Psalm 28-33
We are in the Wisdom Stream reading through the psalms. We are using the Good News Translation this week.
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Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis
28 – “give praise to the Lord for he has heard my cry for help.” is the core of this Psalm. It is a prayer. It is thanksgiving for God answering prayer. David is urging people to be grateful and devoted to God. God saves and protects and David is blessed by this.
29 – is a very audio centered Psalm, it is filled with reminders of the sounds that God makes through what He has created: seas, thundering, echoes, lightning, trees in the wind. Many are not drawn to God by such things, perhaps. But David is so focused on God that any sound has David pause to reflect, “wow, listen to what God is doing now!” He has a childlike faith and wonder about him that shows up all the time in David’s life and pilgrimage.
30 – David has come through so much turmoil and brushes with death and battles and chaos and treachery. And it all comes back to him as he has just taken Jerusalem and made it the capitol. His palace will be there in Jerusalem. This event happens early in II Samuel. But the decision to settle and make this the center of the young nation – that and the dedication of David’s palace was the occasion of Psalm 30 being written.
[Don’t confuse this with the Temple – his son Solomon did that a few decades later]
31 – This issue here is prayer, trust and looking to God for protection. It has been said of David, and for many reasons, that he learned better than probably anyone that he knew best that when God was all you had, you then realized that God is all you need. God was David’s Savior, defense, refuge, and shelter. David turned to God in the midst of any and every event or emotion he was going through. He saw God as his caregiver. None of the “if it’s to be, it’s up to me” touting. David’s hymn was “I did it Thy Way” v.s. the American tune that was popular in the 1900’s. The Lord is faithful and deserves our response of love for Him.
32 – David’s sin with Bathsheba and the full realization of the gravity that David had descended to is what prompted him to write Psalm 51. David going through the confession process and finding restoration and relief and healing prompted him to write this one; Psalm 32. David’s remorse had run its course and David realized the full depth and height of God’s forgiveness by now. His joy in the Lord was returning.
33 – This is a song of joy and praise and thanksgiving that seems to ring clear up to heaven. The joy of walking with God makes each step a wonder. The joy of the Lord spreads to everything everywhere. All nature and the sky too brings out the praise. God is such a marvel!
Lord God of Heaven, you truly are good to us. You give us your righteousness and you strengthen us to live in joy and with that strength we can praise you more and more and praising you gives us joy to praise you yet more. You a our marvelous God. Amen.