Zain
“Be mindful of your mercy!
Yahweh!
Be mindful of your steadfast love!
They have been from of old.
Het
Do not remember the sins of my youth!
Do not remember my transgressions!
According to your steadfast love,
Remember me!
For your goodness’ sake!
Yahweh!”
David wanted Yahweh to be merciful. He wanted him to remember his love from long ago. Yahweh was not to remember the sins of his youth or other transgressions. However, he was to remember only love because Yahweh is good.
Dalet
“Make me to know your ways!
Yahweh!
Teach me your paths!
He
Lead me in your truth!
Teach me!
You are the God of my salvation.
Vav
For you I wait all day long.”
David wanted Yahweh to teach him the true paths of the way of Yahweh. He wanted to be taught. Yahweh was his God of salvation. He waited all day long for him.
“A psalm of David
Aleph
To You!
Yahweh!
I lift up my soul!
O my God!
Bet
In you I trust.
Do not let me be put to shame!
Do not let my enemies exalt over me!
Gimel
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame!
Let them be ashamed
Who are wantonly treacherous.”
Psalm 25 is a psalm of David for deliverance from personal enemies in an acrostic form like Psalm 9 and Psalm 10, where each verse starts with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet as indicated. This is a lament against the enemies of David. David lifted up his soul. He trusted in God. He did not want to be put to shame. He did not want his enemies to exalt over him. Rather they should be put to shame because of their treacherous behavior.
“Lift up your heads!
O gates!
Be lifted up!
O ancient doors!
Thus the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory?
Yahweh!
Strong and mighty!
Yahweh!
Mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads!
O gates!
Be lifted up!
O ancient doors!
Thus the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
Yahweh of hosts,
He is the King of glory!
Selah
The gates to the sanctuary should be lifted up. The ancient doors should be lifted up. This is clearly a rousing chant about the King of glory which would be the Ark of the Covenant. Who is the king of glory? The king of glory is strong and mighty in battles. It is Yahweh as represented by his Ark of the Covenant. There is the repetition of the question about the king of glory and the call to lift up the gates. This short psalm ended with another Selah, musical pause or mediation.
“Who shall ascend the hill of Yahweh?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and a pure heart,
Those who do not lift up their soul to what is false,
Those who do not swear deceitfully,
They will receive blessings from Yahweh.
Vindication comes from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him.
They are the ones who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Selah”
Who can enter the sanctuary or the holy place? Who can ascend the hill to be with Yahweh? They have to have clean hands and a pure heart. They cannot be false or deceptive. They will receive the blessings from Yahweh. Only God can vindicate their salvation. These are the ones who will seek and see the face of the God of Jacob. This section ends with a Selah, a musical pause or meditation. Notice that they are seeking the face of God of Jacob, not Israel.
“A psalm of David
The earth is Yahweh’s.
All that is in it is Yahweh’s.
The world and those who live in it is Yahweh’s.
He has founded it on the seas.
He has established it on the rivers.”
Psalm 24 is another short psalm of David about the entrance into the sanctuary. Everything on earth belongs to Yahweh. All that is on earth belongs to Yahweh. All who live on earth belong to Yahweh. Yahweh established this earth out of the seas and the rivers. This goes back to the idea of the vast water ways of the world before earth land came to be.
“You prepare a table before me
In the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy
Shall follow me
All the days of my life.
I shall dwell in the house of Yahweh
My whole life long.”
Yahweh prepared his food in the presence of his enemies. He had anointed David as king. His cup overflowed with goodness and mercy. All the days of his life were to be filled with goodness and mercy. In fact, David had some rough days. Nevertheless, all the days of his life he would dwell in the house of Yahweh, whether it is his palace or the developing Temple. This short psalm ends with David living his whole life long with Yahweh.
“Even though I walk
Through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil.
You are with me.
Your rod and your staff,
They comfort me.”
David expresses complete confidence in Yahweh, his good shepherd. Even in the darkest valley, he has no fear of evil. The good shepherd is always with his sheep with a rod and staff to keep him and the rest of the sheep in line. The presence of this good shepherd comforts David and all his fellow sheep.
“A psalm of David
Yahweh is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths,
For the love of his name.”
This is the famous Psalm 23 of David that places Yahweh as the good shepherd. This “The Lord is my shepherd” is rather short compared to the preceding psalm. There is no other indication in the title other than that this is a psalm of David. David was himself a shepherd so that this is an easy amplification of his own role. Yahweh as shepherd makes sure that David does not lack anything. David as a sheep has lovely green pastures to lie down in. He has still water to drink. This restores his soul. The good shepherd leads him on the right paths. The love of the name of Yahweh drives him. The good shepherd keeps the sheep from going astray.
“To him, indeed!
Shall all who sleep in the earth bow down.
Before him
Shall bow all who go down to the dust.
I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him.
Future generations will be told about Yahweh.
They will proclaim his deliverance
To a people yet unborn.
They will say that he has done it.”
This psalm ends with everyone on earth who goes to sleep bowing down to Yahweh. Anyone who lives or dies will bow down to Yahweh. David or the psalmist will live for Yahweh. Also posterity and future generations will learn about Yahweh and serve him. They will proclaim his deliverance to each new generation, even to those not yet born. They will tell about all that he has done.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 