Praise at Dawn · Day 5
Psalms 21–25 — The Shepherd Sets a Table
About 11 min read · 82 v.
Trusting the Shepherd from the valley to the table.
Psalm 21
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.
1The king rejoices in your strength, LORD! How greatly he rejoices in your salvation!
2You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.
3For you meet him with the blessings of goodness. You set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4He asked life of you and you gave it to him, even length of days forever and ever.
5His glory is great in your salvation. You lay honor and majesty on him.
6For you make him most blessed forever. You make him glad with joy in your presence.
7For the king trusts in the LORD. Through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved.
8Your hand will find out all of your enemies. Your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9You will make them as a fiery furnace in the time of your anger. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath. The fire shall devour them.
10You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from among the children of men.
11For they intended evil against you. They plotted evil against you which cannot succeed.
12For you will make them turn their back, when you aim drawn bows at their face.
13Be exalted, LORD, in your strength, so we will sing and praise your power.
Psalm 22
For the Chief Musician; set to “The Doe of the Morning.” A Psalm by David.
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
2My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don’t answer; in the night season, and am not silent.
3But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel.
4Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted, and you delivered them.
5They cried to you, and were delivered. They trusted in you, and were not disappointed.
6But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.
7All those who see me mock me. They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying,
8“He trusts in the LORD. Let him deliver him. Let him rescue him, since he delights in him.”
9But you brought me out of the womb. You made me trust while at my mother’s breasts.
10I was thrown on you from my mother’s womb. You are my God since my mother bore me.
11Don’t be far from me, for trouble is near. For there is no one to help.
12Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13They open their mouths wide against me, lions tearing prey and roaring.
14I am poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It is melted within me.
15My strength is dried up like a potsherd. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have brought me into the dust of death.
16For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
17I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.
18They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.
19But don’t be far off, LORD. You are my help. Hurry to help me!
20Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.
21Save me from the lion’s mouth! Yes, you have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the assembly, I will praise you.
23You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him! Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!
24For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, neither has he hidden his face from him; but when he cried to him, he heard.
25My praise of you comes in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him.
26The humble shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the LORD who seek after him. Let your hearts live forever.
27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.
28For the kingdom is the LORD’s. He is the ruler over the nations.
29All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him, even he who can’t keep his soul alive.
30Posterity shall serve him. Future generations shall be told about the Lord.
31They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.
Psalm 23
A Psalm by David.
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.
6Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the LORD’s house forever.
Psalm 24
A Psalm by David.
1The earth is the LORD’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it.
2For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods.
3Who may ascend to the LORD’s hill? Who may stand in his holy place?
4He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully.
5He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face—even Jacob. Selah.
7Lift up your heads, you gates! Be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.
8Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, you gates; yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.
10Who is this King of glory? The LORD of Armies is the King of glory! Selah.
Psalm 25
By David.
1To you, LORD, I lift up my soul.
2My God, I have trusted in you. Don’t let me be shamed. Don’t let my enemies triumph over me.
3Yes, no one who waits for you will be shamed. They will be shamed who deal treacherously without cause.
4Show me your ways, LORD. Teach me your paths.
5Guide me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. I wait for you all day long.
6LORD, remember your tender mercies and your loving kindness, for they are from old times.
7Don’t remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Remember me according to your loving kindness, for your goodness’ sake, LORD.
8Good and upright is the LORD, therefore he will instruct sinners in the way.
9He will guide the humble in justice. He will teach the humble his way.
10All the paths of the LORD are loving kindness and truth to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11For your name’s sake, LORD, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12What man is he who fears the LORD? He shall instruct him in the way that he shall choose.
13His soul will dwell at ease. His offspring will inherit the land.
14The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him. He will show them his covenant.
15My eyes are ever on the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16Turn to me, and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted.
17The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Oh bring me out of my distresses.
18Consider my affliction and my travail. Forgive all my sins.
19Consider my enemies, for they are many. They hate me with cruel hatred.
20Oh keep my soul, and deliver me. Let me not be disappointed, for I take refuge in you.
21Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22God, redeem Israel out of all his troubles.
Scripture: World English Bible, Protestant Edition (WEBP) — eBible.org. Public domain. Rights
Reflection
An original reflection from Fall 7 Rise 8 Ministry
Psalm 22 begins with the cry Jesus prayed from the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It ends with nations turning to the LORD. Right after that cry comes Psalm 23, the most beloved song of trust in the Bible. The order matters: the Shepherd's care is not naïve. It has walked through the valley of the shadow of death.
Psalm 24 asks who may ascend the hill of the LORD, and Psalm 25 answers with humble dependence: "Show me your ways, LORD. Teach me your paths." The Shepherd prepares a table, even in the presence of enemies. You are not alone at that table today.
Practice
Pray Psalm 23 slowly, pausing after each line to name where you need that part of the Shepherd's care.
Prayer
Good Shepherd, lead me beside still waters today. When I walk through a dark valley, let me sense Your rod and staff. Teach me Your paths. Amen.
Study notes
Every Man’s Bible — supplied study notes — From the Every Man’s Bible study notes, as supplied to the ministry. Shown separately from the ministry’s original reflection.
21:1-6
As we honestly reflect on our spiritual condition, we come to realize that our strength comes from God as we seek him through prayer and meditation on his Word. He wants to give each of us a life that has eternal value and meaning. As we experience such blessings, we will begin to understand that true joy is an outgrowth of being in God’s presence. This should motivate us to spend time with God, seeking him through prayer and meditation on his Word. We need to draw close to him, not just for what he can do for us, but for who he is.
22:1-5
We all have experienced feelings of abandonment. The words in the first verse were repeated by Jesus Christ as he hung on the cross, indicating that even he experienced feelings of isolation from God the Father (see Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). When we feel cut off from God, we may be tempted to question his existence or doubt that he is able to rescue us. At such times, we must rely not on feelings but on facts. We must remember who God is and what he has done for his people in the past.
22:6-11
When things aren’t going well, we may feel like a ‘worm,’ just as David did. But God cares for us and will help us. Others may mock us, doubting that God can really save us. We should ignore these people because we know God is there to rescue us. He has helped before, ever since our birth, and he will surely help us now.
22:12-21
We have the help of a God who understands our pain. Jesus Christ experienced the most terrible conditions imaginable during his earthly life and sacrificial death on the cross. He was beaten, crucified, and stripped of his dignity. Jesus knows how we feel when we suffer physical and emotional pain. He knows what it feels like to be betrayed and rejected by those he loved. He is with us and will help us when we are suffering.
23:1-6
The Lord is our shepherd, and he knows what we need better than we do. God wants us to have what is best for us. As long as we trust in him as our shepherd, he will lead us to places of safety. He knows how to direct us away from places where we will stumble. Even when we have fallen, he can still rescue us.
24:1-2
Some of us may feel that there is no power great enough to deliver us from the terrible circumstances we have fallen into. In these verses, however, we are shown a God who has enough power to control the entire universe. And we know from his Word that God has provided a way for our sins to be paid and for us to be delivered from sin’s grip.
25:1-7
When we place our faith in God, we can trust him to care for us and to help us overcome the things in our lives that would destroy us. We need to ask him to forgive our past sins and to show us how to live according to his will.
Keep going
Wisdom at Dawn — daily ProverbsMinistry resourcesRequest prayer