s Spirit.
106:34-43. When they finally entered the land of promise, the Israelites did not destroy the pagan peoples who lived in there as the LORD commanded them (v. 34; cf. Jos 16:10; 17:13; Jdg 1:21 and the following chapters). As a result, the people of Israel learned the practices of the pagan nations and served their idols, even falling to the abominable sin of sacrificing their sons and their daughters to the demons, the god Moloch (v. 37; cf. 2Ch 28:3; 33:6; Jr 7:31, 19:2-6). Unfaithfulness to the Lord is described as playing the harlot in their deeds (v. 39; cf. Jdg 2:17; Ezk 23:3-8; Hos 5:3; 6:10).
106:40-46. The righteous anger of God’s judgment led to the period of the exile when God gave them into the hand of the nations (v. 41), a reference to the Babylonian exile (cf. Lv 26:25-26, 33-38, 42-44; Neh 9:30). Even in exile, the Lord looked upon their distress … heard their cry … remembered His covenant (with Abraham) and also made them objects of compassion in the presence of all their captors (vv. 44-46; cf. the words of Solomon, anticipating the future exile, in 1Kg 8:50).
C. The Goal of God’s Faithfulness (106:47-48)
106:47-48. The psalm concludes with a plea to deliver Israel from Babylonian captivity: Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations. The present psalm, like Ps 90, focuses on the ultimate goal of God’s correction and deliverance. The Israelites were to give thanks to His holy name and glory in His praise (v. 47). Verse 48 is employed as a compound doxology by which both this psalm and the Fourth Book of Psalms (90–106) are brought to a close with the exhortation Praise the LORD! (cf. 104:35).
V. Book Five: Responding in Worship to God’s Ultimate Faithfulness (Pss 107–150)
Psalm 107: A Call for the Redeemed to Praise the Lord
This psalm has no heading. Consistent with its placement at the beginning of Book Five of Psalms, this psalm focuses on, and hence introduces the main theme of the fifth book, about the ingathering of the people of Israel to the land of Israel. The design of the book of Psalms parallels the Pentateuch (see Introduction: Title, Structure, and Place in the Canon). Thus this fifth book of Psalms parallels Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Pentateuch, and concerns the arrival of God’s people to the promised land (see v. 3) and their living under the perfect and intimate rule of their divine King. God revealed these truths to those who came out from Egypt. They are repeated in Deuteronomy for the subsequent generation born in the wilderness who did not witness them first hand. “Deuteronomy,” the name for the book in the LXX, means “repeated or reiterated Law.”
Book Five of Psalms often focuses on the ingathering of God’s people after the exile, with some references to the advent of God’s kingdom on earth. This theme is emphasized by the repetition of the key expression “Hallelujah,” (of which 20 of its 24 biblical occurrences are in Book Five, the other four being in Pss 104:35; 105:45; and 106:1, 48).
Ps 106 closed with a prayer for God to regather His people from the nations (see 106:47). Ps 107 contains an expression of thanks for God regathering the people after exile (107:1-3).
A. Praise the Lord for Restoring His People to Their Land (107:1-3)
107:1-3. This psalm opens with the call O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. This call to give thanks is repeated throughout the psalm (cf. vv. 8, 15, 21, 31). The psalm emphasizes that God’s lovingkindness is everlasting (also repeated in vv. 1, 8, 15, 21, 31). This statement is the most repeated qualification of praise in the book of Psalms, occurring most often in this fifth book (see 118:1-4, 29; 136). God’s lovingkindness (chesed; cf. comments on 5:7) more than anything else is represented by His regathering of Israel to their land of Israel and the consequent fulfillment of all that He promised to do for them ultimately under the reign of King Messiah.
That this has in view the final fulfillment of all God’s promises (per the Abrahamic covenant) both to and through Israel is evident from: (1) the past tense (perfect) verbal forms has redeemed and [has] gathered (vv. 2-3), which indicates that these actions are viewed as completed (whereas from the time of the Babylonian exile to the present they are still ongoing); (2) the specific phraseology describing Israel’s regathering from all points of the compass, east/west/ north/south, using prophetic phraseology to describe Israel’s final regathering and redemption, not just the return from Babylon (cf. Is 43:5-6; 56:12; Ezk 11:17; 20:33ff.); and (3) the specific use (in v. 2) of the term redeemed, signifying (Is 35:9; 62:12), both spiritual and physical redemption.
B. Praise the Lord for Correcting His People for Their Sins (107:4-22)
107:4-9. This is an overview of Israel’s history of the exodus as they wandered in the wilderness yet when they cried out to the LORD … He delivered them out of their distresses (vv. 4, 6, cf. vv. 13, 28). Therefore Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness (v. 8).
107:10-16. The reference to those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death (cf. v. 14; 23:4) begins a graphic image of distress (cf. 18:28; Jb36:8; Is 5:30; 8:22; 59:9; Jr 13:16; Lm 3:7). The reference to prisoners in misery and chains relates to Israel being taken away to captivity in Babylon (cf. 2Ch 36:6; Jr 52:12-30). They were judged because they rebelled against the words of God yet when they cried out to the LORD in their trouble (vv. 11, 13; cf. vv. 6, 28) He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death (v. 14; cf. v. 10). Therefore the psalmist exhorted his people to give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness (v. 15; cf. vv. 9, 21) not only for redeeming them from the afflictions of those disciplines but also for bringing those corrections on them in the first place (cf. Pr 3:11-12; Heb 12:4-11).
107:17-22. These fools, people who had refused to believe in and follow the Lord (cf. 14:1; 53:1), were suffering physically for their iniquities. They had lost their appetites, abhorred all kinds of food, coming almost to the point of death (v. 18). When they cried out to the LORD in their trouble (v. 19; cf. vv. 6, 28) He healed them (v. 20). Therefore they were exhorted to give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness indicating the people will be back in the Land of Israel with a rebuilt temple, the place to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving with a heart of worship (vv. 21-22; cf. Lv 7:12-15; 22:29-30; Pss 50:7-15; 116:17).
C. Praise the Lord for Preserving His People through Their Distress (107:23-43)
107:23-38. In keeping with the overall theme of Book Five, the psalmist moved on from focusing on God’s lovingkindness as expressed in the process of correction throughout Israel’s history to focusing on God’s lovingkindness as expressed in God’s absolute dominion over nature. He is in control of the wonders in the oceans, the stormy wind and waves of the sea (vv. 24-25) as well as the rivers … springs … fruitful land … so people can establish an inhabited city … sow the fields because He blesses them (vv. 33-34; 36-38). Therefore, they should give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness (vv. 31-32; cf. 8, 15, 21).
107:39-43. Because of God’s dominion, He cannot be impeded either by events in nature nor from human agency (from political or social sources) in the process of restoring His people to their land. He set the needy securely on high … and makes his families like a flock (v. 41; cf. Ps 23 and comments there). The conclusion of this psalm is in the style of a proverb: The wise person will give heed (carefully watch/meditate upon) the instruction of this psalm and consider the lovingkindness of the LORD (v. 43).
Psalm 108: Reaffirming Our Total Dependence on God
On this Psalm of David, or Song, see the comments on the headings to Pss 3 and 46. The psalm represents a combination of the parts of two previous psalms. Verses 1-5 correspond to Ps 57:7-11, and vv. 6-13 correspond to Ps 60:5-12. This repetition and recombination, with slight variation further reinforces the parallel between Book Five of Psalms and Deuteronomy (see introduction to Ps 107). Psalms 108–110 are psalms of David that develop the dual themes of the oppression of God’s people at the hands of their enemies and God’s promise to rescue them. Ultimate deliverance from oppression will come through the inauguration of the messianic kingdom. In Ps 108, David requests God’s help in the midst of defeat (v. 6), and God responds by promising to deliver Israel (vv. 7-9) (Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 340).
A. Reaffirming God’s Praise (108:1-6)
108:1-6. Regardless of circumstances, David is determined to thank and praise the Lord: My heart is steadfast, O God … I will give thanks to You, O Lord. The final line of this stanza, That Your beloved may be delivered indicates some unspecified trouble. God’s lovingkindness (v. 4) ensures not only what is materially best, but also what is spiritually best, including correction, as affirmed in the previous psalm. Because all believers, like David, are viewed by God as His beloved (the word is used to describe those in the position of the most intimate relationship with God; cf. Dt 33:12; Ps 127:2; Is 5:1).
B. Reaffirming God’s Promises (108:7-9)
108:7-9. David here affirmed that the God of Israel, who has spoken in His holiness, has given the Land of Israel to the people of Israel forever. His promises regarding the land are underscored by the Lord’s possession of all the region, indicated by the possessive pronouns (Mine, My). The areas of Shechem (cf. Gn 33:18-19; 1Kg 12:1, 25), Succoth (cf. Gn 33:17) and Gilead (cf. Ps 34:1; Jos 17:6) belong to Israel. During the divided monarchy Ephraim was the Northern Kingdom, being the helmet of My head. The Davidic kings ruled (held My scepter; cf. Gn 49:10) in Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Israel’s most prominent enemies in the land are mentioned: Moab, Edom, and Philistia (cf. 60:6-9 and comments there) as areas over which the Lord will have dominion: Over Edom I will throw My shoe (likely a symbolic action, indicating ownership, cf. Dt 11:24), Over Philistia I will shout aloud, with dominance (v. 9).
C. Reaffirming God’s Actions (108:10-13)
108:10-13. These verses repeat the refrain of the final stanza of Ps 60. See comments in the parallel text, 60:9-12. The question Who will bring me … is rhetorical. Clearly it is the Lord God who will … go forth with our armies (v. 10).
Psalm 109: A Prayer for Justice against a False Accusation
On the heading of this Psalm of David, see the comments on Pss 3 and 4. David’s hope of deliverance for himself and his people (see 108:10-13) will occur only when God acts to bring this about (Ps 109).
A. As an Occasion for Appealing to God’s Justice (109:1-20)
109:1-5. Although in difficult circumstances, David begins his focus on the Lord: O God of my praise, Do not be silent! (cf. Dt. 10:21; 28:1-2). Wickedness is an inseparable component of this life, even for those who follow the Lord (2Tm 3:12). Here is a model for transforming, as it were, the black coals of unjust persecution into the brilliant diamonds of worship. One way in which this can be done is by petitioning God in prayer (v. 4), to manifest His justice in bringing retribution on the wicked and deceitful who oppress the righteous by repaying evil for good and hatred for … love (vv. 2, 5).
Though this may initially seem to contradict Jesus’ emphasis on loving one’s enemies (Mt 5:44), several considerations bear out its consistency with NT teaching. First, throughout this psalm, as typically in the other “imprecation” psalms, the psalmist appeals to God to bring just retribution on his oppressors, rather than expressing the intention to take the matter of vengeance into his own hands (“Vengeance is Mine”; Rm 12:19). Second, nowhere in this psalm or any other imprecation psalm did the psalmist require a timetable for God’s retribution against his oppressors, but instead he leaves the “when” and “how” to God. Third, the same standard of divine justice applies equally to both believers like himself as well as to the wicked who oppress them, and under this perfect standard all people stand justly condemned to God’s severest retribution. In the present section this point is vividly made in v. 6, the imagery and even phraseology of which parallels that in Zch 3:1. See comments on imprecatory psalms in the introduction to Psalms.
109:6-13. This imprecatory psalm requests specific harsh judgments on his wicked enemies, that each one would suffer the punishments he deserves. These requests include that the wicked: be found guilty; have his prayer unanswered because of his sinful actions; have someone else take his office; be executed for his crime and thus leave his children … fatherless and his wife a widow. David asks that his enemy be deprived of all his property so his children have to beg from their ruined home; that creditors and strangers take all that he has; and even that no one be gracious to his fatherless children (vv. 11-12), so that by the next generation the family name will be blotted out (v. 13; cf. 9:5). The phrase about letting another take his office (v. 8) is applied to Judas Iscariot in Ac 1:20. This is not a direct prediction and fulfillment. Rather, the principle of this psalm, that wicked men should be replaced by someone else, is applied to Judas. Therefore, to prove that Judas was a wicked man, another had to be appointed to replace him as an apostle.
109:14-20. This section continues the imprecation by asking the Lord to cut off their memory from the earth, because the wicked man did not remember to show lovingkindness but persecuted the afflicted and needy man (vv. 15-16).
B. As an Occasion for Appealing to God’s Lovingkindness (109:21-29)
109:21-29. Another way in which believers can turn oppression by the wicked into worship is by appealing to God to Help me … save me according to Your lovingkindness and manifest His kindness in such a way that the wicked will know that this is Your hand (vv. 26-27). The psalmist requests that his accusers be put to shame as that is their only hope of turning to the Lord in repentance.
C. As an Occasion for Expressing God’s Praise (109:30-31)
109:30-31. A third way in which believers can turn their oppression into worship is by taking it as an occasion not only to implore God to do something (such as bringing just retribution on oppressors and showing lovingkindness toward believers by relieving their affliction), but also to give thanks to God and to praise Him for what He has already done. The psalm ends with confident expectation of the Lord’s answer, For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.
Psalm 110: Deliverance through the King Messiah
On the heading of this Psalm of David see the comments on Ps 3. Like Pss 2 and 22, this psalm refers directly and exclusively to the Messiah (see Introduction to the Psalms). That this is so is more than evident, not only from a careful reading of the psalm itself, but also from its treatment in the NT, where it is cited directly with exclusive reference to Messiah nine time (cf. Mt 22:43-45; Mk 12:36-37; Lk 20:42-44; Ac 2:34-36: Heb 1:13; 5:6-10; 7:11-28). This number is surpassed only by Ps 118, which is directly cited 11 times. Considering other allusions to it, Ps 110 unquestionably emerges as the most prominent of all. Also the theological centrality of this psalm is evident from its role in Heb 7 (see comments there) in which the writer emphasizes the soteriological point that the atonement afforded by the priestly work of the Messiah is not only perfectly efficacious but is also eternal.
Even the structure of this psalm points to its centrality. The psalm has three units of thought, each describing the messianic King. The first three verses describe Him as the divine King (vv. 1-3), the central verse shows Him as the eternal priest (v. 4), and the final three verses identify Him as the victorious warrior (vv. 5-7). The central verse (v. 4), about the eternal priest, in its brevity provides the literary focal point of the Psalm. The main idea of Psalm 110 is that “the Lord has granted universal dominion to the messianic Priest-King” (Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? [Nashville: B&H Publishers, 2010], 171).
Book Five of the Psalter (107–150) opens with seven psalms, 107–113, that have a clear unit of thought. The seven are linked, and Ps 110 is the thematic and central unifier. Psalms 107–109 plead for God to deliver Israel while Psalms 111–113 praise God for having delivered Israel. Between these psalms sits Ps 110, revealing the Messiah as the answer to the pleas for deliverance (107–109) and the reason for the praise for deliverance (111–113).
A. Messiah, the Divine King (110:1-3)
The first stanza of Ps 110 emphasizes the kingship of Messiah, depicting Him in a variety of His royal roles.
110:1. As consistently explained in the NT (Mt 22:44; Mk 12:36; Lk 20:42-43; Ac 2:34-35; Heb 1:13), this opening verse describes the determination of God the Father (the LORD) regarding the ultimate victory and dominion of God the Son (my [David’s] Lord), hence establishing the parameters by which to understand the rest of the psalm. Though some critics claim that the NT writers (and Jesus Himself) construed this verse—and the psalm generally—in a manner inconsistent with the semantics of the Hebrew text and how it has always been naturally understood in pre- and post-NT Jewish tradition, those claims are untrue.
That the first LORD refers to God is beyond all question, since the Hebrew term used is “Yahweh.” But the following expression my Lord (Hb. adoni) is less clear. In purely lexical terms it designates one’s sociocultural superior (i.e., “my master”). The only other place David employed this expression was of Saul (1Sm 30:13). The support for seeing the word as referring to deity is threefold. (1) Although generally used of a human authority, this word can be used of deity, being used of the Lord God appearing as the angel of the Lord in two places (Jos 5:14; Jdg 6:13). (2) The word intended may have been the normal word for Lord (God). As Robert Alden observed, the psalm was originally written only with consonants (the vowels being added between the eighth and tenth centuries AD). But it is possible that the original consonantal text understood the vowels to refer to Adonay, the normal word for God (Robert L. Alden, Psalms: Songs of Discipleship, vol. 3 of Everyman’s Bible Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 1976], 331–32). (3) In v. 5, the one at the right hand is called adonay (the word for Lord that indicates deity) just as the Lord in v. 1 is said to be at the right hand of God. Verse 5 therefore identifies the one at the right hand of the Lord as also being deity.
Some interpreters object that this psalm in its “natural” Hebrew sense has never been understood as referring to the Messiah. The rabbinic consensus was that the expression my LORD refers to Abraham or perhaps David. However, these are neither the only nor the earliest views. Among the Dead Sea Scrolls (most of which were written in Hebrew by Jews) is one (11Q13) in which Melchizedek, the central personage of this psalm, is clearly depicted (in a manner closely parallel to that in Heb 7) as filling the role of the Messiah (see comments on Gn 14:17-24). Some medieval Jewish interpreters have also recognized that what is said in this psalm far transcends whatever did or can apply to either Abraham or David, and therefore they conclude that David “composed this psalm about the Messiah” (Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno [d. 1550]). That the Messiah was divine, however, no rabbinic interpreter can admit, since such would contradict one of the foundational tenets of rabbinic Judaism).
As to the Father’s declaration that David’s Lord sit at His right hand, the place of greatest favor, power, and preeminence, this is a point of central importance in the NT, as indicated by the many direct citations and allusions to it (see Mt 26:64; Mk 14:62; 16:19; Lk 22:69; Rm 8:34; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3; 8:1; 10:12). It serves as explicit affirmation of the inevitable and ultimate victory of Messiah over all earthly opposition. The divine messianic King will one day rule over His enemies (vv. 1, 2). The word for enemies is used regularly in the Psalter of God’s enemies (8:2; 21:8; 66:3; 74:23; 89:10, 51; 92:9), giving support that the King here is viewed as deity. These enemies will one day become his footstool, a word that depicts the King’s victory (cf. 47:3; Jos 10:24; Is 49:23). The word footstool is also frequently used as belonging to God (1Ch 28:2; Pss 99:5; 132:7; Is 66:1; Lm 2:1), indicating that these enemies will one day be a divine footstool. It seems that this depiction could not describe anyone other than an exalted, eschatological, divine, messianic King.
110:2-3. Initially the King was depicted in the throne room of God in heaven (v. 1), now it shows him descending to earth (Zion, v. 2). There He receives dominion over His enemies and leads His servants into battle. His scepter extends (stretches forth) from Zion, indicating a reign from earthly Jerusalem. Moreover, the King leads His people who volunteer freely to fight on the day of battle. This is an eschatological army, in holy array (lit., “splendors of holiness” hadre qodesh), referring, like the similar expression (hadrat qodesh) in 1Ch 16:29 and 2Ch 20:21, to the “holy attire” worn by the Levitical priests in praising the Lord. The specific scenario in view here is indicated by the expression in the day of Your power (v. 3), in which the term power (hayil) literally signifies “military might,” thus relating this depiction to the Messiah’s coming in power (“the day of His wrath” in v. 5) as portrayed in Zch 14:3-5 and Rv 19:11-16. Thus, the psalm is depicting the Messiah Jesus at His return, not His first coming.
The last phrase of v. 3 from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to you as the dew, is virtually unintelligible in the Masoretic Text. Much to be preferred is the LXX reading, “from the womb of the dawn, I have begotten you.” Although some would argue for the MT, following the text critical axiom of taking the harder reading, this is to be rejected. There is a difference between a harder reading and an unintelligible reading. The variant reading is also supported by the Syriac and a number of Masoretic manuscripts. The phrase “I have begotten you” would then be a clear allusion to Ps 2:7, another significant messianic psalm. The King is said to be begotten from the womb of the dawn, indicating that this divine King comes from the heavenly realms from eternity past, before the creation of morning light.
B. Messiah, The Priest-King (110:4)
110:4. The center of this psalm (v. 4) is also—and most importantly—the focal point, for this verse establishes the Father’s ordination of the Son according to the priestly order of Melchizedek, rather than Levi (cf. Heb 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:11, 17, 21). For a detailed discussion of the significance of this unique priestly order (and the meaning of Melchizedek’s name) see the comments on Gn 14:17-24 and Heb 7. Beginning with the promise of the Lord, the psalmist focuses on the certainty of God’s oath to the King. Since the LORD has sworn, He will assure that it will happen and He will not be sorry. This refers to God’s irrevocable establishment of the King as priest.
The reason an oath was necessary was because the promise is unusual—God will unite the offices of king and priest in this divine King. This is unusual in that these offices were always separate in Israel. Another surprising feature is that the King will not be a Levitical priest but a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. This mysterious individual from Gn 14, served as a priest-king of God Most High. Just as Melchizedek was a priest-king, so this messianic figure will likewise be a priest-king, in the same manner.
The most significant aspect of this priesthood is that, unlike the transitory Levitical priests, this Priest-King would be a priest forever. This refers to His eternal nature and the permanent effects of His work. As the focal point of the psalm, this verse emphasizes the eternal priesthood of the messianic King. The verses both before and after v. 4 depict the King at war. Hence, the Priest-King is one who offers up the enemies of God in a great sacrificial feast (Ezk 39:17-20) to the Lord at the end of days.
C. Messiah, the Victorious Warrior (110:5-7)
The last stanza depicts Messiah’s victory over the nations in the great end-of-days war. Verses 5-6 begin the stanza by identifying those whom the Messiah will defeat, while v. 7 depicts His refreshment after battle.
110:5-6. At the outset, v. 5 states, The Lord is at your right hand. Unlike v. 1, the Hebrew word for “Lord” uses the vowels indicating that a divine Lord is being described. But this is not Yahweh at the King’s right hand but the King at the right hand of Yahweh. This is evident in that all the third person singular pronouns that follow refer back to the word “Lord.” But, plainly it is the King who will shatter kings, judge … the nations and shatter the chief men. If the King is the subject of all these verbs, He must be the one called Lord. This clearly fits with v. 1. There He was said to be at the right hand of Yahweh even as He is once again depicted at God’s right hand here in v. 5. The logical conclusion is the warrior King is being called the Lord (Adonay), a title reserved for God alone.
In these two verses the victorious divine King is described as defeating all those who have rebelled against God. He crushes kings and rulers, judges people, and heaps up corpses. The violence of the imagery recalls Is 63:1-6, where the messianic King tramples the wine press of the nations, staining His garments with blood and crushing nations in His wrath. The psalmist says all this will occur on the day of His wrath (v. 5). This phrase (“day of wrath”) occurs in only six verses in Scripture (Jb 20:28; Lm 2:1, 21-22; Zph 2:2-3) and in each case refers to God’s wrath. Thus, it implies that the victorious King of Ps 110 is indeed a divine King.
110:7. The last verse uses a refreshment metaphor, depicting the King as drink[ing] from the brook after the last battle. In contrast to v. 1, where the King sits, awaiting the day when His enemies are defeated and made a footstool, in v. 7, having defeated the enemies, He is refreshed by drinking from the brook—thus He will lift up His head, surveying His great victory on the battlefield.
Psalm 110 as a whole depicts the divine, eternal Priest-King of Israel who will rule all the nations from Zion, crush all rebellion against Himself, and bring peace to the world. This elevated depiction eliminates Abraham, David himself, Solomon, or any other suggested human king as the subject of this psalm. It points to the return of the divine Messiah, the Lord Jesus, when He returns in power and glory.
Psalm 111: A Call to Worship God for His Unfailing Righteousness
Psalms 111 and 112 are closely connected by parallel themes, both expressing praise to God for having provided deliverance (see introductory comments to Ps 110). Psalm 111 focuses on the object of worship, and Ps 112 focuses on those offering worship. Both are alphabetic acrostics. The purpose of an acrostic is to repeat a single theme for each letter of the alphabet, totaling twenty-two times. Although David is mentioned as the author of only Ps 110, these following psalms (Pss 111 and 112) are so closely linked in content, tradition suggests David as the author of these three psalms.
A. The Response of Worship (111:1)
111:1. The purpose of the psalm is direct: Praise the LORD! The psalmist affirmed that God’s creation is obligated to give Him worship, specifically the praise and thanksgiving to which He is entitled. The psalmist emphasized the quality of his worship by referring not to his use of a certain formula or special wording, but rather that it is to be given with all his heart. The worship of God should not be just personal and private; it should also be public, expressed collectively with other believers: In the company of the upright.
B. The Motivation for Worship (111:2-9)