The great King David was not only a great king, but a poet. Chabad.org writes in King David and the Psalms:
Not as a great warrior or mighty king did David win the everlasting love of our people, and indeed of all peoples on earth, but as the author of the Book of Psalms (Tehillim), the sweetest poetry of Israel.
King David was a link in the continued transmission of the Torah, being the spiritual successor to the prophet Samuel. He surrounded himself with a group of prophets and scholars and together they studied the Torah. He thought nothing of the comforts of life that his regal palace could offer him, and unlike other kings he would rise before the sun to pray and chant psalms of praise to G-d, the King of all kings.
The Psalms are hymns of praise to the Almighty G-d, Creator of the Universe. They speak of G-d’s greatness, His goodness and mercy; His power and justice. David pours out his heart in these Psalms and avows his sincerest and purest trust in G-d alone. Many of the Psalms are prayers and supplications to G-d which king David prayed in times of trouble. Some psalms contain good advice, showing the way of true happiness through virtue and the fulfillment of G-d’s commandments.
Thus the Psalms reflect all the varied incidents that can happen in life, both to the individual and to the whole Jewish nation. Indeed, in the history of David — his exile, persecution, struggles, and eventual triumph — the Jewish people, collectively and individually, find an example and prophecy of their own life. No wonder the Book of Psalms has throughout the ages served as a boundless source of inspiration, courage, and hope. http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2050/jewish/King-David-and-the-Psalms.htm
One of the best loved Psalms is 91:
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
Today’s deposit into the ‘Joy Jar’ is Psalm 91.
The Treasury of David by Charles H. Spurgeon
Psalm 91
TITLE. This Psalm is without a title, and we have no means of ascertaining either the name of its writer, or the date of its composition, with certainly. The Jewish doctors consider that when the author’s name is not mentioned we may assign the Psalm to the last named writer; and, if so, this is another Psalm of Moses, the man of God. Many expressions here used are similar to those of Moses in Deuteronomy, and the internal evidence, from the peculiar idioms, would point towards him as the composer. The continued lives of Joshua and Caleb, who followed the Lord fully, make remarkably apt illustrations of this Psalm, for they, as a reward for abiding in continued nearness to the Lord, lived on “amongst the dead, amid their graves.” For these reasons it is by no means improbable that this Psalm may have been written by Moses, but we dare not dogmatize. If David’s pen was used in giving us this matchless ode, we cannot believe as some do that he this commemorated the plague which devastated Jerusalem on account of his numbering the people. For him, then, to sing of himself as seeing “the reward of the wicked” would be clean contrary to his declaration, “I have sinned, but these sheep, what have they done?”; and the absence of any allusion to the sacrifice upon Zion could not be in any way accounted for, since David’s repentance would inevitably have led him to dwell upon the atoning sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood by the hyssop.
In the whole collection there is not a more cheering Psalm, its tone is elevated and sustained throughout, faith is at its best, and speaks nobly. A German physician was wont to speak of it as the best preservative in times of cholera, and in truth, it is a heavenly medicine against plague and pest. He who can live in its spirit will be fearless, even if once again London should become a lazar-house, and the grave be gorged with carcases. http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps091.htmA man with convictions finds an answer for everything. Convictions are the best form of protection against the living truth.
Max Frisch
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