Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Psalm 137 speaks of the sorrow and regret that the Israelites felt as captives in Babylon. Away from the Land and away from the blessings they had experienced back when they were obedient. They acknowledge His mercy in allowing them to be captives, instead of completely destroyed.

Psalm 138 is a celebratory declaration of the praise, worship, and thanksgiving the psalmist will give to God because of His goodness, mercy, and the saving that He did.

Psalm 139 is humbly submitting to the truth that God knows our innermost beings. He knows us better than we know ourselves. That we cannot get away from Him, but He is everywhere around us ready to guide and lead us if we’ll let Him.

Psalm 140 is a prayer of deliverance from ungodly and evil men that dog the psalmist’s steps and surround him. It is looking to the Lord for salvation. For rescue. For defense. NOT because the psalmist deserves it, but because the Lord is merciful and loving.

Psalm 141 is a cry for help. To help the psalmist keep from broken ways and broken thinking. To continue to rely on the Lord, look to the Lord, and praise the Lord. For help in keeping their feet on the solid ground of the Word of God. To escape the traps of the wicked.

Psalm 142 is another cry for help. They see enemies on every side. They feel defeat and are anxious. But they are choosing not to dwell on all the snares and barbs, but to look to the Lord for help and salvation. It looks in hope to the day when they would be surrounded by the righteous.

Psalm 143 is a meditation on how far from God the psalmist feels (in the New Covenant we are NEVER away from the Lord). It looks at circumstance and the attacks they are enduring, and responds with a cry to the Lord for help. To be delivered. To be taught to follow the Ways of God so that in obedience they may continue to live. It is a desperate prayer for relief – answered in every way in Jesus.

Psalm 144 is a joyful celebration for all the Lord does. All the ways that He prepares us for our lives and the struggles we will encounter. It is a declaration of the songs of praise that the psalmist will sing as the Lord comes in His power and glory to deliver them from their enemies – who lie and lay traps. The psalmist thanks the Lord for the free condition of their children and the blessing they will grow up under. It celebrates the joy such people have, living in the blessing of the Lord.

Psalm 145 is a declaration about God. His glory. His majesty. His wonder. His deeds. His mercy. And how every generation will sing His praises and declare His wonders so that ALL humanity may know that God is THE God Above All Things. It is also a recognition and thanks for how God treats those who love and seek Him. Of the BLESSING they encounter and how they are even MORE thankful than regular thankful people.

Summary

Key Players: God, Various – mostly David

Key Verse(s): Psalm 137:1-6; 138:4-5; 139:1-6; 140:12-13; 141:8-10; 142:6-7; 143:1-2; 144:1-4, 15; 145:3-8