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365 Devotionals: Songs of Praise

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22 AMP

The Seeds of Promise Devotional Series

Psalm 31 – 35

“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1 KJV

Bible Basis

June	Book	Read From	Read To	Devotional
30^th	Psalm	Chapter 31	Chapter 35	Psalm 31 – 35

Memory Verses

34 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. ²My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. ³O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. ⁴I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. ⁵They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. ⁶This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. ⁷The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. ⁸O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:1-8 KJV

Key people

Here is a list of key people found in today’s reading (in order of appearance) with bios from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

God. The Creator of all mankind. David sings songs and prays to God.
David. In the Books of Samuel, David is a young shepherd who gains fame first as a musician and later by killing the enemy champion Goliath.

Today’s Devotional Reading: Psalm 31 – 35

Psalm 31 Amplified Version (AMP)
Psalm 32 Amplified Version (AMP)
Psalm 33 Amplified Version (AMP)
Psalm 34 Amplified Version (AMP)
Psalm 35 Amplified Version (AMP)

From Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Book of Psalms

It is probable that David penned this psalm when he was persecuted by Saul; some passages in it agree particularly to the narrow escapes he had, at Keilah (1 Sam. 23:13), then in the wilderness of Maon, when Saul marched on one side of the hill and he on the other, and, soon after, in the cave in the wilderness of En-gedi; but that it was penned upon any of those occasions we are not told. It is a mixture of prayers, and praises, and professions of confidence in God, all which do well together and are helpful to one another. I. David professes his cheerful confidence in God, and, in that confidence, prays for deliverance out of his present troubles, Ps. 31:1-8. II. He complains of the very deplorable condition he was in, and, in the sense of his calamities, still prays that God would graciously appear for him against his persecutors, Ps. 31:9-18. III. He concludes the psalm with praise and triumph, giving glory to God, and encouraging himself and others to trust in him, Ps. 31:19-24. (Chapter 31).

This psalm, though it speaks not of Christ, as many of the psalms we have hitherto met with have done, has yet a great deal of gospel in it. The apostle tells us that David, in this psalm, describes “the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness without words,” Rom. 4:6. We have here a summary, I. Of gospel grace in the pardon of sin (Ps. 32:1, 2), in divine protection (Ps. 32:7), and divine guidance, Ps. 32:8. II. Of gospel duty. To confess sin (Ps. 32:3-5), to pray (Ps. 32:6), to govern ourselves well (Ps. 32:9, 10), and to rejoice in God, Ps. 32:11. The way to obtain these privileges is to make conscience of these duties, which we ought to think of—of the former for our comfort, of the latter for our quickening, when we sing this psalm. Grotius thinks it was designed to be sung on the day of atonement. (Chapter 32).

This is a psalm of praise; it is probable that David was the penman of it, but we are not told so, because God would have us look above the penmen of sacred writ, to that blessed Spirit that moved and guided them. The psalmist, in this psalm, I. Calls upon the righteous to praise God, Ps. 33:1-3. II. Furnishes us with matter for praise. We must praise God, 1. For his justice, goodness, and truth, appearing in his word, and in all his works, Ps. 33:4, 5. 2. For his power appearing in the work of creation, Ps. 33:6-9. 3. For the sovereignty of his providence in the government of the world (Ps. 33:10, 11) and again, Ps. 33:13-17. 4. For the peculiar favour which he bears to his own chosen people, which encourages them to trust in him (Ps. 33:12) and again, Ps. 33:18-22. We need not be at a loss for proper thoughts in singing this psalm, which so naturally expresses the pious affections of a devout soul towards God (Chapter 33).

This psalm was penned upon a particular occasion, as appears by the title, and yet there is little in it peculiar to that occasion, but that which is general, both by way of thanksgiving to God an instruction to us. I. He praises God for the experience which he and others had had of his goodness, Ps. 34:1-6. II. He encourages all good people to trust in God and to seek to him, Ps. 34:7-10. III. He gives good counsel to us all, as unto children, to take heed of sin, and to make conscience of our duty both to God and man, Ps. 34:11-14. IV. To enforce this good counsel he shows God’s favour to the righteous and his displeasure against the wicked, in which he sets before us good and evil, the blessing and the curse, Ps. 34:15-22. So that, in singing this psalm, we are both to give glory to God and to teach and admonish ourselves and one another. (Chapter 34).

David, in this psalm, appeals to the righteous Judge of heaven and earth against his enemies that hated and persecuted him. It is supposed that Saul and his party are the persons he means, for with them he had the greatest struggles. I. He complains to God of the injuries they did him; they strove with him, fought against him (Ps. 35:1), persecuted him (Ps. 35:3), sought his ruin (Ps. 35:4, 7), accused him falsely (Ps. 35:11), abused him basely (Ps. 35:15, 16), and all his friends (Ps. 35:20), and triumphed over him,, Ps. 35:21, 25, 26. II. He pleads his own innocency, that he never gave them any provocation (Ps. 35:7, 19), but, on the contrary, had studied to oblige them, Ps. 35:12-14. III. He prays to God to protect and deliver him, and appear for him (Ps. 35:1, 2), to comfort him (Ps. 35:3), to be nigh to him and rescue him (Ps. 35:17, 22), to plead his cause (Ps. 35:23, 24), to defeat all the designs of his enemies against him (Ps. 35:3, 4), to disappoint their expectations of his fall (Ps. 35:19, 25, 26), and, lastly, to countenance all his friends, and encourage them (ver. 27. IV. He prophesies the destruction of his persecutors, Ps. 35:4-6, 8. V. He promises himself that he shall yet see better days (Ps. 35:9, 10), and promises God that he will then attend him with his praises, Ps. 35:18, 28. In singing this psalm, and praying over it, we must take heed of applying it to any little peevish quarrels and enmities of our own, and of expressing by it any uncharitable revengeful resentments of injuries done to us; for Christ has taught us to forgive our enemies and not to pray against them, but to pray for them, as he did; but, 1. We may comfort ourselves with the testimony of our consciences concerning our innocency, with reference to those that are any way injurious to us, and with hopes that God will, in his own way and time, right us, and, in the mean time, support us. 2. We ought to apply it to the public enemies of Christ and his kingdom, typified by David and his kingdom, to resent the indignities done to Christ’s honour, to pray to God to plead the just and injured cause of Christianity and serious godliness, and to believe that God will, in due time, glorify his own name in the ruin of all the irreconcilable enemies of his church, that will not repent to give him glory (Chapter 35).