Building on the Foundation

  The Book of Psalms encompasses five books, like the five books of Moses that begin the Bible, and the second book begins with Psalm 42. Like the second book of Moses, Exodus, the second book of Psalms begins with oppression and deliverance. Psalms 42-44 all speak of oppression; Psalm 45 transitions to God’s deliverance. The psalms are amazing psalms that lay out the plan of God. In particular, as the title suggests, I’d like to focus on Psalms 44-46, a narrow slice of these themes. As with all Scripture references, please look them up on your own. In this case, it ’ s particularly important, for the full context increases their impact. Psalm 44 Psa. 44:1-8 recounts God’s mighty works of old, the wonders He worked on behalf of Israel. V. 1 sums this up nicely: “We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old.” In v. 9, though, the psalm shifts gears and begins to focus on the present, an excruciating distress. The write...