Jesus' Songbook: Psalms Commentary
by Karl Fay
You’re invited to walk with me through the Psalms in 2022!A Monday through Friday Psalm-a-day journey that walks through all 150 Psalms. This podcast will provide accompanying commentary to extend your meditation. Best experienced with this playlist of Psalm songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UJtTCjrL7pn1zAw9f45ZF?si=WtWaHZ71TGSmShuSQp9EHw
Episodes
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Psalm 150 PCE + MSG + Commentary
Hallelujah! Let every breath praise the Lord! The finale of our psalms journey points toward eternity and invites us to practice for eternity even now! John Goldingay summarizes the sense of 150 in this way, “We have said a lot about God in all these psalms; in light of what we have said, you…
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Psalm 149 ESV + Commentary
The victory celebration! Psalm 149 is one part dancing and one part battle. “Gospel joy, knowing how honored and loved we are in Christ, makes us ready for this mission.” - Tim Keller. Live with great joy in the Lord and arm yourselves with God’s word and prayer!
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Psalm 148 NIV + Commentary
Hallelujah from heaven! Hallelujah from earth! All creation is invited to join the choir! The great unifier between the extremes is a joyful preoccupation with God. Why are they/we praising? Because we exist! God created us all! Why else are we praising? Because God saves. He raised up a horn! He...
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Psalm 147 JG + Commentary
God is in the details. Hallelujah! “Everything observable in the world is a cipher for discovering grace.” No detail is too small, no person is insignificant. God knows every star, sparrow, and snowflake. God wants a relationship with every single person. Hallelujah!
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Psalm 146 MSG + Commentary
A lifetime of praise is not enough! It’ll take every person, every generation, throughout eternity! God is eternally good and faithful, and unbroken blessing and delight are our future. In the meantime, beware the false hopes of hero worship, declare the praises of the One True God who saves, and...
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Psalm 145 NIV + Commentary
Another alphabetic/acrostic psalm which has deep connections to themes from the Lord’s Prayer as well as God’s revelation to Moses in Exodus 34. Verses 15-16 have been used as a traditional meal prayer. Psalm 145 expresses very personal and intimate praise but is also “as wide as mankind and as...
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Psalm 144 ESV + Commentary
This mosaic psalm drawn from material and imagery in other psalms puts things in perspective, remembers the pattern of rescue, prays urgently for it to happen now, and anticipates future praise and peace for all God’s people.
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Psalm 143 NLT + Commentary
#7 of 7 penitential psalms, David teaches us about universal guilt and how to appeal to God for both grace and guidance. In the face of haunting past personal failures, David asks for and meditates on God’s unfailing love that surrounds his past, present, and future as he seeks to serve in God’s...
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Psalm 142 VOICE + Commentary
Discover how to get prayers answered, see an incredible before & after, and just watch how God responds to us when we pray lonely prayers!
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Psalm 141 EP + NIV + Commentary
‘A prayer against insincerity and compromise, and a plea for survival under the savage attacks which such an attitude has invited.’ Derek Kidner
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Psalm 140 NIV + Commentary
Lord, protect my heart and don’t let me get jaded. Psalm 140 helps you pray through losing your hope in humanity and losing your motivation to keep doing your bits of good where you are. Pray about all the bad things that are beyond your control, and get busy doing those good things that are…
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Psalm 139 MSG + Commentary
You know all there is to know about me. There’s no place I can hide from you. You saw me and loved me even before I was born. Rid the world of evil, even the evil in me. A quick summery of the four six-verse sections of this David psalm. So many best-loved verses come from psalm 139, but we tend…
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Psalm 138 NLT + Commentary
I’m threatened and yet protected. My faith is so deeply personal, yet it is also universal. Your power, God, is made perfect in my weakness. Give me resilience to walk Your way when others around me don’t. Teach my soul to delight in giving thanks and praising Your name.
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Psalm 137 NIV + Commentary
Perhaps the most shocking of all the psalms because of its appalling ending. How can sentiments like this be in the Bible?! Prayer is the best place to pour out such raw and intense emotions, including anger and the desire for retaliation. Lay it all before the cross where God died for us at the...
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Psalm 136 MSG + Commentary
His love never quits! 26x we repeat this phrase. Each time drills into us the eternal consistency of God’s character, God’s strongest attribute, the “greatest of these.” Christ is hidden in the phrase. With each accompanying line the psalm elaborates and expands on this one trait and cultivates…
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Psalm 135 NLT + Commentary
An anthology of praise. Begins and ends with Hallelujah, with a lot of borrowed content in between. What if our days began and ended the same way? What if in our prayer life we were bold to “steal like artists” and pray others’ words sometimes? What joy and gratitude and freedom to be and breathe...
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Psalm 134 ESV + JG + Commentary
#15 of 15 songs of ascent: bless, bless, bless. Three short verses. The arrival of the pilgrims and the welcome into unceasing praise and a glorious exchange with God.
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Psalm 133 NIV + Commentary
#14 of 15 songs of ascent: down, down, down, like oil on beards and robes, like dew on mountains tall and small, may Your blessings flow down on us and be shared generously among us. Create in us a beautiful unity that is a pleasing aroma to You and an inviting aroma to those on the outside.
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Psalm 132 ESV + Commentary
#13 of 15 songs of ascent: David longs to draw near to God by building a house. God gives David great assurance by drawing near to build his house. “Church is not the building in which we congregate or a place we go, but rather a thing that we are.” “Arise O King of grace, arise, and enter to thy...
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Psalm 131 ESV + NLT + VOICE + MSG + Commentary
#12 of 15 songs of ascent: avoiding temptations to pride and presumption and discovering dependence, contentment, and childlike faith.
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Psalm 130 NIV + JG + Commentary
#11 of 15 songs of ascent: the penitential psalm is prayed from a place of drowning, not because of illness or homesickness or persecution, but drowning because of guilt. At the end of one’s rope. In need of help beyond self. And awed at God’s answer to that need, the clean slate offered, the...
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Psalm 129 MSG + Commentary
#10 of 15 songs of ascent: your story is not just about what you’ve achieved but also what you’ve survived. Here Israel remembers slavery and exodus and identifies as a scarred survivor, a suffering servant, a wounded healer and remembers that those who abuse, oppress, and resort to violence will...
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Psalm 128 NLT + JG + Commentary
#9 of 15 songs of ascent: tracing the ripple effect of a life of personal devotion through family and church and out to society across generations. What joy and peace!
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Psalm 127 ESV + Commentary
#8 of 15 songs of ascent: Solomon shares wisdom drenched with tragic irony, which is basically: “do as I say, not as I do.” The spiritual nature of domestic activities like building, saving, and raising a family is celebrated here.
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Psalm 126 DK + Commentary
#7 of 15 songs of ascent: a shared memory of delirious happiness and relief at past restoration plants hope and prepares the ground for prayer that it can happen again, whether suddenly and miraculously or slowly and arduously. Either way from the Lord!
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Psalm 125 NLT + Commentary
#6 of 15 songs of ascent: reveling in God’s panoramic protection forever. Holding fast to the promise of forever victory. Looking beyond the mountains to the Maker of the mountains. Praying for hearts to stay passionate and not grow cold in the face of the world’s evil now. Praying for…
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Psalm 124 NIV + Commentary
#5 of 15 songs of ascent: thank God I’m alive! Thank God, we’re alive! You’ve seen us through more than our fair share of close calls and narrow escapes, and here we are! Not eaten alive, not drowned in the floods, not torn apart, not caught in traps and temptations! You, Mighty Maker, are with…
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Psalm 123 ESV + NIV + MSG + Commentary
#4 of 15 songs of ascent: God, I am your servant. Give grace to all your faithful ones who suffer disgrace from others. Give me courage and compassion when facing contempt from others. Let me not become a “jerk for Jesus” but let me live more like Jesus. Amen.
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Psalm 122 NLT + Commentary
#3 of 15 songs of ascent: considering the potency of gatherings like vacation Bible school, national youth gathering, and family reunions. The exhilaration of arrival, close connections and citizenship in Christ’s kingdom, and prayers for peace and prosperity, which are the fruit of justice. What...
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Psalm 121 NIV + MSG + Commentary
#2 of 15 song of ascent: Look up, child! Lift your eyes to the hills! Look beyond the hills to the Maker of the mountains! Take heart on your tenuous pilgrimage and trust in God, who is the Guardian of the Galaxy, the Keeper of the Cosmos, your keeper, your shade, who never slips or sleeps.…
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Psalm 120 VOICE + Commentary
#1 of 15 Songs of Ascent: I’m trying to be a person of peace in a world that’s hungry for war and ready to pick a fight. I’m trying to hold the faith in a sea of unbelief. I’m trying to live the truth where hypocrisy is the norm. It’s one thing if I suffer when doing wrong or being a jerk. I...
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Psalm 119:161-176 PCE + Commentary
Part 11: delighting in and meditating on God’s words A-Z in the epic acrostic poem. God’s words are everyday words, but let’s not get too cozy with them and lose our sense of awe. These are living and active words, sharp like a surgeon’s knife, able to perform heart surgery. These are not just...
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Psalm 119:145-160 NIV + Commentary
Part 10: delighting in and meditating on God’s words A-Z in this epic acrostic poem. Urgency picks up and become more of a round the clock vigil. Matters of life and death. The trouble is not denied, but it is set within a broader context of faith.
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Psalm 119:129-144 ESV + Commentary
Part 9: delighting in and meditating on God’s words A-Z in this epic acrostic poem. Unfolding the word through meditation, panting after the promises, streams of tears over those who don’t share the faith, and testing the word in the crucible of your life.
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Psalm 119:113-128 MSG + Commentary
Part 8: delighting in and meditating on God’s words A-Z in this epic acrostic poem. Keeping distance from double-mindedness and half-heartedness. Awe at God and God’s word. Time for God to act! And how treasuring God’s word changes the way you hold the treasures of the world.
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Psalm 119:97-112 PCE + Commentary
Part 7: delighting in and meditating on God’s words A-Z in this epic acrostic poem. This other-worldly, heavenly wisdom gives light for the path and delight for the heart.
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Psalm 119:81-96 ESV + Commentary
Part 6: meditating on and delighting in God’s words A-Z in this epic acrostic poem. Do yourself a favor and linger a little longer in verses 89-96. Several gems there worth more extended contemplation.
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Psalm 119:65-80 PCE + Commentary
Part 5: delighting in and meditating on God’s word A-Z in this epic acrostic poem. Learning through suffering. Being grateful even for the setbacks that helped set you straight. Celebrating the beauty of God’s law not as words on a page but as lived and embodied in individuals and community. When...
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Psalm 119:49-64 PCE + Commentary
Part 4: Meditating on and delighting in God’s Word A-Z in this epic acrostic poem. Struggles with the world pick up in this section of the Psalm. Not everyone values this Word the same way, even as the whole earth is full of God’s love. Why can’t they see the beauty? Why can’t they hear the song?
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Psalm 119:33-48 PCE + Commentary
Part 3: Delighting in and meditating on God’s words A-Z in this epic acrostic poem. Not only do we love God and love our neighbor as ourselves but we also love the Word that wisely commands us to center our lives in this way.
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Psalm 119:17-32 MSG + Commentary
Part 2: delighting in and meditating on God’s word A-Z in the epic acrostic prayer. Open my eyes to prize what I already have instead of pining for what I don’t.
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Psalm 119:1-16 PCE + Commentary
Part 1: Delighting in and meditating on God’s Word A-Z in this epic acrostic prayer. In the first 16 verses, we seek an undivided heart that treasures God’s word above worldly wealth!
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Psalm 118:15-29 MSG + Commentary
The victory song & the victor’s welcome! The soundtrack of Palm Sunday that plays in all four gospels, the Acts, and Peter’s letters. Christ is the chief cornerstone which the builders rejected. Hosanna! Lord, save us! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
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Psalm 118:1-14 NIV + Commentary
Passover and Exodus echo throughout this psalm of sweetly shared victory and thanks to the God whose goodness follows us all the days of our lives. It all comes together in the life of Jesus and the events of Palm Sunday and Passion Week. Get caught up in the call and response and may God’s love...
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Psalm 117 NIV + Commentary
Small, but mighty. Short and sweet. How to say a lot in a few words. “If you want to know how to praise God, then here is the answer. Summon people to do so, and then give the reasons.” John Goldingay. Psalm 117 is the tiniest of all psalms yet reaches to the farthest corners of the earth and...
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Psalm 116 CEB + Commentary
I love because Yahweh listens! I live a thankful life because God delivered me from death. I believed, and therefore I spoke up. Intensely personal and passionate faith is drawn into the public sphere that its testimony might invite others to trust God exclusively and sing God’s praises…
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Psalm 115 NIV + Commentary
Trust > control. God’s will > whatever I want. Maker > made. Yahweh > idols. Life > death. We become what we worship. The choice is clear. The choice is yours. The truth is more wonderful than fiction, and it calls for endless praise. Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!
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Psalm 114 NLT + Commentary
Shake, shake, shake it up! Tremble, earth! You’re in the Lord’s presence! We worship a God of great reversals! Isolated immigrants surrounded by an unfamiliar language find belonging and dignity and become a visible sign of God’s presence. The least promising places turn into places of plenty and...
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Psalm 113 NLT + Commentary
We worship a God of great reversals! Hallelujahs fly high above all all times and places and powers and human authorities! Who is like this Majestic Creator God, reaching down deeper than the dust, rescuing the forgotten, raising from the grave, setting the lonely in families? Expect the...
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Psalm 112 JG + Commentary
God & image of God, Part 2: Start with wonder and delight! Make it your lifestyle from A to Z! Wonder and worship God and your words and works will ripple out to bless others, your relationship to “stuff” will change so you become more generous, and you’ll leave a generational blessing. Worship...
About this show
You’re invited to walk with me through the Psalms in 2022!A Monday through Friday Psalm-a-day journey that walks through all 150 Psalms. This podcast will provide accompanying commentary to extend your meditation. Best experienced with this playlist of Psalm songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UJtTCjrL7pn1zAw9f45ZF?si=WtWaHZ71TGSmShuSQp9EHw
Hosted by
Karl Fay
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