Along The Way (June 2nd -June 8th)
Scroll to the day you would like to read and click the plus icon to read the day’s scripture or commentary.
June 2nd
-
Psalm 119:105-144
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances. I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word. Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your ordinances. I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. Your decrees are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.
I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. Go away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope. Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually. You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning is in vain. All the wicked of the earth I count as dross; therefore I love your decrees. My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.
I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors. Guarantee your servant’s well-being; do not let the godless oppress me. My eyes fail from watching for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise. Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes. I am your servant; give me understanding, so that I may know your decrees. It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken. Truly I love your commandments more than gold, more than fine gold. Truly I direct my steps by all your precepts; I hate every false way.
Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your custom toward those who love your name. Keep my steps steady according to your promise, and never let iniquity have dominion over me. Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears because your law is not kept.
You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgments are right. You have appointed your decrees in righteousness and in all faithfulness. My zeal consumes me because my foes forget your words. Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is the truth. Trouble and anguish have come upon me, but your commandments are my delight. Your decrees are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.
-
Psalm 119:105-144
This section of Psalm 119:105-144 emphasizes the wisdom that comes from following God's instruction. The key verse in this passage is God’s Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” With enough light to navigate through life, God gives us the direction that we need, not all at once, but as needed. In this way, God’s Word operates for us a form of direction and guidance - God’s Word operating as a lamp in bringing wisdom into our minds. When we compare God’s Word to being a light on a path, that pathway is life. Within the details of Psalm 119, abiding by God’s word in every instance creates a more fulfilling life.
June 3rd
-
Psalm 119:145-176
Psalms 119 reminds us that God's very character is reflected through His Word. God is righteous. God is always faithful. God is unchanging for He is the same yesterday, today and forever. God is true for we read in Proverbs 30:6 that “Every word of God proves true.” The main message of Psalm 119 is the greatness and glory of God’s Word.
-
Psalm 112 speaks for the righteous person in a righteous society governed by a righteous God. Everything is all right. And the Psalmist conveys the message that God rules the world with moral symmetry.
Psalm 113 begins and ends with "Hallelujah” and is a chorus to God as Creator and Redeemer. It is designed to promote the great and good work of praising God.
Psalm 114 tells how the Lord came to be the Holy Presence in the midst of Israel and, at the same time, how the God who is sovereign of the whole world came to have this particular people as His dominion and is very applicable for us today as we find assurance that God leads us each and every moment of our lives.
June 4th
-
Psalm 120 to 124
Prayer for Deliverance from Slanderers
A Song of Ascents.
In my distress I cry to the Lord, that he may answer me: “Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.”
What shall be given to you? And what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!
Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech, that I must live among the tents of Kedar. Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.
Assurance of God’s Protection
I lift up my eyes to the hills — from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
Song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem — built as a city that is bound firmly together. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls and security within your towers.” For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.
Supplication for Mercy
To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
Thanksgiving for Israel’s Deliverance
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side — let Israel now say — if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away; the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters.
Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the hunters; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
-
Psalm 120 is a Psalm about trouble. The singer is far from Jerusalem, distant from God in a faraway land. And we might wonder why Psalm 120 would begin with a song about trouble. Nobody likes trouble, but God can use trouble to draw us closer to Him. In fact, the starting point for our journey to God is always discontent with this world and what it has to offer. As Christians we don’t belong here. Our home is in another place. And although we should enjoy the good gifts God gives us in this life, we can never be fully comfortable living in a world that is opposed to God and God’s ways. So, Psalm 120 starts our journey by teaching us about how we should respond to God in times of trouble.
Psalm 121 teaches us three big truths about God's help and care for us. First and foremost, the Creator God is our helper. Secondly, the God of Israel is our protector. And thirdly, the LORD will keep us from all evil, harm and danger!
Psalm 122 is a processional hymn where the pilgrims going up to Jerusalem prayed for the security of the city and the house of David. The city was sacred because God’s Temple was there. This beautiful Psalm is also a prophecy. It is a millennial Psalm looking forward to the time when all the tribes will go up to Jerusalem and assemble themselves for worship!
In Psalm 123, as the pilgrims approach the earthly throne of Yahweh, they lift their eyes to the Lord's heavenly throne and pray for mercy, grace and favor so that they can continue their journey into God's presence. This Psalm is also a community lament where the worshipers in the Temple prayed on behalf of their nation. The Psalm vividly portrays the people’s dependence on God.
Psalm 124 is a song of victory. The people gave thanks to God for having escaped conquest at the hands of their enemies. The two images of a flood and a bird in a trap portray the helplessness they felt. The Psalm says that if God had not given His people help, the enemy would have destroyed them.
June 5th
-
Psalm 125 - 129
The Security of God’s People
A Song of Ascents.
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people from this time on and forevermore. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous might not stretch out their hands to do wrong. Do good, O Lord, to those who are good and to those who are upright in their hearts. But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways, the Lord will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel!
A Harvest of Joy
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
God’s Blessings in the Home
A Song of Ascents of Solomon.
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil, for he gives sleep to his beloved.
Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
The Happy Home of the Faithful
Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you from Zion. May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!
Prayer for the Downfall of Israel’s Enemies
Often have they attacked me from my youth — let Israel now say — often have they attacked me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed on my back; they made their furrows long. The Lord is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward. Let them be like the grass on the housetops that withers before it grows up, with which reapers do not fill their hands or binders of sheaves their arms, while those who pass by do not say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
-
Psalm 125 is a Zion song. The Psalmist rejoices in the enduring security of Zion and its people but prayed that God would provide just and fair-minded rulers. The Psalm speaks of the great help of the Lord to deliver from enemies and the ability of the Lord to keep His own. However, the people Israel failed over and over, but the main message the Psalm is that those who turn to the Lord will be saved.
Psalm 126 is a very inspiring song that may have been sung by those who returned from Babylonian captivity. It is both a hymn of thanksgiving for restoration to Zion and a prayer for restored prosperity.
Psalm 127 is a Psalm of Law (Torah). This Psalm compliments the value of family life under God. This Psalm tells us that all our great achievements are ultimately worthless, unless the Lord is building, watching, and writing His story through all we do. Nowhere is this seen more clearly than in our families and children. Working to the point of fatigue for the sake of one’s family is useless. It is better to trust God and be able to rest in His care and protection. When living in God’s care, children are not a nuisance or a burden but a gift from God.
Psalm 128 is a Psalm of blessing. This Psalm may have been recited as a blessing upon a groom in a wedding ceremony. The prayer for children, long life, and prosperity is natural in the context of the Psalm. The vine represents not only the wife’s fruitfulness but also her cheerfulness and feminine beauty!
Psalm 129 is about persevering through the pain and gaining the victory over those things that stand against us. Life is a struggle. It is a continuing battle, and it takes perseverance to go the distance.
June 6th
-
Psalm 130 - 132
Waiting for Divine Redemption
A Song of Ascents.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
I wait for the Lord; my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Song of Quiet Trust
A Song of Ascents of David.
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.
The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion
O Lord, remember in David’s favor all the hardships he endured; how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, “I will not enter my house or get into my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar. “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool.”
Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy. For your servant David’s sake do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne.”
For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation: “This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread. Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy. There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one. His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam.”
-
Psalm 130 is an individual lament. The Psalmist did not clarify the nature of his troubles or explicitly confess any sin. But he was aware of his sinfulness and need for God’s grace. The Psalmist calls out to God from the depths of human suffering, hoping for, expecting, and insisting on God's hearing. The Psalmist has every confidence that God will hear and respond to every cry of pain, because mercy, the Psalmist insists, is who God is.
Psalm 131 is a song of testimony. The Psalmist testified to the tranquility of the one trusting God and exhorted others to trust as well.
Psalm 132 is a song of Zion. As the people prayed for the house of David, and the Temple, they cited God’s promises.
June 7th
-
Psalm 133 - 135
The Blessedness of Unity
A Song of Ascents.
How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
Praise in the Night
Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the Lord.
May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
Praise for God’s Goodness and Might
Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; give praise, O servants of the Lord, you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious. For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.
For I know that the Lord is great; our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both humans and animals; he sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants. He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings — Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan — and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel.
Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages. For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear, a nose, but there is no breath in their mouths. Those who make them and all who trust them shall become like them.
O house of Israel, bless the Lord! O house of Aaron, bless the Lord! O house of Levi, bless the Lord! You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord! Blessed be the Lord from Zion, he who resides in Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
-
Psalm 133 is a wisdom song. The image of brotherly unity being like the oil that runs down Aaron’s beard is striking. Unity is God’s gift and a sacred duty. The main theme of the Psalm is rejoicing in the fellowship of believers. The Jewish people sang Psalm 133 to express their joy in coming together for worship at the Temple, where God promised to meet them. The Psalm reveals blessing and life to God's people. And it proclaims oneness in faith. Abundance and unity flow from Psalm 133.
Psalm 134 is a hymn. This Psalm exhorts the priests of the Temple to praise God and blesses them for their service. The Psalmist calls out to God from the depths of human suffering, hoping for, expecting, and insisting on God, The Psalmist has every confidence that God will hear and respond to every cry of pain, because mercy, the Psalmist insists, is who God is.
Psalm 135 is a hymn and a call for stirring, passionate praise to God, but not one that runs only on the fuel of emotion. This Psalm gives many reasonable, logical reasons why we should praise the Lord. The characteristics of praise: “In this, we adore God for all that He is in Himself.
June 8th
-
God’s Work in Creation and in History
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;
who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever; who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;who struck Egypt through their firstborn, for his steadfast love endures forever; and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever; with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever; who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever; who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever; who made water flow from the rock, for his steadfast love endures forever; who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; and killed famous kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever; and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever; and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever; a heritage to his servant Israel, for his steadfast love endures forever.
It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever; who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.
O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem
By the rivers of Babylon — there we sat down, and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.
Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem’s fall, how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down! Down to its foundations!” O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us! Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!
-
Psalm 136 is a responsive hymn. The Psalm links the theme of creation to the exodus and conquest. Israel was God’s new creation, as miraculous as the first creation. This is a Psalm giving thanks to God for His mercy. Psalm 136 gives thanks and praise to God for His goodness. The fact that God is good and is fundamental to all that He is and does. We know that God is love and that love is an expression of His goodness.
Psalm 137, the Psalmist has complete loyalty and devotion towards God. The Psalmist's love for Jerusalem and Zion is not separate from the love of God. The Psalmist's devotion to God is seen when he considers it impossible or unthinkable that he would forget Jerusalem. Psalm 137 is only one out of 150 Psalms in the Bible to be set in a particular time and place. Its nine verses portray a scene of captives mourning “by the rivers of Babylon,” mocked by their captors. It expresses a vow to remember Jerusalem even in exile and closes with visions of vengeance against the oppressors.