Thursday
Evening Bible Study
May
12, 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 58 - Justice
: To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” a Michtam of David.
Set to “Do Not Destroy.”
do not destroy – al
tashcheth – “do not destroy”
This is thought to be the name of
the melody of the song.
This is the same tune the last Psalm was written with. We talked about how David wrote several
Psalms based on the same tune.
The tune was one that reminded us of difficult times.
It’s kind of like people writing different lyrics to a famous song. We used Adele’s “Hello” song as an example…
Here’s the second song set to this same tune.
Once again it is about David in a difficult place.
:1 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge
uprightly, you sons of men?
:1 you silent ones
silent ones – ‘elem
– in silence, silent
The word is very similar to the
word for “God” or “gods”, Elohim.
Some of the translations go like this…
(Psalm 58:1 ESV) Do you indeed decree
what is right, you gods
The Hebrew word
for “gods” is also used to describe those who are human judges over others.
:1 Do you judge uprightly
There is no hint as to the occasion of this psalm, but it does lie in the
middle of a whole bunch of psalms that cover the period of David’s life while
he was running from Saul.
David is very aware of how unjust things can be in life. Sometimes life just isn’t very fair.
Illustration
A recently divorced woman is walking along the beach contemplating how
badly treated she got in the divorce settlement, when she spies a magic lamp
washing up onshore. She rubs the lamp, and out pops a magical genie. The genie
notices her anger and lets her vent her troubles to him. As a consolation, the
genie informs her that he will give her three wishes. But he cautions her that
because he does not believe in divorce, he will give her ex-husband ten times
the amount of whatever she wishes. The woman is steaming mad, thinking that
this is hardly fair, but she makes her first wish. The first wish was for a
billion dollars. The genie grants her wish and she finds herself sitting in
pile of one billion one-dollar bills. The genie then reminds her that her
husband is now the recipient of 10 billion dollars. The woman can barely
contain her anger when she makes her second wish. The second wish was for a
beautiful mansion on the shore of her own private beach. In an instant it was
granted, but the genie then reminds again that her ex-husband now owns ten of
what she wished for, and points out to a small development of ten such mansions
down the beach. Upon hearing this, the woman takes her time to contemplate her
last wish. Just as the genie was about to give up on her, the woman informs the
genie that she wants to make the last wish. But before she can do this, the
genie again warns her that her ex-husband will get ten times what she wishes
for. “No problem,” said the woman as she grinned in ecstasy. “For my last wish,
I’d like to give birth to twins.”
David is thinking about how unfair life seems at times, and thinking about
it in terms of those who make decisions, who make “judgments”.
Do you ever think that life is “unfair”?
:2 No, in heart you work wickedness; You weigh out the violence of your
hands in the earth.
:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they
are born, speaking lies.
:4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; They are
like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
:5 Which will not heed the voice of charmers, Charming ever so skillfully.
:2 in heart you work wickedness
David is upset over those who are ruling the land and making judgments over
the people. They are wicked and they
don’t pay attention to what is right.
Perhaps David is thinking about Saul.
:5 Which will not heed the voice of charmers
David is talking about “snake charmers” who have developed the skill to
control poisonous snakes.
David had been like a “snake charmer” with Saul, playing his harp to calm
King Saul whenever he went into one of his demonic rages.
There got a point when Saul no longer responded to David’s harp playing,
but Saul began to throw spears at David.
:6 Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the
young lions, O Lord!
:6 Break out the fangs of the young lions
Teeth and fangs are the things that
tear the victim.
David is asking God to deal with
the things that are tearing him apart.
David is asking that God make their
mouths harmless. He’s asking God to take
these wicked rulers and make them harmless.
(Proverbs 28:15 NKJV) Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over poor people.
Lesson
Taming the lion
Illustration
“Salesman At the Circus”
“Following the 1929 stock market crash, an out-of-work bond salesman
finally landed at the winter quarters of the circus in Peru Indiana, and asked
the manager if he had any jobs. The manager said, “We have only one job and I
don’t think you’d be interested in it.” The salesman said he’d take
anything...he was so hungry. “Well”, said the manager, “we’re looking for
someone to wear Nelly’s skin, and I don’t think that would interest you.” “What
are you talking about?”, asked the bond salesman. Nelly”, replied the manager,
“was our pet Gorilla and our most popular attraction. After Nelly died we tried
to buy another gorilla, but none are available - so we finally skinned Nelly
and want someone to put on her skin and take her place in the cage.” “How much
does that job pay?” asked the salesman. “$25 a week and board”, was the reply.
“Mister, we’re wasting a lot of time... Where’s the skin?” Well, it turns out
that the salesman made a better gorilla than even old Nelly. He hopped all
around the cage, rattled the bars, beat his chest...so that people who saw him
went away and said, “Have you seen Nelly?” More people came, and before long it
was the most popular concession in the Circus. At which point the manager came
along and said to the salesman, “Boy, you’re doing such a swell job that I’m
going to raise your salary to $35 a week and board”. Well, this really got the
salesman all excited and he hopped around the cage as he had never hopped
before, In fact, he hopped so much that he hit the trap door down at the end of
the cage, and fell through into the next cage. As the door clanged behind him
he looked over at the corner, and there lay a great big lion. As the lion
opened his eyes and blinked, the salesman scrambled up the side of the cage to
sit on that little trap seat up there, hanging on for dear life. The lion got
up slowly and took a couple of steps toward him, then crouched like he was
going to spring. The gorilla was shaking in fear so much the bars were
rattling, and he closed his eyes because he thought this was it. But then the
lion said, “What are you so scared about big boy? Do you think you’re the only
bond salesman in this Circus?”
We too have a lion we ought to be concerned about, but he’s much scarier
than a bond salesman in a lion’s outfit.
(1 Peter 5:8–9
NKJV) —8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about
like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the
world.
Though our lion is pretty scary, God has given us weapons to deal with the
lion. It’s kind of like kicking the
teeth out of the lion.
What are our weapons?
(Ephesians 6:13–18
NKJV) —13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
If we plan on fighting against Satan on our own, we’re
completely outmatched. We need God’s
help and God’s armor.
These are some of the things that God uses to help us in
our fight with this wicked enemy:
14 Stand
therefore, having girded your waist with truth,
God wants us to live in reality, to live in truth. He doesn’t want us to be living in a
make-believe pretend world.
having
put on the breastplate of righteousness,
We need to have our hearts covered with the righteousness
that comes from trusting in Jesus. We
are made right only by what Jesus has done for us.
I think there is also another sense of protection that
comes when we live righteous lives. The
devil can’t accuse you of things you haven’t done.
(Psalm 18:20 NKJV) The
Lord rewarded me according to my
righteousness; According to the
cleanness of my hands He has
recompensed me.
15 and having
shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
We need to be ready to go when He says go and share when
He says share.
We take ground from the enemy when we share the gospel.
16 above all, taking
the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts
of the wicked one.
One of our chief weapons is our faith – trusting in God,
trusting that He knows what He’s doing.
We’ll see this in David’s life through the Psalms.
17 And take the
helmet of salvation,
We need to trust that He has saved us. Being sure of your salvation protects you
from Satan messing with your head.
and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Learning to let God’s Word get more and more into my
life. Learning to do what God’s Word
says. Using God’s Word to counter the
temptations that Satan throws in our path.
18 praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this
end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
We need to stay in touch with our Commander-in-Chief. We need to tap into the power that is
released when we pray.
Learn to kick the teeth out of the lion.
:7 Let them flow away as waters which run continually; When
he bends his bow, Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.
:8 Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes, Like
a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
:8 like a snail which melts
(Psalm 58:8 ESV) Let them be like the
snail that dissolves into slime
When you pour salt on a snail, it
melts.
:9 Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, He shall take them
away as with a whirlwind, As in His living and burning wrath.
(Psalm 58:9 NLT) God will sweep them
away, both young and old, faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.
:10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash
his feet in the blood of the wicked,
:11 So that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the
righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”
:11 He is God who judges in the earth
Lesson
God brings justice
As much as we can be uncomfortable with David asking God to break their
teeth or sweeping them away in a tornado, we do understand the need for
justice.
There’s something inside each of us that does not like the idea of a wicked
person getting away with doing evil.
Even though we might not like how David asks God to break teeth or bones,
keep in mind his actions.
When it came to Saul, David prayed, but he did not act.
Others wanted him to destroy Saul, but David would not.
He put it in God’s hands.
The Bible says,
(Romans 12:19 NKJV)
Beloved,
do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is
written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Psalm 59 – Help
: To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” a Michtam of David When
Saul Sent Men, and They Watched the House in Order to Kill Him.
Set to “Do Not Destroy”
do not destroy – al
tashcheth – “do not destroy”
This is thought to be the name of
the melody of the song.
Do you still remember that tune? I
found a version of the song written about people watching over a house…
When Saul Sent Men …
Are you paranoid if they really are out to get you? In David’s case they were.
This song came near the beginning when things began to turn bad between
David and Saul.
David had become famous with his victories over the Philistines, and Saul
was starting to become jealous.
David has just married Saul’s younger daughter, Michal.
(1 Samuel 19:9–17
NKJV) —9 Now the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in
his hand. And David was playing music with his hand. 10 Then Saul
sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s
presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that
night. 11 Saul also
sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning.
And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life
tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through a window. And he went and fled and
escaped. 13 And Michal
took an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats’ hair
for his head, and covered it with clothes. 14 So when Saul
sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15 Then Saul
sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in
the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the
bed, with a cover of goats’ hair for his head. 17 Then Saul
said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so
that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I
kill you?’ ”
While Michal tried to cover for her husband, David became a “man on the
run”.
Here’s David’s heart during that time…
:1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up
against me.
:2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, And save me from bloodthirsty
men.
:3 For look, they lie in wait for my life; The mighty gather against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord.
:3 Not for my transgression
These men who are out to get David aren’t doing it because David is a
criminal.
He has done nothing wrong.
There are people in this world who do not play by nice.
:4 They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake
to help me, and behold!
:5 You therefore, O Lord God
of hosts, the God of Israel, Awake to punish all the nations; Do not be
merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah
David is asking God for help from these wicked men.
:6 At evening they return, They growl like a dog, And go all around the
city.
:6 At evening they return
Remember that these men came to David’s house twice.
The first time they bought the story that David wasn’t feeling well and was
asleep in bed, though he had already left.
The second time Saul sent them back to put David to death, but they
realized that David wasn’t there.
:7 Indeed, they belch with their mouth; Swords are in their lips;
For they say, “Who hears?”
they belch – naba’
(נבע) – (Hiphil) to pour out, emit, cause to bubble, belch
forth; to cause to bubble, ferment; to pour forth, emit, belch forth
What’s interesting is that this
word (though spelled slightly differently in the Hebrew) sounds just like the
word for “prophesy”. Some scholars feel
that “to prophesy” is to “bubble up” with words from God.
prophesy – naba’
(נבא)– to prophesy
(Numbers 11:25 NKJV) Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke
to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same
upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them,
that they prophesied, although they never did so again.
I get the sense that David is
speaking sarcastically here because the men who are after him are certainly not
“prophets”.
(Psalm 59:7 NLT) Listen to the filth
that comes from their mouths; their words cut like swords. “After all, who can
hear us?” they sneer.
:8 But You, O Lord, shall
laugh at them; You shall have all the nations in derision.
:8 You, O Lord, shall
laugh at them
laugh – sachaq
– to laugh, play, mock
Things we might find scary, God finds humorous.
I think the idea is that God finds it humorous that anyone would think they
could outsmart God or get away with hurting God’s kids.
Illustration
In his column, Art Buchwald
discussed the yiddish word chutzpa.
He said that it has no English equivalent, but it refers to one who has an attitude
of incredible gall or presumption. “The
classic example of a chutzpa,” says
Buchwald, “is the young man who murders his parents and then asks the court to
show mercy because he is an orphan.”
Now, if we are inclined to smile at that, is it because we think murder
is funny? Of course not! We are amused, not out of an evil delight,
but at the ridiculousness of the situation.
And that, I believe, is what the Scripture means when it portrays God as
laughing at his enemies’ troubles. His
response doesn’t stem from anyone’s pain; it reflects the absurdity of thinking
that one can ultimately come out ahead if he tries to take advantage of either
God or His people.
:9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength; For God is my defense.
:10 My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my
desire on my enemies.
:11 Do not slay them, lest my people forget; Scatter them by Your power,
And bring them down, O Lord our shield.
:11 Do not slay them
David prays something interesting, not that God would just wipe them out,
but that He would do it slowly so people would pay attention to what God was
doing.
:12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
Let them even be taken in their pride, And for the cursing and lying which
they speak.
:13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, That they may
not be; And let them know that God rules in Jacob To the ends of the
earth. Selah
:13 Consume them in wrath
Now David asks God to wipe them out.
:14 And at evening they return, They growl like a dog, And go all around
the city.
:15 They wander up and down for food, And howl if they are not satisfied.
:16 But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in
the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble.
:17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my
defense, My God of mercy.
:17 For God is my defense
Lesson
Confidence in God’s help
Even though David isn’t very old, he is trusting God.
We caught a glimpse of this when he fought Goliath.
When Saul was a little skeptical
about letting young David face the huge experienced fighting machine called
Goliath, David replied:
(1 Samuel 17:37 NKJV) Moreover
David said, “The Lord, who
delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will
deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
When David met Goliath on the battlefield and was mocked by the giant, he
said to Goliath…
(1
Samuel 17:46 NKJV) This day the Lord
will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from
you…
Yet even at the end of his life, David still counted on God. He wrote,
(2 Samuel 22:2
NKJV) …“The Lord is
my rock and my fortress and my deliverer
God wants us to have confidence in His ability to deliver us. Isaiah wrote,
(Isaiah 12:2 NKJV) Behold, God is
my salvation, I will trust
and not be afraid
Illustration
Blondin the tightrope walker.
Jean Francois Gravelet was born February 28, 1824 in
Hesdin, France. When he was five years
old he was sent to the École de Gymnase at Lyon, and after six months’ training
as an acrobat he made his first public appearance as “the Little Wonder.” He developed his skills under the guidance of
P.T. Barnum (of Barnum & Bailey Circus).
He became known as the Great Blondin.
In 1859 he announced that he would
do the most amazing of all feats, he would cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope
1,100 feet (335 m) long, 160 feet above the water.
On June 30, 1859 the rope was in position and at five o’clock in the afternoon Blondin
started the trip that was to make history. Incredulous watchers saw him lower a
rope to the Maid of the Mist, pull up a bottle and sit down while he refreshed
himself. He began his ascent toward the Canadian shore, paused, steadied the
balancing pole and suddenly executed a back somersault. The crowd ‘screamed’,
women ‘fainted’, those near the rope ‘cried’ and begged him to come in. When he
finally stepped off the rope, he was grabbed by a delirious mob of well wishers
who whisked him away to a champagne celebration.
He crossed the Falls several times,
each time making it more difficult. In
all, he crossed the rope on a bicycle, walking blindfolded, pushing a
wheelbarrow, stopping to cook an omelet in the center, and making the trip with
his hands and feet manacled.
His most daring crossing came when
he announced that he would carry a man across on his back. It would be his manager, Harry Colcord.
According to Colcord, the trip was a nightmare. In the un-guyed center section,
the pair swayed violently. Blondin was fighting for his life. He broke into a
desperate run to reach the first guy rope. When he reached it and steadied
himself, the guy broke. Once more the pair swayed alarmingly as Blondin again
ran for the next guy. When they reached it Blondin gasped for Colcord to get
down. Six times in all Colcord had to dismount while Blondin struggled to
gather his strength. In the end Blondin had to charge the crowd on the brink to
prevent the press of people forcing them back in the precipice.
He performed privately for both the
Prince of Wales and King Edward VII, he repeated the stunt of ‘carrying a man
on his back’ and offered to carry the prince, but he declined.
You don’t have to be a tightrope
walker to get across the falls of life.
You just need to trust Jesus enough to get on His shoulders.
Psalm 60 - Victory
: To the Chief Musician. Set to “Lily of the Testimony.” a Michtam of
David. For Teaching. When He Fought Against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, and
Joab Returned and Killed Twelve Thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
Set to “Lily of the Testimony.”
Lily… – Shuwshan
‘Eduwth – “lilies”
Also found in Ps. 80:1
Perhaps the name of a new tune.
Fought Against Mesopotamia …
The title mentions several different places where battles took place.
Video: Mesopotamia Syria Edom
David took his army as far as “Mesopotamia”, or modern Iraq.
The title mentions Syria, with its capital in Damascus
Another battle will take place with the Edomites, located southeast of
Israel across the Dead Sea.
Known as the “land between two
rivers” meaning the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
It’s the land of Iraq today.
Syria of Zobah
We’ll see these terms in a
minute. This is the land of modern Syria
today (capital is Damascus).
Edomites in the Valley of Salt
We don’t know exactly where this
spot was, but Edom borders with the Dead Sea, and that area is all about salt.
Those of you who have been to
Petra, it’s in the mountains of Edom.
When He Fought …
We’d place this psalm during the time of the events mentioned in 1Chr. 18.
and its parallel passage in 2Samuel 8.
We won’t take time to read the passages, but just to say that these are
accounts of the very wars mentioned here in this Psalm’s title.
David has been king for a while,
he’s brought the Ark to Jerusalem, and he begins to finish off the enemies that
surround Israel:
(1 Chronicles 18:1–14 NKJV) —1 After
this it came to pass that David attacked the Philistines, subdued them, and
took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines. 2 Then he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became David’s servants, and
brought tribute.
It’s after the Moabite war that a
series of events will take place (1Chron. 18:3-12) that will form the backdrop
of this psalm.
3 And David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah
as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his power by the River
Euphrates.
The mention of the Euphrates shows
that David has been fighting as far away as Mesopotamia, modern Iraq.
4 David took from him one thousand
chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also
David hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of
them for one hundred chariots. 5 When the
Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed
twenty-two thousand of the Syrians.
Here’s the mention of Syrians and
Zobah.
6 Then David put garrisons in Syria
of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought
tribute. So the Lord preserved
David wherever he went. 7 And David
took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought
them to Jerusalem. 8 Also from
Tibhath and from Chun, cities of Hadadezer, David brought a large amount of
bronze, with which Solomon made the bronze Sea, the pillars, and the articles
of bronze. 9 Now when Tou king of
Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10 he sent Hadoram his son to King David, to greet him and bless
him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer
had been at war with Tou); and Hadoram brought with him all kinds of
articles of gold, silver, and bronze. 11 King David
also dedicated these to the Lord,
along with the silver and gold that he had brought from all these
nations—from Edom, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the Philistines,
and from Amalek. 12 Moreover Abishai the
son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
The psalm says twelve thousand were
slain, but it also says that Joab was responsible. One suggestion is that Abishai was in charge
of the entire campaign and that Joab worked under Abishai and was responsible
for 2/3rds of the enemy deaths.
13 He also put garrisons in Edom, and all
the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord
preserved David wherever he went. 14 So David
reigned over all Israel, and administered judgment and justice to all his
people.
:1 O God, You have cast us off; You have broken us down; You have been
displeased; Oh, restore us again!
:1 O God, You have cast us off
cast us off – zanach
– to cast off, reject, spurn
The Psalm comes from a place of defeat and discouragement.
What’s interesting is that when you look at the timing of this psalm, both
in 1Chronicles 18, and the parallel passage in 2Samuel 8:1-14, you don’t really
see any mention of “defeats”.
There is something going on behind the scenes that we are not aware of.
Lesson
You don’t always see it
Some of you are struggling tonight with something in your life that most of
the people in this room know nothing of.
Pay attention to what David will write.
He’s going to show you how he got from being overwhelmed with a sense of
defeat, to a place of victory.
:2 You have made the earth tremble; You have broken it; Heal its breaches,
for it is shaking.
:3 You have shown Your people hard things; You have made us drink the wine
of confusion.
The people had been under a sense of “defeat”.
:4 You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed
because of the truth. Selah
:5 That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand,
and hear me.
:4 You have given a banner
Lesson
A sign of hope
banner – nec – something
lifted up, standard, signal, sign
A banner is something to rally or gather the troops.
The word is used to describe the bronze serpent that Moses made and put up
on a pole (Heb. nec)
(Numbers
21:9 NKJV) So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it
was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he
lived.
The people had been suffering with mysterious “fiery
serpents” that were killing people.
If people would look up at this “banner” or “bronze
serpent”, they would live. They were
given hope to survive.
Jesus said that this was a picture of Him.
(John
3:14–16 NKJV) —14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal
life. 16 For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
We are given the hope of eternal life when we look to
Jesus in faith.
Solomon uses a different word
that’s translated “banner”
(Song of Solomon 2:4 NKJV) He brought
me to the banqueting house, And his
banner over me was love.
I think in a sense Paul was writing
about that “banner” when he spoke about God’s unfailing love in Romans 8 and
wrote,
(Romans 8:31 NKJV) What
then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be
against us?
I think the specific “banner” of hope here is the prophecy that’s going to
come in verses 6-8.
There is a reason to keep fighting.
:5 That Your beloved may be
delivered
beloved – yediyd
– one beloved, beloved
This is related to the word at the
root of David’s own name, which means “beloved”.
Here, Israel is God’s “beloved”.
:6 God has spoken in His holiness: “I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
:6 God has spoken in His holiness
It’s at this point that the Psalm takes the turn from one of defeat, to one
of hope and victory.
Apparently God had given a word to one of the prophets, and David now
quotes what God has promised. God’s
promise is in verses 6-8.
This section is repeated again in Psalm 108:7-13, though it seems to be
used in a different situation because it is not prefaced with this sense of
defeat.
(Psalm 108:7–13 NKJV) —7 God has
spoken in His holiness: “I will
rejoice; I will divide Shechem And measure out the Valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet for My head; Judah is My lawgiver. 9 Moab is
My washpot; Over Edom I will cast
My shoe; Over Philistia I will
triumph.” 10 Who will bring me into
the strong city? Who will lead me to
Edom? 11 Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies? 12
Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. 13 Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
:6 I will divide Shechem
Video: Shechem and Succoth map clip
Shechem is a city in the center of the nation of Israel.
Succoth is twenty miles east of Shechem, just across the Jordan River.
divide – chalaq – share,
allot, assign
God is not speaking about splitting up Shechem, but the idea is giving out
an inheritance, giving the land back to Israel.
Today Shechem is known as Nablus, in the West Bank territory.
It’s the word used throughout the
book of Joshua after they conquered the land…
(Joshua 13:7 NKJV) Now
therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to …
Shechem is an ancient city in the
territory of the tribe of Ephraim, that was one of the “cities of refuge”, and
was given to the Levites as an inheritance (Josh. 21:21)
(Joshua 21:21 NKJV) —21 For they
gave them Shechem with its common-land in the mountains of Ephraim (a city of
refuge for the slayer), Gezer with its common-land,
:6 measure out the Valley of Succoth
Succoth belonged to the tribe of
Gad on the eastern side of the Jordan River.
The idea is the same, giving this place back to the people of Israel.
:7 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is
the helmet for My head; Judah is My lawgiver.
:7 Gilead … Manasseh is Mine
Both these area God considered to be His land.
Video: Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim,
and Judah
These names aren’t cities, but areas or tribes.
Gilead is the area east of the Jordan around the Sea of Galilee.
The tribe of Manasseh had two territories on both sides of the Jordan
River.
Ephraim was in the center of the nation.
Judah was in the south of the nation.
:7 Ephraim also is the helmet for My head
Ephraim was like a “helmet” when it came to defending the life of the
nation.
Ephraim was also one of the tribes
of Israel.
It was one of the bigger, more
influential tribes, located in the center of the nation.
:7 Judah is My lawgiver
Some translations have “scepter” instead of lawgiver here.
The scepter was what a king would rule with.
Judah was King David’s tribe.
David was the king, the ruler of
the entire nation.
:8 Moab is My washpot; Over Edom I will cast My shoe; Philistia,
shout in triumph because of Me.”
Here God switches from talking about His land, to talking about the enemies
of Israel.
Video: Moab, Edom, and Philistia
Moab was on the eastern side of the Jordan, on the northern coast of the
Dead Sea.
Edom was further south of Moab.
The area of the Philistines was the area along the coast of the
Mediterranean.
:8 Moab is My washpot
The idea is that Moab is only good for washing feet, something lowly and
humiliating.
:8 Over Edom I will cast My shoe
will cast – shalak
– to throw, cast, hurl, fling
Throwing a shoe was a sign of contempt.
It’s still used today.
Remember what happened in 2008 when President Bush gave a news conference
in Iraq?
The man didn’t throw his shoe because he liked President Bush.
:8 Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me
The phrase is not clear. It might be
the Philistines shouting out of pain because of what God was doing, or God
shouting because of victory over the Philistines.
shout in triumph – ruwa–
to shout, raise a sound, cry out, give a blast; (Hithpolel)to shout in triumph;
to shout for joy
Apparently this phrase isn’t too
clear. The translations of this phrase
range widely:
(Psalm 60:8 NLT) and I will wipe my
feet on Edom and shout in triumph over Philistia.”
(Psalm 60:8 NASB95) …Shout
loud, O Philistia, because of Me!”
(Psalm 60:8 ESV) over Philistia I shout
in triumph.”
:9 Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom?
From this point, David is speaking again.
He asks the question and answers it in verse 10.
:10 Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who
did not go out with our armies?
:11 Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless.
:12 Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall
tread down our enemies.
:12 Through God we will do valiantly
Lesson
The Victor
We too face enemies, just like David.
We may not always face physical enemies, but our enemies are just as real.
Sometimes the enemy is a spiritual being.
Paul wrote,
(Ephesians 6:12
NLT) For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but
against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers
in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Sometimes the enemy is simply in our own flesh. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Again, Paul wrote,
(Romans 7:18–19
NLT) —18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful
nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I
don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
As David wrote,
(Psalm 60:11b NKJV)
…For the help of man is useless.
People can be a big help in our lives, but only when we
are working together with God.
If we are counting solely on people to deliver us, we’re
in trouble.
The folks in AA have it right.
I am helpless.
I need a “higher power”. And we are
blessed enough to know the one true higher power. His name is Jesus.
Paul talked about the victory that Jesus won on the cross:
(Colossians 2:15
NLT) In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He
shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Victory starts by finding the Victor and staying with Him.
:6 God has spoken in His holiness
Lesson
Trust His Word
Remember that David started the Psalm off in defeat and hopelessness.
He ended the Psalm with victory.
How did he get from one place to the other?
Part was from finding the Victor – God.
He also trusted God’s Word.
This is that “banner” that David trusted (vs. 4)
God gave a promise of help, and David trusted what God said.
David wrote,
(Psalm 1:1–3 NLT) —1 Oh, the
joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with
sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they
delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night. 3 They are
like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves
never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
God has given us promises to help us get through our battles too.
Struggling with difficult times?
(Romans 8:28 NKJV) And we know
that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are
the called according to His purpose.
Even when you are going through great difficulty, God can
turn it to the good.
Are you afraid that nobody is on your side?
(Romans 8:31 NKJV) What then
shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be
against us?
No matter what the enemy says to condemn you, God is for
you, not against you.
Are you struggling with addictions?
(Galatians 5:16
NKJV) I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust
of the flesh.
Get back to walking in the Spirit and what that looks
like, and God will get you through this.
Songs
Victory Song (Through Our God)
Bm F#
Through our God we shall do valiantly
Bm
It is He who shall tread down the enemy
F#
We'll sing and shout His victory
Bm
Christ is King
A D
For God has won the victory
Em Bm
And set His people free
A D
His Word has slain the enemy
Em F#
The earth shall stand and see that
(repeat)
Ending:
Bm F#
Through our God we shall do valiantly
Bm
It is he who shall tread down the enemy
F#
We'll sing and shout His victory
Bm F#
Bm
Christ is King, Christ is King,
F# Bm
Christ is King
Words & Music by Dale Garratt
© 1979 Universal Music/Brentwood Benson Publishing