Psalms with Dr. Karen

For the Director of Music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: 

1 I love you, Lord, my strength. 

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 

3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. 

4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 

5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. 

6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. 

7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. 

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. 

9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. 

10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. 

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him - the dark rain clouds of the sky. 

12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightnigh. 

13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. 

14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them. 

15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 

18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. 

19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. 

20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. 

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God. 

22 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. 

23 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.

24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. 

25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. 

27 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. 

28 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. 

29 With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. 

30 As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. 

31 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. 

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. 

34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 

35 You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. 

36 You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way. 

(to be continued) 

A prayer of David 

1 Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer --

It does not rise from deceitful lips. 

2 Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.

3 Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed. 

4 Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded. 

5 My steps have help to your paths; my feet have not stumbled. 

6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. 

7 Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.  

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings

9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,  from my mortal enemies who surround me. 

10 They close up their callous  hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. 

11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. 

12 They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a fierce lion crouching in cover. 

13 Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down; With your sword rescue me from the wicked. 

14 By your hand save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life. 

May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies; may their children gorge themselves on it, and 

may there be leftovers for their little ones. 

15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. 

Psalms 16 

A miktam of David. 

1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. 

2 I say to the LORD, "Your are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." 

3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, "They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight." 

4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods

or take up their names on my lips. 

5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. 

6 The boundary line have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 

7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 

8 I will keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 

10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 

11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalms 15 

A psalm of David. 

1 LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?

2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; 

3 whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; 

4 who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the LORD; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind;

5 who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. 

Whoever does these things will never be shaken. 

For the director of music. Of David. 

1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. 

2 The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 

3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. 

4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord.

5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. 

6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. 

7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the LORD restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! 

For the director of music. A psalm of David. 

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? 

How long will my enemy triumph over me? 

3 Look on me and answer, LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, 

4 and my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 

5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 

6 I will sing the LORD's praise, for He has been good to me. 

For the director of music. According to sheminith. 

A psalm of David. 

1 Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. 

2 Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.

3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue--

4 those who say, "By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us -- who is lord over us?"

5 "Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise," says the LORD. 

" I will protect them from those who malign them". 

6 And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. 

7 You, LORD, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, 

8 who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race. 

1 In the Lord I put my trust;
How can you say to my soul,
“Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
2 For look! The wicked bend their bow,
They make ready their arrow on the string,
That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?

4 The Lord is in His holy temple,
The Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
Shall be the portion of their cup.

7 For the Lord is righteous,
He loves righteousness;
His countenance beholds the upright.

Psalms 10

1 Why LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. 

3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. 

4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. 

5 His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies. 

6 He says to himself, "Nothing will ever shake me." He swears, "No one will ever do me harm."

7 His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. 

8 He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; 

9 like a lion in cover, he lies in wait.  He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. 

10 His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.

11 He says to himself, "God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees."

12 Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. 

13 Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"?

14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand.  The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. 

16 The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. 

17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, 

18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. 

Psalms 9 

For the director of music. To the tune of "The Death of the Son." A psalm of David. 

1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 

2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. 

3 My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. 

4 For you have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge. 

5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. 

6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. 

7 The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 

8 He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.

9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 

10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. 

11 Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. 

12 For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted. 

13 LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, 

14 that I may declare your praises in the gates of Daughter Zion, and there rejoice in your salvation. 

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. 

16 The LORD is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. 

17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God. 

18 But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish. 

19 Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. 

20 Strike them with terror, Lord; let the nations know they are only mortal. 

1 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. 

2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 

4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 

5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. 

6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: 

7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 

8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, 

all that swim the paths of the seas. 

9. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

Psalms 7

A psalm of David, which he sang to the Lord, concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

1 Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

2 or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

3 Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands --

4 if I have repaid my all with evil or without cause have robbed my foe --

5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.

6 Arise, Lord in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.

7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high.

8 Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.

9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure -- you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts.

10 My shield is God Most High, who save the upright in heart.

11 God is a righteous judge, a God who displays in his wrath every day.

12 If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.

13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.

15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made.

16 The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalms 6 

1  For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. 

2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. 

3 My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?

4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.

5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave?

6 I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. 

7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. 

8 Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. 

9 The Lord accepts my prayer. 

10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame. 

Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. 

Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, for to You I will pray. 

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up. 

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. 

The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. 

You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 

But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; 

In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; 

Make Your way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part is destruction; 

Their throat is an open tomb; They flatter with their tongue. 

Pronounce them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, 

For they have rebelled against You. But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; 

Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them. Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. 

For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor Your will surround him as with a shield. 

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress;

Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.  How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? 

How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood?

    Selah

But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him. 

Be angry, and do not sin.  Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. 

     Selah

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD. 

There are many who say,  "Who will show us any good?" 

LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. 

You have put the gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. 

I will both life down in peace, and sleep. For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. 

Psalms 3 - A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.

Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!

Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, 

"There is no help for him in God." 

     Selah *

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the one who lifts up my head. 

I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. 

     Selah

I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. 

I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O Lord; Save me, O my God!

For you have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people.

     Selah

*Selah - means "pause and reflect on this"

In this chapter, we read about the Son of God.  Here also, there is the promise of the Lord that if we ask it of Him, He will give us the nations for our inheritance.  It also says we must love the Son of God (Jesus).  And the most beautiful promise, "Blessed are all those who put their trust" in Him".

This is Chapter 1, of the Book of Psalms, according to the NKJV.  It talks about the righteous man and the ungodly man.  The righteous man seeks the counsel of the Lord, and therefore, everything he does succeeds.  The ungodly seek the advice of other people, and they are not as successful.