Read 1 Kings 1, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, 1 Kings 2:1-10
 
1 Kings 1:15-17 So Bathsheba went into David’s bedroom. (He was very old now, and Abishag was taking care of him.) 16 Bathsheba bowed down before the king. “What can I do for you?” he asked her. 17 She replied, “My lord, you made a vow before the Lord your God when you said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will surely be the next king and will sit on my throne.’”     
 
THERE was trouble in Israel as David’s life was coming to a close. David’s oldest son Adonijah was claiming the throne, even though David had specifically named Solomon as his successor:1 Chronicles 22:9-10 But this word of the Lord came to me: “But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.”
   God makes these five promises for Solomon: 1) He will reign on Israel’s thorne. 2) An eternal kingdom will come from Solomon’s lineage. 3) Solomon will have an intimate father-son relationship with God. 4) Solomon will build the LORD’s house. 5) Solomon’s reign will be one of peace. 
   To stop Adonijah’s threat against his Word, God stirred Nathan to act. He instructed Bathsheba to inform David. A good lesson for us here is to know that when we pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” we must first apply that prayer to our own lives. What is the LORD appointing us to do, so  that his Covenant of Salvation will become true for more people?
   Saved in Christ, we must act daily to accomplish God’s plans for our lives. As Solomon, each of has been anointed to the throne room of God in order to fulfill his will to be done on earth.
   Solomon is on the throne because God put him there. You are saved into Jesus’ glory because the Holy Spirit put you there.
 
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, 22 and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.
 
 
 

Read Psalms 45, 47, 48, 87, 110, 72:20
 
Psalm 45:2 You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed you forever.
 
THIS is a love psalm. It was likely written for Solomon’s wedding with the daughter of Egypt’s pharaoh. And we are thankful the psalmist expanded his love proclamation to the eternal Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
   The writer admires Solomon’s physical appearance. Then he points to Jesus glorious appearance. We know Jesus’ earthly appearance was ordinary, but he revealed his glory in the Transfiguration. Today the King of Glory is enthroned in heaven’s beauty. All who have the eager expectation of heaven will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:3) Solomon, too, is known for his wise words. Even more gracious words streamed from the Lord Jesus. Colossians 2:3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
 
Psalm 45:3 Put on your sword, O mighty warrior! You are so glorious, so majestic! 4 In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds! 5 Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies' hearts. The nations fall beneath your feet.
 
This is all about Jesus. Solomon was not a warrior. His reign was the most peaceful time of Israel’s existence. Jesus, though, is a Warrior. Many in the church reject this view of our Lord because we want to see Jesus as the Good Shepherd, loving forgiver and merciful friend. Yes, he is all that. And he is a Warrior. Christ came to battle against the Evil One. Prophecy of our future is filled with dreaded conflicts. How can Jesus not be a Warrior to defend your life against death?
   A true kingdom must defend against the lies and surely stand for righteousness. The nations will fall beneath Jesus’ triumphant feet. Be grateful Jesus fought to the death for you.
 
Psalm 45:6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. 7a You love justice and hate evil.
 
The psalmist directly addresses God. Only Jesus’ throne is forever. Only Jesus is truly righteous. He is the only one qualified to rule forever with justice.
 
Psalm 45:7b Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else. 8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume your robes. In ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you. 9 Kings’ daughters are among your noble women. At your right side stands the queen, wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir!
 
The Bridegroom and the Bride are anointed for the wedding. Jesus is the Bridegroom, the church is his bride to come spotless to him one day. Ephesians 5:27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  
 
The psalm then closes with the eternal proclamation of Christ’s reign. Psalm 45:17 I will bring honor to your name in every generation. Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.
 
The wedding song became a love song to God. Our LORD created marriage to illustrate his relationship with humanity and his church. Christian marriages used to be called “holy matrimony”. I hope we can understand why this is and remember our marriages are to exhibit Jesus’ eternal relationship to us.
 
 

Read Psalms 2, 22, 27    
 
Psalm 22:27-30 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. 28 For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations. 29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust. 30 Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. 31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.
 
POSSIBLY the most discussed text of Psalm 22 is verses 6-22. These words prophesy in agonizing detail Jesus’ abuse and suffering on the cross. It seems the psalmist had a video of Jesus’ passion on the cross as he wrote such vivid emotional words. For example, there is verse 14: as My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. True prophets often saw future manifestations as current events. Sometimes they used past tense words to write of future events as if they had happened. Take some time and read through verses 6-22 again. Be humbled to know Jesus suffering was God’s plan for you.
   Then we can look to verses 27-30 and joyfully celebrate the Father’s victory plan for the Son! Rejoice, too, that as Jesus’ suffering became his victory through his resurrection and ascension, the psalm defines God’s kingdom victories to come over the world’s opposition. One day the earth will be filled with families who are saved through Jesus’ horrible suffering. Out of the cross will come the redeemed relationship between God and mankind. All will worship the King, who rules the nations. People will be rich in their relationship with God, and they will join together to feast and worship. Lives will no longer end in dust because feasting in the kingdom is forever.
   To feast in the kingdom is a common image of redemption. Jesus spoke of it in Matthew 8:11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.
   His ministry on earth affirms this. He promised this eternal kingdom will come. generations will hear of God, and his righteous ways will be their knowledge.
 
Zechariah 14:9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped.

Read Psalm 111, 130, 131, 141, 146
 
Psalms 111:9 He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!
 
THE first sentence seems as if this Old Testament scripture is speaking of the New Testament. Jesus said of himself in Matthew 20:28 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The Bible teaches that Jesus paid the full ransom price to satisfy our sin debt to the Father. How did God pay the full ransom for his people in the Old Covenant?
   The full ransom at that point referred to God’s word and works to Israel to that time. As we have learned through the Bible, God promised – made a covenant with mankind – that a Redeemer would destroy Satan’s authority. He formed Israel to be a nation to enact that covenant into the world. The psalmist looked back at God’s Word and Israel’s history, and he understood all Israel’s history was God’s covenant being fulfilled.
   God’s guarantee of his covenant is more than the long-term promise of a Savior. I AM’s Word is also steadfast truth to accomplish all he said he would do in the generations from Abraham to David. Each promise of judgment and of blessing had come true when Israel disobeyed and obeyed.
   The psalm reminds us God had acted in particular ways to keep his covenant steadfast. There is then a unique power and authority in the name of God. The LORD God had shown in all his work that he is holy, and his name is to be feared, to be revered. The eternal promise is evident then in God’s name because he is Absolute.
   One theme throughout the psalms is the way the writers remembered what God had done in the world. They reminded Israel of God creating the world, forming them through Abraham, freeing them through the Red Sea, establishing them as a nation and conquering the Promised Land. This is Israel’s history, and it is God’s evidence he is paying the full ransom of his covenant.
   And now we rejoice that we can personally echo the psalmist’s words in the New Covenant. We know today God chose Jesus as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. (1 Peter 1:20-21)
          God is faithful to speak, to enact and to keep his covenant forever. Revere his holy name.

Read Psalms 42, 53, 58, 81, 101
 
Psalm 42:1-6a For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. 1 As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? 3 Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” 4 My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration! 5 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and 6 my God!
 
THE psalm begins with the picture of the deer who “longs for” water, meaning it is panting, breathing heavily as it seeks water. Air and water are life.
   And we need something else. The psalmist longs for a third missing element of life. Surrounded by taunting enemies, he has been unable to worship. His dry soul pants for the answer, “Where can I go and stand before the Living God?” He longs to be singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration. To be fully alive, he needs to stand before God and worship him.
   God made mankind to worship God. This began in the Garden when Adam and Eve walked with God. We see longing hearts in Noah’s response to God’s care through the Flood. We also know one reason for God to free his people from Egypt was worship: Exodus 9:13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me.’” We see Joshua and Samuel faithfully worshiping God at critical moments in Israel’s history. And we know Jesus’ final act as a man on earth was to worship his Father in heaven.   
   Satan’s aim, though, is to keep your soul dray and isolated from God. One of the devil’s devices today is through improper use of our mass communication technology. Yes, I know we have many excellent ways to teach God’s Word in our communities, nations and globally without ever seeing people face-to-face. I’m using one way now writing and sending this lesson to you. But there is danger in putting such efforts as the main way we worship God. Ever since the development of wonderful, Bible-teaching radio and television ministries, there has been the threat that people will stay away from the church to “worship” on their own. We have seen this grow to epidemic-like numbers in the year of the pandemic threat. The church has been among the first places we left, and the church has become the last places we return.
   We must understand that to worship away from the church weakens the soul as lack of air and water weakens the body. That’s why the true pandemic in our world is depression, mental illness, fear, suicide and unbelief as we separate from the joy of worship and suffocate our Spirt-empty souls.
   Is there something missing in your life? Could it be you are missing a time to worship God? 
 

Read Psalms 4, 12, 20, 25, 32, 38
 
Psalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
&
Psalm 38:7-10 For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. 8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.” 10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
 
ONE reason it is good to understand the trials in David’s life is that it helps us understand his faith. Think of a man hunted by his king. Or consider Absalom’s rebellion. Recall stories of Joab’s murderous actions. Consider David’s men once threatened to stone him. Would it be possible to get a good night’s sleep? Where would David go? How could he ever feel safe? Who could he completely trust?
   We all know how worry, threats and uncertainty will keep us awake and harm our health. What would we do if we feared someone would physically attack us? Perhaps some of you have experienced this in the past, or you are now living in this threat. I know some of you are very threatened with many different diseases. These challenges are reasons the Bible must be our daily, even hourly guide.
   David’s response to the threats is our example. His living, loving relationship with God helped him know in his heart that God is his hiding place, a place of refuges, strength and peace. He could rest emotionally and physically believing God was completely with him.
   There are many, many Christians throughout the world who constantly face the threats of physical violence and cultural rejection. And yet, there are countless stories of how God has surrounded his faithful with extraordinary examples of his love. El Shaddai reveals himself to his faithful servants in very lifegiving ways. Such people are blessed to know he is with them, and he will keep them safe amid the violence.
   Each of us lives under some type of threat. Through David and so many  others, the Bible gives us examples of God’s tender care toward his faithful witnesses. A true faith in God’s protecting presence grows more deeply into our souls when we know God’s unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.  
   Love the LORD. Know the sovereign King has called you. Rest in his hiding place. Trust in his eternal care.  
 

Read Psalm 139, 145, 148, 150
 
Psalm150: Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven. 2 Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness! 3 Praise him with a blast of the ram's horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! 4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! 5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals. 6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
 
THESE four psalms set our hearts to praise God. Here are some reasons God is worthy of our praise.
   The LORD is omnipresent – always with you: Psalm 139:3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! 7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! We might admit we are uncomfortable knowing God is watching all we do. So let’s live more purposefully in his commands. Find comfort he loves you so much to be with you.
    God created you: Psalm 139:13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. What do you do when you understand God has made you? Are you eager to seek, love and praise him?
   God thinks about you: Psalm 139:17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! Do you praise God in awe you are worthy of his countless thoughts of you?
   God corrects you. Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. The LORD calms our anxieties. He soothes our worries. He reveals our sins and leads us to his truth. Do you praise God, who shows you his righteous ways?
   God is creator. Psalm 148:5 Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being. 6 He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked. Do you praise God for the varied and extraordinary universe that is your home?
  
Psalm 148:13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
    

Read Psalm 122, 124, 133, 134, 135, 136, 138     
 
Psalm 136:1-3 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.
 
HERE is a good passage to memorize! I think we can all do this. This is certainly a wonderful summary of God and how we are to respond to him.
   Give thanks is the opening directive for a good reason. Thankful hearts savor the many blessings God adds to our physical and eternal lives. Giving thanks is freely offering your gratitude to God. Thankful words help you remember who he is. We always come closer to someone emotionally when we thank them. How true this is as we thank God.
   To the LORD directs our thanksgiving to the sovereign I AM. You are thanking the one who created the universe, formed you in his image and has moved history to call you his own. For the people before Jesus, they saw the LORD’s power through the Egypt exodus, the desert journey, the promised land conquered and the worship. Today we see the LORD through the Son and the Spirit to know the God of Heaven has even come to die a brutal death, so we can live with him forever. Indeed, he is LORD.
   For he is good defines the absolute holiness of God. There is nothing wrong or marred in God. His goodness directs his will to be done on earth for the good of mankind. To say, “God is good.” can be a praise for a sudden surprise he gives us. And it can be a confession of his eternal grace. Through the creation account God proclaimed each element “good”. This was of himself, reflecting his nature of provision, plenty and order. In all circumstances, God reveals his goodness.
   His faithful love is recognizing God loves us through all circumstances. God’s love is seen throughout the Bible, God’s Love Story, to teach us, God is love. (1 John 4:8) God’s faithful love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. (1 Corinthians 13:4-6) Our human nature cannot fully love in this way. That’s why we thank God his faithful love is forever.
   It is good to have Scripture on our heart, mind and tongue. God’s Word points us to God, who is worthy of our worship.
 
 

Read Psalm 119
 
Psalms 119:1, 176 Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord…176 I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.
 
THE psalmist opens with a sense of excitement to declare joy in being faithful to God’s law. This blessing begins a series of 22, 8-verse stanzas that declare how the law blesses us. Read, examine each verse, and you will see a reference to the law. Some words and phrases include “instruction”, “commands”, “walk in his path”, “decrees”, “righteous regulations” and “your word”.
   The reasons God’s law bleeses are: 1) Blessings of obedience 2) Cleansed by God’s Word 3) Appreciation of God’s Word 4) Prayer for Understanding God’s Word 5) Loyalty to God’s Word 6) Salvation through God’s Word 7) Hope from God’s Word 8) Obedience to God’s Word 9) Trust in God’s Word 10) Hope is found in God’s Word 11) God’s Word is Faithful 12) God’s Word is sure – settled in heaven and settled in his faithfulness 13) God’s Word is sweet 14) God’s Word is Light 15) God’s Word is Awe-inspiring 16) God’s Word Vindicates 17) God’s Word is Wonderful 18) God’s Word is Righteous 19) God’s Word is True 20) Love for God’s Word 21) Rejoicing in God’s Word 22) God’s Word Delivers from sin.
   Having accounted for the blessings of following the LORD’s instructions, the last verse then is a warning.  I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands. We must remember we are lost without God’s law. We will miss the blessings if we leave God. It’s very simple and straightforward.
   This should encourage us to speak God’s law to help others know. Remember the blessing. Know the warning. Help people know God and know the good things he has for them. Jesus said it this way: John 15:11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
 
 

Read Psalm 103, 104, 113, 114,
 
Psalms 103:1-5 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
 
OTHER versions of the Bible may state Psalm 103:1 Bless the LORD oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name. This changes the meaning a bit as it points to the psalmist’s desire to bless God. How is it possible to bless God? If we understand blessing as adding to God, it is not possible for us to bless God. But to bless another can also be to live in a way that pleases them. If we live for God with all of our soul, heart and mind, faithfully abiding in his commands, we will bless him. This is the Father being pleased with you in the same way you would tell a child, “You bless me with your obedience and love.” Praise God in your worship, and you will bless him. This is a song of joy, encouragement and praise to the God who grants his wondrous power to his creation.
   Then David expressed six ways God blesses – adds to – our lives. He forgives all my sins. He heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death. He crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
   But we may doubt, “He heals all diseases.” We know our diseases are not always healed. Some of us deal with years of physical issues God allows in our bodies. The apostle Paul prayed for his own healing and others, and God did not answer, “Yes.” to all his prayers. David prayed earnestly for his first son with Bathsheba, and the boy died. Examples, of course, are endless.
   But there are two things to know here. Frist, this is a praise that God can heal all diseases. And he proves throughout Scripture he heals many different ailments, even death! Also, sin was – and should still be – considered a disease. God’s redemptive power certainly heals all sin.
   Healing our sins points to the other five ways God blesses us. Healing sin, God redeems us, crowns us with love and mercy, fills us with good things and renews your heart, mind, soul and strength each day as you seek him.
   This is a psalm of worship for each day, and it also points to eternal life. Jesus fulfilled all promises in the psalm. Faithfully trusting in Jesus, we will bless the LORD and praise him forever.