Psalm 25 - Unto Thee O Lord do I lift up my soul
This wonderful psalm teaches us to lift up our soul to the Lord. When I am far from the Lord, which is most times, singing this psalm brings me close to the Lord. It is one of my favorites.
From my experience, I believe that if you memorize this Psalm and sing it each morning on your way to work, it will change you. It will deal with your pride, bring you closer to the Lord, and bring you into the real experiences of the Lord in this Psalm.
This is the 1st acrostic, or alphabetic psalm. The purpose, I believe, for a psalm to be acrostic, is to make it easy to memorize. I've included the Hebrew letter for each verse and have bolded the word that starts with it.
I have somewhat used the tune of the popular KJV Psalm 25 song, but it doesn't fit exactly, so here is an mp3 of my poor voice singing it on the way to work.
The popular KJV Psalm 25 song is very good, but I feel it doesn't compare to the whole Psalm. It misses too much of the truth.
Here is the KJV tune. It will autorepeat after you click play:
v2. 1st lift our soul up to the Lord. Next trust in the Lord.
v3. Pray not only for ourselves, but also for all those who wait on the Lord. Lift up our soul to the Lord -> Trust in the Lord -> Wait on the Lord.
v4. In David's prayer for him not to be ashamed, he prays to know the Lord's ways and for the Lord to teach him His paths. The Lord's ways are his principles. His paths are the directions David should go at each step. This is to know the Lord. Our prayer not to be ashamed turns into a prayer to know the Lord practically and experientially.
v5. Lead me in Your truth. It is not enough just to know the truth by study. We need the Lord to lead us in His truth. The Holy Spirit does this ( John 16:13). The Holy Spirit does not lead us into an understanding of all the truth but into living all the truth ( 3John 3-4; etc).
And finally, Lord, teach me. The Lord will do it. It is wonderful to be taught of the Lord each day.
MT & LXX say "and teach me". DSS omits the "and".
v6. It is so good to tell the Lord to remember His tender mercies and His loving kindnesses. That reminds us how much we need the Lord's tender mercy, and cannot stand without it. This releases us from self-righteousness and pride, which is only natural to rise up.
v7. Tell the Lord not to remember our sins which we committed before we were saved as well as our transgressions (more serious) that we still commit. The Lord must keep His promise not to remember our sins according to His new covenant. Also, tell the Lord to "remember me for the sake of Your good." The Lord is mindful of each one of us for good.
v8. The Lord will teach sinners in the way. We are all qualified for the Lord to teach us. Lord, in the church teach sinners in the way.
v9. The ones the Lord teaches and guides in judgment are the lowly. This also kills our pride.
v10. My favorite verse in this Psalm. All of the Lord's paths are mercy and are truth. If you are on a path that is not both mercy and truth, that is a wrong path.
“All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant." The original Hebrew word that has been translated "paths" means "well-worn roads' or "wheel tracks," such ruts as wagons make when they go down our green roads in wet weather and sink in up to the axles. God's ways are at times like heavy wagon tracks that cut deep into our souls, yet all of them are merciful.” - Charles H. Spurgeon
There is no exception to this rule: "All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant." They say there is no rule without an exception, but there is an exception to that rule. - Charles H. Spurgeon
v.12-14 All the Psalms bring us to fear the Lord.
5 fruits from fearing the Lord:
1. The Lord will teach him, individually, in the way he should choose.
2. His soul shall dwell in good.
3. His children shall inherit the earth.
4. The secret of the Lord is with them, corporately.(Ephesians 3:18-19)
5. The Lord will make the blessings of the new covenant known to them, corporately ( Ephesians 1: 3).
v16. The word "desolate" means "childless" ( Ps 68:6). We should pray this for the Lord to give us spiritual children.
v17. Troubles cause our heart to be enlarged to not love ourselves so much and to care for others instead. The troubles cause us to lift up our soul to the Lord, trust in Him and wait on Him.
Great hearts can only be made by great troubles. The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper, and makes more room for consolation. - Charles Spurgeon
Let God enlarge you when you are going through distress. He can do it. You can't do it, and others can't do it for you. - Warren W. Wiersbe
Those times when you feel like quitting can be times of great opportunity, for God uses your troubles to help you grow. - Wiersbe
Don't waste your sufferings. - Wiersbe
Life's trials are not easy. But in God's will, each has a purpose. Often He uses them to enlarge you. - Wiersbe
v21. We ask the Lord to help us live a life of integrity and uprightness, which will preserve us while we wait on Him.
v22. The end result of lifting up our soul to the Lord, trusting the Lord, waiting on the Lord, knowing the Lord's ways, the Lord teaching us His paths, the Lord leading us in His truth, the Lord teaching us, the Lord remembering not our sins, the Lord remembering us for good, our praying for the Lord to teach sinners, the Lord guiding us in judgment, our keeping His covenant and testimonies, our fearing the Lord, our soul dwelling in good, the Lord entrusting His secret to us, the Lord making His covenant known to us, our looking toward the Lord, the Lord plucking our feet out of the net, our turning to the Lord, troubles enlarging our heart, our telling our problems to the Lord, the Lord guarding our soul, integrity and uprightness preserving us - is to pray for God's people. v22 is not part of the acrostic, but stands alone.
This acrostic Psalm is missing the 6th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, vav, and the 19th letter, kof. The 20th letter, resh, is repeated twice. This shows that this Psalm is lacking something and is too much in something. The something too much is the repeated resh verses 18-19. It is a bit too much complaining to the Lord to look at all my problems. But that is good. Don't worry about being too much. Tell the Lord all your problems, the first and the last. You will eventually be enlarged.
The 2 things lacking in this Psalm can be seen by comparing it to the next 2 acrostic Psalms. The next acrostic Psalm is Psalm 34. Psalm 34 is in structure very similar to Psalm 25. It also has 22 verses, and the last verse is not part of the acrostic. Psalm 34 is also missing the vav, but it has the letter kof in Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is near to a broken heart." The matter of being close to the Lord is one thing lacking in Psalm 25. This Psalm is a prayer from someone who is somewhat far from the Lord and lifts up his soul to the Lord. That is very good, just not complete.
The next acrostic Psalm is Psalm 37. It is the first perfect acrostic Psalm having all 22 letters. The letter vav, which was missing from Psalms 25 & 34, is in Psalm 37:10 "Yet a little while and the wicked shall not be." The matter of looking for the Lord's coming back and establishing His kingdom is lacking from both Psalms 25 & 34.
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Psalm 25 through David
1. Unto Thee, O Lord,
do I lift up my sou-oul.
Unto Thee, O Lord,
do I lift up my sou-oul.
I trust in Thee-ee,
Let me not be ashamed,
Let not my enemies triumph
over me-ee-ee.
3. Also, let none that wait,
on Thee be ashamed.
Let them be ashamed,
which transgress without cau-ause.
4. Your wa-a-ays
make me to kno-ow
O Lor-ord.
Teach me Your paths.
5. Lead me in Thy truth.
Teach me,
For You are the God,
of my salva-ation.
On Thee do I wai-ait,
al-all the day-ay-ay.
On Thee-ee
do I wait all the day.
6. Remember, O Lord,
Your te-ender mercies
and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from ev-verlasting.
7. The sins of my you-outh
And my transgressions remember not.
According to Your mercy, O Lord,
Remember me for the sake of Your good.
8. Good and upright is the Lord.
Therefore He will direct sinners in the way-ay.
Good and upright is the Lord.
Therefore He will direct sinners in the way-ay-ay.
9. The lowly
will He guide in ju-udgment.
The lowly
will He teach His way.
10. All the paths of the Lord
are mercy and tru-uth
unto such as keep
His covenant and testimonies,
11. For Thy name's sake,
O-O Lor-or-ord,
also pardon my iniquity,
for it is great.
12. What man is he
that feareth the Lor-ord?
Him He shall direct
in the way he should choo-oo-oose.
13. His sou-oul shall dwell in goo-ood,
and his seed shall inherit the earth.
His soul shall dwell in good,
And his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the Lord
is with them that fear Him,
And His covenant,
He will make known to them.
15. My ey-eyes
are ever toward the Lor-or-ord
For He shall pluck my
feet out from the net.
16. Turn to me and be
Gracious unto me-e,
For I am desolate
and affli-icted.
17 Troubles
enlarge my hear-ear-eart.
Bring me
Out of my distresses.
18 Look upon my affliction
and my pai-ain
And forgive
a-all my sin-in-ins.
19. Look upon my enemies
for they are ma-any,
and they hate me
with cruel hatred.
20. O keep my soul,
and deliver me-e.
Let me not be ashamed,
for I trust in Thee-ee-ee.
21 Let integrity
and uprightness preser-erve me.
For I wait,
I wai-ait on Thee.
22. Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his troubles.
Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his trou-oubles.
Redeem Israel,
O-O Go-o-od,
Out of
All his trou-oubles.
Ps 68:6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
John 16:13 But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak; and he will announce to you what is coming. (Joh 16:13 DBY)
3 John 3-4 For I rejoiced greatly, when brethren came and bare witness unto thy truth, even as thou walkest in truth.
4 I have no greater joy than these things that I hear of my children walking in the truth.
2 John 1:4 I rejoice greatly that I have found certain of thy children walking in truth, even as we received commandment from the Father. (2Jo 1:4 ASV)
Galatians 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Cephas before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest as do the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, how compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? (Gal 2:14 ASV)
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, days come, says the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day of my taking them by the hand, to lead them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord.
33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my law in their inward parts, and will write it in their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says the Lord: for I will pardon their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ;
3:18 in order that you may be fully able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height;
19 and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled even to all the fullness of God.
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