Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119:153-168

We conclude this final group of seven today continuing our look at the response of the blessed man to God. Yesterday we considered how the godly man will seek to live a life of sacrificial worship: ‘for to me to live in Christ, and to die is gain’ (Phil 1:21). Today we are going to…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119:129-152

The Wondrous Word and Work of Christ Peh – The Wondering Man ‘Something unusual and extraordinary. A marvellous and wonderful thing!’ This is the definition for the first word of this section, and I find it instructive that this is the theme in the 17th out of 22 sections. Marvel and amazement at an object…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119:113-128

We now come to the final group of sections – the Godward aspect. We will notice that the central section of the seven from Samech to Shin deals with the righteous basis of our relationship with the Lord. Before this we have three sections about character, and after, in a chiasmic structure, are three sections…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119:81-112

From Darkness to Light As we come to the next section in our psalm – Caph – we come to the darkest of times for the psalmist. I find it encouraging that our gracious God does not bring the psalmist to this point until he has already passed through other experiences preparing him for the…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119:57-80

On the SEA of life! We turn now to the beginning of the second group of seven, the manward aspect, in which we will consider the way of the blessed man with respect to his physical life on earth, and his relations with others. Group 2 – The Manward Aspect – The Earthly Man Today…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119:25-56

Strengthened in the Inner Man We made a good start in 119a in walking in the way of the blessed man. We considered the importance of the word of God to living holy lives, growing strong in faith, ‘in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (2 Pet 3:18). However,…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119:1-24

Practical Lessons for the Blessed Man As we come to the psalm itself, I want to follow the division given by A.G.Clarke, and consider the psalm over three days.  He notes that “the twenty-two sections seem to fall into three groups of seven, followed by the last section as a kind of appendix”.  Aleph –…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119 Overview

The Magnificence and Grace of God’s Word With some trepidation we come to the longest chapter in our Bibles, but I am thankful for the help given by A.G.Clarke in ‘Analytical Studies in the Psalms’. We all know that the psalm is an alphabetic acrostic, and for many of us, we have no doubt become…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 118

What can man do unto me? Having reached the pinnacle and seen much of the glories of the LORD, and known His saving power, these psalms of Hallel conclude by looking forward, fully trusting in the LORD and His redemptive work. The psalmist, which many take to be David (see Ezra 3:10,11) understands there will…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 117

The Pinnacle of Praise No doubt you have climbed to the top of a mountain at some point, and you’ll have noticed there is not much at the peak. However, it’s not the peak itself that captures your attention, but panoramic views stretching miles in all directions. At times like this there is little to…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 116

What shall I render unto the LORD? This question is the very personal response of the heart of the saint to the LORD’s redemptive blessing in their lives. It is not asked out of duty, but out of love, and this opening declaration sets the tone for the whole psalm. ‘I love the LORD, because…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 115b

Trust in the LORD These words repeated thrice at the beginning of the final section of the psalm (v9-11), must have been a great boon of strength for the Lord Jesus as He made His way from the upper room and out to Gethsemane. The reason given, and also repeated thrice, is that ‘He is their…

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