Old Testament - Psalms 31-33 - August 11, 2022

 8/11/2033 – Psalms 31-33

These are more of the psalms of David. 

In Psalm 31 David starts out with the firm statement: “In thee, O Lord, I do put. my trust…” And then he continues asking for continued help from the Lord: “be thou my strong rock” (v2); “lead me, and guide me” (v 3); “thou are my strength” (v 4); “I trust in the Lord” (v 6); “I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy” (v 7).   Even in David’s most difficult times he tells us “But I trusted in thee, O Lord… .Thou art my God” (v 14). He goes on in v 16 to ask for the Lord’s continued help: “Make thy face to shine upon they servant”.  And then David once again recognizes the Lord’s help in his life: “Oh how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee” (v 19). And finally David gives his best advice to all of us: “O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful”, “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.” (v’s 21-22)

JST has the first verse of Psalm 32 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven”. If we take advantage of the help the Lord offers us, we will feel his promised blessings.  In v 2 David tells us how we can feel more blessings from our Heavenly Father: “Blessed is the man…in whose spirit there is no guile.”  David goes on to describe his times of needed repentance and then he testifies that “Mercy shall compass him about”(v 10) us as we truly repent of our wrongs, and encourages us to “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” (v 11)

Psalm 33 is David’s song praising the Lord for His power and goodness, which are manifested in His creations, and then he encourages “Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” (v 8)   It doesn’t matter when we are on the earth for “The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…” (v’s 11-12_ Our faith can help our country!  In v’s 13 - 15 he assures us that “The Lord looketh from heaven…he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works”  And in v 18: “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.”  And he ends with this promise: “…the Lord: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.” “v’s 20-21)

All these things are available to us all if we only take time to talk with Him, to learn of His ways, and to place our efforts in focusing and living His commandments, for those commandments are the map that will bring us back to Him.


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