1/31/2007

Moonstruck

Psalm 121:5-6 - The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

I know bad things can happen from being out in the sun too long, and I've heard of being moonstruck too. But I wonder if this is what the writer has in mind with the phrase "nor the moon by night" or if he was thinking more generally of bad things that are more likely to happen outside at night.

1/30/2007

Midnight worship

Psalm 119:62 - At midnight I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous laws.

I wonder if the writer just got up in the middle of the night on random occasions, or if he did so on scheduled dates, or if there was one particular planned late night worship service that he attended. In any case, the point is that God should be praised and thanked at any and all hours of the day and night.

1/27/2007

Been there, done that

Psalm 114:3-4 - The sea looked and fled,
the Jordan turned back;

the mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.

Israel's crossing of the Red Sea is mentioned many times in the Bible. I wonder why their crossing of the Jordan -- also a miracle -- is not spoken of as much. Is it the "been there, done that" syndrome? True, there was no army drowned in the Jordan, but it was still quite a show.

I wonder if the skipping mountains and hills refers to the probable volcanic activity at Mt. Sinai. Are there two separate instances of skipping referred to here -- one for the rams and another for the lambs?

1/23/2007

Good vs evil

Compare these two psalms.

Psalm 105 - Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

O descendants of Abraham his servant,
O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

He remembers his covenant forever,
the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.

He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

"To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit."

When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,

they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.

He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:

"Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm."

He called down famine on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;

and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.

They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons,

till what he foretold came to pass,
till the word of the LORD proved him true.

The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.

He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,

to instruct his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom.

Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.

The LORD made his people very fruitful;
he made them too numerous for their foes,

whose hearts he turned to hate his people,
to conspire against his servants.

He sent Moses his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

They performed his miraculous signs among them,
his wonders in the land of Ham.

He sent darkness and made the land dark—
for had they not rebelled against his words?

He turned their waters into blood,
causing their fish to die.

Their land teemed with frogs,
which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.

He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and gnats throughout their country.

He turned their rain into hail,
with lightning throughout their land;

he struck down their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their country.

He spoke, and the locusts came,
grasshoppers without number;

they ate up every green thing in their land,
ate up the produce of their soil.

Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their manhood.

He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
and from among their tribes no one faltered.

Egypt was glad when they left,
because dread of Israel had fallen on them.

He spread out a cloud as a covering,
and a fire to give light at night.

They asked, and he brought them quail
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
like a river it flowed in the desert.

For he remembered his holy promise
given to his servant Abraham.

He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;

he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for-

that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.
Praise the LORD.

Psalm 106 - Praise the LORD.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD
or fully declare his praise?

Blessed are they who maintain justice,
who constantly do what is right.

Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people,
come to my aid when you save them,

that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may share in the joy of your nation
and join your inheritance in giving praise.

We have sinned, even as our fathers did;
we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

When our fathers were in Egypt,
they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses,
and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.

Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
to make his mighty power known.

He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
he led them through the depths as through a desert.

He saved them from the hand of the foe;
from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.

The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them survived.

Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.

But they soon forgot what he had done
and did not wait for his counsel.

In the desert they gave in to their craving;
in the wasteland they put God to the test.

So he gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease upon them.

In the camp they grew envious of Moses
and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD.

The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it buried the company of Abiram.

Fire blazed among their followers;
a flame consumed the wicked.

At Horeb they made a calf
and worshiped an idol cast from metal.

They exchanged their Glory
for an image of a bull, which eats grass.

They forgot the God who saved them,
who had done great things in Egypt,

miracles in the land of Ham
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

So he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him
to keep his wrath from destroying them.

Then they despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe his promise.

They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the LORD.

So he swore to them with uplifted hand
that he would make them fall in the desert,

make their descendants fall among the nations
and scatter them throughout the lands.

They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;

they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.

But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was checked.

This was credited to him as righteousness
for endless generations to come.

By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD,
and trouble came to Moses because of them;

for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
and rash words came from Moses' lips.

They did not destroy the peoples
as the LORD had commanded them,

but they mingled with the nations
and adopted their customs.

They worshiped their idols,
which became a snare to them.

They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.

They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was desecrated by their blood.

They defiled themselves by what they did;
by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

Therefore the LORD was angry with his people
and abhorred his inheritance.

He handed them over to the nations,
and their foes ruled over them.

Their enemies oppressed them
and subjected them to their power.

Many times he delivered them,
but they were bent on rebellion
and they wasted away in their sin.

But he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;

for their sake he remembered his covenant
and out of his great love he relented.

He caused them to be pitied
by all who held them captive.

Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.

Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the LORD.

These psalms are both histories of Israel covering roughly the same period of time. But notice how Psalm 105 is virtually all about the good that God did for his people whereas Psalm 106 is about all the evil that his people did in return. I wonder if the same person composed both of these psalms.

1/22/2007

Sea serpent

Psalm 104:25-26 - There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.

There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

If this leviathan is the same creature mentioned at the end of the book of Job, I wonder if we're talking about a sea serpent here. There was some hint of a water creature in Job too. A fire-breathing sea serpent? Why not? It's a little difficult to picture such an animal frolicking though, isn't it?

1/17/2007

The sparrow near the altar

Psalm 84:3-4 - Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.

I wonder if anyone tried to keep birds (and other critters) out of the tabernacle or the temple. Was there ever a debate amongst the priests and Levites about it? You'd think birds could make quite a mess in there. Then again, no more mess than all the sacrifices that were done deliberately.

This psalmist comes up with a good reason for leaving the sparrow alone. Even the small bird was happy there and was praising God (in song).

1/15/2007

Sea monster

Psalm 74:13-14 - It was you who split open the sea by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.

It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan
and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.

I wonder if this is a reference to Moses and Israel passing through the Red Sea. There was no mention of any multi-headed sea monster in Moses' account however.

If this is not a reference to Moses time, then I wonder when this did happen. And what is this sea creature that has more than one head? Leviathan is mentioned in other places in the Bible, but I don't think anyone knows exactly which creature the term describes. In Job 41, leviathan sounds like the dragon of fantasy literature. Why not a two-headed dragon then as well?

1/14/2007

The Next Generation (2)

Psalm 71:18 - Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

I wonder if this psalmist knew just how many generations he would be telling about God's power. It's been many thusfar and likely will be many more before all is said and done.

1/10/2007

Traitor 2

Psalm 55:12-14 - If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were raising himself against me,
I could hide from him.

But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,

with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
as we walked with the throng at the house of God.

I wonder if this is the same traitor mentioned in an earlier psalm (41).

1/08/2007

From captivity?

Psalm 42-43 - As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"

These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"

My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

+++++

Vindicate me, O God,
and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?

Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

Then will I go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

I wonder where the composer was when he wrote this psalm. It sounds like he may have been in captivity -- like in Babylonia. In any case, there seems to be some reason he can't get to the temple to worship and greatly desires to do so -- perhaps more than anything else at the moment.

When was the last time you had a similar feeling about worshiping God with fellow Christians? Perhaps never, because you've always had the opportunity and have never been physically prevented from doing so. Do you think you'll have such a yearning if the time comes and infirmity or opposition forces you to stay away from corporate worship?

I wonder if Psalm 43 was part of Psalm 42 (as a footnote suggests). Perhaps it was like an alternate ending -- sometimes added on, sometimes not.

Traitor

Psalm 41:7-9 - All my enemies whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,

"A vile disease has beset him;
he will never get up from the place where he lies."

Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me.

I wonder who the traitor was.

1/04/2007

Wink, wink, nudge, nudge

Psalm 35:19 - Let not those gloat over me
who are my enemies without cause;
let not those who hate me without reason
maliciously wink the eye.

I wonder how far back in history the wink has been used as a sign of trickery, malicious or otherwise.

1/02/2007

Thunder boomers

Psalm 29:3-5 - The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.

The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

I wonder if David actually witnessed lightning strike the cedars of Lebanon and break some of them in pieces. Whether he did or not, it must have been quite a sight. It sounds like someone had seen it happen and considered it important enough to tell about.

Head of the gate

Psalm 24:7-10 - Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.

I wonder if there is/was a piece of a city gate that is routinely called the 'head' or if David is anthropomorphizing these doors. In the former case, perhaps that's a part of the gate -- like a latch -- that needs to be moved before the gate can be opened. In the latter case, I don't quite see the connection between lifting up the head (of a person) and being able to open a door.