This entry introduces us to Dr F LaGard Smith's method of arranging the Psalms: we have already enjo...

1. ENTRY 96: April 20 Intro to The Psalms, plus the first
installment of “Psalms of the Troubled Soul” Psalm 5, 6,
7, 10, 11
This entry introduces us to Dr F LaGard Smith's method of arranging the Psalms: we have already
enjoyed (or at least I have!) the way Dr Smith inserted the Psalms that King David wrote for
particular events into the historical narrative found in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles;
now we get a chance to discover the rest of the Psalms of David in topical order. (For those readers
just joining us, Dr F LaGard Smith is the editor of the Narrated Bible which we are following for the
purpose of chronology.) TODAY'S TOPICAL READING WILL HELP US LEARN HOW TO PRAY WHEN
WE FEEL THE NEED FOR DELIVERANCE, REFUGE, & SECURITY.
Imperfect as he was, David had a pure heart. Just as we have experienced his humility as we
followed his life in the preceding entries, so we can witness David's "inner life" as we read, pray and
sing his psalms. There are 150 psalms in all, 17 of which have already appeared in the historical
account of David's life. Another 21 psalms, called Psalms of the Exile, will appear later in historically
appropriate entries. Psalm 72, written by Solomon, appears just before the Proverbs. The remaining
111 are presented here, and Dr Smith, has taken these psalms and divided them topically into five
major categories. Not all were written by David, but since the king and his singers wrote almost all
of them, it makes sense that Dr Smith places them here, at this point in his chronological Bible.
?
The five topics are:
i- Psalms of the Troubled Soul ?
ii- Psalms About Righteousness and Wickedness
iii- Psalms of Joy and Praise
iv- Psalms Expressing a Variety of Sentiments?
v- Psalms of the Messiah
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Psalms of the Troubled Soul
[The following paragraph is a combination of Dr Smith's writing plus my own paraphrasing]: This
first grouping of 35 psalms reflects the fears of one whose enemies beset him on every hand. The
enemy not only threatens physical harm, but also brings mockery, jeers, slander and lies. Often the
writer doubts that God hears his prayers; at other times he thanks God for hearing his supplications!
And though David sometimes wishes evil on his enemies, in real life David continually extended
grace and mercy to Saul and his family. These psalms speak to anyone who has ever known
persecution for righteousness, or anyone who feels betrayed or alone in the midst of a hostile world.

2. To me personally, these psalms have meant different things at different times in my life; I'll be
sharing specifically as I go along.
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Psalm 5?
When I was a very young Christian, I listened to a Christian radio station that taught me some
beautiful scripture songs. One of my favourites became a song taken from this psalm, and I still sing
it sometimes at the beginning of my morning prayer time:?
Give ear to my words, O Lord;
Consider my meditation.
Harken unto the voice of my cry,
my King and my God.
For unto thee will I pray;
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning.
O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer
Unto thee and will look up.?
(You can find it on YouTube - Psalm 5 by Chuck Girard)
?
I call it "The Quiet Time Psalm". David's words here are a beautiful way to view prayer. He begins by
saying,? "I lay my requests before you every morning and wait in expectation." David felt better after
talking to God; he did it every day! I do not believe that if a Christian doesn't have their time with
God every day they will not be saved and I certainly don't believe in legalistic measuring of daily
Christian duties to make a person feel less (or more) righteous about their walk with God. However,
at the same time, if we are truly relying on God and have a relationship with Him, it seems that we
would be in the habit of talking daily, that it would be "the norm". Just saying...
?
But back to the Troubled Soul bit...What did David look forward to talking to God about when he
wrote this Psalm? The difference between how God deals with his faithful versus how God deals with
unrepentant sinners. David felt bad about some things, so he comforted himself by repeating what
he knew to be true http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/Y/YouTube.html about His God. Sometimes
that's all we need to do - pray about what we know God has already said and we will feel better!!
We've all dealt with people who lie and deceive, sometimes in relation to our Christianity or
sometimes just because they lie. It is natural to cry out for justice and feel angry. David had a good
attitude here, and, as angry as he was, he ended his prayer rejoicing, joyfully claiming the blessings
God has promised to the righteous.?

3. ?
Psalm 6
David felt that he was alone. He was really sad and depressed. He even felt like perhaps God was
rebuking him by allowing the difficult circumstances, in which case, he was begging for mercy. If
you have ever felt worn out from groaning, you can relate to this psalm. In David's case, we know
that his enemies were truly oppressing him, but sometimes we can feel like this when we are in self-
pity. However, we will all go through times in our lives when these words are very appropriate. I
have felt this depressed on at least three occasions, and it wasn't pleasant. The good news is to cling
on to the belief which David expressed at the end - God has heard my cry for mercy and he accepts
my prayer. Amen!! (I also like David's creative logic: "God, don't let me die...how can you hear my
prayers of praise if I am in the grave?!!")
?
Psalm 7
Here is another prayer of one who feels unjustly treated. Unlike in Psalm 6, where he thought that
perhaps God was rebuking him, in this psalm, David was so confident of his own righteousness that
he told God to let his enemies triumph if he were guilty. We must be careful when praying such a
prayer, because sometimes we are not very self-aware, but if we are willing to open our eyes and see
the truth, then it is great to pray this prayer.?
?
Psalm 10
David was tired of seeing "God-hating" enemies prosper while he suffered, yet he trusted in the God
of the oppressed to avenge the wrong. What an observation: "In his pride the wicked does not seek
Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." Does this sound like someone you know? Maybe
David was thinking of Absalom? David cried out for major revenge, even though in reality he usually
showed mercy and compassion, even on his enemies. ?
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Psalm 11
There are two beautiful Christian hymns taken from this psalm - Flee As a Bird and The Lord is in
His Holy Temple. We still sing the latter and it gives me goose bumps! David wrote these words
knowing that we are in a spiritual battle and, ultimately, our Holy God always wins. Perhaps this was
David's way of shrugging off his enemies' threats: "Just wait til my God gets finished!"
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karenlouis@seachurches.org
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