Home Library Donate

Psalms 85-87

Thursday Evening Bible Study

November 3, 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

Video: Psalms Intro

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.

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 85 - Revival

: To the Chief Musician. A Psalm Of the Sons of Korah.

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.

11 of the Psalms are written by the Sons of Korah.

They were also “gatekeepers” in the Temple as well.

That’s interesting about this family is that they were descended from a man named Korah, who had rebelled against Moses in the wilderness. Korah and his followers weren’t satisfied just being among the Levites who served at the Tabernacle, they wanted to be priests as well. They felt they were just as good as Moses and Aaron.

God did something unique in His judgment of Korah…

(Numbers 16:32 NKJV) and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.

What is amazing and gracious about all of this is that after this incident, the family of Korah would continue to serve in the Tabernacle, even becoming a leading family in the worship of God.

:1 Lord, You have been favorable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.

:1 You have brought back the captivity of Jacob

Some have suggested that this Psalms was written after the Jews in Babylon began to make their way back to the land of Israel at the end of the Babylonian captivity, sometime after 538 BC.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah record what the return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple and the city walls was like.

The dedication of the walls of Jerusalem included all kinds of music, choirs, and instruments (Neh. 12)

:2 You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah

:2 You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people

Lesson

Forgiveness

Forgiveness comes from Jesus. He’s the One who has paid for our sins by dying on the cross.

But forgiveness doesn’t come just because Jesus died on the cross, it comes when we confess our sins, when we acknowledge to God that we have sinned.

(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Do you understand that if you will admit to God what you’ve done, He WILL forgive you?

:3 You have taken away all Your wrath; You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.

:4 Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your anger toward us to cease.

:5 Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?

:6 Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?

:6 Will You not revive us again

revive – chayah – to live, live prosperously, live forever, be alive, be restored to life or health

Lesson

Revival

Illustration

A young girl became a Christian in an exciting revival at her church and was baptized the closing Sunday morning. That afternoon she ran through the house singing and dancing. Her sour grandfather rebuked her with these words, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Just joined the church and singing and dancing on the Lord’s Day!” Crushed by her grandfather’s attitude, the little girl went out to the barn, climbed up on the corral fence, and observed an old mule standing there with a sad, droopy face, and bleary eyes. As she reached over and patted the mule sympathetically, she said, “Don’t cry, ole mule, I guess you’ve just got the same kind of religion that grandpa has!”

I don’t want you to confuse “revival” with “emotional hype”, but to be honest, sometimes we can be lacking in a little bit of the joy of “life” that God wants for us.

Revival is something meant for individuals as well as a group.

It starts with us as individuals, but spreads to the group.

Prior to the Jews being released from their captivity in Babylon, the prophet Daniel did something significant:

(Daniel 9:3–5 NKJV) —3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.

It is significant that after Daniel prayed this prayer, the doors opened and the Jews were allowed to go back to their land.

Daniel was taking advantage of a promise God had made to His people.

When Solomon dedicated the Temple, God gave a special promise:

(2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV) if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

We too need to pay attention to the example set before us.

We too need to confess our own sins, and the sins of our nation.

We too need to turn from our wicked ways.

:7 Show us Your mercy, Lord, And grant us Your salvation.

:8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly.

:8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak

Lesson

Paying attention

The Psalmist is saying that he will be paying attention to whatever God says.

He is convinced that God will be speaking peace to His people.

Paying attention starts with hearing God’s Word.

There have been times in history when people were not particularly interested in hearing what God had to say.

(1 Samuel 3:1–10 NKJV) —1 Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. 2 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, 3 and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, 4 that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” 5 So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down. 6 Then the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.) 8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”

Will you recognize when God is saying something to you?

Hearing from God doesn’t come when you say to your pastor, “Here am I”. You hear from God when you speak to HIM – “Speak, for Your servant hears.”

You will hear God’s voice best when you spend time reading His Word.

Paying attention also involves doing what God says.

It’s not enough to just hear and know what God wants, but to actually do it.

The Psalmist said “let them not turn back to folly”, meaning that the people should follow God’s ways and not backslide.

Jesus said,

(Matthew 7:24–27 NKJV) —24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Just hearing what God says doesn’t help you at all unless you do what He says.

:9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land.

:10 Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.

:11 Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven.

:11 Truth shall spring out of the earth

In the land of Israel, water is scarce.

Most drinkable water is found in one of two types of places: Springs or cisterns.

Cisterns were holes dug in the ground where rain water was collected and stored.

Springs were almost magical, with fresh water coming bubbling up to the surface in what seemed an unending supply of the source of life – water.

Some springs are just little trickles, others are gushers, like the springs at Tel Dan that feed into the Jordan River.

Video: Tel Dan Water

The Psalmist is speaking of a day when truth itself will be abundant and just come bubbling up out of the earth. As messy as our nation’s politics are right not, don’t you long for that day?

:12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase.

:13 Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.

:10 Mercy and truth have met together

(Psa 85:10 NKJV) Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Lesson

Revival’s Balance

Revival isn’t just about emotional experiences. It’s about true change.

When people are getting right with God, there is a union of these qualities. Mercy meets up with truth and righteousness meets up with peace.

The keys to mercy and peace are truth and righteousness.

Mercy and truth – when we are living in the truth and not lying to ourselves or to God, we find mercy.

(1 John 1:7 NKJV) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

When we confess our sins, we find mercy and forgiveness.

Righteousness and peace – when we find the righteousness of Christ and when we start living lives that are right with God, we find peace.

Sometimes it takes some “chastening” for us to correct our lives and get on the path of righteousness, but that path is one filled with peace.

(Hebrews 12:11 NKJV) Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

The true test of revival is not how high you jump when you experience it, but how straight you walk after you land.

Illustration

Rekindling The Flame

An old lady had been married for many years when suddenly her husband died. This is what she put on his tombstone:

THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE HAS GONE OUT.

Not long afterward she met, fell in love with and married another man. After thinking at some length about it, she went to the monument maker and had him add this to the tombstone:

THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE HAS GONE OUT.

P.S. I Found A Match.

When we begin to think that the fire has gone out, it’s not over.

Jesus wants to relight that fire.

Towards the end of the first century, Jesus wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus through the apostle John. The church at Ephesus had been a major instrument of God in the first century, but things were beginning to change.

Jesus wrote,

(Revelation 2:4–5 NKJV) —4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

The key to getting back that first love is to think back to where you used to be (remember), and then change the things that have taken you away from your first love (repent).

Psalm 86 Cry for Help

: A Prayer of David.

We’ve talked about how there are five “books” of Psalms.

This is the only Psalm in this “book” that specifically says it was written by David.

It’s a prayer for help.

:1 Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me; For I am poor and needy.

:2 Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; Save Your servant who trusts in You!

:2 for I am holy

This is not the same word used to describe God as “holy” (qadosh)

holy – chaciyd – faithful, kind, godly

(Psalm 86:2 NLT) Protect me, for I am devoted to you.

:3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long.

:3 Be merciful to me, O Lord

Lord – ‘Adonay – my lord, lord

Notice that just the first letter of the word is capitalized, instead of all the letters being capitalized.

This is not the word for God’s name (Yahweh) as in verse 1.

This is the word simply meaning “lord” or “master”.

You’re going to see this “Lord” who up several times in this Psalm. (Verses 3,4,5,8,9,12,15)

:4 Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

Notice “Lord” (Adonai) here.

:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

:6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications.

:6 attend to the voice of my supplications

supplications – tachanuwn – supplication for favor

It’s based on the word chanan, “to be gracious”.

(Psalm 86:6 ESV) Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.

When we cry to God for help, we really ought to be asking on the basis of God’s grace, not because we deserve it.

:7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me.

:8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works.

:9 All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name.

:9 All nations …Shall come

Paul wrote this about Jesus,

(Philippians 2:9–11 NKJV) —9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

:10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.

:11 Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.

:12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.

:13 For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

:14 O God, the proud have risen against me, And a mob of violent men have sought my life, And have not set You before them.

:15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

:15 full of compassion, and gracious …

This is exactly how God described Himself to Moses.

(Exodus 34:5–6 NKJV) —5 Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth…

This is something repeated with slight variations throughout the Old Testament.

(Nehemiah 9:17 NKJV) —17 They refused to obey, And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their necks, And in their rebellion They appointed a leader To return to their bondage. But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them.

(Psalm 103:8 NKJV) The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

(Psalm 145:8 NKJV) —8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.

(Jonah 4:2 NKJV) —2 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.

Yet David’s words here are the closest to those that Moses recorded of any other place in the Old Testament.

He’s reminding God of who God says He was.

:16 Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant.

:16 turn to me, and have mercy on me!

It’s one thing to know that God is merciful, but it’s another thing to cry out to God and receive His merciful.

He wants to be merciful.

:17 Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

(Psalm 86:17 NLT) Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.

:11 Unite my heart to fear Your name

unite – yachad – to join, unite

Lesson

Help Lord

Note how many times in this Psalm David refers to God as “Lord” (Adonai, only first letter capitalized).

The word “adonai” is found 53 times in the 150 Psalms. Yet in this Psalm alone it’s found seven times (Verses 3,4,5,8,9,12,15).

The idea of “Lord” is a major theme in this Psalm.

I think this is why David can call himself “holy” or “faithful” (vs. 2) because David has made Yahweh his “Master”.

The opposite of a “united” heart is a divided heart.

A “divided” heart is a heart that can’t decide who its going to trust or follow.

(Hosea 10:2 NKJV) Their heart is divided; Now they are held guilty. He will break down their altars; He will ruin their sacred pillars.

The judgment in Hosea’s day was because the people were following more masters than just the Lord.

James talks about being “double-minded” and it’s consequences.

(James 1:5–8 NKJV) —5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

When you have too many “lords”, you can’t be sure that you can trust God. Your life is constantly in turmoil.

When Jesus warned about the dangers of living your life for “money”, He said,

(Matthew 6:24 NKJV) “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

When your eye is fixed on getting more “stuff” instead of serving God, you’ve got a divided heart.

You can only follow one master at a time.

There’s a connection to “Lord” and obedience. Jesus said,

(Matthew 7:21 NKJV) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Jesus also said,

(John 14:15 NKJV) “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

This Psalm is a cry for help. But it comes from a person who understands the Lordship of God in his life.

He doesn’t see himself as perfect. He asks God to help “unite” his heart.

When you ask God for help, get the Lordship thing straightened out first.

Song: “Great Is Your Love” (Dave Dunagan)

Song: “Cry of My Heart”

Psalm 87 Song of Zion

: A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song.

Psalm of the Sons of Korah

This next Psalm is about where you’re from. How many of you were born in California? Where were some of the rest of you born?

Illustration

You know you're from California when:

*You were born somewhere else.

*The fastest part of your commute is down your driveway.

*The primary bugs that you worry about are electronic.

*Your car has bulletproof windows.

*Left is right and right is wrong.

*Your monthly house payments exceed your annual income.

*You pack shorts and a T-shirt for skiing in the snow, and a sweater and a wetsuit for the beach.

*When you can't schedule a meeting because you must "do lunch".

:1 His foundation is in the holy mountains.

:2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob.

:3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah

:2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion

Zion is the name of the hill on which Jerusalem is built.

Zion and Jerusalem are synonymous.

One day the world will be governed by God from Jerusalem.

(Isaiah 2:2 NKJV) Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.

(Zechariah 2:10–11 NKJV) —10 “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. 11 “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.

:4 “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.’ ”

:4 to those who know Me

There will be people from all these nations who will know Yahweh.

:4 This one was born there.

The idea is that there will be people from all these nations who will have been born in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem will be a city at the center of the world, the source of life for all the nations.

Rahab – not the harlot from Joshua’s day, but this is symbolic of Egypt.

Babylon – both the city and the empire

Babylon didn’t become a prominent city until the time of Hezekiah. This might give a date to this Psalm to have been written at least by the time of Hezekiah.

Philistia – the nation of the Philistines

Tyre – one of the main cities of the Phoenicians, to the north of Israel

Ethiopia – the nation, south of Egypt.

:5 And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her.”

:5 And of Zion it will be said

The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) inserts the word “mother” in the beginning and reads, “Mother Zion, a person will speak…”,

or, “and Zion shall be called a mother in whom men of every race are born”.

In one of Paul’s more difficult, cryptic passages, he is contrasting the Old and New Covenants, and compares them to two mothers, Hagar and Sarah, and Mount Sinai and Jerusalem.

Out of the blue, he calls Jerusalem a “mother”.

Because Paul used the Septuagint as his main Bible translation, it is thought that this was where Paul got the idea in Galatians:

(Galatians 4:26 NKJV) but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.

:5 the Most High Himself shall establish her

God will make Zion His capitol.

:6 The Lord will record, When He registers the peoples: “This one was born there.” Selah

:7 Both the singers and the players on instruments say, “All my springs are in you.”

:7 All my springs are in you

The Psalmist wrote,

(Psalm 46:4 NKJV) There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

In Ezekiel 47, Ezekiel has a vision of a river coming from the Temple, from the throne of God itself.

(Ezekiel 47:1 NKJV) Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.

We talked about “springs” earlier in Ps. 85:11.

Springs are a picture of the source of life.

It’s a picture of joy and freshness coming from Jerusalem.

The Psalmist is saying that all his hopes in life come out of Jerusalem.

Ultimately this is because all life comes from God, and His throne is set in Jerusalem.

:6 This one was born there

Today Jerusalem is the most hotly contested piece of property in the world.

Everyone wants to lay claim to it.

Even though the nation of Israel properly has a claim to it as its capitol, there will be a day when it will be the capitol of the world.

Lesson

Birthplace

God is concerned about how it reads on your birth certificate.

There will be a day when people from every nation will lay claim to having had roots in Jerusalem.

In vs. 4 it mentioned all sorts of nations, “to those who know Me”.

Jesus had a conversation with a religious man, a very Jewish religious man, about the nature of his birth.

(John 3:1–9 NLT) —1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” 9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

Jesus was confronting Nicodemus about the necessity of having a spiritual birth, not just a physical birth.

Nicodemus might have been religious, keeping the Law of Moses, but he still lacked an inner spiritual transformation, being born again by the Spirit of God.

Jesus would go on to explain to Nicodemus how this spiritual birth takes place.

(John 3:16 NLT) “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

It’s in believing in Jesus that we become “born again”.

This is the birth that God is most concerned about.

I think this birth has everything to do with Jerusalem – because the events that took place in Jerusalem would be the very things that saved us – Jesus dying on a cross and rising again three days later.

Song: All My Hope