Thursday
Evening Bible Study
November
10, 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.
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 88 – Hopeless
This is the saddest Psalm in the entire book of Psalms. It doesn’t get more depressing than this.
Speaking of depressing …
Illustration
Mushrooms
When it came time for Jimmy and Susie Brown to have the dinner at their
house, like most women, Susie wanted to outdo all the others and prepare a meal
that was the best that any of them had ever been served. A few days before the
big event, Susie got out her cookbook and decided to have mushroom smothered
steak. When she went to the store to buy some fresh mushrooms, she found the
price was more than she wanted to pay. She then told her husband, “We aren’t
going to have any fresh mushrooms because they are too expensive.” He said,
“Why don’t you go down by the creek and pick some wild mushrooms? There are
plenty of them right on the bank of the creek.” She said, “No, I don’t want to
do that, because I have heard that wild mushrooms can be poisonous.” He then
said, “I don’t think so. I see the varmints eating them all the time and it
never has affected them.” After thinking about this, Susie decided to give this
a try and got in the pickup and went down to the creek and picked some. She
brought the wild mushrooms back home and washed and sliced them to get them
ready go over her smothered steak. Then she went out on the back porch and got
Ol’ Spot’s bowl and gave him a double handful. She even put some bacon grease
on them to make them tasty. Ol’ Spot didn’t slow down until he had eaten every
bite. All morning long Susie watched him and the wild mushrooms didn’t seem to
affect him, so she decided to use them. The meal was a great success, and Susie
even hired a lady to help her serve. She had on a white apron and a little cap
on her head. It was first class. After everyone had finished they all began to
kick back and relax and socialize. The men were visiting and the women started
to gossip a bit. About this time the lady who helped serve came in from the
kitchen and whispered in Susie’s ear. She said, “Mrs. Brown, Spot just died.”
With this news, Susie went into hysterics. After she finally calmed down, she
called the doctor and told him what had happened. The doctor said, “It could be
bad, but I think we can take care of it. I will call for an ambulance and a
couple of EMTs and I will be there as quick as I can get there. We will pump
out everyone’s stomach and everything will be fine. Just keep them all there
and keep them calm.” It wasn’t long until they could hear the wail of the siren
as the ambulance was coming down the road. When they got there, the EMTs got
out with their suitcases and a stomach pump and the doctor arrived shortly
thereafter. One by one they took each person into the master bedroom and pumped
out their stomach. After the last one was finished, the doctor came out and
said, “I think everything will be fine now”, and he left. They were all looking
pretty peaked sitting around the living room, and about this time the lady who
had helped serve the dinner came in and said, “You know, that fellow that ran
over Ol’ Spot never even stopped!
Sometimes things look more hopeless than they actually are.
Many of the Psalms express great sadness, but usually the Psalmist finds
his way out of the darkness before the Psalm is over. This Psalm ends with apparently no relief.
: A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to
“Mahalath Leannoth.” a Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.
Mahalath – perhaps the name of a tune
Leannoth – ‘anah – to
afflict, oppress, humble, be bowed down
This is a song of affliction.
Contemplation – maschil
– a song of instruction
Heman – Heyman –
“faithful”; son of Joel, grandson of Samuel, and a Levitical singer.
He was also a very strong guy J
(1 Chronicles 15:19 NKJV) —19 the
singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound the cymbals of bronze;
(1 Chronicles 16:41 NKJV) —41 and with
them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by
name, to give thanks to the Lord,
because His mercy endures forever;
(1 Chronicles 25:1 NKJV) —1 Moreover
David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the
sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with
harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men
performing their service was:
(1 Chronicles 25:5 NKJV) All these were
the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to exalt his horn. For
God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
Ezrahite –
‘Ezrachiy – “of the family of Zerach”
:1 O Lord, God of my
salvation, I have cried out day and night before You.
:2 Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry.
:3 For my soul is full of troubles, And my life draws near to the grave.
:4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who
has no strength,
pit – bowr
– pit, well, cistern
(Psalm 28:1 NKJV) —1 To You I
will cry, O Lord my Rock: Do not
be silent to me, Lest, if You are
silent to me, I become like those
who go down to the pit.
:5 Adrift among the dead, Like the slain who lie in the grave, Whom You
remember no more, And who are cut off from Your hand.
:6 You have laid me in the lowest pit, In darkness, in the depths.
:7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, And You have afflicted me with all
Your waves. Selah
:3 my soul is full of troubles
Lesson
Depression’s Pit
Depression is very real.
We all experience it. Some more than
others.
Moses was so frustrated with the problems of leading the nation of Israel that he
asked God if he could just die.
Jeremiah was known as the “weeping prophet”.
Charles Spurgeon talks to young pastors about the “minister’s fainting fits”,
about how all men in ministry (including himself) go through times of great
melancholy.
Illustration
Wrong Answer?!
The psychology instructor had just
finished a lecture on mental health and was giving an oral test. Speaking
specifically about manic depression, she asked, “How would you diagnose a
patient who walks back and forth screaming at the top of his lungs one minute,
then sits in a chair weeping uncontrollably the next?” A young man in the rear
raised his hand and answered, “A basketball coach?”
:8 You have put away my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an
abomination to them; I am shut up, and I cannot get out;
:9 My eye wastes away because of affliction. Lord, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my
hands to You.
:10 Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and
praise You? Selah
:10 Will You work wonders for the dead?
Lesson
Depression twists the truth
The Psalmist felt as if his life was as good as over, as if he was just a
“dead man”.
The Psalmist wrote,
(Psalm 88:5 NKJV) Adrift among
the dead, Like the
slain who lie in the grave, Whom You remember no more, And who are cut off from Your hand.
Is that true? Does
God forget the dead?
The Sadducees did not believe in miracles or in a
resurrection. At one point they tried to
trip up Jesus in the area of the resurrection, coming up with a story about
seven brothers who married the same gal, one after another. They wondered whose wife the gal would be in
this so called “resurrection”. Jesus’
reply:
(Matthew
22:29–32 NKJV) —29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the
Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in
marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of
the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not
the God of the dead, but of the living.”
His implication is that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not
dead and forgotten, but were still very much alive after death.
The Psalmist wrote,
(Psalm 88:10 NKJV) Will You
work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah
Has God shown wonders to the dead?
This is written from the viewpoint of the person who is
hopeless and can’t see past their current tragedy.
Some of the Old Testament writers didn’t have a very good
idea of what happened after death.
Job has this idea that you just sleep and are eaten by
worms.
Other Old Testament writers knew the truth:
(Psalm
16:10 NKJV) For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You
allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
When Jesus died, He went to preach to the souls in Sheol.
We talked a few weeks ago about how at His resurrection, Jesus
brought the righteous out of Sheol and took them to heaven.
That all sounds pretty “wonderful”.
Be careful about the ideas you form in your head when you’re depressed.
Sometimes your depression twists your perception of reality.
When you’re depressed, you’re not yourself. I’m not sure eating a Snickers is going to
fix your depression, but there are ways of dealing with depression.
You may think everyone is against you, but that might not be the case.
You might think that God is against you, but that’s definitely not true.
:11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your
faithfulness in the place of destruction?
:12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the
land of forgetfulness?
:13 But to You I have cried out, O Lord,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
:14 Lord, why do You cast off
my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?
:15 I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth; I
suffer Your terrors; I am distraught.
:16 Your fierce wrath has gone over me; Your terrors have cut me off.
:17 They came around me all day long like water; They engulfed me
altogether.
:18 Loved one and friend You have put far from me, And my
acquaintances into darkness.
:13 But to You I have cried out, O Lord
Lesson
Prayer and Presence
What is the Psalmist doing in his depression?
He’s praying.
The enemy wants to convince you that prayer isn’t going to help.
The Psalmist does sound a little as if praying isn’t helping.
But prayer does help.
It’s not uncommon when I’m counseling with someone that I get to a point of
total frustration, not knowing what to say to them. And then we pray. And I wonder over and over why I don’t just
start all counseling with lots and lots of prayer.
God hears prayer. It may not break
the depression immediately, but it’s one of the steps out of the pit.
(Psalm 40:2 NKJV) He also
brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
Elijah was had won a tremendous contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount
Carmel, yet when he was threatened by Jezebel, he ran for his life and went
into a horrible depression.
(1 Kings 19:4 NKJV)
But
he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down
under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough!
Now, Lord, take my life, for I am
no better than my fathers!”
Things don’t change immediately for Elijah.
He’s exhausted. He
needs to sleep. He needs to eat.
He continues to run until he gets to Mount Sinai where he
hides in a cave.
(1 Kings 19:11–18
NKJV) —11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong
wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and
after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord
was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and
after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in
his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice
came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 And he said,
“I have been very zealous for the Lord
God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn
down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and
they seek to take my life.” 15 Then the Lord said to
him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you
arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son
of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel
Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 It shall be that
whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the
sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have
not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
It’s at the cave that Elijah reconnects with God’s
presence.
God speaks to him, but it’s in a still, small voice.
Elijah complains, but God reassures.
God reminds Elijah that he still has things to do.
Elijah leaves and is ready to get back to work.
The answer to depression isn’t always a simple one, like “just pray more
and call me in the morning”. Some people
struggle with real chemical imbalances and there are medicines that can help.
But start with prayer. Work at
spending time in God’s presence.
Psalm 89 – David’s Throne
: A Contemplation of Ethan the Ezrahite.
Contemplation – maschil
– a song of instruction
Ethan the Ezrahite – thought to be the man also known as Jeduthun, a
worship leader in David’s day.
The song is about God’s covenant with the house and lineage of David. Apparently some sort of national tragedy has
occurred, possibly some sort of wartime defeat.
The Psalmist is reminding God of his everlasting covenant with the house
of David to rule over Israel.
It seems like this Psalm may have been written after the Babylonian
captivity, when there was no throne in Jerusalem, no descendant of David
leading the nation.
Is God done with the house of David?
:1 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord
forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.
:1 mercies – checed –
goodness, kindness, faithfulness
This is God’s special love for His people based on His covenant with them.
:2 For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You
shall establish in the very heavens.”
:3 “I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant
David:
:4 ‘Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all
generations.’ ” Selah
:3 I have made a covenant with My chosen
God’s promise to David will be the underlying theme of the Psalm.
This is the promise God made to David:
(1 Chronicles
17:11–14 NKJV) —11 And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to
be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be
of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build Me a house, and I
will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take
My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.
14 And I will
establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be
established forever.” ’ ”
For those in the days of the Psalmist, this promise may have seemed
confusing.
When the Babylonians conquered Judah, there was no longer a descendant of
David on the throne.
We know that this is ultimately speaking of Jesus Christ, a descendant of
David.
:5 And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.
:5 Your faithfulness also
Throughout the Psalm the word “faithfulness” occurs over and over (six
times).
It’s as if the Psalmist is trying to remind God to be “faithful” to His
promise to David.
:6 For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened
to the Lord?
:6 the sons of the mighty
The angels
:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be
held in reverence by all those around Him.
:8 O Lord God of hosts, Who is
mighty like You, O Lord? Your
faithfulness also surrounds You.
:9 You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.
:10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain; You have
scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
:10 You have broken Rahab in pieces
The word is used to describe both sea monsters as well as Egypt.
:11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world
and all its fullness, You have founded them.
:12 The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon
rejoice in Your name.
:12 Tabor and Hermon
Mountains in Israel.
:13 You have a mighty arm; Strong is Your hand, and high is Your
right hand.
:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Mercy and truth go before Your face.
:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne
We ought to be praying for our President Elect that these same qualities
would be the foundation of his government.
We need leaders who are righteous, who live according to God’s ways.
We need a government built on true justice.
:15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.
:15 Blessed are the people who
know the joyful sound
the joyful sound – t@ruw‘ah –
alarm, signal, shout or blast of war or alarm or joy
It’s the sound of the blowing of trumpets (shofars).
(Psalm 89:15 NLT) Happy are
those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of
your presence, Lord.
Are you happy when the service starts and Dave says to the church, “Let’s
stand for worship!”
:16 In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they
are exalted.
:17 For You are the glory of their strength, And in Your favor our
horn is exalted.
:17 our horn is exalted
“Horn” is symbolic of “strength”
:18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
:18 our king to the Holy One of Israel
Pay attention to the Hebrew “parallelism” here.
The Psalmist saw the “king” as Israel’s shield.
The king comes from God, is given by God.
:19 Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one, And said: “I have given
help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
:19 You spoke in a vision to Your holy one
God spoke through both the prophet Samuel that David would be king.
God spoke through the prophet Nathan that David’s throne would be forever.
The Psalmist is now going to talk about David’s eternal kingdom.
:20 I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him,
:21 With whom My hand shall be established; Also My arm shall strengthen
him.
:22 The enemy shall not outwit him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
:23 I will beat down his foes before his face, And plague those who hate
him.
:24 “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, And in My
name his horn shall be exalted.
:25 Also I will set his hand over the sea, And his right hand over the
rivers.
:26 He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of
my salvation.’
:27 Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of
the earth.
:27 I will make him My firstborn
This is ultimately talking about the Son of David, the Messiah, Jesus the
Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
:28 My mercy I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall stand firm
with him.
:29 His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as
the days of heaven.
There will always be descendants of David.
:30 “If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments,
:31 If they break My statutes And do not keep My commandments,
:32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity
with stripes.
God warned Solomon about this.
:33 Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor
allow My faithfulness to fail.
:33 My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him
Even though the descendants of David might fall away from the Lord, ultimately
God would still honor His covenant with David, being fulfilled in Jesus.
:34 My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of
My lips.
:35 Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David:
:36 His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me;
:37 It shall be established forever like the moon, Even like the
faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
:37 established forever like the moon
On the nights of November 13, 14, we will be able to see what’s called a
“super moon”, when the moon is at its closest to earth.
This year will be the closest the moon has been since 1948.
When you see it on Sunday night, think about God’s faithful promise to
David.
:38 But You have cast off and abhorred, You have been furious with Your
anointed.
:38 You have cast off and abhorred
Apparently there has been some national catastrophe and God has not
delivered the nation through the king, the descendant of David.
:39 You have renounced the covenant of Your servant; You have profaned his
crown by casting it to the ground.
After Babylon conquered Judah, it seemed as if God had broken His contract
with the house of David.
:40 You have broken down all his hedges; You have brought his strongholds
to ruin.
:41 All who pass by the way plunder him; He is a reproach to his neighbors.
:42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all
his enemies rejoice.
:43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword, And have not sustained
him in the battle.
:44 You have made his glory cease, And cast his throne down to the ground.
:45 The days of his youth You have shortened; You have covered him with
shame. Selah
:46 How long, Lord? Will You
hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire?
:46 How long, Lord?
Lesson
Wait for it
We too cry out like this when we are going through things that just don’t
make sense.
We wonder how long this will go on?
Sometimes the only thing we can do is to just “wait for it”.
In America we’ve gone through some pretty rough ups and downs.
Some see Tuesdays election as ending on a “high” note, while half of the
country sees it on a “down” note.
Mr. Trump has made some promises that are encouraging for Christians – the
promise of a conservative Supreme Court, and the removal of the “Johnson
Amendment” which punishes churches by removing their tax exemption if their
pastors do things like endorse political candidates.
Whether or not a Trump presidency is good for America is
something we’ll have to wait and see.
He certainly has a lot of baggage he brings to the office.
In a few years, we too may be saying, “How long, Lord?” Or not.
The answer is, God will show up. Jesus will show up and fulfill God’s promise
to David.
Came across this gem today…
Video: Steven
Curtis Chapman – God is on the throne
:47 Remember how short my time is; For what futility have You created all
the children of men?
:48 What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the
power of the grave? Selah
:48 What man can live and not see death?
(John 11:25 NKJV) Jesus said
to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he
may die, he shall live.
Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, eternal life is possible for
the one who believes in Jesus.
:49 Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses, Which You
swore to David in Your truth?
:50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants How I bear in my
bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,
:51 With which Your enemies have reproached, O Lord, With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your
anointed.
:49 where are Your former lovingkindnesses
Lesson
Faithful Promises
Even though the Psalmist is upset at what looks bad for the nation, he’s
been reminding himself of God’s faithfulness, and the promises that God had
made to David.
He remembers God’s promise of love to His people.
That’s why He started with:
(Psalm
89:1 NKJV) I will sing of the mercies of the Lord
forever; With my
mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.
We too need to remember at times God’s promises of love toward us:
(1 John 3:16 NKJV) By this we
know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren.
(Romans 8:35–39
NKJV) —35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword? 36 As it is
written: “For Your
sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all
these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am
persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor
powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other
created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
:52 Blessed be the Lord
forevermore! Amen and Amen.
:52 Blessed be the Lord
forevermore!
Here is another “doxology”.
As we’ve mentioned before, the Psalms are broken into five “books”.
Each section or “book” ends with a “doxology” or a word of praise to God.
This is the end of Book III.