Psalm 96, A New Song!

Like Psalms 93 and 95, this psalm is a call to worship, a call to begin worship with singing. Kidner argues that this psalm represents the march of the ark into Jerusalem and suggests that parts of this psalm, along with parts of Psalms 105 and 106, were sung by Asaph and others, at the orders of King David, when the ark first entered Jerusalem (see 1 Chronicles 16:7-36.)

Psalm 96:1-2, Sing!

 Sing to the LORD a new song; 

sing to the LORD, all the earth.

 Sing to the LORD, praise his name; 

proclaim his salvation day after day.

The song begins with a challenge, to sing to YHWH a new song. I do recall, in my younger days, longing to hear something new in worship! (Of course now, at 70, I can be a grumbly old man muttering, "I never heard of that one!") 

The first verses build with a threefold repetition of "Sing!". Everyday, says the psalmist, we are to sing of God's glory, proclaiming His protective works around us.

Psalm 96:3-4, Great among nations, greater than all gods!

 Declare his glory among the nations, 

his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; 

he is to be feared above all gods.

As both Kidner and Alter point out, the perspective here is global, looking to all the world, looking to the Gentile nations especially, telling them of the work of the God of Israel. The last verse is almost identical with verse 3 of the previous psalm.

Psalm 96:5, The True God

 For all the gods of the nations are idols, 

but the LORD made the heavens.

Lest we misunderstand the phrase "above all gods" in the previous verse, this verse reminds us that the other gods are but fake idols; they are not the One Creator of the universe!

Psalm 96:6-10a, Ascribe!

 Splendor and majesty are before him; 

strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, 

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; 

bring an offering and come into his courts.

 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth.

 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." 

Alter translates the first line here as "Greatness and grandeur are before Him," attempting to preserve the alliteration in the Hebrew text, "hod wehadar."

Psalm 96:10b, Established and stable

The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; 

he will judge the peoples with equity.

Once again, YHWH is described as establishing the earth, keeping it stable -- not just physically but also stable in justice.

Psalm 96:11-13, Heavens, sea, field, trees rejoice!

 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; 

let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

 let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. 

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

 they will sing before the LORD, for he comes,

 he comes to judge the earth. 

He will judge the world in righteousness 

and the peoples in his truth.

Personification is given to the earth, the sea, the trees ... to the immaterial things in God's creation. They are also to rejoice, be glad, be jubilant and sing.

First published August 22, 2024, last updated August 22, 2027

Psalm 95, Venite!

Like Psalm 93 and several psalms immediately after this, this song is a call to worship. The Septuagint attibutes this to David and in the New Testament Hebrews 4:7 has this as coming "through David", a term that might simply mean (suggests Kidner) "in psalms [of David]." Regardless, the joyous call to worship in this psalm, and in those around it, continue the spirit of David's worship.

Psalm 95:1-3, Come!

 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; 

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

 Let us come before him with thanksgiving

 and extol him with music and song.

 For the LORD is the great God, 

the great King above all gods.

The song begins with an exuberant call to worship YHWH is song, shouting and, surely, dancing! According to Kidner, this psalm, from ancient Christian times, was called "Venite!", Latin for "O, Come!" This is an appropriate name for this worship song.

Says Alter, "Later Jewish tradition made this the first in a sequence of psalms chanted as a prelude to the Friday evening prayer for welcoming the Sabbath, evidently because the Sabbath was seen as a celebration of creation."

Psalm 95:4-5, The sea is His

 In his hand are the depths of the earth, 

and the mountain peaks belong to him.

 The sea is his, for he made it, 

and his hands formed the dry land.

All parts of the earth were created -- and are controlled -- by God. For the ancient Canaanite, control of the chaotic raging sea was especially impressive.

Psalm 95:6-7a, Kneel, bow down

 Come, let us bow down in worship, 

let us kneel before theLORD our Maker;

 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, 

the flock under his care. 

As Kidner points out, this is a call to prostrate oneself before YHWH, to be deliberately humble and subservient in his presence.

Psalm 95:7b-11, Remember Meribah and Massah!

Today, if you hear his voice,

 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,

 as you did that day at Massah in the desert,

 where your fathers tested and tried me,

 though they had seen what I did.

 For forty years I was angry with that generation;

 I said,"They are a people whose hearts go astray, 

and they have not known my ways."

 So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."

The event at Meribah and Massah is recorded in Exodus 17:1-7, and Numbers 20:1-13. The speaker changes at the beginning of verse 8; suddenly the voice of YHWH enters, recalling that ancient testing, and warning against it.

That ancient rebellion helped keep Israel out of the Rest offered by the land of Canaan. In the New Testament, this passage is extensively quoted in the letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 3:7-15.) There the author warns his readers that just as the Israelites were denied the Rest of the Promised Land, the Jews of the first century were warned against turning away from the Rest offered by the Messiah, Yeshuah. That argument, learning heavily on Psalm 95, continues in Hebrews 4.

This is a "close companion", says Kidner, to Psalm 81, which also rings with shouts of joy at an ordained feast (the Feast of Tabernacles?) Kidner suggests that this song too was sung at the Feast of Tabernacles.

First published August 21, 2024, last updated August 21, 2027

Psalm 94, Slippery Feet in a Wicked World

In between Psalms 93 and 95, both calling the listener to worship, is this psalm of supplication. If not written by David, it is certainly in the spirit of many of his psalms.

Psalm 94:1-2, Rise up!

 O LORD, the God who avenges, 

O God who avenges, shine forth.

 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; 

pay back to the proud what they deserve.

The psalmist calls for YHWH God to stand up and judge the earth, especially the dangerous proud. Alter says that the first line, calling for the God of Vengeance, is sharp and strong. (The strong Hebrew root neqamah ( נְקָמָה), translated here "who avenges", is "fudged", weakened, by English translations, says Alter.)

Psalm 94:3-4, How long?

 How long will the wicked, O LORD, 

how long will the wicked be jubilant?

 They pour out arrogant words; 

all the evildoers are full of boasting.

The wicked and the arrogant are the same here; they have no concerns about God and boast of their wickedness. The plaintive "how long?", followed by frustrations about the arrogant and wicked, is certainly a common theme in David's psalms.

Psalm 94:5-7, Oppressors! Murderers!

 They crush your people, O LORD;

they oppress your inheritance.

 They slay the widow and the alien;

they murder the fatherless.

 They say, "The LORD does not see;

 the God of Jacob pays no heed."

The psalm continues with a global perspective, concerned about the people of Israel. The wicked are not just arrogant. They oppress the people of God; they oppress and murder the vulnerable. Their taunt is that YHWH does not see and that YHWH ignores their wickedness. The response to this taunt is in the next passage.

Psalm 94:8-9, The One Who makes the ear, hears!

 Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; 

you fools, when will you become wise?

 Does he who implanted the ear not hear? 

Does he who formed the eye not see?

The challenge in the last verse -- can you believe the God who made the ear cannot, Himself, hear? Or that the God who made the eye cannot, Himself, see?

Psalm 94:10, The One Who teaches, judges!

 Does he who disciplines nations not punish? 

Does he who teaches man lack knowledge?

The questioning verse about ears and eyes continues with a question about justice -- all justice and knowledge flow out of God and so as He can see and hear, he can also judge the nations.

Psalm 94:11, Man's thoughts are futile.

 The LORD knows the thoughts of man; 

he knows that they are futile.

Following on to the questions about judgment, a verdict is rendered. Indeed, man's thoughts are futile.

Psalm 94:12-15, But those who follow YHWH...

 Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, 

the man you teach from your law;

 you grant him relief from days of trouble, 

till a pit is dug for the wicked.

 For the LORD will not reject his people; 

he will never forsake his inheritance.

 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, 

and all the upright in heart will follow it.

As the singer focuses on those who are followers of YHWH, the psalm turns. Among the people in the previous verses, the individual who leans on YHWH and so receives YHWH's discipline and teaching, is blessed and protected from the punishment coming to the wicked. Of special interest are the people of Israel, God's "inheritance."

Psalm 94:16-17, Back to the wicked

 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? 

Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?

 Unless the LORD had given me help, 

I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.

The psalmist struggles to focus on YHWH and the blessing for His followers. The attention of our singer is quickly pulled back to the problems of the wicked. Only YHWH really gives him help; without YHWH the psalmist would have descended into death.

Psalm 94:18-19, When my foot was slipping

 When I said, "My foot is slipping,"

your love, O LORD, supported me.

 When anxiety was great within me, 

your consolation brought joy to my soul.

Back and forth the psalmist goes, walking a narrow path of peace and consolation, then weary of the success of evil, sliding off that path, then grabbed and pulled back onto the ledge where consolation and joy ease his anxiety. The last few verses are no longer global but personal, in first person.

Psalm 94:20, No corrupt throne!

 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you-- 

one that brings on misery by its decrees?

All of this makes a king alert to the need for justice and not corruption.

Psalm 94:21-23, Band, fortress, resolution

 They band together against the righteous 

and condemn the innocent to death.

 But the LORD has become my fortress, 

and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

 He will repay them for their sins 

and destroy them for their wickedness; 

the LORD our God will destroy them.

The psalmist turns back to relying on God's eventual judgment of the wicked. Though the wicked might band together, they are nothing against the fortress and rock of YHWH God.

In contrast to the typical parallelism of two stichs (lines), the last verse has three stichs building an emphasis, God YHWH will indeed destroy them!, to close out the psalm.

Some Random Thoughts

I have been working through this psalm while acutely aware of the injustice in the world. A Russian dictator bombs hospitals and schools in Ukraine while a US media celebrity worships at his feet. A corrupt US president tells a multitude of lies and his political power only grows even stronger. A US political party (to which I once belonged) bows down to him; many people who identify as Christians seem to worship him. Meanwhile Hamas gleefully massacres innocent civilians in Israel and Israel responds with bombings that kills thousands of noncombatants, many of them women and children.  

How can this continue? How long, O Lord?

I am very familiar with our singer's line in verse 18, as he comes close to slipping. Everyday I am slipping; everyday I am anxious and angry at the wicked. And so I must be consoled by this psalm -- God is ultimately in charge, and I am a member of His kingdom!

First published August 20, 2024, last updated August 20, 2027

Psalm 93, Ruler of the Crashing Seas!

This short praise song compares God's majesty with the awesome power of the waves of the sea. It is the first of seven psalms (93, 95--100, says Kidner) that begin with similar calls to worship.

Psalm 93:1-2, YHWH reigns!

 The LORD reigns, 

he is robed in majesty;

 the LORD is robed in majesty 

and is armed with strength. 

The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

 Your throne was established long ago; 

you are from all eternity.

The call to worship begins with an exclamation, "YHWH reigns!" The Creator of the universe holds court over a stable and established world, created and maintained from long ago.

Psalm 93:3-4, Greater than the chaotic seas

 The seas have lifted up, O LORD,

 the seas have lifted up their voice; 

the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, 

mightier than the breakers of the sea-- 

the LORD on high is mighty.

Even the powerful chaotic seas praise the Lord on High!

Hear the rhythm of the waves in the building triplets of lines, first in the pounding of "seas lifted up..., seas lifted up..., seas lifted up...,", and then in the ascending "mightier than..., mightier than..., mighty!"

Psalm 93:5, Decorated with holiness

 Your statutes stand firm; 

holiness adorns your house for endless days, O LORD.

The drumbeat of the waves suddenly ends with a declaration -- even God's statutes are stable and firm, part of the righteousness and holiness of His house.

First published August 19, 2024, last updated August 19, 2027

Psalm 92, Joyous Praise on a Beautiful Sabbath Day

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

This psalm is anonymous but designated for Sabbath worship.

Psalm 92:1-3, Make music!

 It is good to praise the LORD 

and make music to your name, O Most High,

 to proclaim your love in the morning 

and your faithfulness at night,

 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre 

and the melody of the harp.

The psalm begins with a joyous declaration of praise embedded in music. Note the three stanzas of parallelism: 

"praise YHWH/make music to Most High", 

"love in morning/faithfulness at night", 

"music on lyre/melody of harp".

Psalm 92:4-5, Great works

 For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; 

I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

 How great are your works, O LORD, 

how profound your thoughts!

The psalmist praises the works of God, in general terms. Here four stichs are all parallel, repeating, growing the same praise statement.

Psalm 92:6-9, YHWH over all evil

 The senseless man does not know, 

fools do not understand,

 that though the wicked spring up like grass

and all evildoers flourish,

they will be forever destroyed.

 But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.

 For surely your enemies, O LORD, 

surely your enemies will perish; 

all evildoers will be scattered.

God is praised for His victory over enemies -- and in the middle of this declaration, the psalmist inserts a exaltation for all of eternity. The wicked are like grass, fast growing but fast dying.

Psalm 92:10-11, Uplifted me

 You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; 

fine oils have been poured upon me.

 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; 

my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

Here the praise focuses on the personal gifts and salvation that the psalmist has received. In the first stanza the synthetic parallelism shows an exuberant wild ox and then one enjoying luxurious oils, as if in a bath. (Or, says Kidner, like oils in a consecration ceremony.) In the second stanza, the defeat of enemies is first seen, then heard.

Psalm 92:12-13, A flourishing tree

 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, 

they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

planted in the house of the LORD, 

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

The Hebrew word tsuwts (צוּץ), describes the "flourish" of the wicked in verse 7, earlier. Here parach (פָרַח) describes the "flourish" of the righteous in verses 12 and 13, where it includes the concept of "sprout". Both verbs might be applied to flowering plants. The wicked flourish for a moment (verse 7) but eventually the righteous sprout and take over the garden.

The tree metaphor, both as cedar or palm, appears here, comparing the righteous to a flourishing tree. Like the opening psalm, Psalm 1:3-4, fading grass and flourishing tree describe the passing of the wicked and the stability of the righteous.

Psalm 92:14-15, My Rock

 They will still bear fruit in old age, 

they will stay fresh and green,

 proclaiming, "The LORD is upright; 

he is my Rock, 

and there is no wickedness in him."

Those who rely on God continue to stay fresh and green, like a well-watered tree, even in their old age. (As I enter my eighth decade, I hope this is so!)

At the end of the psalm we return to the theme of the beginning: it is good to praise YHWH!

According to Kidner, the hymn Sweet is the work, my God, my King, by Isaac Watts, is based on this psalm. That ancient slow-moving hymn is contrasted by Caroline Cobb's Good to Give Thanks song, also based on this psalm, which challenges one to dance, to clap hands and stomp their feet! The Sabbath celebration is to be a raucous one!

First published August 17, 2024, last updated August 17, 2027

Psalm 91, My Eternal Refuge

This anonymous psalm focuses on YHWH as one's refuge, a place to hide in times of trouble. The Septuagint introduces this as "a David psalm" -- see here -- and it surely sounds like David, but in the Masoretic Text it is anonymous.

Psalm 91:1-2, Rest, Refuge

 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High 

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

 I will say of the LORD, 

"He is my refuge and my fortress, 

my God, in whom I trust."

God is identified as a shelter, a refuge, a fortress.

Psalm 91:3-4, Under his wings

 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare

 and from the deadly pestilence.

 He will cover you with his feathers, 

and under his wings you will find refuge; 

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

The voice changes from that of one relying on God to the psalmist encouraging the first voice. As Alter points out, this psalm has three voices: it begins with the man relying on God, followed by the poet who encourages this reliance, and finally ends with the voice of God Himself.

The one who relies on God is like a small chick, hiding under the wings of a more powerful protective mother. Towards the end of his ministry, Jesus uses this metaphor in Matthew 23:37, when he expresses the desire to pull Jerusalem under his wings.

Psalm 91:5-6, Night, day, darkness, midday

 You will not fear the terror of night,

 nor the arrow that flies by day,

 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, 

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Night, day, darkness, midday -- no time of day will be a threat. The vague threats at night and darkness  -- terrors and pestilence -- won't harm one. Neither will the daytime threats -- arrows or plagues.

Psalm 91:7, Even if ten thousand fall

 A thousand may fall at your side, 

ten thousand at your righthand, 

but it will not come near you.

This is a tricolon, three lines (stichs) where the first two are essentially parallel, leading to a final, dramatic contrast: those fall, those fall, you won't!

Psalm 91:8, But the wicked

 You will only observe with your eyes 

and see the punishment of the wicked.

In the midst of battle, the psalmist is protected. But he is allowed to see the punishment of those who do not trust in YHWH.

Psalm 91:9-13, No harm

 If you make the Most High your dwelling--

even the LORD, who is my refuge--

 then no harm will befall you, 

no disaster will come near your tent.

 For he will command his angels concerning you 

to guard you in all your ways;

 they will lift you up in their hands, 

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; 

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

This passage promises protection in all circumstances. God's angels protect His followers, preventing them from harm -- from falling against rocks on their travels or being attacked by deadly animals along the way.

It is good to have the message of Job as a balance to this passage, for even under God's protection, there is still calamity and earthly defeat. In the temptations of Jesus, Satan cites this passage (Matthew 4:5-7) when he suggests that Jesus throw himself off the temple roof. Jesus's response demonstrates a deeper understanding of these claims.

Psalm 91:14-16, Long life and salvation

 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;

 I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

 He will call upon me,

and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation."

The psalm ends with the voice of YHWH, Who looks over and protects those who come to Him, who love Him and worship Him.

Caroline Cobb has an album on the psalms. (You can find Caroline Cobb on Spotify here.) Her rendition of Psalm 91 is My Refuge, My Fortress.

First published August 16, 2024, last updated August 16, 2027

Psalm 90, Fragile, Ephemeral Humanity

We begin Book IV of the psalter. This book contains psalms 90 through 106.

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

This is the only psalm in the psalter attributed to Moses. Alter says that the name of Moses appears seven times in Book IV; only once in the psalter elsewhere.

Psalm 90:1-2, God Eternal

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 

Before the mountains were born 

or you brought forth the earth and the world, 

from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

God is eternal, looking over thousands of generations.

Psalm 90:3-4, The flow of a thousand years

You turn men back to dust, saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men." 

For a thousand years in your sight 

are like a day that has just gone by, 

or like a watch in the night.

If God is eternal, mankind is ephemeral, here in one moment, gone in the next. A thousand years in God's sight is like a passing day, even a mere fraction of the day, a mere watch of the night. The three stichs, "For a thousand years... day... watch in the night" is not an equation (not "1000 years = 1 day") but a statement about the irrelevance of time from God's perspective. As C. S. Lewis's character, Aslan, says, "I call all times 'soon'" (Voyage of the Dawn Treader.)

The Hebrew word translated "dust" by the NIV is dakka (דַּכָּא), at times meaning "destroyed", "contrite", "crushed". It could be translated here as "powder." It is not the Hebrew word for dust, aphar (עָפָר), that appears in Genesis 2:7. The word translated "men" is the generic adam (אָדָם), and here is surely an allusion to the creation of man in Genesis.

Psalm 90:5-6, Grass for half a day

You sweep men away in the sleep of death;

 they are like the new grass of the morning--

though in the morning it springs up new, 

by evening it is dry and withered.

The description of man's frailty changes: man is like fresh grass in the morning that disappears by evening. (See also Isaiah 40:6-7.)

Psalm 90:7-10, Our desperation

We are consumed by your anger 

and terrified by your indignation. 

You have set our iniquities before you, 

our secret sins in the light of your presence.

All our days pass away under your wrath; 

we finish our years with a moan.

The length of our days is seventy years-- 

or eighty, if we have the strength; 

yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, 

for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

Commentator Robert Alter says that the Hebrew words in verse 7 for "anger" and "terror" continue the image of heat blowing away the grass.

The human condition is described here as a mere 70 years, maybe 80, set against the eternity of God. We humans are transparent to Him, living a short, fleeting life. The psalmist reminds God of our weaknesses and His power.

Psalm 90:11-13, Relent

 Who knows the power of your anger? 

For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.

 Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

 Relent, O LORD! How long will it be? 

Have compassion on your servants.

In Deuteronomy 32, a song of Moses, we are told that even though the people of Israel turn away and then feel God's wrath, eventually He will "relent" (Deuteronomy 32:36) and "vindicate His people." Here, in verse 13, the psalmist asks that YHWH "relent" and have compassion on His servants who have only a small number of days.

While begging for compassion, the psalmist also reminds human readers of the need for wisdom on the shortness of our lives. Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 dwells on this teaching, on the wisdom in recognizing the shortness and frailty of each human life.  

This song of Moses reminds me of a Jars of Clay song, Frail, also on the brokenness of us mere mortals.

Psalm 90:14-16, Glad for our days

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, 

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, 

for as many years as we have seen trouble.

 May your deeds be shown to your servants, 

your splendor to their children.

As our human lives are so short, the psalmist asks that God's servants feel His love and sing for joy, that they enjoy the few days given them, and pass on to the next generation an understanding of the works of God.

Psalm 90:17, Establish the work of our hands!

 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; 

establish the work of our hands for us-- 

yes, establish the work of our hands.

The psalm ends with a plea to the eternal God to build up the mere mortals who seek to serve Him.

First published August 15, 2024, last updated August 15, 2027