THE PSALMS & WORSHIP IN THE KINGDOM

Much of what we read in the Psalms isn't appropriate for Christians to sing, it's just too violent and hateful against others. David seems to always be in a turmoil because of one enemy or another and he repeatedly calls on God to do some terrible things to them and their families.
Reading the words of Jesus and His Apostles confirms their familiarity with these songs probably from early childhood. They were sung regularly by the Jews of Jesus' day and obviously to some extent by the first disciples of Jesus in the first century and beyond. In the New Testament the Psalms is the most quoted Old Testament book but the emphasis on military victory over one's enemies is absent from the dialogue.
Jesus taught a very different message than what is typically found in the Psalms of David. At the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus preached "You have heard it said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you , Love your enemies" etc. Matthew 5:43 There seems to be no such command anywhere in the Old Testament concerning one's enemies, but Jesus may have been referring to "hate your enemy" as a persistent theme found in the Psalms. At the time of Jesus' ministry, that certainly was the expectation of the Jews. i.e. that God would destroy their enemies and give them military and social superiority again.
After Jesus' resurrection and ascension, the Holy Spirit began His ministry with the Apostles and qualified them to write the New Testament. I think they got the new message and learned to couple it with much that had been sung by their people for a lot of centuries.
David wrote:"Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation" at Psalm 68:19 ESV The context of Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount sound a lot like the words of David that had been sung by the Jews for centuries. The Apostles carried the message of Jesus to their generation of Jews and Gentiles and achieved a mighty result.
Another example is Psalm 55:22, "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you, He will not permit the righteous to be moved." Peter may have been thinking of this song he had sung many times when he wrote, "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you, casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7 Of course singing it in a song or repeating the words in a prayer is pretty simple, but actually taking the action is a much different process. However, singing and praying about it surely helps our spirit do it.
For me, singing the Psalms is something like eating fish with bones in it, you have to learn how to eat around those bones to enjoy the meal. I have learned to pray the Psalms with the full understanding of the times in which they were composed as a way to give glory to Yahweh and encourage the people. There is a huge blessing to be realized from all of the Psalms but we must always read them under the overshadowing of Jesus.
I am blessed today by the words of David and the other Psalmists, they give me a new vision of my Father that thrills my spirit often. Thank you Father for preserving these beautiful words for all generations of your family. HALLELUJAH!

"SURELY GOD IS MY HELPER"

As I have wandered around in the Psalms of David, there are several themes that seem common to most of them, love for God, praise of His name and power, faith that at some point God would step in and save Israel, etc. But, not all of his songs were filled with praise and faith. He repeatedly calls on God to destroy his enemies, break their teeth, come down on their heads with holy retribution. I simply cannot sing those songs or pray those prayers.
We still live in a violent world where power reigns and fear and anger retaliate which produces a never ending cycle of more violence. For several thousand years the Jewish people have repeated these songs in their worship to Yahweh, to no avail. The nation of Israel is still fighting to survive in the midst of the same ongoing battle David and his nation had to fight. But the same is true of many nations, factions within nations, governing bodies, churches, schools, families, neighborhoods, and on and on the cycle goes.
Jesus said, "You have heard it said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:43-45 Jesus doesn't promise you peace with your enemies, only that the love of God in you will make you His child.
Would Jesus' way of dealing with one's enemies have worked for David?
The fact is, David's violent way didn't work very well either. He constantly had to come back to God with the same request over and over and over. Some of that I truly understand. There are times when a show of superior strength and determination is required in a violent world. However, history has shown repeatedly that war begets more war, violence begets more violence.
Jesus is our peace. Only in Him can the human family find any hope of true peace. The early disciples of Jesus proved the possibility of a shared love of other races, nationalities and customs. I feel strongly confident that the Apostles wrestled with the same misgivings about love for one's enemies when they first heard the teaching of Jesus.
I appreciate this statement from David: "Surely God is my helper, the Lord is the upholder of my life." Psalm 54:4 Through the worst of times he had enough faith to sing this song and cast himself and his nation in the care of Yahweh. David wasn't really a bad man, just a man who struggled most days to survive in a violent world. I cant say I have any enemies, except maybe those who are bent on destroying my country and our way of life. I served in the military and would again if the leaders of my country called on me and would have an old guy like me. I am very thankful that I never had to look into the eyes of a stranger and shoot him. Thousands of my countrymen have and I appreciate their sacrifice.
Sometimes you have to get on the other side of a situation to see the hand of God, but He's always there to hold me up. That I HAVE experienced. HALLELUJAH!