Psalm 25

In you, Lord my God,
    I put my trust.
I trust in you;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one who hopes in you    will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
    who are treacherous without cause.
Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
    for they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
    and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
    for you, Lord, are good.
Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way.
All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
For the sake of your name, Lord,
    forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
    He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
They will spend their days in prosperity,
    and their descendants will inherit the land.
The Lord confides in those who fear him;
    he makes his covenant known to them.
My eyes are ever on the Lord,
    for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
Relieve the troubles of my heart
    and free me from my anguish.
Look on my affliction and my distress
    and take away all my sins.
See how numerous are my enemies
    and how fiercely they hate me!
Guard my life and rescue me;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness protect me,
    because my hope, Lord, is in you.
Deliver Israel, O God,
    from all their troubles!

• Psalm 25:1-22

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach.  In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Imprecatory psalms: Asking for vengeance against enemies.  From the two examples above, these requests for vengeance are usually not specific in how God does it.  I have written about this type of psalm or prayer in that they are legitimate requests to God.  We know that God will eventually stamp out all evil in the world.  Praying that God would do as He promises that He will eventually do is legitimate, but when a face is applied to that evil, our first reaction should be one of forgiveness and mercy.

Penitential psalms:  Penitential psalms relate to penitence, but more specifically confession.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This psalm is full of devout affection to God, the out-goings of holy desires towards his favour and grace and the lively actings of faith in his promises. We may learn out of it, I. What it is to pray, ver. 1, 15. II. What we must pray for, the pardon of sin (ver. 6-7, 18), direction in the way of duty (ver. 4, 5), the favour of God (ver. 6), deliverance out of our troubles (ver. 17, 18), preservation from our enemies (ver. 20, 21), and the salvation of the church of God, ver. 22. III. What we may plead in prayer, our confidence in God (ver. 2, 3, 5, 20, 21), our distress and the malice of our enemies (ver. 17, 19), our sincerity, ver. 21. IV. What precious promises we have to encourage us in prayer, of guidance and instruction (ver. 8, 9, 12), the benefit of the covenant (ver. 10), and the pleasure of communion with God, ver. 13, 14.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 25:6 “[Recently], my daughter Jenna and I spent several days in the old city of Jerusalem … One afternoon, as we were exiting the Jaffa gate, we found ourselves behind an orthodox Jewish family—a father and his three small girls. One of the daughters, perhaps four or five years of age, fell a few steps behind and couldn’t see her father. ‘Abba!’ she called to him. He spotted her and immediately extended his hand …
“When the signal changed, he led her and her sisters through the intersection. In the middle of the street, he reached down and swung her up into his arms and continued their journey.
“Isn’t that what we all need? An abba who will hear when we call? Who will take our hand when we are weak? Who will guide us through the hectic intersections of life? Don’t we all need an abba who will swing us up into his arms and carry us home? We all need a father.”

• Max Lucado, The Great House of God

My Thoughts

We place our trust in the Lord.  David asks not to be put to shame.  People who love God will not put us to shame, but the treacherous will be put to shame.

This imprecatory statement is not bloodthirsty.  It does not single out anyone, but God’s justice will be done.

Yet, then the psalmist asks God to not remember the sins of his youth and his rebelliousness.  We all have that time in our lives, but then there is the sin from yesterday or an hour ago.  We ask God to forget the sins long past, and maybe we should not hang onto them either.  But then we ask God to forgive all our sin.

It is those who fear the Lord (with awe at His majesty) who will be granted prosperity and God will be gracious to them.

This may not be a guarantee, but in fearing God, praising God in good times and the bad times, we are more likely to be prosperous.  It being God’s will must also apply.

Psalm 26

Vindicate me, Lord,
    for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the Lord
    and have not faltered.
Test me, Lord, and try me,
    examine my heart and my mind;
for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
    and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
I do not sit with the deceitful,
    nor do I associate with hypocrites.
I abhor the assembly of evildoers
    and refuse to sit with the wicked.
I wash my hands in innocence,
    and go about your altar, Lord,
proclaiming aloud your praise
    and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
Lord, I love the house where you live,
    the place where your glory dwells.
Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
    my life with those who are bloodthirsty,
in whose hands are wicked schemes,
    whose right hands are full of bribes.
I lead a blameless life;
    deliver me and be merciful to me.
My feet stand on level ground;
    in the great congregation I will praise the Lord.

• Psalm 26:1-12

Type of Psalm

Psalms of Affliction: Psalms where the psalmist is crying out in pain or distress, asking God where He is in the psalmist’s time of need.  But no matter how dire the circumstances or how long the lament, there seems to always be a word of praise.  Otherwise, why do we go to God in such times, other than to recognize Him as the only one who can help us?

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“David is in this psalm putting himself upon a solemn trial, not by God and his country by God and his own conscience, to both which he appeals touching his integrity (ver. 1, 2), for the proof of which he alleges, I. His constant regard to God and his grace, ver. 3. II. His rooted antipathy to sin and sinners, ver. 4, 5. III. His sincere affection to the ordinances of God, and his care about them, ver. 6-8. Having thus proved his integrity, 1. He deprecates the doom of the wicked, ver. 9, 10. 2. He casts himself upon the mercy and grace of God, with a resolution to hold fast his integrity, and his hope in God, ver. 11, 12.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 26:8 “When it comes to resting your soul, there is no place like the Great House of God. ‘I ask only one thing from the Lord,’ [David] wrote, ‘This is what I want: Let me live in the Lord’s house all my life. Let me see the Lord’s beauty and look with my own eyes at his Temple’ (Psalm 27:4).
“If you could ask God for one thing, what would you request? David tells us what he would ask. He longs to live in the house of God. I emphasize the word live, because it deserves to be emphasized. David doesn’t want to chat. He doesn’t desire a cup of coffee on the back porch. He doesn’t ask for a meal or to spend an evening in God’s house. He wants to move in with him … forever. He’s asking for his own room … permanently. He doesn’t want to be stationed in God’s house, he longs to retire there. He doesn’t seek a temporary assignment, but rather lifelong residence.”

• Max Lucado, The Great House of God

My Thoughts

This psalm seems to have a similar starting point to the last psalm.

Please vindicate me?  That is a little different.  Someone has made an accusation, and the psalmist goes through all the ways that they have been faithful to God.  The psalmist is faithful, mindful of God’s wonderful attributes, and trusting in God, never faltering.  But then, the psalmist does not associate with those doing wicked deeds, the evil doers, the bloodthirsty, the hypocrite, those that take bribes.

The psalmist leads a blameless life – yet, God must vindicate him.  Someone is talking trash, making up lies.  It happens to all of us, and we spend our time defending ourselves against lies instead of spreading the Gospel.

Yet, we will still praise God.

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.
One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.
I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

• Psalm 27:1-14

Type of Psalm

Psalms of Affliction: Psalms where the psalmist is crying out in pain or distress, asking God where He is in the psalmist’s time of need.  But no matter how dire the circumstances or how long the lament, there seems to always be a word of praise.  Otherwise, why do we go to God in such times, other than to recognize Him as the only one who can help us?

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“Some think David penned this psalm before his coming to the throne, when he was in the midst of his troubles, and perhaps upon occasion of the death of his parents; but the Jews think he penned it when he was old, upon occasion of the wonderful deliverance he had from the sword of the giant, when Abishai succoured him (2 Sam. 21:16-17). Perhaps it was not penned upon any particular occasion; but it is very expressive of the pious and devout affections with which gracious souls are carried out towards God at all times, especially in times of trouble. I. The courage and holy bravery of his faith, ver. 1-3. II. The complacency he took in communion with God and the benefit he experienced by it, ver. 4-6. III. His desire towards God, and his favour and grace, ver. 7-9, 11, 12. IV. His expectations from God, and the encouragement he gives to others to hope in him, ver. 10, 13, 14.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 27:5 “What do we do with our disappointments? We could do what Miss Haversham did. Remember her in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations? Jilted by her fiancé just prior to the wedding, … she closed all the blinds in the house, stopped every clock, left the wedding cake on the table to gather cobwebs, and wore her wedding dress until it hung in yellow decay around her shrunken form. Her wounded heart consumed her life.
“We can follow the same course.
“Or we can follow the example of the apostle Paul. His goal was to be a missionary in Spain, … however, God sent him to prison. Sitting in a Roman jail, Paul could have made the same choice as Miss Haversham, but he didn’t. Instead he said, ‘As long as I’m here, I might as well write a few letters.’ Hence your Bible has the Letters to Philemon, the Philippians, the Colossians, and the Ephesians.”

• Max Lucado, Traveling Light

My Thoughts

Who shall I fear?

My enemies shall fall.

I am confident.  I will seek the Lord all the days of my life.  I will be exalted.

Compared to the previous two psalms, this seems to be written by a different person entirely.  Yet, all are psalms of David.  We have those days where the “day” beats us up.  But then we have those days where the day starts praising God and having all the confidence in the world.  We are the same person that we were yesterday when our enemies had us surrounded and we felt like we were going down for the count.

But today, today is different.  We look into God’s face, and we do not wish to ever turn away.  God will not forsake us.  He did not forsake us yesterday when we were afraid, blue, and having a pity party, but now, God has filled us with His Holy Spirit, and we feel it.

But then, we are waiting.  We are waiting on the Lord.  We are waiting with confidence, but it is strange.  We know that God will not forsake us, and we are safe in His dwelling place, but we wait.  Even in anticipation we can act as if God has already delivered us – not doing anything foolhardy – but God is with us and in us.  We can do amazing things and in fully trusting Him and doing them for His glory, we can have confidence.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Psalm 25

“1. What are you most in need of today: protection, guidance or forgiveness? Do you feel you will receive it? Why or why not?
“2. God promises to guide those who admit their sin, humble themselves, obey his covenant, and live in awe of him. Can anyone hope to be guided? How does such guidance come: (a) The ‘green lights’ of circumstance? (b) A billboard along the road? (c) A new ‘road map’? (d) State trooper to the rescue? (e) Joining a ‘carpool’? How has it worked for you?
“3. With what is God’s guidance more concerned: Ethics or geography? Character or direction? Morals or prosperity?
“4. What quality needed for finding God’s guidance will you work to develop this week? How could this psalm answer the question, ‘How can I know God’s will’?
“5. If someone says ‘my hope is in you,’ how should they act? What about God’s character gives you the most hope as you face tough times ahead?”

Psalm 26

“1. Given a ‘sincerity scale’ of 1 to 10, how would you score on the Lord’s test? Why?
“2. David’s ‘crib sheet’ (it helped him pass the test) was God’s love and truth: What ‘crib sheet’ do you rely on? How can you follow David’s example to improve your ‘grade’?
“3. What changes in your ‘seating preferences’ would help you conform with verses 4-5, without becoming proud or pompous?”

Psalm 27

“1. How has the Lord been like a ‘light’ or a ‘stronghold’ in your life this past month? What situation has driven you to him to find shelter? What words describe your sense of his presence at the point of need?
“2. ‘Seek his face’ is echoed by Jesus: ‘Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these other things will be given to you as well’ (Mt 6:33). Is seeking God’s face (or kingdom) first for you? Second or third? What gives you your greatest sense of security? What distracts you from ‘putting first things first’? How will you deal with this competition?
“3. in your love life with God, where does he stand: (a) Closer to you than your own parents? (b) More like a distant relative you’ve only heard about? (c) Somewhere in between? Why?
“4. What will it take for you to get better acquainted: More seeking? More waiting? Both? Explain.”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for each psalm.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.