Day 178, Psalms 90-97

BOOK FOUR

Psalm 90
From Everlasting to Everlasting

A PRAYER OF MOSES, THE MAN OF GOD.

*A prayer to the everlasting God to have compassion on his servants, who live their melancholy lives under the rod of divine wrath and under his sentence of death–a plea for joy and bless their labors with enduring worth. No other psalm depicts so poignantly the dismal state of man before the face of God, holy and eternal. Yet there is neither defiance nor despair; honesty acknowledges guilt (God’s anger is warranted), and faith knows of God’s “unfailing love” to which appeal can confidently be made. That Israel’s 40 years of enforced sojourn in the “vast and dreadful desert” (Deuteronomy 8:15) on its pilgrimage to the promised land (see Numbers 14:26-35) should evoke such a prayer ought not be surprising.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting your are God.
-90:1-2

For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
-90:7-8

The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
-90:10

So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
-90:12

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
-90:14

Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
-90:15

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the works of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
-90:17

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Psalm 91
My Refuge and My Fortress

*A glowing testimony to the security of those who trust in God. It was probably by one of the temple personnel (a priest or Levite) as word of assurance to godly worshipers.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord,
“My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
-91:1-2

Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place–
the Most High, who is my refuge–
No evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up.
-91:9-12

“Because he holds fast to me in love,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
-91:14-16

Psalm 92
How Great Are Your Works

A PSALM. A SONG FOR THE SABBATH.

*A joyful celebration of the righteous rule of God. Its testimony to the prosperity of the righteous, “planted in the house of the Lord,” links it thematically with Psalm 91, while its joy over God’s righteous reign relates it to the cluster of psalms that follow (Psalms 93-100; especially Psalm 94). In fact, celebration of God’s love and faithfulness as characteristic of his reign may have served for the editors of the Psalter as a frame enclosing the collection. The psalmist here may have been the king.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
How great are your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep!
The stupid man cannot know;
the fool cannot understand this:
that though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
but you, O Lord, are on high forever.
For behold, your enemies, O Lord,
for behold, your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.
-92:1-9

The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock,
and there is no unrighteousness in him.
-92:12-15

Psalm 93
The Lord Reigns

*A hymn to the eternal, universal and invincible reign of the Lord, a theme it shares with Psalm 47; Psalms 94-100. Together they offer a majestic confession of faith in and hope for the kingdom of God on earth. These hymns were composed for the liturgy of a high religious festival in which the kingship of the Lord–over the cosmic order, over the nations and in a special sense over Israel–was annually celebrated (see introduction to Psalm 47).

And implicitly, where not explicitly, the Lord’s kingship is hailed in contrast to the claims of all other gods; he is the “great King above all gods.” Psalms 93-100 may have all been composed by temple personnel and spoken by them in the liturgy. They probably date from the preexilic era.

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as a belt.
Yes, the world is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
-93:1-2

Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the Lord on high is mighty!
Your decrees are very trustworthy;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, forevermore.
-93:4-5

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Psalm 94
The Lord Will Not Forsake His People

*An appeal to the Lord, as “Judge of the earth,” to redress the wrongs perpetrated against the weak by arrogant and wicked men who occupy seats of power. The psalm has links with Psalm 92, but is the voice of the oppressed within Israel (thus not the king), seeking redress at God’s throne for injustices done them by those smugly established in the power structures of the nation. Thus it is unique within the Psalms 92-100 collection.

O Lord, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth!
Rise up, O judge of the earth;
repay to the proud what they deserve!
O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked exult?
They pour out their arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.
They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
They kill the widow and the sojourner,
and murder the fatherless;
and they say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who teaches man knowledge–
the Lord–knows the thoughts of man,
that they are but a breath.
Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
-94:1-15

When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord,
held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
-94:18-19

But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
-94:22

Psalm 95
Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

*A call to worship the Lord, spoken by a priest or Levite to the assembled Israelites at the temple. The psalm is composed of two parts: (1) a call to praise the Lord of all the earth; (2) a call to acknowledge by submissive attitude and obedient heart the Lord’s kingship over his people.

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to
the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Oh 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.
Today if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.
-95:1-7

Psalm 96
Worship in the Splendor of Holiness

*A call to all nations to praise the Lord as the only God and to proclaim the glory of his reign throughout the world–an Old Testament anticipation of the world mission on the New Testament people of God (see Matthew 28:16). This psalm appears in slightly altered form in 1 Chronicles 16:23-33.

The psalm is composed of two parts: (1) a call to all nations to sing the praise of the Lord; (2) a call to all nations to worship the Lord and to hail throughout the world the glory of his righteous rule.

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be 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, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the Lord in splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
Say among the nations,
“The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established;
it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees and the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
-Psalm 96

Psalm 97
The Lord Reigns

*A joyful celebration of the Lord’s righteous reign over all the earth. The psalm’s two main divisions are joined by a centered verse that serves as a counterpoint to the main theme.

The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
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.
The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!
-97:1-7

For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!
-97:9-12