Betrayed by a Close Friend – Psalms 96-102

Joy: You’re listening to Season 2 of the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  This is Episode #183 and today we’ll read Psalms 96-102 together.   Let’s come alongside this man who was betrayed by a close friend.  

Welcome

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Season 2!  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me – from the beginning – simply reading God’s word together.  We built some spiritual muscles in 2020 with just the New Testament.  But this year we’re going all out, cover-to-cover, Old Testament and New.  So, whether with your first cup in the morning, your commute to work, or as the last thing on your mind before sleep, God’s Word will equip you for every good work.  I’m really glad you’re here!

Psalm 96

King of the Earth

Sing a new song to the Lord;

let the whole earth sing to the Lord.

Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

proclaim his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

his wondrous works among all peoples.

For the Lord is great and is highly praised;

he is feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;

bring an offering and enter his courts.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;

let the whole earth tremble before him.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.

The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.

He judges the peoples fairly.”

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

let the sea and all that fills it resound.

Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.

Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy

before the Lord, for he is coming —

for he is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness

and the peoples with his faithfulness.

Psalm 97

The Majestic King

The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice;

let the many coasts and islands be glad.

Clouds and total darkness surround him;

righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Fire goes before him

and burns up his foes on every side.

His lightning lights up the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

The mountains melt like wax

at the presence of the Lord —

at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

The heavens proclaim his righteousness;

all the peoples see his glory.

All who serve carved images,

those who boast in worthless idols, will be put to shame.

All the gods must worship him.

Zion hears and is glad,

Judah’s villages rejoice

because of your judgments, Lord.

For you, Lord,

are the Most High over the whole earth;

you are exalted above all the gods.

You who love the Lord, hate evil!

He protects the lives of his faithful ones;

he rescues them from the power of the wicked.

Light dawns for the righteous,

gladness for the upright in heart.

Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones,

and give thanks to his holy name.

Psalm 98

Praise the King

A psalm.

Sing a new song to the Lord,

for he has performed wonders;

his right hand and holy arm

have won him victory.

The Lord has made his victory known;

he has revealed his righteousness

in the sight of the nations.

He has remembered his love

and faithfulness to the house of Israel;

all the ends of the earth

have seen our God’s victory.

Let the whole earth shout to the Lord;

be jubilant, shout for joy, and sing.

Sing to the Lord with the lyre,

with the lyre and melodious song.

With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn

shout triumphantly

in the presence of the Lord, our King.

Let the sea and all that fills it,

the world and those who live in it, resound.

Let the rivers clap their hands;

let the mountains shout together for joy

before the Lord,

for he is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world righteously

and the peoples fairly.

Psalm 99

The King Is Holy

The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble.

He is enthroned between the cherubim.

Let the earth quake.

The Lord is great in Zion;

he is exalted above all the peoples.

Let them praise your great

and awe-inspiring name.

He is holy.

The mighty King loves justice.

You have established fairness;

you have administered justice

and righteousness in Jacob.

Exalt the Lord our God;

bow in worship at his footstool.

He is holy.

Moses and Aaron were among his priests;

Samuel also was among those calling on his name.

They called to the Lord and he answered them.

He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud;

they kept his decrees and the statutes he gave them.

Lord our God, you answered them.

You were a forgiving God to them,

but an avenger of their sinful actions.

Exalt the Lord our God;

bow in worship at his holy mountain,

for the Lord our God is holy.

Psalm 100

Be Thankful

A psalm of thanksgiving.

Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God.

He made us, and we are his—

his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and bless his name.

For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever;

his faithfulness, through all generations.

Psalm 101

A Vow of Integrity

A psalm of David.

I will sing of faithful love and justice;

I will sing praise to you, Lord.

I will pay attention to the way of integrity.

When will you come to me?

I will live with a heart of integrity in my house.

I will not let anything worthless guide me.

I hate the practice of transgression;

it will not cling to me.

A devious heart will be far from me;

I will not be involved with evil.

I will destroy anyone

who secretly slanders his neighbor;

I cannot tolerate anyone

with haughty eyes or an arrogant heart.

My eyes favor the faithful of the land

so that they may sit down with me.

The one who follows the way of integrity

may serve me.

No one who acts deceitfully

will live in my palace;

the one who tells lies

will not be retained here to guide me.

Every morning I will destroy

all the wicked of the land,

wiping out all evildoers from the Lord’s city.

Psalm 102

Affliction in light of Eternity

A prayer of a suffering person who is weak and pours out his lament before the Lord.

Lord, hear my prayer;

let my cry for help come before you.

Do not hide your face from me in my day of trouble.

Listen closely to me;

answer me quickly when I call.

For my days vanish like smoke,

and my bones burn like a furnace.

My heart is suffering, withered like grass;

I even forget to eat my food.

Because of the sound of my groaning,

my flesh sticks to my bones.

I am like an eagle owl,

like a little owl among the ruins.

I stay awake;

I am like a solitary bird on a roof.

My enemies taunt me all day long;

they ridicule and use my name as a curse.

I eat ashes like bread

and mingle my drinks with tears

because of your indignation and wrath;

for you have picked me up and thrown me aside.

My days are like a lengthening shadow,

and I wither away like grass.

But you, Lord, are enthroned forever;

your fame endures to all generations.

You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,

for it is time to show favor to her —

the appointed time has come.

For your servants take delight in its stones

and favor its dust.

Then the nations will fear the name of the Lord,

and all the kings of the earth your glory,

for the Lord will rebuild Zion;

he will appear in his glory.

He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute

and will not despise their prayer.

For a Later Generation

This will be written for a later generation,

and a people who have not yet been created will praise the Lord:

He looked down from his holy heights —

the Lord gazed out from heaven to earth —

to hear a prisoner’s groaning,

to set free those condemned to die,

so that they might declare

the name of the Lord in Zion

and his praise in Jerusalem

when peoples and kingdoms are assembled

to serve the Lord.

He has broken my strength in midcourse;

he has shortened my days.

I say, “My God, do not take me

in the middle of my life!

Your years continue through all generations.

Long ago you established the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you will endure;

all of them will wear out like clothing.

You will change them like a garment,

and they will pass away.

But you are the same,

and your years will never end.

Your servants’ children will dwell securely,

and their offspring will be established before you.”

Close

Such intimate psalms.  They’re like reading someone’s diary or a heart-rending session with a close, hurting friend.  Early on in our podcasting journey, Mitch, my husband and Editor-extraordinaire, told me about a website that he found really informative, and this seems to be a good time to share it with you.  The website is Enduring Word by David Guzik, and it has been such a big help to me.  My pastor loves to taunt me about being a John MacArthur groupie and there are those of you who would probably say, “What’s up with Joy and The Bible Project?  But I really do read others and Enduring Word is one of them.  

I tell you this because I would encourage you to go to his comments on Psalm 102.  Honestly, if I had his permission, I would reprint them here.  I don’t know what it is about Psalm 102, but it just gets me.  It’s so raw.  David Guzik says it is reminiscent of Job and I can’t disagree.  I’ve put links to all these places in the transcript of Episode 183 on the Podcast Episode page at Lifting Her Voice.com.  Click around on those links and tell me what you think at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

See You Tomorrow!

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray that by spending time in His Word every day, you will by changed.  Visit me at Lifting Her Voice.com with your comments and questions.  And don’t forget to visit the Blog page while you’re there.  If you like the podcast, it would be great if you’d give it a five-star review and share it with everyone you know.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you tomorrow!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.