In Today's Email:
Psalm 133 Notes
David is the author of this fourteenth “song of degrees/ascents”. It is song of thanksgiving for brotherly unity.
vs. 1 – The blessing of peace among the righteous.
vs. 2 – The unity of the brethren is compared to the sweet fragrance of the anointing oil of the High Priest. A most vivid description.
vs. 3 – The source and spread of the blessing of unity.
Psalm 134 Notes
No author is given for this psalm, the fifteenth and final “song of degrees/ascents”. It is addressed to the priests in their service.
vs. 1-3 – A call for the priesthood to praise the Lord in their service.
Psalm 135 Notes
No title or superscription is provided for this psalm. Charles Spurgeon writes of its composition: “It is mainly made up of selections from other Scriptures. It has been called a mosaic, and compared to a tessellated pavement. At the outset, its first two verses (Psalm 135:1-2) are taken from Psalm 134:1-3; while the latter part of Psalm 135:2 and the commencement of Psalm 135:3 put us in mind of Psalm 116:19; and Psalm 135:4 suggests Deuteronomy 7:6. Does not Psalm 135:5 remind us of Psalm 95:3? As for Psalm 135:7, it is almost identical with Jeremiah 10:13, which may have been taken from it. The passage contained in Psalm 135:13 is to be found in Exodus 3:15, and Psalm 135:14 in Deuteronomy 32:36. The closing verses, Psalm 135:8-12, are in Psalms 136. From Psalm 135:15 to the end the strain is a repetition of Psalm 115:1-18.”
vs. 1-3 – A call to praise the Lord.
vs. 4-5 – The mighty God chose Israel unto Himself.
vs. 6-7 – The power of God seen in Creation.
vs. 8-9 – The plagues on Egypt and the Exodus are recalled.
vs. 10-11 – The conquest of Canaan is recalled.
vs. 12-13 – The Promised Land is given to Israel.
vs. 14-18 – The vanity of idols compared to God’s dealings with Israel.
vs. 19-21 – A call to praise the Lord.
Psalm 136 Notes
No author or superscription is provided for this psalm. It does appear to be written by David (I Chronicles 16:41), sung at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple (II Chronicles 7:3), and sung by Jehoshaphat’s army (II Chronicles 20:21). It was to be used as a “call and response” format, where one singer or group would sing the first part of the verse and then another group would answer with “for His mercy endureth forever”. It is a song of resounding praise.
vs. 1-3 – Praise and thanksgiving to God.
vs. 4-9 – Praise to God for Creation.
vs. 10-16 – Praise to God for His deliverance of Israel from Egypt and the Exodus.
vs. 17-22 – Praise to God for the conquest of Canaan.
vs. 23-25 – Praise to God for His merciful, continuing care.
vs. 26 - Praise and thanksgiving to God.
Psalm 137 Notes
No author or superscription is provided for this psalm. By its content we know that it was written during the Babylonian Captivity. It is one of my favorites, the plaintive cry of the exile as they remember their far-off home.
vs. 1-2 – The mourning of the Jewish captive in Babylon.
vs. 3-4 – The loss of the captive’s song.
vs. 5-6 – The pledge to never forget home and heritage.
vs. 7 – Remembering the evil words of the Edomites when Judah fell. See Lamentations 4:21-22 and Obadiah 1:11.
vs. 8-9 – Looking forward in glee to the fall of the Babylonian captors. The expectation is that their violence will be returned to them in judgment.
Psalm 138 Notes
This psalm was written by David. It is a song of praise to God. It is the natural response to God hearing the cry of Psalm 137.
vs. 1 – The public praise of God.
vs. 2 – Praising God’s name and word.
vs. 3 – Remembering the deliverance of God.
vs. 4-5 – The rulers of the world are caused to praise God after seeing David’s deliverance.
vs. 6 – The character of God.
vs. 7-8 – Confidence in God’s deliverance and care.
Psalm 139 Notes
This psalm was written by David and given for use in the Temple. It is a meditation on the omniscience and omnipresence of God.
vs. 1-4 – Prayer for the all-knowing God to search our hearts.
vs. 5-6 – The fact that God is all around us, in all things, and controlling all things is beyond our human understanding.
vs. 7-12 – It is impossible to escape from God.
vs. 13-16 – The wonder of God’s design of human development is beyond our understanding.
vs. 17-24 – The concern of God for the righteous and His hatred of the wicked.
Closing Thoughts
I’ve mentioned before that there is meaning to be found in the order and arrangement of the Psalms. If you do not take the time to discern this, something like Psalm 137 appears our of place. Why would such a sad lament in the midst of songs of praise? I think if you look at the psalms that surround it you will see the reason. In Psalm 136 we are reminded that God’s mercy endures forever. What about in the dark places such as Psalm 137? Yes, He still cares and loves for His own in the hardest of times. Psalm 138 is a song of praise for the deliverance that Psalm 137 longed for. Thus, we see that Psalm 137 is perfectly placed and enhanced by its surroundings.
Hymn for Today
Our hymn today is “Far From My Heavenly Home”, written in 1834 by Henry Francis Lyte. It is based on Psalm 137 but is personalized to the Christian experience.
Far from my heavenly home,
Far from my Father’s breast,
Fainting I cry, blest Spirit, come
And speed me to my rest.
Upon the willows long
My harp has silent hung:
How should I sing a cheerful song
Till Thou inspire my tongue?
My spirit homeward turns
And fain would thither flee;
My heart, O Zion, droops and yearns,
When I remember thee.
To thee, to thee I press,
A dark and toilsome road;
When shall I pass the wilderness,
And reach the saint’s abode?
God of my life, be near;
On Thee my hopes I cast:
O guide me through the desert here,
And bring me home at last.