Category: Book 1

Psalm 13 expresses this tension in a believer’s life, as King David feels neglected and distanced from God. Yet this psalm also expresses the knowledge of God’s goodness and love, as King David reassures himself of God’s faithfulness to his covenant people. As with David, these truths should help assure us even when we feel…

Psalm 12 illustrates the cry and response of the faithful when surrounded by the faithless. Written by King David, it describes a time when it seemed to him that he was surrounded by the faithless, walking away from God. The psalm reminds us that God will protect and deliver his people, despite the trouble of…

Written by King David when his life fell apart (possibly Absalom’s rebellion – 2 Samuel 15-19), this psalm expresses confidence in God when everything you thought was fixed is overturned. After questioning the advice of his advisers to flee instead of trusting in God, David expresses his confidence in God to deliver and uphold his…

Psalm 10 presents a lament at the wicked and their evil deeds, and asks God to intervene. It probably serves as a twin to Psalm 9, since both are written in acrostic form (in Hebrew) using different parts of the Hebrew alphabet. The first eleven verses focus on the wicked and their evil, before a…

Psalm 9 presents a song of praise to God, the divine King who rules and judges the whole world. Written by King David, it probably forms a “twin” with psalm 10, because both psalms are roughly arranged in an acrostic form (in the Hebrew language). After spending the first twelve verses praising God as the…

Psalm 8 gives praise to God for his majesty, reminds us of our comparative smallness, yet gives thanks to God that he has granted us dominion over the world he made.

David also suffered misrepresentations and false accusations. While the situation which brought about Psalm 7 is not known to us, it is clear that opponents of David sought him harm by falsehoods. Instead of seeking to justify himself in his own strength, David taught us how to respond when this happens to us – to…

Psalm 6, an individual song of lament intended for corporate singing, is one psalm which appears to confront the suffering experienced from our sin. Known from the days of the early Church as one of seven “penitential psalms”, the song expresses David’s cry to God for forgiveness, deliverance, and his expectant hope in restoration.

In Psalm 5, another song of individual lament by David, we see this question answered. We can cry out to God in times of difficulty because of God’s character, and as a result trust that he will lead us in the way of righteousness and vindicate us as he defeats our enemies.

Psalm 4 is a song written in a time of distress, possibly similar in circumstances to Psalm 3. Psalm 4 expresses confidence in God, in whom we may find peace in times of distress. After a brief prayer to God to hear his call, David describes his enemies and calls them to repentance, and then…