Thursday
Evening Bible Study
February
9, 2017
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.
Tonight we will look at three Psalms that all start with the same word,
“Hallelujah”, or, “Praise the Lord”.
Psalm 111 Praising God
This is an “acrostic” psalm.
After the opening line (“Hallelujah”, or “Praise the Lord”), the next line
begins with the letter “aleph” (like our “a”, but in Hebrew), and then each
succeeding line (not verse) begins with the next letter of the alphabet.
“I will praise the LORD …” begins
with aleph. (like “a”)
“In the assembly…” begins with beth. (“b”)
“The works of the LORD are great” begins with gimel.
There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and you will find 22 phrases
after that first “Hallelujah”.
In some of your English
translations (like NKJV), each phrase starts with a capital letter.
This was to help the people learn
the psalm, a “teaching psalm”, a way to commit it to memory.
Some ancient versions of this Psalm
suggest that it was written in the time of Haggai and Zechariah – during the
time when the Temple was being rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity.
:1 Praise the Lord! I will
praise the Lord with my
whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
:1 Praise the Lord!
The Hebrew is, “Hallelu-jah”
The Psalmist is going to give us a few reasons for giving God praise.
:2 The works of the Lord are
great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
:2 works … Studied by all…
works – ma‘aseh
– deed, work
great – gadowl
– great
studied – darash
– to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require
all who have pleasure – chephets
– delight, pleasure
Lesson
What God has done
Illustration
On May 24, 1844, inventor Samuel F.B. Morse sent the first telegraph
message over an experimental line from Washington D.C. to Baltimore.
The message was, “What hath God wrought?”
Morse saw God’s hand in his own invention.
When we take time to look around us, it’s not hard to give God praise.
Do you notice the things that God has done?
Do you see God’s hand in creation around you?
Frankly I am still amazed that more scientists don’t get
down on their knees in awe of God, the more we see evidence of intelligent
design all around us.
Next week we’ll be having a movie night. The movie is
titled “Origin”, and it is all about how life began on earth, from a scientific
viewpoint.
Video: ORIGIN – Trailer 1
Do you see God’s hand in your relationships, in God giving you the
treasures in the people around you?
Do you see God’s hand in your life, working all things together to the
good?
Do you see God’s hand at the cross, demonstrating love like no other?
:3 His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures
forever.
honorable – howd
– splendor, majesty, vigor
glorious – hadar
– ornament, splendor, honor
:4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and full of
compassion.
:4 gracious and full of compassion
Lesson
A Loving God
gracious – channuwn
– gracious
from chanan – to be gracious, show favor, pity
full of compassion – rachuwm
– compassionate
from racham – to love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have
tender
The Hebrew words used here are two of the words that are at the heart of
God’s character. These same two words are how God described Himself to Moses
when Moses said he wanted to know God more:
(Exodus 34:6 NKJV) And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed,
“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
Jesus told a story about a father who had two sons. We call the story the
“Prodigal Son” because we probably identify most with the youngest son, the
rebellious one. The story is also a peek into the very heart of God.
(Luke 15:20–24 NKJV)
—20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great
way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck
and kissed him. 21
And
the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight,
and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his
servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on
his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat
and be merry; 24
for
this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they
began to be merry.
Nothing gives God more joy than for a wayward child of His
to come home.
At the Last Supper, Thomas asked
Jesus if He could show them the Father.
(John 14:9 NKJV) Jesus said to him,
“Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who
has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Jesus reflected God’s heart when He
shared His purpose with the disciples:
(Luke 19:10 NKJV) for the
Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Are you glad that God is gracious and full of compassion?
Then praise Him.
:5 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His
covenant.
:5 He has given food to those who fear Him
food – tereph
– prey, food, leaf
Lesson
Heavenly Food
When Satan tempted Jesus to turn
stones into bread, Jesus said,
(Matthew 4:4 NKJV) But He
answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Feeding on God’s
Word ought to be more important than the food we eat.
Israel was complaining about the lack of food in the wilderness. God
promised them food in the morning.
Though God indeed fed the people with something that they actually,
physically ate, the story always reminds me of how God feeds us with His Word.
(Exodus 16:14–21 NKJV) —14 And when the
layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round
substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 So when the
children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For
they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.
They would call this stuff “manna”, which means literally,
“what is it?”
I think that sometimes we don’t know quite what to make of
God’s Word (“what is it?”)
16 This is the
thing which the Lord has
commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for
each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those
who are in his tent.’ ” 17 Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some
less. 18 So when they
measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he
who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s
need.
Everybody gathered their own food. Some gathered a lot,
others gathered a little, but it was enough for each.
19 And Moses
said, “Let no one leave any of it till morning.” 20 Notwithstanding they did not heed
Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and
stank. And Moses was angry with them.
Manna loses it’s freshness. It’s got a one day expiration
date.
If you are living all week off of Sunday’s message,
something stinks.
21 So they
gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun
became hot, it melted.
You have to gather it each morning.
Don’t wait too long to find it.
:6 He has declared to His people the power of His works, In giving them the
heritage of the nations.
:6 giving them the heritage of
the nations
heritage – nachalah
– possession, property, inheritance, heritage
This refers to the fact that God
gave Israel the land of Canaan, which had belonged to other nations before they
conquered it. (Deut. 4:38)
This was a reason to praise God.
(Deuteronomy 4:38 NKJV) driving
out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to
give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day.
:7 The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are
sure.
:7 The works of His hands are
verity and justice
verity – ‘emeth
– firmness, faithfulness, truth
justice – mishpat
– judgment, justice, ordinance
Hebrew poetry – parallel thoughts.
The second phrase gives us insight
into the first phrase.
He’s talking about God’s
“precepts”, God’s laws.
Some have suggested this is talking
about how God wrote the Ten Commandments with His finger (“the works of His
hands…”)
:8 They stand fast forever and ever, And are done in truth and
uprightness.
:9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant
forever: Holy and awesome is His name.
:9 He has sent redemption to His people
He purchased Israel
from Egypt
with the blood of lambs.
He’s purchased us from sin with the blood of His lamb.
Reason to praise? Yes!
:10 The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His
commandments. His praise endures forever.
:10 The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom
Lesson
Serious Respect
Since God is so good, kind, and worthy of our praise, the Psalmist
concludes that we ought to learn to fear Him.
The Bible gives us examples of how people learned to “fear” God.
When Saul first became king, he
faced the threat of the Ammonites and needed a way to get the attention of the
nation and raise an army.
(1 Samuel 11:7 NKJV) So
he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout
all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, “Whoever does
not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.” And the fear of the Lord
fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.
King Asa faced an impossibly huge army of one million Ethiopians. Yet when
God defeated the enemy,
(2
Chronicles 14:14 NKJV) Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the
Lord came upon them; and they
plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much spoil in them.
The other people feared God when they saw how powerful He
was.
A sort of revival took place under
King Jehoshaphat as he sent priests and Levites to teach the nation God’s laws.
(2 Chronicles 17:10 NKJV) And the fear of the Lord
fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that
they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.
As God’s people
learned God’s ways, the unbelievers grew in fear of God.
The early church faced persecution from a zealot named Saul. Yet one day
Saul met Jesus, and was changed forever, now known as Paul the apostle.
(Acts
9:31 NKJV) Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had
peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort
of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
If God can change a man like Saul so radically, then He
can do anything. We should fear God.
The fear of the Lord is not exclusive to the Old
Testament.
Jesus said,
(Matthew 10:28 NKJV) And do not
fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who
is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Jesus is talking
about fearing God.
Yet when John sees a glimpse of
Jesus in His resurrected body,
(Revelation 1:17 NKJV) And when I
saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying
to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
As believers, we get confused about this “fear” of the Lord, especially
because of what John wrote,
(1 John 4:18 NKJV) There is no
fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.
But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
We ask ourselves, “How can we fear God when we love Him
and He loves us?”
I think it boils down to where you are at with God. Are you following Him or running from Him?
When you see a policeman on the road, don’t you feel different when he’s in
front of you and you’re following him, as opposed to when he’s behind you?
Illustration
A police officer had a perfect hiding place for watching
for speeders. But one day, everyone was under the speed limit, the officer
found the problem: a 10 year old boy was standing on the side of the road with
a huge hand painted sign which said “RADAR TRAP AHEAD.” A little more
investigative work led the officer to the boy’s accomplice, another boy about
100 yards beyond the radar trap with a sign reading “TIPS” and a bucket at his
feet, full of change.
When Paul was talking about how we are to learn to submit to those in
authority over us, including the government, he wrote,
(Romans
13:3 NLT) For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing
right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of
the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you.
One thing’s for sure, you don’t want to get into a fight
with a cop.
Video: Krispy Kreme Fight
I think the same principle applies to God.
If you are doing what is right, there’s nothing to be
afraid of.
In fact, you find that God’s never been “against” you,
He’s always loved you. (though He maybe hasn’t been in favor of some of the
things you’ve done)
If you are not living in obedience to God, maybe you
should be a little afraid.
Having a “serious respect” for God
results in a life of obedience to God.
The Psalmist is saying that the
smartest thing you can do in life is to learn to “fear the Lord”.
Having serious respect for God is
wise.
It’s interesting that the phrase
“the fear of the LORD” is found 14 times (over half of the times it appears in
the Bible) in the book of Proverbs, the book of “wisdom”.
Job wrote,
(Job 28:28 NKJV) And to man
He said, ‘Behold, the fear of
the Lord, that is wisdom, And to
depart from evil is understanding.’ ”
Solomon wrote,
(Proverbs 1:7 NKJV) The
fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Proverbs 9:10 NKJV) “The
fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom, And the
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
(Proverbs 15:33 NKJV) The
fear of the Lord is the
instruction of wisdom, And before
honor is humility.
(Ecclesiastes 12:13 NKJV) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.
Discussion?
Song
Chorus I:
E B E
Hallelujah, hallelujah
A
Hallelujah
B
The Lord reigns
E B E
Hallelujah, hallelujah
A
Hallelujah
B (E)
The Lord Almighty reigns
Tran: (E) A D Asus A (2x)
Chorus II:
E B E
Hallelujah, hallelujah
A
Hallelujah
B
The Lord reigns
E B E
Hallelujah, hallelujah
A
Hallelujah
B E
The Lord Almighty reigns
Verse:
B
He has shown his awesome power
A E
He has triumphed mightily
B
He's the victor over darkness
E
And the grave
B
He has broken chains that bound us
A E
He has set the prisoners free
D
A B
By his own great mercy we are saved
Words & Music by Terry Butler
©1995 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Vineyard
Music USA)
Psalm 112 Fearing the Lord
This Psalm is similar to the previous one in two ways.
It starts the same way, “Praise the Lord”.
It too is an acrostic, with the first line beginning with the first Hebrew
letter, and each succeeding line starting with the succeeding letter of the
alphabet.
This Psalm is about the things you can expect in your life if you learn to
fear the Lord.
:1 Praise the Lord! Blessed is
the man who fears the Lord,
Who delights greatly in His commandments.
:1 Praise the Lord!
The Hebrew is, “Hallelu-jah”
:1 Blessed is the man who fears the Lord
blessed – ‘esher –
happiness, blessedness
Don’t think that learning to “fear the Lord”
means that you will have a horrible, terrified existence.
True happiness starts with figuring out your relationship with your
Creator, and living with a healthy, serious respect for God.
:1 Who delights greatly in His commandments
When you have a healthy fear of God, you will learn to find delight in
God’s commandments.
God’s commandments aren’t to ruin our lives, but to protect us.
When you see a road sign telling you to slow down because there’s a curve
in the road ahead, it’s a good thing to do what it says.
:2 His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright
will be blessed.
:2 His descendants will be mighty on earth
Lesson
Family blessings
When you learn to fear the Lord, and live a life pleasing to God, your
family will be affected.
:3 Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness
endures forever.
:3 Wealth and riches will be in his house
Lesson
Prosperity
I think that there is a general principle at work here. If you honor God and follow His ways, you’ll
do much better than if you don’t.
Paul wrote:
(Philippians 4:19
NKJV) And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in
glory by Christ Jesus.
I do want to caution you in thinking that this means you’re going to be the
next billionaire. Wealth and riches in
God’s sight are a little different than what we may think.
Jesus and the apostles were not
“wealthy” men according to the world’s standards.
Illustration
The Rich Family in Our Church by Eddie Ogan
I’ll never forget Easter, 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy 12, and my
older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us
knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died 5 years before,
leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money. By 1946 my older
sisters were married, and my brothers had left home.
A month before Easter, the pastor of our church announced that a special
Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save
and give sacrificially. When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We
decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would
allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering.
When we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as
possible and didn’t listen to the radio, we’d save money on that month’s
electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible,
and both of us babysat for everyone we could. For 15 cents, we could buy enough
cotton loops to make three pot holders to sell for $1. We made $20 on pot
holders.
That month was one of the best of our lives. Every day we counted the money
to see how much we had saved. At night we’d sit in the dark and talk about how
the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them.
We had about 80 people in church, so we figured that whatever amount of money
we had to give, the offering would surely be 20 times that much. After all,
every Sunday the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial
offering.
The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the
manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change.
We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money
be fore. That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn’t care
that we wouldn’t have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial
offering. We could hardly wait to get to church!
On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn’t own an umbrella, and the
church was over a mile from our home, but it didn’t seem to matter how wet we
got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came
apart, and her feet got wet. But we sat in church proudly. I heard some
teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked
at them in their new clothes, and I felt so rich.
When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row
from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us girls put in a $20. As
we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had a surprise
for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our
fried potatoes!
Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door,
talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We
asked what it was, but she didn’t say a word. She opened the envelope and out
fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 bill and
seventeen $1 bills. Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn’t talk,
just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to
feeling like poor white trash.
We kids had had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn’t
have our mom and dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and
other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and
see whether we got the fork or the spoon that night. We had two knives which we
passed around to whoever needed them.
I knew we didn’t have a lot of things that other people had, but I’d never
thought we were poor. That Easter Day I found out we were. The minister had
brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn’t like
being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed that I
didn’t want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were
poor! I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my
class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew we were poor.
I decided I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was
all the law required at that time.
We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed.
All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally
on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor
people do with money? We didn’t know. We’d never known we were poor.
We didn’t want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. Although
it was a sunny day, we didn’t talk on the way. Mom started to sing, but no one
joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker.
He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun-dried bricks,
but they need money to buy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church.
The minister said, “Can’t we all sacrifice to help these poor people?”
We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week. Mom
reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene.
Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering. When
the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over
$100. The missionary was excited. He hadn’t expected such a large offering from
our small church. He said, “You must have some rich people in this church.”
Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that “little over $100.” We were
the rich family in the church! Hadn’t the missionary said so? From that day on
I’ve never been poor again. I’ve always remembered how rich I am because I have
Jesus.
:4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is
gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
:4 there arises light in the darkness
Lesson
Hope
Having your relationship with God right brings light into your life where
there’s been darkness.
To be honest with you, I struggle from time to time with depression.
Sometimes when I get up in the morning, my mind is in a dark place.
Yet when I force myself to sit down and have my Quiet Time, praying for
others and reading the Scriptures, the darkness lifts.
:5 A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with
discretion.
:5 A good man deals graciously and lends
Lesson
Generosity
A man who fears the Lord will learn to be generous.
When we are generous to others, God is generous to us.
(Proverbs 11:25 NKJV) The
generous soul will be made rich, And he who
waters will also be watered himself.
(Psalm 41:1 NKJV) Blessed is
he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver
him in time of trouble.
:5 He will guide his affairs with discretion
Lesson
Wisdom
When we fear the Lord, we learn wisdom in our business dealings. We will
stay away from foolish things.
Illustration
Seems that a year ago, some Boeing employees on the field decided to steal
a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the
plant and home. When they took it for a float on the Stilliguamish River,
they were quite surprised by a coast guard helicopter homing in on the
emergency locator that is activated when the raft is inflated. They are no
longer employed there.
:6 Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting
remembrance.
:7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting
in the Lord.
:8 His heart is established; He will not be afraid, Until he sees his
desire upon his enemies.
:9 He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His
righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor.
:10 The wicked will see it and be grieved; He will gnash his teeth
and melt away; The desire of the wicked shall perish.
:7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings
Lesson
Fearless
We can be afraid of all kinds of things.
Doesn’t it seem ironic that the answer to fear is fear?
When we have this “fear of the Lord” figured out, we lose our fear of
everything else.
Jesus said,
(Matthew 10:28
NKJV) And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Jesus is talking about fearing God.
A man who fears the Lord is not afraid of what’s ahead.
(Romans 8:31 NKJV) What then
shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be
against us?
Questions?
Psalm 113 Humble Blessings
This is the beginning of the “Hallel” songs (Ps. 113-118), the “praise”
songs.
These were sung at the Passover. The first two were sung before the meal
(Ps. 113,114), the last four were sung after the meal (Ps. 115-118).
After the Last Supper (Passover) …
(Mark 14:26 NKJV) And when
they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus did this.
This song has the theme of humility woven through it.
:1 Praise the Lord! Praise, O
servants of the Lord, Praise the
name of the Lord!
:1 Praise the Lord!
Once again, the Hebrew is, “Hallelu-jah”
:1 Praise, O servants of the Lord
servants – ‘ebed
– slave, servant
Nothing is as humble as a servant.
:2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
:2 Blessed – barak
– (Pual) to be blessed, be adored
:3 From the rising of the sun to its going down The Lord’s name is to be praised.
:3 From the rising of the sun
God should be praised all day long.
:4 The Lord is high
above all nations, His glory above the heavens.
:4 The Lord is high
above all nations
There is no one more powerful, more awesome, than God.
(Isaiah 40:15 NKJV)
Behold,
the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on
the scales; Look, He
lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
:5 Who is like the Lord
our God, Who dwells on high,
:6 Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens
and in the earth?
:6 Who humbles Himself to behold …
Lesson
Humility’s Author
humbles – shaphel
– to be or become low, sink, be humbled, be abased
When you think of how powerful and awesome the Creator of the Universe is,
isn’t it amazing that He would ever stop to think of us?
David wrote,
(Psalm 8:3–4 NKJV)
—3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and
the stars, which You have ordained, 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of
man that You visit him?
And yet God does think of us.
He didn’t just humble Himself to think of us, but He went further.
(Philippians 2:5–8
NKJV) —5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being
in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made
Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming
in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and
became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
And who is it that God humbles Himself to behold?
(Isaiah 57:15 NKJV)
For
thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in
the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive
the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
He humbles Himself to reach out to those who are humble.
:7 He raises the poor out of the dust, And lifts the needy out of
the ash heap,
:8 That He may seat him with princes— With the princes of His
people.
:7 He raises the poor out of the
dust
Joseph was sold as a slave into
Egypt by his own brothers.
Accused by his boss’ wife of
something he didn’t do, ending up in prison.
Joseph continued to follow God, and
the day came when he would interpret Pharaoh’s dream and wind up living in the
palace.
:9 He grants the barren woman a home, Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
:9 He grants the barren woman a home
Lesson
Humble Changes
Things change when we learn true humility.
In ancient days, one of the most devastating and humiliating things that
could happen for a woman was the inability to become pregnant.
Even today, with all our medical advances, it can be a horrible thing for a
gal who wants to get pregnant, but can’t.
God can change things.
Sometimes it’s by placing a barren woman in a bigger family, in God’s
family.
I’ve known quite a few women over the years who were
unable to have children for one reason or another, but that didn’t keep them
from being fruitful.
They had spiritual children, lives they impacted because
of how they served the Lord.
Sometimes it’s through helping an infertile woman to conceive and give
birth.
Hannah was miserable.
She couldn’t get pregnant.
Her husband had a second wife who had no trouble getting
pregnant. This second gal made it her
life’s work to remind Hannah of this fact.
Yet the day came when Hannah got pregnant and gave birth
to a baby who would become the prophet Samuel.
She said this to God,
(1
Samuel 2:4–8 NKJV) —4 “The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those
who stumbled are girded with strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the
hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has
become feeble. 6
“The
Lord kills and makes alive; He brings
down to the grave and brings up. 7 The Lord makes poor
and makes rich; He brings
low and lifts up.
8 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the
beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of
glory. “For the
pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He has
set the world upon them.
verse 8 of Hannah’s song is just like Psalm 113:7-8.
You may feel like your life is miserable because of a certain set of
circumstances.
God can change things.
How does life’s changes take place?
When we learn to humble ourselves.
(James
4:10 NKJV) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you
up.
Questions?
Song
From The Rising Of The Sun
Tran: C G F G C
C
From the rising of the sun
G
Till' the time that it goes down
F G C
The name of the Lord shall be praised
C
From the rising of the sun
G
Till' the time that it goes down
F G C
The name of the Lord shall be praised
F G
C
The Lord is high above all nations
F G
C
His glory above the heavens
E7 Am
And who is like unto the Lord our God
D7 G
Who dwelleth on high
C
From the rising of the sun
G
Till' the time that it goes down
F G C
The name of the Lord shall be praised
Tran: C G F G C
Ending:
F G C
The name of the Lord shall be praised
F G C
The name of the Lord shall be praised
Words & Music by Bruce Herring
©1975 Universal Music/Brentwood Benson Publishing