Study Desk

A Solomon Psalm Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God, the gift of just rule to the crown prince. May he judge your people rightly, be honorable to your meek and lowly. Let the mountains give exuberant witness; shape the hills with the contours of right living. Please stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel tyrants. Outlast the sun, outlive the moon— age after age after age. Be rainfall on cut grass, earth-refreshing rain showers. Let righteousness burst into blossom and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing. Rule from sea to sea, from the River to the Rim.

Foes will fall on their knees before God, his enemies lick the dust. Kings remote and legendary will pay homage, kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth. All kings will fall down and worship, and godless nations sign up to serve him, Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need, the destitute who have run out of luck. He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out, he restores the wretched of the earth. He frees them from tyranny and torture— when they bleed, he bleeds; when they die, he dies.

Blessed God , Israel's God, the one and only wonder-working God! Blessed always his blazing glory! All earth brims with his glory. Yes and Yes and Yes.

An Asaph Psalm No doubt about it! God is good— good to good people, good to the good-hearted. But I nearly missed it, missed seeing his goodness. I was looking the other way, looking up to the people At the top, envying the wicked who have it made, Who have nothing to worry about, not a care in the whole wide world.

What's going on here? Is God out to lunch? Nobody's tending the store. The wicked get by with everything; they have it made, piling up riches. I've been stupid to play by the rules; what has it gotten me? A long run of bad luck, that's what— a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.

If I'd have given in and talked like this, I would have betrayed your dear children. Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache... Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture: The slippery road you've put them on, with a final crash in a ditch of delusions. In the blink of an eye, disaster! A blind curve in the dark, and—nightmare! We wake up and rub our eyes.... Nothing. There's nothing to them. And there never was.

You're all I want in heaven! You're all I want on earth! When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful. Look! Those who left you are falling apart! Deserters, they'll never be heard from again. But I'm in the very presence of God — oh, how refreshing it is! I've made Lord God my home. God , I'm telling the world what you do!

An Asaph Psalm You walked off and left us, and never looked back. God, how could you do that? We're your very own sheep; how can you stomp off in anger?

There's not a sign or symbol of God in sight, nor anyone to speak in his name, no one who knows what's going on. How long, God, will barbarians blaspheme, enemies curse and get by with it? Why don't you do something? How long are you going to sit there with your hands folded in your lap? God is my King from the very start; he works salvation in the womb of the earth. With one blow you split the sea in two, you made mincemeat of the dragon Tannin. You lopped off the heads of Leviathan, then served them up in a stew for the animals. With your finger you opened up springs and creeks, and dried up the wild floodwaters. You own the day, you own the night; you put stars and sun in place. You laid out the four corners of earth, shaped the seasons of summer and winter.

Mark and remember, God , all the enemy taunts, each idiot desecration. Don't throw your lambs to the wolves; after all we've been through, don't forget us. Remember your promises; the city is in darkness, the countryside violent. Don't leave the victims to rot in the street; make them a choir that sings your praises.

On your feet, O God— stand up for yourself! Do you hear what they're saying about you, all the vile obscenities? Don't tune out their malicious filth, the brawling invective that never lets up.

An Asaph Psalm We thank you, God, we thank you— your Name is our favorite word; your mighty works are all we talk about.

Don't raise your fist against High God. Don't raise your voice against Rock of Ages. He's the One from east to west; from desert to mountains, he's the One.

God rules: he brings this one down to his knees, pulls that one up on her feet. God has a cup in his hand, a bowl of wine, full to the brim. He draws from it and pours; it's drained to the dregs. Earth's wicked ones drink it all, drink it down to the last bitter drop!

And I'm telling the story of God Eternal, singing the praises of Jacob's God. The fists of the wicked are bloody stumps, The arms of the righteous are lofty green branches.

An Asaph Psalm God is well-known in Judah; in Israel, he's a household name. He keeps a house in Salem, his own suite of rooms in Zion. That's where, using arrows for kindling, he made a bonfire of weapons of war.

Oh, how bright you shine! Outshining their huge piles of loot! The warriors were plundered and left there impotent. And now there's nothing to them, nothing to show for their swagger and threats. Your sudden roar, God of Jacob, knocked the wind out of horse and rider.

Fierce you are, and fearsome! Who can stand up to your rising anger? From heaven you thunder judgment; earth falls to her knees and holds her breath. God stands tall and makes things right, he saves all the wretched on earth. Instead of smoldering rage—God-praise! All that sputtering rage—now a garland for God!

Do for God what you said you'd do— he is, after all, your God. Let everyone in town bring offerings to the One Who Watches our every move. Nobody gets by with anything, no one plays fast and loose with him.

An Asaph Psalm I yell out to my God, I yell with all my might, I yell at the top of my lungs. He listens.