For a full description of the (Y3) reading plan, see the “About” page.
- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Ps. 89
This Psalm goes into detail about God’s covenant with David and the benefits to those who trust in God. Though the promises apply to David, they only do so because they are both true of and fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is the everlasting offspring God promised to David and the reason God keeps His covenant in spite of our faults and faithlessness. At the same time, He is God’s true Anointed One, whom He has exalted from the people. He is God’s firstborn, the greatest of all Kings forever. Interestingly, the name, David, means “beloved”. So when God says these things of David, He is also saying them of His Beloved, who is Jesus.
It is also interesting that this Psalm ends with God’s rejection of His anointed. In hindsight, that is a clear prophecy that the Messiah would face suffering and rejection at His first coming. It even asks the question, “Who can save himself from the power of Sheol?” (Ps. 89:48b). God showed that He can. And because He did, through Jesus’ resurrection, He showed that He can save us, too.
Ps. 96
When I read the statement, “He judges the peoples fairly.” (Ps. 96:10b), my immediate thought was, “no, thank God He doesn’t!” If He judged us fairly, He would give us what we deserve, and that’s not good. Thankfully, He judges some with grace instead. When it says that God judges fairly, though, it means that He is justified in His judgments. He is justified because He is the standard to which we all fall short. So unless we accept His great grace, we deserve what we get.
I think the last verse says it all. I realize this is a type of Hebrew poetry that repeats the same thought in two similar but different statements. But the wording offers a different interpretation. “He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with His faithfulness.” (Ps. 96:13b). God’s righteousness is the standard by which He will measure and judge all inhabitants of the world. But His people, who have put their trust in Him, will be judged according to His faithfulness to His promise. This is the promise we just read about in Psalm 89. It is the promise that assures us He will attribute Jesus’ righteousness as ours in His measure.
Ps. 100
“He made us, and we are His; His people, the sheep of His pasture.” (Ps. 100:3b). God did indeed make us – in more ways than one. He first knit us together in our mother’s womb to make us the people that we are. Then, if we let Him, He makes us His by making us new creations in Christ. How should we respond to this awesome truth? “Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.” (Ps. 100:2).
Ps. 101
David makes some strong statements of faithfulness in this Psalm. I don’t know when he wrote it, but he clearly didn’t stick to them faultlessly. “A devious heart will be far from me; I will not be involved with evil.” (Ps. 101:4). Look no further than Uriah the Hittite to argue that one. David wasn’t perfect, but his heart was certainly in the right place. And if our desire is, as His was, for God, He gives us some good guidance in this Psalm as to how to live that out. Pay attention to the way of integrity – look for it and be intentional in walking in it. Don’t let anything worthless guide you. Instead, seek God daily. And every morning, destroy the wicked. Not so much the wicked of the land, as David stated. But, rather, any wickedness seeking to find its way into your life.
Ps. 105
I had to chuckle a little when I read the last verse in this Psalm. After giving a brief historical summary of the Israelites from Abraham to Moses, it says, “All this happened so that they might keep His statutes and obey His instructions. Hallelujah!” (Ps. 105:45). Remembering who God is and what He has done and promised to do should motivate us to remain faithful to Him. After all He has done, why wouldn’t we? For the most part, however, this wasn’t the case for the Israelites.
It wouldn’t be true for us either, but for the story behind the story. In truth, this all happened to execute God’s plan and bring about His Promise, who is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Because it is through Jesus that we receive God’s Holy Spirit. And it is His Spirit dwelling in us that enables us to keep His statutes and obey His instructions. Hallelujah!
Ps. 132
In the first half of this Psalm, David offers a prayer. “Rise up, LORD, come to your resting place…May your priests be clothed with righteousness, and may your faithful people shout for joy.” (Ps. 132:8a, 9). In the second half, God gives an answer to that prayer. “[Zion] is my resting place forever…I will clothe its priests with salvation, and its faithful people will shout for joy.” (Ps. 132:14a, 18). Once again, God revealed His redemption plan through the Psalms. God gave us Jesus, His Anointed One, to clothe us in His righteousness and make us a kingdom of priests so that He can dwell with us forever because He has desired it. This is our salvation. If that isn’t reason to shout for joy, I don’t know what is.