Numbers 36
The heads of the clans of Gilead – descendants of Makir, son of Manasseh, noticed something about an earlier decision that Moses made. They noticed that when Moses told the daughters of Zelophehad that they could inherit the land that their deceased father with no sons would have acquired, he forgot to consider an important detail in the arrangement. What if one of the daughters married someone from another tribe, then the husband would own any property that belonged to the daughters. How could the land stay within the same tribe if the husband is from another tribe? So, the Lord told Moses to command that all daughters who inherit the land from a deceased father must marry someone from within their same tribe.
I think that this says a lot. Being a woman, I think that we have a significant place in society. The significance of being a woman in society has been formed and developed by God and has many adaptations. Women are needed to be able to sustain differences from being a man, such as in reference to the Scripture in Numbers 36, not being able to have ownership of something once they marry a man. The valuable lessons that women have learned about cooperation and being humble are carried with a woman and absorbed by everyone she encounters.
Psalm 42
Verses 1–3 remind me of being at peace with myself, and then having the peace broken by someone who wants to take control. It reminds me of how hard it can be in our fast-paced lifestyle to have what we want and be comfortable because of the demands of living it. The enemy to me isn’t even like someone who is being evil in my interpretation, but more of a distraction from what I really want to accomplish.
The rest of this psalm reminds to put my hope into God. I love this psalm because the goodness of God is expressed by the psalmist – first in verse 1 when they talk about how much we long for God like a deer who searches for water. Then, verse 8 talks about how God has unfailing love for us that He delivers to us each day, and by night we can sing His songs and pray to the God who gives us life.
Even though the psalm ends with the psalmist again complaining that their enemies taunt them about God and they feel forgotten by God, putting their hope in God and praising the Lord is the answer to the sadness and discouragement that they feel. This helps build patience when the opposition starts to overwhelm you and you’re in agreement with yourself. By seeking God, who understands you, what is your concern is also God’s concern. He will cover you.
Psalm 43
In this psalm, the psalmist comes from a place of pure desperation. Other people are tormenting them and making false claims against them. This reminds me of people who are sent to prison for crimes that they didn’t commit and are sometimes exonerated. This is like what the psalmist is asking God to do for them.
Except, in verse 3 they say, “Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.” I get the sense that the psalmist needed to break free from the people and that a way out was available if God was willing. This is different from someone going through a criminal justice trial where they are held as a prisoner – the psalmist could escape if they aligned with God and it was in God’s will. They talk about being discouraged – perhaps by the other people. They want to praise God again, but other people are criticizing them. This is like someone going through a criminal trial. I think that this psalm is helpful for those in defense accused of a crime.
Psalm 44
The psalmist here provides a perspective of how the Israelites defeated the pagan nations to acquire their promised land. The perspective forces us to drop the notion that they acted out of brutality and violence to defeat their enemy. It is through God’s right hand and strong arm that gave them victory. This means that because the Israelites had reverence for God and were obedient to Him, that God’s grace caused what He authorized for them to be theirs.
The psalm goes from thankfulness and praise to complaining that the psalmist feels that God has set His people aside and tossed them in dishonor—dishonor where their enemies defeat them unlike how they advanced before. They tell that as a nation they are mocked, as enemies are resentful and vengeful.
Then, the psalmist declares how the people of Israel have not forgotten God – they aren’t worshipping idols and hold God as the Most High. However, they still believe that God has forgotten them. They want God to wake up and save His children from destruction. I think that this psalm expresses a strong desire that people still have today. Why does it seem like God has forgotten me in my desperate need when I call out to Him and need Him most? I recently came across the concept of how we like to think of God as the Sovereign God that always acts to instantly solve all problems. However, that is like looking to God in a merely transactional way – when I have a problem, just pray and it will be solved. I believe that God wants us to process these feelings that we have when times get tough, like shame, anger, and doubt, to gain an understanding of our lives and ourselves. While this does also involve prayer and reaching out to God for help, He wants us to act for ourselves to eradicate wrongs.
This reminds me of Job and how the test that he went through was about people only seeing God in a transactional way. While Job loves God and was very successful, terrible things happened to him and he experienced terrible pain. Job went through a period of rumination about people and his understanding of how God cares about us to reach the point that he did where God restored the things that he lost.
Psalm 45
This is a beautifully written psalm that gives admiration for a king. However, while it is beautiful as a song, which it was meant to be, I find it a little confusing: is this for King David or is it for Jesus Christ?
I asked ChatGPT to help me interpret this psalm and here is what it said: “Psalm 45 is one of the more unusual psalms because it reads like a royal wedding song. Many people initially think it is about David, but most biblical scholars agree it is not specifically about David. It was likely written for the wedding of one of the later kings in David’s dynasty. However, Christians later saw deeper meaning in it connected to Jesus Christ.”
A surprising verse (verses 6–7): This is one of the most important parts of the psalm. It says: “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever.” Here the king is addressed in language that sounds almost divine. This is one reason the psalm became significant for Christians. In the New Testament, this verse is quoted in Epistle to the Hebrews and applied to Jesus.
Psalm 46
The psalm starts with a powerful promise that God is greater than any disaster that we might face in life and when disaster strikes, we have God as our refuge. In fact, it says let me face times of trouble because I have God!
Then, it goes on to describe how God protects what He possesses. Not only does the psalmist have God, but he is also declaring that God has them. They speak highly of how God knows that there is evil and wickedness in the world, but He can fix problems like wars.
The psalm says “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The Bible provides this same message in several other places: Exodus, Isaiah, Lamentations, and Philippians. The themes in Psalm 46:10 are being still or quiet before God, trusting God’s sovereignty, and recognizing that God rules over the nations. This psalm and several other passages express the same spiritual principle.
- Erica Hawkins
