Psalms 1-3

The Psalms are found in the Old Testament and were written as songs of praise, sorrow, confession, thanksgiving, invocation and supplication. The Psalms are recited, chanted and sung in churches, synagogues and temples around the world. A version of the Psalms also appears in the Koran. 

Here's Psalm 1: 

1	Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of                               the wicked, *     nor lingered in the way of sinners,     nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
2	Their delight is in the law of the LORD, *     and they meditate on his law day and night.
3	They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *everything they do shall prosper.
4	It is not so with the wicked; *     they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
5	Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when                                judgment comes, *     nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.
6	For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, *     but the way of the wicked is doomed.

We hope that is true, don't we? But why is it that so often the nice guys finish last? My husband died a painful death from cancer. He was one of the nice guys. And I have tried all my life to "not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread…" and yet I have leukemia. I promise the rest of this blog will not be such a downer. I can't help which psalm comes first!

Here's Psalm 2

1	Why are the nations in an uproar? *     Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?
2	Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt, and the princes plot together, *     against the LORD and against his Anointed?
3	"Let us break their yoke," they say; *     "let us cast off their bonds from us."
4	He whose throne is in heaven is laughing; *     the Lord has them in derision.
5	Then he speaks to them in his wrath, *     and his rage fills them with terror.
6	"I myself have set my king *     upon my holy hill of Zion."
7	Let me announce the decree of the LORD: *     he said to me, "You are my Son;     this day have I begotten you.
8	Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for                               your inheritance *     and the ends of the earth for your possession.
9	You shall crush them with an iron rod *     and shatter them like a piece of pottery."
10	And now, you kings, be wise; *     be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11	Submit to the LORD with fear, *     and with trembling bow before him;
12	Lest he be angry and you perish; *     for his wrath is quickly kindled.

13	Happy are they all *     who take refuge in him!

Why are the nations in an uproar?  Because we are human and it is human nature to desire power.  God in this psalm is pretty angry, but when God gave us free will, God should really have expected this outcome. Okay, we move on to Psalm 3: 1 LORD, how many adversaries I have! *     how many there are who rise up against me! 2 How many there are who say of me, *     "There is no help for him in his God." 3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me; *     you are my glory, the one who lifts up my head. 4 I call aloud upon the LORD, *     and he answers me from his holy hill; 5 I lie down and go to sleep; *     I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 6 I do not fear the multitudes of people *     who set themselves against me all around. 7 Rise up, O LORD; set me free, O my God; *     surely, you will strike all my enemies across the face,     you will break the teeth of the wicked. 8 Deliverance belongs to the LORD. *     Your blessing be upon your people! The writer is kind of whistling in the dark here, don't you think?  "Rise up, O Lord; set me free, O my God; surely, you will strike all my enemies across the face, you will break the teeth of the wicked."  Sounds more like wishful thinking to me than reality.  I would rather go back to the last verse of the previous psalm. "Happy are they all who take refuge in him!" which is more active than passively waiting for God to come and smote the enemy for us. I am off to Kaiser for my chemo. There is a medical assistant there who has a lanyard bedecked with angel pins.  She says, "Praise Jesus" a lot and professes her love for Bible study.  Sometimes I think she's kind of silly for her hallelujahs and amens.  But as she was taking my blood pressure yesterday I looked at her and thanked God for her.  Her kind words and sincere inquiries as to my health have made a difference during my treatment.  "Your blessing be upon your people!"