Before leaving on my 8-day Grand Canyon river trip, I checked the American Solutions’ website; and, as of 5:25 AM, 1,086,047 people have signed the “Drill Now. Drill Here. Pay Less” petition. Since my last post at 9:48 PM last evening, this means that 4,956 people in a little less than six hours have signed this petition. Hopefully, the swelling number of people signing the petition will put some pressure on Congress. And, if not, we need to vote some of these Congressmen out of office. To sign the petition, click here.

If you do not see the issues clearly, you need to listen to Newt Gingrich discuss three ways to solve America’s energy solutions (this is less than 4 minutes): “Y3 Ways to Lower Gas Prices.”

The Chinese have forged a deal with the Cuban government to start drilling for oil near Key West, Florida. As our Congress continues to hopelessly debate the issue about offshore drilling for oil, the Chinese are taking advantage of a golden opportunity. As Bill Mayer, in the American Free Press, reports,

While Washington dithers over exploiting oil and gas reserves off the coast of Florida, China has seized the opportunity to gobble up these deposits, which run throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and along the U.S. Gulf coast.

The Chinese have forged a deal with Cuban leader Fidel Castro to explore and tap into massive oil reserves almost within sight of Key West, Florida. At the same time, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who controls the largest oil reserves in the Western Hemisphere, is making deals to sell his country’s oil to China, oil that is currently coming to the United States.

To continue reading Mayer’s “China Starts Oil Drilling off Flordia,” click here.

I noticed the American Solutions’ “Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less” petition now has 1,081,091 signatures. To read about the latest news with this petition, go here. And, if you have not signed this petition yet, you need to do it now by clicking this link.

Early tomorrow morning I leave for an 8-Day/7-Night white water rafting trip covering 190 miles of Colorado River. This trip is organized by Answers in Genesis and Canyon Ministries. In cooperation with AIG, Canyon Ministries launched in 2008 a program called the “Christian Scholar’ Trip.” Scholarships have been provided for 24 professors and theologians from seminaries and Bible colleges from around the world.

On June 21 I will fly to Las Vegas and will have dinner with a number of men going on the trip. On the following morning, we will leave for the Marble Canyon. The following day, June 23, we will meet our river crew at the Old Marble Canyon Lodge. They will then take us to our river launch point. The river portion of our trip ends early in the morning on June 29 at Whitemore Wash. From there we are given a scenic 8-minute helicopter ride to the Bar Ten Ranch. At this ranch, we will be able to freshen up for our flight back to Las Vegas. From Vegas, I will then return in the afternoon to Detroit.

I have been looking forward to this trip for over a year (plans were being made in the spring of 2007). Since my areas of interest on Biblical Creationism focuses primarily on Genesis 1-2 [show]Genesis 1-2 The Creation of the World [1:1]In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. [2]The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. [3]And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. [4]And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. [5]God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. [6]And God said, "Let there be an expanse(1) in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." [7]And God made(2) the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. [8]And God called the expanse Heaven.(3) And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. [9]And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. [10]God called the dry land Earth,(4) and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. [11]And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants(5) yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. [12]The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [13]And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. [14]And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,(6) and for days and years, [15]and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. [16]And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars. [17]And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, [18]to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. [19]And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. [20]And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds(7) fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." [21]So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [22]And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." [23]And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. [24]And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds--livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. [25]And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [26]Then God said, "Let us make man(8) in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." [27]So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [28]And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." [29]And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. [30]And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. [31]And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. The Seventh Day, God Rests [2:1]Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. [2]And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. [3]So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The Creation of Man and Woman [4]These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. [5]When no bush of the field(9) was yet in the land(10) and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up--for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, [6]and a mist(11) was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground-- [7]then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. [8]And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. [9]And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. [10]A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. [11]The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. [12]And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. [13]The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. [14]And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. [15]The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. [16]And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, [17]but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat(12) of it you shall surely die." [18]Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for(13) him." [19]Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed(14) every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. [20]The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam(15) there was not found a helper fit for him. [21]So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. [22]And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made(16) into a woman and brought her to the man. [23]Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."(17) [24]Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. [25]And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (ESV) Footnotes 1. [1:6] Or 'a canopy'; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20 2. [1:7] Or 'fashioned'; also verse 16 3. [1:8] Or 'Sky'; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 4. [1:10] Or 'Land'; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 5. [1:11] Or 'small plants'; also verses 12, 29 6. [1:14] Or 'appointed times' 7. [1:20] Or 'flying things'; see Leviticus 11:19-20 8. [1:26] The Hebrew word for 'man' ('adam') is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name 'Adam' 9. [2:5] Or 'open country' 10. [2:5] Or 'earth'; also verse 6 11. [2:6] Or 'spring' 12. [2:17] Or 'when you eat' 13. [2:18] Or 'corresponding to'; also verse 20 14. [2:19] Or 'And out of the ground the LORD God formed' 15. [2:20] Or 'the man' 16. [2:22] Hebrew 'built' 17. [2:23] The Hebrew words for 'woman' ('ishshah') and 'man' ('ish') sound alike
, there are facets of flood geology as it relates to the Grand Canyon where my knowledge needs to expand. This trip will be interesting for at least two reasons. First, the “Christian Scholars’ Trip focuses on educating both old earth and young earth creationists about how the geological details of the Grand Canyon concatenate with a literal interpretation of the Genesis Flood. Since I am a young earth creationist and have gone through some educational material on this subject, beginning in the early 1970s with Whitcomb and Morris’ The Genesis Flood, I look forward to detailed explanations, along with physical evidence from the Grand Canyon, showing how it relates to the biblical material. By the nature of this being a mixed group, this should allow for intriguing Q & A sessions.

Second, Tom Vail, the President of Canyon Ministries, has an interesting background. Tom left the corporate world in the early 1980s to become a canyon river tour guide through the Grand Canyon. He has also worked as a part-time guide for the Grand Canyon National Park Service and is a past-elected member of the board of directors for Grand Canyon River Guides. Until 1994 when he came to Christ, Tom guided tours through the Grand Canyon teaching an evolutionary model for the formation of the Grand Canyon. After his conversion, he developed a biblical creationist worldview that provided a superior explanation for the formation of the Grand Canyon. In 2003, he published Grand Canyon, a Different View.

Needless to say, because of his biblical explanation of the Grand Canyon, this book has created some stir among his opponents. Tom’s background and expertise should make this an excellent trip. To read more about him, click here. When I return from the trip, I plan to post on my website a few pictures with commentary.

John McCain has recently taken a step toward the right position on lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling though in my opinion he has not gone far enough. However, Barack Obama has remained consistent with his position as the most liberal Democrat in the Senate by remaining opposed to offshore drilling. Today’s editorial page of the National Review Online supports lifting the ban on drilling for offshore oil.

John McCain is finally starting to exploit Barack Obama’s weakness on the energy issue. With gasoline topping $4 per gallon, McCain reversed his stance on offshore drilling and called for Congress to lift a 27-year-old moratorium on coastal energy exploration. With this shift, McCain has put himself on the same side as two-thirds of the American people, according to a recent poll. Obama, meanwhile, has said that he “would have preferred a gradual adjustment” toward $4 per gallon gasoline, but otherwise he seems amenable to it — as we would be, if that $4 price reflected market conditions instead of government restriction of the energy supply.

Lifting the ban on offshore drilling won’t increase supply right away, but would signal to oil speculators that the U.S. is serious about increasing domestic production, long smothered under regulatory and tax practices that discourage exploration and the expansion of our refining capacity. That could immediately put downward pressure on the price of oil and alone would do more to reduce the price at the pump than anything Barack Obama has proposed. But McCain should go even further.

To continue reading this article, go to “Lift the Ban.”

Something needs to be done to correct the foolishness of our Congress’ opposition to offshore drilling—the vast majority of this opposition comes from Democrats. Let me again suggest that, if you have not signed Americans Solutions’ “Drill Here! Drill Now! Pay Less!” petition, now is the time to do this. As of this morning, 956,681 people have signed it, and this number is growing while I write this post. To sign this, click here. In addition, United States Rep. Lynn Westmoreland is circulating a pledge in Congress to increase United States oil production to lower our gas prices. So that you can identify these Congressman to make informed votes this fall, go to Rep. Westmoreland’s webpage House members who signed pledge to increase U.S. oil. Friends, now is the time to act and not tomorrow.

This morning I read a few more articles about Congressional gridlock on the issue of utilizing American oil resources. According to Bill Steigerwald of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, the federal Minerals Management Service estimates that “86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas are locked up and untouchable just off our shores.” Locked up by whom? It is neither the UN nor big oil companies. It is our Congress. As Steigerwald, goes on to note “Rep. John Peterson, a Republican from upstate Pennsylvania whose crusade to fix America’s broken energy policy has brought him the interplanetary enmity of environmentalists, has made it his mission to slay that foolish rider.” The only thing that Peterson wants “to do is get Congress to allow America to do what every other sensible modern country on Earth from Norway to New Zealand has been doing for decades — open our deep-sea energy reserves to safe, environmentally sensitive development.” To continue reading this article, go to Drill now, drill here, pay less - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.” After you finish reading this article, check out this video from the Wall Street Journal. Finally and more importantly, after you have read the cited article in this post and have viewed the short video, I highly recommend that you sign this petition and join the 787,593 people who have already signed this petition. Friends, we may have some fools in Congress but we not need share in their foolishness.

Gas prices are killing me. Every time I get gas I feel like I am being violated. My infuriation grows as gas prices increase. What exacerbates my frustration is the gridlock in congress. To begin correcting the problem about excessively growing gas prices, I signed the petition at American Solutions. The objective of this petition is to to bring an awareness to congress of the advantages in drilling for oil within the continental US and the surrounding regions. The petition says: “We, therefore, the undersigned citizens of the United States, petition the U.S. Congress to act immediately to lower gasoline prices (and diesel and other fuel prices)* by authorizing the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources from unstable countries.” To sign the petition, go American Solutions - Petitions.

Peter Enns’s 2005 Inspiration and Incarnation has created quite a stir in the evangelical world, which included his suspension from Westminster Theological Seminary (for Enns’s response, go to his blog). John Frame has recently written a theologically informed critique of Enns’s book. Frame’s conclusion is worth noting: “So though I find much to agree with in this book, in the end I would not recommend it as a basic text on biblical inspiration to a seminary-level reader (let alone for the less mature). Seminarians need to study biblical inspiration in a way that motivates both humility and confidence in God’s word. The present volume says much (both legitimately and illegitimately) to motivate humility. It says nothing to promote confidence in the truth of the biblical text. That, I think, is a serious criticism” (see also the other reviews that Frame cites in his first few endnotes). It is well worth your time to read the entire critique: “Review of Peter Enns, Inspiration and Incarnation.”

Today was the first day for my summer class on Understanding the Psalms. In doing research for my class, John Goldingay’s two volumes on Psalms 1-89 [show]Psalms 1:1-36:1 The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked [1:1]Blessed is the man(1) who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; [2]but his delight is in the law(2) of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. [3]He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. [4]The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. [5]Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; [6]for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. The Reign of the LORD's Anointed [2:1]Why do the nations rage(3) and the peoples plot in vain? [2]The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, [3]"Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." [4]He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. [5]Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, [6]"As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." [7]I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. [8]Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. [9]You shall break(4) them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." [10]Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. [11]Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. [12]Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Save Me, O My God A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. [3:1]O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; [2]many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah(5) [3]But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. [4]I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah [5]I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. [6]I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. [7]Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. [8]Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah Answer Me When I Call To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. [4:1]Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! [2]O men,(6) how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah [3]But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him. [4]Be angry,(7) and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah [5]Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD. [6]There are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!" [7]You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. [8]In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Lead Me in Your Righteousness To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David. [5:1]Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. [2]Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. [3]O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you(8) and watch. [4]For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. [5]The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. [6]You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. [7]But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. [8]Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. [9]For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. [10]Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. [11]But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. [12]For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield. O LORD, Deliver My Life To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith.(9) A Psalm of David. [6:1]O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. [2]Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled. [3]My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD--how long? [4]Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. [5]For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? [6]I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. [7]My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. [8]Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. [9]The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer. [10]All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. In You Do I Take Refuge A Shiggaion(10) of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite. [7:1]O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, [2]lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. [3]O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, [4]if I have repaid my friend(11) with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, [5]let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah [6]Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment. [7]Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high. [8]The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. [9]Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous-- you who test the minds and hearts,(12) O righteous God! [10]My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. [11]God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. [12]If a man(13) does not repent, God(14) will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; [13]he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. [14]Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. [15]He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. [16]His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends. [17]I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. How Majestic Is Your Name To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith.(15) A Psalm of David. [8:1]O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. [2]Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. [3]When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, [4]what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? [5]Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings(16) and crowned him with glory and honor. [6]You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, [7]all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, [8]the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. [9]O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! I Will Recount Your Wonderful Deeds (17) To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben.(18) A Psalm of David. [9:1]I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. [2]I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. [3]When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before(19) your presence. [4]For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. [5]You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. [6]The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. [7]But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, [8]and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. [9]The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. [10]And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. [11]Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! [12]For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. [13]Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, [14]that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. [15]The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. [16]The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion.(20) Selah [17]The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. [18]For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. [19]Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! [20]Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah Why Do You Hide Yourself? [10:1]Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? [2]In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. [3]For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses(21) and renounces the LORD. [4]In the pride of his face(22) the wicked does not seek him;(23) all his thoughts are, "There is no God." [5]His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. [6]He says in his heart, "I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity." [7]His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. [8]He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; [9]he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. [10]The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might. [11]He says in his heart, "God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it." [12]Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. [13]Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, "You will not call to account"? [14]But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless. [15]Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none. [16]The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. [17]O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear [18]to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. The LORD Is in His Holy Temple To the choirmaster. Of David. [11:1]In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, "Flee like a bird to your mountain, [2]for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; [3]if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"(24) [4]The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. [5]The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. [6]Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. [7]For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. The Faithful Have Vanished To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith.(25) A Psalm of David. [12:1]Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. [2]Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. [3]May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, [4]those who say, "With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?" [5]"Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise," says the LORD; "I will place him in the safety for which he longs." [6]The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. [7]You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us(26) from this generation forever. [8]On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man. How Long, O LORD? To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. [13:1]How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? [2]How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? [3]Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, [4]lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him," lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. [5]But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. [6]I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me. The Fool Says, There Is No God To the choirmaster. Of David. [14:1]The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. [2]The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand,(27) who seek after God. [3]They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. [4]Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD? [5]There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. [6]You would shame the plans of the poor, but(28) the LORD is his refuge. [7]Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill? A Psalm of David. [15:1]O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? [2]He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; [3]who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; [4]in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; [5]who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. You Will Not Abandon My Soul A Miktam(29) of David. [16:1]Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. [2]I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." [3]As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.(30) [4]The sorrows of those who run after(31) another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. [5]The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. [6]The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. [7]I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.(32) [8]I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. [9]Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being(33) rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. [10]For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.(34) [11]You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. In the Shadow of Your Wings A Prayer of David. [17:1]Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! [2]From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right! [3]You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. [4]With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. [5]My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. [6]I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. [7]Wondrously show(35) your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. [8]Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, [9]from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me. [10]They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly. [11]They have now surrounded our steps; they set their eyes to cast us to the ground. [12]He is like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush. [13]Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, [14]from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life.(36) You fill their womb with treasure;(37) they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. [15]As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. The LORD Is My Rock and My Fortress To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: [18:1]I love you, O LORD, my strength. [2]The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. [3]I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. [4]The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;(38) [5]the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. [6]In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. [7]Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. [8]Smoke went up from his nostrils,(39) and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. [9]He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. [10]He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. [11]He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. [12]Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds. [13]The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. [14]And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them. [15]Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. [16]He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. [17]He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. [18]They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. [19]He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. [20]The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. [21]For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. [22]For all his rules(40) were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me. [23]I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt. [24]So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. [25]With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; [26]with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. [27]For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. [28]For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. [29]For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. [30]This God--his way is perfect;(41) the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. [31]For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?-- [32]the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. [33]He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. [34]He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. [35]You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. [36]You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. [37]I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed. [38]I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. [39]For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. [40]You made my enemies turn their backs to me,(42) and those who hated me I destroyed. [41]They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them. [42]I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets. [43]You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me. [44]As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me. [45]Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses. [46]The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation-- [47]the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, [48]who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence. [49]For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name. [50]Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever. The Law of the LORD Is Perfect To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. [19:1]The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above(43) proclaims his handiwork. [2]Day to day pours out speech, and night to night re