APRIL 29
In the following group of 36 psalms there is unbounded praise for the Lord of creation and the many wonders he has performed. There is profound gratitude for man's own elevated glory and for the many blessings bestowed upon him. There is exaltation of the King who rules over nations and throughout all of nature. But most importantly, there is thanksgiving for the personal concern this loving God has for each individual and his special needs.
For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.
O lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise0 because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings?
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
O lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all
the earth!
Praise for God's judgment against wicked nations. Psa. 9
For the director of music. To the tune of "The Death of the Son." A psalm of David.
I will praise you, O lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you. For you have upheld my right and my cause;
you have sat on your throne, judging righteously. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.
The lord reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness;
he will govern the peoples with justice. The lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Sing praises to the lord, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done. For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
O lord, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, that I may declare your praises
in the gates of the Daughter of Zion
and there rejoice in your salvation. The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. The lord is known by his justice;
the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.
Higgaion.r Selah
The wicked return to the grave,8
all the nations that forget God. But the needy will not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.
Arise, O lord, let not man triumph;
let the nations be judged in your presence. Strike them with terror, O lord;
let the nations know they are but men. Selah
Praise for joy and security of the righteous. Psa. 16
A miktam' of David.
Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I said to the lord, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing." As for the saints who are in the land,
they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight." The sorrows of those will increase
who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood
or take up their names on my lips.
lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave,"
nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made* known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Praise for God's creation and for his laws. Psa. 19
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard. Their voice2 goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his
pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
The law of the lord is perfect,
reviving the soul. The statutes of the lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple. The precepts of the lord are right,
giving joy to the heart. The commands of the lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes. The fear of the lord is pure,
enduring forever. The ordinances of the lord are sure
and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heartbe pleasing in your sight, O lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Praise for the king's blessings and reminder of God's wrath. Psa. 21
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
O lord, the king rejoices in your strength.
How great is his joy in the victories you give! You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked you for life, and you gave it to him length of days, for ever and ever. Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.
Your hand
will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.
At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the lord will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them. You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind. Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed; for you will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow.
Be exalted, O lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.
The earth belongs to the King of glory. Psa. 24
Of David. A psalm.
The earth is the lord's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
Who may ascend the hill of the lord?
Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false." He will receive blessing from the lord
and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah
Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory?
The lord strong and mighty,
the lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that
the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? __ The lord Almighty He is the King of
glory. Selah