Day 126 (Psalm 89, 96, 100-101, 105, 132) - Year 7
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Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. We open today with Psalm 89, which was written by a guy named Ethan. This is possibly the only psalm he wrote, but some people think he also went by the name Jaduthun, who wrote two other psalms. There are a few really confusing things in this chapter, so let's walk through them. First, verse 10 tells us that God destroyed Rahab. Crushed Rahab like a carcass is actually what the ESV says.

If you don't have a study Bible and you didn't Google this, you might be like, I thought they saved Rahab. I don't recall any carcass crushing. You're right. This isn't talking about Rahab the Canaanite. The words are spelled the same in Hebrew, but pronounced differently. Kind of like our words wind and wind or live and live. This version of the word most likely refers to either Egypt or to a mythological beast who causes chaos. So this verse is either showing God's victory over a world power or just over chaos itself.

You may have also seen in verse 27 that David is called the firstborn here, and that may be confusing, because as we've talked about previously, Jesus is the firstborn. Yes and yes, two firstborns. Actually, three. Because Israel is called the firstborn of a people group, and David is the firstborn of the kingly line God has established, and Jesus is the firstborn, the exalted David, the fulfillment of prophecies.

There are lots of prophetic elements to this psalm, so while it can refer to something at the present time of David, it can also simultaneously refer to something else and something greater. Near the end, in verses 38-45, Ethan accuses God of forsaking Israel. And yes, it feels like that. But if we look back at verses 30-32, we see what was really happening here. This was a time of discipline for sin, just like God promised would happen whenever they rebel.

Over time, God will show himself faithful. And even Ethan seems to know this in his heart, because after all these accusations, he ends with a call to bless the Lord forever. You may have noticed that Psalm 96 was very similar to the song of thanks we read in 1 Chronicles 16 two days ago when they brought the ark to Jerusalem. But since we didn't really spend any time digging into that song, I wanted to point out one interesting thing today—

Verse 5 says, The ESV Study Bible mentions that there's some interesting wordplay happening in the Hebrew here, and it's kind of humorous. It says that in English, it basically translates to, Good one, David. Psalm 100 celebrates God's kingship and goodness. It reminds us that we belong to Him.

Not only are we his creation, all things and people are his creation, but we're also his people and his sheep. He's invited us into his courts. And all that is pretty praiseworthy given that we're sinners and he's holy. So this psalm reminds us that it's not just something to be regarded lightly. It's worth celebrating. David spent a lot of time reminding himself to praise God. So when the music starts on Sunday and you're not feeling it,

Remind yourself of what he has invited you into. Remind your soul to celebrate. I have to do that all the time. In Psalm 101, David sets out the ideas of what kind of king he wants to be. He's determined to be thoughtful and intentional about everything he does. I wonder if part of his desire to be deliberate comes from how Uzzah died when he acted hastily. He vows not to set worthless things before his eyes and to cut off wickedness from the land.

The people who are allowed to speak into his life are the people who know and love God, and he'll be vigilant to protect his home as well as the city of Jerusalem. I looked up the Hebrew word for mourning from verse 8, where he says, "'Mourning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land.'"

One of the ways this word can be translated means at daybreak. And I just imagine David out killing people before breakfast. Like, wow, this guy is not messing around. He hates evil. Meanwhile, I sleep till nine. If I were one of David's mighty men, I'd be like, I'll take the lunchtime destruction shift, please.

Then we moved on to Psalm 105, which is a song recounting the history of the Israelites, from Abraham to the Promised Land. At first, I thought maybe this was how they remembered the order of the plagues, but they're out of order and it's even missing one. That's probably because this song isn't intended to teach the people like maskills sometimes do. This is a song of praise. And the purpose of thanking God for His goodness is still achieved, even when the plagues aren't listed chronologically.

We closed out the day's reading with Psalm 132. It recalls God's promises to David and the people of Israel. However, it does leave out that if the kings in David's line aren't faithful to God's covenant, then the people of Israel will suffer. It focuses mostly on the blessing. Some people believe this song was written when the Israelites were in exile, which means the focus on God's blessing would probably serve as a bit of hope for them to hold on to when times are tough and it wouldn't pour salt into their wounds.

What was your God shot? Mine was all the way back in our first Psalm of the day, Psalm 89. Verses 22 and 23 are quoting an idea of God's promises to David, and they say, "'The enemy shall not outwit him. The wicked shall not humble him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.'" As I was reading that, this thought came to mind. When God settled David's future wins, He also settled the future losses of David's enemies—

He doesn't just have things planned out for David and no one else, or Israel and no one else. His plans have to include all things. Otherwise, something unaccounted for outside those plans could go rogue and ruin his plans. If God weren't in control of all the details, prophecy would be virtually impossible. And just be guessing, the amount of detail this involves to plan for all of humanity from creation onward is mind-boggling.

I know God doesn't technically have a brain, but his brain blows my mind. I love it. He's so smart. And he's where the joy is.

It's time for our weekly check-in, Bible readers. Are you a few days behind the rest of us? No one minds, especially not God. Just like we read in Psalm 100 today, we're not only God's creation, but we're His people. He's invited us into His courts. He's invited us to commune with Him, to know Him, a holy God known by sinners. So pick up where you left off and keep showing up to commune with Him and know Him more.

Okay, we'll see you back here tomorrow, right? Awesome. It's going to be great.