Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
October 8, 2003
Introduction
For every sigh there is a Psalm. The Psalms express so much of what we
experience.
Psalm 20 – Prayer for help
:1 The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob
defend thee;
trouble – tsarah –
straits, distress, trouble
defend – sagab – (Piel) to
set on high, set (securely) on high; to exalt, exalt (in effective hostility)
Some have translated this phrase, “the name of the God of Jacob set thee in
a high place”
Lesson
The powerful Name
David knew the power of God’s name. When he faced Goliath, he said,
(1 Sam 17:45 KJV) Then said David to the Philistine,
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come
to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,
whom thou hast defied.
We find power in the name of Jesus.
(Acts 2:38 KJV) Then Peter said unto them, Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost.
(Acts 3:6 KJV) Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but
such as I have give I thee: In the name
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
(Acts 16:18 KJV) And this did she many days. But
Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And
he came out the same hour.
(Phil 2:9-11 KJV) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
{10} That at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under
the earth; {11} And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
I know there is much behind the concept of a “name”. It represents the
person, power, and character of Jesus. But the name itself is simply powerful. Just
speaking His name, praying in His name, brings help.
:2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
Though this could be taken as the temple or the tabernacle on earth, it’s
probably speaking of Heaven’s Sanctuary, the very throne of God.
Ask God to send help from heaven.
:4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
(Psa 20:4 NLT) May he grant your heart's desire and fulfill all
your plans.
Lesson
God dreams
I don’t think this means that God becomes your private genie.
When it comes to the things of the heart, we’ve talked about how we need to
be careful. The Bible says,
(Jer 17:9 KJV) The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Illustration
There once was this guy that got a dirty old
lamp for his birthday. He cleaned it up and POOF!--out popped a genie! “I shall
give you three wishes. You may have anything you like.” So the guys thinks for
a minute and says, “I would like a billion dollars.” “You shall have it,” and
the genie grants him the wish. “Anything else?” The guy thinks for a while. “I
would like a VW Bug with A/C, power locks, power windows, you know the works.”
“Your wish is my command. What is your last wish?” “Hmmm. I think I’ll save it
for a rainy day.” “OK, suit yourself,” says the genie. So the guy gets in his
new VW and goes for a drive to show all his friends. He turns on the radio.
There’s a very familiar commercial on. The guy starts singing to it: “I wish I
was an Oscar Meyer Wiener.”
That’s what happens when you depend on your
heart!
It’s not about getting your wishes to come true, but having God’s wishes put into you.
(Psa 37:4 KJV) Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give
thee the desires of thine heart.
When He becomes our delight, we will find Him planting His dreams in us.
Don’t be afraid of letting God put His dreams in you:
:5 we will set up our banners
A lofty signal-flag, not carried about, but stationary. It was usually
erected on a mountain or other lofty place. As soon as it was seen the
war-trumpets were blown and the battle begun.
:6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed
anointed – mashiyach –
anointed, anointed one; of the Messiah, Messianic prince; of the king of Israel
:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the
name of the LORD our God.
Lesson
Trust Him first
I don’t think this means that we have absolutely nothing to do with the
physical world. Some people would think they don’t have to have a job and can
just sit around on the sofa and “trust God” all day. People who think this way
don’t seem to have a problem eating physical food. And the Bible says that if
you don’t work, you don’t eat (2Th. 3:10).
There is still a practical side to life.
David trusted in the name of the Lord. When he faced the giant Goliath,
(1 Sam 17:45 KJV) Then said David to the Philistine,
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come
to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,
whom thou hast defied.
But there needs to be a sense in which we are learning to trust God first
for everything, instead of our own abilities.
(Acts 3:1-9 KJV) Now Peter and John went up together into the
temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. {2} And a certain man lame
from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the
temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the
temple; {3} Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an
alms. {4} And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
{5} And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. {6}
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee:
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. {7} And he took him
by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones
received strength. {8} And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with
them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. {9} And all the
people saw him walking and praising God:
Peter and John didn’t have anything else to trust in
except what they had been given, the name of Jesus.
I wonder if sometimes we tell ourselves that we can’t do
some things because we don’t have what it takes – perhaps we don’t have the
money or we don’t have the gadgets, or we don’t have the smarts. But we have
Jesus.
:9 Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.
It would seem that the word “king” should be capitalized – referring to God
as the King.
Psalm 21 Thanksgiving for Deliverance
:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
Some have suggested that this may have been a song of thanksgiving for the
result of God answering the prayers of David in Psalm 20.
:3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a
crown of pure gold on his head.
preventest – qadam –
(Piel) to meet, confront, to go before, go in front, anticipate
God “meets” us with blessings.
:6 thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
countenance – paniym –
face; presence, person
(Psa 21:6 NLT) You have endowed him with eternal blessings. You
have given him the joy of being in your presence.
:7 For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most
High he shall not be moved.
mercy – checed – goodness,
kindness, faithfulness
The Hebrew word checed is used
about 250 times in the OT. It means loyal, steadfast, or faithful love and
stresses the idea of a belonging together of those involved in the love
relationship. It speaks of God’s faithful love even for people who are
sometimes unfaithful.
:9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger
(Psa 21:9 NLT) You will destroy them as in a flaming furnace when
you appear. The LORD will consume them in his anger; fire will devour them.
:10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth
fruit – the descendants of God’s enemies.
:12 when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the
face of them.
Lesson
Let God handle enemies
He will take care of your enemies and His enemies.
Sometimes we want to take things into our own hands, when we ought to be
letting God take care of it.
(Rom 12:19-21 KJV) Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but
rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will
repay, saith the Lord. {20} Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he
thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his
head. {21} Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Illustration
I heard a story the other night about a truck driver who dropped in at an
all-night restaurant in Broken Bow, Nebraska.
The waitress had just served him when three swaggering, leather-jacketed
motorcyclists—of the Hell’s Angels type—entered and rushed up to him,
apparently spoiling for a fight. One grabbed the hamburger off his plate;
another took a handful of his French fries; and the third picked up his coffee
and began to drink it.
The trucker did not respond as one might expect. Instead, he calmly rose,
picked up his check, walked to the front of the room, put the check and his
money on the cash register, and went out the door. The waitress followed him to
put the money in the till and stood watching out the door as the big truck
drove away into the night.
When she returned, one of the cyclists said to her, “Well, he’s not much of
a man, is he?”
She replied, “I can’t answer as to that, but he’s not much of a truck
driver. He just ran over three motorcycles out in the parking lot.”
Oops. That’s probably not the right kind of example. It’s one we’d like to
follow, but not the right one.
Let God handle the enemies. He is able to handle it.
Psalm 22 Trust in Despair
:1-10 Broken Trust
:1 To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.
Aijeleth – ‘ayeleth – doe,
deer, hind
Shahar – shachar – dawn
Lit., “upon the hind of the dawn”.
Probably the name of a tune.
The psalm is typical of the sufferings of Messiah (see note on 16:8-10) and
is one of the most quoted psalms in the NT.
Keep in mind this Psalm was written by David, somewhere around 1,000 BC.
:1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from
helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
forsaken – ‘azab – (Qal)
to leave; to depart from, leave behind, leave, let alone; to leave, abandon,
forsake, neglect
This is the line that Jesus spoke while hanging on the cross.
(Mat 27:45-50 KJV) Now
from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
{46} And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli,
lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
{47} Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man
calleth for Elias. {48} And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and
filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. {49} The
rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. {50} Jesus,
when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Some of the people around the cross heard Jesus speak these words, but
apparently some of them didn’t understand too clearly what He was saying.
Why was Jesus saying this?
First – I believe Jesus was calling attention to Psalm 22. A synagogue
leader would tell the congregation which song they were to sing by calling out
the first line of the Psalm. I believe that in a way, Jesus was telling the
people around Him to check out Psalm 22.
Secondly – Jesus was fulfilling the prophecies written of in Psalm 22,
including this first line, being forsaken of God.
It was while on the cross that God the Father was pouring
out the sins of the world upon His on Son so that His Son could pay the price
for these sins.
(Isa 53:4-6 KJV) Surely he hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and
afflicted. {5} But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed. {6} All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus had known close intimate fellowship with God from since
eternity past.
(John 1:1-2 KJV) In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {2} The same was in the
beginning with God.
As Jesus hung on the cross and God heaped our sins upon
Jesus, Jesus experienced for the first time what it meant to be forsaken by God
as God turned His back on the Son due to our sin.
Lesson
He understands
When you sin and experience guilt – Jesus understands.
Though He never sinned, He’s experienced guilt, the guilt of the world. Not
just the guilt of one particular sin. Not just the guilt of ten years of
backsliding. Not just the guilt of your entire life. He’s experienced the
heaviness of the whole world’s sins. He’s experienced what it means to be cut
off from God.
When you feel alone – Jesus understands.
For His entire life, Jesus knew what it was to have intimate fellowship
with the Father. He knew He was never alone. Yet at that moment when the Father
turned His back on Jesus, Jesus experienced complete, total loneliness. His
disciples had all fled from Him and now even the Father turned His back.
(Heb 4:15-16 NLT) This High Priest of ours understands our
weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.
{16} So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will
receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.
:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
inhabitest – yashab – to
dwell, remain, sit, abide
(Psa 22:3 NLT) Yet you are holy. The praises of Israel
surround your throne.
(Psa 22:3 NASB) Yet Thou art holy, O Thou who art enthroned upon
the praises of Israel.
Lesson
Presence in Praise
It may be that this phrase “the praises of Israel”
is just a figure of speech for the sanctuary, where Israel
praised the Lord.
But I wonder if there isn’t a literal sense to this as well.
I believe there is a sense in which God’s presence is especially evident
when we praise Him.
Jesus said,
(John 4:23-24 KJV) But the hour cometh, and now
is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh such to worship him. {24} God is a Spirit: and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
God is actually looking
for people who are going to give Him worship in spirit and in truth.
James wrote,
(James 4:8a KJV) Draw nigh to God, and he will
draw nigh to you.
I think that if you are truly seeking to give God honor and praise, you
will find yourself very close to Him.
:5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered
Lesson
Trust in despair
Even though the Psalmist is describing this horrendous difficulty, he seems
to be struggling to still trust God.
I think this is the essence of faith, to be able to trust God in the
darkest moments, at the times that seem to make the least sense.
(Heb 11:1 NLT) What is faith? It is the confident assurance that
what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet
see.
Faith is what pleases God (Heb. 11:6). We need to learn to
trust Him.
:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the
people.
worm – towla‘– worm,
scarlet stuff, crimson; the worm "coccus
ilicis"
When the female of the scarlet worm species was ready to give birth to her
young, she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so
firmly and permanently that she would never leave again. The eggs deposited
beneath her body were thus protected until the larvae were hatched and able to
enter their own life cycle. As the mother died, the crimson fluid stained her body
and the surrounding wood. From the dead bodies of such female scarlet worms,
the commercial scarlet dyes of antiquity were extracted.
What a picture this gives of Christ, dying on the tree, shedding his
precious blood that he might “bring many sons unto glory”! He died for us, that
we might live through him! Ps 22:6 describes such a worm and gives us this
picture of Christ.
(from page 73, “Biblical Basis for Modern Science”, 1985, Baker Book House,
by Henry Morris)
:7 they shoot out the lip
A mocking gesture, similar to “stick out the tongue.”
:8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him,
seeing he delighted in him.
Again, on the cross,
(Mat 27:39-43 KJV) And they that passed by reviled him, wagging
their heads, {40} And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it
in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the
cross. {41} Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and
elders, said, {42} He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King
of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. {43}
He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I
am the Son of God.
Some might say that Jesus tried to fulfill the prophecies of the Old
Testament, but how could a person control what their enemies would say at their
death?
:10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's
belly.
There is an implication here regarding abortion. These are Jesus’ thoughts,
and He felt a connection with God even while in Mary’s womb.
:11-21 On the cross
:12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan
have beset me round.
Bashan is the area on the eastern side of the Jordan
to the north, where the two and a half tribes settled as Joshua conquered the
land. It was a place known for being good for cattle grazing, a place for fat
herds.
This is referring to the people that surrounded Jesus on the cross.
:13 They gaped upon me with their mouths
While Jesus hung on the cross He had to endure the taunts of His enemies.
:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart
is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
One of the effects of crucifixion was knocking the bones out of joint as
the vertical post was raised and dropped into it’s hole.
Also at the crucifixion:
(John 19:33-34 KJV) But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he
was dead already, they brake not his legs: {34} But one of the soldiers with a
spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
The piercing of a person's side with a spear was a way of certifying
whether or not the person was alive or not.
The blood and water were proof that death had occurred.
Some people claim that Jesus never died in the first place, but simply
fainted on the cross, and was revived in the tomb. This is called the
"swoon" theory.
But take note:
The trained Roman executioners, on their first observation
thought He was dead.
The blood and water proved He was dead.
From Josh McDowell's Evidence that
Demands a Verdict (pg.206-207):
Samuel Houghton, M.D., the great physiologist from the University
of Dublin, relates his view on the
physical cause of Christ's death:
"Repeated observations and experiments made upon men
and animals have led me to the following results -
"it … would occur in a crucified person, who had died
upon the cross from rupture of the heart … There remains, therefore, no
supposition possible to explain the recorded phenomenon except the combination of the crucifixion and rupture
of the heart.
He died from a broken heart.
:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my
jaws
Thirst was another byproduct of crucifixion. Several of the gospels record
Jesus saying He was thirsty and they gave him vinegar to drink.
:16 they pierced my hands and my feet.
Such a strange thing for David to write about in 1000 BC.
Even though there were some ways of dealing with dead bodies by displaying
them for others to see that sound like crucifixion, crucifixion as a means of
execution and death wasn’t known until the times of the Romans.
What could David have been thinking about? It’s all prophetic.
:17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
He can count his bones as He hangs there.
:18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
Again, fulfilled prophecy –
(John 19:23-24 KJV) Then the soldiers, when they had crucified
Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and
also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
{24} They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots
for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith,
They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These
things therefore the soldiers did.
Again, how could Jesus see that this was fulfilled when He was a condemned
criminal? He had no control over this part of the prophecy.
:20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
darling – yachiyd – only,
only one, solitary, one; (TWOT) only begotten son
(Psa 22:20
NLT) Rescue me from a violent death; spare my precious life from these dogs.
:21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of
the unicorns.
lion’s mouth – Perhaps this is talking about Satan, perhaps talking
about death, perhaps just talking about the people that are surrounding him,
also called a “lion” in verse 13.
unicorns – r@’em –
probably the great aurochs or wild bulls which are now extinct. The exact
meaning is not known.
:22-31 Praise to God
:22 in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
It’s as if the ordeal is now over. The tone now switches to praise.
:24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted
Even though Jesus bore our sins and for a moment experienced God’s
abandonment, it was only for a moment. The Father never stopped loving the Son.
Neither does God abhor you.
:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD
Jesus died for the whole world. Even us Gentiles would turn to the Lord.
:29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship
fat - prosperous
:31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that
shall be born, that he hath done this.
I think these last two verses may even be talking about us, a seed to come
that shall serve Him, a people who will tell others what God has done.
Psalm 23
We’ll look at this Psalm on Sunday morning …
Spurgeon writes,
The position of this psalm is worthy of notice. It follows the
twenty-second, which is peculiarly the Psalm of the Cross. There are no green
pastures, no still waters on the other side of the twenty-second psalm. It is
only after we have read, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” that we
come to “The Lord is my Shepherd.” We must by experience know the value of
blood shedding, and see the sword awakened against the Shepherd, before we
shall be able truly to know the Sweetness of the good Shepherd’s care.
:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Illustration
A famous actor was once the guest of honor at a social gathering where he
received many requests to recite favorite excerpts from various literary works.
An old preacher who happened to be there asked the actor to recite the
twenty-third Psalm. The actor agreed on the condition that the preacher would
also recite it. The actor’s recitation was beautifully intoned with great
dramatic emphasis for which he received lengthy applause. The preacher’s voice
was rough and broken from many years of preaching, and his diction was anything
but polished. But when he finished there was not a dry eye in the room. When
someone asked the actor what made the difference, he replied “I know the psalm,
but he knows the Shepherd.”
Illustration
In his beautiful book, I Shall Not Want, Robert Ketchum tells of a Sunday
school teacher who asked her group of children if any of them could quote the
entire twenty-third psalm. A golden-haired, four-and- a-half-year-old girl was
among those who raised their hands. A bit skeptical, the teacher asked if she
could really quote the entire psalm. The little girl came to the rostrum, faced
the class, made a perky little bow, and said: “The Lord is my shepherd, that’s
all I want.”
She then bowed again and sat down. She may have overlooked a few verses,
but that little girl captured David’s heart in Psalm 23.
:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
:2 he leadeth me beside the still waters.
still – m@nuwchah –
resting place, rest; quietness
Lesson
God’s rest
Illustration
Time has skyrocketed in value. The value of any commodity depends on its
scarcity. And time that once was abundant now is going to the highest bidder.
When I was ten years old, my mother enrolled me in piano lessons. Spending
thirty minutes every afternoon tethered to a piano bench was a torture just one
level away form swallowing broken glass.
Some of the music, though, I learned to enjoy. I hammered the staccatos. I
belabored the crescendos. But there was one instruction in the music I could
never obey to my teacher’s satisfaction. The rest. The zigzagged command to do
nothing. What sense does that make? Why sit at the piano and pause when you can
pound?
“Because,” my teacher patiently explained, music is always sweeter after a
rest.”
-- Max Lucado, God's
Inspirational Promise Book, (Word, 1996), p. 103.
:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name's sake.
restoreth – shuwb –
(Polel) to bring back; to restore, refresh, repair (fig); to lead away
(enticingly); to show turning, apostatise
:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
We don’t live in the valley of the shadow of death, we walk through it.
Illustration
Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse was one of America’s
great preachers. His first wife died from cancer when she was in her thirties,
leaving three children under the age of twelve. Barnhouse chose to preach the
funeral himself. What does a father tell his motherless children at a time like
that?
On his way to the service, he was driving with his little family when a
large truck passed them in the highway, casting a shadow over their car. Barnhouse
turned to his oldest daughter who was staring disconsolately out the window,
and asked, “Tell me, sweetheart, would you rather be run over by that truck or
its shadow?”
The little girl looked curiously at her father and said, “By the shadow, I
guess. It can’t hurt you.”
Dr. Barnhouse said quietly to the three children, “Your mother has not been
overrun by death, but by the shadow of death. That is nothing to fear.” At the
funeral he used the text from the twenty- third Psalm, which so eloquently
expresses this truth.
Illustration
When Billy Graham’s maternal grandmother died, he said the room seemed to
fill with a heavenly light. “She sat up in bed and almost laughingly said, “I
see Jesus. He has His arms outstretched toward me. I see Ben (her husband who
had died some years earlier) and I see the angels.” She slumped over, absent
from the body but present with the Lord.
-- Billy Graham, Angels: God's Secret
Agents, Doubleday, 1975, p. 152
:4 I will fear no evil:
Illustration
You may wonder what other people fear. Here is a list of the most common
fears based on the percentage of people who experience them.
Top 12 Fears Scientific
Name
1. Speaking before a group (40%) Topophobia
2. Heights (30%) Acrophobia
3. Insects and bugs (20%) Entomophobia
4. Financial problems (20%) Atephobia
5. Deep Water (20%) Bathophobia
6. Disease (20%) Phathophobia
7. Death (20%) Thanatophobia
8. Flying (20%) Aerophobia
9. Loneliness (15%) Monophobia
10. Dogs (10%) Cynophobia
11. Driving/riding in a car (10%) Ochophobia
12. Dark (10%) Nyctophobia
-- Charles J. Givens, Super-Self
(Simon & Schuster, 1993), p. 288.
:4 for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The shepherd protects his sheep with his rod or club (used to fight off
wild beasts), and He guides straying sheep with his staff or crook.
Illustration
Warren Wiersbe noted that when God permits his children to go through the
furnace, he keeps his eye on the clock and his hand on the thermostat.
:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou
anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I
will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Illustration
One of God’s faithful missionaries, Allen Gardiner, experienced many
physical difficulties and hardships throughout his service to the Savior. Despite
his troubles, he said, “While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me.”
In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation while serving on Picton
Island at the southern tip of South
America. When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore
the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entry in his
little book showed the struggle of his shaking hand as he tried to write
legibly. It read, “I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God.” Think
of that! No word of complaint, no childish whining, no grumbling at the
circumstances—just praise for God’s goodness.
Psalm 24
:1 A Psalm of David.
This Psalm is very similar to Psalm 15 where David wrote,
(Psa 15:1-2 KJV) LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall
dwell in thy holy hill? {2} He that walketh uprightly, and worketh
righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
We think it’s possible that these two songs may have been composed at the
time when David brought the Ark
up the hill to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6),
or at least possibly on the anniversary of that occasion.
:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they
that dwell therein.
David starts off by talking about God’s greatness. The whole earth belongs
to Him.
:4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his
soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
Just as we saw back in Psalm 15, David had learned a huge lesson as he
tried moving the Ark into Jerusalem.
He learned that God was holy and if we expect to approach God, we too need to
be holy.
clean hands – right actions
pure heart – right motives
:7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
This would make sense if David is talking about the Ark
entering into the gates of Jerusalem.
:10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.
Selah.
Selah – “think about it”
Lesson
God is King
Even though David was a king, God was David’s King.
Not the guy named Paul that sells big screen TVs (“I am the king”), not
Elvis, not that fellow named Don that promoted fights (Don King).
When I was in college we used to use a tract called the “Four Spiritual
Laws”. In the tract there was a place at the end where there were two circles. In
each circle there was a chair, a “throne”. The question was always asked,
“Who’s sitting on the throne in your heart?” Is it you or is it God?
If God is your king, then you are a person who is learning to do what He
says.
Jesus said,
(Luke 6:46 KJV) And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and
do not the things which I say?
He also said,
(John 14:15 KJV) If ye love me, keep my commandments.
When Jesus came to Jerusalem on
Palm Sunday, His own people didn’t recognize Him. This too was prophesied:
(Zec 9:9 KJV) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy
King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon
an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
I think there’s a neat progression here, a progression that leads to God
being your king.
Get your heart to the right place – “clean hands and a pure heart” (v.4)
Open the door – “lift up your heads” (v.7,9)
Let the King come in. (v.9)
Psalm 25
:1 A Psalm of David.
This is the second of the “Penitential Psalms”, or, a psalm of repentance.
It is thought to have been written later in David’s life, perhaps even
during the period of Absalom’s rebellion. David refers to the “sins of my
youth” (vs.7).
The organization of this Psalm is something to take note of.
There are twenty-two verses in this Psalm, just as there are twenty-two
letters in the Hebrew alphabet.
The first verse begins with a word that starts with the letter “aleph”
(like our letter “a”) and each subsequent verse starts with a word that begins
with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Some have suggested that this was to be a way of either teaching the Hebrew
alphabet or as a way to help remember the Psalm.
Either way, it shows that there can be design in songs.
Sometimes we get the idea that songs just “come out of nowhere”. Perhaps
this happens with a few songs, but with most songs, at least with the better
ones, there’s a lot of work that goes into placing the words, the melody, the
content of the song.
:4 Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
What a great thing to pray.
:6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses
tender mercies – racham –
womb; compassion
lovingkindnesses – checed –
goodness, kindness, faithfulness
:7 Remember not the sins of my youth
Lesson
God’s forgiveness
Isn’t it wonderful that God forgets our sins?
(Jer 31:33-34 KJV) But this shall be the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel;
After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and
write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
{34} And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his
brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of
them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their
iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
He doesn’t deal with us as He should with our sins.
(Psa 103:10-12 KJV) He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded
us according to our iniquities. {11} For as the heaven is high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. {12} As far as the east is
from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
:14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show
them his covenant.
secret – cowd – council,
counsel, assembly; secret counsel
Lesson
God’s advice
God gives advice to those who fear and honor Him.
People pay good money to their stock brokers to get good advice, even
“secret counsel” for their investments.
We like getting good advice.
Illustration
Good Advice:
The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart
attacks than the British or Americans.
On the other hand, the French eat a lot of fat and also suffer
fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer
heart attacks than the British or Americans.
The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also
suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
Conclusion:
Eat and drink what you like. It’s speaking English that
kills you
David had called God’s Word the “fear of the Lord”
(Psa 19:9 KJV) The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever:
When we learn to respect and fear God as we should, we
will pay attention to His Word, and we will find Him guiding us with His
“counsel”.
:15 Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of
the net.
If David did write this during the time of Absalom’s rebellion, it would be
an interesting insight to think of how David trusted that God would take care
of him, even though Absalom had chased David out of Jerusalem
and had sent a huge army out to put David to death.
:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
integrity – tom –
integrity, completeness; innocence, simplicity
uprightness – yosher –
straightness, uprightness; what is right, what is due