Psalms 53 and 54 from my new book:

A NEW LOOK AT THE OLD PSALMS

Praying the Psalms: a modern interpretation

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I present here a new perspective on the psalms. I have rewritten them from a New 
Testament Christ-centered point of view. I did not try to capture the poetry of the 
psalms – I leave that to more gifted writers – but I attempted to capture their message
with a more modern interpretation.

God bless,

John

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Psalm 53

W

hen will they ever learn? The fool denies the existence of God. He is corrupt and loathed because of his sins. God looks down from heaven. A good man is hard to find. The wicked just do not understand. They outnumber the godly and threaten to gobble them up. Yet the fearless are now afraid. Because they ignored God, even if they are mourned at their funeral, their souls are denied entry into his kingdom. He has shunned them and abandoned them. So who will God save? The very people whom the wicked tried to enslave: the righteous. And they will leap for joy because he saved them. Amen.

Psalm 54

(Jesus prays to God during his crucifixion. He did not fear death on the cross. He was praying for us because he took our sins and fears upon himself. When he rose from the dead, he conquered death for us. Alleluia!)

" A

lmighty Father, save me. You know I am innocent. Listen to my prayer. Hear my words. Those who would not accept my teachings have overpowered me and seek my utter destruction. They do not fear you, Father. Let them see that you are my helper and protector. Do not abandon me in the tomb. Let the light of your truth overcome the darkness of evil and foil my enemies’ plans. I make this sacrifice of my death on the cross freely, Father, to bring glory to your name. When you raise me from the grave, they will see that it was death that was destroyed, not I! Amen.”

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Cover image: Christ the Saviour (Pantokrator)." Web. 25 Sept 2016.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spas_vsederzhitel_sinay.jpg
"Creative Commons License." Web. 18 May 2016.
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This book and other books I have written are posted for your reading pleasure at Booksie.

Scriptural quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 

copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois
60189. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2016 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must 

be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is 

offered to the public free of charge for the glory of God.