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| PSALMS |
| Explanatory Footnotes - page 3 |
| sincere way he had followed God. He was no hypocrite. He responds like a person swearing in court about his traffic accident: "My driving is blameless." He doesn't mean he never makes a mistake. He means only that he doesn't deserve punishment. 32:2 The Benefits of Faith Paul quoted this verse in Romans 4:6-8, while making his case that we do not earn status in God's eyes: God must credit righteousness on the basis of faith. 34:9 Is God Frightening? "Fear of the Lord" is a phrase you find frequently in the Old Testament. Does it mean that we should be frightened of God? Apparently not. "Fear of the Lord" gradually became a standard phrase for a good relationship with God. A good relationship begins with a reverent sense that God is so powerful and righteous that we dare not take him lightly. But it goes on from awe to a sense of deep security, as this psalm fully demonstrates. 39:10 Wrestling with God Not all the psalms have a happy ending. Some, such as this one and Psalms 44 and 88, are intensely sad. They try to make sense out of suffering, and fail. They ask God for help and receive none. The Bible's inclusion of such hopeless cries eloquently testifies to God's acceptance of human struggles. These psalms are not the final word on suffering. They show, however, that wrestling with God has value even when you fail to find answers. 41:1 A Key Characteristic The psalmist was severely ill. Enemies and rivals - and even a close friend, verse 9 - whispered that he was dying. What made him so confident that God would heal him? He knew that God helps those who show "regard for the weak." Since he had shown integrity in this, he |