Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Psalm 41 For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1  Blessed  are those who have regard for the weak;      the  Lord  delivers them in times of trouble. 2  The  Lord  protects  and preserves them—      they are counted among the blessed in the land—      he does not give them over to the desire of their foes. 3  The  Lord  sustains them on their sickbed      and restores them from their bed of illness. 4  I said, “Have mercy  on me,  Lord ;      heal  me, for I have sinned  against you.” 5  My enemies say of me in malice,      “When will he die and his name perish? ” 6  When one of them comes to see me,      he speaks falsely,  while his heart gathers slander;      then he goes out and spreads  it around. In this psalm David recounts  the blessings one gets by reaching out to those who  are  "weak".  The word "weak" is also translated " poor ". Guzik says, " The idea behind the word here translated  poor  may include economic poverty

Psalm 40 For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. 1  I waited patiently  for the  Lord ;      he turned to me and heard my cry. 2  He lifted me out of the slimy pit,      out of the mud  and mire; he set my feet  on a rock      and gave me a firm place to stand. 3  He put a new song  in my mouth,      a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the  Lord      and put their trust  in him. 4  Blessed is the one      who trusts in the  Lord , who does not look to the proud,      to those who turn aside to false gods. [ b ] 5  Many,  Lord  my God,      are the wonders  you have done,      the things you planned for us. None can compare  with you;      were I to speak and tell of your deeds,      they would be too many  to declare. Here is another psalm by David telling of his patience in waiting for God to deliver him. The idea of David waiting is common in a lot of his psalms. For a lot of us it might be said, "I waited impatiently on the

Psalm 39:4-7   “Show me,  Lord , my life’s end      and the number of my days;      let me know how fleeting  my life is 5  You have made my days  a mere handbreadth;      the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath,      even those who seem secure. 6  “Surely everyone goes around  like a mere phantom;      in vain they rush about,  heaping up wealth      without knowing whose it will finally be. 7  “But now, Lord, what do I look for?      My hope is in you. In the context of this psalm, David is asking for restraint to keep him from uttering his doubt and discouragement before his enemies, who were unbelievers. David is trying not to react in the flesh. He is asking God to help him from saying things that will tarnish God's name.  As he did this, he says he heart burned with a fire. It was not easy for him.    Here is what one commentator has said,  "David's feelings were running high enough to be taken for disloya

Psalm 38 A psalm of David. A petition. 1  Lord , do not rebuke me in your anger      or discipline me in your wrath. 2  Your arrows  have pierced me,      and your hand has come down on me. 3  Because of your wrath there is no health  in my body;      there is no soundness in my bones  because of my sin. 4  My guilt has overwhelmed  me      like a burden too heavy to bear. 5  My wounds  fester and are loathsome      because of my sinful folly. 6  I am bowed down  and brought very low;      all day long I go about mourning. 7  My back is filled with searing pain;      there is no health  in my body. 8  I am feeble and utterly crushed;      I groan  in anguish of heart. This is one of several psalms David wrote which are called "penitential psalms".  Though David was a man after God's own heart, there are times in his life where he fell short of God's of glory.  Like Paul says in Romans 3:22, "We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Psalm 37:3-4 Trust in the  Lord  and do good;      dwell in the land  and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight  in the  Lord ,      and he will give you the desires of your heart. “The reason many apparent Christians do not delight in God is that they do not know him very well, and the reason they do not know him very well is that they do not spend time with him.” ( Boice) This is one of my favorite psalms?  Why? We delight in a lot of things in this life, but we might think it strange to delight in the Lord?  As the commentary by Boice says, "We probably don't delight in the Lord because we don't know Him. And we don't know him because we don't spend time with him."  To be fair the idea of delighting in someone you can't see is daunting.  But that is why God has revealed himself to us.  He has revealed Himself to us generally through His Creation.  When we look at the sun, moon and the stars, or a beautiful sunset; we see how beautiful and artistic G

5  Psalm 36:5-9 Your love,  Lord , reaches to the heavens,      your faithfulness  to the skies. 6  Your righteousness  is like the highest mountains,      your justice like the great deep.      You,  Lord , preserve both people and animals. 7  How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!      People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8  They feast on the abundance of your house;      you give them drink from your river  of delights. 9  For with you is the fountain of life;      in your light  we see light. In the first four verses we read David's description of the sinfulness of the wicked.  He describes this man as someone who has no fear of God, he flatters himself, and finally they even plot evil on their beds before they commit themselves to a sinful course.  It is at this point that David contrasts man's wickedness with God's love and mercy. It is almost as if David cannot possibly give enough earthly expression to God's infinite qualities of love, fai