Sunday
Morning Bible Study
December 7, 2003
Psalm 61 - When life is too much, pray
We believe that the circumstance surrounding this Psalm has to do with
David fleeing from his own son Absalom.
Absalom was a beloved son of David.
He was also a dangerous man.
(2 Sam 15:10-14 KJV) But Absalom sent spies throughout all the
tribes of Israel,
saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom
reigneth in Hebron.
{11} And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were
called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing. {12}
And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his
city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was
strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom. {13} And there came
a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel
are after Absalom. {14} And David said unto all his servants that were with him
at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from
Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil
upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.
Some of David’s friends went with him, others stayed behind.
(2 Sam 15:18-22 KJV) And all his servants passed on beside him;
and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six
hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the
king. {19} Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also
with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger,
and also an exile. {20} Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day
make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and
take back thy brethren: mercy and truth
be with thee. {21} And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD
liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king
shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be. {22} And
David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and
all his men, and all the little ones that were with him.
Note “mercy and truth”, this will come up later in our Psalm.
This wasn’t a happy time. It was a
time filled with fear and despair.
(2 Sam 15:23
KJV) And all the
country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also
himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward
the way of the wilderness.
(2 Sam 15:30
KJV) And David went up
by the ascent of mount Olivet,
and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all
the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up,
weeping as they went up.
It was also a time filled with prayer.
(2 Sam 15:31
KJV) And one told
David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David
said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the
counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
:1-4 Overwhelmed prayer
:2 when my heart is overwhelmed
overwhelmed – ‘ataph – to
turn aside; to be feeble, be faint, grow weak; “covered over with darkness”
Lesson
Discouragement
If you are overwhelmed today, you are not alone. You are not unique.
We know that David went through times of deep depression:
(Psa 6:6 KJV) I am weary
with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my
tears.
Moses was used to write God’s Law, but became despondent over his position
of leading the nation:
(Num 11:14
KJV) I am not able to bear all this
people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
Elijah was used to do great miracles, yet fleeing from Jezebel he became
greatly depressed and wanted to quit (1Ki. 19).
Charles Spurgeon wrote,
“Fits of depression come over most of us.
Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise
not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always
happy. There may be here and there men
of iron, but surely the rust frets even these.”
I understand that the President is considering making some sort of big
announcement on December 17, the anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first
flight. Some have hinted he might
challenge the nation to put another man on the moon or even possibly Mars. I don’t think he’ll have any shortage of
volunteers to go.
Illustration
Not too long ago, the Hayden Planetarium in New York
City issued an invitation to all those who were
interested in applying to be a part of the crew on the first journey to another
planet. Eighteen thousand people applied. They gave the applications to a panel
of psychologists, who examined them thoroughly and came to the conclusion that
in the vast majority of incidents, those who applied did so because they were
discouraged with their lives here and hoped they could find a new life
somewhere else.
-- Bruce Thielemann,
“Dealing with Discouragement”, Preaching Today, Tape No. 48.
We all get overwhelmed by so many things.
For some of us it might be problems in our relationships. For others it’s troubles at work. For some it might be finances. Some of us have lost a loved one. Some may be struggling with illness.
This particular time of year can be a time filled with depression. Some get depressed the closer we get to the
holidays because they know they’re not going to have the “perfect” Christmas.
For others, the depression hits after the holidays, because they have to go
back to regular life.
:4 I will trust in the covert of thy wings
The “wings” might refer to the wings found in the tabernacle, the wings of
the cherubim on the Ark. They
were over the mercy seat – the throne of grace. This was the place where God
would meet with man. (Ex. 25:20-22)
:5-8 A Blessed King
:5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows
David had seen God answer his prayers before. He’s seen God’s work in his life.
:6 Thou wilt prolong the king's life
David is expecting that God will keep him alive.
:7 He shall abide before God for ever:
It may be that David is talking about himself, and God preserving his
life. It might be that David is talking
about eternal life. But it might go
further than that.
God had earlier made promises to David about “forever”
(2 Sam 7:12-17 KJV) And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt
sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed
out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. {13} He shall build an
house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. {14}
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten
him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: {15} But
my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put
away before thee. {16} And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for
ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. {17} According to
all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto
David.
And now David is being chased by his own son, but not the son of the
prophecy. Solomon would partially fulfill
this prophecy, but ultimately it would be Jesus, the Son of David, who would
fulfill this.
(Luke 1:30-33 KJV) And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for
thou hast found favour with God. {31} And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. {32} He shall be
great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give
unto him the throne of his father David: {33} And he shall reign over the house
of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
:7 O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
prepare – manah – to appoint,
prepare. This is a command form, this is
what David is asking God to do.
mercy – checed – goodness,
kindness, faithfulness
truth – ‘emeth – faithfulness,
truth; reliability; stability
mercy and truth – the two Hebrew words are paired together over 30
times in the Old Testament.
One example is seen with the two spies talking to Rahab before Israel
conquered Jericho:
Jos 2:14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours,
if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us
the land, that we will deal kindly and
truly with thee.
This was not a new concept for David.
When fleeing Absalom, this is what David had wished for his friend
Ittai:
(2 Sam 15:20 KJV)
…mercy and truth be with thee.
God’s ultimate demonstration of kindness and faithfulness, mercy and truth,
are found in Jesus.
(John 1:17 KJV) For the law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
There was no greater act of kindness and mercy, of truth and faithfulness,
than when Jesus laid down His life for us on the cross, paying the penalty for
our sins with His own death.
Grammatically speaking, this phrase as the main “request” of David in this Psalm.
(Ps 61:7 The Message) post Steady Love and Good Faith as lookouts,
:8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever
How do we get from being overwhelmed to praising God?
For David, the answer was in prayer.
Lesson #1
Pray
Prayer isn’t your last resort, it’s your best resort.
Mathew Henry wrote, “Weeping must quicken praying, and not deaden it.”
David was a man of prayer.
All through the various stages of his life, you see David “enquiring” of
the Lord, asking God for direction, seeking God’s face.
The Psalms themselves are mostly songs of prayer.
Jesus was a man of prayer.
He prayed at the beginning of His ministry.
(Mark 1:35 KJV)
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and
departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
His followers were so impressed with His prayer life that they asked Him to
teach them to pray, and He taught them, “Our Father, who are in heaven …”
Before choosing His twelve disciples, Jesus spent the night in prayer (Luke
6:12-13)
In His greatest time of difficulty, when His heart was overwhelmed, He
prayed.
(Luke 22:41-46 KJV) And he was withdrawn from them about a
stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, {42} Saying, Father, if thou be
willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
{43} And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. {44}
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were
great drops of blood falling down to the ground. {45} And when he rose up from
prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, {46}
And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
Is your heart overwhelmed? Don’t
sleep. Pray.
Lesson #2
Pray up
David prayed,
when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher
than I. (vs.2)
The help you need out of your tough circumstance or depression comes from
higher than you are.
It doesn’t come from looking frantically around your for answers, help
comes from above.
Paul wrote,
(Col
3:1-2 KJV) If ye then be risen with
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. {2} Set your affection on things above, not on things on the
earth.
Illustration
William Cowper lived in the 1700s and was a friend of John Newton’s who
wrote, “Amazing Grace”. William Cowper
was troubled throughout his life with times of deep depression, yet he wrote
some of the most amazing hymns including “God Moves in a Mysterious
Way”
God moves in a
mysterious way; His wonders to perform; He plants His foot-steps in the sea;
and rides upon the storm.
You fearful saints,
fresh courage take: The clouds you so much dread; are big with mercy, and shall
break; in blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord
by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace; behind a frowning providence;
faith sees a smiling face.
Blind unbelief is
sure to err; and scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, and He will
make it plain. [1]
Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days. His deliverance didn’t come until he looked up
and prayed (Jonah 3:1)
Nebuchadnezzar was a great king who became swallowed up in pride. It led to a time of madness where he began to
act like a cow, living outside and eating grass. It ended when he looked up.
(Dan 4:34
KJV) And at the end of the days I
Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned
unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that
liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is
from generation to generation:
Jesus said to look up
(Luke 21:25-28 KJV) And
there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon
the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
{26} Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things
which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. {27}
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great
glory. {28} And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Are you overwhelmed? Look up. Pray up.
Lesson #3
Pray back
David prays based upon what God has done in the past.
(Psa 61:3 KJV) For thou hast
been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
David can look back and see how God has protected him over
the years.
(Psa 61:5 KJV) For thou, O
God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy
name.
David can see the things that God has done in his life as
a result of his trusting Him.
What kinds of thinks could David be looking back at?
Deliverance from lions and bears, from giants like Goliath, from enemies
like Saul, from enemy armies like the Moabites, Edomites, and Ammonites. God has delivered David in the past.
Can you think of times that God has delivered you in the past? He will do it again.
(Rom 8:32
KJV) He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?
God has a history of doing tremendous things for us in the
past, the greatest of which was sending His own Son to die for our sins. God will help us again.
Lesson #4
Pray forward
David is looking to God’s mercy and truth for protection (vs.7)
(Psa 61:7 KJV) O prepare
mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
There may be a prophetic sense in which David is praying for the kings to
come after him, but I think that in a very real sense, David is praying for
himself. He’s asking God for
protection. He’s asking God to protect
him with kindness and faithfulness, mercy and truth.
How we protect stuff – waxing your car, changing your oil (pay me now or
pay me later, lube it or lose it).
David was asking God to protect him with mercy and truth.
We are protected by Jesus – the personification of mercy and truth.
What is it that you need? Ask for
it.
(1 Pet 5:7 KJV) Casting all
your care upon him; for he careth for you.
(Psa 55:22 KJV) Cast thy
burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the
righteous to be moved.
Aim forward, aim at the target.
Pray.