psalm 111: Why should we praise the Lord?

In Psalm 111 we see many reasons to praise the Lord, but let us point two:

• He is the Creator as in Psalm 111:

2 Yahweh’s deeds are spectacular.

    They should be studied by all who enjoy them.

3 His work is glorious and majestic.

    His righteousness continues forever.

Isaac Newton and Eistein are considered great scientists. They enojoied to stud the deeds of YHWH. I am retired. I should consider to study the creation because it will lead me to praise the Lord.

• He has a special care to his people.

6 He has revealed the power of his works to his people

    by giving them the lands of other nations as an inheritance.

I should observe more how the Lord is taking care of me in a special way, as a believer. Indeed, the Lord has provided everything I need and more: peace and joy.

psalm110: YHWH and Adonai - one or two

In Psalm 110 we read:

1 Yahweh said to my Lord,

    “Sit in the highest position in heaven

        until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Jesus says that the Christ is called Adonai/Lord by David. In the old testament it is common to think of YHWH and Adonai as the same person, but here we see YHWH talking to Adonai. It is not common to see the Trinity in the Old Testament but Psalm 110 goes on this direction.

Psalm 109: strength when bullied

 In Psalm 109 we read:

2 Wicked and deceitful people have opened their mouths against me.

    They speak against me with lying tongues.

3 They surround me with hateful words.

    They fight against me for no reason.

4 In return for my love, they accuse me,

    but I pray for them.[a]

5 They reward me with evil instead of good

    and with hatred instead of love.

What do I do when I meet wicked people that oppress me? David brought his case to the Lord. He prayed:

6 I said, “Appoint the evil one to oppose him.

    Let Satan stand beside him.

7         When he stands trial,

            let him be found guilty.

            Let his prayer be considered sinful.

8 Let his days be few in number.

    Let someone else take his position.

As a Christian should I always pray in favor of my enemies? Certainly David cursed his enemies. The closer I see in New Testament is in 1 Corinthians 5:

4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this (incestuous) man  over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

David prays in Psalm 109:

15 Let their guilt and sin always remain on record

    in front of Yahweh.

        Let Yahweh remove every memory of him from the earth,

16 because he did not remember to be kind.

His prayer is very similar to Psalm 37:

11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

because the who is not meek (kind) will be removed from the earth.

David finishes Psalm 109 with:

26 Help me, O Yahweh my Elohim.

    Save me because of your mercy.

27 Then they will know that this is your doing,

    that you, O Yahweh, are the one who saved me.

28 They may curse, but you will bless.

    Let those who attack me be ashamed,

    but let me rejoice.

29 Let those who accuse me wear disgrace as though it were clothing.

    Let them be wrapped in their shame as though it were a robe.

30 With my mouth I will give many thanks to Yahweh.

    I will praise him among many people,

31 because he stands beside needy people

    to save them from those who would condemn them to death.

I was bullied when I was young. It's pretty sad to be made the clown of by everyone for no reason (is ethnicity a reason?). David trusts in the Lord amid the oppression of his enemies. David was strengthened by trusting in a merciful and just God.

psalm 108: human help is worthless.

In Psalm 108 we read:

10-11 Who will take me to the thick of the fight?

    Who’ll show me the road to Edom?

You aren’t giving up on us, are you, God?

    refusing to go out with our troops?

12-13 Give us help for the hard task;

    human help is worthless.

In God we’ll do our very best;

    he’ll flatten the opposition for good.

In a way, we are in war against very powerful enemies. We have victory if the Lord is by our side but if the Lord refuses to go out with us, we lose battles. This happens in our fight against our sin, our flesh.

psalm107: the wise understand Yahweh’s blessings

In Psalm 107, we read:

1 Give thanks to Yahweh because he is good,

    because his mercy endures forever.

In this Psalm, we have different kinds of people who were rescued by the Lord. For instance:

10 Those who lived in the dark, in death’s shadow

    were prisoners in misery.

        They were held in iron chains

11 because they had rebelled against El’s words

    and had despised the advice given by Elyon.

12 So he humbled them with hard work.

    They fell down, but no one was there to help them.

Certainly, people who rebelled against the word of the Lord are not good people. 

13 In their distress they cried out to Yahweh.

    He saved them from their troubles.

Even though, the Lord rescued them when they cried out to Yahweh.

14 He brought them out of the dark, out of death’s shadow.

    He broke apart their chains.

15 Let them give thanks to Yahweh because of his mercy.

    He performed his miracles for Adam’s descendants.

16 He shattered bronze gates

    and cut iron bars in two.

The Psalm finishes with:

43 Let those who think they are wise

    pay attention to these things

        so that they may understand Yahweh’s blessings.

I have to pay attention to how good the Lord is to people who don't deserve his mercies, me included.

Let me understand more and more how Yahweh has been good to me.

Psalm 106: Despite our troubles, we see how the Lord is good to us!

Psalm 106 is written when Judah is on exile.

Many should be asking: "Why the Lord is treating us so badly?".

The psalmist remembers how Israel has been guided by the Lord despite their lack of faith and obedience.

47 Rescue us, O Yahweh our Elohim, and gather us from the nations

    so that we may give thanks to your holy name

        and make your praise our glory.

It reminds me 2 Corinthians 10: 

17 “Whoever brags should brag about what the Lord has done.” 18 It isn’t the person who makes his own recommendation who receives approval, but the person whom the Lord recommends.

Our glory is to be praised by the Lord, to be recommended by Him, to be chosen by Him.

I want more and more to be praised by the Lord and not by men.

The psalmist knows how the people of the Lord are suffering in exile, but despite their troubles, he looks to the history of Israel and notice how the Lord has been faithful to Israel despite their sins. 

Psalm 105: The Lord rules over nations

 Psalm 105 begins with:

1 Give thanks to Yahweh.

    Call on him.

    Make known among the nations what he has done.

All nations have their gods. Jews, in general, are not prone to convert other people to Judaism, but this verse resembles to the Abraham calling where (genesis 22:18) all nations will be blessed through him. 

Psalm 105 highlight the promises to Abraham:

10 He confirmed it as a law for Jacob,

    as an everlasting promise to Israel,

11 by saying, “I will give you the land of Canaan.

    It is your share of the inheritance.”

He continues to say that the Lord moved his creation in order to redeem Israel from Egypt and set them in Canaan.

Are we Christians (not Jews) supposed to give thanks to the Lord for Israel redemption?

Yes, we are.

We are ingrafted branches in the vine (Romans 11), in Israel.

We also praise Him for what his intervention in the Earth, so that we too were redeemed from our sins.