Week 14

Psalms 6-37

Psalms always makes me think of my mom. It’s her favorite book of the Bible and I’ve always kind-of wondered why. I’m not really a huge poetry person and that’s what Psalms is- poetry.

My first thought in reading Psalms for this study- is why are we reading Psalms right now? Up to this point, we’ve read about creation through the Promised Land. We flipped to the New Testament and learned about Jesus- His beginning here on earth, His teachings, and His miracles. We have not yet read the stories of David; we have read some about David in the New Testament, as far as Jesus being in the line of David but nothing as far as the specific struggles David is encountering and writing about in Psalms.

Regardless of not having read about David just yet, what strikes me in Psalms is how even though the majority of these Psalms are by and about David, they just as easily could have been written by and about the Israelites journey to the promised land.

They are God’s chosen people; David is God’s chosen person. They are fighting battles they shouldn’t be able to win but do because God is fighting the battle for them. Likewise God is striking down enemies on David’s behalf. Moses is warning the evildoers about God’s vengeance for not obeying. David is calling out to the Lord about the sinfulness of the wicked. God leads them to the Promised Land where He cares for a provides for them. David is trusting God to “lead him to quiet waters” and provide “a table before me” where “my cup overflows”

How amazing is it that this book, THE book, is a timeless guide- whether 3500ish years ago as the Israelites are searching for the promised land, 3000ish years ago as David was hiding from Saul, or today as you are living in this broken world- the same book, offers us God’s word and the peace that passes understanding! What are your takeaways here? Picking up an new insights into your current struggles?