DBG - June 22- Psalms 32-35

This psalm is by David. It is believed to be written around the same times as Psalm 51 in the aftermath of his sin with Bathsheba.  It is a song of thanksgiving for the forgiveness of sins.

vs. 1-2 – The righteous are not perfect.  They fall and they sin.  The difference between the righteous and the wicked is that God has forgiven the sins of the righteous.  The blessing of the Lord is the forgiveness of our sins.

vs. 3-4 – The state of the righteous when convicted for their sin.

vs. 5 – The conviction of the Lord brings confession of sin.

vs. 6 – The righteous must seek the Lord before judgment may fall. 

vs. 7 – Note that the Lord is the personal hiding place for David, but

vs. 8-9 – The difference between the righteous and the wicked is as wide as from the beast to the human.  The difference is the wisdom and truth of the Lord.

vs. 10-11 – The diverging fates of the righteous to blessing and of the wicked to destruction.

No author or setting is given for this psalm.  It is a song of praise.

vs. 1-3 – The previous psalm closed with a call for praise and this psalm answers.  All of the righteous are called to join in songs of praise to God.

vs. 4-5 – The universality of the truth and reach of God’s Word.

vs. 6-7 – Creation is given as an example of the power of God’s Word.  He did not have to lift a finger, all He had to do was say, “Let there be” and there was.  Mankind is the only part of Creation that God did not simply speak into existence.

vs. 8-9 – The testimony of God’s Word, especially as seen in Creation, should be sufficient for all men to fear Him.

vs. 10-12 – The wisdom of God trumps the devices of the wicked.  The people that love and serve Him find blessing.  Many take vs.12 out of context.  It is not a conditional statement saying that if a nation chooses God, then they will be blessed.  It is the opposite of that.  This is a statement of fact.  Primarily it applies to Israel, but may also be applied to the hosts of the righteous.

vs. 13-14 – The Mighty God is omniscient.  He sees all and knows all.  There is no escape from Him.

vs. 15-17 – There is not exemption to be found for man when the judgment of God is poured out on the wicked.

vs. 18-19 – The God who witnesses all the evil of the wicked also pays special attention to the righteous and delivers them from their plights.

vs. 20-22 – The psalm closes with  declaration of faith and plea that God respond to it.

This psalm is by David and was composed when he escaped from Abimelech by pretending to be insane in I Samuel 21:1-15.  It is the second psalm to be composed as an acrostic using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.  There is a variation to the order of letters as the fifth letter, vav, is omitted and the last verse is a repetition of the 17^th letter pe.  There are only 10 entries for words found the Bible in Strong’s Concordance that begin with vav.  It is generally used as a conjunction meaning “and”.  This is the practical reason it is omitted in some acrostics in Scripture.  Think of it as trying to find an English word that starts with X.  The psalm itself is another of praise for deliverance.

vs. 1-3 – The psalm opens with David’s praise and call to join it.

vs. 4-7 – The righteous seek the Lord in prayer, He hears them, and He delivers. 

vs. 8-14 – David invites others to “taste and see” the goodness of God.  When put to the experimental test, the Lord is good to His own.  All should seek and serve Him.

vs. 15-18 – The formula form vs. 4 is repeated in vs. 17: the righteous cry out, the Lord hears, and the Lord answers.  One of my favorite verses in vs. 18, which promises the nearness of God to the righteous in their despair.

vs. 19-22 -  We see again the contrasting fates of the righteous and the wicked.  John 19:36 quotes vs. 20 as a prophecy concerning Christ’s death.

This psalm is by David and is a call for God the wicked to be punished.  These types of psalms are called imprecatory. 

vs. 1-3 – The psalm opens with a righteous call for aid in battle against the wicked enemy.

vs. 4-8 – David gets specific about what he wants to happen to the wicked.  This is not cruelty or malice on his part.  These are things that God has said will be poured out on the wicked.  It is a cry for justice and judgment.

vs. 9-10 – A response of praise to the judgment of God and deliverance of David.

vs. 11-12 – Specifics of David’s situation are given.  People he had trusted have turned against him and now make slanderous claims against him.

vs. 13-14 – David contrasts his own righteous actions against those of the wicked that attack him.  He prayed for them; they preyed on him.

vs. 15-16 – More description of the evil deeds of the wicked.  They plotted against David and spoke vile things about him behind his back.

vs. 17-18 – The response of praise to the deliverance of the righteous.

vs. 19-26 – David calls out the wicked for their actions and prays for their judgment to come.

vs. 27-28 – The psalm closes with a prayer to God that His praises be sung in response to His deliverance.

One of the biggest misconceptions many modern Christians have about the Old Testament and the ancient Jewish faith is the place of sacrifices in finding forgiveness of sins from God. You will note in Psalm 32 there is not mention of the blood of sacrifices being offered to atone for David’s sin.  What you do see in faith, confession, and repentance.  I will steadfastly contend that the Old Testament saints were saved like us by God’s grace through our faith.  The sacrifices made were prompted by the penitent heart, not the other way around.

Our hymn today is “Come, Ye Disconsolate”.  The first two verses were written by Thomas Moore in 1816 and the third by Thomas Hastings in 1832.  It echoes the calls for Psalm 34 to seek comfort and safety in the Lord.

Come, you disconsolate, where'er you languish;
come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
earth has no sorrows that heaven cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, in mercy saying,
"Earth has no sorrows that heaven cannot cure."

Here see the bread of life; see waters flowing
forth from the throne of God, pure from above.
Come to the feast prepared; come, ever knowing
earth has no sorrows but heaven can remove.