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Psalms 64-66

Thursday Evening Bible Study

September 8, 2016

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid to die?  Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Target 3300 words   Video = 75 wpm

The English word psalm comes from a Greek word that means “a poem sung to musical accompaniment”, or in particular, “stringed instruments”.

The Hebrew name is tehillim, which means “praises.”

The book of Psalms is the hymnbook of God’s people.

It’s also the “Him” book as well. It’s all about Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews quotes from Psalm 40:8 when he writes,

(Hebrews 10:7 NKJV) Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ”
The author was talking about Jesus.
We’re going to see a lot of Jesus in the Psalms.

Soul Music

Music touches the soul. It’s “soulish” in nature. It touches the emotions.

We’re going to find every kind of emotion possible expressed in the Psalms.

For every sigh there is a Psalm.

For most of us, this is what makes the Psalms so wonderful. We can identify. We can relate.
If we were honest, even darkest most depressing Psalms describe the very things we go through day by day.

It is my prayer that as we continue on this journey through the Psalms, we won’t just look at these songs academically, with our mind, but that we may also grow as worshippers.

Psalm 64 – God and Snipers

: To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

:1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

:1 meditation siyach – meditation, complaint, musing

David is going to be complaining about the problems he’s having with people.

:1 Preserve my life from fear

Lesson

Fear

David is going to talk about the things that wicked people are doing to him. They are saying things and plotting things against him.
But the real problem not the things, but the fear we have of these things.
I find that fear is one of the biggest problems in my life.
When I’m struggling with my fears, they can seem pretty scary.
Video:  Creature From The Black Lagoon
But to be honest, most of my fears are pretty irrational.
Like cats being afraid of cucumbers

Video:  Cats and Cucumbers

Who knows?  Maybe cats are aware that cucumbers can turn into the Creature from the Black Lagoon…

Too often I am making decisions, doing things, and saying things based on fears that I have.
I might be afraid of how a certain situation might turn for the worse, so I stay up at night worrying.
I might be afraid that a certain person isn’t going to like me, so I try to change my behavior, my appearance, or the things I say to them.

David’s situation before him has to do with people.

I’m trying to put this verse into practice:
(Isaiah 12:2a NKJV) Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid

:2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,

secret plotscowd – council, counsel, assembly; secret counsel

rebellionregesh – throng, in company; (TWOT) scheming

:3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,

sharpenshanan – to sharpen, whet

The real weapons David experienced were the words coming from these people.

As children, we were taught to say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”

But there’s not a lot of truth in that statement.  Words can hurt plenty.

:4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

blamelesstam – perfect, complete; an ordinary, quiet sort of person; complete, morally innocent, having integrity; one who is morally and ethically pure

:5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, “Who will see them?”

:6 They devise iniquities: “We have perfected a shrewd scheme.” Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

:5 laying snares secretly

Sounds like a sniper. Hiding, waiting for his target.

Instead of bullets, they use words.
That’s how David is thinking about some of his enemies.

:7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded.

While they are trying to shoot at us, God will shoot at them.

:8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away.

:8 stumble over their own tongue

The Bible says,

(Proverbs 26:27 NLT) If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead.

:9 All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing.

:10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.

:10 glad … and trust in Him

Lesson

Trusting God’s Defense

I think there may be times when we have to certainly stand up and respond to those who are attacking us.
But I think we too often make the mistake of trying to beat the other person at their own game.
David is talking about how God, all on His own, is able to take care of his enemies.
Paul wrote,
(Romans 12:18–21 NLT) —18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. 20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
It’s hard to do this, to let God handle the situation.
This is what it means to “trust” Him.  Step back and put it in His hands.

Psalm 65 Answered Prayer

: To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.

The suggestion is that David may have written this Psalm to be sung at harvest time.  It’s an expression of praise to God for all He has done, and for what He will do.

:1 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed.

praiset@hillah – praise, song or hymn of praise; adoration, thanksgiving (paid to God)

awaitingduwmiyah – silence, still, repose, still waiting

ZionTsiyown – (also, “Zion”) “parched place”; another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books

Back in Psalm 63, David talked about being in a “dry” and thirsty land.

(Psalm 65:1 NLT) What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to you,

Keeping your word to God.

:2 O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come.

hearshama‘– to hear, listen to, obey

prayert@phillah – prayer

God hears our prayers.

:3 Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.

provide atonementkaphar – (Piel) to cover over, pacify, propitiate; to cover over, atone for sin, make atonement for; to cover over, atone for sin and persons by legal rites

:3 You will provide atonement

When you begin to spend time with God in prayer, you will be aware of the fact that God is holy and you are not.

As sinners, we need to find out how to obtain forgiveness if we are going to stand before God.
God has a way for us to find forgiveness.
In the Old Testament, the truth was foreshadowed with the sacrifices made at the Tabernacle.
In the New Testament, the reality came into being when God sent Jesus to pay for our sins with His death.

:4 Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.

:4 Of Your holy temple

templeheykal – palace, temple, nave, sanctuary

Though this word is often translated “temple”, it is also translated “tabernacle”.

(1 Samuel 1:9 NKJV) So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord.

David died before the actual Temple was built in Jerusalem by his son Solomon.

:5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas;

awesome deeds yare’ – (Niphal) to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared; to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe; to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe

righteousnesstsedeq – justice, rightness, righteousness

(Psalm 65:5 NLT) You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.

God answers prayer.

:6 Who established the mountains by His strength, Being clothed with power;

:6 Who established the mountains

Have you been to the mountains lately?

The mountains in Israel aren’t as big as those in Southern California, but the effect is still the same.
When you are standing near a mountain, you become quite aware of just how small you really are.

God is bigger than the mountains.

He’s the one that made them.

Isaiah records that God has…

(Isaiah 40:12c NKJV) …Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance…

:7 You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.

(Luke 21:25 NKJV) “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;

:7 You who still the noise of the seas

It’s one thing to be at the beach on a nice day, but think of being in a storm in the North Sea with 100 foot waves.

Video:  Ship in 100 foot waves

God can calm even those the waves.  The waves and wind still know His name.

:8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs; You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

:8 the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice

This is the dawn and the sunset.

There is rejoicing that takes place at dawn and sunset.

You will find rejoicing when you start your day connecting with God.

This is from the devotional “Streams in the Desert” (Nov. 28):

GET up early and go to the mountain and watch God make a morning. The dull gray will give way as God Pushes the sun towards the horizon, and there will be tints and hues of every shade, that will blend into one perfect light as the full-orbed sun bursts into view. As the King of day moves forth majestically, flooding the earth and every lowly vale, listen to the music of heaven’s choir as it sings of the majesty of God and the glory of the morning.”

In the holy hush of the early dawn

I hear a Voice—

“I am with you all the day,

Rejoice! Rejoice!”

The clear, pure light of the morning made me long for the truth in my heart, which alone could make me pure and clear as the morning, tune me up to the concert-pitch of the nature around me. And the wind that blew from the sunrise made me hope in the God who had first breathed into my nostrils the breath of life; that He would at length so fill me with His breath, His mind, His Spirit, that I should think only His thoughts, and live His life, finding therein my own life, only glorified infinitely. What should we poor humans do without our God’s nights and mornings?—George MacDonald.

“In the early morning hours,

’Twixt the night and day,

While from earth the darkness passes

Silently away;

“Then ’tis sweet to talk with Jesus

In thy chamber still—

For the coming day and duties

Ask to know His will.

“Then He’ll lead the way before you,

Mountains laying low;

Making desert places blossom,

Sweet’ning Marah’s flow.

“Would you know this life of triumph,

Victory all the way?

Then put God in the beginning

Of each coming day.”[1]

Give Him your mornings.

:9 You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it.

We mentioned in the beginning about this being a Psalm of praise to God in the time of harvest.

:10 You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.

:11 You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.

:12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, And the little hills rejoice on every side.

:13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; The valleys also are covered with grain; They shout for joy, they also sing.

:13 The pastures are clothed with flocks

Lesson

Pray to the God who cares

All through the psalm David is reminding the people of how God works in all of creation.
If God does such powerful and wonderful things for all of His creation, He will do the same for you.
(Matthew 6:25–34 NKJV) —25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
You are more valuable than birds or flowers.
Instead of worrying, we should work at trusting the God who takes care of all these things.
We demonstrate our trust through our prayer life.
He is the God who answers prayer.

Psalm 66 God’s Refining

: To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm.

The title doesn’t say that this was written by David, but Psalm 72:20 indicates that Psalms 1-72 were written by David.

(Psalm 72:20 NKJV) The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

:1 Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!

:2 Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.

:3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.

awesomeyare’ – (Niphal) to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared; to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe; to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe

worksma‘aseh – deed, work; thing done, act; labour; business, pursuit; undertaking, enterprise; achievement

:4 All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah

:3 How awesome are Your works!

We ought to be praising God for the mighty, powerful, awesome things He does.

:5 Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.

awesomeyare’ – (Niphal) to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared; to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe; to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe

worksma‘aseh – deed, work; thing done, act; labour; business, pursuit; undertaking, enterprise; achievement

:6 He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him.

:6 the sea … the river … rejoice

David is talking about how God took Israel through the Red Sea (“turned the sea into dry land”) and then forty years later took them across the Jordan River, both times parting the waters so the people could pass through.

David found those times where the people had gone through tremendous trials and saw God’s deliverance as times for rejoicing.

I think of difficult times as time for freaking out, David saw them as times for rejoicing.
You’ll never know the extent of God’s awesome, mighty power until you’ve been chased through a desert by Egyptian chariots or faced with impossible difficulties.
And that brings rejoicing.

The old King James translates this as “they went through the flood on foot”.

Here’s another gem from the “Streams in the Desert” (Feb. 6) devotional:

 He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.” (Psalm 66:6.)

IT is a striking assertion, “through the floods” (the place where we might have expected nothing but trembling and terror, anguish and dismay) “there,” says the Psalmist, “did we rejoice in him!”

How many there are who can endorse this as their experience: that “there,” in their very seasons of distress and sadness, they have been enabled, as they never did before, to triumph and rejoice.

How near their God in covenant is brought! How brightly shine His promises! In the day of our prosperity we cannot see the brilliancy of these. Like the sun at noon, hiding out the stars from sight, they are indiscernible; but when night overtakes, the deep, dark night of sorrow, out come these clustering stars—blessed constellations of Bible hope and promise of consolation.

Like Jacob at Jabbok, it is when our earthly sun goes down that the Divine Angel comes forth, and we wrestle with Him and prevail.

It was at night, “in the evening,” Aaron lit the sanctuary lamps. It is in the night of trouble the brightest lamps of the believer are often kindled.

It was in his loneliness and exile John had the glorious vision of his Redeemer. There is many a Patmos still in the world, whose brightest remembrances are those of God’s presence and upholding grace and love in solitude and sadness.

How many pilgrims, still passing through these Red Seas and Jordans of earthly affliction, will be enabled in the retrospect of eternity to say—full of the memories of God’s great goodness—“We went through the flood on foot, there—there, in these dark experiences, with the surging waves on every side, deep calling to deep, Jordan, as when Israel crossed it, in “the time of the overflowing’ (flood), yet, ‘there did we rejoice in Him!’ ”—Dr. Macduff.[2]

(Exodus 14:15–31 NKJV) —15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” 19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.

(Joshua 3:1–17 NKJV) —1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 2 So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.” 5 And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. 7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.’ ” 9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. 13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.” 14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

Here's the point – you aren’t going to see God’s amazing, awesome works, unless you are going through difficult times, the “floods”.

Don’t be quick to run from the floods.  It’s there you will see God do the amazing.

:7 He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

:8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard,

:9 Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved.

:10 For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.

:10 You have refined us as silver

testedbachan – to examine, scrutinise; to test, prove, try (of gold, persons, the heart, man of God)

refinedtsaraph – to smelt, refine, test; to test (and prove true)

Silver is refined and purified by fire.  It’s silver that’s been refined that has value.

:11 You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs.

:11 You brought us into the net

Sometimes the difficulties we face are not attacks from Satan, but are in fact guided and directed by God for a specific purpose.

:12 You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

:12 You brought us out to rich fulfillment

rich fulfillmentr@vayah – saturation; from ravah – to be satiated or saturated, have or drink one’s fill

The King James translates this as a “wealthy place”.

Lesson

True Wealth

We think that “wealth” is all about living a life of ease and luxury.
God’s idea of true “wealth” is all about the treasures you acquire by going through the fire and the water.
Peter wrote about trials,
(1 Peter 1:7 NKJV) that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
Here’s another nugget from the “Streams in the Desert” (May 11) devotional:

 We went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.” (Psa. 66:12)

PARADOXICAL though it be, only that man is at rest who attains it through conflict. This peace, born of conflict, is not like the deadly hush preceding the tempest, but the serene and pure-aired quiet that follows it.

It is not generally the prosperous one, who has never sorrowed, who is strong and at rest. His quality has never been tried, and he knows not how he can stand even a gentle shock. He is not the safest sailor who never saw a tempest; he will do for fair-weather service, but when the storm is rising, place at the important post the man who has fought out a gale, who has tested the ship, who knows her hulk sound, her rigging strong, and her anchor-flukes able to grasp and hold by the ribs of the world.

When first affliction comes upon us, how everything gives way! Our clinging, tendril hopes are snapped; and our heart lies prostrate like a vine that the storm has torn from its trellis; but when the first shock is past, and we are able to look up, and say, “It is the Lord,” faith lifts the shattered hopes once more, and binds them fast to the feet of God. Thus the end is confidence, safety, and peace.—Selected.[3]

That is true wealth.

:13 I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows,

:14 Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.

:13 I will pay You my vows

Through the psalm we’ve watched David outline the things that bring value to our lives, bring us into “wealthy places”, or “maturity”.

Part of maturity is learning to keep your promises.

When David was in trouble, he made promises to God, “vows”.

David kept his promises to God.

:15 I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats. Selah

David’s promises to God involved sacrifices.  David keeps these promises.

:16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul.

:17 I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue.

:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.

:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart

(John 9:31 NKJV) Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.

regardra’ah – to look at, see, regard, give attention to

(Psalm 66:18 ESV) If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

iniquity‘aven – trouble, wickedness, sorrow; idolatry; trouble of iniquity, wickedness

heartleb – inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding

Lesson

Pay the bill

When I am putting my eyes on sin, when I “cherish” it in my heart, there’s a terrible price to pay.  I get myself into all kinds of trouble.
Video:  Simon’s Cat – Trash Cat
I’m afraid that the video might give you the idea that getting into trouble is “cute”. But the reality is far from cute.
I’m cutting off my connection with God.
King Saul saw this happen.
Toward the end of his life he went on a downward spiral from one sin to the next.
When he went to ask God for help…

(1 Samuel 28:6 NKJV) And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.

Isaiah wrote,
(Isaiah 59:1–2 NKJV) —1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.
Recognizing the we have sin in our life is like getting the credit card bill in the mail.
You have a choice of either paying it all off, or paying a little at a time, take the ding with the interest, and let the balance carry.
What we do with sin is similar.

God wants us to learn to pay it off and not let the interest accumulate.

We need to keep short accounts with God regarding our sin.
We don’t actually pay for the sin ourselves, but we let Jesus pay for our sin, and we do that by confessing our sin to God.

(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

:19 But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

:20 Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!

:20 has not turned away my prayer

David was far from perfect.

Yet David learned to keep short accounts with God.  He found God’s forgiveness.

And God heard his prayers.



[1] Cowman, L. B. (1925). Streams in the Desert (pp. 341–342). Los Angeles, CA: The Oriental Missionary Society.

[2] Cowman, L. B. (1925). Streams in the Desert (pp. 41–42). Los Angeles, CA: The Oriental Missionary Society.

[3] Cowman, L. B. (1925). Streams in the Desert (pp. 143–144). Los Angeles, CA: The Oriental Missionary Society.