PSALM Fifty Two

For the director of music.

A maskil of David.

 When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him:

 ‘David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.’

1 

Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?

    Why do you boast all day long,

    you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

2 

You who practise deceit,

    your tongue plots destruction;

    it is like a sharpened razor.

3 

You love evil rather than good,

    falsehood rather than speaking the truth.

4 

You love every harmful word,

    you deceitful tongue!

5 

Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:

    he will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;

    he will uproot you from the land of the living.

6 

The righteous will see and fear;

    they will laugh at you, saying,

7 

‘Here now is the man

    who did not make God his stronghold

but trusted in his great wealth

    and grew strong by destroying others!’

8 

But I am like an olive tree

    flourishing in the house of God;

I trust in God’s unfailing love

    for ever and ever.

9 

For what you have done I will always praise you

    in the presence of your faithful people.

And I will hope in your name,

    for your name is good.

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Word by Word Meditations 

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 52: “flourishing” (v.8)

While fleeing from danger, David casts his eye around on the scheming of his enemies, assessing his own spiritual situation thus “… but I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever” (v.8). 

Note : 

[1] “but” shows us he is above his circumstances, not under and crushed by them; 

[2] “I am” - because God is – living in the present now; 

[3] “like an olive tree” with the oil of God’s Spirit in my DNA; 

[4] “flourishing” and thriving, not merely surviving; 

[5] “in the house of God” as we should be; 

[6] “I trust in God’s … love for ever …” – that’s the secret!

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READING 

Psalm Fifty Two

Read by David Suchet 

STUDY - LINKS

How Should You Read the Psalms?

- John Piper - 

https://youtu.be/enxKd2YKgjI

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Prayer in the Psalms: 

Discovering How to Pray

Timothy Keller 

https://youtu.be/QgwzuFG5LCk

Psalms - Overviews

(The Bible Project)

https://youtu.be/j9phNEaPrv8

The Book of Psalms

(The Bible Project)

https://youtu.be/dpny22k_7uk

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Psalms part 1 

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/qB3QV713xm0

Psalms Part 2 

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/hQJNMgIHVKwSONGS

SONGS

Psalm 52

Ian White 

Vineyard worship - Psalm 52 - 

Olive Tree - Fin Miller

Psalm 52 Song - I Trust

Jason Silver

 

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PSALM Fifty One

For the director of music. 

A psalm of David. 

When the prophet Nathan came to him 

after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

1 

Have mercy on me, O God,

    according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

    blot out my transgressions.

2 

Wash away all my iniquity

    and cleanse me from my sin.

3 

For I know my transgressions,

    and my sin is always before me.

4 

Against you, you only, have I sinned

    and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

    and justified when you judge.

5 

Surely I was sinful at birth,

    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 

Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 

Let me hear joy and gladness;

    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 

Hide your face from my sins

    and blot out all my iniquity.

10 

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 

Do not cast me from your presence

    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

    so that sinners will turn back to you.

14 

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

    you who are God my Saviour,

    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 

Open my lips, Lord,

    and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart

    you, God, will not despise.

18 

May it please you to prosper Zion,

    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 

Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,

    in burnt offerings offered whole;

    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

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Word by Word Meditations 

by Fred Ursell

 Psalm 51: “blot” (vv.1 & 9)

Today’s Psalm is one of the most staggering passages in the Bible. David is consumed by guilt-ridden conscience-racking agony, writing “my sin is ever before me” (v.3). Straightaway he pours out a plea for “mercy” (v.1), crying out to God to “blot out” (vv.1 & 9), “wash” (v.2) and “cleanse” (v.7) his awful stains. Due to his waywardness he knows he has thrown away the erstwhile sense of ‘wellness’ in his soul. He aches for that former close friendship with the Almighty, asking him to “restore … the joy of your salvation” (v.12). 

Note: he had lost “the joy” (the result), not “salvation” itself (the source). 

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READING 

Psalm Fifty One

Read by David Suchet

STUDY - LINKS

- Psalm 51 - 

John Piper

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How Should You Read the Psalms?

- John Piper - 

https://youtu.be/enxKd2YKgjI

-=-=-=-

Prayer in the Psalms: 

Discovering How to Pray

Timothy Keller 

https://youtu.be/QgwzuFG5LCk

Psalms - Overviews

(The Bible Project)

https://youtu.be/j9phNEaPrv8

The Book of Psalms

(The Bible Project)

https://youtu.be/dpny22k_7uk

-=-=-=-

Psalms part 1 

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/qB3QV713xm0

Psalms Part 2 

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/hQJNMgIHVKwSONGS

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SONGS

Psalm 51 

Ian White 

Psalm 51 

(Wisdom in the Secret Heart)

Shane and Shane

Psalm 51 

(Have Mercy On Me, O God) 

- Graham Kendrick -

Create In Me A Clean Heart

Keith Green 

Create in me a clean heart O God 

by Maranatha Singers 

Choneni Elohim, from Psalm 51 

(Be Gracious to me O G-d) 

- Create In Me A Clean Heart - 

Keith Green lyrics 

- Psalm 51-

Sons of Korah 

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PSALM Fifty

A psalm of Asaph. 

1 

The Mighty One, God, the Lord,

    speaks and summons the earth

    from the rising of the sun to where it sets.

2 

From Zion, perfect in beauty,

    God shines forth.

3 

Our God comes

    and will not be silent;

a fire devours before him,

    and around him a tempest rages.

4 

He summons the heavens above,

    and the earth, that he may judge his people:

5 

‘Gather to me this consecrated people,

    who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.’

6 

And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,

    for he is a God of justice.

7 

‘Listen, my people, and I will speak;

    I will testify against you, Israel:

    I am God, your God.

8 

I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices

    or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

9 

I have no need of a bull from your stall

    or of goats from your pens,

10 

for every animal of the forest is mine,

    and the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 

I know every bird in the mountains,

    and the insects in the fields are mine.

12 

If I were hungry I would not tell you,

    for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

13 

Do I eat the flesh of bulls

    or drink the blood of goats?

14 

‘Sacrifice thank-offerings to God,

    fulfil your vows to the Most High,

15 

and call on me in the day of trouble;

    I will deliver you, and you will honour me.’

16 But to the wicked person, God says:

‘What right have you to recite my laws

    or take my covenant on your lips?

17 

You hate my instruction

    and cast my words behind you.

18 

When you see a thief, you join with him;

    you throw in your lot with adulterers.

19 

You use your mouth for evil

    and harness your tongue to deceit.

20 

You sit and testify against your brother

    and slander your own mother’s son.

21 

When you did these things and I kept silent,

    you thought I was exactly like you.

But I now arraign you

    and set my accusations before you.

22 

‘Consider this, you who forget God,

    or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:

23 

those who sacrifice thank-offerings honour me,

    and to the blameless I will show my salvation.’

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Word by Word Meditations 

by Fred Ursell

 Psalm 50 : “consecrated” (v.5)

The first half of the verse is in inverted commas, as a statement God himself makes: “gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice” (v.5). 

Note : 

[A] God says He has got His eye on the “consecrated” individual, committed to Him; 

[B] He’s aware there are “consecrated” ones – plural; 

[C] He’s concerned that they “gather” rather than operate separately; 

[D] what links them both to God himself and to one another is “sacrifice” – Christ’s shed blood; 

[E] the “sacrifice” brought them into “a covenant” bond of agreement with Him. 

Time for new consecration to the Lord through Jesus?

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READING 

Psalm Fifty 

Read by David Suchet

STUDY - LINKS

How Should You Read the Psalms?

- John Piper - 

https://youtu.be/enxKd2YKgjI

-=-=-=-

Prayer in the Psalms: 

Discovering How to Pray

Timothy Keller 

https://youtu.be/QgwzuFG5LCk

Psalms - Overviews

(The Bible Project)

https://youtu.be/j9phNEaPrv8

The Book of Psalms

(The Bible Project)

https://youtu.be/dpny22k_7uk

-=-=-=-

Psalms part 1 

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/qB3QV713xm0

Psalms Part 2 

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/hQJNMgIHVKwSONGS

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SONG

Psalm 50 Song - Devouring Fire 

Jason Silver