Psalms 109-112 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 109

(A vision of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.)

" F

ather, please answer my prayer, for a deceitful and evil man has betrayed me. He lied and stirred up hatred against me. He attacked me for no reason. I asked him to love me, but he made false accusations against me. I never stopped praying for him, but he repaid my kindness with evil; responded to my love with hate.

Human suffering is painful, but temporary. The loss of one’s soul cannot be undone. The fires of hell are unquenchable. Rather than be condemned forever and given over to the devil, it would have been far better for Judas had he experienced the worst afflictions on earth: the loss of his position; his wife a widow; his children homeless and starving orphans treated without compassion; his property inherited by strangers; complete abandonment; the extinction of all his descendants; forgotten by his contemporaries; shamed by the sins of his forbearers; the eradication of the memory of his bloodline.

Judas brought all this suffering upon himself. Instead of showing mercy, he persecuted me, a humble man without resource. His betrayal led to my death. He loved cursing, so he was cursed; rejected blessing, so he received none. This is what happened to the man who spoke evil about me before God.

Yet you have been merciful to me, Father, and it has brought glory to your name. You saved me when I was abandoned and humiliated. I was in great distress, fading like an evening shadow, crushed like an insect. I was weak from fasting, disfigured, scorned, and rebuked.

Thank you, Father, for mercifully saving me. May all the world see that it was you who did this. People condemn, but you exalt. You disgraced and dishonored those who attacked me, but you lifted me up. I can never thank you enough. I will praise you before everyone because you saved me, a man in dire straits, from those who sought my utter destruction. Amen.”⁵⁹

Psalm 110

(A vision of the Priesthood of Jesus Christ.)

T

he Lord God said to my Lord Jesus Christ, “As the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, you will rule over all creation, including your enemies. My divine power will work through you, the Messiah, and you will govern all nations in my name. From the beginning, you have shared my power and been a beacon of light to all who strive for holiness. You are my Son to whom I gave birth before time began. This is my sworn oath, ‘You are a priest like Melchizedek, the King of Salem, whose royal and priestly authority and power also came from me.’”

My Lord will crush all his enemies and judge all the world’s rulers. And he will be responsible for the destruction of evil on earth. He will be filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit which will ensure his ultimate victory.⁶⁰

Psalm 111

Y

our Church will give you thanks, Lord, for all your great works for which we have fervently prayed. You willed them into being, and they reveal your majesty. They will evoke our gratitude down through the ages, for your love and kindness are eternal.

We will never forget how merciful and compassionate you are, Lord. You fed the righteous and remembered your holy covenant. We saw your great strength when you gave us the lands of other peoples. Love and justice are your trademarks. Your laws are etched in stone and forever binding because they are based on truth and faithfulness.

You saved your people and established a covenant with them that will be in effect forever. Holy is your name and worthy to be praised. Obedience to God’s laws is the first step to understanding his ways. We will praise you forever. Alleluia!

Psalm 112

B

lessed be the Lord Jesus Christ who revered the Father and loved following his commandments. His Church will one day encompass the whole earth, and his followers will be showered with many blessings. The glory of God and the righteousness of Christ will reside in his Church forever. Christ’s mercy, compassion, and virtue will draw many from the darkness of sin into the light of holiness.

A follower of Christ is kind, generous, and speaks wisely. His faith will never be shaken, and he will always be remembered as a righteous man. He will not be troubled by the vicissitudes of life because he trusts in the Lord. His faith in God is strong. He will fear no evil because he dwells in the presence of the Most High God. People will never forget his generosity and uprightness. His reward will be great in heaven.

The devil seethes with anger at the loss of another soul saved by Jesus. He is consumed with hatred for our Savior, but he will never prevail against him or his Church. Alleluia!⁶¹

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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.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

⁵⁹The Orthodox Study Bible. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 755.

⁶⁰The School of Prayer. (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1992), 133-135.
⁶¹The Orthodox Study Bible. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 758.

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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.