PSALM SIXTEEN quoted in ACTS

Psalm 16 Quoted in Acts 2:25-28  .........from the AMPLIFIED BIBLE
25.....I saw the Lord constantly before me,for He is at my right hand
that I may not be shaken or overthrown or cast down
( from my secure state )
26  Therefore  my heart rejoiced, and my tongue exulted exceedingly;
 moreover my flesh also will rest in hope..
27  For You will not abandon my soul, leaving it helpless in Hades,
nor let Your Holy One know decay or see destruction.
28  You have made known to me the ways of life:
You will enrapture me diffusing my soul with joy
with and in Your presence.

PSALM SIXTEEN Verse 8 to 11

Psalm 16:8-11  New Living Translation Second Edition
8 I know  the LORD is always with me
   I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
     or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence
     and the pleasures of living with you  forever.

First believers in Jesus Christ and believing Christians today can make the words of psalm 16 verses 8 to  11   their own testimony...an expression of their own spiritual experience:
and in doing so we ourselves are proof and fulfillment of the resurrection of Jesus our Lord.

PSALM SIXTEEN Verses 9, 10, 11.

Verse 9 & 10 from the Coverdale version.

9 I have set God always before me:
for he is on my right hand, therefore I shall not fall.
10 Wherefore my heart was Glad and my glory rejoiced
my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Sometimes the presence of the Lord shines out of the face of those who love him .
Walking with faith that God is with us........is a spiritual thing which effects the physical,
(my flesh shall rest in hope)
The life of a believer is touching the spiritual and the physical.

Verse 11b from the NIV
You will fill me with joy in your presence, with
eternal pleasures at your right hand.

These words express the joy and security experienced by the believer who has knowledge of the presence of the Lord along life's way.
A ringing confession of confidence in the Lord
which we can make in gratitude and faith.

PSALM FIFTEEN VERSE ONE AND TWO

The Coverdale version from the Book of Common Prayer

Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle: or who shall rest upon thy holy hill ?

Even he, that leadeth an uncorrupt life; and doeth the thing which is right

and speaketh the truth from his heart.

The Christlike behaviour described in Psalm15:1&2 is the Gold standard

by which to examine our own attitudes and actions.

Always speaking the truth from the heart is of course Christlike,

and so is always doing what is right.

If, before God in prayer, we can review what we were doing this morning and find that we have been totally Christlike, that would have met the gold standard set in Psalm 15 v1&2.

PSALM THIRTEEN VERSE SIX.......SONG

Psalm 13 verse 6   NIV.
I will sing to the LORD
for He has been good to me.

The Vulgate,  The Septuagint and the Orthodox Study Bible  (SAAS)
have another line;-

I will sing to the name of the LORD most high.

The psalmist is not just ticking all the right boxes here.
It's more like a football crowd.....with a great roar...singing their team to victory !
The massed choirs of heaven and the assembled people of God 
are united in this song !

PSALM THIRTEEN VERSE FIVE, LOVE

We rely on God,s unfailing love.
The Hebrew word "hesed"  indicates;-
that God is loyal to us,
that God is faithful to us,
that God shows mercy, tenderness and compassion to us,
that God,s enduring steadfast love for us is real and true,
and that we will be able to accept and enter more fully into God,s faithful love for us...........................
in prayer times, in quiet moments and in all the moments of our lives when we recognize His presence.

PSALM THIRTEEN VERSE FIVE, TRUST

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Verse 5 expresses a strong gift of faith which the psalmist exuberantly proclaims.
Sometimes a long relationship builds trust.
A believer who enjoys an ongoing personal relationship with the risen Lord,
grows in the knowledge of the Lord.
A believers image of the Lord is vital. A faulty image of God hinders our relationship with Him. The more we come to have a true image of God the better our relationship will be.

PSALM THIRTEEN VERSE FOUR

My enemy will say, "I have overcome him and my foes rejoice when I fall"

When as believers, we come to a realization of our own powerlessness , we need to turn to God to ask for grace to be enlightened and to be given a bigger picture of what we are anxious about.
If we start by praying for all men, we might see the cause of our own anxiety in the context of God's will for all men.
If we let "Our Father" take us by the hand for a while, we will soon start to get some vision of His way for ourselves and the sea of people around us.
Beyond our present trials and difficulties ,
God,s purpose is marching on. Hold on to that. 

PSALM THIRTEEN VERSE THREE

Psalm 13 verse 3  NIV
Look on me and answer, O LORD my God
     Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

Look...Answer me  .It is imperative that the Lord answers the psalmist !
The psalmist needs to be enlightened internally !

...or I will sleep in death.         The dire consequences of not receiving clear discernment
 could mean that the psalmist would be overcome by his enemies.
The psalmist has cast himself on God's protection and provision.

PSALM THIRTEEN VERSE ONE

Psalm 13 verse 1    New International Version  ( the NIV )
How long, O Lord ?  Will you forget me for ever ?
How long will you hide your face from me?


  Christian converts of The Rev James Chalmers, missionary of the London Missionary Society
in New Guinea in the 1860,s enjoyed religious freedom for over a hundred years . Today amid burning churches, ransacked seminaries and violent persecution their descendants are praying "How long, O Lord"
Christians in many other countries are not free to practice their faith publicly , but whether the persecution lasts months years or generations we are alive to turn to God , we are free to turn to God in prayer.
Psalm 13 verse 1 is an expression of the faith and hope which we might secretly pray under persecution. The same verse reminds those of us who are free to take advantage of our own freedom.
Sharing our faith and hope freely should be our desire; and leading others to freedom our goal.
If we examine our own motivation before the Lord in Prayer, we will surely find ways to express our faith and hope in everyday life. 

PSALM TEN Verse 17 and 18 NJB

......you grant them a hearing

      to give judgement for the orphaned and exploited  .

Those who defend what is wholesome are vindicated sooner or later

          Jesus himself was jeered and mocked.

          Mary whitehouse was jeered and mocked.......by a media which proved to be populated by child molesters,  deviants , and perverts, but now their guilt has been exposed on television  and 

Mrs Whitehouse has been vindicated. The secret activity of the exploiters is made public from east to west.

          The one true God is the God of justice and those who refer regularly to Him and follow His way should not have too many skeletons in their cupboard.

PSALM TEN Verse 17

the Coverdale version from the Book of Common Prayer
          Break thou the power of the ungodly and malicious:
          take away his ungodliness, and thou shalt find none.

Those who attempt to put  1st Timothy Ch2 v1 into practice could use this verse.

1st Timothy Ch2v1 ;
          First I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be offered for all men. NAB

We believe that God,s will is without reservation the very best for ourselves and for all men,
so for all men we might pray;
          Break thou the power of the ungodly and malicious;
          please take away their ungodliness until you can find none ! 

PSALM 10 Verse 16

from THE COVERDALE VERSION from the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER ;
........the poor committeth himself unto thee ;
        for thou art the helper of the friendless.

The poor, those in need, especially those in dire need, cry out to God.
God is the helper of the poor...therefore helping the poor is a godly thing to do.
That can be done out of a sense of duty, but to care for people with concern and affection is Christlike.
It is always good to examine our motives honestly before the Lord, and to ask for enabling grace..

Verse 14 in the REVISED ENGLISH BIBLE
          The haples victim commits himself to you
          in you the fatherless finds a helper.

PALM TEN Verse 8 to 10

Psalm 10 :8 to 10 uses words like lurking, ambushing, watching, and ensnaring   about the wicked who are involved in trapping and taking violent advantage of the poor and the innocent.
In nations of every level of development, the poor and the vulnerable are entrapped into financial and social arrangements which they can't easily get out of , which makes them seriously disadvantaged.
The wicked search out the vulnerable in order to take advantage of them. Great numbers of people are entrapped in what is virtually slave labour and even human trafficking . People are entrapped by debt, by drugs, by unfair contracts, by unfair changes of legislation or rules set then changed by governments and financial institutions. The wicked seek political and financial authority to overpower whole communities !
Christian discernment lies in recognizing the entrapped situation: Whether believers are called to advise those in debt or dependency, or called to teach young Christians to have discernment in life choices and in the decisions which have to be made in everyday life.
The poor and the innocent were once  supported to some degree by the influence of trustworthy respectable people in authority , in schools and churches, in local government and in the media; where the highest moral and spiritual values were expected and could be relied upon.
In nations where moral values are mocked and spiritual values strongly contested, every believer needs a mature  understanding of the teaching of Jesus Christ and an ongoing personal relationship with him in the body of Christ.

PSALM TEN Paul Quotes Verse Seven.

Paul quotes this verse (from the Septaugint) in Romans 3:14  ESV

   Their mouth is full of curses    and bitterness

Paul is teaching that both Greeks and Jews are under sin
Romans 3:10+11    as it is written
             no one understands ( in Psalm 10v5   "your judgements are beyond their grasp")
             no one seeks God  (in Psalm 10 v4    " the wicked do not seek God")

For Christian discernment , not understanding and not seeking are indicators not of godlyness
but of  " the wicked and the ungodly "

PSALM TEN Verse 7

Psalm 10 verse 7  GNB
Their speech is filled with curses, lies and threats;
   they are quick to speak hateful, evil words.

This verse is a gift to discerning Christians who review their  day with the LORD.
Wishing anything but the best for anyone  is not good. How often do you have to do that to make it a curse ? We have to examine our own attitudes ..not to justify them but to bring them before God to whom we are answerable.
When you hear the words " ..if you don't......you are listening to a threat !
If the label says "healthy food" and it isn't   ...that's a lie !
Christians need to be forearmed with the truth
We need to know God's perspective in our own lives.
And we need to have "godless people " unmasked so we know who to trust.

PSALM TEN Verse 5 and 6

Psalm 10 verse 5 and 6  REB
5 Their ways are always devious ; your judgements are beyond their grasp.
   and they scoff at all their adversaries.
6 Because they escape misfortune they think they will never be shaken.

Advertisements pander to the ungodly "don't let the tax man get your money"
It is not seen as a virtue to make provision for the underprivileged
or to pay their own share of taxes.
Because they have always got away with it , national and international business uses devious schemes to avoid their moral duty before man and God.
People need to know who to respect, who to support, who to trust, who to give their brand loyalty to .

PALM TEN Verse 4

Psalm 10 verse 4  REB
The wicked in their pride do not seek God;
there is no place for God in any of their schemes

Members of the UK parliament who claimed excessive expenses said that they had not broken the rules.
For them it was all right to get away with as much as they dared. They did not feel constrained by any moral force or that they are answerable before God.

If they had referred their choices to God in prayer ( an examen or an examination of conscience) they would have realized that before God , they are not men of good repute , or men of no repute, but
men if disrepute . i.e. the wicked ..the ungodly.

PSALM TEN Verse 3

THE COVERDALE VERSION from the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER.

verse 3  For the ungodly hath made boast of his own heart's desire
            and speaketh good of the covetous, whom God abhorreth.

Do any of these phrases sound familiar ?
      If you win ,what will you spend it on?
      Don,t apply for this job unless you are motivated by money!
      Top of the range job incentives.

The Christian needs discernment to asses his own goals.
The hearts desire of the ungodly is at the expense of others
and is predictably selfish.

Every Christian student who leaves home to go for further education
should be fully competent to apply discernment to all the choices and
decisions he will be asked to make in the coming years.

PSALM TEN Verse 2

ESV  verse 2
In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor:
    let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

Believers need to be able to identify  "the wicked" ( in some versions " the ungodly")
As a shopkeeper needs to be able to identify shoplifters,
the believer needs discernment because "the wicked" take advantage of the innocent.
The believer also needs to be able to discern tendencies and activities in his own life
which would draw him away from God instead of drawing closer to God.

While it is the duty of national government and local government to ensure justice,
those who care,i.e.  believers...would naturally bring the oppressed before God in prayer.

We also pray for the conversion of the "rogue traders" ....the " pay day loan sharks"...
and those who make a living by imposing on the vulnerable on the telephone.

PSALM TEN Verse 1 WHY ?

Psalm 10 verse 1   New Jerusalem Bible
Why, Yahweh, do you keep so distant , stay hidden in times of trouble ?

An urgent call for help calls for two "whys" in this verse and one "why "in Psalm 22.
The poor, the meek and the oppressed, the afflicted and the innocent
are entitled to pray "Why".
Our Lord Jesus quoted psalm 22 to pray "Why"
David prays why
So it is legitimate to pray why.....
and we can pray why in faith and hope
because ;- we will be comforted
                we will receive mercy
                we will inherit the earth.
and...........ours is the kingdom of heaven.
            

PSALM NINE Verse 1

Psalm 9 verse 1 Coverdale version from the Book of Common Prayer

I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, with my whole heart
     I will speak of all thy marvelous works.

Wholehearted gratefulness does not arise out of our baser instincts.

Patience, kindness and goodness do not arise out of the dark;
they are fruit of the Spirit.
When we let the peace and love of Christ to rule in our hearts,
our attitudes, our habits and our motivation is effected.
What prompts wholehearted gratitude ? What prompts the habit of praying ?
The person who lives dynamically his love for God,
who chooses to be led by the Spirit of Christ,
is prompted from within both to speech and action which exudes the love of Christ. 

PSALM SEVEN THE DIVINE JUDGE

Psalm 7 verse 9  NCV      The LORD is the judge of nations

Psalm 7 verse 10 NCV      O God of  Justice

Psalm 7 verse 12  NCV     God is a just judge

The judge knows and can see what is right and what is wrong.
Where there is no judge there is no rule of law.  We call that a failed state.
The same is true of individual people.
We can choose to be subject to our own tyranny
or have the God of Justice to be our spiritual director.

PSALM SEVEN Verse 15 NCV

Behold, he who conceives iniquity
and is pregnant with mischief
will give birth to lies.

People choose to do what they want to do.
Those who choose mischief and iniquity today will keep choosing mischief and iniquity because that is what they want to do.
If they never refer to God who can see into their heart
they will have no divine checks and balances,
they will spend a life doing what they they choose.....
Not the most wholesome way.

PSALM SEVEN Verse 10

The PSALMS New Catholic Version  A Saint Joseph Edition
10  O God of justice
                you who search minds and hearts

New Jerusalem Bible (verse 9)
.......you righteous God, assessor of mind and heart.

Today contemplatives ask God to look into their heart to discern their inner attitudes and motives:
And ask for grace  " to do better tomorrow "     that is to grow in grace and grow towards  Christian maturity.
Growing away from Christian immaturity in humility and love is the right direction.

PSALM 6 Adonai has heard my cry. Verses 6 to 9

Verses 6 and 7 express personal anguish which the psalmist has been taking to God in prayer.
In verse 8 the psalmist is commanding the workers of evil to get out of his situation.
He knows that his prayer has been answered.
In almost legal terms....he submitted a plea......his submission was heard....the content of his submission has been accepted....and the case found in favour of the psalmist.
The psalmist is delivered from his oppressors
Adonai has heard my cry
With the psalmist we can say our ongoing relationship is with the one true God. 

PSALM 6 ......how long........Verse 1 to 4

From the Latin English text of the Psalter compiled and edited by David Mawson,

Psalm 6 verse 4 ;    
And my soul is troubled exceedingly; but thou, O Lord, how long?

People of God in exile have prayed   " How long ? "

Psalm 13:2  How long, O LORD.?
Psalm 13:3  How long must I suffer?

till the end of slavery___how long ?
till the end of discrimination___how long ?

People suffer their own "exile" experiences;
Separation can cause anguish.

People suffer their own "oppression" experiences;
from bully schoolteachers to bully employers.

Those people who have the love of Christ in their hearts are the ones who respond
when they discern "exile" experiences or "oppression" experiences in the lives of
people around them. The love of Christ in people makes a big difference .

PSALM 6 my body is in agony Verse 1 to 4

New Catholic Version verse 3
Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am tottering;
help me , O LORD,  for my body is in agony.

On any day in any community you will find people who could make this prayer from the heart.
Who should call on the mercy of God if not those in pain and suffering ?

Those who are suffering themselves have some insight into the suffering of others.
Their carers have have a different  appreciation of their experience.
The ministry of care is open to all who would share the love of Christ

Verse 8 speaks of those who have no interest whatever in the will of God.
The workers of evil contrast vividly with the children of God.

Those who daily seek the heart of God in order to do what is best,
often find hidden strength.

PSALM 6 have mercy Verse 1 to 4

What does Psalm 6 say to the person attempting to live in Christian Discernment ?

Douay- Rheims ;  Turn to me, O LORD, and deliver my soul:
                           O save me for thy mercies sake.

NEW CATHOLIC VERSION.....Have mercy on me, O LORD........

The Psalmist claims no justification and offers no excuses.
He asks to be delivered as an act of mercy.
What gave the psalmist such hope ?
Our own knowledge of God,s love is the context in which we pray,
for we have heard that God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son. . . . .

PSALM FIVE VERSE ONE TO THREE

verse 1  KJV  Give ear to my words , O Lord, consider my meditation.

The previous psalm (4) was a joyful evening Psalm of joy, peace and love.
Psalm 5  with music flutes and singing asks God to note the words and the meditation !....
The meditation of the heart which has prepared us to make this Psalm our prayer.

verse 2 NLT  Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God
for I will never pray to anyone but you.
( Our prayer is heart to heart with the one true God.)

verse 3 KJV My voice shalt thou hear in the morning. O LORD:
In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee
and look up.

in the morning we make our prayers.......
           KJV.......and look up
           NASB....and eagerly watch
           NIV.......and wait in anticipation
           ISV.......I will watch for your answer

Psalm 130:5......I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait,
                       and in his word I hope.

Psalm 5 verse 3 has us looking and eagerly waiting
                       perhaps as the pupil watches the teacher
                       or as the apprentice watches the master craftsman.

If we only say what we hear our master saying,  and only do what we see our master doing
That will be most Christlike.

PSALM FOUR VERSE EIGHT AND NINE

COVEDALE VERSION from the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER

8 Thou hast put gladness in my heart :
   since the time that their corn and wine and oil increased.
9 I will lay me down in peace, and take rest:
   for it is thou Lord, only, that makest me dwell in safety.

If you have had to live with shortage or rationing or debt
then you will know yourself that having enough money or food
removes anxiety and brings gladness to the heart.

The Lord's provision brings peace and rest and safety.
And when we come to live in peace and rest and safety,
we can appreciate what other folk are going through.
Christian discernment is strongly related to common sense ,
maturity as opposed to immaturity, and Christian love.

PSALM FOUR VERSE SIX AND SEVEN

COVERDALE VERSION from the BOOK of COMMON PRAYER
6  There be many that say: Who will show us any good ?

Famine...water shortage, shocking poverty exists around the globe. People live with constant anxiety for their children and each other.  We need to know and we need to care.

7 Lord, lift thou up the light of your countenance upon us.

We know who to turn to......The Lord.
And like the psalmist  our prayer is for "US"
When believers identify with the afflicted as Christ identifies with us
we are being Christlike !

PSALM FOUR VERSE FOUR

The Coverdale version from Book of Common Prayer.  Psalm 4 verse 4.
 Stand in awe , and sin not:
commune with your own heart, in your chamber, and be still.

Psalm 46,verse 10;    Be still then and know that I  am God

Spend a few moments quieting yourself,
settle into a comfortable and respectful position.
In solitude and in silence give the Lord your attention.
Listen.  Be present to God.
In God's presence let your heart be open to Him

You may let God speak to you through your experiences of the day.
The Lord might bring to mind moments when you were Christlike today
or show you where you fell short of that.  Then ask for grace to improve on that in future.

When you are ready, let God speak to you through scripture.
Having slowly read through a short passage of scripture ...a few times...
just wait and see if any of that relates to your own experience.

It is all right to thank the Lord and fall asleep .

PSALM THREE.........Conflict

Part of the subject of Psalm 3 is conflict, conflict in which the believer is a participant.
In spiritual conflict the believer may discern the enemy while others think that nothing is wrong!
The believer can see the forces of evil at work;- in society, amongst people, influencing each new generation, promoting godlessness and denying divine power and authority.
But the believer is engaged in this conflict with divine enabling and protection through ongoing prayer.
Even as we sleep and our prayer life is suspended, the Lord keeps us till we wake.
(The footprints of the Lord reveal how He carried us.)
Every time we awaken our faith is in the Lord and we need not fear 10,000 fallen angels.
Our ongoing relationship with the living God ensures our position in His victorious army.

Historically Psalm three speaks of King David fleeing from his son Absalom.
Today's believer has recourse to the Holy Spirit in our conflicts.

THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS PROPHETICALLY OF CHRIST IN PSALM 2

Psalm 2 verse 1 and 2    from The Dead Sea Scrolls
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers counsel together
against the LORD and against his anointed.

Acts 4 verse 25 and 26     from the Rheims Bible of 1582
Lord.....Who by the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of our father David thy servant, hast said:
  Why did the gentiles rage and the people meditate vain things ?
The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes assembled together
against the LORD and against his Christ.

Acts 4 reveals that the Holy Spirit speaks prophetically of Christ in Psalm 2.

In the " ongoing relationship" which we experience as we grow in Christian discernment,
the frequent activity of the Holy Spirit in bringing such divine revelation to the attention of
shopkeepers and grandfathers is breathtaking ...but should be acknowledged in humility every time. 

A FOOTNOTE TO PSALM 2

The Lord in Psalm 2 is God the Father, and Jesus is called His Anointed (verse 2), which means "His Christ."  Jesus is also called King (verse 6), which is declared by the Father's eternal decree. Jesus is King without beginning and without end, and He is King over His holy hill of Zion, which is the Church. Jesus is also the Son of God the Father (verse 7), for He was begotten from the Father outside of time and "before all worlds" (Creed). He was also begotten in these last times by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, "for us men and for our salvation" (Creed). Then again , He was begotten in the sense of His Resurrection from the dead (Acts 13:32, 33). But Jesus is also the king over the nations (verse 8), which in time, He will shatter like a potter's vessel (verse 9) when He restores heaven and earth, and reigns eternally with His saints in "the world to come" (Creed). Therefore, the rulers of the nations are called to serve this King, or they will be judged; but blessed are all  who trust in Him (verse 12).
from the St Athanasius Academy Septuagint  (SAAS) 

PSALM ONE paraphrased by ROBERT BURNS

Psalm 1 
The man, in life wherever placed
Hath happiness in store,
Who walks not in the wicked's way,
nor learns their guilty lore!

Nor from the seat of scornful pride
Casts forth his eyes abroad,
But with humility and awe
Still walks before his God.

That man shall flourish like the trees
Which by the streamlets grow;
The fruitful top is spread on high And firm the root below

But he whose blossom buds in guilt
Shall to the ground be cast
And like the rootless stubble, tost
Before the sweeping blast. 

KEY PSALMS ON DISCERNMENT

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.                 PSALM 1 verse 1 
How many people are there who , with hindsight , wish they had never done business with or trusted the ungodly.
Psalm 1 asks us to discern the righteous from the ungodly and to choose the way of the righteous, and to choose to reject the way of the ungodly.
Psalm 1 invites us to become even more discerning by giving full ongoing attention to His word in scripture.