What are the first words out of your mouth in the morning? It isn’t natural for us to bound out of bed with a shout of praise, but what if we did set this as the tone for the day? Set your heart on God. Trust him in every situation. Speak of His goodness knowing that “Through God, we will do valiantly” as it says in Psalm 108:13. There are times when we face opposition and times when we are weak. Not every Psalm is a shout of praise, some are a lament that expresses our feelings as we pass through the challenges of life as in Psalm 109:3 (LEB) “They also surround me with words of hate, and fight me without cause”. It is in these times that we remember, and look forward to God’s promise knowing that our enemies are also His enemies in Psalm 110:1–2 (LEB) ‘A declaration of Yahweh to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”
I Will Wake the Dawn
Psalm 108:1-7
This Psalm begins with a declaration by the speaker in Psalm 108:1 “My heart is steadfast, O God” and it concludes with a declaration that “Through God we will do valiantly” in Psalm 108:13. The speaker is saying to God that right now, in the midst of whatever is going on, “My heart is steadfast” while I look forward in faith as you “tread down our enemies”. This is a forward-looking declaration and expectation that I will overcome.
This is not sung at the end of the day after the work is finished and I have time to relax before sleep. It is an early morning shout in Psalm 108:2 “I will awake the dawn”. Here there is a shout of praise at sunrise followed by a declaration of God’s goodness to all throughout the day in
Psalm 108:3 (LEB) “I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Yahweh; I will give you praise among the nations”
Then comes a reminder of the lands, the covenant, that God has promised by recounting the names of the places they are to possess in
Psalm 108:7-9 (LEB) “God has spoken in his holiness, “I will exult, I will divide up Shechem, and portion out the valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine … 9 Moab … Edom … Philistia I will shout in triumph.”
And finally, there is a request for God’s help, acknowledging that it is His strength we need and not our own in
Psalm 108:12 (LEB) “Give us help against the enemy, for the help of humankind is futile.
O God of My Praise
Psalm 109:1-10
Have you ever felt surrounded by accusations, lies, evil intent against you? This is exactly the situation in this lament that calls out to God for His action in
Psalm 109:1 (LEB) “O God of my praise, do not keep silent,”
There are times when you are doing good, intending the best for all around you, and yet, you find people that oppose you as in
Psalm 109:3 (LEB) They also surround me with words of hate, and fight me without cause.
For every good, they return evil and they make it impossible for you to have a right relationship with them in
Psalm 109:5 (LEB) “So they inflicted evil against me in return for good and hatred in return for my love”.
We sometimes forget that God has told us to choose blessing or cursing. Jesus came that all could be saved but not all will be. As it says in
1 Timothy 2:3–4 (LEB) “This is good and acceptable before God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth”.
and the thing that is good is in the verse just before this, 1 Timothy 2:2b “that we may live a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity”. But there is a time of judgment even now, before the final judgment, and if they have set themselves against God and against God’s children then in
Psalm 109:7 (LEB) “When he is judged, let him come out guilty, and let his prayer become as sin”.
He Did Not Delight in Blessing
Psalm 109:11-20
Your Loyal Love is Good
Yahweh Has Sworn and He Will Not Change His Mind
Psalm 108:1-7
Written by one who knew the throne of Israel and had a right relationship with God comes a declaration. But this is not just a declaration from David, but it is David speaking through the gift of prophecy, speaking by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, repeating the declaration that God himself has made about Jesus Christ, His Messiah in
Psalm 110:1–2 (LEB) ‘A declaration of Yahweh to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2 Yahweh will send out your mighty scepter from Zion; rule in the midst of your enemies’.
God himself has established this, a man, Jesus, established as a priest forever in
Psalm 110:4 (LEB) ‘Yahweh has sworn and he will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the manner of Melchizedek.” ’
and not only a priest but also king, as judge over all nations in
Psalm 110:5 (LEB) “O Lord, at your right hand he will shatter kings in the day of his anger”.
Study Verses
- Psalm 108:1-7 I Will Wake the Dawn
- Psalm 109:1-10 O God of My Praise
- Psalm 110:1-7 Yahweh Has Sworn and He Will Not Change His Mind
Today’s Reading
- Psalm 108:1-7
- Psalm 109:1-31
- Psalm 110:1-7