NOTE: I’m still having a hard time with the Psalms. I can’t really explain why and I’m not really sure what to do.
Numbers 36: Back to Zelophehad’s daughters. I was happy with the decision made to give them land in chapter 27. Definitely pretty cool. Then…we get to this chapter. Other elders worry that if they marry into a different tribe, their land will go to their husbands and that tribe instead of staying with their ancestral tribe. Moses and God agree this is a problem, God rules that their land must stay with their ancestral tribe. So…if they want to keep the land, they have to marry within their tribe. The women agree and marry first cousins.
We go from women getting their own land to the only way they will keep it is if they marry within their own tribe. Clearly this follows what was happening at the time this was written, but ugh.
Psalm 28: seems like a cry for help in the beginning. The psalmist is making it clear what would happen if God doesn’t listen and help him. He then switches to proclaim what his faith in God means. He is now safe.
Psalm 29: This psalm is all about God’s power. The beginning starts with a call to recognize his power and bow down to him because of this immense power.
On trying to better understand the psalms I saw this note from the NIV study bible on Bible Gateway: “The number seven often signifies completeness in the Bible.” That’s good to know.
Psalm 30: I noticed similar language between this psalm and psalm 28, especially the phrase “into the pit.” That stood out to me. Thankfully, I saw in the NIV study bible notes that this psalm is connected to psalm 28. In psalm 28 the psalmist asked God for mercy and to rescue him from going into the pit. In this psalm, the psalmist praises and thanks God for hearing his request.
Psalm 31: This psalm seems like a call for help during a difficult time in one’s life. The psalmist thanks God for help during earlier times and recognizes that they wouldn’t be here without God’s help. The psalmist then goes into discussion of their depression, loneliness, and old age. It’s almost like the psalmist was afraid that others were out to get them in all situations, but as long as they continue to put their trust into God, all would be ok. The psalmist ends with telling other believers to stay strong in their beliefs because God will answer us.