psalm 11

psalm 11

Introduction In the first verse in the Hebrew text, or the superscript in most Christian Bibles, we note that this Psalm is written by King David. From the remainder of the Psalm we note that he was in severe trouble. We do not know when this Psalm was written or what the event was that caused his friends to urge him to flee, but reading the life of David I am tempted to place this event at the time he was serving king Saul, somewhere between 1 Samuel 18 chapter 10 and chapter 20. It is at this time that David was protected by his wife Michal (1 Samuel 19:11-17); by Samuel the prophet (19:18-24); by Jonathan, the prince and close friend of David (1 Samuel 20:1-42). After these events David eventually flees and is protected by Ahimelech, the priest (1 Samuel 21:1-9) and even by the Philistine Achish, the king of Gath (1 Samuel 22:10-15). In the early part of his life we see that the personal war of Saul against David destroyed Saul, for God had made a Covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:12-16 & 1 Chronicles 17:1-9). Based on that Covenant David expresses his trust in the LORD, for He knows that God will protect him. I can envisage with my ‘sanctified imaginations’ that Jonathan is rushing through the city towards David’s house. I imagine Jonathan knocking loudly on David’s door, shouting “David, DAVID” and urging him to flee away from Judea. He would have urged him to flee to the mountains, possibly even the mountains of Moab, where David and his family would later flee (1 Samuel 22:3-4). Of interest, I note that the theme and the similarity in language come back when David does flee from King Saul in 1 Samuel 26 verses 18 “Why does my lord (the king) pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands?” … 20 “….hunts a partridge in the mountains”  and in 21 “…Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day”. Commentary Superscript 1 For the choir director, a Psalm of David. Comment Sometime after David experienced this event, he wrote this as a song and passed it to the choir director, so that all Israel and all generations of believers (you and me), may be encouraged by his experience and like David come to a deeper faith. Verse 1 the counsel given to David: “Flee like a bird to your mountain” 1 In the LORD I take refuge; How can ye say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain?” Comment David takesחָסִ֗יתִי  (chasiti from חָסָה chasah) refuge in the Lord (some translations, including the KJV, have put my trust which is fine as it is the meaning behind it). In Psalms 91:2, 9 & 94:22 we see the same root-word being used. David expresses his faith multiple times, saying I trust in the Lord and seek my refuge in Him, rather than responding to his friend request to ‘flee.’ This is a moment of fight or flight for David and this too will happen in our lives. As indicated by the introduction above, David pondered this fight or flight and at times he did flee. If I may make a small application, if you are in a situation of fight or flight, stop and pray but also seek counsel from Bible Believers and pray again, ask the Lord which way you should choose and remain steadfast, whether He says stay or go. Sometimes David stayed and sometimes David fled. So too for us, sometimes we might stay and sometimes we might flee, but please make sure you know the answer is indeed from God and that you have the peace of God about it (Philippians 4:7). The mountains are generally a safe place for birds. It is harder for the attacker to sneak up on the bird and easier for the bird to dive into a valley or hide in a cliff away from archers. But note the precise language of the friend, “flee like a bird to YOUR Mountain” (הַרְכֶ֥ם). Birds have nests but they do not have mountains. The bird is a metaphor for David, and he did flee to Mizpah of Moab, which is indeed in the mountains (1 Samuel 22:3). Was that “his mountain” and if so, why is this David’s mountain? The mountains of Moab are promised to the children of Lot. Israel had a clear commandment not to harasses them (Deuteronomy 2:9), so it cannot be those mountains. I tend to think the mountain here is used symbolically, meaning the kingdom. David is urged to flee from Saul’s kingdom to a place where he can build his own kingdom, as he was promised (1 Samuel 16:1-13). King Saul by now has the conviction that David wants to take over his kingdom (1 Samuel 23:17), and so it makes good sense to flee away from Saul’s presence. Places where we can see that mountains are used symbolically of a kingdom are Isaiah 41:14-15; Jeremiah 51:24-25; Ezekiel 17:22-23; Daniel 2:35, 44-45 and in Psalm 30:6-7 (Hebrew text 30:7-8) where the kingdom of David is even called “my mountain.” Verses 2-3 the reason for the guidance: “if the foundations are destroyed” 2 For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. 3 If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do? Comment The wicked, that is King Saul and his henchmen (especially Doeg the Edomite see Psalm 52 and 1 Samuel 22:18-19), who are out to destroy. The bow is used as a physical weapon, but perhaps it is also being used symbolically, as the wicked have directed their tongue treacherously (Jeremiah 9:2). They put their arrows upon the strings, which is done in darkness, that is in secret. David describes himself here as a man who is upright of heart, and indeed David was the man after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). If the foundations are destroyed here David compares the kingdom of Saul to a building. The foundations are the central values that hold a society together; law and order (Psalm 75:3; 82:5 and Ezekiel 30:4). In this context David would have been referring to priest and king for they were the source of religious and political power. Doeg, Saul’s henchman, had killed the priest of Nob and David, though innocent, was being pursued by the king and his men. They were acting wickedly as if they were above the rule of law. David then asks “what” can he do? The answer then and today remains the same, pray for the leaders of the government (1 Timothy 2:2), for that is what the righteous ought to do. Verses 4-6 David’s response “speaking to his soul” 4 The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. 5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates. 6 Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. 7 For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face. Comment The Temple would be built by David’s son Solomon. The word הֵיכָל (hekal) might be better translated as a sanctuary, for the Tabernacle was still in a tent. David then clarifies this by adding that the throne of God is in Heaven. God is enthroned between the cherubim (Psalm 99:1) and his Temple is indeed in the heavens (Ezekiel 1:26, 10:1; Isaiah 6:1-5; Daniel 7:9; Revelation 4). From Heaven the Lord test or tries the righteous (Micah 1:2). He does not tempt people with wickedness (James 1:13), yet He examines all of us by looking (eyes) and even by contracting “His eyelids,” as if to examine an object closely. That is, God scrutinises the ways of the righteous, do we walk in His ways, do we meditate in His word (Psalm 1). In contrast, the wicked are those who love violence, those who act in secret. The “portion of their cup” is the cup of His wrath (Psalm 75:8 (9); Isaiah 51:17-22; Jeremiah 25:15, Revelation 16:19), which is described in similar language, as the judgment from the Lord on the five cities of the plain (Genesis 10:19, 19:1-29). This is a clear reference to when the Lord rained fire and brimstone from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Verses 7 David’s conclusion the righteous “will behold His face”. 7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face. Comment For the Lord is righteous צַדִּ֣יק (tzadik). This is the same word in verse 3 but there it referred to the righteous people. What do these righteous do? They do “righteous deeds.” These are not our own deeds (Isaiah 64:6) but the deeds of the Righteous One, the Messiah Yeshua, who will give us (exchange) our deeds for His, our filthy garments for the garments of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10 & Matthew 22:1-14). It is then that the promise will be fulfilled, for the upright will behold His face. This is part of the blessing in the Aaronic Benediction (Numbers 6:24-27) and the promise of Yeshua in Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” As such we need to walk in His righteousness and continually put on the Lord Yeshua (Romans 13:14), by placing our trust in Him. Conclusion Just as David faced this perilous situation, so too in our lives there will be difficult times. Sometimes it may be because we have walked away from God, and at other times God will test our faith. When it is a test of God we should try to be steadfast, for God has not given us the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7) and then (and only then) can we ignore the advice from friends who counsel us to flee. Like David, we can encourage ourselves and others to continually place our trust in the Lord, who will do what is right and if we continue to walk with and in Him we will behold His face. Shalom Paul   Paul will be teaching on the following Torah portion.

Psalm 10...Brit Chadashah sydney

Shalom Valentin   Pondering Psalm 10  Psalm 10 Introduction Within this psalm we see that the Psalmist describes two different worldviews. On the one hand the writer is talking about himself and on the other hand he is talking about the wicked. As you and I read this Psalm we note that like him we can be confident that God will act in His time, and that we will encounter the same problem he encountered. The wicked will announce “there is no God,” or if there is a God that “He has hidden His face.” The wicked think that they can get away with oppressing the poor. In his freedom to act he may think he is sovereign, but with the Psalmist we contend that “The LORD is king forever and ever,” and that despite what we see in the world, ultimately God will do what is right. The two world views are seen in that the wicked bases himself on past experiences ‘I have gotten away with it before,’ while the Psalmist deepens his life of faith and waits for the LORD. Psalm 9 and 10 have some similarity; some keywords come back in both Psalms and in both there are opponents; the wicked, but in Psalm 9 this is an external enemy, the nations surrounding Israel, whereas in Psalm 10 the wicked are within the community. *** In both Psalms there will be the downfall of the opponent. In Psalm 9 they get trapped and entangled in their own traps (see comments on Psalm 9:16). This forms the confidence in faith for the Psalmist in Psalm 10, that the wicked that are among the community will also suffer a parallel fate (10:2). The opponents are described as גֹּויִם (goyim), the ‘foreign’ foes (Psalm 9:5; 10:16). Together with this Psalm it might be better to see these as the uncircumcised of the heart (Jeremiah 9:25-26), from among the Gentiles and the Jews. Commentary Psalm 10:1-2 1 Why, O LORD, do You stand far away? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? 2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. Comment This is not a murmur or a complaint against God, but rather a desire to know why, in the light of his present hopeless condition, the LORD is far off. The Psalmist asked God why, especially in light of the wicked one’s action, do you hide Yourself? This is in contrast to Psalm 9:10 where it says You will not forsake. This was not just a problem for the Psalmist, as we also see the same reflected by Peter, “do not be surprised by the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). And so too for our time, if we would write our Psalm, our song of deliverance, it too might include the question, “Where are You Lord? I need you, for those that trouble me are many and all around me.”   Psalm 10:3-4 3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. 4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” Comment This is a good example of Proverb 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”  Their claim “there is no God” is repeated twice more by David in Psalms 14 & 53, and in both cases he adds the phrase “the fool says in his heart” and so they curse and renounce the LORD. They even think He does not exist. Yet they are “נָבָל” (nabal) foolish, perhaps better translated as a combination of wicked and stupid. A clear Biblical example of this is the story of Nabal and yes he was a fool (1 Samuel 25).   Psalm 10:5 5 His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. Comment The wicked ways are (or appear to be) continually flourishing, and he is not even aware of the elevated ruling against him, he even dares to puff at them. This expressed the thought that the wicked one knows of the heavenly court, yet is openly scornful and contemptuous of it. The heavenly court is also seen in Psalm 82 where God sits in judgement over the judges.   Psalm 10:6-7 6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; from generation to generation I shall not meet adversity.” 7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. Comment He reasons to himself “I won't meet trouble, not now, not ever.” The wicked curse maliciously with false oaths (compare Job 31:30) and by being untruthful (the same thought comes back in Psalm 59:12). It is almost a summary statement as the wicked is being described here as the anti-Torah man (Exodus 23:1), who gives false reports etc.   Psalm 10:8-9 8 He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; 9 he lies in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lies that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. Comment The trap he sets is by the wayside, the place of thieves and robbers. The meanness of the wicked culminates in the murder of the one who is innocent of the crimes mentioned above, like the man who gets trapped by the lies and deceit of the conman. The wicked carefully build an ambush and pounce on the innocent, seeking to devour him (1 Peter 5:8), as a skilful hunter drawing them deeper into his web of deceit. The repetition of the poor (עָנִי) is reminiscent of the poor in Matthew 5:3, that is the poor in spirit, the humble, the innocent ones.   Psalm 10:10 10 He crouches, he bows down, and the helpless fall into his mighty claws. Comment The Hebrew here is difficult and this is reflected in the multitude of translations that vary greatly. So in this translation (JPS) we see once again the image of the lion that pounces on the poor. He is now described as the one who is deserted and falls into the strong claws. Again it reflects the imagery we see in 1 Peter 5 where it talks about the adversary and here too this fits well, the wicked reflect their father.   Psalm 10:11 11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, He has hidden His face, He will never see it.” Comment Thus even if the wicked does acknowledge God, he continues to slay the poor (the righteous) for his thinking is: God has forgotten them, the Lord no longer concerns Himself about the faithful, He does not want to know. But this is contrary to God’s way of thinking. Listen to these words in Zechariah 7:9-10 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another,  10  do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” This is the summary of the commandments in Exodus 22:21-24, 23:9 and Deuteronomy 24:14-18 & 27:19. The claim of the wicked was not true then and is not true today. Despite our suffering, which is often for our growth (James 1:2-4), God does hear the cries of the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:17-18).   Psalm 10:12-13 12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Your hand; forget not the afflicted. 13 Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? Comment “Arise, O Lord” are like the words of Moses in Numbers 10:35, where Moses prays for God’s enemies to be scattered. Here too the prayer is for God to arise and lift up His hand, with the request for God to demonstrate who He is. It was His hand that was against Egypt (Exodus 7:4) and brought deliverance for Israel. Just as the Lord looked after Israel, the Psalmist asked the Lord to confirm that He would look after the poor, the orphan and the widow. This fits well with the next line where the wicked announce that they have abandoned God, and so believe that God will not call them to account. It sounds the same as an atheist today, who claims that ‘there is no god’ and says that even if there was a god, they would question and denounce him. I am reluctant to name Stephen Fry or Richard Dawkins, yet their outrageous statements do come to mind. They think they can question God when they arrive at heaven’s gates.   Psalm 10:14 14 But You do see, for You do note mischief and vexation, that You may take it into Your hands; to You the helpless commits himself; You have been the helper of the fatherless. Comment Contrary to the thoughts of the wicked, God not only sees what happens, He then sees to the need. He does observe and requires an account from them into His hands. God is the helper of the orphan, for God will not abandon the poor in spirit. Even in tumultuous times He remains our refuge and our strength and a very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46).   Psalm 10:15 15  Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till You find none. Comment The breaking of the arm is metaphorical. The arm here symbolises strength, and so he requests that God paralyse their power to do mischief. (Psalm 37:17 & Job 38:15). Interestingly, ‘the wicked and evildoer’ are put into two categories, as if to say that there are those who are actively wicked but there are also those who enable it to happen. The Psalmist asks God to remove all of them.   Psalm 10:16 16 The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from His land. Comment In contrast to the removal of the wicked, the LORD is the eternal King, whose kingdom will be truly universal and never end (Zechariah 14:9; Daniel 7:14 & Revelation 11:15). The nations will be removed from the Promised Land, which is His land. He will judge the nations according to how they treated His people Israel and how they divided His land (Joel 3:2).   Psalm 10:17-18 17 O LORD, You hear the desire of the afflicted; You will strengthen their heart; You will incline your ear 18  to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. Comment In the conclusion the Psalmist expresses the prayer of faith, that his request does not remain unanswered, that justice will be done to the orphan (Psalm 10:14) and the downtrodden (Psalm 9:9). Secondly, he asks God to strengthen them in their ponderings (the heart is the seat of thinking in Jewish classical thought). The phrase “Incline your ear” is the shortened version of “Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see,” as found in Isaiah 37:17. It represents that God gives His full attention to the problems of the orphan and the oppressed. The concluding line “so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more” refers to the unregenerate man, very much in line with the first man in 1 Corinthians 15:47.   Conclusion In this Psalm, the author complains to the LORD about the wicked oppressing the poor. He prays for the remedy and appeals to the Judge and finally expresses his confidence that the Lord will reign. A second request is for the Judge to incline, pay careful attention to the afflicted. Shalom in Messiah Paul e  harry@celebratemessiah.co

Psam 5

Shalom Valentin   Pondering Psalm 5 For the choir director; upon the Nehiloth, a Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my meditation. Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and God, for I pray to You. LORD, hear my voice in the morning; in the morning I turn to[1] You, and wait. For You are not a God who desires wickedness; evil cannot sojourn with You;  Boastful men cannot stand in Your sight. You hate all who do iniquity;  You destroy those who speak lies; LORD abhors a man of bloodshed and deceit. But as for me, through Your abundant mercy, enter Your house; I bow towards Your holy temple in awe of You. O LORD, lead me along Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before me. For there is no sincerity in their speech; their gut is destruction; their throat is an open grave; their tongue slippery. Hold them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own devices; for their many crimes cast them out, for they are recalcitrant to You. But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; may they ever sing in exultation as You shelter them; and let those who love Your name exult in You. For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD, encircle with favour as with a large shield.   COMMENTARY Introduction Within this Psalm, David plays with the Hebrew language, and even in translations, we can see this playfulness. Note how he uses: Different Terms for speech: words, meditation, the sound of my cry, prayer and speaking. A Variety of Descriptions for evildoers and their acts: the wicked; boastful men; who do iniquity; who speak lies; a man of bloodshed and deceit. Many Diverse Expressions for God’s listening: give ear, consider, listen and hear. And some Sundry Descriptions of the pious: those who take refuge; those who love Your Name and the righteous man. And finally an Assortment of Words for gladness: rejoice; exultation and exult. A main theme in this Psalm is the contrasts between the righteous and the evildoers; the enemies of God. Strophes (stanza) One way to divide this Psalm up is in strophes: Verses 1-3, David says: hear my prayer. Verses 4-6, David says: keep me from the evildoers. Verses 7-8, David says: guide me in Your Tzedakah, (righteousness) and by Your Chesed (lovingkindness / abundant mercy). Verses 9-10, David says: God defend me from these evildoers. Verses 11-12, David says: shelter me, so that I may rejoice. Verses 1-3, David says: hear my prayer. It is ascribed to the leader of the band; specifically written for wind instruments (הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת – ha’nechilot)[2], a Psalm of David. The word nechilot[3] is only used once in scripture, it is often left untranslated for we do not know for certain what instruments these were. In Psalm 4 we read about the stringed instruments (Neginot), in Psalms 6 & 12 there is a reference to the Sheminit meaning an “eight” stringed lyre or harp and here in Psalm 5, it is thought that these might be wind instruments, we do know that they used various wind instruments in worship (Isaiah 30:29, 1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Kings 1:40). Amongst the wind family were: עוּגָב ugav, the long flute - possibly a pan-flute (Genesis 4:21; Job 21:12; 30:31, Psalm 150:4) קֶרֶן keren, a natural horn (Joshua 6:5; 1 Chronicles 25:5). שׁוֹפָר shofar, also a natural horn with a natural bright call, often mistranslated as a trumpet (Joshua 6:4; Exodus 19:13; Numbers 10:10). חֲצוֹצרָה hatsotserah, the silver straight trumpet (Psalm 98:6; Numbers 10:1-10). חָלִיל chalil, literally “bored through” meaning a pipe, flute or even a horn with holes (1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Kings 1:40).  It makes you wonder about the sounds of worship during the Tabernacle and later in Temple times. David prays consider my meditation and hear the sound of my cry, both are valid requests before God, our silent prayers and our deep groans can be laid before Him, who is both LORD and King. David indicates he belongs as a subject to the Lord, and it is exclusively to and for Him, so that David turns morning by morning to Him in prayer. As we noted in Psalm 1 (see the previous email) this word meditation, is important, and so it bears repeating; David uses the Hebrew word הֲגִֽיגִ, ha’gi-gi denoting the almost unverbalised, we could translate this as mumblings, or sighings, it is used again in Psalm 39:3. Biblical meditation is thinking or speaking, mulling over, pondering the Word of God. Meditation is never trying to empty the mind; rather it is about the renewal of the mind. The apostle Paul in Romans 12:2 writes “Do not be conformed to this world, but continually be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is - what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.” We can determine what God’s will is by knowing the scriptures, that is His revealed will. So that we transform our stinking thinking by meditating, pondering the Word of God (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2). David mentioned the LORD as King. Over the years I have noticed that some believers in Yeshua seem to have lost sight of His kingship, Yeshua is the prophet and the Priest from Hebrews, but His kingship is spiritualised away. Yet even the Gospel message that Yeshua preached was the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 24:14  and Mark 1:14-15 ).It was the message of the kingdom of God (mentioned some 70 times in the New Covenant alone).  The promise of His reign was mentioned when the angel spoke to His mother Miryam (Mary) with the promise “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David.” (Luke 1:32) Many Jewish prayers talk about the LORD being king and about His kingdom כי המלכות שלך היא, “for yours is the kingdom”, and “You shall reign in glory forever and ever.” In this Psalm, we see glimpses of these kinds of prayers already. One day Yeshua shall indeed reign over all the earth and David shall be one of the kings of the earth, David just over Israel (Ezekiel 34:24; 37:25), and Yeshua over all. “And the LORD shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall the LORD be One, and His Name One.” (Zechariah 14:9) Verses 4-6, David says: keep me from the evildoers. God does not delight in wrongful behaviour, for within Him and with Him no evildoer can reside. David then describes one of his enemies. It is possible that he is thinking of Shimei who cursed and even threw stones at him. Shimei said to David you are a man of blood and a worthless man (2 Samuel 16:5-14) words that are echoed here. These words describe David’s main antagonists; men like Shimei, Doeg the Edomite (1 Samuel 22:9:23) and Ahitophel (2 Samuel 15:12) aptly, David reminds himself and us not to be like them. Verses 7-8, David says: guide me in Your Tzedakah, (righteousness) and by Your Chesed (lovingkindness). David like all Godly Jewish men turns towards Jerusalem in prayer and worship and expect to go up to the House of the Lord for service and bow down towards the Temple. Many translations write Temple, but this would be difficult as the temple had not yet been built. The word for Temple in Hebrew is הֵֽיכַל hecal literally meaning palace, and God who was described in this Psalm as King, and a king, would indeed reside in a palace. According to Psalms 80 and 99 God is enthroned above the Cherubim, inside the Holy of Holies, which was the throne-room. As such, He sits in the Tabernacle (the Tent of Meeting) this is His residence, (for other references regarding the Tabernacle being the hecal see 1 Samuel 1:9; 3:3; 2 Samuel 22:7).   Two key Hebrew words are used: Chesed חֶ֫סֶד and Tzedakah  צְדָקָה Chesed חֶ֫סֶד volumes have been written on the meaning of this word and the translations vary widely here: Lovingkindness, Steadfast Love, Mercy, Goodness, Covenantal Love, it appears almost 250 times in the Hebrew scriptures, God shows His Chesed, He gives it above and beyond that which we deserve because He is Love (1 John 4:8). The second word is Tzedakah  צְדָקָה righteousness or justice, when applied to our lives it becomes also the giving of charity. David wrote, “lead me in Your righteousness” contrary to my enemies, make my life upright and in right relationship with You O Lord. It is well worth contemplating these words. For those well acquainted with Hebrew liturgy verse 7 (8 in the Hebrew text), it is the second line from the beautiful prayer Ma Tovu. Ma Tovu - מַה טֹּבוּ How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! As for me, in the abundance of your lovingkindness will I come into Your house. I will worship toward Your holy Temple in the fear of You. Modern translation from the Siddur (Jewish Prayer book). This prayer is a quotation from many scriptures: Numbers 24:5; Psalms 5:7; 26:8; 95:6; and 69:14. A simple but nice rendering can be found here http://zemirotdatabase.org/audio/recording253.mp3 The words that David prays in verse 8: guide me / lead me Lord in your righteousness, are echoed in both the Tanach (Older Testament) and in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) one example is in the disciples’ prayer, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” Matthew 6:13 & Luke 11:4. We like David need to remind ourselves God will guide us (Psalm 48:14) and we too need to ask the Lord to guide us by the Good Shepherd Yeshua (John 10:11-14) and in the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17 etc). Verses 9-10, David says: God defend me from these evildoers. We like David must recognise when the enemy comes to steal and destroy using blatant false statements or flattering lips. Either way, we should avoid such people and where possible not listen nor regurgitate those statements. The graphic picture painted for us by David the “throat being an open grave” is reflected in Proverbs 18:21a “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”. We in opposition ought to be people who through Yeshua continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His Name (Hebrews 13:15). Verses 11-12, David says: shelter me, so that I may rejoice. May those who take refuge in You, those who love Your Name: Rejoice; שָׂמַח be joyful and glad Be Joyful; רָנַן to sing joyful, in jubilation Exult;  עָלַץ rejoice and exult Why this three-fold emphasis on rejoicing, how could David encourage the righteous to rejoice? First, because they take refuge in the LORD and second, God protects them by spreading His large shield over them. These three different words are all trying to bring the same response from them and also from us. David like the apostle Paul had his fair share of troubles and Paul sums it up “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). Final Thoughts Let us meditate and cry out to the Lord, and pray He leads us away from evil, that He will guide us in His righteousness and Mercy, so that we can stand strong in the grace of King Yeshua and be joyful despite the circumstance, in our lives. May we be like David the king and or the apostle Paul who both rejoiced despite their sufferings for His sake. We too can expect our share of troubles and tribulations and still know that He is the large protective shield around us shielding us from much evil.   Shalom in Messiah Yeshua Paul   End Notes [1] lit., ‘lay out (before You),” indicating prayer and/or sacrifice [2] A Chasidic insight was offered by rabbi Yosef: “The Targum the Aramaic translation of “on the Nechilot” is “l’shabcha al chignon.” This means to offer praises at the dance festival, or fair.” In Living Waters - The Mei HaShiloach: A Commentary on the Torah by Rabbi Mordechai Yosef of Isbitza (1800-1854) Translated by Betsalel Phillip Edwards, 2001 page 436. [3] Other interpretations of Nechilot.  )a) Some translations primarily based on the LXX, “heir” and the Vulgate “inheritance” indicate Nechilot - נחילות signifies “inheritances,” and indeed David does write about the two peoples (heirs) or their inheritance, the wicked and the righteous. Midrash Aggadah (Shocher Tov) which renders it as “an estate, an eternal inheritance” (b) Or Nechilot according to its use in the Talmud “swarms” as if swarms of bees. Nechilot swarms (singular - nechila), (Bava Kamma 114a, 81b) David offers a prayer that is directed against the vast armies which come upon him like swarming bees.  Further to this the sound bees make was like a swarm of buzzing bees. This would then reflect according to the Midrash, the murmurings against David by Avshalom (Absalom), Doeg and Ahithophel (Achitofel). This is seen in 2 Samuel 22:5, “bands (נחלי) of scoundrels would affright me”. Targum Yonatan sees this connection with the “bands of sinners”. (c) Finally some link nechilot with the meaning “nachla” as grievous; as it says, “My wound is grievous” נחלה מכתי “nachla Makati” (Jeremiah 10:19).  The Scripture conveys that David accepted his afflictions (2 Samuel 24:17).