This is Episode #168 and today we’ll read Psalms 21-25 together. David’s feelings of abandonment turn to prophecy and God leads us once again beside still waters.
Transcript
Joy: You’re listening to Season 2 of the Lifting Her Voice podcast. This is Episode #168 and today we’ll read Psalms 21-25 together. David’s feelings of abandonment turn to prophecy and God leads us once again beside still waters.
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 21
The King’s Victory
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
Lord, the king finds joy in your strength.
How greatly he rejoices in your victory!
You have given him his heart’s desire
and have not denied the request of his lips.
Selah
For you meet him with rich blessings;
you place a crown of pure gold on his head.
He asked you for life, and you gave it to him —
length of days forever and ever.
His glory is great through your victory;
you confer majesty and splendor on him.
You give him blessings forever;
you cheer him with joy in your presence.
For the king relies on the Lord;
through the faithful love of the Most High
he is not shaken.
Your hand will capture all your enemies;
your right hand will seize those who hate you.
You will make them burn
like a fiery furnace when you appear;
the Lord will engulf them in his wrath,
and fire will devour them.
You will wipe their progeny from the earth
and their offspring from the human race.
Though they intend to harm you
and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.
Instead, you will put them to flight
when you ready your bowstrings to shoot at them.
Be exalted, Lord, in your strength;
we will sing and praise your might.
Psalm 22
For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A psalm of David.
From Suffering to Praise
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far from my deliverance
and from my words of groaning?
My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
by night, yet I have no rest.
But you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our ancestors trusted in you;
they trusted, and you rescued them.
They cried to you and were set free;
they trusted in you and were not disgraced.
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by people.
Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they sneer and shake their heads:
“He relies on the Lord;
let him save him;
let the Lord rescue him,
since he takes pleasure in him.”
It was you who brought me out of the womb,
making me secure at my mother’s breast.
I was given over to you at birth;
you have been my God from my mother’s womb.
Don’t be far from me, because distress is near
and there’s no one to help.
Many bulls surround me;
strong ones of Bashan encircle me.
They open their mouths against me —
lions, mauling and roaring.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are disjointed;
my heart is like wax,
melting within me.
My strength is dried up like baked clay;
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You put me into the dust of death.
For dogs have surrounded me;
a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
they pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones;
people look and stare at me.
They divided my garments among themselves,
and they cast lots for my clothing.
They Will Declare What He Has Done
But you, Lord, don’t be far away.
My strength, come quickly to help me.
Rescue my life from the sword,
my only life from the power of these dogs.
Save me from the lion’s mouth,
from the horns of wild oxen.
You answered me!
I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
I will praise you in the assembly.
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere him!
For he has not despised or abhorred
the torment of the oppressed.
He did not hide his face from him
but listened when he cried to him for help.
I will give praise in the great assembly
because of you;
I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear you.
The humble will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him.
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth will remember
and turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
will bow down before you,
for kingship belongs to the Lord;
he rules the nations.
All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down;
all those who go down to the dust
will kneel before him —
even the one who cannot preserve his life.
Their descendants will serve him;
the next generation will be told about the Lord.
They will come and declare his righteousness;
to a people yet to be born
they will declare what he has done.
Psalm 23
The Good Shepherd
A psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have what I need.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life;
he leads me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff — they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live.
Psalm 24
The King of Glory
A psalm of David.
The earth and everything in it,
the world and its inhabitants,
belong to the Lord;
for he laid its foundation on the seas
and established it on the rivers.
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not appealed to what is false,
and who has not sworn deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the Lord,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who inquire of him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Selah
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord of Armies,
he is the King of glory.
Selah
Psalm 25
Dependence on the Lord
Of David.
Lord, I appeal to you.
My God, I trust in you.
Do not let me be disgraced;
do not let my enemies gloat over me.
No one who waits for you
will be disgraced;
those who act treacherously without cause
will be disgraced.
Make your ways known to me, Lord;
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
I wait for you all day long.
Remember, Lord, your compassion
and your faithful love,
for they have existed from antiquity.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
or my acts of rebellion;
in keeping with your faithful love, remember me
because of your goodness, Lord.
The Lord is good and upright;
therefore he shows sinners the way.
He leads the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth
to those who keep his covenant and decrees.
Lord, for the sake of your name,
forgive my iniquity, for it is immense.
Who is this person who fears the Lord?
He will show him the way he should choose.
He will live a good life,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
I Take Refuge in You
The secret counsel of the Lord
is for those who fear him,
and he reveals his covenant to them.
My eyes are always on the Lord,
for he will pull my feet out of the net.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am alone and afflicted.
The distresses of my heart increase;
bring me out of my sufferings.
Consider my affliction and trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
Consider my enemies; they are numerous,
and they hate me violently.
Guard me and rescue me;
do not let me be disgraced,
for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and what is right
watch over me,
for I wait for you.
God, redeem Israel, from all its distresses.
Close
Psalm 22 is a well-known psalm, precisely describing what Jesus went through physically on the cross about 1000 years before it happened. Now remember, this gruesome form of torture and death was invented by the Romans; David had no knowledge of what hanging on a cross would be like. And yet, in tune with the Spirit of God, David puts the experience into words. Amazing.
It doesn’t seem to matter what translation is being used when reading Psalm 23 – the emotion is the same. It is familiar and comforting like a favorite quilt. There is rest here and joy.
And I have to confess, Psalm 25 snuck up on me! This chapter – the 4th and 5th verses – was my memory passage for 2020! I wanted to be constantly reminded that I wanted to know Jesus more, know His ways, make His way my ways and the Lord gave me these verses. I hope you are always trying to memorize something in God’s word. Nearly 100 psalms down the road, we’ll come to Psalm 119:11 which says, I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.
Let me know what you saw in these beautiful poems 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.
Show Notes
- Awesome Video of Solomon’s Temple
- These will help! Overview videos of all books of the Bible
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Bible Study Resources
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- Bible Study Tools – Free!
- The Bible Project– Free!
Other Resources
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- Wear your faith! Christian Strong
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- Title of song used in the podcast is 3 Joys & the Truth, by Daniel O’Connor
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