Psalm 12:1-8 rA

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 12:1-8[1]

To the Chief Musician on Sheminith, A Psalm of David.

Help, Lord: for the godly man ceases.  The faithful fail from among the children of men.  They speak vanity every one with his neighbor.  With flattering lips [and] a double heart, they speak.

The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, [and] the tongue that speaks proud things: who have said, “With our tongue will we prevail.  Our lips [are] our own.  Who [is] lord over us?”

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, says the Lord.  I will set [him] in safety [from him who] puffs at him.  The words of the Lord [are] pure words, silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.  You shall keep them, Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.[2]

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[1] Wicked political administrations are nothing new.  David contended with many of them: the Philistines, Saul, men in his own service, even a son.  David sees himself as a poor man: poor, but godly and faithful.  David knows that he and his throne only exist and are purified because God keeps them.  Even so, our lives and successes only exist and are purified because God keeps them.  The wicked are still with us.

The faithful are disappearing, because the wicked are exalted.  Because the wicked are exalted, the faithful are being perverted and led astray with temptation.  The faithful have taken their eyes away from Yahweh, have set their hopes on material prosperity, and have become double hearted, or double minded in the process.  This will certainly be true during Solomon’s reign; after Solomon, the kingdom will be divided over it.  It is tempting to admire and follow people who lie out of both sides of their mouths at the same time, especially when they are successful at it.

Yahweh is the judge of all such things.  The repentance of the faithful is a painful process.  For the flatterers, Yahweh’s judgment speaks of an eternal fatality.  The flatterers will have their lips cut off, and their tongues cut out, a picture of being left alive, but unable to speak.  The repentant faithful will revive to sing the praises of Yahweh; but the flatterers will be silenced forever.

On behalf of the faithful poor and for their defense Yahweh arises in judgment.  The flattering wicked have made their success unjustly on the backs of other men: they have lived by domination and oppression, only to be dominated and oppressed as just punishment.  As silver is difficult to separate from its corrupting oxides, so the faithful are difficult to purify from wicked flatterers; yet, Yahweh is not deterred as He continues to perfection.

There is no place for vile people in the kingdom of heaven.  The heat and pain of the smelting process will expose people for what they are, either the silvery faithful or the corrupted wicked.  Yes, the wicked are all around us.  Yet in Yahweh’s greater scheme of things, they will not be around us for long.

[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.  No rights are reserved.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

Psalm 11:1-7 rA

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 11:1-7[1]

To the Chief Musician, [A Psalm] of David.

In the Lord I put my trust.

Why do you say to my soul, “Flee [as] a bird to your mountain?” for, lo, the wicked bend [their] bow; they make ready their arrow on the string: so that they may secretly shoot at the upright in heart.

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

The Lord [is] in His holy temple.  The Lord’s throne [is] in heaven.  His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men.  The Lord tries the righteous.  But the wicked and he who loves violence His soul hates.  On the wicked He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest.  [This shall be] the portion of their cup: for the righteous Lord loves righteousness.  His countenance beholds the upright.[2]

---

[1] David raises questions about wicked activity around him, threatening his life and foundations: his enemies want him to fly away.  David remembers that all his foundations are in God.  Here we see that David's understanding of God's throne and temple is greater than any place on earth.  When David was a little boy, the sin of Israel had resulted in God’s Self-willed exile together with His throne among the Philistines: God simply got fed-up, and left the Israelites to their own corrupt devices.  David lived to see God return to Jerusalem, with His throne (the Ark of the Covenant), to Zion, to live in a tent.  Solomon would build the first temple.  Nevertheless, David always understood that these temporal things were merely ways for the invisible God to make Himself known to the world.  The Presence of God in flaming-smoking Glory, riding on and speaking from the Ark, were never more than pictures of a greater reality.  God is everywhere, but He is rarely audible or visible.  Now we hear and see Him in Jesus, His eternal Son.  Now we hear and see Him by the power of the Holy Ghost.

David begins with his declaration of faith.

Since David has such confidence in Yahweh, why is he always running to hide?  David’s mountain is most likely Mount Zion in Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant resided in a tent.  Is David afraid to face conflict?

Part of the answer to these questions is that Yahweh, Whose Presence is enthroned on the Ark of the Covenant at Zion is the Foundation Stone, the One Who determines the outcome of every earthly conflict.  It is not that David is afraid to face conflict; but rather, that David is unwilling to enter into conflict without doing it God’s way.  It is necessary for the prince to consult the King before the prince swings into action.  David is not free to act unilaterally, without God’s explicit authority.  For David to act unilaterally is to undermine his own foundation stone, his relationship with Yahweh.  While Yahweh cannot be undermined, David can cause himself great harm by acting before or even without prayer.  Our action when not preceded by prayer, is one of the great causes of our failure.  The question, “what can the righteous do?” is answered by the introductory declaration of faith, “Trust in Yahweh.”

David concludes with several observations about Yahweh that provide further explanation for the importance of these things.  The temple and throne of Yahweh is really heavenly, not earthly: Zion and the Ark are merely icons of a greater living reality.  Yahweh has all mankind, even the righteous, on trial, and examines all human behavior: we are responsible for what we do.  Yahweh separates the righteous from the wicked with the execution of His judgment.  “Yahweh loves righteousness” and smiles (His countenance) upon those who honor it.  Within the context of this Psalm, such righteousness consists of seeking Yahweh’s direction in prayer, before taking action.  In the larger context of the whole Psalter, such righteousness consists of loving the Law (Torah), and in seeking the mercy and power of God to obey that Law.

[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.

These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

Psalm 125:1-5

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 125:1-5[1]

A Song of Ascent.

Those who trust in the Lord [shall be] as mount Zion, [which] cannot be removed, [but] abides forever.  The mountains [are] round about Jerusalem.  So the Lord [is] round about His people from now on even forever: for the rod of the wicked shall not rest on the lot of the righteous; lest[2] the righteous put forth their hands to iniquity.

Do good[3], Lord, to [those who are] good³, and to [those who are] upright in their hearts.  As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity.  Peace [shall be] on Israel.[4]

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[1] The ruggedness and durability of the solid rock, Zion, is an apt icon of the permanence, power, and stability of heaven.  It not only looks rugged and durable, it is invulnerable to attack if any army defends it.  David was only able to capture the city because the Jebusites became overconfident and failed to defend it properly (2 Samuel 5:6-9; 1 Chronicles 11:4-9).  The heavenly city, unlike Zion, will never be poorly defended.  The wicked will never enter or rule (rod or scepter) there.  The righteous will never sin there, because temptation will cease.

Zion speaks of a finality of judgment where the crooked are cast out and peace reigns supremely.  Believers in heaven are pardoned for their sins, and all record of their sins is blotted out of the heavenly books, to be remembered no more.  Moreover, sin itself is removed from the sinner’s life as the deadly cancer it is, until no sin whatsoever remains: the damage done by these sins during earthly life is also removed and healed.  Finally, the healing is so complete that believers cannot sin any more, but are made perfect in the complete likeness of Christ.

[2] This is the logical apodosis to “the rod of the wicked….”  It is a consistent fact of life that whenever the wicked rule over the righteous, the righteous experience an increase and intensification of temptations to sin.  But God has promised that these will not become excessive (1 Corinthians 10:12-13).  Here is the root cause for the Great Flood in the days of Noah; not that God is cruel and exterminated mankind with evil glee; but rather that mankind was beyond repentance, and if allowed to continue would bring Noah down in sin, and his family down with him.  Likewise the departure of Abraham from Ur, the overthrow of the Egyptians through Moses, and the defeat of the Canaanites under Joshua are all icons or types of God’s protection of His people from excessive temptation.  However, “God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11),” neither in this life, nor in the life to come.

[3] Neither Hebrew nor Greek distinguish between good and well: wellness is always the result of moral virtue; it is impossible to say, “I am well,” in either Hebrew or Greek.  In English, we may not use well here, because moral virtue, with actions that flow from this virtue, is in view here, and not a personal state of being.  Such virtue is then applied to human beings in spite of their sinful condition only because God in His rich mercy begins to make them good when they cry out to Him in confession, sorrow, and love.

[4] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.

These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

Psalm 94:1-23 rA

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 94:1-23[1]

Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs; God, to whom vengeance belongs, show Yourself.  Lift up Yourself, judge of the earth.  Render a reward to the proud.

Lord, how long shall the wicked; how long shall the wicked triumph?  [How long] shall they utter [and] speak hard things?  [How long shall] all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?  They break in pieces Your people, Lord, and afflict Your heritage.  They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.  Yet they say, “The Lord shall not see.  Nor shall the God of Jacob regard.”

Understand, you brutish among the people.  Fools, when will you be wise?  He Who planted the ear, shall He not hear?  He Who formed the eye, shall He not see?  He Who chastises the heathen, shall He not correct?  He Who teaches man knowledge....  The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they [are] vanity.

Blessed [is] the man whom You punish, Lord, and teach him from Your law: so that You may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be dug for the wicked: for the Lord will not cast off His people.  Nor will He forsake His inheritance.  But judgment shall return to righteousness.  All the upright in heart shall follow it.

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?  Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?  Unless the Lord [had been] my help, my soul had almost dwelled in silence.  When I said, “My foot slips.”  Your mercy, Lord, held me up.  In the abundance of my thoughts within me, Your comforts delight my soul.

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with You; they frame mischief by law?  They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.  But the Lord is my defense.  My God [is] the rock of my refuge.  And He shall bring on them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness.  The Lord our God shall cut them off. [2]

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[1] Many consider this to be a Psalm of the Incarnation.  The prayer, “show Yourself,” is a cry for Epiphany.  God judges the earth solely in the Christ event.  Jesus “knows the thoughts of man.”  We see also that the way of victory is the way of the cross: each of us must bear our cross, and “this present light affliction” is in reality a blessing (See Hebrews 12:1-21).  This path, which Christ has established for us, flows from His Incarnation.  “God became man, so that man could become god.”  Christ turns the curse of the law into the gift of life by His perfect obedience.  The Psalmist notes that in the Incarnation, the King has returned to the battlefield to fight for His people, “trampling down death by death.”  As David faced Goliath; so now, Jesus faces the cross.  As Goliath spells certain defeat for David, so the cross means defeat for Jesus.  Surprise of all surprises, “death is swallowed up in victory.”  The Incarnate One is raised.  “Death is overthrown.”  The wicked are cut off by the cross.  The Incarnate One has confronted the wicked with “their own wickedness.”  “On that very day their plans perish.”

The setting is in the Tabernacle or Temple in God’s Presence, facing Him in direct conversation.  In the Old Testament, only a handful of priests and Levites had such the privilege of being directly in God’s Presence; only a few of these were allowed to talk with God personally: for example, Moses, Samuel, and David, but not Eli.  We take the privilege of prayer for granted, because we receive it so freely, since it was granted to The Church at Pentecost, 33 AD.  This is a gift we should treasure more, because it was once rare among believers.  The honest cry of believers is, “How long shall the wicked triumph?”  How long shall wicked leaders and politicians get away with their frauds?  How long shall an anarchistic populace get away with their violent rebellion against God?  All of these wicked rascals are self-deceived into believing that they are getting away with their crimes.  They get away with nothing.

The psalmist affirms that God knows: God knows everything.  We ought not be tempted to reduce this poetry to a scientific expression such as omniscience.  Except for rare occasions we should neglect words like omniscience and focus on the poetry and hymnology.  It is the rich poetic expression that draws us close to God and enriches our understanding.  The last question breaks off unexpectedly to force us to think about what the poetry means.  The obvious completion to, “He Who teaches man knowledge,” is shall He not know?  Of course, the answers are all equally obvious.  The point is not to engage us in triviality.  The point we must learn is that our mere earthly lives are empty, unless God is pleased to fill them.  In God’s presence we learn to put the injustices and unfairnesses of earthly life in perspective.  The degree to which these things upset us, indicates how much we need to spend more time with God.

In God’s presence, we learn the value of punishment (Hebrews 12:3-11).  It is simply impossible to learn righteousness without suffering.  Jesus baptizes with the Holy Ghost and with fire, never without the fire.  Eventually, we hope to accept trouble as a friend and even give thanks for it.

The psalmist looks for a Champion, someone to fight his battles for him: for in life, his enemies are so powerful that he knows only defeat.  Ultimately we find this Champion in Jesus.

Lest we be tempted to think of this conflict as the light and dark side, or the yin yang of God, the psalmist directs us away from such foolish pagan temptations.  In the presence of God, the psalmist beholds only light and beauty, only righteousness and strength.  Darkness has no fellowship here, and will be cut off completely.  What goes around will cease to come around: for God will put an end to it.

[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.

These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

Psalm 67:1-7

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 67:1-7[1]

To the Chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm [or] Song.

God, be merciful to us.  Bless us.  Cause His face to shine on us.[2]  Consider.

That Your way may be known on earth, Your saving health among all nations.  Let the people praise You, O God.  Let all the people praise You.  Let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth.  Consider.

Let the people praise You, O God.  Let all the people praise You.  [Then] shall the earth yield her increase.  God, our own God, shall bless us.  God shall bless us.  All the ends of the earth shall fear Him.[3]

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[1] Psalm 67 is a sung, poetic analysis of the Great Benediction of Moses.  It leads us to weigh the question, to what end did Moses bless?  Is it only for Israel?  Or, is it far broader in scope?  Is God’s choice of Israel far greater than Israel’s mere existence as a nation?

The Psalm does not leave us in doubt about these sorts of questions.  Immediate declaration is made for the whole earth, all nations, all people.  Israel lost sight of this greater purpose: they wallowed in idolatry, split over petty political reasons, walked away from God completely.  Finally, God gave them up about 586 BC.  Around 516 BC, God permitted them to return to the Holy Land, but He would no longer dwell among them.  Suddenly, in 4 BC He returned with great Glory visible in The Star, but only a few astronomers, shepherds, and Herod paid the event much attention.  Today, this same task, the task of bringing peace to the whole world, is delegated to the New Israel of God, The Church.  Moreover, the Holy Ghost is given to each member of The Church in the baptism of Jesus.  The Holy Ghost’s work is to fill us with the power of God, and make us like Jesus, so that we can complete our peace bringing mission.  In spite of this, it appears that The Church has also lost sight of the greater purpose of God, and split over petty political differences into thousands of fragments.  The houses of God are important, and ought to be beautiful, but it appears that some have forgotten that “God does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 7:48-53; 17:24-31).”  It is that same gift, the Holy Ghost, Who makes His temple in the heart, until each believer becomes a perfect stone, “chosen by God, and precious (1 Peter 2:4-10).”  The Great Architect Himself fits each stone into his or her perfect place in the Heavenly City.

Thus peace will be brought to all people, the earth will yield its increase without famine or violence, and God will bless us; when all people, all the ends of the earth fear God and praise Him.  Let us remember then, our greater purpose, and let us find a way to forgive each other, set aside our petty political differences, and with one voice praise God together, calling the world to Him in peace.  Now, how can all people come together with one voice of praise to Almighty God, if The Church remains divided?

A word of caution is due, this is not an exhortation to make peace with those who hate God and live in defiance of Him.  This is not a plea to look the other way at the violation of the Sanctity of Worship, of Life, or of Marriage.  Such peace can only come with the obedience to the Law made possible by the Resurrection of Christ: it has no place for idolaters, murderers, adulterers, such as we once were (1 Corinthians 6:8-11).  No, we are far from perfect, but we are forgiven.  There is a place in God’s forgiveness for you too.  This is such a wonderful gift.  You really should take it.

[2] This is the center piece of the Great Benediction of Moses (Numbers 6:24-26), which indicates that this Psalm is a commentary on that Benediction.  As the Benediction ends with peace, this Psalm is concerned with details about the coming and nature of this peace.

[3] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.

These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

Psalm 45:1-17

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 45:1-17[1]

To the chief Musician on Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.

My heart is recording a good matter.  I speak of the things that I have made touching the king.  My tongue [is] the pen of a ready writer.

You are fairer than the children of men.  Grace is poured on Your lips.  Therefore, God has blessed You forever.  Gird Your sword on [Your] thigh, O [most] mighty, with Your Glory and Your majesty.  In Your majesty ride prosperously, because of truth, meekness, [and] righteousness.  Your right hand shall teach You terrifying things.  Your arrows [are] sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies.  The people fall under You.

Your throne, O God, [is] forever and ever.  The scepter of Your kingdom [is] a scepter of justice (right).  You love righteousness, and hate wickedness.  Therefore, God, Your God, has Christened You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows.[2]  All Your garments [smell] of myrrh, aloes, [and] cassia, from the ivory palaces, whereby they have made You glad.

Kings’ daughters [were] among Your honorable women.  On Your right hand stood the queen in gold of Ophir.  Listen, O daughter, Consider, Incline your ear.  Forget also your own people, and your father’s house.  So shall the king greatly desire your beauty: for he [is] your Lord.  Worship Him.  The daughter of Tyre [shall be there] with a gift.  The rich among the people shall beg your favor.  The king’s daughter [is] all glorious within.  Her clothing [is] of wrought gold.  She shall be brought to the king in raiment of needlework.  The virgins, her companions that follow her, shall be brought to You.  With gladness and rejoicing, they shall be brought.  They shall enter the king’s palace.

Instead of your fathers, shall be your children, whom you may make princes in all the earth.  I will make your name to be remembered in all generations.  Therefore, the people shall praise you forever and ever.[3]

---

[1] The title shows us that this is a love song.  The author's preface indicates that the author is very excited about being chosen for this honor: his role is that of poet laureate.  The subject matter divides itself into two main parts, with a brief conclusion indicating the further development of the kingdom.  We have separated a portion of the first part for special emphasis, not because the subject matter has changed, but because it is so clearly messianic, being part of the introduction of Hebrews 1.  Nevertheless, the king’s throne cannot really be distinguished from the king’s righteous character.  Likewise the conclusion is really attached to the queen’s character and cannot be distinguished from it.  The Psalm looks first at Solomon as the type (icon) of the perfect messianic king, and then to Jesus who is the reality of the perfect messianic king.  In Jesus, the things we perceive as serious flaws in the life of Solomon, are turned into good, as Jesus, the true Solomon, consummates the royal wedding.  It is not accidental that the name Solomon means Peace.

The king is flawless, both in his strength and behavior.  This is an idealized standard to which Solomon could never attain.  The king’s weapons (his sword and his arrows) are seen as overpowering (the people fall) and terrifying.  Even so these weapons are “truth, meekness, and righteousness.”  We now understand that to be conquered by this king is to be blessed by his redemption.  Solomon’s reign lasted a mere forty years, but the true Solomon will reign eternally.  He is Christ, the Anointed or Christened One.  Consequently, His life is a sweet smelling aroma to the Father.

The king perfects His bride until she is a worthy match for the king.  Her beauty is unexcelled.  She is to worship the King.  “God became man so that man could become god.”  It would have been gross idolatry for any of Solomon’s wives to worship him.  This speaks of the Bride of Christ, The Church who worships God, her King appropriately.  Even Solomon’s sin in the accumulation of wives pictures a type (icon) of the kingdom of God; here in the description of the exceptional bridesmaids.  These are a picture of the many Gentiles, who will join the Israelites in the worship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  We now know that these are all joined together as the One Bride of Christ: for the walls of partition have been torn down (Ephesians 2:14-18).

The Spiritual consummation of the perfect royal couple results in salvation that spreads throughout the whole earth and for all time (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:14-18).  As the King’s character is most visible in His enthronement, so the queen’s character is most visible in her rich productivity, giving birth to redeemed children.  The outcome of this Glorious growth is eternal praise for God.

[2] Hebrews 1:8-9

[3] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.

These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

Psalm 10:1-18 rA

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 10:1-18[1]

Why do You stand at a distance, Lord?  Will You hide in times of trouble?

The wicked in pride persecutes the poor.  Let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined: for the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, and blesses the covetous, [whom] the Lord abhors.  The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek….  God[2] is not in all his thoughts.  His ways are always grievous.  Your judgments [are] far above, out of his sight.  He puffs at all his enemies.  He has said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for [I shall] never [be] in adversity.  His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud.  Under his tongue [is] mischief and vanity.  He sits in the lurking places of the villages.  In the secret places he murders the innocent.  His eyes are secretly set against the poor.  He lies in wait secretly as a lion in his den.  He lies in wait to catch the poor.  He catches the poor, when he draws him to his net.  He crouches, [and] humbles himself, so that the poor may fall by his strong ones.  He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten.  He hides His face.  He will never see.”[3]

Arise, Lord.  O God, lift up Your hand.  Forget not the humble.

Why does the wicked scorn God?  He has said in his heart, “You will not require [it].”

You have seen: for You behold mischief and spite, to retaliate with Your hand.  The poor commits himself to You.  You are the helper of the fatherless.  Break the arm of the wicked and the evil.  Seek out his wickedness [until] You find none.

The Lord [is] King forever and ever.  The heathen are perished from His land.  Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble.  You will prepare their heart, You will cause Your ear to hear, to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth[4] may no more oppress.[5]

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[1] The psalmist cries out in anguish.  It seems as if Yahweh is not paying attention to the cruelties on earth, cruelties that persist in direct violation of Yahweh’s Law.

The psalmist continues with a summary of wicked behavior and the reasons behind it.  It is notable that the idea of justice expressed here is that the wicked should “taken in their own imagined devices.”  Let the usurer fall in usury.  Let the slaver become a slave.  Let the robber be robbed.  Let the murderer be murdered.  The psalmist also notes that the wicked are usually prosperous in this life; they pursue evil because they don’t believe in God.

The psalmist cries out for God to take action.

As the first half of the psalm begins with the question, “Why do You stand at a distance;” now the psalmist asks “Why does the wicked scorn God?”  The answer is given immediately, echoing the summary of thoughts about the wicked: in brief, God will never judge.

In contrast the psalmist proclaims that God does see and retaliate against wickedness.  The poor and fatherless are in good hands.  These oppressed victims will not only be vindicated, but wickedness will one day be eradicated from the earth, the arms of evil doers will be broken.

Yahweh’s kingdom is entirely different than the kingdoms of the earth, which are characterized by evil.  In Yahweh’s kingdom all heathen behavior is obliterated, because Yahweh, does hear, he does judge, and in due time he will put a stop to all evil.

[2] In many Psalms the terms Yahweh and God are virtually interchangeable, as in the New Testament where Yahweh is not used at all.  In Psalm 10 this may highlight a subtle play on words: for God can also be god or even judge, where it speaks of pagan idols or earthly judges.  The heathen wicked are unafraid of Yahweh, the living God: for none of their idols take action against their wrong doing.  As far as earthly judges are concerned, these all look the other way, because they are profiting from the public crimes as well.  Yahweh, the living God is not like either of these at all: earthly behavior is very important to Him, and He will sit in judgment of it.

[3] The wicked believe that they have the God given right to oppress: that God will always look the other way.  The wicked believe that they have the upper hand because they have power to oppress, to bind wo/men in slavery, to defy God's Law.  They redefine sin and excuse it; but they have no real love for the sinner, and they don't know how to forgive.  They murder and think they have done God a favor; they pervert the sacrament of marriage and call it love.  They are deceived.  God hates oppression, God loathes every form of slavery, and will blot it out.

[4] The Psalms employ an incessant contrast between the man of God, and the man of the earth.  As we consider this contrast we conclude that earth must be a reference to several motifs in Scripture.  Part of Satan’s punishment is that he must crawl on his belly on the earth and eat dust (Genesis 3:14): consequently, the man of the earth refers to a slave of Satan.  Part of man’s punishment is that he must toil in the earth and return to dust in death (Genesis 3:17-19): hence, the man of the earth refers to a slave of his own toil, who never looks up or is lifted up to heavenly things.  The man of God is one whom God has lifted up: so that even after the body has fallen asleep still enjoys the gift of fellowship with God.  Having been lifted up by God, the man of God incessantly cries out to the man of the earth to repent and be lifted up, to accept the gift of God.

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