Thursday
Evening Bible Study
October
27, 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 seeing 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 82 – Judge of Judges
: A Psalm of Asaph.
A Psalm of Asaph
This is a song mostly directed at those who are judges.
Not all Psalms are directed as praise or prayer to God.
It’s not until the end that God is addressed.
:1 God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.
judges – shaphat – to
judge, govern, vindicate, punish
:1 He judges among the gods
gods – ‘elohiym –
(plural) rulers, judges; divine ones; angels; gods
This is also the word usually translated “God”, even though it’s in the
plural form.
Lesson
Only One
This word is going to throw some people off. Some have used this psalm to
say that there are other “divine beings” in heaven besides God.
The Mormons will quote this Psalm as well as a passage in John 10 (we’ll
look at in a minute) to make their claim that we too can become “gods”, and
that one day good Mormons will each be given their own planet to look after and
populate.
Yet God Himself says that there are no other “gods”.
(Isaiah 43:10 NKJV)
“You
are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My
servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And
understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there
be after Me.
The word “God” is the singular form of Elohim, which is “El”
Again in,
(Isaiah 44:6 NKJV) “Thus says
the Lord, the King of Israel, And his
Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am
the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.
“God” here is the plural “Elohim”
All kinds of truth in this passage, including a peek at
Jesus, the “Redeemer”
You would read the same thing in Isaiah 44:8; 45:5-6, and again in …
(Isaiah 44:8 NKJV) Do not
fear, nor be afraid; Have I not
told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a
God besides Me? Indeed there is
no other Rock; I know not one.’ ”
“God” is Elohim
(Isaiah 45:5–6 NKJV) —5 I am
the Lord, and there is no
other; There is no God besides Me. I will
gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 That they
may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord,
and there is no other;
“God” (vs. 5) is Elohim
(Isaiah 45:21–22
NKJV) —21 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let
them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it
from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God
besides Me, A just God
and a Savior; There is none
besides Me. 22 “Look to Me,
and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
Three “God” words – first is Elohim, the last two are El.
Though some think this might be talking about angelic or even divine
beings, our passage is talking about those who are judges in Israel, who had
“god-like” authority in that they had the ability to make life and death
decisions about others.
We’ll see in a minute (82:7) why they have to be
human.
:2 How long will you judge unjustly, And show
partiality to the wicked? Selah
:2 How long will you judge unjustly
From the time that Moses set up the first system of judges in Israel, they
were commanded to judge correctly and not take bribes from the people they
judged.
(Deuteronomy
1:16–17 NKJV) —16 “Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the
cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his
brother or the stranger who is with him. 17 You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small
as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the
judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I
will hear it.’
This is one of the things that is so troubling in our nation today – we
don’t know whether the people in power have been persuaded or bribed to do some
of the things they have done.
:3 Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
:4 Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the
wicked.
:4 Deliver the poor and needy
This is one of the functions of our justice system.
Everyone should be treated the same.
Even those without funds or “friends in high places” who are wronged should
be able to find justice.
:5 They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are unstable.
This is referring to those bad judges whose wrong decisions shake the
world.
(Psalm 82:5 NLT) But these
oppressors know nothing; they are so ignorant! They wander about in darkness,
while the whole world is shaken to the core.
:6 I said, “You are gods, And all of you are
children of the Most High.
:7 But you shall die like men, And fall like one
of the princes.”
:7 But you shall die like men
Some like to think of these Elohim
as angelic beings, even perhaps demonic ones.
But angels don’t die like men.
These are human judges, and that though they might have exalted titles,
they too will die and have to face God in judgment.
:6 I said, “You are gods
God uses the term Elohim to apply
to those who serve as judges. It was
Moses that recorded it:
(Exodus 22:9 NKJV) “For any
kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or
clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the cause of both parties shall come
before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall
pay double to his neighbor.
You can also see this usage in Ex. 21:6; 22:8.
See also:
(Exodus 22:8 NKJV) If the
thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the judges
to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods.
(Exodus 21:6 NKJV) then his
master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the
door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and
he shall serve him forever.
Jesus quotes our passage to make a point with the Jews when they are giving
Him grief over claiming to be the Son of God throughout His ministry. He got into trouble by saying…
like He did when He had talked to
the blind man He had healed (John 9:35-37):
(John 9:35–37 NKJV) —35 Jesus
heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him,
“Do you believe in the Son of God?” 36 He
answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37
And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and
it is He who is talking with you.”
(John 10:30–38
NKJV) —30 I and My Father are one.” 31 Then the Jews took up stones again
to stone Him. 32
Jesus
answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of
those works do you stone Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone
You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” 34 Jesus
answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’? 35 If He called
them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
The judges of Moses’ day were men to whom God’s Word had come through
Moses.
36 do you say
of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are
blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I do not
do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not
believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is
in Me, and I in Him.”
The Mormons take all this to show that we too can become gods, but that’s
not the point Jesus is trying to make.
The Jews felt Jesus was blaspheming because He was claiming to be God.
Jesus’ point is simply that if the Old Testament judges were allowed to be called “elohim”, why is it blaspheming if
the true Son of God is calling Himself equal with God?
:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations.
:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth
Lesson
Correct Judgment
(Matthew 7:1–5 NKJV)
—1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge,
you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to
you.
Like the bad judges, those who judge poorly will find that God will apply
the same kind of rules to them that they applied to those they took advantage
of.
3 And why do
you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in
your own eye? 4 Or how can
you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a
plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
We often hear people quote Matt. 7:1 and tell us not to judge them. They
don’t want criticism, they want sympathy:
But if you pay attention and read the whole passage, you will find that
Jesus is not saying that we shouldn’t judge people, but that we need to be
careful how we go about making our
judgments.
If you find yourself being critical of another person, be sure you take the
time to look in the mirror before you say anything.
Is this something that you struggle with as well? Are you dealing with the
issue in your life or are you just getting mad at everyone else who has the
same problem?
There is a time to pull splinters out of another person’s eye, but the
person qualified to do it is one who doesn’t have any logs in their own eye.
Psalm 83 – Deal with Enemies
: A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.
:1 Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, And
do not be still, O God!
:2 For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And
those who hate You have lifted up their head.
The Psalmist is worried about the state of the nation and the enemies that
are coming against it.
:3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And
consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
:4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a
nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
:5 For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a
confederacy against You:
He’s now going to list the various nations that are threatening Israel.
:6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab
and the Hagrites;
:7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the
inhabitants of Tyre;
:8 Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot.
Selah
:6 Edom …
All these nations are located on the eastern side of the Jordan River.
:7 Philistia … Tyre
Philistia was in the coastal plains of Israel.
Tyre was to the north.
:8 Assyria also has joined with them
Though Assyria was located in modern Iraq, they would
be coming in from the north.
This could date the Psalm to around the time of Hezekiah, when the Assyrians
were threatening all the surrounding kingdoms.
When the Assyrians attacked, the rest of the people joined in rooting for
Judah’s destruction.
:9 Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera,
As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
:10 Who perished at En Dor,
Who became as refuse on the earth.
:9 As with Sisera … Jabin
The story of Sisera and Jabin
is found in Judges 4, when God used a couple of women to deliver the nation of Israel from the
Canaanites. Jabin was the king and Sisera was his general. God used the prophetess Deborah to
stir up the people to fight. Then God used a woman, Jael, to actually
be the one to kill Sisera.
:10 Who perished at En Dor
The Battle at En Dor
was actually quite long, but I think I found the appropriate footage…
I think that guy at the end was Jabin… J
:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, Yes, all their princes like Zebah
and Zalmunna,
:12 Who said, “Let us take for ourselves The pastures of God for a
possession.”
:11 Oreb and like Zeeb
… Zebah and Zalmunna
Found in Judges 6-8, these were the princes and kings of Midian that were
bullying the Israelites.
This was in the time of Gideon, where the Midianites would show up every
year and steal the harvest from all the hard working Israelites.
In the movie “A Bug’s Life”, it was the grasshoppers that showed up every
year and took advantage of the little hard working ants.
Unlike the ants in the movie, the Israelites were outnumbered by the
Midianites, yet Gideon still stood up to them because God was helping them.
:13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like the chaff before the
wind!
:14 As the fire burns the woods, And as the flame sets the mountains on
fire,
:15 So pursue them with Your tempest, And frighten them with Your storm.
:16 Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
:17 Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to
shame and perish,
:18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all
the earth.
:9 Deal with them as with Midian
Lesson
Do it again Lord
The Psalmist is struggling with the reality of his own current,
contemporary problems.
He finds hope by going back in history and looking at how God had delivered
His people.
There are times when we struggle with trusting God with our problems.
Look at who you are struggling to trust.
Look at His record.
When Gideon defeated the Midianites, it was done in the most unusual way.
First God shrunk the size of Gideon’s army down to 300 men in three
companies, who would be facing 150,000 Midianites.
They would be small and weak in number.
Then Gideon equipped each of his men with a jar with a lit torch in it, and
a trumpet.
They were to surround the Midianites at night, and wait
for Gideon’s signal.
(Judges
7:20 NKJV) Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the
pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their
right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”
The Midianites all turned on each other and killed each other.
Gideon won a great battle, not because of a strange strategy, but because
God was at work.
Just like Gideon’s men had their lights in their clay pots, Paul wrote,
(2
Corinthians 4:7 NKJV) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence
of the power may be of God and not of us.
Paul goes on to say that it’s when we are weak and broken,
like Gideon’s clay pots, that people can see the treasure in us, Jesus Christ. That’s when we find victory.
God can use you in your weakness in amazing ways.
We just need to call on Him.
Psalm 84 In Your House
: To the Chief Musician. On An Instrument of Gath. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
A Psalm of the Sons of Korah
The sons of Korah were a family of worship
leaders that traced their roots back to the time of Moses.
:1 How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts!
:2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for
the living God.
:2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord
Lesson
Motivation for church
Spurgeon: “Some need to
be whipped to church, while here is David crying for it.”
In the Catholic church, you are supposedly going to go to hell simply for
not going to church. It’s considered a terrible sin. How’s that for motivation
to get people to go to church?
Illustration
Go To Church
A husband and his wife arose one Sunday morning and the wife dressed for
church. It was just about time for the service when she noticed her husband
hadn’t moved a finger toward getting dressed. Perplexed, she asked, “Why aren’t
you getting dressed for church?” He said, “Cause I don’t want to go.” She
asked, “Do you have any reason?” He said, “Yes, I have three good reasons.
First, the congregation is cold. Second, no one likes me. And third, I just don’t
want to go.” The wife replied, wisely, “Well, honey, I have three reasons why
you should go. First, the congregation is warm. Second, there are a few people
there who like you. And third, you’re the pastor! Get dressed!”
Are you pushed to go to church or pulled? Are you here because of some kind
of outward pressure, or is there a tugging in your heart to be at church? Are
you here only because your parents made you come, or because you want to be
here?
Finding joy in the journey depends on what you’re thirsty for.
:3 Even the sparrow has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young— Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God.
The songwriter talks about wishing
he could be like a bird (vs. 3) that gets to build its nest in God’s
house. He thinks, “Wouldn’t that be the
coolest thing?”
:4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be
praising You. Selah
:4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house
blessed – ‘esher
– happiness, blessedness
Lesson
Joy in the House
In David’s day, “God’s House” was where the Ark of the Covenant was. The Ark
was moveable, from place to place.
Eventually it settled in a more permanent structure, the Temple in Jerusalem. In the New Testament, we find God’s House
described in several ways.
God’s People
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, one of his main objectives was to deal
with their divisiveness. They had broken
into different factions and were filled with strife and jealousy towards each
other.
(1
Corinthians 3:16–17 NKJV) —16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God,
God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you
are.
The word “you” (vs. 16) is plural (“you-all”). Some have used these verses to try and
discourage people from committing suicide.
That’s a noble thing, but this is the wrong verse to do it. Here the idea is that when the church is
together (“you-all”), God’s Spirit is present and we are a “temple” of God.
Some people confuse the building we meet in as “God’s house”. God’s house is where the people are. Are you
happy to be here?
In Me
Another issue Paul was concerned about for the Corinthians was that of immorality
(“fornication”). The reason we should
flee immorality is because…
(1
Corinthians 6:19 NKJV) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who
is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
Paul is saying that each of us, individually, is a
temple. The Holy Spirit dwells in each
of us, and that makes our bodies a temple.
We ought to flee immorality because the Holy Spirit (God)
is living INSIDE us!
As a temple, do you have “joy” inside you?
How do we get “joy” in the house?
The writer has hinted at three things:
Thirst
Hang out with people who make you “thirsty” for God.
(Psalm
84:2 NKJV) My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord
If you eat salty popcorn at the movie theater, you’re
going to want something to drink. Especially
when they show those slides of the big tall Cokes on the screen before the
movie.
Jesus said we’re supposed to be the “salt of the
earth”. Hang out with salty people.
Presence
(Psalm
84:4a NKJV) Blessed are those who dwell in Your house
Joy comes from knowing you’re in the “house” of God, in
His presence.
Whether you realize it or not, you are always in God’s
presence.
(Psalm
139:7 NKJV) Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your
presence?
When you and I grow at realizing that we are in the
presence of God, it ought to result in joy.
(Psalm
16:11b NKJV) In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your
right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Worship
(Psalm
84:4b NKJV) …They will still be praising You.
I think that true worship ought to result in a sense of
God’s presence and in joy.
:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is
set on pilgrimage.
:6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.
:7 They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in
Zion.
:8 O Lord God of hosts, hear
my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
:5 Whose heart is set on pilgrimage
We think this may have been one of the Psalms sung during the Feast of
Tabernacles, when Jews from around the nation made a pilgrimage to worship in
Jerusalem.
:5 they pass through the Valley of Baca
Baca – Baka’ – “weeping”
; from bakah – to weep, bewail, cry,
shed tears
One suggestion is that this is a place called “Bochim”
(“weeping”, Judges 2:1-5), located in the Jordan Valley
near Jericho.
Another suggestion is that this isn’t a specific place, but a figure of speech
– “going through the valley of tears”. A couple hundred years ago, the phrase
was “the vale of tears”
Note that the pilgrims pass “THROUGH” the valley of tears. Don’t let tears make you stop. Keep pressing on to the place of worship.
:9 O God, behold our shield, And look upon the face of Your anointed.
:10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would
rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of
wickedness.
:10 a doorkeeper in the house of my God
doorkeeper – caphaph –to stand
at or guard the threshold
There was an actual position known as a “gatekeeper” or “guard of the
threshold”, a position established back in the time of David. When the people first came back from Babylon,
they still knew who the “gatekeepers” were, like a man named Shallum.
(1 Chronicles 9:19
NLT) Shallum was the son of Kore, a descendant of Abiasaph,
from the clan of Korah. He and his relatives, the Korahites, were responsible for guarding the entrance to
the sanctuary, just as their ancestors had guarded the Tabernacle in the camp
of the Lord.
Did you notice that Shallum was a “son of Korah”,
the same as our Psalmist?
Our Psalmist knew what he was writing about.
:10 a day in Your courts
The worst day in God’s presence is better than the best day in the world.
(Psalm 84:10 The
Message) One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats
thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I’d rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be
honored as a guest in the palace of sin.
The best day is one spent in God’s House, in God’s presence.
I imagine that you who are here tonight would agree with me because you are
here.
:11 For the Lord God is
a sun and shield; The Lord will
give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk
uprightly.
:12 O Lord of hosts, Blessed is
the man who trusts in You!
:11 No good thing will He withhold
Lesson
No Good Thing
Paul gives us a similar promise:
(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.
There do seem to be some conditions to the “good thing” that God has for
us.
We must know Him (called – Rom. 8:28)
We must love God (Rom. 8:28)
We must walk uprightly (Ps. 84:11)
I don’t think this means that we “earn” good things by
doing good things.
It means that I need to be following God’s ways if I want
to receive the things that God has for me on His path.
Here’s the rub:
What God thinks is “good” may not be the thing that you think is “good”.
God knows what’s truly “good” for us, and though it might mean that
promotion you’re looking for, it might also mean a difficult time through which
you will learn a valuable lesson.
If you love Him, know Him, and follow Him, then you can
trust that God is not withholding any good thing from you.
Illustration
The Road of Life (Author
unknown)
At first I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I
did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was
sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn’t
really know Him. But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were
rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike and I noticed that Christ was
in the back helping me pedal. I don’t know just when it was that He suggested
that we change places, but life has not been the same since. When I was in
control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable...It was the
shortest distance between two points. But when He took the lead, He knew
delightful long cuts up the mountains and through the rocky places at breakneck
speeds...it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness,
He said, “Pedal!” I worried and was anxious and asked, “Where are you taking
me?” He smiled and didn’t answer and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my
old life and entered into the adventure. And when I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d
lean back and touch my hand. He took me to people with gifts that I needed,
gifts of healing, acceptance, and joy. They gave me gifts to take on my
journey, my Lord’s and mine. And we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts
away; they’re extra baggage and too much weight.” So I did, and I found that in
giving, I received, and still our burden was light. I did not trust Him, at
first, in control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it; but He knows bike
secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump
clear of dangers, knows how to fly to shorten scary passages. And I am learning
to shut up and pedal in the strangest places. And I’m beginning to enjoy the
view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion,
Jesus Christ. And when I’m sure I can’t do anymore, He just smiles and says,
“Pedal.”