Today's Reading:

Psalm 56
Psalm 120
Psalm 140
Psalm 141
Psalm 142

Yay! It is a celebration day! We have reached day 100 of reading the Bible together daily.  In Psalm 120, (unknown author), “David” describes being slandered by lying lips and deceitful tongues. He said God would punish them with sharp arrows and burning coals of the broom bush. The broom bush was a desert shrub that, when burned, would last for a long period of time. The wood was good for use as charcoal. These “coals” of lying words cause intense, long-lasting harm. Our words matter and can cut deep. They do not just sting for a moment but leave everlasting impressions that wound others’ hearts. Have you had your heart pierced like an arrow or left smoldering like broom bush coals where the damage persists quietly but intensely? This week, pause before speaking. Ask yourself if your words will pierce or burn, causing harm, or will they bring peace like David’s longing in the ascent psalms? What lingering “coals” from words still affect you today? How might choosing speech carefully build others up by speaking truth with love?

 

Psalm 56
Note that the superscription is for the director of music, to let the choirmaster (director, or chief musician) know that this was not just a personal prayer but was made for corporate worship (a group of believers who gather to worship together in the community to praise the Lord). This psalm was written about 1 Samuel 21:10-15 when the Philistines had seized him in Gath (where Goliath was from) as he fled from Saul to seek refuge with King Achish. David feared for his life but put his trust “in God” (Elohim/Yahweh), meaning in God’s power and authority of His faithfulness and His promises. David admitted he was afraid, which is good to do so long as you have the confidence that God is your deliverer. David was confident that God recorded, “list my tears on your scroll” (56:8), and the translations ESV and KJV versions declare “put my tears in your bottle”. Since God hears our call and takes note of our tears, we can be confident that when we call Him for help, He is for us, keeping our feet from stumbling. Therefore, what can flesh (humans) do to us under God’s care?

Psalm 120
The superscription notes this was a song of ascent- these were pilgrimage songs, and at the time, the Tabernacle (moved from various places before) and future Temple were in Jerusalem. At least three times a year, the men were to make this journey for the festivals. “David” (unknown author of the psalm) called for assurance to God when distressed, and God answered. At this time, he wanted to be delivered from lying lips and deceitful tongues (slander). David warned the evil-doers that God would judge with arrows and broom bush coals. While he desired peace, others were out for war, but there was a call to trust God. (Ephesians 6:16 “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one).

Psalm 140 
This psalm addresses slander, as does Psalm 120, but they are not duplicates. David faced slander multiple times, and therefore, there is more than one psalm that will feel similar. Where Psalm 120 was a cry to deliver him from lying lips and deceitful tongue, in Psalm 140:3, his enemies “sharpen their tongues like a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips.” The threat of violence was “from the

hands of the wicked” who set traps. Here, David called down for judgment and asked God to thwart their plans, giving justice for the poor and upright.

Psalm 141
David is looking at his own heart before he focuses on his enemies. He asked God to guard his mouth, keep his heart from evil, and prevent him from joining or being tempted by the wicked, doing as they do. He asked for discipline from the righteous so he can reject the “oil” (flattery) of the wicked. David describes the afflictions “as bones being scattered,” which was thought to hint at the priestly deaths of the 85 in Nob from 1 Samuel 22:18, where Doeg the Edomite, via King Saul’s orders, massacred the priests and left the bodies scattered without proper burial. David trusted that God was his refuge from these snares.

Psalm 142
This was a prayer from David while in the cave (Likely from 1 Samuel 22:1 or 24:3). As a Maskil, this was intensely personal, and David felt utterly alone. In this prayer, he cried out his troubles to God of loneliness and isolation. This was a desperate plea that his spirit was overwhelmed, and he needed rescuing from the pursuers that were stronger. He wanted to be free so the righteous could surround him and he could praise God in hopes of restoration. This was his emotional plea while hiding, relying solely on God.

Today's Discussion question: 

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