Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
January 21, 2004
Psalm 81
Don’t miss God’s blessings
To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph.
Gittith – Gittiyth – “a
wine-press”; a musical instrument? from Gath?
and used in three Psalm titles- Ps 8:1; 81:1; 84:1; a song title used for the
Feast of Booths
:1-7 Give God praise – being tested
:3 Blow up the trumpet
I don’t think they were to have exploding trumpets. They were to “sound”
the trumpets.
There was a “feast of trumpets” on the first day of the seventh month. One
of its purposes was to get everybody ready for the Feast of Tabernacles, which
took place on the fifteenth of the seventh month.
This Psalm was written for the Feast of Tabernacles.
This was a yearly feast where the people gathered in Jerusalem
to live in booths for a week. The purpose was to remember how God took them
through the wilderness when they came out of Egypt.
They were to remember how God dwelled with them in the wilderness.
:4 For this was a statute for Israel,
and a law of the God of Jacob.
The law concerning the Feast of Tabernacles is in Lev. 23:34-43.
:5 where I heard a language that I understood not.
I think that at this point God is speaking, not the Psalmist.
I think God is talking about the Egyptian language, not that He doesn’t
understand it, but that His people were in a foreign land.
:7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee
When they asked God to deliver them, God answered and brought them out of Egypt.
:7 I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
proved – bachan – to
examine, scrutinize; to test, prove, try (of gold, persons, the heart, man of
God)
Meribah – M@riybah –
“strife” or “contention”
(Exo 17:1-7 KJV) And all
the congregation of the children of Israel
journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the
commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for
the people to drink. {2} Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said,
Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with
me? wherefore do ye tempt (better, “test”) the LORD? {3} And the
people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and
said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us
and our children and our cattle with thirst? {4} And Moses cried unto the LORD,
saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. {5}
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of
the elders of Israel;
and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. {6}
Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt
smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may
drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
{7} And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel,
and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
Moses felt that the people were “testing” God, but in actuality, God was
testing them.
The test is about how we’ll react when things in life don’t seem to be
working out the way we want.
Will we trust God or will be test Him?
:8-16 Disobedience led to problems
:9 There shall no strange god be in thee
This was part of the Ten Commandments.
:10 open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
God wants to provide for the needs of His people.
:12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust
The people were complaining about the bread from heaven (manna). They
lusted after meat. They complained so much that God gave them what they asked
for:
(Num 11:33-34 KJV) And while the flesh was yet between their teeth,
ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and
the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. {34} And he called the name
of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that
lusted.
Kibrothhattaavah – “graves of lust”.
Be careful what you ask for. Sometimes God will give it to you.
:14 I should soon have subdued their enemies
God promised to give His people victory over their enemies if they would
obey His commands.
:16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat
Lesson
The Blessings of Obedience
Don’t miss out on what God has for you by being rebellious.
Don’t get your head turned by the pleasures of “sin for a season”. Is will
lead to death.
(Heb 11:24-26 KJV) By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; {25} Choosing rather to
suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season; {26} Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
Illustration
Sad Stories
Trying to get ahead in life without obeying
God is a little like forgetting the room key.
You will find yourself having to start over and over and over.
Obeying God doesn’t make us instantly
wealthy.
But over the long haul in life, we end up
MUCH farther ahead when we learn to do what God asks of us.
Psalm 82
Judges and justice
A Psalm of Asaph
This is a song directed at those who are judges. Not all Psalms are
directed as praise or prayer to God.
:1-5 Judges should do justice
:1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the
gods.
judgeth – shaphat – to
judge, govern, vindicate, punish
gods – ‘elohiym – (plural) rulers, judges;
divine ones; angels; gods; This is also the word usually translated “God”, in
the plural form.
This word is going to throw some people off. Some have used this psalm to
say that there are other “divine beings” in heaven besides God.
Yet God Himself says that there are no other “gods”.
(Isa 43:10 KJV) Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant
whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am
he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
(Isa 44:6 KJV) Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his
redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me
there is no God.
(Isa 44:8 KJV) Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee
from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God
beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
(Isa 45:5-6 KJV) I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no
God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: {6} That they may
know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside
me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
(Isa 45:21-22 KJV) Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take
counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it
from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just
God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. {22} Look unto me, and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
This is not talking about divine-like beings, but those who are judges in Israel,
a person who makes decisions about the fate of others.
(Psa 82:1 NLT) God presides over heaven's court; he pronounces
judgment on the judges:
:2 How long will ye judge unjustly
These judges were showing partiality towards people who were clearly
guilty.
:5 …they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of
course.
(Psa 82:5 NLT) But these oppressors know nothing; they are so
ignorant! And because they are in darkness, the whole world is shaken to the
core.
:6-8 Judges will also perish
:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
God calls those who served as judges “elohim”
(Exo 21:6 KJV) Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the
door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an
awl; and he shall serve him for ever.
The word “judges” is elohim.
(Exo 22:8-9 KJV) If the thief be not found, then the master of the
house shall be brought unto the judges,
to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods. {9} For all
manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or
for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of
both parties shall come before the judges;
and whom the judges shall condemn,
he shall pay double unto his neighbour.
The word “judges” is elohim.
Jesus quotes this passage to make a point with the Jews.
(John 10:30-38 KJV) I
and my Father are one. {31} Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
{32} Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for
which of those works do ye stone me? {33} The Jews answered him, saying, For a
good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a
man, makest thyself God. {34} Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your
law, I said, Ye are gods? {35} If he
called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be
broken; {36} Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the
world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? {37} If I do not
the works of my Father, believe me not. {38} But if I do, though ye believe not
me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me,
and I in him.
The Mormons take all this to
show that we too can become gods, but that’s not the point Jesus is trying to
make.
The Jews felt Jesus was
blaspheming because He was claiming to be God.
Jesus’ point is simply that if the Old Testament judges were allowed to be
called “elohim”, why is it
blaspheming if the true Son of God is calling Himself equal with God?
:7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
These men might have exalted titles, but they too will die and have to face
God in judgment.
:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
Lesson
True judgment
(Mat 7:1-5 KJV) Judge not, that ye be not judged. {2} For with what
judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall
be measured to you again. {3} And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy
brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? {4} Or
how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? {5} Thou hypocrite, first cast out the
beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote
out of thy brother's eye.
We often hear people quote Matt. 7:1 and tell us not to judge them. But if
you pay attention and read the whole passage, you will find that Jesus is not
saying that we shouldn’t judge people, but that we need to be careful how we go
about making our judgments.
The way we judge others will be the way that we will find ourselves being
judged, either by God or by others around us.
When you are too harsh on others, don’t be surprised that people are too harsh
on you.
Examine yourself first.
(Mat 7:5 KJV) Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine
own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy
brother's eye.
If you find yourself being critical of another person, be
sure you take the time to look in the mirror before you say anything.
Is this something that you struggle with as well? Are you
dealing with the issue in your life or are you just getting mad at everyone
else who has the same problem?
There is a time to pull splinters out of another person’s
eye, but the person qualified to do it is one who doesn’t have any logs in
their own eye.
Psalm 83
Help with enemies
:1-8 Enemies rise up
:8 …Assur also is joined with them
These are all various nations that have come against Israel
:9-18 God help us as in the past
:9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin…
The story of Sisera and Jabin is found in Judges 4, when God used a couple
of women to deliver the nation of Israel
from the Canaanites. Jabin was the king and Sisera was his general. God used
the prophetess Deborah to stir up the people to fight. Then God used a woman,
Jael, to actually be the one to kill Sisera.
:11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb …
Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah, and Zalmunna were the princes and kings of the
Midianites (Judge 6-8) against whom Gideon fought. When Gideon’s little army
broke their clay pots and blew their trumpets, the Midianites began fighting
each other. Then those that were still alive fled, including these men. Oreb
and Zeeb were caught first and slain at a rock and a winepress (Judg. 7:25). Zebah and Zalmunna were chased a little
further where they were captured and slain by Gideon himself (Judg. 8:21).
:13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
(Psa 83:13 NLT) O my God, blow them away like whirling dust, like
chaff before the wind!
:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most
high over all the earth.
Lesson
Pray for your enemies
This Psalm sounds initially like one of those “God-go-get-‘em” psalms. But
if you look at some of the verses, there seems to be something about wanting
the enemies to know who God is.
(Psa 83:16 KJV) Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
Human enemies
Sometimes we want to spiritualize all references to enemies, as if we
aren’t supposed to have any human enemies.
But the truth is, there will be people who will come along in your life who
will function as an enemy to you.
How will you treat them?
I think it’s pretty clear that Jesus is talking about
“human” enemies when He says:
(Mat
5:43-46 KJV) Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour, and hate thine enemy. {44} But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you, and persecute you; {45} That ye may be the children
of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. {46} For if ye
love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the
same?
Love them.
Pray for them.
Paul talks about dealing with human enemies:
(Rom
12:17-21 NASB) Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is
right in the sight of all men. {18} If possible, so far as it depends on you,
be at peace with all men. {19} Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave
room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL
REPAY," says the Lord. {20} "BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM,
AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING
COALS UPON HIS HEAD." {21} Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good.
Don’t get even.
Do good to them.
Spiritual enemies
Sometimes the “human enemies” are simply puppets for the bigger enemy.
We still need to ultimately remember that the people that are giving us a
hard time aren’t the real enemy.
(Eph 6:12 KJV) For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Perhaps this is why prayer is such a big deal with
handling your enemies because prayer is a spiritual weapon, something good for
a spiritual enemy.
Work to set the puppets free:
(2 Tim 2:24-26 NLT) The Lord's servants must not
quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively
and be patient with difficult people. {25} They should gently teach those who
oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will
believe the truth. {26} Then they will come to their senses and escape from the
Devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
Psalm 84
The blessings of following God
We’ll look at this Psalm on Sunday morning …
Psalm 85
Revival
This Psalm seems to be written in a time we where we would describe the
nation as “backslidden”. This is a prayer for revival.
Illustration
A young girl became a Christian in an exciting revival at her church and
was baptized the closing Sunday morning. That afternoon she ran through the
house singing and dancing. Her sour grandfather rebuked her with these words,
“You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Just joined the church and singing and
dancing on the Lord’s Day!” Crushed by her grandfather’s attitude, the little
girl went out to the barn, climbed up on the corral fence, and observed an old
mule standing there with a sad, droopy face, and bleary eyes. As she reached
over and patted the mule sympathetically, she said, “Don’t cry, ole mule, I
guess you’ve just got the same kind of religion that grandpa has!”
Grandpa needed a bit of a revival.
:1-2 God has forgiven us
:2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people
Lesson
Forgiveness
Forgiveness comes from Jesus. He’s the One who has paid for our sins by
dying on the cross.
But forgiveness doesn’t come just because Jesus died on the cross, it comes
when we confess our sins, when we acknowledge to God that we have sinned.
(1 John 1:9 KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Revival starts with forgiveness of sin.
:3-7 God be merciful to us
:5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?
(Ps 85:5 The Message) {5} You aren’t going to keep this up, are
you? scowling and angry, year after year?
:6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
Lesson
Pray for revival
Ask God to revive you.
God isn’t finished with you. He wants you to get back on track with Him.
:8-13 God’s blessings
:8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak
Lesson
Pay attention to God’s Word
(1 Sam 3:1-10 KJV) And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD
before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious (“rare”) in
those days; there was no open vision. {2} And it came to pass at that time,
when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he
could not see; {3} And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD,
where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; {4} That the LORD
called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. {5} And he ran unto Eli, and said,
Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And
he went and lay down. {6} And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel
arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he
answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. {7} Now Samuel did not yet know
the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. {8} And the
LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and
said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had
called the child. {9} Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it
shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant
heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. {10} And the LORD came, and
stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered,
Speak; for thy servant heareth.
Will you recognize when God is saying something to you?
You will hear God’s voice best when you spend time reading His Word.
:8 let them not turn again to folly.
Lesson
Do what’s right
It’s important to hear what God says. It’s just as important to do what He
says.
(Mat 7:24-27 KJV) Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house
upon a rock: {25} And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a
rock. {26} And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them
not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
{27} And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Jesus gave advice to a church that had left its first love:
(Rev 2:4-5 KJV) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because
thou hast left thy first love. {5} Remember therefore from whence thou art
fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee
quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Think back to what it was like when you were closer to the
Lord.
If there’s anything that has been taking you away from the
Lord, turn around. Repent.
Do what’s right. Do the first works.
:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed
each other.
(Psa 85:10 NLT) Unfailing love and truth have met together.
Righteousness and peace have kissed!
When people are getting right with God, there is a union of these
qualities. Mercy meets up with truth and righteousness meets up with peace.
The keys to mercy and peace are truth and righteousness.
Mercy and truth – when we are living in the truth and not lying to
ourselves or to God, we find mercy.
When we confess our sins, we find mercy and forgiveness.
Righteousness and peace – when we find the righteousness of Christ and when
we start living lives that are right with God, we find peace.
Illustration
Rekindling The Flame
An old lady had been married for many years when suddenly her husband died.
This is what she put on his tombstone:
THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE HAS GONE OUT.
Not long afterward she met, fell in love with and married another man.
After thinking at some length about it, she went to the monument maker and had
him add this to the tombstone:
THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE HAS GONE OUT.
P.S. I Found A Match.
Jesus wants to relight that fire.