Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

Copyright © 2012–2025 DiscipleMakers, except guest articles (copyright author). Used by permission.

You are here: Home / Archives for Psalms

Context Matters: This is the Day the Lord has Made

By

Perhaps you’ve heard that this is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it (Ps 118:24)! But what makes today any more joyful than another day? And has God not made all the other days?

Context matters. When we learn to read the Bible properly—and not simply as fodder for tired slogans—we’ll find that some of our most familiar verses have a surprising power to change our lives.

State Library of South Australia, Creative Commons

Analysis of the Psalm

I’ve written before on Psalm 118, where I analyzed the poem’s structure and flow of thought. I won’t repeat that material here, but will assume it and move directly to the verse in question.

Processional

Psalm 118:19 begins the victory parade for the returning, victorious king. He starts at the gates of Jerusalem (Ps 118:19), gathers a crowd (Ps 119:20), moves up toward the temple (Ps 118:26), and ends up inside the temple complex at the altar for burnt offering (Ps 118:27b).

It is during this homecoming parade—right where the celebration moves from the lips of the king (the singular “I” and “my” in Ps 118:19-21) to the responsive cries of the people (the plural “us” and “our” in Ps 118:23-27)—that the people proclaim God’s great joke. Their king, who had been rejected by the warring nations surrounding him (Ps 118:10-13), now takes his rightful place as the cornerstone of God’s world-building project.

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is Yahweh’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Ps 118:22-23)

It is at this moment that they beg God to save them (Ps 118:25) and offer a sacrifice to take their place (Ps 118:27).

This day—the day of salvation, the day of praise and thanksgiving for rescuing them through their rejected king, the day of lavish feasting—is the day Yahweh made (Ps 118:24). They have much reason to rejoice and be glad, for their God has had the last laugh against their enemies.

Another Such Day Comes

Yet another such day would come. The Jews sang Psalm 118 annually at the feast of the Passover, which explains why it was on their minds when Jesus rode through the gates of Jerusalem like a returning king (Matt 21:9). This also explains why this psalm was on Jesus’ mind when he went to inspect the temple (Mark 11:10-12).

There was a feast on, but these people couldn’t even recognize the one they were supposedly celebrating (Mark 14:1-2).

King Jesus rides through the gates and up to the temple, but he receives no blessing. He never binds the festal sacrifice to the horns of the altar (Ps 118:27); instead he reinterprets the sacrifice around himself and what he’s about to do (Luke 22:14-20). Then he becomes the sacrifice himself.

And this king is not rejected by the surrounding nations. He is rejected by his own people (Matt 26:63-66, John 1:11). And in this way salvation comes to the world (John 3:17, Rom 11:11-12).

“Save us, we pray, O Yahweh! O Yahweh, we pray, give us success!” (Ps 118:25).

Now this is something worth celebrating. This is the day the Lord has made. This is a day that can change your life. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Context matters.

Thanks to Elizabeth H for the idea for this post.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

What To Do When the NT Quotes the OT

By

Mike Leake has some great advice for what we should do when we’re reading the New Testament, and it quotes an Old Testament verse. He looks at 2 Cor 4:13, where Paul quotes Psalm 116:10, and he shows how Paul has the entire Psalm in mind as he makes his argument. Leake’s analysis is rich and compelling.

Then he concludes:

But we miss all of this if we think the biblical authors quoted verses the way that we do. So here is a little tip for your Bible reading. Whenever you see that a New Testament passage is a quotation of an Old Testament passage, don’t just go back and read that one verse in the OT. Instead go back and read the entire Psalm, or the entire context of that quote. It’ll help you to understand more fully why the biblical author quoted that verse.

Context matters. This is basic Bible study at its best, and I commend it to you.

Check it out!

Context Matters: Refrain From Anger

By

Context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings—we’ll discover that some quotable quotes have much more to them than we thought.

This week, I’m happy to point you to this article by Mark ward, where he walks through his process of re-discovering a familiar verse by considering its context.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. (Psalm 37:8, NIV)

What is the connection between anger and worry (fretting), at least in the mind of this psalmist? You’ll have to read Ward’s article to find out.

Check it out!

What to Do When You Don’t Feel Like Reading Your Bible

By

John Piper addresses the question of desire: What do we do when we don’t feel like reading the Bible? After reflecting on the prayer of Psalm 119:36 (“Incline my heart to your testimonies”), he writes:

Over the years in my pastoral ministry, many people have complained to me that they do not have motivation to read the Bible. They have a sense of duty that they should, but the desire is not there. It is remarkable how many of those people feel that the absence of the desire is the last nail in the coffin of joyful meditation on God’s word.

When I ask them to describe to me what they are doing about it, they look at me as if I had misunderstood the problem. What can you do about the absence of desire, they wonder. “It’s not a matter of doing. It’s a matter of feeling,” they protest. The problem with this response is that these folks have not just lost desire for God’s word, but they have lost sight of the sovereign power of God, who gives that desire. They are acting like practical atheists. They have adopted a kind of fatalism that ignores the way the psalmist prays.

Evidently, the psalmist too felt this terrible tendency to drift away from the word of God. Evidently, he too knew the cooling of desire and the tendency of his heart to incline more to other things — especially money. Otherwise why would he have cried out, “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain”? He is pleading with God to give him desire for the word. He knows that ultimately God is sovereign over the desires of the heart. So, he calls on God to cause what he cannot make happen on his own. This is the answer to fatalism. This is the answer to acting like an atheist — as if there were no God who rules the heart, and can restore what we have lost.

Repent. Pray. Trust God to give what we cannot drum up ourselves. Then act as though we expect him to answer. This is great advice.

Check it out!

The Staggering Consequences of Neglecting Your Bible

By

Erik Raymond looks at Psalm 1 to draw out “The Staggering Consequences of Neglecting Your Bible.” He observes the severe contrasts in the psalm to draw the following conclusions:

So often we minimize doctrinal differences, but we cannot forget, doctrinal error leads to eternal punishment. We must be sure above all that we have that essential doctrine clear and see the Bible as God’s holy Word, given to us as a treasure to for reading, meditation, prayer, preaching, and singing. Too often our doctrinal confessions that assert a belief in the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures are betrayed by lives that ignore them. We must be sure that we are not succumbing to the false teaching that denies the supernatural nature of the Bible.

When we look at the result of a life lived drinking and delighting in the Word contrasted with one that rejects and belittles it, we have ample cause for evaluating our habits and our hearts.

Here in the dawning of a new year, it is certainly healthy to ask yourself what changes you should make with your life in order to give yourself more faithfully to this Word. For motivation, you need only to consider the staggering consequences of neglecting your Bible.

Check it out!

How to Analyze a Psalm

By

On the Ligonier blog, W. Robert Godfrey does an outstanding job analyzing Psalm 69. He shows how to break the psalm into sections, outline the structure, follow the train of thought, and draw practical implications. Along the way, he addresses the New Testament’s use of the psalm, Jesus’ experience of the psalm on the cross, and the question of whether Christians should pray down curses on their enemies.

I highly recommend this clear and careful example of how to read a psalm. Check it out!

Sample Commentary Usage with Psalm 44

By

At the Logos Talk blog, Mark Ward writes about “How to Use a Commentary to Study the Psalms.” In the article, Ward describes his own process of studying Psalm 44, and how various commentaries provided helpful insights at the right times.

What Ward does well is show us his own attempts to wrestle with the text, as well as his willingness to consider the insights of others. He avoids the hubris of thinking he doesn’t need any outside help to interpret the psalm. And he avoids the laziness of allowing one or more commentaries to do all his thinking for him.

So for an example of how one might use such tools well, check it out!

How to Study a Psalm

By

At the Logos Talk blog, Mark Ward has an excellent piece walking through the observation phase of a study of Psalm 44.

The psalms are a favorite book for God’s people, in part because the study is easier. The meaning of the psalms often, at least, feels plain and practical—even if the application is simply “praise God.” But there is always greater depth in the Bible, and if you want to dig down there you’ll need tools.

I work for a Bible study tool company, but the first tool you should pick up is not necessarily Logos Bible Software. First grab your conceptual tools: observation, interpretation, and application.

We’ll do that in a series of three posts. Today: observation. Next week: interpretation. The next week: application.

Later in the post:

At this stage of the observation process, I don’t want to get bogged down with questions about the meanings of difficult words or phrases—unless they seem necessary for grasping the overall thought-flow of the psalm. Probably the only example of such a phrase in this psalm is “Ordain salvation for Jacob!” in verse 4. This is where Bible background knowledge is likely to be needed. If you’ve read the Old Testament, you probably know that “Jacob” is often a stand-in for the nation of “Israel.” Otherwise this psalm uses fairly simple and straightforward wording. The riches in this psalm are found not so much at the word level but at the structural level. How can I describe such a wrenching shift from praise to despair?

Ward models observation well. Check it out!

Who Really Wrote The Psalms?

By

Who wrote the Psalms?  Predominantly King David wrote them.  Who spoke the Psalms?  The witness of the New Testament is that Jesus is the primary speaker of the Psalms.  It’s his voice we should hear as we read the Psalms.

Jesus Spoke The Psalms

When the author of Hebrews read Psalm 22, instead of David, he heard Jesus telling the Father of his intent to be the worship leader for the church: “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” (Heb 2:12)

When Luke read Psalm 31 he knew David wrote it, but the voice that resounded in his ears was Jesus’ voice as he hung on the cross, calling out with a loud voice, saying, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46)

Jesus had grown up hearing Psalm 118.  It was written ages ago, but to him the words of Psalm 118 were his words.  Psalm 118 was about him, and it expressed his thoughts.  So, when rejected by the religious leaders, he spoke the words of Psalm 118 as his own: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes”. (Matt 21:42)

We should hear the voice of Jesus when we read the Psalms.  Jesus is the new David who spoke the Psalms, the new worship leader who leads his people through the Psalms in worship (Heb 2:12) and the new David who experienced the more ultimate suffering and victory that his ancient father expressed in his psalms (Matt 22:44).

Reading The Psalms Afresh

This truth has unlocked new treasures in some of my favorite Psalms.  If Jesus is the primary speaker of Psalm 20, did you know that his prayer for you is …

May God grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! (Psalm 20:4)

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! (Psalm 20:1)

May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! (Psalm 20:1)

May we shout for joy over your salvation! (Psalm 20:5)

Do you ever doubt that Jesus is for you?  Does it seem that he has forgotten?  I’ve lost loved ones, experienced heart-wrenching break-ups, seen loved ones destroyed by Parkinson’s, seen churches and ministries split because of fighting and pride, and experienced deep loneliness and separation.  I’ve wondered if God even cares.  Does he pay attention?

The resounding answer is “Yes.” He cares.  In fact, right now he is praying for God to grant your heart’s deepest desires.  He is praying for an overflowing joy in the very salvation that he bought for you.  He is praying that God would protect from trouble.  We know God hears his son!

Do you see the power of reading the Psalms with Jesus as the speaker?  I encourage you to read the Psalms in a fresh way.  See that Jesus is the primary speaker of the Psalms.  See that the Psalms are all about Jesus (Luke 24:44).