#899 Building Up

Praise the Lord!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

4 He determines the number of the stars;

he gives to all of them their names.

5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;

his understanding is beyond measure.

6 The Lord lifts up the humble;

he casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;

make melody to our God on the lyre!

8 He covers the heavens with clouds;

he prepares rain for the earth;

he makes grass grow on the hills.

9 He gives to the beasts their food,

and to the young ravens that cry.

10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,

nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his steadfast love.

12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;

he blesses your children within you.

14 He makes peace in your borders;

he fills you with the finest of the wheat.

15 He sends out his command to the earth;

his word runs swiftly.

16 He gives snow like wool;

he scatters frost like ashes.

17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;

who can stand before his cold?

18 He sends out his word, and melts them;

he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

19 He declares his word to Jacob,

his statutes and rules to Israel.

20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;

they do not know his rules.

Praise the Lord! Psalm 147 ESV

A Psalm of praise.

For it is pleasant and a song of praise is fitting - It is good, wholesome, right, just; He is worthy. Who has done such marvelous things? Is there anyone like God? Men crave praise, even unmerited, they will fight for it, accept what did not belong to them, that which was the work of another. What should the mouth do in reference to the One that made it, sing, and the heart that is no longer stone, sing a new song.

8 I am not making a demand, but I am testing the sincerity of your love in comparison to the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 10 And this is my opinion about what is helpful for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give, but even to have such a desire.… 2 Corinthians 8: 8-10

The Lord builds up Jerusalem - Providence finds a more honest telling. It was a city that seemed lost to the pages of history, the conquest of invaders. The people were scattered, but the Ruler of the Universe, the Maker of the covenant, He keeps His promise, His words are actions, bringing all things to fruition. It is His city.

And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3 Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. 6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, 8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.” Zechariah 8: 1-8

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds - Imagine the lament of those dragged from their lives, their homes, people, the city that was the great center of their government and worship. Imagine the whole human race, fallen from it's maker, unable to set aright, to approach that which is Holy, when you and I are not. He welcomes the broken, does not laugh at those who desire to be remade. 

2 and He began to teach them, saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.… Matthew 5: 2-4

He gives to all of them their names - Men cannot even see every star much less remember every name. He has made everything in such precise and perfect detail.

His understanding is beyond measure - Outside of this space of minutes, of yards, miles and light years, there is God, the Maker of it all. This is One worthy of praise, that life exists, that we study it and look further into creation, yet realize He is above all, and it is therefore to His glory. The surface scratching intellect must concede to the intellect that made it, or else it's foundation is error. It is not science or intelligence that makes it difficult to believe in God, no, it is merely pride paving the way for ignorance. God has made Himself known, and science, as it peels back the layers, as it magnifies with the microscope, so it magnifies the design of Creation, it induces the awe. We know so very little in respect to the universe, and we would never reach God, Who is without measure, but He humbled Himself to make Himself known.

…2 and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know that I am the LORD.” 3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. 4 But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.… Exodus 10: 2-4

He prepares rain for the earth - What a system He has created, the oceans, tides, currents, the water cycle, His rain that falls on the just and the unjust. He feeds even the things that we see as unclean, and we forget to number ourselves among such. 

Nor His pleasure in the legs of man - He made them, and has no need for them in fulfilling His purpose. God does not need the strength of men, nor does He require our wisdom, but He loves the humble heart, the joyfully obedient spirit. Are you fast? He made those legs, so run to Him, beg Him to be used to His glory.

…5“Do you not know what they are?” replied the angel. “No, my lord,” I answered. 6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts. 7 What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring forth the capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”… Zechariah 4: 5-7

…15 For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”… Romans 9: 15-17

…10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom. 11 I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful; rather, time and chance happen to all. 12 For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.… Ecclesiastes 9: 10-12

For He strengthens the bars of your gates - He does not only bring them back to the promised land, but gives them the means and desire to secure Jerusalem. 

Her fortifications were finished, even to the fastenings of the gates, and God had made all sound and strong, even to her bolts and bars: thus her security against invading foes was guaranteed. This is no small mercy. Oh, that our churches were thus preserved from all false doctrine and unholy living! This must be the Lord's doing; and where he has wrought it his name is greatly to be praised. Modern libertines would tear down all gates and abolish all bars; but so do not we, because of the fear of the Lord. - C. H. Spurgeon

Who can stand before His cold -

- None can resist the utmost rigours of cold any more than they can bear the vehemence of heat. God's withdrawals of light are a darkness that may be felt, and his withdrawals of heat are a cold which is absolutely omnipotent. If the Lord, instead of revealing himself as a fire, should adopt the opposite manifestation of cold, he would, in either case, consume us should he put forth all his power. It is ours to submit to deprivations with patience, seeing the cold is his cold. That which God sends, whether it be heat or cold, no man can defy with impunity, but he is happy who bows before it with childlike submission. When we cannot stand before God we will gladly lie at his feet, or nestle under his wings. - C. H. Spurgeon

They do not know His rules - To Israel He has given the Oracles of God, the history of Creation, the law which reveals men's nature and opposition to God. He has declared His holiness, His just wrath, and revealed the story of redemption through Messiah. The same God, Who has put His word above His name, has revealed His unequaled integrity through the carrying out of justice even against His nation Israel and their kings. 

Israel had clear and exclusive knowledge of God, while others were left in ignorance. Election is the loudest call for grateful adoration. And as for his judgments, they have not known them; or, and judgments they had not known them, as if not knowing the laws of God, they might be looked upon as having no laws at all worth mentioning. The nations were covered with darkness, and only Israel sat in the light. This was sovereign grace in its fullest noontide of power. Praise ye the Lord. When we have mentioned electing, distinguishing love, our praise can rise no higher, and therefore we close with one more hallelujah. C. H. Spurgeon

…10As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. 11 If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. 12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.… 1 Peter 4: 10-12

…21“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.… John 4: 21-23

…7For what nation is so great as to have a god as near to them as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call on Him? 8And what nation is so great as to have righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today? 9Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.… Deuteronomy 4: 7-9

1What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. 3What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?… Romans 3: 1-3

1I ask then, did God reject His people? Absolutely not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Romans 11: 1-2

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#898 O, O, O My Soul

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Put not your trust in princes,

in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God,

6 who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

who keeps faith forever;

7 who executes justice for the oppressed,

who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;

8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

the Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;

he upholds the widow and the fatherless,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The Lord will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord! Psalm 146 ESV

A Psalm of Praise.

- Psalm 146 begins a series of five final songs in the Book of Psalms, and the five are known as the Hallelujah Psalms. “In the earlier psalms, we have studied the writers’ griefs, shames, sins, doubts, and fears. We have witnessed the people of God in their defeats and victories, their ups and downs in life. We have encountered rebellious words and struggling faith. All this is behind us now. In these final psalms every word is praise.” (James Montgomery Boice)

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul - It is the height of reason, the peak of the mountain top for those seeking. It is not the way men are now born, for they are all born into sin and at enmity with a Holy God. No one desires to nor can they yield up praise from the heart, sincere and worthy of the Object, for to know Him is to be exposed. David and the other Psalmists have wrestled with fear, anguish, despair, questions beyond their present capacity, but it has all climaxed here in praise. The chief end and duty, but we are all born from Adam in sin, derelicts. 

…3“Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers. 4 You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high. 5 Is this the fast I have chosen, a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the LORD?… Isaiah 58: 3-5

…14 Why do I put myself at risk and take my life in my own hands? 15 Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways to His face. 16 Moreover, this will be my salvation, for no godless man can appear before Him.… Job 13: 14-16

Put not your trust in princes - We are not the great students of history that we proclaim to be, for so many kings and kingdoms have come to not, yet men still chase after messiahs of their own make up, dynamic speakers woo the multitude, self promoters rise up all the time. They promise an earthly utopia, present a common enemy, ignore the history of the same such failures in the past. The longer men live in prosperity, the more sure they think it's foundation, and become certain that it is of an unshakable nature. People have put their hope and faith in so many men throughout history, and even the best of them still dies, their rule ends, calamity beyond their power strikes.  

…3 For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and not delay. 4 Look at the proud one; his soul is not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith— 5 and wealth indeed betrays him. He is an arrogant man never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own.… Habakkuk 2: 3-5

…10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. 11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and humiliate the pride of tyrants. 12 I will make man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.… Isaiah 13: 10-12

…15 As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands. 16 This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind? 17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness, with much sorrow, sickness, and anger.… Ecclesiastes 5: 15-17

Who made heaven and earth - This men try to explain away from the rightful Owner, or suggest themselves the middle man rather than Christ as the High Priest, through Whom all things were created. They call their religion "science", yet they forsake what science makes plainly evident because it does not fit their doctrine. Watch these scientific observations that do not keep with the Darwinian faith.

…3 Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me! 4 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?… Job 38: 3-5

Who executes justice for the oppressed - God, Himself, when He came into this world to do all that we had not done, to walk in righteousness, to fulfill the law, He did not come to be served, but to serve. Blessed is the leader who builds up his people, who defends against the oppressor and does not become a tyrant himself. Blessed is the one who puts themselves under God's authority, who acknowledges his lack before an almighty God. 

…27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need. 29 Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.… Ephesians 4: 27-29

The Lord sets the prisoners free - Whom the Son sets free shall be free indeed. Men will sadly trade one form of slavery for another, but the one who puts his trust in God is free, death cannot hold him, his present dwelling is temporal indeed.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed.…

…18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness.

…21 What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.… Romans 6: 15-23

The Lord will reign forever - His sovereignty, and the knowledge of such, should cause His followers much peace, even in the greatest storms.

1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.… John 14: 1-3

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#897 My God and My King

I will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name forever and ever.

2 Every day I will bless you

and praise your name forever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

and his greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall commend your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness.

7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 The Lord is good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

and all your saints shall bless you!

11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

and tell of your power,

12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.

14 The Lord upholds all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food in due season.

16 You open your hand;

you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways

and kind in all his works.

18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.

20 The Lord preserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. Psalm 145 ESV

A Psalm or Praise of David, blessing his God.

This is one of the acrostic Psalms where each line starts with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. One letter, Nun, is missing.

I will extol You, my God and King - He praises God enthusiastically. He lifts Him up as both God, Who is the originator of life, and King, the ruler over all. The king pays homage to the authority that is above his rule. He recognizes God as sovereign. 

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.… Colossians 1: 15-17

And bless Your name forever and ever - The Psalmist invokes reverence for the Name that is above all names. It is an everlasting name and therefore a blessing without end.

…8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,… Philippians 2: 8-10

…4 So He became as far superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is excellent beyond theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father”? Or again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son”? 6 And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”… Hebrews 1: 4-6

1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” 2 The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”… Psalm 110: 1-2

And His greatness is unsearchable - Who has understood eternity? Who has known or seen everything in all places within time and space? Who has stretched out the heavens or spoken the world into being? The acts of God are beyond our measure, and that even which we have received and known by faith, the Trinitarian work of salvation, what man has fully comprehended? 

33 O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways! 34“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?” 35“Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?”… Romans 11: 33-35

And shall sing aloud of Your righteousness - Even His enemies, the greatest of naysayers, will one day have to confess, that He did what He said He would do. He kept His word, but did not fail or change in a single attribute. He was holy and remained so, even in mercy He paid the price of His own justice. Jesus was tested in every way as we are, but He was without sin. He lived a perfect life, humble, rejected, He came to do the will of His Father, to uphold His righteousness in love and mercy. 

16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. 17 For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.… Romans 1: 16-18

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom - 

- The LORD upholds all who fall: “The phrase, all who are falling, is unusually expressive; and this timely help at an early stage is coupled with God’s power to revive lost hope and failed abilities: cf. New English Bible, ‘and straightens backs which are bent’.” (Kidner)

And raises up all who are bowed down - He calls sinners, the broken, those who have lost faith in themselves or any righteousness they thought they could obtain. Pride is always the devil's calling card, self esteem, self worth, self righteousness, self fulfillment, the gospel of futility.

…5 Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy? 6 But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.… James 4: 5-7

But all the wicked He will destroy - Life is a kindness, breath, food, rain, not owed to sinners, and yet men will not love God for His universal glory and goodness. Men with means will site those without as proof of God's injustice, but here you are with the means. It is a poor gospel that creates many a false profession, that God is only love and mercy, but in the whole of His counsel He is that and also just.

And let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.

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#896 Trains

Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

who trains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle;

2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

who subdues peoples under me.

3 O Lord, what is man that you regard him,

or the son of man that you think of him?

4 Man is like a breath;

his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!

Touch the mountains so that they smoke!

6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;

send out your arrows and rout them!

7 Stretch out your hand from on high;

rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,

from the hand of foreigners,

8 whose mouths speak lies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;

upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,

10 who gives victory to kings,

who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.

11 Rescue me and deliver me

from the hand of foreigners,

whose mouths speak lies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 May our sons in their youth

be like plants full grown,

our daughters like corner pillars

cut for the structure of a palace;

13 may our granaries be full,

providing all kinds of produce;

may our sheep bring forth thousands

and ten thousands in our fields;

14 may our cattle be heavy with young,

suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;

may there be no cry of distress in our streets!

15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord! Psalm 144 ESV

A Psalm of David most likely after his ascension to king. A very national hymn, desirous of the well being of his people.

Blessed be the Lord, my rock - Just as David hid in the rocks and caves, he knows no surer foundation than God. He is a refuge and a strength to those in need. His word endures forever, even when all else fades away. 

…13 The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded. 14 and He will be a sanctuary. But to both houses of Israel He will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, a trap and a snare to the dwellers of Jerusalem.” 15 Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be ensnared and captured.”… Isaiah 8: 13-15

…16 He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.” And when the people heard this, they said, “May such a thing never happen!” 17 But Jesus looked directly at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? 18 Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”… Luke 20: 16-18

…33 its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron and part clay. 34 While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. 35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.… Daniel 2: 33-35

…6 For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” 7 To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.… 1 Peter 2: 6-8

Who trains my hands for war - When God calls a man, He also makes him ready. He makes us fit for the task. Remember, David was a little shepherd boy, but being a shepherd taught him how to lead sheep, to protect sheep. He used his time in the pastoral life to become great at his job, which incorporated the use of the sling. It was all the weapon he needed to take down  the giant Goliath, and he was already prepared by the lion and the bear. A little stone, a lot of practice, a mighty reverence for God. 

- Who trains my hands for war: If a man or woman feels that God is training him or her to use spiritual weapons – such as the sword of the Spirit, the word of God – then training must always continue. It is never “who trained my hands for war,” but always in the present: who trains my hands for war.

iv. Spurgeon wrote of the danger of using some weapons without adequate training – a danger in both the natural and spiritual realms: “Untrained force is often an injury to the man who possesses it, and it even becomes a danger to those who are round about him; and therefore the psalmist blesses the Lord as much for teaching as for strength.” Enduring Word and Spurgeon

Who subdues peoples under me - David's ascension to the throne was not uncontested. He waited for the Lord's time instead of killing Saul. He even served Saul well, both in his courts and in his army, more training in state, war and patience, for he would need all those things. He gives credit in all these things to God. Slowly it seems to us, but surely by God's design, all Israel came under his house, and eventually Israel's ancient enemies were destroyed. 

Man is like a breath - If you look at the Solar System like a clock, the earth orbiting the sun, spinning on it's access, the shadows are in one place in the morning, creeping across the lawn throughout the day, and in the evening they are gone. Memory looks back upon the places we can no longer go; I cannot get back what happened only seconds ago. Here I am, in this place and this time, and now that moment is gone. 

- "Lord, what is man, what a poor little thing is he, that thou takest knowledge of him, that thou makest account of him, that he falls so much under thy cognizance and care, and that thou hast such a tender regard to any of that mean and worthless race as thou hast had to me!’’ Considering the many disgraces which the human nature lies under, we have reason to admire the honours God has put upon mankind in general (the saints especially, some in a particular manner, as David) and upon the Messiah (to whom those words are applied, Heb. 2:6 ), who was highly exalted because he humbled himself to be found in fashion as a man, and has authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of man. A question to this purport David asked (Ps. 8:4 ), and he illustrated the wonder by the consideration of the great dignity God has placed man in (Ps. 8:5 ), Thou hast crowned him with glory and honour. Here he illustrates it by the consideration of the meanness and mortality of man, notwithstanding the dignity put upon him (v. 4): Man is like to vanity; so frail is he, so weak, so helpless, compassed about with so many infirmities, and his continuance here so very short and uncertain, that he is as like as may be to vanity itself. Nay, he is vanity, he is so at his best estate. His days have little substance in them, considering how many of the thoughts and cares of an immortal soul are employed about a poor dying body; they are as a shadow, dark and flitting, transitory and finishing with the sun, and, when that sets, resolving itself into all shadow. They are as a shadow that passeth away, and there is no loss of it. David puts himself into the number of those that are thus mean and despicable.III. He begs of God to strengthen him and give him success against the enemies that invaded him, v. 5-8. - Matthew Henry

5 For it is not to angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But somewhere it is testified in these words: “What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him? 7 You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor… Hebrews 2: 5-7

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood - This line is twice put forth, almost like a chorus. The strength of his enemies is that they are not bound by truth, and this is the disadvantage for those that deal with them. Once we find ourselves to be liars we need to confess this to God, learn to hold our tongues, and be slow to speak, not for fear of getting caught but for fear of the sin itself. We must also not put ourselves in league with such who practice these things. The preceding lines indicate a need for God's intervention, because falsehood cannot be the weapon of our warfare, and we are unable to change men's hearts. The right hand is a symbol of power, and David will use the gifts of His hands to praise the God Who made them. He wants his enemies to see Who God is, the truth revealed. 

15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. 17 For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”… Romans 1: 15-17

Who gives victory to kings - 

- This intimates, 1. That great kings cannot save themselves without him. Kings have their life-guards, and have armies at command, and all the means of safety that can be devised; but, after all, it is God that gives them their salvation, and secures them by those means, which he could do, if there were occasion, without them, Ps. 33:16 . Kings are the protectors of their people, but it is God that is their protector. How much service do they owe him then with their power who gives them all their salvations! 2. That good kings, who are his ministers for the good of their subjects, shall be protected and saved by him. He has engaged to give salvation to those kings that are his subjects and rule for him; witness the great things he had done for David his servant, whom he had many a time delivered from the hurtful sword, to which Saul’s malice, and his own zeal for the service of his country, had often exposed him. - Matthew Henry

Our daughters like corner pillars - I want my girls to do well with the gifts God has given them, but above earthly comforts I desire that they walk with God, that Christ is their chief affection.

- When we see our daughters well-established and stayed with wisdom and discretion, as corner-stones are fastened in the building,—when we see them by faith united to Christ, as the chief corner-stone, adorned with the graces of God’s Spirit, which are the polishing of that which is naturally rough, and become women professing godliness, —when we see them purified and consecrated to God as living temples, we think ourselves happy in them. - Matthew Henry

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.

1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered on behalf of all men 2 for kings and all those in authority, so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,… 1 Timothy 2: 1-3

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