June 17 A READ PSALMS 84–89
A Promise-Keeping God
OVERVIEW
Several different authors are represented in the six psalms in today’s reading. The descendants of Korah yearn to be in God’s presence (Psalm 84) and to see the nation restored to fellowship with God (85). David seeks the great and merciful God amid opposition (86), while the descendants of Korah proclaim the greatness of the city of God (87). The final two laments record the mournful cry of Heman when he was afflicted (88) and the pleading of Ethan, who remembers God’s promises to David about Israel’s king (89).
MY DAILY WALK
God made a promise to David (Psalm 89:3-4). You’ll find it recorded in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. God promised David an everlasting family line, throne, and kingdom. On at least two occasions the “royal family” was reduced to only a single member (2 Chronicles 21:4; 22:8-12). Did that mean God’s promise was in danger? Not at all. It only highlighted the importance of daily faith in the Promise Maker.
To spark your faith in the God who keeps his word, find a sheet of paper and label one side “Promises God Made to People in the Bible but Never Kept”; the other, “Promises God Made—and Kept—to People in the Bible.” Then do your own survey of Noah . . . Abraham . . . Jonah . . . and others. You’ll find only one side of the paper filling up. What did these people discover about the promises of God? And does that cast a shadow or shed light on God’s promises to you?
YOU CANNOT STARVE A PERSON WHO IS FEEDING ON GOD’S PROMISES.
INSIGHT
Yesterday, Today, and Forever | Ps. 85:1-13
How do you respond to a setback? In Psalm 85, the psalmist gives us a three-step program: Remember what God has done in the past (vv. 1-3); bring him the problems of the present (vv. 4-7); and trust in his deliverance for the future (vv. 8-13). Do you recall another clear Scripture reference to the past, present, and future? See Hebrews 13:8 for the comforting answer.
INSIGHT
Maskils Unmasked | Ps. 89:1-52
Psalm 89 is a contemplation (Hebrew, maskil), a song of wisdom or insight designed to help you, the reader, reach the goal of godly living. Eleven other psalms have been identified as a maskil (42; 44–45; 52–55; 74; 78; 88; 142).
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.*
1How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
2I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the LORD.
With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God.
3Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young
at a place near your altar,
O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!
4What joy for those who can live in your house,
always singing your praises.
Interlude
5What joy for those whose strength comes from the LORD,
who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
6When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,*
it will become a place of refreshing springs.
The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
7They will continue to grow stronger,
and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.*
8O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer.
Listen, O God of Jacob.
Interlude
9O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield!
Show favor to the one you have anointed.
10A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
11For the LORD God is our sun and our shield.
He gives us grace and glory.
The LORD will withhold no good thing
from those who do what is right.
12O LORD of Heaven’s Armies,
what joy for those who trust in you.