Psalm 86
A Prayer of David.
1Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
2Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
3Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
4Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
6Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
8Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
9All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
10For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.
11Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
12I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
13For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
14O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.
15But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
16O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
17Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.
Psalm 87
A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah.
1His foundation is in the holy mountains.
2The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.
4I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.
5And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.
6The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.
7As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee.
Psalm 88
A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.
1O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
2Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
3For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
4I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
5Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
6Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
7Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
8Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
9Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
10Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
11Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
12Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
14LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
15I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
16Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
17They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
18Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
Psalm 89
Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
2For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
3I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
5And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
7God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
9Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
10Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
11The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
12The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
13Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
14Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
15Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
16In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
17For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.
18For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
21With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
22The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
24But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
27Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
28My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
30If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
31If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
33Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
35Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
38But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.
39Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
40Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.
41All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours.
42Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.
43Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.
44Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.
45The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.
46How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?
47Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
48What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
49Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
50Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;
51Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.
52Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
Psalm 90
A Prayer of Moses the man of God.
1Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
4For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
5Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
7For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
10The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
12So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
13Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
14O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.
16Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
17And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Psalm 91
1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Chapter 86
Matthew Henry comments on the first few passages by staing the following, "Our poverty and wretchedness, when felt, powerfully plead in our behalf at the throne of grace. The best self-preservation is to commit ourselves to God's keeping." I feel that when I gave my life over to Christ at a young age , God did hear me and responded. I didn't live a sinful lifestyle before becoming a Christian, so I'd say God saved me from doing so. To add to Henry's comment on verse 2, perhaps I should put it in prayer for God to watch over me and keep me in His keeping more often. I suppose, though, that by trusting in Him, He does preserve my soul because He puts me where He wants me and I know that His will will never take me where His will will never protect me. He does have mercy on me and I do look to Him on a daily basis (v. 3). I would say that God does rejoice my soul -- or rather -- bring joy to me (v. 4). The fact that He's so good is what I get out of, "for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul." And I think since God brings joy, I give back to Him by worshipping Him in various ways, as a way of showing that joy comes from Him since He's freed me from hell. I am thankful that He is good and forgiving (v. 5). I figure that was His attitude towards me when I got saved and I'll also say that that verse gives a lot of people hope, espcially if they need to be forgiven and experience God's mercy. I am thankful that He heard my prayer and responded with mercy (v. 6). I'm not sure where I'd be in life if He didn't show mercy to me. Although I wasn't going through any trouble before accepting Christ (v. 7), I did call upon Him during my darkest moment and He did answer me. There is none like Him (v. 8), which I praise Him for. Where it says, "neither are there any works like unto thy works" means to me that there are aspects of creation that I can associate with God, such as the universe, and thank Him for. I look forward to that time when all nations worship God (v. 9). It'll be a great thing to be a part of that, especially because there will be no doubt that God exists and also because His presence will be made known. I thank am for all the wonderful things He's done, such as created me, the universe, and animals (v. 10). God teaches me His way through His Word (v. 11) and I am thankful that I can learn from Him because He is an awesome teacher. He helps me to walk in and live by His truth and I don't think I could ask for anything better. He provides me with truth, especially when I need in the most. During my darkest moment, I believe that God helped me to discern that the enemy was trying to take me away from Him, which illustrated His truth in action. "Unite my heart to fear thy name" means to me that God has worked in my heart, which caused me to fear Him. I'm not sure which event or events caused me to fear God, but my darkest moment does come to mind. I do praise Him (v. 12), but whether or not I always do it with all my heart is something I should think about. What factors determine that could be I may always be in the mood to praise Him or I may be tired or what have you. "and I will glorify thy name for evermore" means to me that since the day I became a Christian, I've been able to glorify God in various was and I'll even do so in eternity. It kind of reminds me of the covenant I made with Christ -- where I have eternal life as a result of giving my life over to Him. I thank Him for His mercy (v. 13), especailly because He kept me from hell and He kept from living in a kind of hell, which I mentioned earlier by saying that I didn't live a sinful lifestyle before becoming a Christian and God saved me from that, as I mentioned. I suppose that verse could also apply to my darkest moment since He did deliver me from a hell. I can't really think of a time when the proud or the arrogant opposed me (v. 14), except for maybe my darkest moment when the enemy was attacking my soul. I think by turning to Him at that time, He showed His compassion, grace, love, and all that towards me (v. 15), which probably helped me out and encouraged me more than I'll ever know. In verse 16, Bullinger descibes "have mercy upon me" as "show favour, or be gracious to." I feel that God did do just that aside from giving me strength. I can't really relate to verse 17 since I haven't had an experience similiar to what it describes, but what stands out to me about is that God can work in such a way for my enemies to be ashamed. Perhaps they can be convicted for opposition against God though that? Even if that isn't the case, the verse still provides strong theology because it illustrates the power of God to non-believers.
Chapter 87
Matthew Henry comments on the first few verses by stating the following, "Christ himself is the Foundation of the church, which God has laid. Holiness is the strength and firmness of the church." I agree with that and to add it, if a church such as mine didn't have Christ as its foundation, it would fall flat on its face, probably much worse than the time when my church faced financial hardships. I don't have much to add to verse 2, but what I figure it adds to verse three because glorious things can be spoken of God and His city since He loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. I figure that's how God feels about His church today: He loves it more than anything and wants the best for it. What a great thing it is to experience His love while being a part of the body of Christ and I do give back to Him for His love by worshipping Him, which is how I express glorious things to Him. I also like Henry's comment on the verse, "The glorious things spoken of Zion by the Spirit, were all typical of Christ, and his work and offices; of the gospel church, its privileges and members; of heaven, its glory and perfect happiness." I don't have much to add to that, but I figure verses 4-5 are making a comparison to Zion and how God establishes Zion -- or rather, His people -- to wordly kingdoms. What those verses mean to me is that God's love is a special in that it illustrates that God doesn't and won't give into man. Because of that, God isn't distracted and I can talk to Him whenever I want, which is a great thing. He knows who is born in Zion -- or part of His Kingdom -- which is what is meant by, "that this man was born there" in verse 6. Think I'll finish off with Henry's thoughts, " The springs of the joy of a carnal worldling are in wealth and pleasure; but of a gracious soul, in the word of God and prayer. All grace and consolation are derived from Christ, through his ordinances, to the souls of believers."
Chapter 88
Matthew Henry comments on the first few verses by stating the following, "The first words of the psalmist are the only words of comfort and support in this psalm. Thus greatly may good men be afflicted, and such dismal thoughts may they have about their afflictions, and such dark conclusion may they make about their end, through the power of melancholy and the weakness of faith." To add to that, the first four verses relate to my darkest moment. I did cry out to Him (v. 1), probably during night and day. My prayer came before Him (v. 2) and my soul -- should I say myself -- was dealing with troubles (v. 3). I'm not sure if "and my life draweth nigh unto the grave" applies except for the fact that I remember feeling like hurting myself. I didn't feel as if I had any strength (v. 4), probably due to the enemy's lies. I'm not sure how I would relate to verse 5, but I must've felt that God laid me in the lowest pit (v. 6) and I must've also felt His wrath was upon me (v. 7). I don't remember feeling as if God put my acquiantances from me or being an abomination to them (v. 8), which is probably a good thing. I called upon Him -- I looked to Him -- to help me out (v. 9).
I'm not sure how I would relate to verses 10-1, but His wonders were known in the dark (v. 12) during my darkest moment. I did cry out to Him (v. 13) and my prayer came before Him. Since I can't relate to verses 14-18, I think I'll just include some of Henry's comments on them, "But the pleas here used were peculiarly suited to Christ. And we are not to think that the holy Jesus suffered for us only at Gethsemane and on Calvary. His whole life was labour and sorrow; he was afflicted as never man was, from his youth up. He was prepared for that death of which he tasted through life. No man could share in the sufferings by which other men were to be redeemed. All forsook him, and fled. Oftentimes, blessed Jesus, do we forsake thee; but do not forsake us, O take not thy Holy Spirit from us."
Chapter 89
I do song about the Lord's mercies -- or should I say -- His love -- is something I song of in church (v. 1) and I imagine it will take place in heaven since it's something I'll be doing forever. Verse 2 kind of continues the idea, so I don't have much to add to that. He made His covenant with me from the moment I decided to live for Him and He swore me as His servant (v. 4). I think that's neat that once I accepted Christ into my life, He thought of me as His servant. It's a great thing to be able to serve the Lord and I dunno what'd I do if I couldn't do it. Verse 4 reminds to carry on the messgae of Christ to all generations. I can plant seeds and let God work through that. If I hvae kids, I can pass on the message of Christ to them, which will be interesting to see how it pans out. Verse 5 is interesting because it gives a kind of personality to the heavens. I can't relate to it perosnally, but I figure that when He freed from my darkest moment, the heavens did praise Him for that, which may have also had something to do with my faithfulness in Him being renewed. Nothing can compare to Him (v. 6) and I praise Him for that because if He didn't stand out, He'd be just like man, which means He'd be imperfect and wouldn't always be there for me. There are people with Him in heaven, yes, but I don't worship them, I worship God. Nothing can compare to love and care He provides and the fact that He's so good. I thank Him for those things, especially they lift me up when I'm down. I do fear Him (v. 7), which I've talked about before, so I'm not gonna repeat what I already said. No one has strength, spiritually speaking , like He does and no one is like Him (v. 8). I see the Lord as my provider of spiritual strength, especially because that is what helps me deal with crap, such as my darkest moment. Never really thought of God as raging over the sea before (v. 9), but I figure that since He can control the waves. His glory is reflected in that in the sense that His hand's and work and if His people wanna enjoy the waves on the beach, they can. Now sure how I can relate to verse 10, but here's Henry's thoughts on it, "That almighty power which smote Egypt, will scatter the enemies of the church, while all who trust in God's mercy will rejoice in his name; for mercy and truth direct all he does." I guess my church's financial hardships it faced in the past could apply here. I'm not gonna go into detail about that, though, cuz I've already talked about it. Verse 11 reminds of the fact that God is the creator and sustainer of all, mostly where it says, "thou hast founded them." Without God's founding me, I'd probably wouldn't exist and wouldn't be able to live for Him, so I thank Him for His creation aspect. God created the north and the south (v. 12), which reminds me that God has created all areas of the earth. Again, I thank Him for His creation and the fact that I can go different places and experience Him and enjoy Him. His hand is strong, yes (v. 13), which is metaphorical aspect as to how God works. In prayer, when I ask God for His hand to influence something, I am asking Him to work in such a way that He'll do something only He is capable of, such as influencing congress to make the right desicions for this country. Justice and judgment are His foundation, which is what is meant by "the habitation of thy throne" in verse 14. I haven't thought of justice -- or rather -- righteousness and judgement in that way, as being a foundation before, but I think it's neat because God's righteousness and judgement can help me out when I need it. I like Henry's comment on verse 15, "Happy are those who so know the joyful sound of the gospel as to obey it; who experience its power upon their hearts, and bring forth the fruit of it in their lives." What I have add to that is that the gospel gives me hope and I thank Him for that.
I do rejoice in His name, whether I'm at church or enjoying my day (v. 16) since He is good and worthy of worthy of praise. He is the glory of my strength (v. 17) and I feel that He was during my darkest moment since He gave me strength and helped me out during that time. He provides me with strength when I need it, which is also what the verse means to me. Indeed He is my defence, my shield (v. 18) and I thank Him for that since He protects me against the enemy, like He did during my darkest moment. I'm not sure how I'd relate to verse 19, but I know that God sees me as His servant (v. 20) and I am thankful for that. I try to serve Him in a lot of ways and He counts trying as doing, which is cool. I guess to relate to the anointing aspects of verses 20-21, I can say I've been spiritually anointed when I accepted Christ into my life and He washed away my sin. His arm does give me strength (v. 21), mostly when I need it. There was a period in my darkest moment where the enemy no longer had an influence over me since God stopped him in his tracks (v. 22). I imagine that God did beat down the enemy (v. 23), probably in a spiritual warfare kind of way since He stopped Satan from making me give into His lies. After taking care of the enemy, God's faithfulness and mercy continued to be with me (v. 24). It's kinda like once the enemy was taken care of, God reminded of His goodness, which I needed to be reminded of so I could once again focus on Him. I'm not sure how I'd relate to verse 25, but I did cry to Him (v. 26) and I still do it from time to time. I'm not sure how I would relate to verse 27, but I know His mercy, His love, is what keeps me in Him (v. 28). If He didn't love me, I probably wouldn't stick with Him, which means my covenant with Him wouldn't last very long. In verse 29, God is talking about the fact that I'm a joint-heir to Christ, which is what is meant by "His seed will I also make to endure for ever." It reminds of the fact that I have eternal life in Christ Jesus and that He will help me to endure any hardships I may face. Verses 30-32 reminds me of the fact that God'll correct me if I screw up. I am thankful that He does that, especially because He does it out of love. If He didn't love me, He wouldn't correct me, which means I would run wild in the streets acting like there's no consequence for sin. So in a way, the fact that He corrects me out of love keeps me at bay. I am thankful that He won't stop loving me despite the fact that I sin (v. 33) as a man might do. It's that unconditional love, which to me means there's no greater love than His, which I don't take for granted. I don't plan on breaking my covenant with Him, which is how He feels about me in return (v. 34). Verse 35 does mention David, yes, but it could also be applied to God's people since He doesn't lie to them. These days, I feel as if I can trust God more than man since man can lie to me and deceive me and God would never do those things. I think Him for His truth and His reliable character. Since verse 36 is similar to verse 29, just see my thoughts on that. Think I'll just conclude this section with Henry's comments, "As the sun and moon remain in heaven, whatever changes there seem to be in them, and again appear in due season; so the covenant of grace made in Christ, whatever alteration seems to come to it, should not be questioned."
In verses 38-40, the psalmist is speaking of the Son. He did cast off His Son when He was on the cross, yes, but that didn't break the covenant. I figure if God broke the covenant, I wouldn't be able to repent and come to Christ. I am thankful that I can have a covenant relationship with Christ and that nothing can cut that off. I guess I didn't realize I was making a covenant at the time I became a Chrsitian, but looking back on it, it saved me from living a sinful lifestyle, which I see as a fruit of coming to Christ because I kind of agreed with Him to not lust after worldly things. That passage kind of makes me wanna look into covenant theology so I could fnd out more about it. I'm not sure if I could relate to verse 41, but it reminds me that Christ was treated like crap by so many people even though He did nothing to deserve it. He went through it so I didn't have to, which I thank Him for. And even though I am treated like crap from time to time, it's nothing compared to what Christ went through. Sometimes I think I have it so bad, which should cause me to reflect on Him rather than thinking of myself and worrying about my own self-worth. So I suppose verse 41 is convicting in that aspect because it reminds that I need to focus on Christ instead of letting whatever crap I'm dealing with bother me since He'll take care of it. I can't say I have had any experiences concerning verse 42, but I will say that it kind of reinforces verse 41 since it's speaking of Christ's enemies and how God set them against Him. What I have to say about the verse is that I should've been there, not Christ, but He took all that harm, all that pain because He loves His people and I thank Him for His love since there is no greater love than His. He let His enemies hurt Him and whip Him and all that stuff, which is what "and hast not made him to stand in the battle" means to me in verse 43. I see the overall message of verses 38-45 as this: Jesus went through all that pain and brutality and suffering for me and my fellow believers when He did nothing to deserve that. However, He did it because He loved us first, which resulted in us loving Him in return (1 John 4:19). I can't say I've ever felt that God was hiding from me, except during my darkest moment where I cut myself off from God for a while. Verses 47-48 are saying that life without Christ is short and vain. Life in the flesh, even as a Christian, is short, which encourages me to plant seed to others because I may not have the next day to do it, so perhaps I should start doing more of it. God did deliver my soul from the grave (v. 48) when I turned to Him at an early age. I thank Him from saving me from hell even though I didn't deserve it. I must have felt that God's lovingkindness adandoned me during my darkest moment (v. 49) since I didn't realize the enemy was trying to get me to believe his lies. When I cried out to Him, He did remember that I was being mocked or reproached (v. 50) and I can kinda relate to Christ since He was mocked (vv. 50-51). I continue to praise Him (v. 52) for all the good things He does in my life.
Psalm 90
I do see God as my dwellingplace (v. 1) and what "in all generations" means to me is that God as a dwellingplace will never fade away, which I praise Him for. I think that has to do with the fact that He is eternal (v. 2) and that He existed even before His creation. I see the fact that He is eternal as something that defines Him because if He wasn't eternal, He wouldn't be God. I'm not sure how I would relate to verse 3, but in verse 4, where it says, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, " I am reminded that God exists outside of time, which reminds me that God always has time for me and encourages me that there's never a moment I can't spend with Him. I am thankful for that aspect because since man can't always be there for me, God can. Henry's thought on verses 5-6 is an interesting one, "Man does but flourish as the grass, which, when the winter of old age comes, will wither; but he may be mown down by disease or disaster." I am thankful that since God is in my life, I don't have to worry about withering away. Verse 7, to me, means that God can reveal my sin to me, which is what "and by thy wrath are we troubled" means to me. I think when I had profane thoughts was a time when God revealed my sin to me, especially since those thoughts -- which I really had no control over -- interfered with my prayer life. He does know anout sins I may attempt to keep a secret (v. 8), which reminds me that I can't hide anything from Him. I must've felt His wrath during that time -- the time when I had profane thoughts -- as a reminder for me to ask Him to help me out. I suppose Henry's comments on verses 9-10 deal with that, "Our whole life is toilsome and troublesome; and perhaps, in the midst of the years we count upon, it is cut off. We are taught by all this to stand in awe." My life wasn't really cut off, unless I count my darkest moment, but I did come back to Him and was in awe of Him. There's no way I can know the power of His anger (v. 11) and I figure if He was angry at me during my darkest moment, there was no way I would have been able to know the extent of that. In verse 12, "So teach us to number our days" means to me that the end is near and that wisdom is a key thing. In case I have my Bible taken away, I memorize scripture, which can help me out when I'm being persecuted for being a Christian in the last days. Sometimes I wonder when Christ will come back (v. 13), which I see as motivation to plant seeds. God's mercy or love is a great thing to wake up in the morning (v. 14) and I rejoice because of that, because He loves me and I think He expresses that by giving me another day that's not promised. In regards to verse 15, my darkest moment comes to mind, mostly where it says, "Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us." I am thankful for the affliction because not only did I get closer to God, but I also learned a few things. Even though I faced evil, I came out of it better than I was when I came into it. His work was shown to me (v. 16), which I figure was His hand at work so the enemy couldn't continue to influence me. I like Henry's comment on the last verse, "Let us pray that the work of the Holy Spirit may appear in converting our hearts, and that the beauty of holiness may be seen in our conduct." What that verse means to me is as the God works in my heart, it'll reflect on others. I go to a Bible study on Thursday nights and I think the others see God reflected through me, which is how I relate to that. I'd go into detail about, but it's late and I wanna get started on the next reflection.
Chapter 91
Henry comments on the first few verses by stating the following, "He that by faith chooses God for his protector, shall find all in him that he needs or can desire. And those who have found the comfort of making the Lord their refuge, cannot but desire that others may do so." I do abide in Him (v. 1) and I am thankful that He provides for me. He has proven to be my refuge and fortress a few times (v. 2), most notably during my darkest moment. I did eventually place my trust in Him and He did deliver me from the enemy's traps -- or rather, the snare of the fowler. I like the imagery in verse 4 since I've never really thought of God's protection that way before. I feel that He did cover me with His feathers as I trusted that He would deal with the enemy as He saw fit. He helped me to not be afraid (vv. 5-6), which helped me out during that time because he must've been war with the enemy while I was sleeping or something. I'm not sure how I'd relate to verse 7, but I will see how God deals with the wicked (v. 8), even those who have bothered me in this world. I figure that'll take place during the end times. I like Henry's comment on verses 9-10, "Whatever happens, nothing shall hurt the believer; though trouble and affliction befal, it shall come, not for his hurt, but for good, though for the present it be not joyous but grievous." Those verses relate to my darkest moment because I did make the Lord my habitation (v. 9) by becoming a Christian and no evil befalled me (v. 10), which means to me that even though I was being attacked by the enemy, I wasn't permanently cut off from God as a result. Perhaps His angels did have charge over me and keep or guard me and all that (v. 11), but I can't say for sure because I can't quite recall that. I don't see verse 12 as something that relates to me, but in regards to verse 13, He must've (metaphorically) trampled the enemy under His feet. That must've been what God had to do in order for the enemy to stop bothering me, which I thank Him for. Crying out to Him was an expression of love to Him, which is what I see in "Because he hath set his love upon me" in verse 14. I did call upon Him and He answered me and deliverd me (v. 15). I like Henry's thought on the last verse which I think pretty much speaks for itself, "A man may die young, yet be satisfied with living. But a wicked man is not satisfied even with long life. At length the believer's conflict ends; he has done for ever with trouble, sin, and temptation."
Henry, Matthew. "Concise Commentary on Psalms 87". "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible". <http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=087>.
Henry, Matthew. "Concise Commentary on Psalms 88". "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible". <http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=088>.
Henry, Matthew. "Concise Commentary on Psalms 89". "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible". <http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=089>.
Henry, Matthew. "Concise Commentary on Psalms 90". "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible". <http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=090>.
Henry, Matthew. "Concise Commentary on Psalms 91". "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible". <http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=091>.
Bullinger, E.W. The Companion Bible.
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