Hymn to Yahweh (Jer 20:12-20:13)

“O Yahweh of hosts!

You test the righteous!

You see the heart!

You see the mind!

Let me see your retribution

Upon them!

I have committed my cause

To you!

Sing to Yahweh!

Praise Yahweh!

He has delivered

The lives of the needy

From the hands of evildoers.”

Jeremiah praises Yahweh. He knows that God tests the righteous ones because he sees their hearts and minds. Jeremiah wanted retribution to come upon those who had opposed him. However, he has committed his cause to Yahweh. They were to sing and praise Yahweh, because he has delivered the lives of the needy from the evildoers.

The righteous (Prov 21:12-21:15)

“The righteous observe the house of the wicked.

He casts the wicked down to ruin.

If you close your ear

To the cry of the poor,

You will cry out.

However, you will not be heard.

A gift in secret averts anger.

But a concealed bribe in the bosom

Brings strong wrath.

When justice is done,

It is a joy to the righteous.

But it is dismay to evildoers.”

The righteous ones can see the houses of the wicked. They want to cast out the wicked so that they will be ruined. If you do not listen to the poor, when you cry out, you will not be heard. A secret gift can avert anger. However, a concealed bribe will only bring about anger. Whenever justice is done, the righteous are joyous, but the evildoers are dismayed.

Blessings of Yahweh (Prov 10:22-10:29)

“The blessing of Yahweh makes us rich.

Bur he adds no sorrow with it.

Doing wrong is like sport to a fool.

But wise conduct is pleasure to a man of understanding.

What the wicked dread will come upon them.

But the desire of the righteous will be granted them.

When the tempest passes,

The wicked are no more.

But the righteous are established forever.

Like vinegar to the teeth,

Like smoke to the eyes,

So are the lazy to their employers.

The fear of Yahweh prolongs life.

But the years of the wicked will be short.

The hope of the righteous one ends in gladness.

But the expectation of the wicked ones comes to nothing.

The way of Yahweh is a stronghold for the upright.

But the way of Yahweh is destruction for the evildoers.”

Yahweh has an important impact on our lives. The blessings of Yahweh make us rich with no sorrow. Fools do wrong things as if it was some kind of sport. On the other hand, the understanding people take pleasure in wise conduct. Whatever the wicked fear, it will happen to them. However, the righteous will be granted their wishes. After a storm, the wicked will no longer exist, but the righteous are established forever. Lazy people are like vinegar to your teeth or smoke to your eyes. The fear of Yahweh will prolong your life so that the wicked will have a short life. Righteous hope ends in gladness, while wicked expectations come to nothing. Yahweh’s way is a stronghold for the upright, but destruction for the evildoers.

Yahweh will help defeat the wicked (Ps 94:16-90:23)

“Who rises up for me against the wicked?

Who stands up for me against evildoers?

If Yahweh had not been my help,

My soul would soon have lived

In the land of silence.

When I thought.

‘My foot slips,’

Your steadfast love held me up.

Yahweh!

When the cares of my heart are many,

Your consolations cheer my soul.

Can wicked rulers be allied with you?

Who are those who contrive mischief by statute?

They band together against the life of the righteous.

They condemn the innocent to death.

But Yahweh has become my stronghold.

Yahweh is my God.

Yahweh is the rock of my refuge.

He will repay them for their iniquity.

He will wipe them out for their wickedness.

Yahweh!

Our God will wipe them out.”

This psalm concludes with the psalmist not worried. Yahweh has already helped him, keeping him from falling. He has risen up against the wicked and the evildoers. He was the consolation of his heart. The evildoers and the wicked joined together to condemn the innocent. However, his God, Yahweh, had repaid them because of their wickedness. They will be wiped out because Yahweh is the rock of his refuge, the stronghold for this psalmist.

The great works of Yahweh (Ps 92:5-92:9)

“How great are your works!

Yahweh!

Your thoughts are very deep!

The dullard cannot know this.

The stupid cannot understand this.

The wicked sprout like grass.

All evildoers flourish.

They are doomed to destruction forever.

But you are on high forever!

Yahweh!

Your enemies!

Yahweh!

Your enemies shall perish.

All evildoers shall be scattered.”

The works of Yahweh are great. His thoughts are very deep. The dullards and stupid people do not know and understand this. The wicked and the evildoers are flourishing like grass. However, they are doomed to eternal destruction. Yahweh is on high forever and thus his enemies will perish. All the evildoers will be scattered.

Save David from his enemies (Ps 64:1-64:6)

To the choirmaster leader, a psalm of David

“Hear my voice!

O God!

In my complaint!

Preserve my life

From the dreaded enemy.

Hide me

From the secret plots of the wicked.

Hide me

From the scheming of evildoers.

They whet their tongues like swords.

They aim bitter words like arrows.

They shoot from an ambush at the blameless.

They shoot suddenly.

They shoot without fear.

They hold fast to their evil purpose.

They talk of laying snares secretly.

They think.

‘Who can see us?

Who can search out our crimes?

We have thought out

A cunningly conceived plot.’

The human heart and mind are deep!”

Psalm 64 is a choral psalm of David. Once again David wanted to save his life from his enemies. He wanted to be hidden from the secret plots of the wicked and the schemes of the evildoers. Their tongues were like swords. Their words were like arrows from a bow and arrow. They shot suddenly and without fear from various ambushes. They laid secret snares for David with their evil purposes. They thought that no one saw them. No one was going after their crimes. They thought that they had a great cunning plan. Finally David notes that the human heart and mind are deep. This is a little bit like Psalm 58.

The evildoers (Ps 53:4-53:4)

“Have they no knowledge?

Those evildoers

Who eat up my people

As they eat bread.

Why do they not call upon Yahweh?”

Once again this is exactly like Psalm 14.  The evildoers are stupid.  They have no knowledge.  They eat up Yahweh’s people.  This metaphor seems to indicate what the evildoers were trying to do to Yahweh’s people.  Why are they not calling on Yahweh?  Here the term used is Yahweh and not merely God.

Prayer against the enemies (Ps 36:10-36:12)

“O continue your steadfast love

To those who know you!

Let your salvation come to the upright of heart!

Do not let the foot of the arrogant thread on me!

Do not let the hand of the wicked drive me away!

Let these evildoers lie prostrate!

Let them be thrust down!

Let them be unable to rise!”

This short psalm ends with David wanting the continual steadfast love of Yahweh to come on those who knew and loved Yahweh. He wanted salvation for the upright of heart. He did not want the hands and feet of the arrogant and the wicked to thread on him or drive him away. However, he wanted the evildoers to lie prostrate, to be thrust down so that they would not be able to rise up again. Thus this psalm ends with a vindictive message.

 

Yahweh hears the cry of the just (Ps 34:15-34:18)

Phe     

“The eyes of Yahweh are toward the righteous.

His ears are open to their cry.

Ain     

The face of Yahweh is against evildoers.

He would cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

Cade   

When the righteous cry for help,

Yahweh hears.

He rescues them from all their troubles.

Qoph  

Yahweh is near to the brokenhearted.

He saves the crushed in spirit.”

Once again, Yahweh has eyes, ears, and a face to hear and see. There was this continual cry to have Yahweh listen to them. Much like “the eyes of Texas are on you” so too the eyes of Yahweh on the righteous ones. The ears of Yahweh are open to hear the righteous cry. The face of Yahweh was against the evildoers, whose memory would be wiped away. When the righteous cry, Yahweh hears them with his ears. He rescues them from all their troubles. He is near to the broken hearted. He saves those with a crushed spirit.

Love the Temple (Ps 26:8-26:10)

“Yahweh!

I love the house in which you dwell.

I love the place where your glory abides.

Do not sweep me away with sinners!

Do not let my life be with

The bloodthirsty!

Do not let my life be with

Those in whose hands are evil devices!

Do not let my life be with

Those whose right hands are full of bribes!”

David loved the house of Yahweh, where Yahweh’s glory lived, the Temple. He did not want to be swept away with the other sinners. These were the bloodthirsty, the evildoers, and the takers of bribes. David did not want to have anything to do with these sinners.