Author: Stephen Ricker

David’s account of God’s judgment is in the future tense: “God will shoot… suddenly they will be… He will turn… He will bring them… will shake their heads… All mankind will fear… They will proclaim… and ponder.” This is true for every psalm -9:8, 72:2, 96:10, 13, 98:9, 110:6 to name a few. Judgment is […]

David examines his enemies’ contemptuous self-confidence while he prays to God for deliverance. and in doing so he defines many who are against Jesus and many in my age. Verse 5, “They encourage each other in an evil plan; they talk about hiding traps and say, ‘Who will see them (and us)?’” (HCSB) In Psalm […]

With so many physical battles that David fought against enemy nations and enemies within Israel, I would think that David would have written Psalms about physical battles. Perhaps he would write about the fear of the battle or the fear of losing the battle. Perhaps he would write about his anger toward God for allowing […]

David states that those seeking his life will get what they deserve. He knows this because the Lord God is a just God. David quickly fled Jerusalem to the desert of Judah, and those who supported him fled, too. The wicked used their mouths to spread lies, while all who love and fear God used […]

David was in a desiccated barren land because his son was attempting to take not only the throne the Lord God set him on but also his life. (2 Samuel 15:23-28, 16:2,14, 17:16, 29) What thoughts consume as dusk chilled arid winds float desert beast’s howls? What inhabits a dusted desert mind? Self-pity, fear, and […]

The title of this short implicit prayer (like 62) states that King David (11) wrote this psalm in the Desert of Judah, a vast north-south desert east of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, south of Jericho, and west of the Jordan River and the Salt Sea. After leaving Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives […]

How much does a breath weigh? If one were to exhale on a scale, would the needle move? In David’s day, scales were used to determine the value of precious metals by placing them on one side and common weights on the other. When the sides balanced, the metal’s value was determined. Whether of low […]

God is the focus of this middle stanza. Find rest in him. Hope and expectation come from him. He is one’s rock, salvation, refuge, and fortress. In God, I am not shaken when trouble comes. Salvation and honor depend on God. David’s counsel is to trust in him at all times and to pour out […]

What possesses a soul that wants to assault and topple another? Why delight in taking down someone weak and unhealthy? Why have so much more than others and crave for someone else’s crums? Why house ill thoughts in the heart? (3-4) Do you know that this person whom your heart curses finds rest in God? […]

David’s faith in God is his assurance that God listens, accepts vows, and gives those who fear God an inheritance. David believes in eternal life. David believes in the Messiah who will come and live for generations and dwell in God’s presence forever. Jesus said, “I and the Father are One.” (John 10:30) And, “No […]

The circumstances for this short psalm are not given though some scholars link it to Psalms 42 and 43 (one psalm split in two). Others point out that since a king’s long life is asked in verse 6 it may refer to David’s emotional and mental state when his son Absalom attempted to gain the […]

The fact that this psalm is a corporal lesson to be learned and used by future generations of God’s people is in the use of “us” and “your people” throughout the psalm. What is another lesson the people who have angered God and repented because they fear him are to learn? David and later future […]

David prayed (5) and then confidently spoke of the Lord his God and the God of Israel’s victories (6-8). He knew that God would deliver his people because the Lord purposely and precisely told him of the results of the coming victories against neighboring enemy nations. David was reassured by the word of the Lord […]

The psalm’s title states that this was written as a teaching tool. Israel was attacked and lost the battles. The eventual victories are recorded in the parallel historical accounts 2 Samuel 8:3-14 and 1 Chronicles 18:3-12 (perhaps also 2 Samuel 10). However, the victory is not how this teaching psalm begins. Actually, only the title […]

David wrote in verses 9-10a, “O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.” Then in verse 17, “O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.” The only different words are “watch” and “sing”; “shamar” to “zamar” in Hebrew. […]

Can the evildoers and bloodthirsty be witnesses to the truth and Jesus? Anything is possible with God. Perhaps they will submit to the grace and truth of Jesus with a confession of faith, like Saul, who became Apostle Paul, or Peter who fell before Jesus after the great catch of fish. “Go away from me […]

One final mighty thrust and the First came through the door. The increased moonlight entering the cabin illuminated splinters flying in the air. The rush of fresh oxygen made the coals in the fireplace flash bright enough to make it hard for the First to see. He paused at the threshold to allow his eyes […]

Time was unimportant until the wolves came. They made themselves a clock. They told me it was time to fear, time to fight, and time to stay awake. They disrupted my night and my day. They made havoc on my schedule – what little of one I had before they came. The wolves made it […]

I sat on a cold floor with my right shoulder against one wall and my back against another. I surveyed the surroundings. I was in a long one room log cabin. I noticed how it portrayed my circumstances. The cabin was lit by eerie moonlight. The window to my right and in front of me […]

What wrong did David do to King Saul? David did all the monarch asked and more. He was diligent at his army post. He played music for the king when asked. He kept the king’s honor and daughter in high regard. Yet, the king wanted him dead. What did David do besides what the king […]

How many enemies around me, I do not know. How many walk beside me, with hands about to blow. Some smile, others jeer. They conspire against me, so I hear. A ruler who hates drives them on. Though left on their own, evil would not have been sown. David wrote this psalm when Saul sent […]

People who are in the right and yet are wronged by the rulers (1) in this world have a promise that they will be to rulers in the age to come. Jesus used several parables to portray the meaning of these verses; The Parable of the Net (Matthew 13:47-52) and The Parable of the Sheep […]

David looked forward to the day he would be avenged for the injustices perpetrated by the rulers of his day. Their lies which were like the sharp fangs of a lion, were asked to be broken and pulled out. Rather than taking justice into his own hands, David asks God that the wicked rulers and […]

David wrote this as a fugitive from King Saul’s injustice and abusive courts of law. Even the cities of refuge set up by the Lord through Moses in the covenant were no longer sanctuaries (Numbers 35:6-34). The rulers utilizing the power embedded in courts of law were the mouths, hands, and hearts of unrighteousness, violence, […]

David began to praise God in song with accompanying musical instruments. His praise was rooted in God’s personal love for him. His praise will not be in a closet or amongst family and friends. He will praise the Lord his God amongst the nations, the world’s people. Strangers, friends, and foes will hear of God’s […]

Praising God after praying when the soul and life circumstances are still dark pits is common in the Psalter. Here, the praise is accompanied by common musical instruments in David’s day, the harp and lyre. Miracles happen when danger and destruction loom at every corner and yet I decide to praise God in song. A […]

Verse 4 uses poetry to describe the enemy. They are not wimps. They are like strong and fast lions. They are like extremely hungry beasts chasing their prey. They are a serious threat. Verse 6 poetically describes the enemies’ plot. David and his small band of refugees were hunkered down in a low cave. With […]

The title, also known as an ascription, states that David wrote this psalm when he had fled from King Saul into the cave (1 Samuel 24). King Saul had convinced himself and others that David wanted to “…cut off his descendants or wipe out his name from his father’s family” (1 Samuel 24:21), so he […]

David is so sure the Lord God will not only hear him but also grant what he is asking. So now, he considers himself in debt to pay his vow to the Lord God regarding what he would do once he is granted his request. Do I owe the Lord Jesus a debt for delivering […]

When someone in the Bible says “Word of God” what did they mean? When someone in a congregation says “Word of God” what do they mean? What is God’s Word for God? What is God’s Word for mankind? What do I think and imagine is God’s Word? David praises the Word of God. The Bible […]

A good monarch in David’s time would have a scribe write a note on a scroll or wineskin to remind him of someone he must reward, help, or punish. It was a royal sticky note reminder in ancient times. David asks the Lord God to record his lament, misery, and wanderings, and allow his tears […]

David was not the only person who experienced what he wrote in these verses. Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets were also the victims of people twisting their words all day long, sinister plots, conspiracy, and blood hunger. David calls upon the Lord for redress, something he has done before. Is gossip included in the […]

David trusted in God when he was afraid. Fear is a strong base emotion. David’s fear was not vague; it had tangible facts that awakened the feeling. Saul had tried to pin him to the wall with a spear more than once (1 Samuel 18:11, 19:10). Now King Saul sent out groups of men throughout […]

The psalm was written by David when the Philistines had seized him in Gath. Although the time and related passage (chapter and verses were added centuries later) are not listed in the title, it can be assumed to be between when David fleed King Saul and eventually became king of Judah and later all of […]

David has confidence that God will hear his cry for justice. He wrote, “Cast your cares (burden) on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Apostle Peter does too. He wrote, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) The concept of […]

Words spoken can build up or they can tear down. David’s friend violated their covenant. Now as a crafty tongue slinger, he is using his smooth speech to wage war against David. He intends to humiliate David into exile and take the throne as his own. However, the covenant he breaks will be his destruction, […]

David was being harassed and undermined. Someone he considered a close friend was trying to overthrow him. A person who said nice things to him and then spoke lies about him to others. A traitor hated him for no good reason. One by one more and more people believed the betrayer’s lies till there were […]

The normal lifespan ends when the body can no longer keep itself in working condition (Numbers 16:29). If I eat healthy, keep my environment clean, and keep my body active, I may live a normal lifespan of seventy or eighty years. David did not want the conspirators to live a normal lifespan. He asked the […]

The scheme and betrayal of an enemy can be endured, but those of a friend, son, or daughter will trouble the soul and bring illness to the body. One of David’s own, perhaps Absalom’s conspiracy to take the throne is such an occasion. (2 Samuel 15-17) I have had friends, coworkers, and managers turn against […]

David examines the acts of Jerusalem’s citizens. He does not like what he sees. He wants the people to stop their violence, strife, malice, abuse, threats, and lies, but he knows he cannot change the people’s hearts. Prayer is his only resolve. The Lord can confound their speech and confuse the wicked. God can put […]

When my heart is in anguish and the terrors within grip me, the compulsion to escape, suddenly fly away like a morning dove sits in my heart. David feared a sudden death. Fear and trembling hemmed in. Horror overwhelmed as when the automobile I am driving is about to crash with my children in the […]

Times existed when I asked God for something, and it seemed like he ignored my plea, just like David here. Even now, I am asking him to hear me and answer me. By wanting an answer, David and I are saying we want him to grant us what we are asking for. Sure, I know […]

David is not invoking a curse on the Ziphites. Actually, the imprecation in verse 5 is not that at all. Rather, it is an appeal to God to redress wrongs perpetrated against the psalmist by imposing penalties commensurate with the violence in accordance with the normal judicial procedure in human court. He wanted justice done […]

Verse 4 is the pin on which the refrains on each side spin. It pegs the hour and minute hands to the face of the clock as they spin. Verse 4 is the meat of the three-course meal. The center is the confession of hope. The center is the confession of confidence in the Most […]

David was a wanted fugitive for no crime other than having more success than the king. David hid in the vicinity of Ziph, a small city in Judah. (Joshua 15:24; 1 Chronicles 2:42, 4:16, 23:14-15, 26:2) “The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, ‘Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds […]

The straightforward truth is that David confesses that he is like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God while an innocent yet condemned fugitive. When King Saul ordered Doeg to kill all the priests at the Tent of Meeting, Abiathar the high priest’s son who was killed for helping David fled to David […]

Trust and hope are similar. The boastful tongue that waggled harmful deceitful words did not make God his stronghold. A stronghold here is one that a person trusts in. Doeg the Edomite revealed that David had fled to the house of Ahimelech the high priest. This led to the death of Ahimelech, his family, and […]

David speaks an implicit prayer; a prophetic prayer concerning the destruction of a deceitful tongue by the mighty hand of judge Jesus. David without doubts or reservations states what he has learned from studying the Bible. Those who love every harmful word they and others speak will go down to everlasting ruin. Speaking my mind […]

David wrote a psalm about corrupt Doeg the Edomite. Doeg was at the house of Ahimelech the priest who was serving before the Lord at the tent of meeting in Nob. Doeg noticed that David was there and saw an opportunity for advancement and self-gain. He reported fugitive David’s location to King Saul and killed […]

The psalm concludes with a request to God to build up Zion and make it prosper for his good pleasure. Then because of the great mercy of God pleasing sacrifices will be made. David started the psalm confessing his sin and asking for mercy. He concludes by saying that the whole city will present praise […]

Broken heart I have, pieces of despondency. Contrite heart I am, tears of sincerity. What loathsome acts I committed, all the result of complacency. Dig deeper, build higher, to hide with shadows of dishonesty. Sacrifice not I, God does not desire them. No burnt offering, these no pleasure God finds. . Broken heart I have, […]

David, the author is asking for not only forgiveness but restoration. He is asking for his will to do what is right made better than before. He does not want to repeat this error. He promises that once the Lord does this he will teach other transgressors of the covenant the Lord God’s ways. He […]

David sinned. David experienced the weight of guilt. David’s sin was exposed. David lost a steadfast spirit. David lost joy and a willing spirit. Sin devastates a believer in Jesus. The consequences of sin should not be ignored. David asked God to create a pure heart in him. “Create” is “bara” in the original Hebrew. […]

Asking for forgiveness can be hard because admitting I need forgiveness is not. Needing forgiveness from another is hard because it means I have to accept and confess that I committed wrong towards the casualty. Saying, “I am sorry. Please forgive me,” can be the hardest five words because of pride. Dependence on God’s grace […]

There is a nature within that possesses, controls, and destroys the self. All have it and all deal with it differently. First this way; then that. We stare at it, then we look away. We laugh with it, then we cry with it. We always are repulsed by it and so we hate it. We […]

David had been seeking the heart of God for many years. The relationship he had with the Lord God was significant to him. He had practically expressed his faith in God many times in his life. Then he broke the covenant with God in several ways. He tried to cover up his sins. But the […]

The quality of life and the quantity of living is at risk. A negotiation has commenced. Some envision this as a court of law where two adversaries stand before a judge. The prosecutor presented his case and the judge determined the accused guilty beyond any reason of doubt for the accused admitted their guilt. The […]

God gives the people who forget him an ultimatum. Forgetting God means a person is aware that other people are religious and they give the impression that they are religious. However, God is not in their heart nor a consideration in their plans and interactions. God is telling such people to consider what he is […]

The Most High God addresses the wicked just as Jesus addressed his day’s religious and social leaders. Every generation experiences the powerful and swift flow of hypocrisy and mundane Christianity. I need to become alert and swim to the firm shore of reverent thankful faith lest I be swept and forever lost into the sea […]

The Most High God presents three acts that are expected of Israel. These acts are not hard. They are not an intense labyrinth or maze that transpires. They are not some deep mystery to discover with intense study of the Bible in its original language or some other ancient rare script. These acts are not […]

God has come to Mount Zion in splendor to make his case against Israel. He will now testify against them. Yes, they were sacrificing animals as prescribed in the covenant law given through Moses. The covenant the Lord God had with Israel was two-sided. He would be their God and they would live according to […]

The Might One, God, the LORD has come to judge his people. He is dressed in white for the occasion, full of splendor. When Moses presented Israel the covenant the LORD made between him and them on Mount Sinai, Moses called the heavens and the earth to be the witness of the covenant. (Deuteronomy 30:19, […]

Asaph, the author of this psalm was the Levite musician King David appointed to serve in the Tabernacle until the Temple was completed. (1 Chronicles 6:39) He was the father of the clan of Temple musicians who served throughout the history of the Temple – Solomon’s and the rebuild. (1 Chronicles 9:1, 15, 15:19, 16:7, […]

The author, The Sons of Korah sums it all up, “A man with valuable possessions but without understanding is like the animals that perish.” Solomon adds more insight, “As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same […]

How can a person know if when they die they will descend below as their body lays decaying in the grave or if they will rise from the dead and eternally see the light of day? These verses give unexpected answers to some preconceived illusions. If I am born rich and die rich, is this […]

The grave (Sheol in Hebrew) is personified as a predator, perhaps a lion or wolf. The rich, who were the wicked in previous verses (5-6, 12) are being guided by the predator Grave to itself where it will feed on them for eternity. Like sheep, they do not know that they are led to the […]

Death is sure. As the sun rises in the east and sets in the west a person comes forth to breathe the first breath and goes down when they breathe their last. Even if in between the first and last breath the person exhibits wisdom, has great riches, lives as a fool, and makes senseless […]

The price of human life is high. The human soul is precious, each unique and fearfully made. When born all of Adam are slaves of sin and are thus owned by death. All born of Adam sin and thus die. (Romans 3:23; 1 Corinthians 15:22) No one is perfect, not even one. Benjamin Franklin and […]

Wealth has the capacity to empower. The empowerment that wealth obtains is mostly used for self at others’ peril. The natural tendency is to place self before others. This shared human nature grows in the hearts of any who entertains it, burning away compassion and love. When given the chance to overpower others most will […]

Psalm 49 is like none before it. This is a proverb psalm; wisdom set to music. Jesus was known to say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15, 13:9, 13:43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8, 14:35) The prophets also used similar phrases that basically mean, “This is real important. Pay attention. Accept […]

The psalm ends with an instruction to the people to examine Jerusalem, the City of God, Zion, and the Holy Mountain. They are to consider the fortifications that protect the citizens, God’s chosen people. The entire psalm interchanges images of the city and the God who dwells in and protects the city. The fortifications built […]

Continuing the thought that in the present age the people of God, the church is the temple of God I am reminded to meditate on the Lord God’s unfailing love. The quiet of the morning is a time I have set aside to contemplate the past day and pray to be in his will in […]

When people tell me something is amazing to behold it is not the same as personally witnessing it myself. I often heard of the splendor of the Grand Canyon in my youth. Having never seen a canyon before I did not have much of a desire to go to see it myself. Then when I […]

The previous verses reminded me that I am the temple of God for Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within and with my soul. I dwell in God and God dwells within me. He is my fortress as the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem was its fortress protector. When I am weak he […]

The previous psalm has the Lord, the Great Most High God entering his temple on Mount Zion. Beneath the temple is the City of David where the people of Jerusalem lived. The Lord God is praised and worshiped in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem. Though God dwells in heaven and his presence is in […]