2023 Biblical Poetry Commentary

Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations

Psalm 1, Psalm 2, Psalm 3, Psalm 4, Psalm 5, Psalm 6, Psalm 7, Psalm 8

The Psalms were written and assembled prior to the advent of Messiah on the Earth, and while they are personal prayers of their authors, they are also prophesy, and they are more. Indeed, they are a glue that ties together the Old and New Testaments as one unit that cannot be divided; not by man and not by any evil spirit. The Whole Scripture is one message, not two: God’s creation of the Heaven, the Earth and everything in it, the free will of Man, whom God created in His image; the fall of Man through disobedience to God; the redemption of Man through Messiah Yeshua and obedience by His Holy Spirit; and the endurance of Man in faith and obedience until God separates those who have chosen to belong to Him to dwell with Him forever back in the Garden, and those who have chosen to rebel against Him who are destined for eternal death (the second death).

Psalm 1 and 2 contain this entire message. We are blessed if we obey God’s law—His Instruction; not because we follow the letter, but because our hearts desire God and everything He represents, and He has given this instruction out of His love for us; for our good. And so we obey Torah because of our desire to please God, and He blesses us for it. Those who rebel against Torah will not live with God; not now and not ever. In fact, any rebellion against God is plotted in vain. God laughs at those who think they can replace Him with any other god. Through the Son, Yeshua, God will save those who turn toward Him, and destroy those who rebel against Him. It is essential, we learn right here, that we “kiss,” or worship, the Son, for He is God, one in being with the Father. Those who take refuge in Him will be blessed. It’s Revelation 14:12, right here in Psalm 1 & 2: “Here is the endurance of the Saints; here are they who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Yeshua.”

In Psalm 3, we understand that the Lord is our shield no matter what happens to us in this life. We ought not fear man, what can he do to us? Rather, we should fear God, who sustains us, but who can also throw both body and soul into hell if we rebel against Him. This is both blessing and curse, depending on us. We look to the Lord to “Arise” and “save me” and “shatter the power of the wicked.”

In Psalm 4, we look for the Lord to relieve us in our distress, to hear our prayers. The Lord hears the prayers of those who seek Him and obey them from their hearts. We offer sacrifices of righteousness, not because our works save us, but because we know this pleases the Lord. It is this earnest desire to please God that brings us peace and joy in this life. It is freedom in Messiah, knowing that when we have humble and contrite hearts, our sins are forgiven and the Lord hears us.

In Psalm 5, we see the need to pray in the morning, when we get up. We also see that the Lord will not hear the prayers of the wicked, or those who walk in rebellion against Him. Yet, on account of God’s grace, we can enter before His altar and make petitions before Him. What should we ask? “Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before me.” We enjoy the Lord’s presence, and He enjoys ours. The Lord blesses the righteous and we rejoice and take refuge in Him.

In Psalm 6, we understand that we too fall short of God’s glory, and we beg for His mercy: “Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am frail. … Return, Lord, rescue my soul; save me because of your mercy.” Our every moment in this life ought to be dedicated to praising the Lord, for we know our enemies will either join us in their own repentance, or they will be put to shame.

In Psalm 7, we understand this humility the Lord desires from us, and we see that we should even pray for the Lord’s judgment upon us when we fall away so that we can be brought near. We understand that the Lord saves the upright in heart; those who desire to please Him, but who fail on account of their flesh. He puts all men and women to the test, to see if they are worthy of being called His children. The Lord will destroy those who do not repent, for they have designed their own end. But for those who humbly acknowledge their sin, He will save and establish.

In Psalm 8, we praise the Lord, for He thinks of each one of us, despite the greatness of His majesty and all that He created. His name is majestic in all the earth. Yeshua has created us all for His glory.

Psalm 9, Psalm 10, Psalm 11, Psalm 12, Psalm 13, Psalm 14, Psalm 15, Psalm 16

In Psalms 9-16, we see the dichotomy between the righteous and the wicked, those who do righteousness (tzadik), and those who do chamas (violence). The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, for widows, for orphans; yet He opposes any who depend on their own strength or the strength of men.

For the humble and righteous servant of the Lord, it sometimes feels like the Lord is far from us, but He is not. He lets us wander around wondering so that He knows we will not give up on Him even when we do not perceive Him to be near. God’s move here is the proverbial, ‘what do you do when no one is looking?’ question. He is looking, but He is making it seem like He’s not. What do we do? Do we live in righteousness with love and trust in Him, or do we fall away? This test will determine our hearts.

The wicked come out against us, but God sees and He tests both the righteous and the wicked. He hates the one who sows violence, and these will be destroyed, but the righteous will see His face. It certainly seems some times that there are none around who are righteous, for we all do wickedly, but the Lord will refine His people in the fire of adversity and His people will stand through this test. We may feel forgotten in this, anxious in it, grieved, and it may seem like the enemy is winning, but our Trust must remain in God’s faithfulness and salvation, for He has given us everything we need.

Only a fool says there is no God, but the Lord will restore those who call upon Him. It is our duty to walk in integrity, to practice righteousness and speak truth in our hearts, to love our neighbor and uplift our friends. The Lord will uphold us when we do. He will protect us when we seek Him for refuge. When we acknowledge, “You are my Lord [Yeshua]; I have nothing good besides you.” The Lord takes delight in His saints who keep His commandments and their faith in Jesus. Our hearts ought to be glad when we put our trust in Him.

Psalm 17, Psalm 18, Psalm 19, Psalm 20

The Lord vindicates those of us who give Him our heart and ask Him to give us His heart; we ask Him: “Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip” and keep me hidden from “the wicked who oppress me, from my deadly enemies who surround me.” With faith in God’s “marvelous lovingkindness by His right hand,” Yeshua, He we know He will “save those who trust in [Him] from those who rise against them.” We will see His face in righteousness and be satisfied only when we awake in His likeness—in the resurrection of the dead. The Lord is our strength, our rock, our fortress and our deliverer, and in Him alone we must trust. We must acknowledge God’s glory, His righteousness, and His testimony, which is “sure, making wise the simple.” These commandments are better than gold, and they help us to purify our hearts. “In keeping them there is great reward.” Moreover, by them we are warned. They cleanse us from secret faults; they call our attention to presumptuous sin. We pray: “let sin have no dominion over me, and make me blameless by your blood.” We pray: “let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” We rejoice in His salvation and announce it to all with ears to hear.

Psalm 21, Psalm 22, Psalm 23, Psalm 24, Psalm 25

The Messianic prophetic psalms of King David are beyond awe-inspiring; they give hope and joy in the midst of distress and discomfort. We know that our Lord has died for our sins, taking full accountability for creating us, giving us a path back to Him if we choose it. We ask life from Him, and He has already promised it. Those of us who go down into the dust shall bow before Him and He declares His righteousness to those yet unborn. He is our Shepherd, how could we want anything when our Creator leads us in His paths of righteousness for His own glory? We will sit at His table and dwell in His house for ever, what other desire could be better? We all belong to Him, but He will take those of us with “clean hands and a pure heart” into His holy place. He is the king of glory, Yeshua, strong and mighty, in Him alone we trust.

I pray: “Make me know Your ways, Yeshua; teach me Your paths. Lead me in YOUR truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day. … Do not remember the sins of my youth or my wrongdoing; remember me according to YOUR faithfulness, for YOUR goodness’ sake, Lord.” Allow me to be humble before you, forgive my wrongdoing, for it is great! Be gracious to me, turn toward me, for I am lonely and afflicted, bring me out of my distresses. Forgive my sins. Guard my soul and save me. I wait for you.

Psalm 26, Psalm 27, Psalm 28, Psalm 29, Psalm 30, Psalm 31

Psalm 26, 27 and 28 truly sing to me in my present state of mind. It is as if God has taken my prayers of the last several months and put them into His book, or perhaps, more accurately, He has taken His Word and put it into my heart. Here are key thoughts and prayers that resonate with me: “Vindicate me, Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Examine me, Lord, and put me to the test; refine my mind and my heart. For Your goodness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth. … Redeem me, and be gracious to me.” “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom should I dread? … One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. For on the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; He will hide me in the secret place of His tent; He will lift me up on a rock. ….

… Do not turn me over to the desire of my enemies, for false witnesses have risen against me, and the violent witness. … I certainly believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait on the Lord.” “Hear the sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help, when I raise my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. Do not drag me away with the wicked and with those who practice injustice … Repay them what is due them. Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the sound of my pleading. The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart triumphs, and with my song I shall thank Him. … He is a refuge of salvation to His anointed. … Be [my] shepherd also, and carry [me] forever.”

In Psalm 29, the Lord’s strength is affirmed, and this is the only Truth we ought to affirm today. He is due glory and He alone ought to be worshipped while we humble ourselves before Him. He is our king forever, who created the Heavens, the Earth and everything in them, and He will judge the wicked and raise up the humble. The Lord will bless His people with peace. Continuing into Psalm 30, we acknowledge that the Lord lifts us up, the Lord heals us, the Lord rescues us from death. He may judge us when we fall short, but this is to strengthen us and draw us closer. His grace is for a lifetime. Joy comes in the morning, so that we can praise Him and give Him thanks forever. The Lord rescues us in His righteousness, we learn in Psalm 31. He is our rock, our stronghold, our savior. He leads us and guides us by His Word, for He is the God of truth. He is faithful and will do all He promised, for both those who seek Him and those who rebel. We must be strong and take courage in our heart, all who wait on the Lord.

Psalm 32, Psalm 33, Psalm 34, Psalm 35

In the death and resurrection of Yeshua, which the prophets looked forward to, and we look back to for salvation, this song rings true: “How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is a person whose guilt the Lord does not take into account, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality failed as with the dry heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to You, And I did not hide my guilt; I said, “I will confess my wrongdoings to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;” Our lives as Christians ought to be spent humbly seeking the Lord through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us when we humble ourselves enough to understand God’s law, and then choose in our hearts to live by it. The Holy Spirit helps us keep it when we couldn’t possibly keep it on our own. It is a matter of our heart condition, but do we seek the Lord where He can be found? He can also be found in His Word, in His Torah, in the Prophets and in the New Testament. The New Covenant is God’s way of interacting with us, but His Word is forever. There isn’t a thing about it that has been changed. It is the same yesterday, today and forever.

We ought to sing for joy in the Lord, and praise certainly is something that comes from a righteous man who seeks the Lord. We ought to approach the Lord with thanksgiving, because the Word of the Lord is right and His accomplishments are worthy to be praised. He loves righteousness and justice, and He will bring His plans to fruition with our without us. He has chosen His people for His inheritance, those who are of Israel, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Yeshua. He fashions our hearts and makes us His people when we seek Him with all of our heart. Because we trust in His name, He brings His grace upon us, and it is by His grace alone that we can be with Him. Any boast we may have ought to be in the Lord. He answers us and comes to us when we seek Him. He saves us out of all our troubles. But He exhorts us daily, and we need to contemplate this daily: “turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” For “the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are toward their cry for help.” His face is against evildoers, and evil is defined as rebellion against the Lord’s commandments. There is no other evil. We may be afflicted, and we may face suffering, but the Lord will be our refuge and strength in the end if we seek Him and all His ways.

And so, when we seek the Lord, we ought to pray for Him to contend for us, to fight against those who fight against us. He is our salvation, from those who devise evil against us on the Earth and in the Heavenly places. Our soul ought to rejoice in His salvation, and we are “being saved” through the sanctification of our souls by the Holy Spirit. Let us endure until the end so we can receive the prize. We give the Lord thanks in our congregations, but one day we will be among the one and only congregation the Lord choses to inhabit the promised inheritance, and it is my deepest desire to be in that congregation. To do so, we must ask for the Lord’s judgment upon ourselves, so that we can be sanctified. We must ask for the Lord to correct us, to improve us, to lead us upward, for in His healing and grace we can shout for joy and rejoice. In this, the Lord is exalted for we praise His righteousness and offer Him thanks all day long.

Psalm 36, Psalm 37, Psalm 38, Psalm 39

We understand rebellion in Psalms 36-37, for the wicked know God’s will but reject it and grow to hate it. The very idea of keeping God’s Sabbath offends those not keeping it, but it is God’s will that we do so. How much more does the righteousness of God’s entire law offend those living in sin? This is something I have seen even among those who say, “Lord, Lord…” But thanks be to God His mercy is everlasting, His faithfulness ever-persistent and His righteousness ever-looming, for those who seek the Lord will be covered by His grace, but those who continuously rebel will fall.

The Lord warns us: “Don’t get upset because of evildoers,” and especially do not be envious of them, for ultimately they will wither into nothing. We are warned to cease from anger and avoid wrath, for it can lead to evildoing, and evildoers will not last. It is up to us to trust in, delight in, wait patiently for and commit our way to the Lord, and He will give us the blessing of eternity with Him. He establishes our paths, and when we walk by His way, turn from evil and do good, we will endure forever.

Even so, we may not desire the chastening that prepares our hearts to obey God, and we may even ask to be spared by it. But when we admit our guilt, even fill ourselves with anxiety on account of our own sin, the Lord will not abandon us and He will deliver us. Then we can ask Him to watch over our ways and keep us from sin, even with our tongue. We walk around as fleeting shadows who cause a stir for no reason, but we must repent and ask the Lord to hear from us. We do not want the Lord to leave us or forsake us on account of our sin, we must repent and keep our hope in Him.

Psalm 40, Psalm 41, Psalm 42, Psalm 43, Psalm 44, Psalm 45

Psalms 40-45 are Messianic prophesies. Psalm 40 is interesting, because in the Masoretic text, it reads: “You have not desired sacrifice and meal offering; You have opened my EARS; You have not required burnt offering and sin offering. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; It is written of me in the scroll of the book. “I delight to do Your will, my God; Your Law is within my heart.” Psalm *39* in the Septuagint, or the Greek translation of the Masoretic text, reads differently: “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not; but A BODY hast thou prepared me: whole-burnt-offering and sacrifice for sin thou didst not require. Then I said, Behold, I come: in the volume of the book it is written concerning me, I desired to do thy will, O my God, and thy law in the midst of mine heart.” Hebrews 10:5-7 quotes the Septuagint: “Therefore, when [Messiah Yeshua] came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.’” Our Messiah Yeshua is our sacrifice in the New Covenant, and there are no more bulls and goats needed. Scripture confirms.

In Psalm 41, we read about those countrymen who wanted Christ to die, but then this: “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.” As if to crush the head of the serpent on the pole, we see a reverse metaphor used for Judas betraying Christ, for Christ put sin to death on the cross and all who look upon Him will not perish, but will inherit eternal life.

I hope to have the same desire for the Lord as described in Psalm 42: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?” As for Yeshua, His enemies taunted Him, saying, “Where is your God?” But Yeshua waited for the third day and was victorious. As a matter of fact, He was “vindicated” as we read in Psalms 43, and His case has been pleaded against an ungodly nation for 2000 years. His prayer: “send out Your light and Your truth, they shall lead me; they shall bring me to Your holy hill and to your dwelling places. Then I will go to the altar of God, to my God, my exceeding joy.” Christ was crucified on a holy hill, and He went to sit on the right hand of the Father, where He was from eternity.

Psalm 44 tells the story of the sheep who follow Yeshua, “If we had forgotten the name of our God Or extended our hands to a strange god, Would God not find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. Wake Yourself up, why do You sleep, Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever. Why do You hide Your face And forget our affliction and oppression? For our souls have sunk down into the dust; Our bodies cling to the earth. Rise up, be our help, And redeem us because of Your mercy.”

In another Messianic reference, Psalm 45 makes it clear that the Messiah would be God in the flesh. We read David write to Yeshua: “I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. You are the most handsome of the sons of mankind; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever.” And then this amazing verse: “Your throne, God, is forever and ever; The scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your companions.” Speaking to the Messiah, He writes, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,” so therefore “God, Your God, has anointed You.” This is the Father and the Son, one God, with two powers manifested before us as a testimony. His name Yeshua shall be known in all generations and the people will praise Him forever and ever.

Psalm 46, Psalm 47, Psalm 48, Psalm 49, Psalm 50

God is our refuge and strength. On account of Yeshua, we must not fear anything but God alone. He is the Lord of armies, and He fights for His people, and He will be exalted— victorious over all the Earth. We will inherit what He gives us, according to our greatest desires, whether the desires of this world, which lead to death, or the desires of God and His kingdom, which is life everlasting. While it is wise to steward what the Lord has given us, we cannot trust in our wealth; in the provisions the Lord gives us; in the provisions we’ve set up for the troubles that lie ahead, for all of this will come to nothing and be left for others. We must seek understanding of the Lord; it is the greatest wealth that there is, for in Him alone is there life. Fire devours before Him, and this fire will consume and judge all people, leaving only what has been refined through faith in Messiah Yeshua to stand. We ought to offer thanksgiving to Him alone, for in Him alone do we have salvation. Let us be careful not to hate discipline. Let us beware not to neglect His commandments. He wants our sacrifice of obedience and thanksgiving and praise, and he who sets his way properly will experience the salvation that comes by grace alone.

Psalm 51, Psalm 52, Psalm 53, Psalm 54, Psalm 55, Psalm 56, Psalm 57

Psalm 51 to 57 is my prayer today, for I desire a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, which the Lord accepts. He has promised to be gracious to me, according to His faithfulness, and cleanse me so I will be whiter than snow, to hear of joy and gladness in His Kingdom, to be renewed by His steadfast Spirit in me, so I can be sanctified and teach wrongdoers His ways.

Let me boast NOT in evil nor devise destruction, nor work deceit; let me never be counted the fool who denies God or commits injustice, but rather help me to stand in Your righteousness, O Lord, producing green olive shoots and the fruit that is pressed into fine oil for burning Your bright light, while I wait for Your name to be proclaimed forever. Save me, O God, by Your name Yeshua, and vindicate me by Your power. Sustain my soul, so I can praise You.

Do not allow my heart to sink in anguish, but confuse your enemies and drive them away from me. Keep destruction and deceit far from me, and bring oppression on those who rebel to turn their hearts. I call upon your name, Yeshua, for you will save me and bring me shalom. Take my burdens and sustain me by your love; I will trust in You! Be gracious, O Lord, for I know you are for me, to prosper me, to give me a future and a hope. My soul takes refuge in You, and in the shadow of your wings I take refuge until destruction passes by. Send your favor and return with your Truth. Be exalted and cover the whole earth with your glory, my God!

Psalm 58, Psalm 59, Psalm 60, Psalm 61, Psalm 62, Psalm 63, Psalm 64, Psalm 65

Psalm 58 speaks concerning the heavenly spiritual beings whom God appointed to minister to the nations, but who rebelled against God and made themselves “gods.” They and their earthly adherents will be dethroned and destroyed, and God’s righteous will rejoice when we see God wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. We know when Yeshua comes, his robe will be covered with blood, and it will not be His own. There is certainly a God who judges the Earth, and it is Yeshua.

And therefore we pray, rescue us from our enemies, which are not flesh and blood, but the powers and principalities of the heavenly places. We pray for the Lord’s deliverance from them and from men who follow them and seek violence. The Lord is faithful and serves as our refuge against evil; in the day of our distress. Sing praises to His Holy name! The Lord, by His right hand, will triumph, and He will trample down our enemies!

Hear our cry, God, give attention to our prayers. Our hearts are faint surrounded by such evil, but you are the rock that is higher than we are. You are our refuge; our tower of strength. Please by your grace allow us to dwell in your tent forever. Our King Yeshua will rule forever in faithfulness and Truth. Let us sing praises to His name!

My soul waits for the Lord, my rock and my salvation, my stronghold. Do not allow me to be shaken, but allow my trust in Him to grow each day. My soul thirsts for your living waters, Yeshua. Please provide them for me to drink, so I can praise your power and glory! As long as I live, I will praise the name of Yeshua! Help me to meditate day and night on Your Word, for You are my help! Protect me from my enemies. Forgive my offenses, forgive my transgressions, my presumptuous sin, and the thoughts in my heart that are not from you. Your grace sustains me!

Psalm 66, Psalm 67, Psalm 68, Psalm 69

The Lord’s works indeed are glorious, and great is His power and strength. While the enemy can repent and turn to the Lord, they will be destroyed if they remain in rebellion. If we regard wickedness in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us, but He hears the sound of our righteous prayers and offers grace to those who are humble. God is a fair judge, for He has told us what is good and how to live, and He has warned us what leads to death.

When God arises, His enemies will be scattered; only the rebellious will live in parched lands, unable to receive the presence of God their hearts so desperately require. “God is to us a God of salvation; And to God the Lord belong ways of escape from death. God certainly will shatter the heads of His enemies, The hairy head of one who goes about in his guilt.” The way is apparent to life, but only those who choose the way will enjoy it.

Blessed be the name of God, our Messiah Yeshua. He will save us from deep waters and deep mud, when there is no foothold and we feel overwhelmed. He will come near to us and redeem us, and He will set us safely on high. “The humble have seen it and are glad; You who seek God, let your heart revive.” God will give us an inheritance in Israel when we seek Him, and those who love His name will live in it.

Psalm 70, Psalm 71, Psalm 72, Psalm 73

Exalt our God Yeshua, who has saved us from our sin. In Him alone I take refuge, for He is one in being with the Father. He is my rock on which I’ve built my life. I struggle when witnessing sin around me, and like the writer of Psalm 73, I wonder, whether “in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence,” but like the psalmist, I recognize the folly of this thought, because in the end all of the wicked will perish, while those who trust in God will be raised up. Our eyes have to remain focus on the end, and we cannot lose this focus, lest we too fall away with the wicked and perish. I pray, “God, do not be far from me, My God, hurry to my aid! May those who are enemies of my soul be put to shame and consumed,” preferably by godly sorrow so they can be convicted and repent and join me in praising God! For I will tell of His righteousness all day long, which is the righteousness of His Word.

Psalm 74, Psalm 75, Psalm 76, Psalm 77

The physical descendants of Israel faced more than 1800 years outside the Promised Land following the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 135, just 65 years following their second Temple’s destruction, which was 40 years after their Promised Messiah rose from the dead and began building the Third Temple: “Don’t you know that YOU are the temple of God?” This was following a 70 year exile in Babylon, and a 400+ year exile in Egypt. The people of Israel know how to wait on the Lord, but only the Lord can take the veil off from over their eyes so they can see His true purposes. The Lord is merciful, gracious and loving, and He calls His people from Israel as well as all the nations. His Third Temple is almost complete, when all the people groups of the world have had the opportunity to hear His Gospel, then the End will come, Yeshua said. Times will get tough for Israel again, and even more so for the Gentile Church that is increasingly apostate, but in these times of trouble, our hearts ought to remain resolute, not understanding, but seeking understanding, waiting on the Lord for Him to remove the veil.

In this light, I understand this prayer from Psalm 77: “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out and did not grow weary; My soul refused to be comforted. When I remember God, then I am restless; When I sigh, then my spirit feels weak. Selah You have held my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.”

How can my soul be comforted prior to the Lord’s return? How could I be anything but restless when I remember God? My Spirit indeed feels weak whenever I count on my own understanding or the work of my own hands. We remember His works of old, that He died and was resurrected from death, that He promised to return. What god is like our great God who died so His people could be saved? He will lead His people into the Promised Land once more. The Lord’s right hand is the same yesterday, today and forever. It may appear to have changed, but He is fulfilling His purposes. We must wait on the Lord.

Psalm 78, Psalm 79

There are a lot of things to consider when reading this text. When Israel and Judah are mentioned, and contrasted with the other nations, the people are perceiving that God preferred a bloodline from Jacob to all the other peoples of the world. This is true on some levels, and it is still true to this day in that God absolutely used and still uses the nations of Israel and Judah to explain Himself to the whole world. He was also born from the tribe of Judah as a man, and He saved all humanity through His death and resurrection on the cross. This is by no means the end of Israel, but the beginning, for Gentiles are grafted-in to Israel when they come to faith in Christ; Jews do not ever become a part of “the Church,” as understood by modern Christians, for “The Church” is English for the Chosen Assembly, which is the Nation of Israel. Ephesians 2 makes clear that Gentiles were “strangers and foreigners” to the “household of God” but are brought near through Messiah Yeshua, and it is through Yeshua, according to Romans 11, that Gentiles are grafted-in to Israel, and Jews who believe remain in their own Holy Household. Ultimately, as Christians, we are brothers and sisters with all other believers as well as the non-believing Jews in this life, but in the next, only those who call on the name of Yeshua will live. There is no difference between us and them, only that those who obey God and have the faith of Yeshua will be given all of the promises of God, and these people make up Spiritual Israel, which will endure forever.

Psalm 80, Psalm 81, Psalm 82, Psalm 83, Psalm 84, Psalm 85

Asaph asks God Himself in Psalm 80 to “return … look down from heaven and see … and visit this vine and the vinyard” that He planted to restore us and save us! Yeshua said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” As if in response, in preparation, Asaph continues in Psalm 81, writing how the law requires the shofar to be blown for the New Moon, the Day of Trumpets, which begins the Fall festival season, and urges Israel to “listen to Me” and “walk in My ways,” and to avoid idolatry. We ought to prepare for our Lord’s return by heeding these words. The fall feasts are indeed a prophetic template for the return of our Messiah.

In Psalm 82, Yeshua stands before all of the heavenly beings He created and explained to them that they would be destroyed because they sought worship for themselves instead of point men to worship God. Likewise, Yeshua pointed the Scribes and Pharisees to this section of Scripture in John 10:31-39, because these men would not submit to Him as the Messiah. They asked Him plainly if He was the Messiah, and He said Yes, “I and My Father are one,” and then they picked up stones to stone Him. Like the heavenly beings that would not submit to God, these earthly leaders would not submit to His Son, and thus they too would die. Yeshua commands the spiritual beings as He commanded the Jewish leaders, “Defend the poor and the fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy; deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked.” These are those poor in Spirit, those who have no knowledge of God, who are under the curse of the wicked ones, they who do not understand the freedom that we have in Christ. It is our duty to make disciples and teach all that God has commanded, and anyone who will not or who thwarts this, God will destroy and instead He, when He comes again, shall inherit all the nations as His own possession.

God’s enemies may make tumult and a big fuss, and they may even take crafty counsel against God’s Saints, but they will be destroyed like Midian, Sisera, and all the other fools, all the other chaff before the wind that will be burned up. And yet we remember the Lord’s mercy and understand that those who repent because of the judgment upon them can be redeemed. The Psalmist writes: “Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O Lord.” And if they do not repent, they shall surely perish. Those of us who seek the Lord, who gather our strength from Him, whose hearts are set on being with Him where He is, we will receive grace and glory, and no good thing will God withhold from us. I’d rather be a doorkeeper in God’s Kingdom than have any grandeur of any kind anywhere else.

I pray for the Lord’s revival today, to revive my soul and show me mercy for my cowardice, for my fear, for my doubt, and grant me salvation, so I can go to all of the people and call them to return to the Lord. I pray the Lord will make the way the Lord of Righteousness walked when He came in the flesh into my own pathway.

Psalm 86, Psalm 87, Psalm 88, Psalm 89

All of the nations will praise our God, all of the heavenly beings will praise our God, and yet He looks down at me, a lowly worm. He is the God who created all things, and He takes pleasure in my life. King David and His eternal descendants will reign in God’s Kingdom, our Messiah Yeshua comes from His lineage, but David Himself will also reign, for He will be there with us, He was saved by the blood of Yeshua just like you and me. If I am a doorkeeper in the House of God, it would be enough; even a gardner, a tender of sheep. I just pray for the Lord to heal me, to guide me, to guard me and to never let me go. In the morning and the evening, my prayers rise up to Him. Remove any part in me that thwarts my prayers, my Lord Yeshua. I will sing of the grace of Yeshua forever, to all generations and in Heaven the Lord will be faithful. Lord, lead me along your narrow way.

Psalm 90, Psalm 91, Psalm 92, Psalm 93, Psalm 94, Psalm 95

The dichotomy between those who trust in and obey Yeshua and those who rebel against Him is evident in the Psalms. When we make Yahweh our dwelling place, when we live “in Christ,” there is nothing to fear, “No evil will happen to you;” this refers to the eternal disposition of our souls and certainly not our experience in this life. But when Yeshua returns, myriads will fall at our side and we will see Yeshua’s retaliation against the wicked—we will literally watch Him bring judgment on all—but we will be in His refuge forever. Let us watch in the night—every night—for we don’t know when He will return. It is good to give thanks to the Lord and sing praises to His Name, to declare His goodness in the morning and His faithfulness by night. His works make us joyful, and when we live according to His righteousness, we will flourish like a palm tree or a cedar in Lebanon; we will flourish in the Lord’s courtyards forever. Yeshua reigns, He is mighty, and His testimonies are fully confirmed. He will take vengeance on the wicked, but He will not abandon His people. All the upright in heart will follow His righteous judgments. Come, let’s sing joyfully to the Lord, for He is the rock of our salvation and our very life. If we follow Yeshua, we will enter His rest.

Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, Psalm 99, Psalm 100, Psalm 101, Psalm 102

God is the author of life and all goodness, and He saves those who turn toward Him and follow Him in all of His ways, which are great and worthy of praise. There may be other divine beings, but our God Yeshua created all of them. Yahweh is due the glory of His name. He is coming to judge the earth, and His people will be purified in fire while all who reject or rebel against Him will be burned up.
Yahweh reigns. He brings light. He calls us to be glad in His righteousness and reject all evil, while giving thanks for the righteousness that will endure.
98. Yeshua has gained victory for Yahweh, for Yeshua is the salvation Yahweh has made known, the righteousness that has been revealed to all the ends of the world. Praise Him with worship song, just as all of His creation brings forth praise.
Yahweh sits enthroned above the cherubim, loving justice and order, righteousness and truth. He answers our righteous prayers and desires relationship with us.
Serve the Lord, worship Him with jubilation. There is no other god before Him. His mercy is everlasting and He is faithful to His servants.
 The Lord does not endure with the proud, but only with the faithful who walk according to His commandments with humility. There will be no liars or rebels before Him.
When we are suffering, we turn to the Lord for His compassion, and He hears the prayers of those who are humble and contrite of heart. He frees the captives of darkness so they can serve Him. He endures forever, as do those who abide with Him in faithfulness.

Psalm 103, Psalm 104, Psalm 105

The Lord pardons sin, heals diseases, and redeems His people who repent and then follow Him in all His ways, according to His Torah and His example in the flesh. We are like grass, and will wither and die, but if we are in Him and keep His Word, we will dwell with Him forever because of His grace.
The Lord has created all things in the Heavens and in the Earth according to His imagination for His glory, and everything has its proper place—He provides all that is needed. May the glory of the Lord endure forever, and let our hearts seek Him in all of our ways, so He might be pleased by His creation.
We ought to have joyful hearts that boast in our relationship with God, our Creator, who desires our hearts. He orders our steps and has everything worked out perfectly for us, but He refines us as we go. It is our duty to wait on His plan, for it is righteous and good and will lead to everlasting life. We must allow God’s Word to refine us.

Psalm 106, Psalm 107

Remember me Lord, in Your grace toward Your people, and visit me with your salvation, so I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones and rejoice in Your inheritance. You save us for your glory, and so let it endure forever along with your mercy. You redeem us from the hands of the enemy, from distress, from hardship, from misery and chains; you save us from our own depravity. We stand humble before you, and give you thanks and praise. Your Word heals us and gives us joy!

Psalm 108, Psalm 109, Psalm 110, Psalm 111, Psalm 112, Psalm 114, Psalm 115, Psalm 116, Psalm 117, Psalm 118

In Psalm 108, it is clear that the help that comes from man is useless and leads to want, while trusting in help from the Lord, sometimes through the hand of brothers, brings peace. The Lord fights for His righteous against all of his enemies and with patience, He will deliver us from all suffering.

Psalm 109 speaks of Judas Iscariot, who rose his hand against God, but God smote him, and so God will do with all backbiters, and liars, and traitors and hypocrites, those who expect worldly pleasure instead of look to the Kingdom that is not of this world with patience.

Psalm 110 is Messianic in its totality, showing the triune nature of God. For the Father spoke to the Son and gave Him the right hand of His throne until the end, when He will return to destroy all of the enemies of God and rule His kingdom forever.

How can we not praise the Lord, as Psalm 111-113 express? From the rising of the sun to its setting, our hearts ought to burn the sweet incense of thanksgiving to the Lord! He works truth and justice, and can be trusted, and His commandments are eternal. Those who obey God’s commandments are wise, but those who won’t heed them are fools. He is gracious, compassionate and righteous, and He accepts those who turn to Him in repentance and humility for salvation.

Psalm 115, Psalm 116, Psalm 117, Psalm 118

Not to us, Lord, but to Your Name Yeshua give glory, because of your mercy and truth, which is everlasting. I love you, I trust you, I fear you, for You are my help and my shield, and You bless us eternally, and so we praise Your Holy Name Yahweh! You hear My voice and my pleas; You have inclined Your ears to me. You have allowed me to be humbled, but on account of this You have saved me, rescuing my soul from death. My flesh might die, but precious in Your sight is the death of Your godly ones, for you will raise us up. To You belongs thanksgiving and praise. You are good, and your mercy is everlasting. When You are for me, who can stand against me? It is better to trust in Yeshua than in other people, elected officials or the wealthy. Yeshua performs valiantly, and will preserve us to tell of His works all the days of my life. He is the cornerstone, who is marvelous in my eyes. Let us rejoice and be glad in the Lord’s Day, His Sabbath, which points us to His Kingdom everlasting, and sing His praises in the House of the Lord!

Psalm 119

If you want to know the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, Psalm 119 includes a short poem for each letter. Here, the Aleph-Bet appears to be used by the writer as a numbering system. This psalm is perhaps in the top four most powerful psalms among them, next to Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 and Psalm 51, for it speaks to this modern time during these last days following the death and resurrection of our Lord Yeshua and prior to His return, and exhorts us to obey our Lord who commanded us to follow Him.

Look to Ayin for today’s message to Christians, and in these words I would like to amplify today: “I am Your servant; Give me understanding, That I may know Your testimonies. It is time for You to act, O Lord, For they have regarded Your law as void.” Our heart ought to have this attitude, as we read later on: “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” We ought to love Torah so much that we pant, like a deer searching for water, as we desire to hear from the Lord by His Word.

Yeshua is the Word who became flesh. He is the living Torah, who said to follow in His example, an example that fully kept every jot and title of the law without fail. He instructed us to accept the Torah on our heart just like this: “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways.” And resultantly, I pray, “Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law,” for without His Holy Spirit’s help, I cannot see anything. And so I pray again, “Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.”

Let us be strangers in the earth, who delight in the law of the Lord. Let the Torah be our counsel. Let us be revived according to the Lord’s lovingkindness so that we can keep His law. We are saved by grace so that we can become obedient to Torah, for the Saints endure by keeping the commandments of God and faith in Yeshua (Revelation 14:12).

Studying and understanding Torah by the light of Christ makes us wiser than our enemies, who are ever with me, and gives us more understanding than our teachers who do not obey God. In fact, and according to 2 Corinthians 3:13-18 and Psalm 119: “I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts.”

If we walk on the narrow path in this life, we can say, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law.” We have free will, but when we freely choose the Lord and His commandments, we have a path that makes perfect sense that leads to life everlasting.

The Lord redeems us from our enemies and our oppressors by His Torah, so that we can keep His Torah. He shines His face upon us by teaching us His ways by it. “All of [God’s] commandments are Truth.” Our lips praise the Lord for the instruction He has given us, both in His living Word and in the risen Messiah, who sends His Holy Spirit to help us. They are righteousness, and help us to live by it. Let us not choose “our own righteousness,” but rather the righteousness of God. We have all gone astray like lost sheep, but the Lord will seek those who worship Him and keep His commandments.


Psalm 120, Psalm 121, Psalm 122, Psalm 123, Psalm 124, Psalm 125

When we are in trouble, do we wallow in misery, or do we call upon the Lord in Whom we trust? What can lies, arrows or burning coals do against those who trust in the Lord and walk in all of His ways? Our help comes from the Lord Yeshua, the One God who made the Heaven and the Earth. When we trust in Him, our foot will not slip. When we meditate on HIs instruction, how can we slumber? We look unto the Lord, our protector, our shade, our shield, for He will protect us from evil and keep our souls under His wing. I give thanks and praise to Yahweh, for He is God, and He brings shalom and blessings to those who wait for Him. We look to His right hand Yeshua, for He is gracious to us, He protects us from the hand of the rebellious. The waters cannot flood over us, nor can the stream sweep us away, for the Lord who made Heaven and Earth and all that is in them comes to help us. Let the Lord keep us upright in heart and at peace. When we trust in the Lord, our souls will endure forever.

Psalm 126, Psalm 127, Psalm 128, Psalm 129, Psalm 130, Psalm 131, Psalm 132

When I read the line, “When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, We were like those who dream,” I think of the Lord fulfilling His promises to His people. He has promised to prepare a place for us in His Kingdom, and on that Day we will all stand before Him and worship. It may seem like a dream, but I don’t know how we won’t be filled with laughter and joyful shouting! It will be too difficult to contain our joy, for we sowed with weeping in this world, for so few actually hear the Word of the Lord, but we will see the Lord’s harvest with us, shouting for joy. How I long for that day described prophetically in Psalm 126.

127: We know that anything that lasts must be built by the Lord and if anything is not done according to His will, all of the work will be for nothing.
128-131: We are blessed when we fear the Lord and walk in His ways, but cursed when we reject His Word or the work that He does. But if the Lord did not offer forgiveness to the repentant, no one would stand before Him to praise Him. It is for His glory that He forgives, so that those of us who turn toward Him in repentance can praise Him for His mercy and redemption. We must sooth and quiet our souls knowing that in humility we wait on the Lord.
132: David sought tirelessly to build a house for the Lord in Jerusalem, and we must use the same zeal to make a resting place for the Lord in our hearts. It ought to be our top priority and the focus of our every day, just as it was for David. Let us make a throne for Him in our heart forever, so that we can shout for joy in HIs presence forever.

Psalm 133, Psalm 134, Psalm 135, Psalm 136, Psalm 137, Psalm 138, Psalm 139

133-134: We, as followers of Yeshua, must remember this exhortation: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to live together in unity!” Let us be as Jonathan and David, knit together in our hearts, perceiving our place together in eternity with our King Yeshua. Let us serve Him together day and night.

135-136: Yeshua created the Heavens and the Earth and everything in them; He and Yahweh are One. We ought to Praise the Name of the Lord, give thanks to the Lord, for His faithfulness is everlasting. He will never leave us nor forsake us, and if we love Him and remain faithful to Him, He will bring us to the place where He is on the Last Day.

137-138: We sit by the rivers of Babylon, weeping, for we think about the promises of Zion and know we are not there. It may be difficult to sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land, but how could we not exalt the New Jerusalem as our chief joy, for there the Lord dwells forever on His throne. Let us sing praise to Him alone, giving thanks for His mercy and Truth. His name Yeshua is great in all the Earth. He will revive us from trouble and save us from our enemies, for He will never abandon His people.

139: The Lord searches and knows us, there is no hiding in the shadows. No matter where we are or what we think about, He is there and He knows. So let us renew the Spirit of our minds, dwell on lovely things and long for His Kingdom. Where can we go from His Spirit. Let us sing, “revive me, according to your lovingkindness, revive me, Oh Lord.” Our days are numbered and known, and when our path is complete, there will be no more time for us to repent. Thus I pray, “Search me, God, and know my heart; Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.” I want no other path than the narrow way to life.

Psalm 140, Psalm 141, Psalm 142, Psalm 143, Psalm 143, Psalm 144, Psalm 145

Psalm 143 sums up today’s reading, and it is my prayer today. Please join me in praying this prayer: “Hear my prayer, Lord, Listen to my pleadings! Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness! And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For no person living is righteous in Your sight. For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead. Therefore my spirit feels weak within me; My heart is appalled within me. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your accomplishments; I reflect on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, like a weary land. Selah Answer me quickly, Lord, my spirit fails; Do not hide Your face from me, Or I will be the same as those who go down to the pit. Let me hear Your faithfulness in the morning, For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul. Save me, Lord, from my enemies; I take refuge in You. Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For the sake of Your name, Lord, revive me. In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. And in Your faithfulness, destroy my enemies, And eliminate all those who attack my soul, For I am Your servant.”

Psalm 146, Psalm 147, Psalm 148, Psalm 149, Psalm 150

The prophetic psalmists exhorts us NOT to trust man, but to TRUST in God alone, for He is the One who made the Heavens and the Earth and everything in them through His Word, who became flesh and dwelt among us, who died for our redemption and rose for His Glory and so we could follow Him Home. Our great God is mighty in power, and His understanding is infinite—His complex nature is beyond understanding, and yet we know that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God, and to Elohim we sing with worship songs of thanksgiving and praise, for He commanded and all things were created. We ought to tremble before Him so our hearts may align with His will. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who obey His commands. He said, “If you love me, obey My commandments.” He said, “I and the Father are One.” He said, “believe in God, believe also in Me.” The Saints who endure are those who keep God’s commandments and the faith of Yeshua. Let all Saints endure and praise Him with their voices and a full orchestra as well as with the humble guitar. For those who are humble will be lifted up; those who have contrite hearts will live with God.

Proverbs 1, Proverbs 2, Proverbs 3

Within the book of Proverbs, written and recorded by Solomon, the one who is wise is the one who trusts in Yeshua and keeps the commandments of God, while the fool is the one who rejects one or both of the paths necessary for life. Wisdom is personified, because wisdom is a person; namely Messiah Yeshua. Here in feminine form, in the flesh He came in masculine form, but we know that God is both male and female, which is not to say He has biology for both sexes (an evil thought), but that He embodies both the masculine and feminine and thus created us male and female in His image, with all of the Spiritual attributes that implies.

Some of my absolute favorite instructions from the Lord—and they are from the Lord—are contained in the first few books of Proverbs, as follows:

“A wise person will hear and increase in learning, And a person of understanding will acquire wise counsel, To understand a proverb and a saying, The words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
“Turn to my rebuke, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.”
“…whoever listens to me will live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
“the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, Guarding the paths of justice, And He watches over the way of His godly ones.”
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”
“Blessed is a person who finds wisdom, And one who obtains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver, And her produce better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, And nothing you desire compares with her. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are those who hold on to her.”

Of special note, the Lord speaks in “riddles,” as we read here in the NASB. It isn’t riddles, as we understand them, but we would understand the word to be parables, or metaphors, or allegories. I love the historical allegories of Torah. Whether it is Yeshua speaking through the historical allegories of the Torah or the prophetic works of the rest of Tanakh, or Yeshua speaking in the flesh and interpreted by His Holy Spirit among the apostles, God often speaks in parables and very rarely does not intend multiple meanings for what He communicates.

My brother Daniel Joseph recently explained how Scripture works: He said, “The Bible is a historical document that details what was, theologically what is, and prophetically, what will be.”
My interpretation of his correct summary is as follows: The Bible is a historical document describing actual events, a theological document describing what is True, and a prophetic document describing what will be, all at the same time.

Nowhere like Proverbs does all of this meaning come out so clearly all at once. Pay attention to the wisdom of the Lord, for it is eternal life to those who listen to it.

Proverbs 4, Proverbs 5, Proverbs 6

Acquire wisdom, which comes from God’s Word, acquire understanding, which comes from God’s Word, prize the Word of the Lord, and she will exalt you! Take hold of Instruction, which comes from chastening (the rebukes of God)! The word is מוּסָר (musar), which is exactly what we read about in Job. Solomon says to guard the wisdom gained by such chastening, for it is LIFE! To suffer as Job did, but to hold onto faith and trust in the Lord, this is ETERNAL LIFE! “Be angry and do not sin! Do not let the sun go down on your anger and give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:26). We know that chastening is not pleasant when it is occurring, and it may produce anger or even an argument with God, but it brings forth the fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12) when at the end we submit to God in dust and ashes, the repentance of a humble and contrite heart. We all fall short of the glory of God, and so we must strive, as did Israel, with all of our heart, soul mind and strength, to be like Him and rely on Him in His grace to perfect us, for this is what it means to love God: it is to keep His commandments, according to the word of our Lord and Savior Yeshua.

“Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil people,” which is like “darkness.” The calamity or judgment that will come from God upon wickedness should be enough of a deterrent, but even more so the “springs of life” that come from watching over our hearts with all diligence should be our motivation to keep a straight path.

“Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right or to the left; Turn your foot from evil.” This is the way of our Messiah Yeshua, for He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” and no one gets to the Father except through faith in Him and obedience to His commandments.

Among the most heinous of sins are of the sexual variety, pride, deception and murder, and all of these things cause strife and lead to death. Note that in the things noted that the Lord hates, deception is mentioned twice, and an evil heart is also mentioned twice. Deception, which comes out of an evil heart, leads one toward all manner of sin. We must repent so that the Lord can take over our hearts, and I think the Apostle Paul provides us with excellent instruction on how to realign ourselves in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” The Lord commands that we love HIM with all of our heart, thus we must bind His teachings, His commandments, His instruction continually on our heart and tie them around our neck, for God’s Word is the lamp that will lead us to life. Let us trust in Yeshua and abide in His Word, for there is no other way to life.

Today, I want to pay special attention to the idea of “hands that shed innocent blood.” The blood of one man, Abel, being shed on the Earth cried out to God from under His altar and demanded vengeance, and the Lord took action and brought His judgment upon Cain. How much more does the blood of the one million pre-born human children in 2020 in the United States alone (according to the Pew Research Center) cry out to the Lord demanding vengeance against those with pride and wicked imaginations who put them to death? What judgment is due to come upon those who stay silent in the midst of this genocide! These children were sacrificed by fire to Moloch the demon, and we who are children of Abraham cannot be silent about this any longer. God HATES this! May He be merciful to those of us who have not done enough to stop this evil.

Proverbs 7, Proverbs 8, Proverbs 9

Many times God’s Word says we ought to fear God rather than man, and this is the meaning of life, the very conclusion of the whole matter. Today we learn that to fear God is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of God is understanding. This means that we ought to hate evil, pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverted mouth. As John wrote, “sin is lawlessness.” The wise man or woman heeds the Torah of the Lord, for God’s commandments lead to life everlasting and disregarding them leads to death.

Presented through adultery, the Word shows us how sin entices us with fleshly desire and worldly lust, and when we are captured by it, it leads to death. When we love wisdom and understanding, when we write her law on the tablet of our hearts, we can withstand the evil day and the temptations of flattery and temporary pleasure. Wisdom and understanding will make their stand, and will keep us righteous or call out to us to repent, for wisdom prepares Her table for us in Her kingdom and seeks to change us into the best version of ourselves so we can live with God. We ought to love rebuke and instruction, for it brings us closer to God. To ignore God’s law—to be angered or offended by it—is to follow the woman of sin into the grave.

Proverbs 10, Proverbs 11, Proverbs 12

Many of these proverbs seem like guides for this life on Earth, such as “the Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger, but He will reject the craving of the wicked,” but remember that the Words God speaks are “Spirit and they are Life.” We who seek the Lord and His Truth will lack nothing of eternal value, our hunger for God’s Way will be filled. We may hunger physically, but our eternal life will be secured. “The fear of the Lord prolongs life,” we read, and this means eternal life in the Kingdom of God. “The righteous will never be shaken”—nothing, no chastisement can take the joy of the Lord from those who seek Him with all of their hearts. For “one who loves discipline loves knowledge,” and this is the knowledge of God. We must avoid pride, covetousness, treachery, evil defined by God’s law, and lust, for the righteous will flourish like a green leaf and produce the fruit that comes from the tree of life. Both the righteous and the wicked will be repaid when the Lord comes in judgment. We must be diligent to pursue God in all things, for eternal life will be our reward.

Proverbs 13, Proverbs 14, Proverbs 15

Discipline from the Lord is a way to life, discipline from a wise man should be heeded. It is better to guard the tongue, to work diligently, to speak truthfully, and to seek God’s righteousness: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” True wealth is being at peace even in the midst of trouble and to walk among those who are wise; to be satisfied with what God has provided brings great blessing. We must be gracious to those who are suffering, and encourage them to be diligent to pursue the work God has given them. We must be gentle in answering evil—to love our enemies—to use soothing words while learning from the rebukes of those who are wise. To seek God’s knowledge is to show intelligence and to seek council from Godly men leads to successful outcomes. A life striving after God’s righteousness brings refuge in His Kingdom forever.

Proverbs 16, Proverbs 17, Proverbs 18

The Lord examines our hearts to know our motives, and we cannot hide from Him, for He will test us; thus, we must commit our works to God so He can establish us. Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord and humbles himself to do God’s will, rather than the desires of our own hearts, which leads to death.

Proverbs 19, Proverbs 20, Proverbs 21

To pursue the knowledge of God brings life; we must love the Lord’s chastening and chasten our sons, even to our last breath, speaking only the truth of God’s Word while keeping God’s commandments and preserving our own soul. Let our soul be a lamp for the Lord so He can search us out, for we may think we do and say what is right, but the Lord will make it known to us. We must wait in the Lord for His words, His plan and His victory.

Proverbs 22, Proverbs 23

One buys a good name—one written in the Book of Life—by learning, knowing and doing the Word of God, which is wisdom. Whether rich or poor, the wise man seeks the Lord’s ways and not his own or the ways of the world, and he teaches the Truth to his sons and daughters with discipline. Fear will keep a person from righteousness, but the Lord’s discipline can restore the righteous path. The fool—one who disregards God’s law—will not learn from discipline but will fall into destruction. While the fool may seem to get along in this life, we know His end and must persevere in our fear of God by obeying His Wise Word!

Proverbs 24, Proverbs 25, Proverbs 26

Evil, foolish people plot devastation, sometimes without even knowing it. Where God pours out light in darkness, these seek upheaval and darkness, and speak discord and division with their lips, sometimes even through the deceit of flattery. They also do not turn from a rebuke and they believe themselves righteous rather than depend on the righteousness of God. The lamp of the wicked will be extinguished. A wise, righteous person who listens to the Word of God brings the light of God’s Truth to every situation; they seek the knowledge of God, and they get up when they fall seven times to pursue the Lord and His purposes, to be diligent, to work with purpose.

This verse explains how we ought to approach God’s Word, for we are all Kings and Priests under Messiah Yeshua: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” Imagine eternity searching out the ways of God, for He wants us to know Him, but how unsearchable are His ways? Eternity would bring boredom if we had all the answers, but because we don’t our eternal effort to get to know God better will be full of excitement and joy.

“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the Lord will reward you.”
To love our enemy means to speak Truth and life into them, with gentleness, and the Lord will send His Spirit to do the work of repentance on the one who will be saved by it.

Proverbs 27, Proverbs 28, Proverbs 29

We are to be present in the eternal now, humble in all things, gentle in our response to oppression or persecution, contrite in heart and willing to accept correction and instruction, and satisfied with all that God provides while trusting in God’s accomplishments and promises with all faith in His glory, which was accomplished fully on the cross and in Yeshua’s resurrection. We ought to accept testing,  expect to be treated poorly by evil people, keep good tabs on our provisioning and be generous with it to those truly in need, showing no partiality to one over another. We ought to stand firmly for the Word of God, discerning all of His ways and standing against the face of evil, for the Lord will not hear the prayers of those who sin with unrepentant hearts.

A people that sins will have many rulers; their government will be tyrannical. A people must be righteous and abiding in God’s commandments to experience freedom. Justice comes alone from the Lord.

Proverbs 30, Proverbs 31

Proverbs 30 describes the greatness of our God, and we know Gods’s name is Yahweh, and His Son’s name is Yeshua. He has ascended and descended from Heaven and established all the ends of the earth. We ought to ask as the writer does for neither poverty nor riches, for it is wise to have enough to bless the Lord and be grateful to Him for all things, but not so much that we forget Him. May He keep all deception away from us and direct the words that come from our mouth.

Proverbs 31 describes my wife Jennifer, thanks be to God. She is a woman who fears the Lord above all else, and blessed is the name of Yeshua that He has given me His daughter who excels above all others.

Song of Solomon

The Song of Solomon is a love poem, as described by the devotional producer, both describing the relationship between Yeshua and Israel, as well as a man and his wife. The Lord has said, “you will seek me, and you will find me when you seek me with all of your heart,” and the Song of Solomon describes this pursuit. The song of Solomon also discusses the manner in which a man and his wife ought to interact with one another. The woman ought to build up her husband and provide him with encouragement, while the man ought to protect and provide for his wife, never leaving or forsaking her. God also fulfills this role for mankind while humanity also ought to act as the woman does for her husband toward God. Much analysis of this beautiful poetry can be discussed, but for now this is a good summary.

Ecclesiastes 1, Ecclesiastes 2, Ecclesiastes 3, Ecclesiastes 4

All is fleeting in this life; every bit of it. And wisdom and knowledge, which we are instructed to seek, just increases our pain. But such chastening is what leads to understanding and growth, to a greater knowledge of who God made us to be and who we are to be in Him, and thus Solomon’s conclusion to all things must be stated up front: To fear God and keep His commandments; this is man’s all. To trust in Yeshua and to keep Torah, this is the meaning of life—it’s why we’re here.

We ought to focus solidly on this point, also: “God has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in man’s heart, without the possibility that mankind will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.” This is not a sad state of affairs but a glorious one. For if we fear God and keep His commandments, we will learn more and more about Him every day that passes and the relationship we have with Him will get better and better for all of eternity. Yes, God will fill that eternal hole in our hearts with His presence at His appointed time.

Why do we labor, seek pleasure, eat or drink? Is it not to be grateful to God for all that He has given to us to enjoy and learn from? Let us seek these things according to God’s will rather than our own.

We must interpret all of Torah with the key to unlocking its Truth, which is love, for “two are better than one, and three cannot be broken.” When we love one another, and when we walk together in the light of God’s will, we sustain our souls forever in the Body of Messiah Yeshua.

Ecclesiastes 5, Ecclesiastes 6, Ecclesiastes 7, Ecclesiastes 8

We ought to watch our words and actions, leaving our gift at the altar so that we can make things right with our brothers and sisters in Christ, lest we come to God for any other reason but to hear His Word. What do we know?

Wealth and possessions sought for accumulation can never satisfy, but all good gifts come from above and we ought to thank the Lord for the abundance He provides to us to use according to His purposes. We come naked and return naked and thus we ought to clothe ourselves with the righteousness of Messiah Yeshua, the lasting garment.

Death and suffering ought to teach us to number our days and give them all to God, for they belong to Him anyway. Patience, long-suffering and humility bring a proper focus on the wisdom of God.

We all need Messiah Yeshua, for not one of us walks without sin, even if we love His righteousness. He designed us to be good, but with free will we wander from Him. Yet, it will go better for those of us who repent because we fear God openly. God is infinite in wisdom, and we who seek Him forever will also dwell with Him there.

Ecclesiastes 9, Ecclesiastes 10, Ecclesiastes 11, Ecclesiastes 12

Death is the punishment for sin, and all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Our souls will all sleep in the grave as our flesh turns to dust and God’s breath that animated us returns to Heaven, but we will also all rise to stand before the Judgment Seat of Messiah Yeshua. Yes, we should eat bread and drink wine with the Lord’s joy in us, for He has given us these things, and we ought to work hard according to the purpose He has given to each of us, along with our spouse that He has given to us according to His good grace. Circumstances are irrelevant, for they are all a gift from God; what matters is how we respond to them; we ought to choose joy, gratitude and love, knowing that the world will not understand. We will stumble, but know that our stumbling will be remembered by men while our wisdom will be forgotten, so it would be best for us to seldom stumble. It ought to be our goal to work for every opportunity the Lord gives us, but to do so according to God’s will, for He will judge all things. Everything we do ought to be for God and in thanksgiving to God. Wisdom is helpful to keep us on track, but we ought to live a balanced life that does not get caught up only in the pursuit of knowledge. In all things, we are to fear God and keep His commandments, for there is no other purpose to life. To trust Yeshua and obey God will extend our lives into eternity, and any other pursuit will lead to death.

Lamentations 1, Lamentations 2

The Lord is serious about His people keeping His commandments, and if we are to be among His people, He is serious about this for any one of us who has been grafted-in to Israel through the blood of Messiah Yeshua, for He has said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Deuteronomy 28 explains quite graphically the blessings that would come to those who put their trust in Yeshua, and the curses that would come on those who don’t, and in this time, Israel is experiencing the promises of God for a disobedient people. We can KNOW God’s promises are real by observing the fall of Jerusalem by the Kingdom of Babylon. The writer explains: “The Lord has done what He determined; He has accomplished His word Which He commanded from days of old. He has torn down without sparing, And He has helped the enemy to rejoice over you; He has exalted the might of your adversaries.”

Read the warnings. They are all there. Lamentations asks, “Should women really eat their children, The little ones who were born healthy?” Deuteronomy 28:56-57 reads: “The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity, will refuse to the husband of her bosom, and to her son and her daughter, her placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.” This is proof that God will do what He says, which is a blessing to those who trust in Him and obey His commands, but a curse to those who don’t. Yeshua has said even those who say “Lord, Lord,” to Him on the Last Day will be cast out into the darkness if they are found “practicing lawlessness.” We must be obedient children, and the Lord isn’t kidding.

As to the enemies of Jerusalem who laugh at Judah’s calamity, these too will be judged, for “blessed are those who bless Israel, and cursed are those who curse Israel.” God used Babylon to destroy the city, as He promised He would do to an unfaithful people, but He would also judge those who laugh and scorn the downfall of others. As the people of Israel groan as described in Lamentations, the Lord is listening and He will act. All of the people who cursed Israel would be destroyed, and the same is true today.

Lamentations 3, Lamentations 4, Lamentations 5

Lamentations 3:39-40 is on my mind: “Of what can any living mortal, or any man, Complain in view of his sins? Let’s examine and search out our ways, And let’s return to the Lord.” This is a perspective we ought to have whenever we have the urge to complain about anything. Only praise and thanksgiving should come from our lips, even in the midst of sorrows. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I wait for Him. The Lord is good to those who await Him, to the person who seeks Him.” He is faithful! His mercies and compassions do not fail and they are new every morning. He said through Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Relish the correcting rod of God’s judgment, for these goads lead us to righteousness and His green pastures—if not now, then in His Kingdom.

Edom enjoyed the judgment against Israel, and thus this cup of judgment will pass to Edom as well, but Zion’s punishment was just about complete and the exile was about over. The Lord was exceedingly angry with the sinful people who called His name because of their adulteries, and creatures prowled over the ruins of Jerusalem, but the people of God know that the Lord’s Kingdom reigns forever, and those who wait on Him will dwell there.