Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. (Psalm 111:1) Before we move further into this psalm, I’d like to consider one other Hebrew word used by the psalmist; one that conveys much more than...

Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. (Psalm 111:1) In the previous devotion, we highlighted the significance of the word, Hallelujah, as understood from a Hebrew perspective and the...

Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. (Psalm 111:1) This psalm begins in a most interesting way, especially as we examine it in Hebrew. The initial phrase, “Praise the Lord,” is only one...

The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations. (Psalm 110:5-6) The battle described in Genesis 14 in which Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was taken captive is considered to be a prototype of what is to occur...

The Lord has sworn and will not relent, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4) I have long believed that the Levitical priesthood, which developed after the sin of the Golden Calf, may not have been God’s ideal, but a...

The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! (Psalm 110:2) When Abraham returned from defeating the four kings (see Genesis 14:1-17), his hungry and exhausted men were greeted with bread and wine by Melchizedek,...

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” (Psalm 110:1) In Judaism, there are a myriad of ideas as to who the Lord is speaking to in this verse. Some say it refers to Abraham because he is the first...

I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yes, I will praise Him among the multitude. For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those who condemn him. (Psalm 109:30-31) When God does something great...

Let them curse, but You bless; when they arise, let them be ashamed, but let Your servant rejoice. (Psalm 109:28) When Balak, the king of Moab, called for Balaam the seer to come and curse the people of Israel, he was convinced that a prophet’s curse would secure...

Help me, O Lord my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy, that they may know that this is Your hand — that You, Lord, have done it! (Psalm 109:26-27) The need and desire for Divine assistance is a recurring theme in David’s...

Because Your mercy is good, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. (Psalm 109:21-22) After several verses in which David pleads with God to deny the wicked the opportunity to oppress the righteous -- to remove the wicked from power and...

In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer. Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. (Psalm 109:4-5) From the time that Jacob obtained the blessing of his father, Esau determined to hate his brother and...