Psalm 25-30

Wednesday Evening Bible Study

October 15, 2003

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

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

Illustration

A man set out to do some ice-fishing on a frozen lake. Carefully having carrying his gear to a favorite spot, he proceeded to carve out a hole on the ice to drop his line, and settled into his mission. As he was waiting for the fish to bite, he noticed a young boy waddling onto the ice with a fishing pole, with a determined look on his face. The man smiled at the kid’s tenacity, but after a while, his expression turned to surprise as the boy kept pulling fish after fish out of the lake. After about an hour, the man slipped and slided across the ice to the boy and said to him, “Young man, I’ve been here for a while and haven’t caught anything, yet I see that you keep catching fish one after another. Do you mind if I ask what your secret is?” The young boy mumbled, “Mm mm mm mm mm mm mmmm!” “What did you say?” asked the puzzled man. “Mm mm mm mm mm mm mmmm!” “I’m sorry, son, I can’t understand you,” the man replied. The boy spit into his hand and said, “Mister, you gotta keep your worms warm!”

God gives advice to those who fear and honor Him.

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”.

God is not obligated to share His secrets to those not committed to obeying Him.

If you’ve wondered why God isn’t answering your prayers or giving you the guidance you’ve been asking for, perhaps you ought to ask yourself the question, “Have you obeyed the last thing that God told you to do?” If you haven’t, perhaps you need to go back and do that thing.

: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

Psalm 26

I’ve seen several suggestions as to when David might have written this Psalm.

Some have suggested that it was written by David during the time that he was fleeing from Saul.

Another suggestion was that it was written by David after he was made king over the tribe of Judah, but before the whole nation made him king and he was at war with Saul’s descendants, and then some guys secretly killed Saul’s son and brought his head to David without David knowing anything about it.

Another has suggested that it was David’s prayer during the time of a famine in the land, when the Gibeonites had been offended.

(2 Sam 21:1 KJV) Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

It wasn’t David’s fault, it was because of Saul.

Yet David still needed to work to make things right and correct Saul’s sin.

When a leader sins, if affects the whole nation.

When a father sins, the family is affected. When a pastor sins, a church is affected. When a leader sins, the nation is affected.

No matter what the actual circumstances where, this is a Psalm written to describe a time when David has apparently been accused of something and he doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong.

In light of the accusations against him, David makes an appeal. He appeals to God.

:1 A Psalm of David. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.

integrity – tom – integrity, completeness; fulness; innocence, simplicity; sincerity of purpose and single-hearted devotion, not sinlessness.

judge – shaphat – to judge, govern, vindicate, punish

slide – ma‘ad – to slip, slide, totter, shake

:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

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

prove – nacah – to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test

try – tsaraph – to smelt, refine, test; to test (and prove true); smelter, refiner, goldsmith (participle)

reins – kilyah – kidneys; of physical organ (lit.); of seat of emotion and affection (fig.)

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

Lesson

Under God’s microscope

Illustration

A woman brought a very limp parrot into a veterinary clinic. As she lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird’s chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, “I’m so sorry, Polly has passed away.” The distressed owner wailed, “Are you sure? I mean, you haven’t done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something.” The vet rolled his eyes, shrugged, turned and left the room, returning a few moments later with a beautiful black Labrador. As the bird’s owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the dead parrot from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head. The vet took the dog out, but returned a few moments later with a cat. The cat jumped up and also sniffed delicately at the ex-bird. The cat sat back, shook its head, meowed and ran out of the room. The vet looked at the woman and said, “I’m sorry, but like I said, your parrot is most definitely, 100% certifiably dead.” He then turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman. The parrot’s owner, still in shock, took the bill. “$150?” she cried, “$150 just to tell me my bird is dead?!!!” The vet shrugged. “If you’d taken my word for it, the bill would only have been $20, but what with the Lab report and the Cat scan...”

David is willing to let God fully and completely examine him.

(Psa 139:23-24 KJV) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: {24} And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

:4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.

vain – shav’ – emptiness, vanity, falsehood

dissemblers – ‘alam – to conceal, hide, be hidden, be concealed, be secret; pretenders; hypocrites

:6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:

compass – cabab – (Poel) to encompass, surround; to come about, assemble round; to march, go about; to enclose, envelop

:12 My foot standeth …

Lesson

Not free from accusations

Even when you are walking uprightly, you will find people accusing you.

Even worse, there will be people who will believe them.

Psalm 27

We’ll look at this on Sunday morning

:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Lesson

No fear

:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

:3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

desired – sha’al – to ask, enquire, borrow, beg

house – bayith – house

beauty – no‘am – kindness, pleasantness, delightfulness, beauty, favour

enquire – baqar – (Piel) to seek, look for; to consider, reflect

temple – heykal – palace, temple, nave, sanctuary

Lesson

Heart for God

:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

pavilion – cok – thicket, lair, covert, booth

tabernacle – ‘ohel – tent; nomad’s tent, and thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience; dwelling, home, habitation; the sacred tent of Jehovah (the tabernacle)

rock – tsuwr – rock, cliff; rocky wall; block of stone, boulder

:6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

:7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

Lesson

Respond when God prompts

(John 3:8 KJV) The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

When God prompts you to worship, worship. When God prompts you to pray, pray. Don’t put it off.

:9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

Lesson

Count on Him

Other people will let you down. Don’t be surprised when it happens.

God won’t let you down.

:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

:12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

believed – ‘aman – (Hiphil) to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in; stand firm; trust, believe

(Psa 27:13 NASB) I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.

(Psa 27:13 NLT) Yet I am confident that I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living.

Another Psalmist will say much the same thing, perhaps quoting David here.

(Psa 116:9-10 KJV) I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. {10} I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

There is a spirit of trust here, trusting that God will preserve his life. The psalmist believed the Lord would help him.

Paul then quotes Psalm 116, as

(2 Cor 4:13 KJV) We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Lesson

God isn’t finished with you yet

(Phil 1:6 KJV) Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

wait – qavah – (Piel) to wait or look eagerly for; to lie in wait for; to wait for, linger for

Lesson

Wait and trust

Psalm 28

:1 A Psalm of David.

We don’t have a clue when this was written.

:1 be not silent to me

Lesson

When God is silent

Sometimes our hearts are not right.

Saul – He had not been walking with the Lord. He had been trying to kill David.

(1 Sam 28:4-7 KJV) And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. {5} And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. {6} And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. {7} Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

Saul didn’t deal with his sin. And so God was silent.

Saul panicked and decided he needed to find answers another way and tried using a witch to contact the dead. This brought God’s final judgment against Saul.

Sometimes God is teaching us to walk by faith

(2 Cor 5:7 KJV) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

:2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

oracle – d@biyr – the holy of holies, the innermost room of the temple or tabernacle; hindmost chamber, innermost room of the temple of Solomon, most holy place, holy of holies

:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield

Lesson

God’s strength

God’s strength in our lives – how do we get it?

(2 Cor 12:7-10 KJV) And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. {8} For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. {9} And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. {10} Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Acknowledge your weakness.

God’s strength is made perfect in our lives when we are weak.

Do you ever feel weak? Ever feel like you don’t have what it takes?

Some people would criticize you not having a “positive confession”.

In reality, there is power in negative thinking. It makes us cling to the Lord. It makes His strength perfect in our lives.

(Isa 40:28-31 KJV) Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. {29} He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. {30} Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: {31} But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Wait on Him.

Psalm 29

:1 A Psalm of David. Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

ye mighty – literally, “sons of God”. Probably refers to angels.

:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

beauty – hadarah – adornment, glory; holy adornment (of public worship); glory (of the king)

holiness – qodesh – apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness

(Psa 29:2 NASB) Worship the LORD in holy array.

:3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth

It’s possible that this psalm was inspired by a thunderstorm, God’s “voice” being the thunder.

:9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve

Lesson

God’s powerful Word

This is more than thunder. It’s the power of God speaking.

(Heb 4:12 KJV) For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

(Isa 55:10-11 KJV) For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: {11} So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Illustration

The Power of the Translated Word; By Gene Scott, Wycliffe Translator

Marie and I had worked 25 years among the Sharanahuas without seeing much fruit for our labors. The Sharanahua tribe lives in the Amazon jungle in the southeastern corner of Peru. Gustavo, our translation assistant, re-placed his elderly father as chief and was the first of his tribe to make Jesus his “Owner.” But for many years he had not been able to leave alcohol alone, which damaged his testimony. About 11 years ago, while Gustavo was translating the books of Matthew and John with me in the village of Gasta Bala, the Holy Spirit drove the Word deeply into his “innermost.” We had translated Matthew 4:17: Our Lord God is coming to you. Therefore cut off your badness. Not doing bad, instead truly listen to God’s words. When most of the village had gathered for a meeting one Sunday, Gustavo stood before his people and spoke, “I have been a poor example to you as your chief. Not only have I been getting drunk myself, but I have been bringing the liquor to you. Also I have been living in immorality.” He prayed, asking the Lord to forgive him and telling his people that from that time on he wanted Jesus to be his Owner and to give him victory over sin.

After Gustavo made his public commitment to Christ in 1984, the people in the village began to get together every day to sing and pray and listen to the Word. Every day for nearly two months at least one person in Gasta Bala accepted Christ. This continued until all but a few had professed Christ.

During one of their meetings, Gustavo again stood up and told his people that, from the translation work, he saw from God’s Word that if you were serious about following Christ, you should be baptized, based upon Jesus’ example in Matthew 3:15: Like Father God ordered us, we should do all that is right. Therefore put me in the water now. He announced that the following Sunday he would be baptized. On that day, the entire village gathered at the bank of the muddy Purus River. Gustavo looked up at his people from the edge of the river, and this strong chief did something no Sharanahua man had ever done before. He broke into tears and said how sorry he was for all of the years that he had hurt his Owner. Gustavo then went into the water and was baptized by his brother Luis.

As a result of the spiritual awakening that came to Gasta Bala in 1984, dramatic changes occurred in the lives of the people. Barriers between families were broken down, they learned the power of prayer, and their attitudes toward death took a new focus. Before, when a person died, all of his belongings were buried with him or thrown into the river. The deceased person’s garden would be cut down, his home would be burned, and the family would move to a new location. Since then, when a believer dies, they do not wail for months as they used to, because they know that loved one is happy with the Lord and that they will see him again some day.

When the members of the tribe had gathered together and chosen Gustavo to be their pastor, spontaneously five or six of the Sharanahua men gathered around Gustavo’s chair, and as they had read in Acts 13:3--having finished resting from eating and calling on Father God, they placed hands upon Barnabas and Saul and prayed for them—they laid their hands on him and prayed for him. “Lord, help him to preach the Word plainly to us.”

God’s Word is powerful.

For some of us, we know this in our mind, but it hasn’t really sunk down into our hearts.

We think of our Bible as a special book, but we don’t often think about the incredible power that’s inside of it.

Get the Book inside of you.

Psalm 30

:1 A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David.

This is the first Psalm to be called a “Song”.

song – shiyr – song; lyric song; religious song; song of Levitical choirs

There are two possibilities about when this song was written.

Some say it was written for the dedication of the Temple.

David had purchased the land for the Temple, designed the buildings, and even gathered all the materials for the building of the Temple. Though it was Solomon that actually had the structure built, you could conceivably call it the house of David.

Others say that it refers to the building of David’s own house.

(2 Sam 5:11-12 KJV) And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house. {12} And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.

Either way, this Psalm is about God’s grace on David’s life. It’s about how God can turn the darkest circumstances to dancing.

:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Lesson

Wait for morning

When we’re in a difficult time it seems like it’s going to last forever.

Long nights seem to go on and on.

Illustration

How different are summer storms from winter ones! In winter they rush over the earth with their violence; and if any poor remnants of foliage or flowers have lingered behind, these are swept along at one gust. Nothing is left but desolation; and long after the rain has ceased, pools of water and mud bear tokens of what has been. But when the clouds have poured out their torrents in summer, when the winds have spent their fury, and the sun breaks forth again in glory, all things seem to rise with renewed loveliness from their refreshing bath. The flowers, glistening with rainbows, smell sweeter than before; the grass seems to have gained another brighter shade of green; and the young plants which had hardly come into sight have taken their place among their fellows in the borders, so quickly have they sprung up from the showers. The air, too, which may previously have been oppressive, has become clear, and soft, and fresh.

Such, too, is the difference when the storms of affliction fall on hearts unrenewed by Christian faith, and on those who abide in Christ. In the former they bring out the dreariness and desolation which may before have been unapparent. The gloom is not relieved by the prospect of any cheering ray to follow it or of any flowers or fruits to show its beneficence. But for the true Christian soul, “though weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning.” A sweet smile of hope and love follows every tear; and tribulation itself is turned into the chief of blessings.

-- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Quotable Spurgeon, (Wheaton: Harold Shaw Publishers, Inc, 1990)