Daily Devotionals

Psalm 8:1–9

All of us need to be needed. We want to be wanted. God created us with a desire to know we can contribute something valuable and to have a significant impact in the lives of others. In years past, great men and women longed to leave their marks on the world, to create a legacy that would continue after they had passed away.

Psalm 5:9–12

Psalm 5:7–8

Having reviewed the attributes of God, focusing on His sovereignty and goodness, David examines himself (vv. 7–8).

But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.
O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.

Psalm 5:4–11

After the plea in Psalm 5:1–3, David begins to think through the day that spreads out before him, giving extra consideration to those he would encounter. His song addresses four specific realms of interest (vv. 4–11).

    1. David meditates on the Lord Himself (vv. 4–6)
    2. David describes himself (vv. 7–8)
    3. David describes his enemies (vv. 9–10)
    4. David describes the righteous (v. 11)

Let's examine each realm of interest, beginning with the first: God Himself.

Psalm 5:1–3

Some psalms are difficult to outline; others easily lend themselves to an organized layout. Psalm 5 falls in the latter category. It begins with a plea (vv. 1–3) directed to the Lord, whom David addresses, “O LORD...my King...my God...O LORD.” It concludes with a promise (v. 12). Sandwiched between the plea and the promise are four descriptions. 

I observe three things in David's introductory plea.

First, it was a "morning" prayer. Twice in verse 3 David mentions that it was "in the morning" that he met with his Lord.

Psalm 5:1–12

Songs are usually born out of surrounding circumstances that so affect the thinking of the composer, he cannot help but burst forth with a melody and an accompanying set of lyrics describing his plight. This is certainly the case with the blues and jazz of yesteryear as well as the old spirituals of days gone by and the romantic love songs of any era. The same has often been true of gospel songs and sacred hymns; their historical settings explain their message.

Genesis 16:2

Psalm 1:4–6

A key observation in Psalm 1:4–6 is contrast. Don't miss the many things that are quite the opposite from the preceding verses. "The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away."

"Not so!" That is exactly how verse 4 begins in the Hebrew Bible. It is an emphatic negative assertion. Literally, it says, "Not so, the wicked!" It refers back to the three preceding verses describing the righteous, godly believer, who:

Psalm 1:1–3

As I read Psalm 1, three illustrations from the Bible flash into my mind. Two men flirted with evil, then fell; but there was one other who refused to begin a "walk in the counsel of the wicked." The first two illustrations involve Lot and Samson; the third is Joseph. People the world over are familiar with Samson, whose life is best described in Proverbs 5:20–23:

Psalm 1:1–3