Psalm 7

In Psalm 6 we received instruction concerning how we are to repent before the Lord when we have sinned against Him and/or others.

In Psalm 7 we are given a glimpse of how we are to pray when we are innocent of sin and yet we are receiving persecution.

Superscription:

• "Cush the Benjamite"
• We do not know who Cush was
• The name means "black"
• Some say "Cush" is a poetic name for King Saul.  At the very leasty the name infers that this man was a kinsman, or at the very least a tribesman, of King Saul.
• Whether "Cush" is Saul or someone close to him is irrelevant.  What matters is that David is speaking of a villain who is constantly speaking vile and false things against him.

vs.1

• "Oh LORD [YHWH] my God [Elohim], in Thee do I put my trust:" - In my opinion this may be the most powerful way to begin prayers of praise or petition.
• "Oh LORD" - David calls on the Covenant God
• "my God" - David calls on Creator and Controller of all things.
• "in Thee do I put my trust" - if an individual means this than it will drastically change the words of the prayer that follows.

vs.3-5

• What a great thing to have such a clear conscience.  What a bold thing to come before God and be able to pray, "If I'm guilty of the things I'm being accused of then hand me over to my enemies.  If not, then let my innocence be known."
• The only reason that David was able to pray like this was because David was indeed fully innocent before the Lord concerning not only this matter, but other matters as well.
• I think that it's important to understand that this is not a prayer that should be prayed if someone has simply got a few of the details of the story wrong about you.  This prayer should only be prayed if the individual is completely innocent in terms of the accuser and the accusation.
• Slander is one of the most difficult things to fight.  An individual's only hope is to be able to ask the Lord to vindicate you and justify you.  It is impossible to do so for yourself.

vs. 6-8

• Notice that David asks God to act in judgment, to judge first the wicked and then to also judge the just.
• The fact that David asks God to judge the just is, perhaps, the key to honestly praying this prayer.
• Are we really willing to give God free reign over our church, our families, our religious friends, or ourselves.
• What does an honest examination of the righteous in the LORD bring to light?  Sin.  Sinners who are not yet perfected in the Lord.  Which means that God might show us things that we need to get rid of, things that we need to cast off in order to put on Jesus.
• But understand how dangerous this prayer actually is... because people do not like to be told to change or move or that their not perfect.
• Think about it for a moment in terms of yourself.  I am very quick to accept something that I may not have known before when some sort of new information comes my way.  However, I am extremely hesitant to accept that I have been wrong about something that I felt I was informed about or justified in believing.
• However, if we are unwilling to ask for the all knowing God to judge us it would stand to reason that we are unwilling to do the hard work of personal and corporate spiritual growth.
• This alludes to something that we mentioned in our study on Psalm 6... the judgment and the punishment that is doled out by a loving parent is almost always a blessing.
• We should pray for God to judge His children (i.e. those who can claim His righteousness), but we must first be willing to invite the burning eye of God to turn on ourselves first.  This is an extremely bold prayer.
• Do you want to grow spiritually?  Do you feel like you aren't being challenged by your church or by your reading?  Do you feel like you've hit a plateau in your maturation process?  Pray this prayer.  No excuses.  No one else's to blame.

vs.9

• "O, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end."  I love this part of David's prayer.  What David is asking for here is for the evil that has been done and is being done by the wicked  to  bring about the wicked persons own end.
• Perhaps this might help us to understand how God can be both loving and at the same time holy when it comes to the eternal judgment of the unsaved.
• Understand that the request that David makes here is the exact way in which God's judgment of both the lost and the saved works.
• It is God's will that none should perish but God does not force His will upon humankind.
• In the end it will all be judged on our own righteousness and on our own misdeeds.  All will be found guilty but those who have admitted their guiltiness and have asked for justification and redemption from God through the Son will be absolved of their guilt.
• Judgment and punishment are not the results of an incredibly unloving God... they are the result of our own wickedness.  Salvation in spite of our wickedness, the very fact that God will allow any into His Kingdom is the result of an incredibly loving and merciful God.
• In his commentary on the Psalms author John Phillips expands on this idea saying, "Thus we see Haman being hanged on the gallows that he prepared for Mordecai.  We see Jacob being cheated by his uncle in the same ways that he had cheated his father and his brother.  We see David, later on in life, laying down with his own hands the paving stones along which the retribution of God followed.  The principle of God's judgment is summed up in the sobering words: 'Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.'  It is the law of the soil; it is also the law of the soul."

vs.10

• This verse lends itself nicely to the above principle in that it tells us where our defense will lie when we face our ultimate judgment.
• It is God who saves and it is God who makes us upright in heart.

vs.11-13

• These verses should serve as a comfort and as an urgent call to do the work of evangelism for the believer as we realize that God is not asleep at the wheel. 
• Even now God is preparing for the final destruction and judgment of broken humankind.
• God will judge, God must judge, and because He is the only One who is worthy to judge, He must bring about the time of all humankinds judgment..

vs.14-16

• In the concluding verses of this Psalm David describes and explains God's moral government of the universe.
• vs.14 - The process of an individual's sin is like the process of giving birth.
• Sin is first conceived of in the mind, it is then created through our actions, and it is finalized by what our actions bring forth.
• vs.15 - The premeditated nature of sin is like a trap which is set by the individual hoping to rob, ruin, or revile someone or something for their own benefit.
• This alludes to the fact that most sin isn't accidentally stumbled into.
• This type of sin happens but it must be understood and prevented in other ways.
• However, this type of sin happens rarely and most often cannot be prevented without a firm grasp on how to prevent premeditated sin.
• The picture that David paints here for us tells us that premeditated sin will inevitably be just like falling into a trap of our own creation.
• While sin might seem and feel like a good idea at the time, while it may appear to serve our best interest, it will always lead to our fall.
• David is explaining to us that God allows us to basically dig our own graves.  We are the source of our own destruction.
• vs.16 - The inevitable punishment or our sin is like a boomerang.  By our own power and our own actions we throw it out only to have it return to us.

vs.17

• "LORD" - YHWH: David concludes this Psalm by calling out to the God of covenant who's righteousness demands judgment.  But it doesn't end there because David continues by saying that He will praise the God of Covenant because of His power and control over sin and judgment.
• "LORD Most High" - YHWH Elyon: Covenant Controller.
• This closing designation for God informs the reader that our God is the one who blesses as well as judges and because He is just, and because He is merciful, and because He is good... we should lift our hearts, hands, and voices in praise and thanks to Him.

   


 

Psalm 6

In Psalm 3 and 4 we’ve repeatedly seen the theme of David’s peace and rest through the night.
Here in Psalm 6 David is unable to sleep because he is so distraught from what he views as hopeless and helpless circumstances

The opening superscription, or title, of this Psalm calls for “sheminith,” which, to the best of our knowledge, is a musical notation that lets the reader and performer know that the Psalm is to be played in a low octave using an 8 stringed harp.
This is a dark Psalm surrounding impossibly difficult circumstances accompanied with a broken and beaten down heart.

vs.1

• The opening verse of this Psalm informs us that this is David’s penitential response to some unknown sin in his life.
• This is a Psalm of return and repentance.
• Here we find a pattern for our own repentance before God.
• “Your anger” is a reference to the Holy justice and Righteous anger of God.
• “Your hot displeasure” is a phrase that expresses God’s emotional state toward David.

vs.2,3

• David is apparently aware that he is in need of chastening from the Lord.
• Sin without punishment is often an unjust response. Without some form of punishment from the Lord an individual is more likely to return to their sin without fear and an awareness of God.
• Just like it would be unjust for a parent to spare the rod from their child, it is unjust for God to spare us some form of chastisement when we live in sin.
• Plus, it is also important for us to understand that if we petition God to forgive us without chastising us and He answers our prayers we miss out on the blessing that accompanies punishment.
• So it is here that David asks for God to respond to his sin as a loving parent as opposed to an angry one.
• “I am weak... my bones are troubled... my soul also is greatly troubled.” Notice the effect that sin has on David.
• David is so conscious of his sin that it is effecting every aspect of his being.
• Here we witness David returning to the Lord without excuse or explanation for his sin but with total brokenness and helplessness because of it.
• This too should be our response to sin.

vs.4

• “deliver me... save me for Your mercies’ sake!” it’s this phrase that gives us a glimpse into the reason that God forgives His wayward children.
• It’s not for the good of the individual because it would be so much better for a child of God to be taken out of this world and to be delivered into the presence of God.

vs.5

• Instead, forgiveness is for the sake of God’s glory.
• We are restored into a right relationship with our Heavenly Father so that we might bring more glory and honor to him having come through our sin to the other side of forgiveness.
• It’s like a battle wound that should have been fatal but miraculously is healed. The scar will never go away... but the scar tells a story. A story of salvation through failure, a story of grace and mercy from hopeless circumstances.
• When we are forgiven from our sin we are equipped with a very specific message of God’s power and goodness.
• Our lives will stand as a testimony to the fact that God forgives. And this forgiveness is not something to hide away.
• While it may seem prudent to cover the scar of sin and continue on as if nothing had ever happened so as not to draw attention to yourself, we must understand that God forgives so that the healed wounds may be seen by those with fatal open wounds.

vs.6,7

• These verses speak to David’s sleeplessness... tears replaced his rest.
• “All night I make my bed swim... my eye wastes away...”
• I think that it’s important to recognize that private nature of David’s brokenness and repentance.
• It is not all day and all night, is is merely all night that David is reduced to incapacitating tears.
• Repentance begins privately and is made public once the individual has been restored.
• God is not glorified in the public nature of an individual’s sin... He does not demand that the person be morally burned at the stake.
• When an individual is in need of forgiveness from any sin, whether public or private, whether it involves only them or any number of others, it is the biblical pattern to first petition and receive forgiveness from the Lord and then to go and seek forgiveness from others that have been sinned against.

vs.8

• Apparently news of David’s broken condition had reached his enemies. This suggests that David had traitors serving in his own court.
• Being that David wept in private and even though his personal anguish must have been, on some level, transparent during the day it’s apparent that news had leaked outside of the kingdom walls to David’s enemies.
• Here there is a sudden shift in David’s strength and in his prayer.
• The focus changes from hopelessness to confidence. The explanation is simple, God answered David’s prayer.
• This, in my opinion, is what forgiveness and restoration from God is like. It’s immediate, it’s unconditional, it’s refreshing.
• This seems like a totally foreign concept from our human perspective.
• Often when sin is committed against us the process of forgiveness is long and arduous... it is often conditional and partial.
• Intellectual forgiveness is often the first step. We have heard the request for forgiveness from the individual, we acknowledge the request and understand that it is our duty to God to forgive the person for their sin against us.
• However, emotional forgiveness does not frequently accompany intellectual forgiveness.
• Emotional forgiveness, for us, takes a significant amount of time and often may never fully take place.
• This is not right but it is reality. We tend to separate forgiveness from trust... however, true forgiveness is never complete until trust is restored.
• Because we do not have the divine knowledge and heart of God it is imperative to understand that total forgiveness (including the restoration of trust in a relationship) will and should take time... this is, often, the only wise way to live.
• It would be foolishness to fully trust a person without proof of their true repentant nature and their divine restoration.
• Since we do not have access to the spiritual state of an individual’s heart than without time there is no way to know if they have truly repented before the Lord and have made the 180 degree turn from their actions required by true repentance.
• To that end, forgiveness is a process that must be actively pursued by both the guilty party and the party sinned against.

vs.9

• Notice the immediate nature of God’s forgiveness. The Lord heard, the Lord received (or accepted).
• God made Himself known to David once again and restored his confidence and this had immediate results.

Closing note.

• Did you notice how often in this Psalm, even in the midst of his greatest anguish, David calls upon YHWH?
• Five times in the first four verses... three more in the concluding verses.
• If there is a key to the power of repentant prayer this is it... it is the name of the God of our covenant promise.
• Understand that forgiveness is essentially the restoration of a broken covenant.
• It is not that we have lost our ultimate salvation, this is not at risk in the New Covenant, it’s that we have lost the openness and blessing of a relationship with our Creator.
• The reality of a severed relationship with God should physically, emotionally, and spiritual reduce us to weeping. Where is hope, peace, and mercy without an ongoing, unfettered relationship with the Almighty God?

    

Psalm 5

vs.7

• David is a successful warrior and king, but he doesn’t attempt to draw on his accomplishments to earn God’s favor.
• This verse indicates that David realizes that it is only by God’s divine mercy that anyone is able to approach the Lord, so he maintains an attitude of reverence and humility.
• I believe this has it’s greatest application in times where we are hopelessly lost.  Rarely does a human being approach God when they are full of pride and self-aggrandizing thoughts.
• On the reverse side of that, rarely does a human being approach God when they feel like they are too deeply rooted in their sins and/or deserving of the brokenness that they are experiencing.
• David reveals to us that both mindsets are foolish and inaccurate.  We lie to ourselves in both scenarios.

vs.8

• David states that even the assaults of his enemies make him stronger because they drive him to seek God’s strength.
• Do you ever pray for opposition?  D fail in their pursuit of evil intentions and o you ever ask God to put you into a situation where you will be forced to rely on His power and attributes?
• Maybe a more common request is one for spiritual growth.  Understand that, often, these requests will produce the same results.
• These are dangerous prayers because they are high risk for personal distress and brokenness.
• However theses are also high reward prayers for those whose can focus their perspective on God and make it through to the other side.
• What does this perspective look like?

vs.9-10

• A God focused perspective sees those who have set themselves against you for what they really are in the sight of God... namely, foolish in their every action and rotten from the inside out.
• How would this perspective aid the believer?  It should break our hearts for those who are so lost and hopelessly.
• Understand that the lost are slaves to our broken cultures false assumptions and ideals.

vs.11-12

• In contrast, David now describe those who seek God and who have gained a godly perspective towards their circumstances.
• Look at vs.11.  Notice any repetition or theme.  The God given response to adversity is joy.
• It’s not joy that is found in the adverse circumstances... but joy that is found in the comparison.  You are the recipient of God’s favor.  This knowledge will serve as your shield.

Psalm 4

vs.1-2

• The circumstances surrounding Psalm 4 are similar to those of Psalm 3.  However, things had simmered down, for Absalom failed to follow up his initial advantage and David had time to recruit forces of his own.
• The tone of this Psalm and the gentle, instructive nature with which David speaks, suggests that this Psalm is more personal in nature and, given the circumstances, may very well be David's prayer and instruction for his wayward son Absalom.
• This application would give some clarity to the idea of David's glory considering that the glory of an earthly father was in his name and carried through to the first born son, the heir.
• "How long will you love worthlessness" - is speaking of David's perception of his earthly royal power and position. 
• To David, who came from obscurity into the throne of Israel, the position of king was something fleeting.  Given one day and gone the next.
• Absalom's desire was to be king, to possess David's throne and scepter.
• In the second part of vs.2 David pleads with his son to see the foolishness of his own desire.

vs.3

• vs.3 holds in it the doctrine of sanctification.  Sanctification is separation from ungodliness and separation to God. 
• What does it mean to be separated to God?
• Think of it in terms of a can of green beans at the grocery store... there are hundreds of cans of vegetables on the shelf at the grocery store.  But when you go into the store to buy vegetables you only select one can of one type of vegetable.
• Then you purchase the can, with your money which you earned.
• After paying for this can of vegetables they are completely and fully yours to do with as you please.  They've been separated from the rest of the cans at the store, you can't take any of those cans home with you because they don't belong to you.
• But your can is separated from every other can to you... to your home, to your shelf, to your will.
• This is a simple illustration of what sanctification means in relationship to God and the individual.
• You have been separated from the lost, you have been purchased through the payment of Jesus' blood, you now belong to God.  He has possession and ultimate control over you.

vs.4

• "be angry" - is a phrase translated from the Hebrew word "ragaz" which literally means, to be agitated, quiver, quake, be excited, and/or perturbed.
• And note what follows this first sentence of Psalm 4:4... it's essentially, "calm down, be still, think about what your doing before you end up doing something destructive.
• Is there such a thing as righteous anger for a person?
• Go to Romans 3... beginning in vs.9 through vs.26
• There are two types of righteousness that we need to know about.
• God's righteousness - holy, justified, God's and God's alone
• Jesus' imputed righteousness - the righteousness by which we are made holy in the sight of God.  This is a righteousness given to us at the point of our salvation.  It is ours to claim when we stand before God the Father at the judgment seat of Christ.
• We do not become a righteous person at any point of our natural human lives.  However, we possess the righteousness of Jesus at the point of salvation.
• So, can we manifest God's righteousness and Jesus' righteousness by anger during our present lifetime before we are made perfect by God?
• Look at James 1:19-20 - "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."
• The simple answer is no.  We should be moved to action... we should be passionate and not passive, we should be upset and bothered by the condition of our world.
• However, anger is never the appropriate response.  Anger cannot manifest itself in a God-honoring way through fallen, imperfect people.
• All that to say that vs.4 of Psalm 4 might be better understood to say, "Don't over-react based on human emotion... that will cause you to sin.  Instead, calm yourself... separate yourself from other people.  Allow your heart (seat of the emotions) to quiet itself.  Just be still."

vs.5

• So what's an appropriate response when you feel yourself starting to get worked up?  vs.5
• "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness" - ask for forgiveness.
• "put your trust in the LORD" - remember your sanctification.  Remember that God is in control and that He is big enough to handle any stress or any challenge that you might be facing.  Trust that YHWH (the God of Covenant) will be good to keep His promise of protection, provision, and justice.

vs.6

• But what about when it's impossible to see God's goodness to His covenant promises in a given situation?
• The same question is asked and answered in the remaining verses, vs.6-8.
• In verse 6 we hear the struggling perspective of those who were with David, faithful to him and therefore in a similar life threatening position.
• Notice that their question is still a common one, "God works all things together for good to those who serve Him?  How is this good?  Where can you find any good in this situation?"
• I believe that this mindset is very clearly represented through the Exodus of the nation of Israel as they wandered through the desert.
• Many times you will hear the people complain about their circumstances and question the goodness of God saying, "Why did you bring us to the desert to die?  At least in Egypt, even though we were in slavery, we had enough food and a greater variety of food to eat."
• The problem now becomes one of perspective.  While David's friends reminisced and longed for the good old days, David focuses on and longs for the goodness of God.

vs.7

• These two outlooks are compared in vs.7, which gives a classic contrast between inward and outward joy,
• Inward joy wells up steadily from God through every discouragement.
• Outward joy is most often the rare product of a pleasant set of circumstances.
• Notice also that outward joy hinges on things that are incredibly temporary while inward joy relies on the eternal and unchanging goodness of God.

vs.8

• Here again, as in Psalm 3, we see David resolve his struggle as he lays in bed and drifts off into a peaceful sleep.
• This is significant.  Some of our deepest fears and worries are realized in the solitude and quiet that we experience between the time that we finally lay down in our beds and the time that we actually fall asleep.
• Charles Spurgeon once wrote, "There is a trial in stillness; and oftentimes the chamber makes a larger demand upon loving trust than the battle field."
• I believe that we are never more directly forced to deal with the reality of our circumstances, our reactions, and our feelings than at the tail end of a day when we attempt to shut off our brains for the night.
• This may be the reason that people feel the need to work until they pass out from sheer exhaustion, drown all of their issues with the noise of television, and/or drink themselves into a mind numbing stupor.
• We run from solitude and quiet reflection.
• This, by the way, may be one of the many reasons we find it difficult and laborious to pray.  Prayer often demands quiet solitude.
• In order to find true, substantial rest one must rest in God.  In order to find rest in God, one must position themselves in a place and atmosphere that allows them to hear the quiet, gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit.

 

Psalm 3

Psalm 3

Psalm 3 tells the story of 2 Samuel 15 &16

• vs.1-2
• According to vs.1,2 David's foes are not only numerous but they are also trying to undermine his trust in God.
• "There is no help for him in God."
• Has anyone ever mocked you for your beliefs?
• I find it fascinating how often those who believe in God live in fear of standing out from those who have no relationship with God.  Our tendency is to imagine groups of our friends standing in circles laughing at us while we are not around.  This is human nature, this idea that the world and that other people are consumed with thoughts and conversations about us.  The idea that we are the center of everyone's universe.\
• One of the most amazing things about the believers life is that the focus can be taken off of themselves and instead shifted to God.  We no longer have to live a life that is consumed with all of our personal hang-ups and imperfections.  Instead we can live out our lives with a divine consciousness.  A knowledge that the problems that we face each day (personal or public) are passing by and are equivalent to a thin mist that evaporates as the sun (SON) shines through.
• However, I'm certain that there are moments where believers are the center of everyone's focus and perhaps even their ridicule.  While these moments may be difficult to endure it is even more certain that in the private moments when we are thought of and/or focused on (which are much fewer than we might imagine) that those who might mock us outwardly, long for what we have.
• Think about it for a moment.  Do you know what a life of faith in God's promises and trust in the LORD's provision offers us?  It offers us a life free from worry, doubt, hopelessness, fear, anxiety . . . and the list goes on and on.
• Why wouldn't we want to live in such a way that exemplifies these truths, and in so doing, why wouldn't we want to be so transparently different from those who do not know God that surround us.
• The Christ-one's life is not something to be ashamed of, hidden and private.  Instead it should be something that we are excited to have brand us, that we are excited to carry as a banner for all of the world to see.
• Why would anyone really want to fit in to a culture where distractions are a necessity.  Where business must be maintained or else one might be forced to spend time in quiet reflection on their own humanity.
• What's of even greater danger here is the personal thought that this might be true.
• Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote, "It is the most bitter of all afflictions to be led to fear that there is no help for us in God."
• The danger here is one of self-focus... see the next section.
• vs.3-6
• A lot happens between vs.1-2 and vs.3. 
• The first two verses are an expression of the crisis that come into David's life because of the uprising of a number of his enemies.
• vs.3 introduces a section of confidence in God.
• What produced this change?  David's attention turned from his enemies to God.
• Herein lies the same principle which helped David defeat Goliath.
• While the entire camp of Israel was consumed with visions of a giant, David saw past the giant and saw God.
• Obstacles and enemies always seem bigger and more impossible when they are all that you are looking at.  However, when a person turns their eyes and thoughts toward God, God is seen in his true, great stature, and the obstacles shrink to manageable proportions.
• vs.3-6 are the appropriate response to such moments of ridicule or self-doubt.
• vs.3 - The LORD is a shield.
• What does a shield do?  For a warrior like David this metaphor would have had some intense personal meaning.
• The shield David is speaking of here would have protected the entire body.  It would have protected David from any attack that the enemy would attempt.
• However, a shield only absorbs the initial force of the blow.  An attack from a powerful or close range weapon (like a family member, a dear friend, a trusted co-worker) would still be felt through the shield and might even damage, knock down, or wound the shield bearer.
• David is not saying that the person whose trust is in the LORD is indestructible.
• It's foolish to assume that a relationship with the LORD will ensure an end to every human suffering, that you will never be broken, wounded, or damaged by any of the evil's of this world.
• vs.3 - the One who lifts up my head
• 2 points of application here.
• 1) The head, in time of trouble and sorrow is naturally bowed down, as if overpowered with the weight of affliction.  To lift up the head, then, is to relieve David's distresses, or to take away his troubles.
• 2) To lift up the head would help David to change and maintain his focus on God.  The reader should be instructed to ask God, as head lifter, to help them obtain and retain the proper perspective.
• vs.4
• David is hurt in this Psalm.  He has been knocked down, he is vulnerable, he is in great need.  This is why, in vs.3, we hear David cry out to God.
• vs.4 - Selah
• We are not certain of the meaning of the word Selah.
• Selah appears a total of 71 times in the Psalms and only once, Habakkuk 3, in the rest of Scripture.
• Because of this we can be certain that Selah is a musical reference.
• Given it's placement in the Psalms, I believe that Selah serves as a crescendo mark in the music.
• Where previously the music had been soft David makes a note for the musicians to build it's intensity.
• Rarely does the word Selah appear at the end of a Psalm.  Most frequently it's found when the author wishes to draw special attention to the emotion with which a  promise is being claimed or a truth exclaimed.
• vs.5-6
• Have you ever been so troubled by something that you lose sleep?  If any person had a reason to lose sleep from worry or fear it was David.
• At any moment his enemies could have discovered where he was hiding
• Yet David sleeps peacefully.
• The looming attack.
• It's doubtful that any of us are faced with the potential military uprising of thousands at some point during our day.
• However, you may be facing a battle and enemies.  After all, how many enemies does it take to make life miserable and possibly lead to great personal loss?
• The restful night.
• The reader shouldn't be fooled into thinking that David simply prayed for safety and went to bed, sleeping like a baby.
• While this is certainly a possibility for the Christ-one, wrongly applied I believe it to be dangerous.
• David, and his small army of faithful men, would have taken great precautions before settling down for the night.
• They would have strategically hid themselves.
• They would have had watchmen, in shifts, all night.
• They would have had an attack and an escape plan pending any activity by the enemy.
• An important lesson to take away from this is that the LORD will give rest to the wise and diligent.
• David has done everything that he possibly could do.
• All that was left over was in the LORD's hands.
• Sometimes the only thing a person can do is cry out to the LORD.  There will come times when an individual is unable to do anything other than pray.  However, those times are few.
• Matthew Henry notes, Care and grief do us good, when they engage us to pray to God, as in earnest."  This is true.  I would add to this that trials and opposition do us good when they force us to practice personal discipline, when they make us honestly examine our lives, when they cause us to be more diligent in our Scripture reading, and so on.
• You can always rest on God, but God does  not always have to do all the work.
• A rejuvenating morning.
• Having rested in God and having survived the night David's trust and strength in the LORD is renewed.
• This should teach us to rejoice in the sustaining grace of the LORD.
• Although the problem had not been solved and the enemy was still in hot pursuit, David was refreshed to fight and struggle anew.
• Sometimes God's provision does not take the shape of a total solution to one's problems.  More often than not God will simply protect and sustain the believer during a trial.
• Victory in God, then, is more about the individual's response to their difficult circumstances than about the defeat of the circumstance itself.
• vs.7-8
• Strong battle and warrior imagery is used here.  The enemy is pictured as a wild animal attempting to devour.
• David, with his shepherding background, claims here that God has knocked the teeth out of the mouth of the lion or bear (his enemies) making their attacks much less lethal.
• The attacks would still come but they would be unable to harm David in the way that they intended.
• vs.8 Salvation belongs to the LORD
• This statement is true in the metaphorical, the literal, and the spiritual sense.
• The manner in which God chooses or allows an individual to be saved will change, but the power and the process of salvation belongs solely in the hands of the LORD.
• This statement should force us into the realization that turning to anything and/or anyone else for our salvation is foolishness.  We must begin by petitioning God.  The way out of any valley, out of any hopelessness, will always be found as we follow the leading of the Good Shepherd.

Psalm 2

Psalm 2

Introduction:

• Psalm 2 can be broken into 4 parts with 4 speakers:
• The Psalmist - vs.1-3
• God the Father - vs.4-6
• God the Son - vs. 7-9
• God the Holy Spirit - vs.10-12
• Psalm 2 is one of very few specifically Messianic Psalms.  They include Psalms 22, 45, 72, 110, and 118.
• Among even this relatively small number Psalm 2 stands out dramatically

vs.1-3

• vs.1
• The Psalmist doesn't expect an answer to his opening question.  Instead it seems like he is saying to the reader, "What's the point of resisting the One anointed by God."
• The word that is translated "plot" here is the same word that is translated "meditates" (vs.2) in the previous Psalm.
• This shows the nature of human rebellion against God.  It is something that must be thought out and planned.
• Notice the difference between the "Blessed man" and the "ungodly man" in Psalm 1 and 2.  It comes down to the place a person looks to receive their delight (meaning their joy, peace, and hope).
• vs.1-2
• These two verses were cited by the earliest Christians in a thanksgiving prayer following the release of Peter and John from the Sanhedrin - Acts 4: 25-26.
• vs.2-3
• Slaves to God?
• The people described in these verses are clearly not cooperative to God's plan. 
• They consider service to their king the equivalent of slavery.
• vs.2
• The world is formally and firmly united in its desire to get rid of God.
• This makes sense considering that the current climate of the world demands acceptance of all things and a total rejection of anyone's stance on possessing absolute truth.
• The Hebrew word for "Anointed" is mashiach and is the place where we get the English word Messiah.

2. vs. 4-6

• vs.4
• Notice God's reaction to human revolt.
• He does not tremble, hide, begin counting the enemy and calculating whether or not He has sufficient force to counter this new challenge... He does not even rise from where he sits.
• Instead, He laughs.  This is the only place in the Bible where God is said to laugh, and it is not a pleasant laugh.  It is a laugh of derision.
• God does not need the cooperation or the approval of human kind.
• God will carry out His plan regardless of human opinion or popular thought.
• Despite our best efforts, we cannot impede God's plans.
• vs. 6
• Zion = to Jerusalem (although at the time Zion was originally only one section of Jerusalem - a southern hill on which a Jebusite fortification was established until David conquered it; 2 Samuel 5:6-7)

3. vs.7-9

• vs.8
• Notice the direct connection to Satan's temptation of Jesus - Matthew 4:8-9
• Jesus refuses to ask these things of Satan but will ask them of God the Father, and He will receive them when the time is perfect.
• The fact that it is God's will that His Son should have a great heritage out of the heathen world should strengthen and encourage us as we witness to the lost.

4. vs.10-12

• The final voice that speaks is a gentle voice.  It would stand to reason that this is the voice of the Holy Spirit in that He is the one who will draw the lost to Jesus, which is what the narrator is calling us to do here.
• 5 things the rebellious are called to do
• Be wise - vs.10
• Be instructed, warned - vs.10
• Serve the LORD with fear - vs.11
• Rejoice and Tremble - vs.11
• Kiss the Son - vs.12
• A kiss was the sign of love among equals, of subjection, and of religious adoration in worshipers.
• It is striking to consider that a kiss is the way in which the disciple Judas betrayed the Son of God.

 

 

Psalm 1

Many commentators the first two Psalms to be introductions to the primary themes developed in the Psalms.

• Psalm 1 deals with choices, free will, and the law.
• Psalm 2 deals with prophecy and eternity.

The problems surrounding the suffering of the righteous and the prosperity of the wicked are ones that have been around in every age.

• In the Psalms this problem occupies a prominent place.
• It is one thing to, like the Hebrews, understand intellectually in YHWH's righteous government of the world, despite many of the superficial appearances to the contrary.
• However, it is quite another to believe with your heart that the righteous are blessed and the wicked are cursed, which is the theme of this first Psalm.
• This is especially true in today's western culture given the fact that many of our most successful churches preach a gospel of health and prosperity for the righteous.
• The reality is that these things couldn't be further from the truth of the Bible. Health and prosperity will certainly be the eternal result but this temporary life, in a broken world with broken people full of broken motives who possess broken minds and bodies, will be a life that demands perseverance and hardship.

We should long for a life that is difficult. Without difficulty we naturally slip into a lethargic state. Without difficulty we will not grow stronger and more deeply in our love and understanding of the Lord.

• There is no greater and richer blessing than having to pursue a disciplined life.
• Any other pursuit will leave an individual with a feeling of emptiness, sadness, and purposeless existence.

Psalm 1 shows the reality of living the life of a Godly person (vs.1-3) and living the life of an ungodly person (vs.4-6).

• vs.1
• "Blessed" - The word that's used here is ash'rei- and it has two basic interpretations.
• 1. Happiness
• 2. Blessedness
• I believe that both interpretations are valid here. Happiness is primarily emotional and based on circumstances. Blessedness is not based in time but rather in a relationship with the Divine God.
• Happiness depends on the individual.
• Blessedness depends on God.
• You cannot divorce one idea from the other. In a world that is in constant pursuit of an emotional high the child of God has the potential to obtain emotional stability from a relationship with and a knowledge of the promises of an unchanging God.
• This verse tells a story of a persons journey into the way of the ungodly.
• Walking -> Standing -> Sitting
• You cannot avoid hearing and receiving the counsel of the ungodly. You will encounter worldly philosophy as you walk through this life.
• The danger comes when you stop to listen and think through worldly counsel. This puts the individual directly in the path of sinners.
• If you are not diligent to spend time in the Word daily, it does not take long before you are beginning to adopt thinking and living based off of counsel from the world rather than the Word of God.
• Worldly philosophy makes sense. It is based in this world, it answers many of the questions of the temporal world, and it is often based in the wisdom of temporal things.
• Because of this, even the most seasoned believer can be enticed by ungodly counsel.
• Counsel -> Path -> Seat
• Counsel assumes hearing, Path assumes stopping and listening, Seat assumes agreeing and taking the counsel of someone other than God. What begins as a casual visit ends as a permanent residence.
• If you are not diligent to spend time in the Word daily, it does not take long before you are beginning to adopt thinking and living based off of counsel from the world rather than the Word of God.
• The change does not happen drastically, but rather happens slowly as you begin to slide down a slippery slope.
• Your focus and goals change. Happiness becomes more important than holiness.
• Your kingdom becomes more important than God’s kingdom. Your thoughts seem higher than God’s thoughts.
• It is not until you get back into God’s Word that you realize how far you have strayed in your thinking and your lifestyle.
• Ungodly -> Sinners -> Scornful
• Psalm 1:1 reminds us that we need to maintain balance in our relationships with unbelievers.
• The Bible does not forbid association with unbelievers. We need to know lost people so we can love them and win them to Christ.
• The problem comes when those who don't know Christ are able to lead us away from Him.
• vs.2
• It's important to notice that the only Godly counsel that one can receive comes from God.
• It does not come from other believers, Godly counsel comes from God alone.
• While brothers and sisters may be the conduit through which the Lord chooses to communicate, the only true test of the counsel you receive will be the revealed Word of God.
• If we want to flourish spiritually, we need to pay attention to the directions our Leader has given.
• For us that means paying close attention to the Word of God, making it our daily delight and the subject of our study and meditation.
• Jesus called it abiding in Him and allowing His Word to abide in us. His promise is that when we do this, we will be spiritually fruitful (John 15:7-8).
• vs.3
• The life of a Godly person is pictured here as a tree: a few things to note in this analogy
• This tree is not wild. It's a planted tree. One that has been carefully cultivated and secured.
• The tree is planted near a source of sustenance. At no point can a tree sustain itself.
• "That brings forth fruit in its season"
• Not unseasonable and underdeveloped fruit, which is bitter and unpleasant, but fully developed, ripe and ready for use.
• Patience in the time of suffering
• Faith in the day of trial
• Joy in the hour of prosperity, etc.
• This should guide the individual in their thoughts and reactions to everyday circumstances.
• Often the best response is humility and self-reflection. Hopefully in this one will be able to live wisely by knowing the fruit that is at their disposal and by responding in a God honoring fashion.
• A quick reaction is rarely, if ever, the Godly reaction.
• Because God is the source of our fruit producing ability (i.e. the river) we can be assured that fruit will grow.
• However, if we are not careful to examine and use the fruit of God's labor in our lives at the proper time the result will never be beneficial.
• Likewise, unused fruit will eventually become rotten and fall away.
• This means that the individual must be vigilant and consistent in their examination and use of the things that God is producing and developing in their life.
• A person who is careful to do these things will experience the blessing of the remainder of the verse.
• vs.4
• "By the way of contrast the description might have continued with reference to a scrawny, crippled, blasted tree that is in every way the reverse of the one just pictured. Instead, a stronger contrast is obtained by selecting the most useless of the elements to be found in the vegetable world and generally known as such in times of old --- chaff." - H.C. Leupold
• For the same figure see Ps. 35:5; Job 21:18; Is. 29:5; 41:2; Hos. 13:3; Matt. 3:12
• The contrast is shocking here. The Godly individual is compared to a tree while the ungodly is compared to bits of dead, useless casing that surround seeds of grain.
• Chaff has no substance. The idea is that the counsel of the ungodly will fall away. It has no use. It cannot produce anything.
• In comparison the sustenance received from God produces deep roots to weather storms as well as healthy leaves and fruit.
• The individual here has a choice. Produce no roots and chaff or produce deep roots and healthy leaves/fruit.
• vs.5-6
• Perhaps most interesting to note here is that both lives (the Godly and the ungodly) come to an end.
• This is the reality of all human existence. Life ends. (Hebrews 9:27)
• The promise of God's provision does not extend a persons life. Whether you live to be 10 or 110, life is short, it is meant to end.
• Just like the seasonal fruit, life will end when the time is right.
• It's also important to notice that there are only two ways mentioned here in Psalm 1: the way of the righteous, the way of the ungodly.
• While there are only two ways there are multiple paths that an individual can follow.
• This is where free will comes into play.
• The reality is that the Christ follower will sometimes journey down paths that are ungodly. However, if the individual is in the way of Jesus, God has promised to shepherd us back to paths that are straight and righteous.

I'll close by quoting a verse from Isaiah: ¹⁰ “ For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, ¹¹ So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:10-11

The Lords Prayer (Part 4)

IX. “And do not lead us into temptation,”

A. “lead” - coincides with God as Shepherd.

1. As Shepherd He is good to lead us in paths that are right.

a) This is not in reference to temptation by God’s hand as we know that God will not tempt us. (James 1:3)

b) This is, however, a reference to fortitude through temptation and testing.

(1) As Shepherd He will protect us during trials and temptations (1 Cor.10:13; 2 Thess.3:3; Heb.13:6; Rom.8:31)

(2) As Shepherd He will equip us during trials and temptations (1 Cor.10:13; Jam.1:3-5)

2. As Shepherd He leads us for the sake of His name, for His reputation. (Pss.23:3; 25:11; 31:3; 106:8; Is. 43:25; 48:9; Ezek.36:22-32)

X. “But deliver us from the evil one.”

A. As we must be tried to ensure our humility and continued spiritual growth this petition serves as a direct claim of God’s character in spiritual warfare.

B. “Deliver” - expresses our inability to deliver ourselves from the power of the evil one. God is essential to our daily spiritual fortitude.

XI. “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

A. “Yours” - shift of focus; a return to praise of the “Father.”

B. “the kingdom and the power and the glory” - doxology; revisits each personal petition.

1. “the kingdom” - opening petition

2. “the power” - over our personal petitions (i.e. daily provision, forgiveness, temptation)

3. “the glory” - the overall petition; for the glory of His name.

The Lord's Prayer (Part 3)

VII. “And forgive us our debts,”

A. Spurgeon notes, “No prayer of mortal men could be complete without confession of sin. Prayer which does not seek for pardon will fail, as the Pharisee’s prayer did.”

B. This petitions God as supreme Judge.

1. “Us” - those currently in the body of Christ.

a) This prayer is for those who have already been absolved of their ultimate condemnation and are seeking an open walk and constant relationship.

b) This is our greatest need and should be our greatest desire, to walk in God’s righteousness through His power and forgiveness. (1 Jn.1:9)

2. “Our debts”

a) We have the debt of our sins to pay. (Rom.6:23)

b) In Judaism sins were thought of as debts to God.

(1) Old Testament - required animal sacrifice to earn God’s favor and entrance into the Holy of Holies.

(2) New Testament - requires acceptance of Jesus as sufficient blood sacrifice.

C. We must ask for forgiveness in order to properly approach God in a right relationship with Him and, as seen in the next phrase, with others.

VIII. “As we forgive our debtors.”

A. This is further explained in the verses following the Lord’s Prayer (Mt.6:14-15)

1. We are unable to receive the forgiveness of Christ if we are not first willing to allow God to be Judge over all.

2. Expresses the nature of our depravity and calls us to constant humility. (Paul is a standing example of this.)

B. This petition releases us from bitterness, a caustic nature, anxiety and the destruction of hatred and ensures our ability to manifest the fruits of the Spirit in the lives of others.

C. We forgive because we have been forgiven on account of Christ’s merits.

D. This point is further emphasized in the parable of the two debtors (Mt.18:21-35)