01 July

Bible In 365 Days                                              

Psalm 90-95

 

Psalm 90

The main purpose of this psalm is revealed in the prayer with which it concludes (Psalms 90:13-17). This prayer is prefaced by a meditation on the frailty of man (Psalms 90:3-12), in the light of eternity of God (Psalms 90:1-2). By this backward method of analysis we gain a conception of the general scheme of the psalm which now enables us to take the three movements in their orderly sequence.

The eternity of God is described in three stages. First, as measured by the history of His people, He has ever been their dwelling-place. Secondly, as measure by creation, He was before all. Finally, whether the mind travel backward or forward to the vanishing point, He is still god. In this light man is seen in the frailty of his being.

To God a thousand years are comparatively nothing, and in every millennium men appear and pass in a sequence as orderly as that of the grass, but in a life as transitory. This frailty is the more feeble because man is a sinner; and therefore out of harmony with God. Yet this very eternity of God is the hope of man in his frailty and sin, and the heart is lifted to Jehovah in a prayer that the mornings, the days, the years of brief life may all be set in true relation to Him. Satisfaction, gladness, success in work must all come from the right relation of man in his frailty to the eternal Lord.

 

Psalm 91

This psalm is one of the greatest possessions of the saints. It is a great song of the safety of such as put their trust in Jehovah, and contains the Divine assurance of such faith as fruitful. Very little of exposition is necessary. There is a change in the use of pronouns from first to second to third at the close; which, although it has created some sense of difficulty, is yet a key to the psalm for purposes analysis.

Let us set out the scheme of the psalm round these changes, leaving its familiar words to speak for themselves.

Psalms 91:1: The statement of truth Psalms 91:2 Personal affirmation of realization

Psalms 91:3-8:  The address of the singer, either to his own soul, or to some other person, or to the nation, in which he affirms the convictions resulting from personal realisation of the truth.

Psalms 91:9: Repetition of personal realization. Psalms 91:9 is the same as verses Psalms 91:3-8

Psalms 91:14-15: Conclusion of psalm, in which the singer with holy boldness expresses as in the words of Jehovah, the safety of the trusting soul, and thus gives the testimony of God as well as that of man to the truth.

 

Psalm 92

This is a song of praise. The seemliness of praise is first declared (Psalms 92:1-3); and then reasons for it are given (Psalms 92:4-15). Praise is good as the first exercise of the day and also as the last. Lovingkindness in the morning, the sense of all the provision made for us as we face the responsibilities and conflicts of the day. Faithfulness at night, the conviction that Jehovah has been true to His covenant, through all the hours of need.

The song proceeds to rejoice first in that general and wholly beneficent government of God, whereby the wicked are dealt with in judgement. That is a weak and perilous tenderness which permits evil to continue its work of destruction. That is a strong and tender pity which without relenting, smites evil, and destroys it.

The song ends with a gracious description of the growth and perennial freshness of the righteous. Such, planted in the courts of God will flourish and grow, and yet know no senility - age with all its wealth of experience and fruitage, but with no failing or weakness.

 

Psalm 93

There is a great majesty about this song. It celebrates Jehovah's assumption of the throne and government. The form in which the preliminary statements are made conveys the impression, not so much of the eternal sovereignty of the King, as the He has taken up His position, and acted upon it. The result is that the stability of all things is assured. This assumption of authority is but the enforcement of a perpetual fact, for "Thy throne is established of old; Thou art from everlasting."

Moreover, this assumption has not been without opposition, and the figure of the storm-tossed sea is made use of to indicate the strength of this opposition, "The floods have lifted up against him."

All this has been of no avail. The King is high above, and therefore Lord of them. This psalm was written in all likelihood after some deliverance Jehovah wrought for His people, but through the open window the singer, consciously or unconsciously, saw the far distant light of another day in which the Kingdom of God will be set up in His might, and the song of an established order shall be the anthem of His praise.

 

Psalm 94

The placing of this song immediately after the one which sets forth the fact of the enthronement of Jehovah is remarkable. It creates a contrast, while it suggests a continuity of ideas. The contrast is seen in the fact that while the previous psalm celebrates the victory of Jehovah over all opposition, this one is an appeal to Him out of circumstances in which His enemies seem to triumph. The continuity of ideas is however, equally apparent.

To who should His own turn in times of such distress, save to the One Who sits high above the force and fury of the flood?

The psalm has three main movements. First, an appeal to Jehovah the Mighty, in the presence of the triumph of the wicked (Psalms 94:1-7). This is followed by an address to such as are doubting because of apparent inactivity of God. They are reminded that God hears, sees, and must act (Psalms 94:8-11). Finally, the song again becomes a prayer in which faith makes its great affirmations. The period of waiting is one of blessed chastening. Jehovah cannot ultimately cast off His people. Past experience testifies to this. The wrong of those apparently victorious enemies makes it impossible to believe that they can have fellowship with God. Therefore, the final words tell of the psalmist's confidence.

 

Psalm 95

We pause here to note a connection between a group of psalms:

Psalms 93:1-5

Psalms 94:1-23

Psalms 95:1-11

Psalms 96:1-13

Psalms 97:1-12

Psalms 98:1-9

Psalms 99:1-9

Psalms 100:1-5

These eight constitute the songs of the King, arranged in conformity with the needs of the people. The first (Psalms 93:1-5) affirms His enthronement and government. The nest (Psalms 94:1-23) expresses the hope of His people even in the midst of circumstances of trial. Then follow six, dealing with the fact of His Kingship in varied ways.

The present one declares His supremacy, and utters a note of warning against that which must inevitably hinder His people from realising the Rest of His reign. Calling first for praise to the King, the singer celebrates His supremacy. He is above all other authority, and is the God of all nature. He is, moreover, the God of His people; and therefore they should worship in submission and reverence before Him (Psalms 95:1-7). Then the warning note follows reminding them of the sins of their fathers which, as to their cause, consisted in failure of faith, which expressed itself in refusal to bow in submission to His will. That sin excluded them from rest, and the children are warned to profit by the ancient story. Such a King demands loyalty, and it must be more than that of a song; it must express itself in submission to His government.