Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Psalm 21 For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1  The king rejoices in your strength,  Lord .      How great is his joy in the victories you give! 2  You have granted him his heart’s desire      and have not withheld the request of his lips. 3  You came to greet him with rich blessings      and placed a crown of pure gold  on his head. 4  He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—      length of days, for ever and ever. This Psalm seems to be a companion Psalm to Psalm 21, where the people of God prayed for King David's victory in battle. This Psalm gives thanksgiving for the victory God gave King David, and the great joy David experienced because of the strength God gave him.  Notice the word "joy" is used two times in the first verse.   There is a joy that comes to us when we have completely trusted in God for a battle, and he delivers us and we are victorious.  Not only are we glad that the battle has been won, but we have joy knowing it wa

Psalm 20 For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1  May the  Lord  answer you when you are in distress;      may the name of the God of Jacob  protect you. 2  May he send you help  from the sanctuary      and grant you support  from Zion. 3  May he remember  all your sacrifices      and accept your burnt offerings. [ b ] 4  May he give you the desire of your heart      and make all your plans succeed. 5  May we shout for joy  over your victory      and lift up our banners  in the name of our God. May the  Lord  grant all your requests. This psalm, attributed to King David, is usually thought of as the people praying for King David before he goes into battle.  Perhaps it was the battle with the Syrians in 2 Samuel 10 that David led.  There are a couple things to note as the people lift up their King before he goes into battle.  First, they call upon the name of the Lord. They use his holy name Yahweh, and also the God of Jacob, who gave Abraham the covenant promis

Psalm 19 C.S. Lewis says of this psalm,  'I ta ke this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.' 1  "The heavens  declare  the glory of God;      the skies  proclaim the work of his hands. 2  Day after day they pour forth speech;      night after night they reveal knowledge. 3  They have no speech, they use no words;      no sound is heard from them. 4  Yet their voice  goes out into all the earth,      their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent  for the sun. 5       It is like a bridegroom  coming out of his chamber,      like a champion  rejoicing to run his course. 6  It rises at one end of the heavens      and makes its circuit to the other;      nothing is deprived of its warmth. People often say, "How can I believe in God I cannot see?" Good question. Answer Psalm 19.  Basically David says the heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  

1  I love you,  Lord , my strength. 2  The  Lord  is my rock,  my fortress  and my deliverer;      my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,      my shield and the horn of my salvation,  my stronghold. 3  I called to the  Lord , who is worthy of praise,      and I have been saved from my enemies. 4  The cords of death  entangled me;      the torrents  of destruction overwhelmed me. 5  The cords of the grave coiled around me;      the snares of death  confronted me. This is the fourth longest psalm in the bible, counting some 50 verses.  The context is David is giving God extravagant praise for delivering him from death, at the hands of King Saul. Before David became King, he spent 20 years as a fugitive after the young shepherd boy was called into service of God.  David starts this psalm of praise by telling God he loves him. Other versions translate it, "I will love you!" " This was a triumphant declaration made it a time of great triu mph.    David

Psalm 17 A prayer of David. 1  Hear me,   Lord , my plea is just;      listen to my cry. Hear  my prayer—      it does not rise from deceitful lips. 2  Let my vindication  come from you;      may your eyes see what is right. 3  Though you probe my heart,      though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil;      my mouth has not transgressed. 4  Though people tried to bribe me,      I have kept myself from the ways of the violent      through what your lips have commanded. 5  My steps have held to your paths;      my feet have not stumbled. 6  I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;      turn your ear to me  and hear my prayer. Once again we get a glimpse into David's intimate prayer life with the Lord. David starts the psalm asking God to hear his cry, for he is just and there is no deceit in him.  He says, " God you already know everything.  Search me and test my heart see if there is anything offensive in me.&qu

Psalm 16 Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge. 2       I say to the  Lord , “Thou art my Lord;      I have no good apart from thee.” [ a ] 3  As for the saints in the land, they are the noble,      in whom is all my delight. 4  Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; [ b ]      their libations of blood I will not pour out      or take their names upon my lips. 5  The  Lord  is my chosen portion and my cup;      thou holdest my lot. 6  The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;      yea, I have a goodly heritage. 7  I bless the  Lord  who gives me counsel;      in the night also my heart instructs me. 8  I keep the  Lord  always before me;      because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. When I younger I asked God to give me a psalm that could be like my own personal psalm. And this was the one I turned to, Psalm 16.  I memorized it and repeated it often.  Until this day it is on my heart and lips when I need it or think of i

Psalm 15 A psalm of David. 1  Lord , who may dwell  in your sacred tent?      Who may live on your holy mountain? 2  The one whose walk is blameless,      who does what is righteous,      who speaks the truth  from their heart; 3  whose tongue utters no slander,      who does no wrong to a neighbor,      and casts no slur on others; 4  who despises a vile person      but honors  those who fear the  Lord ; who keeps an oath  even when it hurts,      and does not change their mind; 5  who lends money to the poor without interest;      who does not accept a bribe  against the innocent. Whoever does these things      will never be shaken. David starts with a question we all have.  How can I be in God's presence and dwell with Him? What type of person would I need to be?  There are two ways to interpret this psalm.  First, we could say that none of us are blameless, therefore none of us are worthy to come to God or dwell with him. We have all slandered or gossiped