Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
February 4, 2004
Psalm 91
We’ll look at this on Sunday morning
Psalm 92
A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.
The sabbath day is the seventh day (Saturday). It was intended by God to be a day of rest
and worship.
(Lev
23:3 KJV) Six days shall work be done:
but the seventh day is the sabbath of
rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the
sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
rest and “convocation” (getting together, like at church)
Are we to “keep the Sabbath” (ie –
go to church on Saturday)?
There are some churches and cults who hold the position that everyone must
worship on Saturday.
Seventh Day Adventists …
1. The Sabbath was clearly given to
the Jews, vs.13,16,17.
(Exo 31:13 KJV) Speak thou
also unto the children of Israel,
saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you
throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth
sanctify you.
It was a part of God’s covenant with the nation of Israel
and is at the core of Judaism.
2. The Gentile church was clearly
excused from having to keep the Law in order to be saved.
ACT 15:28-29 "For it
seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than
these essentials: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from
blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves
free from such things, you will do well. Farewell."
3. The early Gentile church worshiped
on Sunday (1Cor.16:1-3) in honor of the resurrection.
4. We should still observe the
principles behind the Sabbath, mainly to rest and worship (Heb.4)
5. As a Christian, you can go to
church any day and every day:
(Rom 14:4-5 KJV) Who art
thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or
falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. {5} One
man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let
every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
:1-6 It’s good to praise
:2 To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness
every night,
Lesson
Daily Worship
God desires our praise and worship.
We owe Him our praise and worship.
I think that praise is a key element to staying in love with the Lord.
We think we ought to be praising Him only when we’re feeling like it, but
sometimes you aren’t going to feel like it until you praise Him.
The church in Ephesus had left
it’s “first love”. Jesus had a remedy
for it:
(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.
Jesus suggested three things to get back to the first love:
Remember – think of what it used to be like cause that’s
where you’re heading
Repent – if there’s something taking you away from Jesus,
turn from it.
Re-do – do the first works. Whether or not you feel like it, do the
things you used to do when you were first in love with Jesus. What are those thing? Reading your Bible, praying, witnessing,
fellowshipping, and PRAISING Him.
Illustration
It’s like the old pump down on Grandma’s farm. In the old days, instead of running water,
you had to use the pump. And sitting
next to the pump would be a bucket, which you were supposed to keep filled with
water. If the pump hadn’t been used for
a while, if you just went up and started pumping, all you’d do is pump
air. But if you pour the bucket of water
down the pump, and prime the pump, then you’d be able to pump water. In other words, to get water out, you had to
put water in. If you want to get back to
your first love, pour in the things that used to pour out of you. It will come back.
If you’re feeling a little “dry”, take time to worship
God. On your own.
:3 Upon an instrument of ten strings …
Some churches think that it is unspiritual to use instruments in
worship. The Psalmists didn’t think so.
:6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.
brutish – ba‘ar –
brutishness, stupidity, foolishness; senseless
(1 Cor 2:14 KJV)
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.
A person who does not have God’s Spirit finds it difficult to understand
spiritual things. It’s kind of like
trying to describe the colors in a sunset to a person who has been born blind.
But when a person commits their heart to Jesus, the Spirit of God dwells
inside of them and gives them understanding to the things of God.
:7-15 The blessings of the righteous
:10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be
anointed with fresh oil.
horn – somehow this is seen as a symbol of strength. God promises to increase the strength of the
righteous.
fresh – ra‘anan –
luxuriant, fresh
Lesson
Fresh Oil
Oil in the Scriptures is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. One of the places we see this is in the life
of David when he was a boy and anointed by Samuel the prophet:
(1 Sam 16:13 KJV)
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his
brethren: and the spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So
Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
Food can get stale and spoil
Illustration
Food Spoilage Test
My wife tries to teach us guys at home about this stuff,
but we don’t always get this kind of complicated stuff.
DAIRY PRODUCTS:
Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt. Yogurt
is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is
spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese. Regular cheese is nothing but
spoiled milk anyway and can't get any more spoiled than it is already. Cheddar
cheese is spoiled when you think it is blue cheese but you realize you've never
purchased that kind.
MAYONNAISE:
If it makes you violently ill after you eat it, the
mayonnaise is spoiled.
MEAT:
If opening the refrigerator door causes stray animals from
a three- block radius to congregate outside your house, the meat is spoiled.
BREAD:
Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds are the only officially
acceptable "spots" that should be seen on the surface of any loaf of
bread. Fuzzy and hairy looking white or green growth areas are a good indication
that your bread has turned into a pharmaceutical laboratory experiment.
CANNED GOODS:
Any canned goods that have become the size or shape of a
softball should be disposed of. Carefully.
GENERAL RULE OF THUMB:
Most food cannot be kept longer than the average life span
of a hamster. Keep a hamster in or nearby your refrigerator to gauge this.
Don’t let your oil get stale. God wants
to put fresh oil on you.
When was the last time you asked God to fill you with His Holy Spirit?
:13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the
courts of our God.
Lesson
The importance of going to church
I don’t need to be telling most of you this, after all, you’re here on a
Wednesday night. But just as a
refresher:
We need to get together to encourage each other:
(Heb 10:23-25 KJV) Let us
hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful
that promised;) {24} And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and
to good works: {25} Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the
manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see
the day approaching.
This means that you don’t just come to church, but begin
to develop relationships with others who will be there to encourage you.
:15 To show that the LORD is upright
Lesson
Is your life a testimony?
All these things are to show how wonderful God is. It’s all about the testimony that our life is
to be to others. Our testimony ought to
come out of a life that is:
Praising God (vs. 1-2)
Experiencing fresh anointing (vs. 10)
Planted in church (vs. 13)
When these things are in place, people see the kinds of things that God
wants them to see.
(Mat 5:16
KJV) Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Psalm 93
:1-5 A Mighty Holy God
:4 The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters
Lesson
God is bigger
No matter what the “flood” is coming against you, God is bigger.
When the children of Israel
first knocked on the door of the Promised Land, they saw something like a
“flood” that we just too big for them:
(Num 13:32-33 KJV) And they
brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children
of Israel,
saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that
eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men
of a great stature. {33} And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which
come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we
were in their sight.
They just couldn’t get over the fact that the people of Canaan
were HUGE. It was too much for
them. The people were discouraged.
Caleb and Joshua tried to get the people to realize that God could handle
the giants,
(Num 14:8-9 KJV) If the LORD
delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land
which floweth with milk and honey. {9} Only rebel not ye against the LORD,
neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their
defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
But the people just couldn’t see it. As a result they wandered in the wilderness
for forty years.
At the end of the forty years, it was again time to take the land, and only
Joshua and Caleb were left over from the older generation to go into the land.
Caleb stepped up to ask for his part of the Promised Land:
(Josh 14:12 KJV)
Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day;
for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities
were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able
to drive them out, as the LORD said.
Was he able to handle the giants?
(Josh 15:13-14 KJV) And unto
Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah,
according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak,
which city is Hebron.
{14} And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and
Talmai, the children of Anak.
What are the “giants” or “floods” in your life? Is God bigger?
:5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD,
for ever.
holiness – qodesh –
apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness
becometh – na’ah –
(Pilpel) to be comely; to be befitting, beautiful
You are God’s House. Holiness looks
good on you
Psalm 94
:1-11 How long for God’s vengeance?
:1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth
Lesson
Vengeance is God’s job
The Psalmist recognizes that “revenge” is something that’s on God’s job
description, not ours.
(Rom 12:17-21 KJV)
Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight
of all men. {18} If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably
with all men. {19} Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place
unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
{20} Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink:
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. {21} Be not overcome
of evil, but overcome evil with good.
:12-23 Chastisement rescues; God comforts
:12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest
chasteneth – yacar – to
chasten, discipline, instruct, admonish
Lesson
Blessed spanking
God will “chastise” the heathen (vs. 10), but He also will chastise His own
children as well.
God’s “chastening” or “spanking” isn’t something that we understand very
well.
Illustration
Baby shouldn’t have
been there
It was late at night and Heidi, who was expecting her
second child, was home only with her 3-year-old daughter, Katelyn. Heidi
started to go into labor and called 911. Due to a power outage in the city at
the time, only one paramedic was able to respond to the call. The house was very,
very dark, so the paramedic asked Katelyn to hold a flashlight high over her
mommy so he could see while he helped deliver the baby. Very diligently,
Katelyn did as she was asked. Heidi pushed and pushed, and after a little while
Connor was born. The paramedic lifted him by his feet, and spanked him on his
bottom. Connor began to cry. The paramedic then thanked Katelyn for her help,
and asked the wide-eyed 3-year-old Katelyn what she thought about what she had
just witnessed. Katelyn quickly responded, “He shouldn’t have crawled in there
in the first place. Spank him again.”
The writer of Hebrews was writing to Jewish people who were experiencing
persecution, difficult times.
(Heb 12:9-11 KJV) Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh
which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in
subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? {10} For they verily for a few
days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we
might be partakers of his holiness. {11} Now no chastening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the
peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
There is a purpose for discipline.
God’s purpose for discipline is that we may share His
holiness. It produces the peaceable
fruit of righteousness in us.
:19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
(Psa 94:19 NLT) When doubts
filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
:20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth
mischief by a law?
(Psa 94:20 NLT) Can unjust
leaders claim that God is on their side-- leaders who permit injustice by their
laws?
Psalm 95
:1-6 Worship God
:1 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the
rock of our salvation.
sing – ranan – (Piel) to
give a ringing cry (in joy, exultation, praise)
make a joyful noise – ruwa‘–
(Hiphil) to shout a war-cry; to shout in applause
:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful
noise unto him with psalms.
presence – paniym – face;
presence, person
thanksgiving – towdah –
confession, praise, thanksgiving
psalms – zamiyr – song,
psalm; from zamar – to sing, sing
praise, make music; to play a musical instrument
These are the kinds of attitudes and actions (vs. 1-2) we are to have when
we are coming into God’s presence.
Of course we understand that God is all around us, but the concept of
“coming before His presence” is more for our
benefit. We are the ones who don’t
always realize that we’re in God’s presence.
:3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
This is why we ought to come before God with singing, because of who God
is.
:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our
maker.
let us worship – shachah – to bow down; (Hithpael) to bow
down, prostrate oneself
bow down – kara‘– to bend, kneel, sink down to
one’s knees, kneel in reverence
kneel – barak – to bless, kneel
Lesson
Surrender
This speaks of surrender, bowing and kneeling before another.
Illustration
A Mexican bandit made a specialty of crossing the Rio
Grande from time to time and robbing banks in Texas.
Finally, a reward was offered for his capture. An enterprising Texas Ranger
decided to track him down. After a lengthy search, he traced the bandit to his
favorite cantina, snuck up behind him, put his trusty six-shooter to the
bandit’s head, and said, “You’re under arrest. Tell me where you hid the loot
or I’ll blow your brains out.” But the bandit didn’t speak English and the
Ranger didn’t speak Spanish! Fortunately, a bilingual lawyer was in the saloon
and translated the Ranger’s message. The terrified bandit blurted out, in
Spanish, that the loot was buried under the oak tree in back of the cantina.
“What did he say?” asked the Ranger. The lawyer answered, “He said, ‘Get lost,
you turkey. You wouldn’t dare shoot me.’”
I guess things get kind of messy when someone gets between us and God when
we surrender.
We need to learn to not let anyone come between us and God.
Worship requires that we put our eyes on the Lord and not think too much on
what others around us are thinking.
God is our audience. Sing to Him.
:7-11 Don’t harden your heart
:8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of
temptation in the wilderness:
harden – qashah – (Hiphil) to make hard, make
stiff, make stubborn
provocation – m@riybah – strife, contention. It would probably be better here to
understand this as a name, “Meribah”, and not the translation.
temptation – maccah – despair, test. This too ought to be translated as the name
of a place, “Massah”.
:11 they should not enter into my rest
This is talking about a specific incident between God and Israel
while they wandered in the wilderness (Exodus 17). The people had run out of water, but rather
than asking God for water, they just complained. God told Moses to strike the Rock and out
came water.
The people thought that God wasn’t with them any longer. They thought that because it was tough, that
God wasn’t with them.
The issue isn’t whether God is with you or not. It is wrong to assume that if God is with you
that you will not have any problems.
The problem lies in whether or not you are going to come to God and ask Him
for help, or whether you’re just going to complain and make a big fuss.
Keep in mind, the Israelites in the wilderness had NO EXCUSE for doubting
God’s presence with them. They had been
delivered from Egypt. They had lived through the plagues. They had crossed the Red Sea
on dry land. They had no excuse for not
trusting God.
We have a commentary on this passage in the book of Hebrews:
(Heb 3:7-19 KJV) Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if
ye will hear his voice, {8} Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in
the day of temptation in the wilderness: {9} When your fathers tempted me,
proved me, and saw my works forty years. {10} Wherefore I was grieved with that
generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known
my ways. {11} So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) {12}
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in
departing from the living God. {13} But exhort one another daily, while it is
called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
{14} For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our
confidence stedfast unto the end; {15} While it is said, To day if ye will hear
his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. {16} For some, when
they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt
by Moses. {17} But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them
that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? {18} And to whom sware
he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
{19} So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
The ones that God was “grieved” over were those who would not trust
Him. They didn’t enter in to the things
God had for them because they were unwilling to trust Him.
Lesson
Don’t grumble – fellowship and
worship
We need to be doing what the beginning of the Psalm says, “worshipping and
bowing down”.
We also need to be hanging out with each other, encouraging one another so
our hearts don’t get hard.
We need to trust Him.