Judith Rebukes King Uzziah

In this eighth chapter of the Book of Judith, the person and character of Judith is finally revealed. She is a wealthy widow, attractive, devoted to God and respected. The King Uzziah had just recently promised the people that God will deliver them.

When Judith heard about this, she summoned the king - this action itself shows her standing in the kingdom. Furthermore she rebuked the king and his councils that it is not right to make such an oath to test and force God to deliver the people. She recognized the sovereignty of God and that the people should pray to God for deliverane rather than put God to the test.

Finally, seemingly to correct the wrong, she promised the king that she would do something about it. She may be preparing to leave the city but did not tell the king of her plans, but did promise to deliver Israel.


Judith 8 (NRSV)

The Character of Judith
8 Now in those days Judith heard about these things: she was the daughter of Merari son of Ox son of Joseph son of Oziel son of Elkiah son of Ananias son of Gideon son of Raphain son of Ahitub son of Elijah son of Hilkiah son of Eliab son of Nathanael son of Salamiel son of Sarasadai son of Israel. 2 Her husband Manasseh, who belonged to her tribe and family, had died during the barley harvest. 3 For as he stood overseeing those who were binding sheaves in the field, he was overcome by the burning heat, and took to his bed and died in his town Bethulia. So they buried him with his ancestors in the field between Dothan and Balamon. 4 Judith remained as a widow for three years and four months 5 at home where she set up a tent for herself on the roof of her house. She put sackcloth around her waist and dressed in widow’s clothing. 6 She fasted all the days of her widowhood, except the day before the sabbath and the sabbath itself, the day before the new moon and the day of the new moon, and the festivals and days of rejoicing of the house of Israel. 7 She was beautiful in appearance, and was very lovely to behold. Her husband Manasseh had left her gold and silver, men and women slaves, livestock, and fields; and she maintained this estate. 8 No one spoke ill of her, for she feared God with great devotion.

Judith and the Elders
9 When Judith heard the harsh words spoken by the people against the ruler, because they were faint for lack of water, and when she heard all that Uzziah said to them, and how he promised them under oath to surrender the town to the Assyrians after five days, 10 she sent her maid, who was in charge of all she possessed, to summon Uzziah and[a] Chabris and Charmis, the elders of her town. 11 They came to her, and she said to them:

“Listen to me, rulers of the people of Bethulia! What you have said to the people today is not right; you have even sworn and pronounced this oath between God and you, promising to surrender the town to our enemies unless the Lord turns and helps us within so many days. 12 Who are you to put God to the test today, and to set yourselves up in the place of[b] God in human affairs? 13 You are putting the Lord Almighty to the test, but you will never learn anything! 14 You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or understand the workings of the human mind; how do you expect to search out God, who made all these things, and find out his mind or comprehend his thought? No, my brothers, do not anger the Lord our God. 15 For if he does not choose to help us within these five days, he has power to protect us within any time he pleases, or even to destroy us in the presence of our enemies. 16 Do not try to bind the purposes of the Lord our God; for God is not like a human being, to be threatened, or like a mere mortal, to be won over by pleading. 17 Therefore, while we wait for his deliverance, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice, if it pleases him.

18 “For never in our generation, nor in these present days, has there been any tribe or family or people or town of ours that worships gods made with hands, as was done in days gone by. 19 That was why our ancestors were handed over to the sword and to pillage, and so they suffered a great catastrophe before our enemies. 20 But we know no other god but him, and so we hope that he will not disdain us or any of our nation. 21 For if we are captured, all Judea will be captured and our sanctuary will be plundered; and he will make us pay for its desecration with our blood. 22 The slaughter of our kindred and the captivity of the land and the desolation of our inheritance—all this he will bring on our heads among the Gentiles, wherever we serve as slaves; and we shall be an offense and a disgrace in the eyes of those who acquire us. 23 For our slavery will not bring us into favor, but the Lord our God will turn it to dishonor.

24 “Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example for our kindred, for their lives depend upon us, and the sanctuary—both the temple and the altar—rests upon us. 25 In spite of everything let us give thanks to the Lord our God, who is putting us to the test as he did our ancestors. 26 Remember what he did with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia, while he was tending the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother. 27 For he has not tried us with fire, as he did them, to search their hearts, nor has he taken vengeance on us; but the Lord scourges those who are close to him in order to admonish them.”

28 Then Uzziah said to her, “All that you have said was spoken out of a true heart, and there is no one who can deny your words. 29 Today is not the first time your wisdom has been shown, but from the beginning of your life all the people have recognized your understanding, for your heart’s disposition is right. 30 But the people were so thirsty that they compelled us to do for them what we have promised, and made us take an oath that we cannot break. 31 Now since you are a God-fearing woman, pray for us, so that the Lord may send us rain to fill our cisterns. Then we will no longer feel faint from thirst.”

32 Then Judith said to them, “Listen to me. I am about to do something that will go down through all generations of our descendants. 33 Stand at the town gate tonight so that I may go out with my maid; and within the days after which you have promised to surrender the town to our enemies, the Lord will deliver Israel by my hand. 34 Only, do not try to find out what I am doing; for I will not tell you until I have finished what I am about to do.”

35 Uzziah and the rulers said to her, “Go in peace, and may the Lord God go before you, to take vengeance on our enemies.” 36 So they returned from the tent and went to their posts.

Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you

Jeremiah 1:8
Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.

The Lord reminded Jeremiah of His presence and protection. We too need to constantly remember this. Whatever situation we are in, pay no heed of what we may lose but solely remember Yshua. One aspect that may get to most of us is when we are being treated unfairly. If we seek justice for ourselves, there is a danger of falling into self-pity and being diverted from our devotion to Him. A commentator said "Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it". So continue in what Yshua told us and He will guard us.

For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man

Paul explains that it is necessary for us to die with Christ, and die to our old selves, because the law is bound to a person until death. Hence the concept of death and rebirth when we are saved by Christ and we have been set free from the old law.

The law is not bad at all, in fact it is holy. Without the law, sin was dead. But when the commandments came, sin was brought to life while we died in sins. So the commandments effect was to bring death, but it is really sin that kills.

Having established that it is not the law's fault but that sin is carnal and leads to death, Paul describes the constant battle in us between sin and righteousness. We know the good things that we should do but we tend to do the things that we know we should not do. Paul describes the quite hopeless situation of battling against our sins, but then he thanks God that He is able to deliver us from sin. He acknowledges that our minds may serve God, but our is flesh still sinful.




Romans 7
Freed from the Law

7 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Sin’s Advantage in the Law

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”[a] 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Law Cannot Save from Sin

13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the Multitude of his Idols

It appears that some elders came to Ezekiel, perhaps to enquire God through him. However, God knows the heart of these who have put idols before God. So God told Ezekiel in advance that He will not answer these people. God's answer was for them to repent, otherwise they will be cut off from His people.

A similar if not more severe warning also applies to other prophets who have been induced by others to enquire of the Lord. They would be punished like those who are wicked and inquired of the Lord.

God explained his fury and judgment as due to the persistent unfaithfulness. Even if there is a remnant of righteous left, He will carry out His judgment and spare only specifically those people, whom he compares with Daniel, Job and Noah. Unlike the previous three, there is now mention of four judgments, being, sword, pestilence, famine and wild beasts.



Ezekiel 14
Idolatry Will Be Punished

1 Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?

4 “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.”’

6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. 8 I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

9 “And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the Lord have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired, 11 that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God,“ says the Lord God.’”

Judgment on Persistent Unfaithfulness

12 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. 14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord God.

15 “If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts, 16 even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate.

17 “Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I cut off man and beast from it, 18 even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.

19 “Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, 20 even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

21 For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? 22 Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. 23 And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord God.

I will hand them over to trouble, to all kingdoms of the earth

The Lord God repeats to Jeremiah that He will not reconsider His judgment to bring destruction to His people in the form of death, sword (violence), famine and captivity. He singled out King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, for his actions. The main reason for God's anger is that the people have forsaken Him and gone backwards, and still do not change their ways.

Jeremiah describes his situation to God. Since he has been prophesying for God, He has been an outcast, shunted by his people. God reassures Jeremiah that He will always protect him from his wicked enemies. To stand with the Lord as Jeremiah would have found, is guaranteed, protection, salvation and redemption.



Jeremiah 15
The Lord Will Not Relent

1 Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth. 2 And it shall be, if they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you shall tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord:

“Such as are for death, to death;
And such as are for the sword, to the sword;
And such as are for the famine, to the famine;
And such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.”’
3 “And I will appoint over them four forms of destruction,” says the Lord: “the sword to slay, the dogs to drag, the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will hand them over to trouble, to all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

5 “For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem?
Or who will bemoan you?
Or who will turn aside to ask how you are doing?
6 You have forsaken Me,” says the Lord,
“You have gone backward.
Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am weary of relenting!
7 And I will winnow them with a winnowing fan in the gates of the land;
I will bereave them of children;
I will destroy My people,
Since they do not return from their ways.
8 Their widows will be increased to Me more than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them,
Against the mother of the young men,
A plunderer at noonday;
I will cause anguish and terror to fall on them suddenly.
9 “She languishes who has borne seven;
She has breathed her last;
Her sun has gone down
While it was yet day;
She has been ashamed and confounded.
And the remnant of them I will deliver to the sword
Before their enemies,” says the Lord.


Jeremiah’s Dejection

10 Woe is me, my mother,
That you have borne me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!
I have neither lent for interest,
Nor have men lent to me for interest.
Every one of them curses me.
11 The Lord said:

“Surely it will be well with your remnant;
Surely I will cause the enemy to intercede with you
In the time of adversity and in the time of affliction.
12 Can anyone break iron,
The northern iron and the bronze?
13 Your wealth and your treasures
I will give as plunder without price,
Because of all your sins,
Throughout your territories.
14 And I will make you cross over with[a] your enemies
Into a land which you do not know;
For a fire is kindled in My anger,
Which shall burn upon you.”
15 O Lord, You know;
Remember me and visit me,
And take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In Your enduring patience, do not take me away.
Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.
16 Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.
17 I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers,
Nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
For You have filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain perpetual
And my wound incurable,
Which refuses to be healed?
Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream,
As waters that fail?


The Lord Reassures Jeremiah

19 Therefore thus says the Lord:

“If you return,
Then I will bring you back;
You shall stand before Me;
If you take out the precious from the vile,
You shall be as My mouth.
Let them return to you,
But you must not return to them.
20 And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall;
And they will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” says the Lord.
21 “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”

Happy are the People whose God is the Lord!

This psalm has a personal introduction of who the LORD is to the psalmist. David who is most likely the psalmist here, describes the LORD as his rock, lovingkindness, refuge, fortress, deliverer. He knows God well and wholeheartedly trusts and depends on God.

Then in the next part, he expands the view of who God really is and describes how insignificant in stature man is compared to God. Yet this God who controls the the awesome power of nature and beyond is someone we can pray too, as the psalmist experienced. Because of this, the psalmist can praise and sing to and about God. He is thankful that God is a deliverer and a provider and blesses His people with abundance.



Psalm 144
A Song to the Lord Who Preserves and Prospers His People
A Psalm of David.

1 Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle—

2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my deliverer,
My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people[a] under me.

3 Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?

4 Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them.

7 Stretch out Your hand from above;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
From the hand of foreigners,

8 Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,

10 The One who gives salvation to kings,
Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.

11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—

12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;

13 That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;

14 That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.

15 Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

Deliver Me, O Lord, From Evil Men

A plea from the psalmist who seems to be in danger from his enemies. So the psalmist calls upon God to protect him against his wicked enemies. He even calls upon God to heap burning coals on them and cast them to fire. In his view the enemies are truly wicked and he asks God to stop them before they get exalted or established themselves.

Although this may sound harsh, but the psalmist acknowledges that God is on the side of the afflicted and the poor. Also that the righteous and upright will dwell with God.


Psalm 140
Prayer for Deliverance from Evil Men
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,

2 Who plan evil things in their hearts;
They continually gather together for war.

3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah

4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.

5 The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set traps for me. Selah

6 I said to the Lord: “You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.

7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.

8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further his wicked scheme,
Lest they be exalted. Selah

9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
Let the evil of their lips cover them;

10 Let burning coals fall upon them;
Let them be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.

11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”

12 I know that the Lord will maintain
The cause of the afflicted,
And justice for the poor.

13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;
The upright shall dwell in Your presence.

Rejoice in the LORD, You Righteous

Another psalm of praise of the LORD. It shows how God is above anything on Earth, greater than the lightnings, mountains and heavens. He is definitely above all the idols that pagans worship. For all these reasons, His people rejoice and exalt Him. So we are called to walk in righteousness and rejoice in Him, since He will preserve and deliver them.



Psalm 97
A Song of Praise to the Sovereign LORD

 1 The LORD reigns;
         Let the earth rejoice;
         Let the multitude of isles be glad!
       
 2 Clouds and darkness surround Him;
         Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
 3 A fire goes before Him,
         And burns up His enemies round about.
 4 His lightnings light the world;
         The earth sees and trembles.
 5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD,
         At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
 6 The heavens declare His righteousness,
         And all the peoples see His glory.
       
 7 Let all be put to shame who serve carved images,
         Who boast of idols.
         Worship Him, all you gods.
 8 Zion hears and is glad,
         And the daughters of Judah rejoice
         Because of Your judgments, O LORD.
 9 For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth;
         You are exalted far above all gods.
       
 10 You who love the LORD, hate evil!
         He preserves the souls of His saints;
         He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
 11 Light is sown for the righteous,
         And gladness for the upright in heart.
 12 Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous,
         And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

He That Dwelleth In The Secret Place of the Most High

This psalm is filled with imagery and is one of the popular passages that is taken as prayer and is memorized. The main idea is to "dwell in the secret place of the most High" - meaning to abide or to live in the LORD. In other words, it is trusting God, taking refuge in Him, depending on God as our fortress and putting our love on Him.

The benefits are we will be protected, our enemies cannot harm us, we will not be afraid day and night. Angels will be assigned to keep us from accidents. Enemies will fall beside us and we will see God's justice on them.

Finally, a personal commitment by God when we dwell in Him include God will answer our call, He will set us on high, He will be with us in time of trouble and deliver us, and we will be assured long life and salvation.



Psalm 91
Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God

 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
         Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
         My God, in Him I will trust.”
       
 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a]
         And from the perilous pestilence.
 4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
         And under His wings you shall take refuge;
         His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
         Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
         Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
       
 7 A thousand may fall at your side,
         And ten thousand at your right hand;
         But it shall not come near you.
 8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
         And see the reward of the wicked.
       
 9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
         Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
 10 No evil shall befall you,
         Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
         To keep you in all your ways.
 12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
         Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
         The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
       
 14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
         I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
         I will be with him in trouble;
         I will deliver him and honor him.
 16 With long life I will satisfy him,
         And show him My salvation.”

Deliver me from my Enemies, O my God

David calls upon God to save him from his enemies who were hunting him. He describes his enemies as bloodthirsty, workers of iniquity and mighty. They pursue David not because David did any wrong. So David called upon God to show them no mercy. David describes his enemies like dogs who keep on hunting him and return again in the evening not satisfied. He calls God to not destroy them but bring them down and scatter them.
David puts full confidence in God, singing of his power, calling him his strength and his defence.

Psalm 59
To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.”[a] A Michtam of David when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.

 1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
         Defend me from those who rise up against me.
 2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
         And save me from bloodthirsty men.
        
 3 For look, they lie in wait for my life;
         The mighty gather against me,
         Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD.
 4 They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.
        
         Awake to help me, and behold!
 5 You therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel,
         Awake to punish all the nations;
         Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors.  Selah 
        
 6 At evening they return,
         They growl like a dog,
         And go all around the city.
 7 Indeed, they belch with their mouth;
         Swords are in their lips;
         For they say, “Who hears?”
        
 8 But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them;
         You shall have all the nations in derision.
 9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength;[b]
         For God is my defense.
 10 My God of mercy[c] shall come to meet me;
         God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.
        
 11 Do not slay them, lest my people forget;
         Scatter them by Your power,
         And bring them down,
         O Lord our shield.
 12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
         Let them even be taken in their pride,
         And for the cursing and lying which they speak.
 13 Consume them in wrath, consume them,
         That they may not be;
         And let them know that God rules in Jacob
         To the ends of the earth.  Selah 
        
 14 And at evening they return,
         They growl like a dog,
         And go all around the city.
 15 They wander up and down for food,
         And howl[d] if they are not satisfied.
        
 16 But I will sing of Your power;
         Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
         For You have been my defense
         And refuge in the day of my trouble.
 17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
         For God is my defense,
         My God of mercy.

The Mighty One, God the LORD Has Spoken and Called the Earth

This psalm opens with the description of the majesty of the LORD God. He is preceded by fire and conditions are very tempestuous. God calls out to His people as a Judge. God will testify against His people Israel and remember their sacrifices. However God does not depend on the sacrifices themselves. In fact God reminds them to call upon Him when they are in trouble and He will deliver them and they would glorify Him.
God will rebuke the wicked, whether or not they declare His statutes. God delivers a stern warning to those who forget him. There is still a chance for the wicked if they repent, and turn to praise and glorify God and walk in His ways, and God will show them salvation. 

Psalm 50
A Psalm of Asaph.

 1 The Mighty One, God the LORD,
         Has spoken and called the earth
         From the rising of the sun to its going down.
 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
         God will shine forth.
 3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent;
         A fire shall devour before Him,
         And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.
        
 4 He shall call to the heavens from above,
         And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
 5 “Gather My saints together to Me,
         Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
 6 Let the heavens declare His righteousness,
         For God Himself is Judge.  Selah 
        
 7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
         O Israel, and I will testify against you;
         I am God, your God!
 8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices
         Or your burnt offerings,
         Which are continually before Me.
 9 I will not take a bull from your house,
         Nor goats out of your folds.
 10 For every beast of the forest is Mine,
         And the cattle on a thousand hills.
 11 I know all the birds of the mountains,
         And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
        
 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
         For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
 13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
         Or drink the blood of goats?
 14 Offer to God thanksgiving,
         And pay your vows to the Most High.
 15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
         I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
        
 16 But to the wicked God says:
         “What right have you to declare My statutes,
         Or take My covenant in your mouth,
 17 Seeing you hate instruction
         And cast My words behind you?
 18 When you saw a thief, you consented[a] with him,
         And have been a partaker with adulterers.
 19 You give your mouth to evil,
         And your tongue frames deceit.
 20 You sit and speak against your brother;
         You slander your own mother’s son.
 21 These things you have done, and I kept silent;
         You thought that I was altogether like you;
         But I will rebuke you,
         And set them in order before your eyes.
        
 22 “Now consider this, you who forget God,
         Lest I tear you in pieces,
         And there be none to deliver:
 23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
         And to him who orders his conduct aright
         I will show the salvation of God.”

Blessed is he who considers the poor

David faced many enemies in his time, not only from foreign kings but those close to him who lied to him and those who have eaten from his own table. Despite all this, David has always trusted God to deliver him from trouble and from his enemies.

The LORD has delivered him, kept him alive, strengthened him, raised him up and most of all set him up before the face of God forever.


Psalm 41

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

 1 Blessed is he who considers the poor;
         The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
 2 The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive,
         And he will be blessed on the earth;
         You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
 3 The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness;
         You will sustain him on his sickbed.
       
 4 I said, “LORD, be merciful to me;
         Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”
 5 My enemies speak evil of me:
         “When will he die, and his name perish?”
 6 And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies;
         His heart gathers iniquity to itself;
         When he goes out, he tells it.
       
 7 All who hate me whisper together against me;
         Against me they devise my hurt.
 8 “An evil disease,” they say, “clings to him.
         And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.”
 9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
         Who ate my bread,
         Has lifted up his heel against me.
       
 10 But You, O LORD, be merciful to me, and raise me up,
         That I may repay them.
 11 By this I know that You are well pleased with me,
         Because my enemy does not triumph over me.
 12 As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
         And set me before Your face forever.
       
 13 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
         From everlasting to everlasting!
         Amen and Amen.

Lest I Sin with my Tongue

David is still thinking about his enemies, but in this Psalm David explains his responsibility to do right, by keeping his tongue in check, "lest I sin with my tongue". It appears that David is at an older age in this Psalm as he talks about his weariness, and how close is he to the end and that people gather riches in vain because they cannot take it beyond this life.

David also reaffirms his hope in God. He knows that only God will know how many days he has left. He asks God again to forgive his transgressions.


Psalm 39

To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

 1 I said, “I will guard my ways,
         Lest I sin with my tongue;
         I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
         While the wicked are before me.”
 2 I was mute with silence,
         I held my peace even from good;
         And my sorrow was stirred up.
 3 My heart was hot within me;
         While I was musing, the fire burned.
         Then I spoke with my tongue:
       
 4 “LORD, make me to know my end,
         And what is the measure of my days,
         That I may know how frail I am.
 5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
         And my age is as nothing before You;
         Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.  Selah
 6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
         Surely they busy themselves in vain;
         He heaps up riches,
         And does not know who will gather them.
       
 7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
         My hope is in You.
 8 Deliver me from all my transgressions;
         Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
 9 I was mute, I did not open my mouth,
         Because it was You who did it.
 10 Remove Your plague from me;
         I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
 11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,
         You make his beauty melt away like a moth;
         Surely every man is vapor.  Selah
       
 12 “Hear my prayer, O LORD,
         And give ear to my cry;
         Do not be silent at my tears;
         For I am a stranger with You,
         A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
 13 Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
         Before I go away and am no more.”

Trusting God for Deliverance; God Entrusting Creation to Man

This is an example of David praying to God for deliverance against a fierce enemy. David starts by asking God to deal with him first, if there was any evil or wickedness in him - just as we should ask God to help us examine ourselves first. Then David expresses his confidence in a just God who will punish the wicked. This is trusting that justice is not for us but for God to decide and execute. The prayer-song is finished off by praising God.

The next Psalm praises the Majesty and Almightiness of God - the creator of the Heavens and the moon and the stars. Then the well known rhetorical question:

"What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?"

Then a revelation of man in relation to other of God's creation. In terms of intelligent beings, man is created a little lower than the angels but yet God has crowned man, perhaps not angels, with glory and honour. In terms of God's physical creation, man is given dominion over it. In other words, God has entrusted the physical world totally to man to look after it, which includes the Earth and all the animals. This is also mentioned in Genesis. Note that dominion was not given for man to rule over another man.

Psalm 8

To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.^[c] A Psalm of David.

 ¹ O LORD, our Lord,
         How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
         Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
        
 ² Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
         You have ordained strength,
         Because of Your enemies,
         That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
        
 ³ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
         The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
 ⁴ What is man that You are mindful of him,
         And the son of man that You visit him?
 ⁵ For You have made him a little lower than the angels,^[d]
         And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
        
 ⁶ You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
         You have put all things under his feet,
 ⁷ All sheep and oxen—
         Even the beasts of the field,
 ⁸ The birds of the air,
         And the fish of the sea
         That pass through the paths of the seas.
        
 ⁹ O LORD, our Lord,
         How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 7

A Meditation^[a] of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.

 ¹ O LORD my God, in You I put my trust;
         Save me from all those who persecute me;
         And deliver me,
 ² Lest they tear me like a lion,
         Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
        
 ³ O LORD my God, if I have done this:
         If there is iniquity in my hands,
 ⁴ If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
         Or have plundered my enemy without cause,
 ⁵ Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
         Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
         And lay my honor in the dust.  Selah 
        
 ⁶ Arise, O LORD, in Your anger;
         Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;
         Rise up for me^[b]to the judgment You have commanded!
 ⁷ So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;
         For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
 ⁸ The LORD shall judge the peoples;
         Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness,
         And according to my integrity within me.
        
 ⁹ Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
         But establish the just;
         For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.
 ¹⁰ My defense is of God,
         Who saves the upright in heart.
        
 ¹¹ God is a just judge,
         And God is angry with the wicked every day.
 ¹² If he does not turn back,
         He will sharpen His sword;
         He bends His bow and makes it ready.
 ¹³ He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
         He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
        
 ¹⁴ Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
         Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
 ¹⁵ He made a pit and dug it out,
         And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
 ¹⁶ His trouble shall return upon his own head,
         And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.
        
 ¹⁷ I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness,
         And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.