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Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 148

May28

Day 148.  Reading Psalms 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118.

Read Today’s Scriptures.

Psalm 111.

  • “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.  Holy and awesome in His Name! The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.”

Psalm 112.

  • “Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.  He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.”

Psalm 113.

  • “Praise the LORD!  Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the Name of the LORD1 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!  From the rising of the sun to its setting, the Name of the LORD is to be praised!  The LORD is high about all nations, and His glory above the heavens! who is like the LORD our God who is seated on high…?

Psalm 114.

  • “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence at the God of Jacob…”

Psalm 115.

  • “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your Name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and your faithfulness!  O Israel, trust in the LORD!  He is their help and their shield.  O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.  YOU who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!”  “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 116.

  • “I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.”  “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous, our God is merciful.”  “For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.”
  • “What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me?  I will life up the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.”  “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the Name of the LORD.”

Psalm 117.

  • “Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!”

Psalm 118.

  • “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for (because) He is good; for (because) his steadfast love endures forever!”  “Out of my distress, I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?  The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.”  “The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.”
  • “I shall not die, but i shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD. The LORD has disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death.”
  • “Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.  This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank You that You have answered me and have become my salvation.” “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

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Amen, and amen!

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 147

May27

Day 147.  Reading 1 Chronicles 26-29 and Psalm 127.

 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 

1 Chronicles 26.

David continues to organize the services of the Temple which Solomon will build.  It’s not that he doesn’t trust his young son to do it all, I believe he is super-enjoying the planning of it all, picturing in his mind how it will be.

After all the musicians, David now organizes the gatekeepers.  They will guard the gates and doors in two-week shifts. Note the prominence of Obed-Edom and his sons.  Remember it was at his house the Ark of the Covenant was kept after that disaster when Uzzah touched it and was killed. It stayed in Obed-Edom’s house for three months until David learned the correct way to carry the “Presence of God.”  Meanwhile God had blessed the house of Obed-Edom. 

David also appoints Levites to be in charge of the treasuries of the House of God, and the dedicated gifts, and all of the spoil from the wars, going back to that of King Saul, Samuel, and also from Abner and Joab. David also appoints families to be officers and judges.

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1 Chronicles 27.

David then organizes the military divisions and their commanders who served the king, month by month.

He chose officers over each of the tribes of Israel.  He appointed those over the kings treasuries in the country, cities and villages, as well as those who did the agricultural work. 

Wow – wouldn’t Solomon be grateful for all this organization!!

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1 Chronicles 28.

After all that, David assembled all the officials at Jerusalem.  He then told them how God had chosen him as leader from the house of Judah and his father’s line, and had then, out of his many sons, chosen Solomon to reign after him.  Although David had so yearned to build a House for God, it would be his son, Solomon who would build the temple.  

God had also promised David that his father’s house was to be king over Israel forever.

  • “Now, therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever.”

And he turned to his son, with this charge,

  • “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it!”

Then David gave Solomon the plans he’d made for the Temple, and all that went with building it.

  • “Be strong and courageous and do it.  Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.”

He also encouraged Solomon by saying all the priests, Levites, officers and all the people “will be wholly at your command.”

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1 Chronicles 29.

Then David turns to all the assembly and charges them to work faithfully for Solomon,

  • “whom alone God has chosen. He is young and inexperienced and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the LORD God.  I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and precious stones.  And of his own private treasury, he dedicates to the House of God, gold and silver.”

He the turns to the people,

  • “Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself to the LORD?”

And the leaders, commanders, and officers brought their freewill offerings, huge amounts of gold, silver, bronze, iron and precious stones.  The people then rejoiced, and David the king also rejoiced greatly.

And so, finally, David turns his thoughts and words to God. 

  • “Blessed are You, O LORD, the God of  Israel, our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens, and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from You and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might, and in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank You, or God, and praise your glorious Name!”

WOW.  No wonder David is a “man after God’s own heart” despite his many sins.  His heart never ever strayed from the LORD God of Israel to other idols. 

Be sure to read the rest of his prayer to God, his humility and knowledge that all he has is from the LORD.

  • “Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and Your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.

Oh, that we prayed for our own children this way!

NOTE: The end of this chapter tells how Solomon was made king in David’s place, how Solomon took the throne, and how David died “at a good old age.”  BUT THERE IS MORE TO READ ABOUT KING DAVID AS WE GO FORWARD INTO THE BOOK OF 1 KINGS  IN A COUPLE DAYS.  HANG IN THERE.  THE SWEET PSALMIST OF ISRAEL IS NOT DEAD YET!

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Psalm 127.

  • “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain, unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

This psalm is written by Solomon.  Could it have been about his task of building the House/Temple of God, and about all those gatekeepers and watchmen that his father, David had organized to keep it safe?

  • “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep.”

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Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 144

May24

Day 144.  Reading Psalms 108, 109, 110.

 
 
 
Read Today’s Psalms, all written by David.
Choose a verse from each one to meditate on.
Here are mine…
 
Psalm 108.
 
My meditation verse is 6, thinking of the “loved ones” I’m praying for to come to salvation in Jesus.
  • “That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by Your right hand and answer me.”

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Psalm 109,

This is one of those “call down curses on the wicked” psalms, but still, my verse for meditation is 30.

  • “With my mouth, I will give great thanks to the LORD;  I will praise Him in the midst of the throng.”

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Psalm 110.

This psalm has many references to the coming Messiah’s rule as both king and priest. I love verse 4a to think on.

  • “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind,“
 
Amen.
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 143

May23

Day 143.  Reading 2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21-22, Psalm30

Read Today’s Scriptures.
2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21

Okay, David… sigh.

You “blew it” before, you had to run for your life, and you lost two, no three sons, why would you now do something else foolish?

1 Chron 21:1 says, “Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.”

God sovereignly used Satan in this matter. And for some reason — perhaps a fear of an attack by enemies, perhaps pride, or maybe ambition, or some other unknown sin of Israel — David yielded to the temptation of Satan, and CHOSE to go against God’s will and NUMBER ISRAEL to see how many men were fit for the army.

DAVID:  “Joab, Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba (top to bottom), and number the people that I may KNOW the number of people…and bring me a report.”

Well, old Joab surprised me here. He actually cautions the king.

JOAB:  “May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord delight in this thing? Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants?  Why then should my lord require this?  Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?”

But David insisted. So Joab and his men went throughout Israel and came back to Jerusalem nine and a half months later with the numbers.

NOTE:  There is a seeming discrepancy between the totals between the 2 Samuel and the 1 Chronicles accounts. Never fear. You can trust the word.  2 Samuel reports a different way of numbering: all the men, plus from Judah, including the ones already in his army. 1 Chronicles says Joab stopped the counting before he included Benjamin (or Levi) because it abhorred him.  David also stopped the counting at some point because of God’s conviction.

David’s heart struck him. “I have sinned greatly in what I have done, but now O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

(NOTE: A census is not wrong in itself. God called for them in Numbers 1 and 28.  But they were for reasons the LORD mentioned, and not to puff up a sinful king.)

And so God sent the prophet Gad to David (as he had done with Nathan).  Gad was to give David THREE OPTIONS of judgment, as the result of his sin. And ALL the options meant pain and suffering for ISRAEL

  1. three years of famine on the land
  2. three months of fleeing from a pursuing enemy
  3. three days of plague on the land.

David was in great distress.  “Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercy is great, but let us not fall into the hand of man.”

And so, the LORD sent a plague on Israel.  From Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men died. But when the Angel of Death put out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, THE LORD RELENTED FROM THE CALAMITY and said to the angel, “It is enough.”

David was distraught. “I have sinned and done wickedly.  But these sheep (the people of Israel), what have they done. Please let your hand be against me and my father’s house.”

The LORD told him to raise an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah/Ornan, the Jebusite. When David went there, the man said he would give the place (and the oxen to sacrifice) to the king FOR FREE. But David said he would not offer to the LORD that which had not cost him anything.  He paid the price asked, built an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

And the LORD stopped the plague on the people of Israel (“The Angel of the LORD put his sword back into its sheath”}.

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Psalm 30.

Joy comes in the morning…

  • O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and you have healed me.
  • O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
  • Sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy Name.
  • For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime.
  • Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
  • You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God I will give thanks to you forever.

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And David said, “HERE shall be the house of the LORD God and HERE the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”  This is where the Jerusalem temple was to be built by Solomon.

1 Chronicles 22.

And so, David prepares for the Temple building.

David set stonecutters to prepare the great stones for building the House of God.  He provided great quantities of iron for nails and clamps, as well as bronze in quantities BEYOND WEIGHING, and cedar timbers without number from the kings of Tyre and Sidon. (Lebanon)

DAVID:  “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout the lands.” 

So David said to Solomon….

  • “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the Name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying….
  • “You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my Name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. Behold a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies.  For his name shall be Solomon (peace), and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.  HE shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.”
  • Now, my son, the LORD be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as He has spoken concerning you. Only, may the LORD grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel.  Be strong and courageous. Fear not do not be dismayed.  Arise and work!  The LORD be with you!”

David also commended all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon.  “Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the Name of the LORD.

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 142

May22

Day 142.  Reading Psalm 95, 97, 98, 99.

 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 

Psalm 95.

This psalm reads like Psalm 100; praise and thanksgiving to “the LORD, a great God, and a great King above all gods.  Perhaps you have even sung the following as a chorus.

  • O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.

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Psalm 97.

Another wonderful psalm of praise and glory at the majesty of the LORD.

  • The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth.  YOU, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
  • Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to His holy Name.

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Psalm 98.

More praise to the Lord, plus a hint at the coming Messiah.

  • O sing to the LORD a NEW song, for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.  The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of all nations.
  • …make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!  Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!  Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

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Psalm 99.

The LORD our God is holy. His awesome Name is to be praised!

  • Exalt the LORD our God; worship at His footstool!  HOLY IS HE!
  • Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name. They called to the LORD, and he answered them.  In the pillar of the cloud, He spoke to them; they kept His testimonies and the statute that He gave them.  O LORD, our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them. 
  • Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy mountain; FOR THE LORD OUR GOD IS HOLY!

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Father, God, we too worship You, for YOU ARE WORTHY! 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 141

May21

Day 135.  Reading 2 Samuel 22 – 23, Psalm 57.

 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 

(We are still in the book’s epilogue, and review of David’s past history, glory, and praise.)

2 Samuel 22.

This chapter contains a PSALM!  

The chapter begins by telling us this psalm was spoken to God on the day He delivered David from the hand of Saul.  So we know this was before he was King, before his sin, and before Absalom’s disastrous coup.

Look at all the things that David says God is like to him — “my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, my savior!”  In this way, David “called upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised.”

  • In my distress, I called upon the LORD; to my God, I called.   From His temple, He heard my voice, and my cry came to His ears.

Then comes an amazing picturesque description of God – showing in David’s imagination – the power and fury (as a mama bear?) as he comes to David’s defense. (Verses 8-16) Read it!!!

  • He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy; from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.  They confronted me on the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”
  • This God – His way is perfect; the Word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.  The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation!

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2 Samuel 23.

This chapter has the heading, “the last words of David.”  But it is not actually his LAST words.  This is the last literary “oracle” and final song-speech.  (We’ll read more of David in 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles.)

Note the ways he identifies himself and the honor he gives to God.

  • The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the “sweet psalmist of Israel.”  
  • The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; His word is on my tongue.  The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: “When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, He dawns on them like the mourning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.“
  • For does not MY HOUSE stand so with God?  For He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will HE not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?

Then Samuel reviews the names of David’s mighty men and their deeds. (It is pretty much the same as 1 Chronicles 11:10-41.)  These are the men who helped David to become king.  Interestingly, the very last one mentioned is … Uriah the Hittite.

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Psalm 57.

As with 2 Samuel 22, this psalm was written when he fled from Saul in the cave.

  • Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge till the storms of destruction pass by. 
  • My soul is in the midst of lions, I lie down amid fiery beasts – the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way….. but……. they have fallen into it themselves!

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  • Awake my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!  I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let You glory be over all the earth!

Amen, LORD!!

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Hey! Today is my 80th birthday. God has been so faithful to me. Praise Him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 140

May20

Day 135.  Reading Psalm 5, 38, 41, 42.

 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 
Psalm 5.

King David is back home, but he’s been through a lot. His sin, his being found out, and the drastic consequences of that sin, including losing another beloved son still weigh him down.  His kingship was threatened, and people forsook him and showed their displeasure with him. He felt cast off; set adrift. 

  • “Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You do I pray. O LORD, in the morning, hear my voice…  Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before me. 

Psalm 38.

David is still reeling under the dire results of his sin.  He talks about his sin, his iniquities, and his foolishness. He writes about God’s indignation like a heavy burden, like wounds festering, like a tumult in his heart.

Then David turns to the horrible treatment he’s received from his friends and companions. They seek his harm and his very life. 

  • I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.  Do not forsake me, O LORD!  O, my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord of my salvation.

Psalm 41.

  • As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!”  My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?”
  • But YOU, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up….  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

Psalm 42.

David here writes from a place of sadness because he feels far from God. He remembers the sweet times of joy and praise and longs for them to return.  He feels God has abandoned him.  Then, it’s like he sits up straight, straightens his clothes and asks himself, his soul a question….. Then reprimands his soul…

  • As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?  My tears have been my food day and night….
  • These things I remember, as I pour out my soul…..  how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival…..  My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan… and of Hermon… from Mount Mizar….
  • I say to God, my rock; “Why have you forgotten me?  Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
  • Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  HOPE IN GOD; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 131 & 132

May12

(Sundays and Mondays studies are both posted on Monday.)

Day 131. Reading 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, and Psalm 20

Day 132.  Reading Psalms 65, 66, 67, 69, 70

Read Today’s Scriptures.

Day 131.

2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19  (These two chapters tell the same story with very few differences.)

It started with a good deed. The friendly king of the Ammonites died, and David wanted to show his loyalty to the new king, Hanun, so he sent a company of his servants to console him.  Like many young and pompous advisors to new youthful kings, Hanun’s guys filled his mind with suspicion about David’s servants. They whispered in Hanun’s ear that King David had sent them to search the city, spy on it, and overthrow it. 

Really?  With bouquets of lilies?

The young (and foolish king – he reminds me of Solomon’s son Rehoboam & his foolish advisors – took David’s servants and humiliated them.  Half their beards (a symbol of manhood) were shaved off, and their robes were cut off at hip level, leaving them exposed.  They were greatly ashamed!

David heard about it, sent men to meet them (presumably with decent clothes), and told them to remain in Jericho until their beards grew out.

Young King Hanun, sensing he’d made a mistake and seeing how he now “stunk” in the eyes of Israel, got together an army, added some neighboring soldiers then fanned out for war. (second mistake)

David sent Joab and the host of his mighty men. (The empire strikes back!)

Joab and his co-commander brother Abishai spit up to fight the Syrians and Ammonites. Joab encouraged his brother and men with a great declaration.

  • Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to Him.

Way to go, Joab!

The Syrians fled.  When the Ammonites saw them running away, they fled too.  HA!  Joab and Abishai and their men returned to Jerusalem. 

Now the Syrians were embarrassed and returned with a new, powerful commander to fight again. (third mistake.)  This time DAVID himself, gathered all Israel together, led them across the Jordan River, and fought them.

The Syrians fled again. This time David and the company went after them, killing many thousands. And also, that great commander died too.  When the Syrians saw they were defeated they surrendered and became subject to Israel.

So the Syrians were not willing to save the Ammonites anymore.  (Let that be a lesson learned!)

Psalm 20.

This psalm is titled, “Trust in the Name of the LORD our God.” It’s a song most often sung before going out to battle.

That’s just what Joab and Abishai, and then King David did, and they won the day. All glory to God.

  • May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the Name of the God of Jacob protect you!
  • May He send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!
  • May He remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!
  • May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!
  • May WE shout for joy over your salvation, and in the Name of our God set up our banners!
  • May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!
  • Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving might of His right hand. 
  • SOME trust in chariots and SOME in horses, but WE trust in the Name of the LORD our God!

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Day 132. (5 more psalms)

Psalm 65.

This psalm is a PRAISE psalm (to the MAX).  It’s hopeful, confident, and enthusiastic in response to God’s goodness.  It’s a celebration at the Tabernacle, probably at one of Israel’s Feasts.

  • Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion
  • O YOU WHO HEAR PRAYER, to You shall all flesh come.
  • Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with your goodness and holiness.
  • By awesome deeds You answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation.
  • You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
  • You crown the year with Your bounty; Your wagon tracks overflow with abundance!

Psalm 66.

Another psalm of praise titled “How Awesome Are Your Deeds”

  • Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His Name; give to Him glorious praise!  Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds!”  So great is Your power that Your enemies come cringing to You.
  • Come and see what God has done; He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man.
  • Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.

And then, a personal testimony;

  • Come and hear all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He has done for my soul.
  • I cried to Him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.
  • If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the LORD would not have listened. 
  • But truly God HAS listened, He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
  • BLESSED be God, because He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me!

Psalm 67.

This psalm shows that God’s desire is to save and bless ALL nations of the earth as they come to Him and fear him! But first a “benediction.”

  • May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us.…..
  • that Your way may be known on the earth, Your saving power among all NATIONS.
  • Let the PEOPLES praise You, O God: let all the PEOPLES praise you!
  • Let the NATIONS  be glad and sing for joy; for You judge the PEOPLES with equity and guide the NATIONS upon the earth.
  • Let the PEOPLES praise You, O God; let all the PEOPLES praise you. 
  • …let all the ends of the earth fear Him!

Psalm 69.

This psalm is a prayer of desperation, titled “Save Me, O God.”   In it David realizes that he might be shortly killed. He begs for rescue.

This psalm also has inferences concerning the coming Messianic kingdom when God’s enemies are dealt with.  Much of it was applied to Christ in the New Testament – you will catch those parts as you read.  But any believer being ridiculed will identify too.

Read the whole thing.  It shows David’s intimacy with God that he can pray such personal prayers.  It shows US that we can cry out to God, no matter what our heartache or need.  No matter how desperate we are or what sin we have done.   

Psalm 70.

A short psalm, almost identical to Psalm 40.  David prays against his enemies, asking God to turn them back and be brought to shame.

But then he prays that ALL who WILL turn and seek God might be saved!

  • May ALL who seek You rejoice and be glad in You!  May those who LOVE YOUR SALVATION say evermore, “God is Great!”

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Tomorrow, sadly, we will see the great king fall. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 130

May10

Day 130.  Reading Psalms 50, 53, 60, and 75

 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures. Psalms, songs, prayers to read and savor.
 

Psalm 50.

This psalm is quite different. It quotes God Himself throughout. And so, it’s like a prophetic writing or an oracle. It tells the difference between true and false worship. First, God is introduced, then the different kinds of false worship are shown, and finally, the very last verse reveals true worship

1-6 – Who God is.

  • The Mighty One, God the LORD, the perfection of beauty, before Him a devouring fire, around Him a mighty tempest …
  • The heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is judge.

7-15 – Ritualism as worship, no!

  • Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
  • (But it’s for their attitude in sacrificing. As if they were giving to God what HE needs.) I will not accept your bulls … your goats.  EVERY BEAST of the forest (already) is MINE. 
  • I own the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is MINE.
  • If I were hungry, I would not tell YOU, for the world and its fullness are MINE. 
  • NO!  Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, perform your vows, and call on Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

16-21 – Rebellion as worship, no!  To the wicked —

  • What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?
  • You hate discipline. You cast My Words behind you. You are pleased with thieves. You keep company with adulterers. 
  • You give your mouth free rein for evil. Your tongue frames deceit. You speak against your brother. You slander your own mother’s son. 
  • You’ve done these things, and I’ve been silent. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

22-23 – Right approach to God.

  • The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly, I will show the salvation of God!”

 

Psalm 53.

This psalm is very much like Psalm 14, which we’ve already read. 

  • The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

 

Psalm 60.

Now this is unusual. David actually tells when he wrote this psalm. Remember yesterday, when we read of all the ways God helped him to defeat his enemies?  Zorbah, plus the thousands of Edom in the Valley of Salt? 

David here seems discouraged before God gives him victory in both the extreme North (Syria) and South (Edom) of Israel.  Then, David sees the victories.  

  • O God, You have rejected us, broken our defenses; You have been angry; oh, restore us!
  • God has spoken in his holiness, “Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom, I cast my shoe; over Philistia, I shout in triumph!”  (Talk about God getting into the fray enthusiastically!)
  • And David, “With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes.”

Don’t you love reading these psalms in their proper places in Israel’s history?

 

Psalm 75.

Note, that the writer, Asaph, says this psalm is to be sung to the tune of “Do not destroy” as he wrote on Psalm 57.  Don’t you wonder what that tune sounded like?

  • “We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks, for Your Name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.

If you have read through the Book of The Revelation recently, much of this psalm sounds similar.

  • At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
  • When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.
  • For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and He pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.

WOW!

  • But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
  • All the horns (power) of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns (strength) of the righteous shall be lifted up. 

Yea, and amen!

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 128

May8
Day 128.  Reading Psalms 25, 29, 33, 36, and 39.
 
 

Read Today’s Psalms.  PRAY them, SING them, PRAISE GOD with them.

Psalm 25.

A glorious PRAYER-psalm.  

  • To YOU, O LORD I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust.
  • Make me to know Your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
  • Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.
  • Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, 
  • Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to Your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of Your goodness, O LORD.
  • Good and upright is the LORD; He instructs sinners in the way.
  • He leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble His way.
  • For Your Name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
  • Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
  • Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!  Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in You.
  • May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You.

Psalm 29.

A wonderful psalm of God’s MAJESTY!

  • Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength
  • Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.

(To “ascribe” means to “give the credit due.”)

Read through this hymn and see all it says about the “voice of the LORD.”

Psalm 33.

Another psalm of many ways and reasons to praise the LORD.

  • Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.
  • Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him!
  • Our soul waits for the LORD;  He is our help and our shield. 
  • For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy Name … we hope in You.

Psalm 36.

A psalm in praise of God’s Steadfast Love (mercy).

David first describes the wicked person in verses 1-4

  • Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.
  • He flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out …
  • The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit …
  • He plots trouble while in his bed …

Then his thoughts and eyes turn to the loving, faithful, and righteous God.

  • How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
  • Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who who know you, and your righteousness, to the upright of heart.

Psalm 39.

A personal psalm, a lament looking at David’s heart, and to his “end.”

  • I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; 
  • O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am.
  • Behold you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!
  • And now, O LORD, for what do I wait?  My hope is in you.

Then comes a time when he turns, confesses sin, and hopes in God.

  • Deliver me from all my transgressions.
  • Remove Your “stroke” from me; I am spent by the hostility of Your hand.
  • When You discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath!
  • Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not Your peace at my tears! 
  • Look away from me, that I may smile again before I depart and am no more!

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  • LORD, if You remembered the sins of my youth (and old age), if You marked down and kept track of all my iniquity, I could not stand! I would be consumed like that moth in a fire.  But there is forgiveness with You. I may endure a time of discipline, but I can smile again.  My HOPE is in You.