Thursday
Evening Bible Study
May
26, 2016
Introduction
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.”
Next Thursday we are going to start a 13 week video series dealing with the
subject of “worldview”
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 62 – Song of Silence
: To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
Jeduthun – Y@duwthuwn –
“praising”
Jeduthun was a Levite of the family of Merari and the chief of one of the 3
choirs of the temple whose descendants also formed one of the perpetual temple
choirs (1Chr. 16:37-42)
(1 Chronicles 16:37–42 NKJV) —37 So
he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark
regularly, as every day’s work required; 38 and
Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren, including Obed-Edom the son of
Jeduthun, and Hosah, to be gatekeepers; 39 and Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests, before the
tabernacle of the Lord at the
high place that was at Gibeon, 40 to offer
burnt offerings to the Lord on
the altar of burnt offering regularly morning and evening, and to do
according to all that is written in the Law of the Lord which He commanded Israel; 41 and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen,
who were designated by name, to give thanks to the Lord, because His mercy endures forever; 42 and with them Heman and Jeduthun, to sound aloud with trumpets
and cymbals and the musical instruments of God. Now the sons of Jeduthun were
gatekeepers.
The other worship leaders were Heman and Asaph.
Jeduthun is mentioned in the titles of three Psalms (Ps 39:1; 62:1; 77:1),
most likely because the songs were composed for his family’s choir.
:1 Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my
salvation.
silently waits – duwmiyah
– silence, still, repose, still waiting
salvation – y@shuw‘ah
– salvation, deliverance; welfare, prosperity; victory
:2 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I
shall not be greatly moved.
rock – tsuwr
– rock, cliff
salvation – y@shuw‘ah
– salvation, deliverance; welfare, prosperity; victory
:2 He is my
defense
defense – misgab – high
place, refuge, secure height, retreat; stronghold; refuge (of God)
David was a warrior, and he not only had a lot of experience in offensive
military strategy against enemies, he also knew what it was like to be on the run,
like when he was running from King Saul.
Saul was not an enemy that David felt he could attack. David had great respect for the office of
king and he didn’t want to be the one to stand up against Saul. Yet Saul wanted David dead.
When it came to Saul, David didn’t need good offense, he needed good
defense.
Often, David would run and hide in one of the places he called a
“stronghold” (1Sam. 22:4; 23:14; 23:29; 24:22)
(1 Samuel 22:4 NKJV) —4 So he
brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that
David was in the stronghold.
(1 Samuel 23:14
NKJV) And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in
the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did
not deliver him into his hand.
The word for “strongholds” here is masada,
like the place near the Dead Sea where King Herod built a place.
It’s an almost impregnable fortress.
(1 Samuel 23:29 NKJV) —29 Then David
went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi.
(1 Samuel 24:22 NKJV) —22 So David
swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the
stronghold.
(2 Samuel 5:17 NKJV) —17 Now when
the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the
Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went
down to the stronghold.
A warrior out in the open field had to keep his guard up. But a warrior who
was in an impregnable fortress could get some rest.
For David, as important as these wilderness hideouts were, he considered
God to be his true “defense”, his true “masada”.
:3 How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, Like a
leaning wall and a tottering fence.
David is talking about people who are out to get him.
:4 They only consult to cast him down from his high position; They
delight in lies; They bless with their mouth, But they curse inwardly. Selah
:4 They bless with their mouth, But they curse inwardly
Some people say nice things to you to your face, but they’re mean behind
your back.
:5 My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from
Him.
:5 My soul, wait silently for God alone
wait silently – damam – to
be silent, be still, wait, be dumb, grow dumb
Lesson
Quiet answers
David is commanding his own soul to “be quiet”.
It reminds me of what God says to us:
(Psalm 46:10 NKJV) Be still,
and know that I am God
be still – raphah
– (Hiphil) to let drop, abandon, relax; to be quiet
Too often we are trying to fix the problems with lots of activity and lots
of noise.
Indeed, sometimes God will give us instructions and give us things to do.
When Moses and the Israelites were pinned against the Red
Sea by the oncoming Egyptian army, God gave Moses an instruction.
(Exodus
14:15 NKJV) And the Lord said to
Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
God would indeed deliver them, but He wasn’t going to
deliver them by them just standing in one place. They needed to move.
Sometimes there will be nothing that we need to be doing, we need to just
let God take care of things.
King Jehoshaphat was told:
(2
Chronicles 20:17 NKJV) You will not need to fight in this battle. Position
yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or
be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
If we want to hear God’s answers, I think that sometimes we need to
purposely set aside time to be quiet before the Lord.
It’s good to pray and pour out your heart to the Lord.
It’s good to be reading the Scriptures and looking for answers.
It’s also important to learn to be quiet and wait for God to speak.
When Elijah was running from Jezebel, he thought his life and his ministry
were over.
He ran a very long ways and ended up in a cave down in the
Sinai.
(1
Kings 19:11–12 NKJV) —11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong
wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and
after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord
was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and
after the fire a still small voice.
This was when God spoke to Elijah and gave him direction
for the rest of his life.
God’s answers were not found in the noise and power of a
strong wind, an earthquake, or a fire.
God’s answer came with a still, small voice.
Sometimes we are just too busy and too loud to hear a
still, small voice.
:6 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I
shall not be moved.
:7 In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And
my refuge, is in God.
:8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
:8 Trust in Him at all times
Trust – batach – to trust,
trust in; to have confidence, be confident
David writes this as a command (an imperative).
We must trust God.
:8 Pour out your heart
This too is a command.
Trusting God doesn’t mean that you just keep it all inside.
God may know what you need, He may know what you’re thinking, but you need
to still learn to pour out what’s inside of you.
When Hezekiah was faced with the Assyrian army laying siege to his beloved
Jerusalem, and he was given a letter demanding their surrender…
(2 Kings 19:14 NKJV)
And
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and
Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord,
and spread it before the Lord.
:8 God is a refuge
refuge – machaceh –
refuge, shelter; from rain or storm, from danger; of falsehood
This is why we can trust Him.
This is why we must pour out our hearts to Him.
:9 Surely men of low degree are a vapor, Men of high degree are
a lie; If they are weighed on the scales, They are altogether lighter
than vapor.
vapor – hebel
– vapour, breath; breath, vapour; vanity (fig.)
a lie – kazab
– a lie, untruth, falsehood, deceptive thing
:9 men of low degree … high degree
People are not as intimidating as we often make them out to be.
Some people might be intimidated by finding out that an important police
detective was searching for evidence in their hotel room.
Clouseau might be one of those we consider to be just a “vapor”, something
not to be afraid of.
But to God, even the men of “high degree”, like a “James Bond”, are just a
“lie”, they are not what they appear.
(Psalm 62:9 NLT) Common
people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they
appear to be. If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a
breath of air.
:10 Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches
increase, Do not set your heart on them.
:10 Nor vainly hope in robbery
Illustration
Gem of the day: A bank teller had been robbed for the third time by the
same man. A police officer asked whether she had noticed anything specific
about the criminal.
“Yes,” the teller replied. “He seems to be better-dressed every time he
comes in.”
-- Ann Landers, 10-29-92
Some folks think that the only way to get ahead is to take something that’s
not theirs.
:11 God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs
to God.
:12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one
according to his work.
:12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy
Earlier in the Psalm, David wrote,
(Psalm 62:5 NKJV) My soul,
wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.
expectation – tiqvah – cord; hope, expectation; things
hoped for, outcome
Now David writes that there are a couple things that he expects from God.
He expects that God is powerful (vs. 11).
He expects God to be merciful (vs. 12)
Lesson
Expectations and Trust
An important way to build trust in a relationship is to know the
expectations.
Illustration
A married couple was celebrating their 60th
wedding anniversary. At the party everybody wanted to know how they managed to
stay married so long in this day and age. The husband responded “When we were
first married we came to an agreement. I would make all the major decisions and
my wife would make all of the minor decisions. And in 60 years of marriage we
have never needed to make a MAJOR decision.”
Illustration
Loving Parents
As Barb was getting to know David and his family, she was
very impressed by how much his parents loved each other. “They’re so
thoughtful,” Barb said. “Why, your dad even brings your mom a cup of hot coffee
in bed every morning.” After a time, Barb and David were engaged, and then
married. On the way from the wedding to the reception, Barb again remarked on
David’s loving parents, and even the coffee in bed. “Tell me,” she said, “does
it run in the family?” “It sure does,” replied David. “And I take after my
mom.”
What do you expect from God?
Do you expect that God is able to answer your prayer?
He is powerful (vs. 11).
Do you expect Him to answer all your prayers the way you want?
He may not answer the way you want, but you can count on His
answer coming from His mercy.
What do you do when God doesn’t answer your prayers the way you hoped for?
Do you run to “plan B”?
Some people trust in bad things and bad men, others trust
in good men. Neither have the answer.
We need to keep trusting God.
Song
Verse 1:
A E F#m C#m
Only in God is my soul at rest
D E
A
In Him comes my salvation
A E F#m
C#m
He only is my rock
D E A
My strength and my salvation
Chorus:
D F#m /E
My Stronghold, my Savior
D E F#m
/E
I shall not be afraid at all
C F#m /E
My Stronghold, my Savior
C D G
I shall not be moved
Verse 2:
A E F#m C#m
Only in God is found safety
D E A
When my enemy pursues me
A E F#m C#m
Only in God is found glory
D E
A
When I am found meek and lowly
Chorus: (2x)
D F#m /E
My Stronghold, my Savior
D E F#m
/E
I shall not be afraid at all
C F#m /E
My Stronghold, my Savior
C D F#m
/E
I shall not be moved
D F#m /E
My Stronghold, my Savior
D E F#m
/E
I shall not be afraid at all
C F#m /E
My Stronghold, my Savior
C D G
I shall not be moved
Ending:
A E F#m C#m
Only in God is my soul at rest
D E
A
In Him comes my salvation
Words & Music by John Michael Talbot
© 1980 Universal Music/Brentwood Benson
Publishing/Birdwing Music
Psalm 63 – Wilderness Song
: A Psalm of David When He Was in the Wilderness of Judah.
in the Wilderness of Judah
wilderness – midbar
– wilderness; pasture; uninhabited land
The “wilderness” in Judah is a pure and simple desert.
When was this?
He seems to have been king at the
time (vs.11)
Perhaps this was also written when
he was fleeing from Absalom.
Spurgeon writes: David
did not leave off singing because he was in the wilderness, neither did he in
slovenly idleness go on repeating Psalms intended for other occasions; but he
carefully made his worship suitable to his circumstances, and presented to his
God a wilderness hymn when he was in the wilderness. There was no desert in his
heart, though there was a desert around him.
Spurgeon also writes,
CHRYSOSTOM tells us that among the
primitive Christians it was decreed and ordained that no day should pass
without the public singing of this psalm
:1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for
You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
longeth – kamahh
– (Qal) to long for, faint, faint with longing
dry – tsiyah
– dryness, drought, desert
thirsty – ‘ayeph
– faint, exhausted, weary
:1 In a dry and thirsty land
This is life in the wilderness.
You are constantly on the lookout for water.
Travel is done from one oasis to
the next.
David is talking about more though than a thirst for water.
He’s talking about a thirst for God.
Lesson
When thirst is good
When we realize how thirsty we are, it’s important to satisfy our thirst
with the right things.
The only one who is going to quench that deep inner thirst
is God.
When you are feeling dry and thirsty, you are actually in a place for
something incredible to happen.
(John 7:37–38 NKJV)
—37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood
and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of
living water.”
Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit overflowing our lives.
We often will talk about going through our own times of “dryness” and can
get discouraged.
The truth is, when you realize you are in a dry place, you are only a step
away from times of refreshing.
The outpouring of the Spirit doesn’t come if you don’t realize how thirsty
you are without Him.
The important thing is to come to Jesus and let Him satisfy your thirst.
Illustration
Charles Spurgeon wrote,
“Plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in His immensity;
and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I
know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of
sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon
the subject of the Godhead.”
:1 Early will I seek You
early will I seek – shachar
– to seek, seek early or earnestly, look early or diligently for
When you are thirsty for God, you get up early to seek Him.
It’s the first thing you do in the day.
:2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your
glory.
power – ‘oz –
might, strength
glory – kabowd
– glory, honour, glorious, abundance
:2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary
sanctuary – qodesh
– apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness
At this point in history, the “sanctuary” is the Tabernacle.
The Temple has not been built yet.
The Tabernacle was not in the wilderness with David, but David is seeking
God in the wilderness just like he sought God when he was at the Tabernacle.
:2 To see Your power and Your
glory
This is what David is thirsting
for. God’s power, God’s glory.
:3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall
praise You.
:3 Your lovingkindness is better than life
life – chay
– life (abstract emphatic); life; sustenance, maintenance
lovingkindness – checed –
goodness, kindness, faithfulness
The Hebrew word appears 241 times in the Old Testament; 127 of those times
in the Psalms alone.
It’s like the word for “grace” in the New Testament, meaning that God gives
us His undeserved love.
(Psalm 25:7 NKJV) Do not
remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to
Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.
It is new every morning.
(Lamentations
3:22–23 NKJV) —22 Through the Lord’s mercies
we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every
morning; Great is
Your faithfulness.
It lasts forever.
(1 Chronicles 16:34
NKJV) Oh, give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Some people don’t appreciate God’s lovingkindness. When Jonah finally went
and preached to the people of Nineveh, they actually turned from the sins, and
God showed them mercy. Jonah was quite upset
with God over the issue:
(Jonah 4:2 NKJV) So he prayed
to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I
was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know
that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness,
One who relents from doing harm.
Jonah wanted God to judge the people of Nineveh, not have mercy on them.
How do you view God’s lovingkindness?
Is it precious to you? Or
unappreciated? Is it better than life?
If it is, then you can give God praise, even in the wilderness.
:4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your
name.
:4 Thus I will bless You while I live
David will continue to give God praise as long as he lives because God’s
lovingkindness is so wonderful.
:4 I will lift up my hands in Your name
Some see hand raising as a way to show their praise to God.
Others see hand raising as a way of showing surrender to God.
I have some further important instruction about this:
:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth
shall praise You with joyful lips.
:5 satisfied as with marrow and fatness
This doesn’t sound too exciting to us – sucking on bone marrow or eating
the fat, but to the folks in David’s day, this was eating the best of the meal.
David’s soul was satisfied like eating a big juicy steak followed by a big
hot fudge sundae.
For me it would sound like eating a nice piece of salmon followed by some
frozen yoghurt.
This comes from being satisfied with God’s lovingkindness.
:6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night
watches.
:7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I
will rejoice.
:8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
:8 My soul follows close behind You
follows close – dabaq – to
cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, follow closely, join to,
overtake, catch
David is sticking with God.
:9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into
the lower parts of the earth.
:10 They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals.
:11 But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall
glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
:11 But the king shall rejoice in God
Even while he’s being chased through the deserts, David will chose to give
praise to God.
Lesson
Sing in the desert
It all goes back to God’s lovingkindness (vs. 3)
David could praise God in the desert because God’s lovingkindness was
better than life, and he knew God loved him.
Just how fresh is God’s lovingkindness to you? Jesus had an encounter with a woman to whom
God’s lovingkindness was better than life.
(Luke 7:36–50 NLT)
—36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus
went to his home and sat down to eat. 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating
there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she
knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she
wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting
perfume on them. 39
When
the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man
were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a
sinner!” 40 Then Jesus
answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to
say to you.” “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied. 41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A
man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the
other. 42 But neither
of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts.
Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one
for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he
turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When
I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet,
but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t
greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped
kissing my feet. 46
You
neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my
feet with rare perfume. 47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she
has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little
love.” 48 Then Jesus
said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The men at the table said among
themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” 50 And Jesus
said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
I think we can identify with either the Pharisee or the sinner woman in
this story.
We can be the Pharisee who is always finding something to complain about.
Or we can relate to the woman who has tasted God’s forgiveness.
There’s only one who can sing a song in the wilderness – the one who is in
touch with God’s grace, mercy, and love.
Songs
Em Bm7
Oh God
Em Bm7
You are my God
C D Em
C D
I seek for You in the morning
Em Bm7
My soul
Em Bm7
It thirst for You
C D Em
I long for You in a weary land
G C
For I have seen You
D
In the holy place
G C D
Beheld Your power and Your glory
G C
Because Your love
D
Is more than life to me
Em C D
My lips will praise Your name forever
C
As long as I live
My soul
Is satisfied
And in Your name
I will lift my hands
My mouth
Will give You praise
I sing beneath the shadow
Of Your wings
Psalm 63 / Words
& Music by Danny Daniels / ©
1993 Mercy Publishing / Psalm63.doc
D
Thy lovingkindness
A
Is better than life
Thy lovingkindness
D
Is better than life
D7
My lips shall praise Thee
G Em
Thus will I bless Thee
D
I will lift up
A D
My hands unto Thy name
I lift my hands up...
Praise to the Father...
Thy Lovingkindness / Words & Music by Hugh Mitchell
/ © 1956 Singspiration
Music / LvngKind.doc
E B
O God You are my God
A B E
(A B)
And I will ever praise You (repeat)
C#m B
I will seek You in the morning
A F#m
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
E B
And step by step You'll lead me
A E
And I will follow You all of my days.
Words & Music by Beaker
© 1991 Kid Brothers of St. Frank Publishing