Psalm 51

Psalm 51:5, In sin. Either David is confessing that he was born as illegitimately, or he saying that he was born a sinner, with a sin nature and totally cut off from Elohim, or he is saying both things.

Psalm 51:7, Hyssop. According to Dr. Debra Raybern, natureopathic doctor (http://www.scribd.com/doc/28334085/Healing-Oils-of-the-Bible), hyssop oil is distilled from the stems and leaves of the plant. Hyssop was offered to Yeshua while on the cross (John 19:29), presumably, to help him breath due to its respiratory benefits. It also can relieve anxiety, alleviate respiratory infections, cuts and wounds, sore throats, and metabolize fat. The hyssop plant was used during the exodus from Egypt to dab the Hebrews’ doorposts with lamb’s blood (Exod 12:22), thus protecting them from the plague of death. Hyssop (along with cedar) was used in purification rituals (Lev 14:4ff; Num 19:6,18), since the chemical constituent, carvacrol, has antibacterial properties. 

Psalm 51:17, Sacrifices…broken spirit…contrite heart. (See notes at Ps 116:17.) Broken is the Hebrew word shobar meaning “to burst, break (down, off, in pieces, up), bring to birth, breach” and refers to a one’s personal spirit that YHVH has broken into or breached. This is necessary if there is to be a breakthrough in one’s spiritual life. 

The fallow ground of one’s heart must be broken up or tilled for righteousness to occur as one seeks YHVH (Hos 10:12). 

The hard and carnal heart of each person must be circumcised (Deut 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4; Col 2:11). This occurs through repentance from sin as this psalm explains. 

It is then that not only one receives salvation, but joy comes with that salvation (v. 12) along with gladness (v. 8). Why? Because YHVH has lovingly purged and cleansed us of our sins and blotted our past sins out (vv. 1, 2, 9) and the guilt therefrom (v. 14) and has us whiter than snow (v. 7). 

When does this happen? Only when we acknowledge our sins (v. 3), and not until then. This freedom from sin and spiritual heart, mind, and emotional cleansing only occurs when we humble ourselves, allow the light of YHVH’s truth (v. 6) to shine into deep and dark areas of our lives, and to expose the sin that lies therein (v. 3b). 

This process all starts when we allow YHVH to break open the fallow ground of our hard, stoney and sinful hearts (v. 17). When this happens, the good seed of his Word can fall onto the fertile soil of our lives like rain on parched ground resulting in a rich harvest (Matt 13:23) of spiritual fruit (Gal 5:22–25). So repent of sin!

Psalm 52

Psalm 52:0, A Contemplation of David. The subheading to this chapter reads, “To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of David When Doeg the Edomite Went and Told Saul, and Said to Him, ‘David Has Gone to the House of Ahimelech.’”There is a lesson to be learned from this tidbit of trivia from Scripture. What was David doing while he was fleeing for his life—or perhaps a short time afterwards once the dust of this traumatic event had settled, and he was able to collect his thoughts and jot them down? He was writing a psalm to Elohim. He reviewed the event of the past several days through the lens of his faith in Elohim and the ultimate justice that would be served on his enemies as well as the blessings that would accrue to David because of his obedient faithfulness. Instead of fretfully wringing his hands while wallowing in a toxic mixture of bitterness, fear, anger and self-pity, he chose to travel the higher road of laying all of his troubles at the feet of YHVH, who he knew would ultimately make all things right for him. Indeed, this occurred, and eventually Saul was killed and David become king over Israel.

Psalm 53

Psalm 53:1, The fool has said…no Elohim. Any belief system, philosophy or ideology of man that denies the existence of a Creator is foolishness, for it’s foundation is faulty making everything upon illogical and foolish no matter credential, erudition, social acceptance or intelligence of its proponents. It is fundamentally flawed and must be rejected as foolishness originating from fools. The reason that Elohim-haters and deniers hate YHVH Elohim and the Bible so much is because it pulls no punches and calls them what they are—fools!

Psalm 53:6, Salvation. Heb. Yeshua.

Brings back the captivity. An important truth: Release from spiritual captivity precedes release from physical captivity. One must become released from spiritual, mental and psychological bondage before one can be set free from physical bondage. At his first coming, Yeshua started the process of releasing his people from spiritual bondage for those who would put their faith and trust in him and allow his Spirit to work in their lives. At his second coming, he will complete the process with the destruction of Babylon the Great finalized by the release of his people from economic and political bondage. This whole process of bringing his people back from captivity coincides with the steps in the salvation process. First a person is spiritually begotten, regenerated or set free from bondage to the world, the flesh and the devil in his personal spirit. After that, he is set free in his soul (his mind, will and emotions), and then he is set from bondage to the limitations, weakness and corruption of his physical body when he receives his glorified body at the second coming of Yeshua.

Psalm 54

Psalm 54:7, He has delivered me. Our focus of interest in this verse is the phrase, “He has delivered me out of all trouble…,” with special focus on the word all. This begs a valid question that all of YHVH’s saints undoubtedly will ponder from time to time. If YHVH promises to deliver us from all of our troubles, then why are we still experiencing troubles in our lives? There could be several reasons for this. 

First our troubles could be a result of our own sin. When we break the laws of Elohim, we will suffer the consequences of our wrong actions. We reap what we sow. Those consequences may affect us immediately, in the short term or in the long term. 

Second, our troubles may be a result, no necessarily of sin, but simply because of wrong choices that we make in our lives. For example, if you purchase an automobile that has mechanical problems, then there is a good chance that it is going to break down and leave you stranded somewhere. While the purchase of a faulty vehicle is not a sin, it may cause you a lot of trouble.

Third, our troubles may simply be a result of living in fallen, sin-ridden world. As the saying goes, when you walk through a pig pen, you are likely to get some pig manure on your boots. It is difficult to walk in this world without being adversely affected by its filth.

Fourth, the Bible promises over and over again that the saints will suffer persecution in this world at the hands of wicked people. Moreover, the Scriptures are full of examples of this occurring. If we are living righteously, why do we think that we will be the exception to the rule?

Fifth, we may be experiencing troubles simply because stuff happens. We live in a world where mechanical things break down, our human bodies grow old and eventually die, things wear out, people have problems getting along with each other and so on. Cars break down, toilets overflow, people get sick, crops die because of pest infestations, people stub their toes and bump their heads and the list goes on and on. There is no end to the list of potential troubles that one can experience in life just because it is not a perfect world and we are not perfect people.

In conclusion, if Elohim promises to deliver his people from all of their troubles, then is he lying when we experience troubles in our lives? Most definitely not. As already noted, he is not responsible for all of the troubles that we may be experiencing in our lives. Our troubles may be a result of our repeated sin or the wrong choices that we make. But for the sake of discussion, let us assume that one is living a perfectly righteous life and is at peace with everyone around them, even then your physical body will still wear out and you will die. Death is the ultimate trouble that all humans will experience.

So what does Psalm 54:7 really mean when it says that YHVH “has delivered me out of all trouble”? It is true that YHVH has delivered and will deliver his righteous saints from many of the troubles they experience in life, but ultimately, as previously mentioned, everyone will still die. To be sure, death is the mother of all troubles! What this verse seems to suggest is that YHVH, who lives outside of time and space and who lives in eternity where past, present and future are non-existent realities, views his saints as having been delivered from all of their troubles eventually (from the human perspective of time). To YHVH, his saints have already been delivered from their troubles through Yeshua the Messiah, who is man’s ultimate Savior from all of his trouble. It is now up to each saint to embrace, by faith, the hope of this spiritual reality that exists outside of time and space, and that will ultimately be theirs when they pass through the veil of death and are transformed from a physical being into a spirit being, who now inhabits the spiritual dimension where the ultimate reality of a trouble-free existence perpetually exists.