Psalm 45

Greetings!  This is a Psalm for a king about to be married.  It seems to portray the ideals of a king, or to be pointing towards traits of Jesus, the King of the universe.

Psalm 45
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. A wedding song. [...]

Psalm 44

Greetings!  This is a unique Psalm in that the people are crying out under oppression but don’t know why.  Often they would face the consequences of breaking their covenant with God.
They remind themselves of past victories where God led them.  They declare their faith even though they don’t understand the situation, as Job did (Job [...]

Psalm 43

Greetings!  The author thought he was being unfairly treated and asked God to intervene - yet he feels rejected by God. 
How often do you think of God as a joy and a delight (v. 4)?  He praises God despite his troubles and tells himself not to be downcast.  Sometimes just reminding ourselves of who God is [...]

Psalm 42

Greetings!

BOOK II
Psalms 42-72
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

I have always liked [...]

Psalm 41

Greetings!
God loves mercy and protection for the weak. 

For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak;
the Lord delivers him in times of trouble.
2 The Lord will protect him and preserve his life;
he will bless him in the land
and not surrender him [...]

Psalm 40

Greetings!  Patience is one of the great challenges in life.  So often we sin and cause pain when doing things on our time instead of God’s.  For example, sex is a gift from God - at the right time and situation - but if we do it on our timing it can be disastrous.

For the [...]

Psalm 39

Greetings!

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, [...]

Psalm 38

Greetings!  This is a song of sorrow, where David is experiencing the consequences of his sin.  David didn’t deny that he deserved punishment, but he asked for God’s mercy. 
I don’t have a lot to add to this one.  Just take it in and consider the effects of sin and the thankfulness we should have that [...]

Psalm 37

Greetings!

Of David.
1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

God wins in the end, and 2nd place won’t even be close.  Tough times and evil people seem like such [...]

Psalm 36

Greetings! 
Those who don’t fear the Lord have no reason not to sin - other than avoiding human consequences if caught. 
I like how it describes God’s love, faithfulness, righteousness and justice in such grand terms. 

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.
1 An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness [...]

Psalm 35

Greetings!  This is an “imprecatory” (cursing) Psalm.  I wrote more about them here.  These Psalms sound harsh, but keep in mind that the Psalmists are often just calling for God’s perfect judgment.  They are not taking vengeance themselves.  They are also expressing their honest feelings in crying out to God.

Of David.
1 Contend, O Lord, [...]

Psalm 34

Greetings!
There are many promises in this Psalm: He answers us, delivers us from fear, being unashamed, saving us, and more!

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My [...]

Proverbs 13

Greetings!  Let’s look at some more timeless wisdom from God’s word. 
      A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the unfaithful have a craving for violence.
3 He who guards his lips guards his life, [...]

Psalm 33

Greetings!  This opening convicts me, because I am a lousy singer and have always been self conscious about my singing.  I do play guitar at some gatherings, which I enjoy because it gives me a way to praise him another way.  And that way I can sing if I like, because no one is standing [...]

Psalm 32

Greetings!  The first two verses are really a massive understatement to me.  We toss around the word blessed rather easily, but consider how it is used here.  If my sins aren’t forgiven and God counts them against me as He could, then I have no hope and am doomed to an eternity in Hell. 
Yet with his [...]

Psalm 31

Greetings!  David (or possibly Jeremiah) is crying out to God for protection.

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock [...]

Psalm 30

Greetings!  There are two main possibilities for the writing of this Psalm - either for the dedication of the site for the future temple (build by David’s son, Solomon) or after God stopped the plague He sent in response to David’s call for a census in 1 Chronicles 21. 

A psalm. A song. For the dedication [...]

Psalm 29

Greetings!
The Bible Knowledge Commentary mentioned something I’d never heard before:
David witnessed an awesome thunderstorm moving across the land of the Canaanites, and attributed it to the power of the Lord. He called on the angels to glorify Him who sits as King forever over nature. Psalm 29 is a polemic against pagan beliefs in false [...]

Psalm 28

Greetings!
David has an urgent prayer, and God answers it. 

Of David.
1 To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.
2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you [...]

Psalm 27

Greetings!
We all live with fears.  But the Bible says do not fear 366 times (one per day including Leap Year).  When we focus on God we realize there is nothing to fear.  He is in control and everything will work out in the end. 
David was under attack for much of his life, including being on [...]