Thursday
Evening Bible Study
March
31, 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.
Psalm 49 The Danger of Wealth
: To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
Author and situation is unknown about this psalm.
How come wicked people sometimes prosper and get away with their evil?
We’ve seen this several times in the Scripture.
It’s a problem for many, especially when you have been trying to live a
righteous life and things are hard, while the wicked person seems to be getting
away with all sort of evil and prospering at the same time.
In the end, the wicked person is no better than the beasts of the field.
The hope of the righteous is better than the false security of the wicked.
:1 Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
:2 Both low and high, Rich and poor together.
:3 My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall
give understanding.
:4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on
the harp.
:4 dark saying – chiydah –
riddle, difficult question, parable, perplexing saying or question
This is the word that Samson used when he made up a “riddle” and asked the
Philistines to solve it at his wedding.
(Judges 14:12 NKJV)
Then
Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve
and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you
thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.
This is the word used to describe the “hard questions” that the Queen of
Sheba posed to Solomon.
(1 Kings 10:1 NKJV)
Now
when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the
Lord, she came to test him with hard
questions.
The next verse is the “riddle” – You need to read this next verse as if the
Psalmist is changing voices, and for the next verse he is speaking what a
“Wicked” person might be speaking:
:5 Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my
heels surrounds me?
:5 Why should I fear
fear – yare’
– to fear, revere, be afraid
The wicked person is wondering why he should fear God when he has problems,
when he is so wealthy?
They wonder what they have to worry about bad things happening because they
have money.
This kind of pride and arrogance is the thing that the Psalmist is
struggling with.
:6 Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their
riches,
:7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give
to God a ransom for him—
:7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother
You can’t buy God off with your money
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that after you die, you go to a place
called “purgatory” somewhere between heaven and hell. From there you might go further down into
hell, or you might be able to get into heaven if you have some help from the
living.
The help that living people can give is by obtaining “indulgences”, where
those alive on earth can perform certain acts and earn brownie points to get
people out of purgatory. In the Middle
Ages the church used to sell indulgences for a price.
So… the story goes that a long time ago, a husband died, and the priest
came over to talk to the wife.
The priest said to the wife, “I’ve got good news, for only a gold coin we
can pray and get your husband’s head out of purgatory.” So the wife gave the priest a gold coin.
The next week the priest came by and said, “Good news! Your husband’s head is now out of purgatory,
and for one more gold coin we can pray and get your husband out of purgatory
from the waist up!” So the wife gave the
priest another gold coin.
The next week the priest came by and said, “My dear, we have good news,
your husband is out of purgatory from the waist up, and for only one more gold
coin, we can pray and get your husband’s left leg out of purgatory!” So the wife gave the priest a gold coin.
The next week the priest came by and said, “My dear, we have good news, and
your husband’s left leg is now out of purgatory, and for just one more gold
coin we can pray and get your husband’s right leg out of purgatory and he will
finally be free to go to heaven!” But
this time the wife said, “I don’t think I’ll pay you this time. My husband had a wooden right leg, and I
think we can leave that in purgatory.”
The point that the Psalmist is making is that you cannot redeem your brother for any price.
And of course the entire idea of purgatory is contrary to the teaching of
Scripture. When a believer dies, they go
immediately into heaven. The price had
been paid.
:8 For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease
forever—
:9 That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit.
:8 the redemption of their souls is costly
Lesson
Redemption
The price to redeem your soul is much greater than money can buy.
Someone has to die.
The Bible says,
(Ezekiel
18:4b NKJV) …The soul who sins shall die.
Paul wrote,
(Romans
6:23 NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If someone wants to redeem you, they have to pay your price, death.
Death can be paid through the shedding of blood.
(Leviticus 17:11
NKJV) For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given
it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the
blood that makes atonement for the soul.’
That’s why Jesus came, to redeem us from our sins with the most valuable
element in the universe:
(1 Peter 1:18–19
NKJV) —18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like
silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from
your fathers, 19
but
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot.
Paul wrote,
(Galatians 3:13 NKJV) Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is
written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
:10 For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person
perish, And leave their wealth to others.
:10 leave their wealth to others
Lesson
It all stays behind
When you die, you leave it all behind.
The saying goes, “You can’t take it with you”.
Though there are some who try.
Have you ever heard of people being buried in their Cadillacs? Some don’t even have a Cadillac.
Well, Lonnie didn’t actually take it with him. He is either in heaven or hell, but his stuff
is now buried in a hole.
Illustration
May 25, 1994, the ashes of 71-year-old George
Swanson are buried
(according to Swanson’s request) in the driver’s seat of his 1984 white
Corvette in Hempfield County, Pennsylvania.
Swanson, a beer distributor and
former U.S. Army sergeant during World War II, died the previous March 31 at
the age of 71. He had reportedly been planning his automobile burial for some
time, buying 12 burial plots at Brush Creek Cemetery, located 25 miles east of
Pittsburgh, in order to ensure that his beloved Corvette would fit in his grave
with him. After his death, however, the cemetery balked, amid concerns of
vandalism and worries that other clients would be offended by the outlandish
nature of the burial. They finally relented after weeks of negotiations, but
insisted that the burial be private, and that the car be drained of fluids to
protect the environment. “George wanted to go out in style, and, indeed, now he
will,” commented Swanson’s lawyer in a report from The Associated Press. “We
agree that this is rather elaborate, but really it’s no different than being
buried in a diamond-studded or gold coffin.”
According to the AP, Swanson’s
widow, Caroline, transported her husband’s ashes to the cemetery on the seat of
her own white 1993 Corvette. The ashes were then placed on the driver’s seat of
his 10-year-old car, which had only 27,000 miles on the odometer. Inside the
car, mourners also placed a lap quilt made by a group of women from Swanson’s
church, a love note from his wife and an Engelbert Humperdinck tape in the
cassette deck, with the song “Release Me” cued up and ready to play. The
license plate read “HI-PAL,” which was Swanson’s go-to greeting when he didn’t
remember a name. As 50 mourners looked on, a crane lowered the Corvette into a
7-by-7-by-16-foot hole.
“George always said he lived a
fabulous life, and he went out in a fabulous style,” Caroline Swanson said
later. “You have a lot of people saying they want to take it with them. He took
it with him.”
:11 Their inner thought is that their houses will last
forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands
after their own names.
:11 They call their lands after their own names
Some people have this notion that their key to living on is to make some
sort of monument, something with their name on it.
Rockefeller Center – a few years ago a poll showed that only 4% of New
Yorkers even knew who the Rockefellers were or what they did (they made their
money in oil).
I think there is currently a fellow running for president who likes putting
his name on everything he owns.
Whether you think Mr. Trump ought to be president, or whether you think
he’s the antichrist himself, you do need to be careful about what you think his
wealth indicates.
It might indicate that he’s a shrewd businessman, but it says nothing about
whether God is on his side.
:12 Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like
the beasts that perish.
:12 man, though in honor, does not remain
honor – y@qar
– price, value, preciousness, honor, splendor, pomp.
“honor” is a description of this man’s wealth.
A wealthy man may achieve an amount of honor, but he will still die one
day.
:13 This is the way of those who are foolish, And of their posterity
who approve their sayings. Selah
:13 foolish … their posterity
It’s only foolish people who think that they can do something with their
money to insure they will live forever.
The “posterity”, those who want the wealthy to like them, so they kiss up
to them.
:14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; The
upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be
consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling.
:14 The upright shall have dominion
The wealthy person will die and be laid in a grave just like an animal.
Those who walk with God are the ones who will rule in eternity, having
“dominion” over even the wealthy.
:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall
receive me. Selah
:15 God will redeem my soul
The Psalmist is counting on God to be the one to redeem his soul.
Even though the Psalmist is writing before Jesus would die for our sins, he
is still declaring his faith that God will take care of it.
It’s similar to what Abraham said to his son Isaac when he was going to
attempt to obey God and sacrifice him:
(Genesis 22:8 NKJV)
And
Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt
offering.”
I don’t think Abraham was just making something up to keep
his son quiet. He believed that in the
end God would come through.
Salvation has always been by faith, even for the Old Testament saints.
The writer of Hebrews says,
(Hebrews
11:13 NKJV) These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having
seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
The Old Testament saints didn’t know the name of Jesus,
but they too trusted that God would provide the lamb, counting on God to redeem
them.
:16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is
increased;
:16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich
Why would someone be afraid of a wealthy person?
Because they might become twisted with their sense of power and abuse those
less fortunate.
It might even carry the idea of
being “impressed” by a wealthy person.
(Psalm 49:16 The Message) So don’t
be impressed with those who get rich and pile
up fame and fortune.
:17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not
descend after him.
:18 Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise
you when you do well for yourself),
:19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see
light.
:20 A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the
beasts that perish.
:20 in honor, yet does not understand
honor – y@qar
– price, value, preciousness, honor, splendor, pomp
Remember that the word “honor” is speaking of the wealthy man, but here especially
the one who chooses not to “understand” about God.
That person will be like a beast that will perish.
Lesson
Know God
A person with wealth will have a difficult time trusting in God instead of
their money.
Jesus confronted a rich young man about his wealth and challenged him to
give it all up because it was the thing keeping him from God, but the young man
had trouble with this.
Jesus said,
(Matthew
19:23-24 NKJV) —23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it
is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I
say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for
a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
A wealthy person doesn’t have to die and go to hell. They don’t even have to give up all their
money to be saved. They can learn to
trust the Lord.
(1 Timothy 6:17–19
NKJV) —17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty,
nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all
things to enjoy. 18
Let
them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,
19 storing up
for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold
on eternal life.
Lesson
Contentment
Some of us get caught in the trap of wishing we had just a bit more money …
J.D. Rockefeller was asked how much money would make a man happy. He replied, “Just a little more”.
Paul wrote,
(Philippians
4:12–13 NASB95) —12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to
live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of
being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all
things through Him who strengthens me.
Learning the secret of being content in our circumstances.
Psalm 50 Before the Judge
: A Psalm of Asaph.
:1 The Mighty One, God the Lord,
Has spoken and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down.
:1 Has spoken and called the earth
It’s as if God calls to all mankind.
Court is in session.
(Psalm 50:1 NLT) The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and he
has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it
sets.
:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.
Zion is Jerusalem
:3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour
before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.
:3 Our God shall come
He is coming to judge the world.
(Psalm 96:13 NKJV) For He is
coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the
peoples with His truth.
(Psalm 98:9 NKJV) For He is
coming to judge the earth. With
righteousness He shall judge the world, And the
peoples with equity.
:4 He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may
judge His people:
:4 call to the heavens from above
God is calling to the angels to witness this.
:4 And to the earth
Everyone summoned to court.
:5 “Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me
by sacrifice.”
:5 Gather My saints together to Me
This is talking about the Israelites because they are the ones who perform
the sacrifices from the Law of Moses.
:6 Let the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is
Judge. Selah
:6 God Himself is Judge
Lesson
Here comes the Judge
Whether or not you believe it, there is a day when we will all stand before
the great Judge.
The only way to make it through the judgment is to trust in Jesus.
Does God have the ability to say tough things to you?
Can God point out your faults and you not reject His accusation?
:7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify
against you; I am God, your God!
:7 I will testify against you
testify – ‘uwd
– (Hiphil) to testify, bear witness; to cause to testify, take or call as
witness, invoke; to protest, affirm solemnly, warn, exhort or enjoin solemnly,
admonish, charge
God is not only the judge, but He is also the star witness.
:8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices Or your burnt offerings, Which
are continually before Me.
:8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices
rebuke – yakach
– (Hiphil) to decide, judge; to adjudge, appoint; to show to be right,
prove; to convince, convict; to reprove, chide; to correct, rebuke
God is not going to complain that they haven’t been bringing sacrifices to
Him.
They bring lots of sacrifices to God.
:9 I will not take a bull from your house, Nor goats out of your
folds.
:10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on
a thousand hills.
:10 the cattle on a thousand hills
I’ve heard folks quote this and talk about God’s wealth, and how God can
meet our needs because He is so well off.
Though that’s true, keep in mind the context.
Lesson
God doesn’t need your
sacrifice
God is rebuking the people for their sacrifices because they think they are
doing God a favor.
There’s a sense in which God does not want our sacrifice when we think we
are trying to make up for our sins.
Some people think that when they screw things up over and over again, they
just need to put an extra $20 in the offering and everything will be okay.
God would much rather that you learn not to screw things
up.
Some churches and ministries give you the idea that God is broke and that
if you don’t give, and give big, then God’s work is going to cease.
I believe it’s important that you support the ministries that God uses in
your life.
And though a ministry may have financial needs, God is never needy.
:11 I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field
are Mine.
:12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine,
and all its fullness.
:13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats?
:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you
Again, God is not needy. God is not
hungry.
God isn’t even sitting up in heaven hoping His people would sin so they
would turn around and offer up an animal and God would get to have another
sacrifice.
The purpose for sacrifice is not to feed God, it’s to help us realize the
horrible price that our sin comes with.
As Christians, not knowing anything about actual sacrifice, we really don’t
see the cost of our sin.
For the Jew living before or at the time of Christ, they would see the
bloody mess that sin brought as a result.
But even for those folks, they can try to rationalize that it’s all for
God, and forget that it’s because of their own sin and wickedness.
We sing a line that says,
“I’ll never know how much it cost, to see my sin upon the cross”
I wonder sometimes if we really realize just what price
our sin has cost Jesus.
:14 Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High.
:14 Offer to God thanksgiving
Lesson
Thankfulness
Don’t you often wish that people would notice some of the things you do and
learn to say “thanks”?
God feels the same way.
He even gave the Israelites a way to express their “thanks” through a
sacrificial offering.
That’s the kind of sacrifice that God appreciates.
These too would involve the sacrifice of an animal, as well as unleavened
bread (Lev. 7)
(Leviticus
7:12 NKJV) If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the
sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers
anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil.
(Leviticus 7:11–18 NKJV) —11 ‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which
he shall offer to the Lord: 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the
sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers
anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. 13 Besides the cakes, as his offering he shall offer leavened
bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering. 14 And from it he shall offer one cake from each offering as
a heave offering to the Lord. It
shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering. 15
‘The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering
for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave
any of it until morning. 16 But if the
sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be
eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice; but on the next day the
remainder of it also may be eaten; 17 the
remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day must be burned with
fire. 18 And if any of the flesh of the
sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten at all on the third day, it shall not
be accepted, nor shall it be imputed to him; it shall be an abomination to
him who offers it, and the person who eats of it shall bear guilt.
These sacrifices weren’t because you had sinned, these were done out of
thankfulness to God.
This is also called the “peace offering”, which was like
having dinner with God.
God loves it when we are thankful,
but too often we forget the value of saying “thanks”.
(Luke 17:12–19 NKJV) —12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who
were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they
lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14
So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go,
show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were
cleansed. 15 And one of them, when
he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.
And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus
answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
18 Were there not any found who returned to
give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He
said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
The writer of Hebrews indicated that the praise from our lips can also be a
sacrifice to God.
(Hebrews 13:15 NKJV)
Therefore
by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the
fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
:14 pay your vows
Lesson
Keep your promises
Sometimes sacrifices were performed when a vow or promise was kept.
(Leviticus 7:16
NKJV) But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary
offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice; but on
the next day the remainder of it also may be eaten;
It might go something like this: “God if you get me out of this one, I will
serve you with my life…”
This too might involve the sacrifice of an animal, but the idea was that
God kept His promise, and you keep yours.
God wants us to be careful about what we promise to God, to be sure that
what we promise we intend to keep.
James wrote,
(James
5:12 NKJV) But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by
earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your
“No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.
God’s biggest concern is that we learn to keep our promises, especially
those we make to Him.
David wrote,
(Psalm 22:25 NKJV) My praise shall
be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall
glorify Me.”
:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble
God isn’t saying that He never wants us asking Him for help.
He wants us to come to Him and ask for help.
Lesson
Love, not ritual.
God wants our relationship with Him based on our trust in Him, not because
we’ve paid the required toll at the booth, or given the sacrifice that will
twist God’s arm and make Him help us.
The people had fallen into counting on rituals instead of counting on Him.
Isaiah wrote,
(Isaiah 29:13 NKJV)
Therefore
the Lord said: “Inasmuch as
these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their
fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
:16 But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My
statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth,
:17 Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?
:16 But to the wicked God says:
God now clearly addresses the people with the problems, the hypocrites.
These are the people who are continuing to cling to their wickedness, and
feel like they’re okay because they’ve given their sacrifices.
He wishes they would stop talking about God as if they know Him.
God now lists some of the things these hypocrites have been guilty of…
:18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker
with adulterers.
:19 You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit.
:20 You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own
mother’s son.
:21 These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that
I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in
order before your eyes.
:22 “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in
pieces, And there be none to deliver:
:23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his
conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
God is looking for a couple of things from us.
He wants us to learn to say “thanks”, to give Him praise.
He also wants us to learn to obey Him, to do the right thing.
:21 These things you have done, and I kept silent
Lesson
Silence isn’t approval
Just because God has allowed you to get away with sin doesn’t mean that He
approves of your sin or that He doesn’t care.
What God is showing you is patience.
(2 Peter 3:9 NLT) The Lord
isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is
being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants
everyone to repent.
God desires that His patience and goodness would encourage you to turn from
your sin.
(Romans 2:4 NLT) Don’t you
see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean
nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from
your sin?
If you’ve been rebelling against God, today is the day to return to Him.