John Mark Hicks

Psalm 22 is the lament and confession of a righteous sufferer in the expectation of God’s righteous deliverance. The Psalmist identifies with the story of Israel, and Jesus himself appropriates this Psalm for his own lament and confession in the hope of his own vindication. This is not a Psalm about divine wrath or punishment […]

Psalm 149 invites the faithful to sing a new song with dancing and music in celebration of God’s deliverance because God delights in the people and has glorified (or beautified) them in God’s deliverance. The Psalm calls Judah to praise God with their mouths as they celebrate the divine victory through festive celebration. Given their […]

“Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah”–it was #148 in my hymnbook growing up. I loved singing it because it called even “dragons” to praise the Lord (according to KJV). The hymn is based on Psalm 148. Psalm 148 invites all heaven and earth to praise God from their heights to their depths. Yahweh is praised as creator of […]

Psalm 147, the second of five Psalms in the “Little Hallel” at the end of the Psalter, commands Israel to “praise the Lord” because God’s steadfast love has remembered the covenant with Israel. And because God is the creator who continues to provide sustenance for the cosmos. God is an active agent within the creation […]

Don’t trust in rulers; they are but dust. Trust in the God of Jacob who is our help and hope. Follower the way of the Lord which seeks justice, heals the sick, liberates the oppressed, cares for the stranger, widow, and orphan, and feeds the hungry. The way of the wicked does not pay attention […]

What do you say to God when you are in a cave? Psalm 142 is a classic lament that pours out a believer’s complaint to the Lord, petitions God for deliverance, and affirms a fundamental trust in the God of Israel. Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the meaning and significance of this Psalm […]

Psalm 135, along with Psalm 136, is the Great Hallel, the praise and blessing the pilgrim offers in the temple courts (where God dwells). Those who have ascended the holy mountain and now stand at the top of the steps in the court with the priests and Levites declare God’s goodness, beauty, and election of […]

In Psalm 129 Israel remembers its oppressive past (and perhaps present as well) as they journey to Zion to gather with the people of God for the praise and blessing of Yahweh. Those who hate Zion–the place where God dwells-have no part in the blessing, and Israel has been sustained in their history by God’s […]

[An English version is available here.] En algún momento, el Salmo 145:21 pudo haber sido la doxología final de los Salmos. Hace un comentario similar al Salmo 150:6. Salmo 145:21 aparece como la doxología final del Libro V del Salterio.  Los libros I-IV concluyen con doxologías independientes adjuntas a los salmos finales de esos libros. […]

Psalm 13 is a typical lament that moves from complaint to petition and then to praise. It beautifully illustrates this typical structure. Consequently, I will use this Psalm as the framework for the following discussion. The psalmist prayed:                         How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?                                     How long will you hide your […]