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Study 65 – Psalm 84

1.      To dwell in the House of the Lord is likened to dwelling in the palace of the King. In the palace of the King protection, peace, and abundance are available to all that dwell there and everyone on the grounds praises the King. The same is true for the House of The Lord – praise abounds!

2.      In the same way that Israel was provided for in the desert we can be assured that the Lord will provide every step of our journey. He will bring the rain, the food, and the provisions that we need to reach our heavenly home. No need to worry!
The journey will be well worth it!

Study 66 – Psalm 85

1.      The psalmist appeals to the Lord for the forgiveness and the restoration of the people of God by reminding the Lord of the past ways in which He showed His mercy and His grace toward a disobedient people. It is my prayer that God would bless that part of the American Church that is repenting of its past missteps. I pray that He will once again visit us with His power and will once again allow us to be mighty participants in His harvest.

2.      The Lord promises restoration and blessing to His people, but that is contingent upon them not returning to their former ‘folly.’ The Lord takes no pleasure in withholding His blessings – quite the contrary – He takes tremendous pleasure in pouring out His blessings.

Study 67 – Psalm 86 and 87

1.      The psalmist asks for help, mercy, and the return of joy. He has confidence that the Lord will respond because the Lord is ‘abounding in Love.’ The psalmist is also well aware of the worship and praise that the intervention of the Lord on his behalf would bring to the throne room of God.

2.      What a wonderful psalm! The psalmist boldly declares that the nations of the world will become a part of the family of God. Psalm 87:6 is particularly stirring: “The Lord will write in the register of the peoples; ‘This one was born in Zion.’” Wow! I’m glad that my name appears on that list in spite of the fact that my DNA does not include a single gene from the nation of Israel.

Study 68 – Psalm 88

1.      The psalmist is definitely having a bad day! He writes as if the doctor has just told him that he will be dead within the week! His friends are gone, his money is gone, his hope is gone, and there is nothing left but death. Yet, the psalmist still cries out to the Lord for help. The reality is that the Lord is our only help in times of utter distress. The psalmist appeals to the Lord by saying that the dead cannot make His name known and offer Him praise.

2.      The psalmist fails to acknowledge that death opens up the doors to the House of God in heaven where praise is continuously uttered. He appeals to the Lord for healing and deliverance claiming that in death no one is able to offer the Lord praise. He is of course referring to the fact that praise cannot be offered to the Lord amongst the ungodly of this earth. The New Testament, of course, teaches us that “to live is Christ, but to die is – gain!” This is something that the psalmist, and most Americans today, seem to have forgotten. We cling to life as if this life was all there was to offer – how tragic.

Study 69 – Psalm 89:1-37

1.      God’s power, justice, faithfulness and love are highlighted in the opening 18 verses of this psalm. Those that follow in the path marked out by the Lord are assured that they walk in the strength and the glory of God and are assured blessing.

2.   The promise that God made to David was one that not even the horrendous disobedience of his sons could keep the Lord from fulfilling. The fulfillment of God’s promise to David was ultimately fulfilled through Christ who now sits forever on the throne exercising justice on our behalf.