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For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; a psalm of David. Listen to what I say, Lord! Carefully consider my complaint! 2 Pay attention to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I am praying to you! 3 Lord, in the morning you will hear me; in the morning I will present my case to you and then wait expectantly for an answer. 4 Certainly you are not a God who approves of evil; evil people cannot dwell with you. 5 Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who behave wickedly. 6 You destroy liars; the Lord despises violent and deceitful people. 7 But as for me, because of your great faithfulness I will enter your house; I will bow down toward your holy temple as I worship you. 8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of those who wait to ambush me, remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me. 9 For they do not speak the truth; their stomachs are like the place of destruction, their throats like an open grave, their tongues like a steep slope leading into it. 10 Condemn them, O God! May their own schemes be their downfall. Drive them away because of their many acts of insurrection, for they have rebelled against you. 11 But may all who take shelter in you be happy. May they continually shout for joy. Shelter them so that those who are loyal to you may rejoice. 12 Certainly you reward the godly, Lord. Like a shield you protect them in your good favor. Like the previous Psalms, I struggle with the modern applicability to my life of these passages. When we face harm or evil being done to us, is it right for us to call the perpetrators “evil people”? ...

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David. When I call out, answer me, O God who vindicates me. Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. Have mercy on me and respond to my prayer. 2 You men, how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? How long will you love what is worthless and search for what is deceptive? (Selah) 3 Realize that the Lord shows the godly special favor; the Lord responds when I cry out to him. 4 Tremble with fear and do not sin. Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways. (Selah) 5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices and trust in the Lord. 6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?” Smile upon us, Lord! 7 You make me happier than those who have abundant grain and wine. 8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. NET This Psalm is interesting because it starts out where David is still calling for help. But at the same time, he challenges his people to turn to God instead of loving what is worthless. He exhorts them to repent and trust in the Lord in order to receive His favor. Even though they are under duress, David has so much trust and faith in God to deliver them. ...

A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. Lord, how numerous are my enemies! Many attack me. 2 Many say about me, “God will not deliver him.” (Selah) 3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me. 4 To the Lord I cried out, and he answered me from his holy hill. (Selah) 5 I rested and slept; I awoke, for the Lord protects me. 6 I am not afraid of the multitude of people who attack me from all directions. 7 Rise up, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw; you will break the teeth of the wicked. 8 The Lord delivers; you show favor to your people. (Selah) NET Ok I’m really behind. This was one of those projects I took on when I was in-between jobs. And I thought “oh I have plenty of time”. Regardless of whether I’m employed or not, it’s hard to make space for reading the Bible unless you make it a priority. ...

Why do the nations rebel? Why are the countries devising plots that will fail? 2 The kings of the earth form a united front; the rulers collaborate against the Lord and his anointed king. 3 They say, “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us. Let’s free ourselves from their ropes.” 4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust; the Lord taunts them. 5 Then he angrily speaks to them and terrifies them in his rage, saying, 6 “I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 The king says, “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: ‘You are my son. This very day I have become your father. 8 Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your personal property. 9 You will break them with an iron scepter; you will smash them like a potter’s jar.’” 10 So now, you kings, do what is wise; you rulers of the earth, submit to correction. 11 Serve the Lord in fear. Repent in terror. 12 Give sincere homage. Otherwise he will be angry, and you will die because of your behavior, when his anger quickly ignites. How blessed are all who take shelter in him! NET So I’m already way behind on my attempt to do one chapter of the Bible per day. I have read on through Psalm 4 but just haven’t had a chance to publish anything. I find some of these Psalms challenging because the context is that of David, King of Israel, facing some trials or under duress from conflict with surrounding peoples. My opinion is that the church has a tendency to want to make every part of the Bible somehow relatable to what we’re going through today, but I think that’s asking too much of the text. The Bible is a collection of history, poetry, law, narrative, personal letters, and more. ...

How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of scoffers. 2 Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; he meditates on his commands day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he attempts. 4 Not so with the wicked! Instead they are like wind-driven chaff. 5 For this reason the wicked cannot withstand judgment, nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly. 6 Certainly the Lord guards the way of the godly, but the way of the wicked ends in destruction. NET I’ve decided to restart my scripture-reading practice by going to the Psalms. When I read the words “wicked” and “righteous”, it makes me think of how some people tend to try to lump others they have very strong moral disagreements into another bucket. The obvious example might be extreme right-wing religious fundamentalists who call homosexuals or pro-choice activists “wicked”. But it’s not just religious extremists who engage in “othering”–regardless of your point of view, many people seem to get a sense of satisfaction from grouping people who have entirely different opinions or values as “evil”, which in turn allows them to consider themselves “righteous”. ...

Unfortunately, I think we’ve largely lost the ability to engage over long-form content. Most substantive things in life can’t actually be boiled down to ~180 character social media posts. We have incredibly short attention spans which requires people to shock each other to grab one another’s attention. Even if no one else reads my blog, I think it will be a healthy exercise for myself to regularly write down my thoughts. This coincides with my desire to get back into reading and thinking about the Bible more regularly. I also care deeply about the form and function of cities and how we design our lives in the context of the city. ...