Home Library Donate

Psalms 114-116

Thursday Evening Bible Study

February 23, 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

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.

Last time we started a group of Psalms known as the “Hallel”, or “praise” songs.

Psalms 113-118 were songs that were sung at the Passover, a time to remember when God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt.

Psalms 113-114 were sung before the Passover meal.

Psalms 115-118 were sung after the meal.

Psalm 114 –Trembling Wilderness

:1 When Israel went out of Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,

:2 Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion.

:2 Judah became His sanctuary … dominion

sanctuary – qodesh – apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness

dominion – memshalah – rule, dominion, realm

The time of the Exodus, when Israel was brought out of slavery in Egypt was the defining moment for the nation.

They went down to Egypt in the time of Joseph as a large family, but they left Egypt as a large nation.

:3 The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back.

:3 The sea saw it and fled

The Psalmist is talking about the parting of the Red Sea.

When Pharaoh finally let the Israelites leave, they fled into the wilderness, only to be trapped with the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s army chasing behind them.

Video: Ten Commandments – Moses Parts the Red Sea

:3 Jordan turned back

The parting of the Red Sea wasn’t the only body of water that would be parted before the nation of Israel.

After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Jordan River parted so the people could cross into the Promised Land.

The language of the Psalm almost sounds as if the Red Sea and the Jordan River parted because of the people being there (vs. 1).

But that’s not the full picture.

:4 The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs.

:4 The mountains skipped like rams

When the Lord met Moses on Mount Sinai, there was an earthquake (Ex. 19:18).

(Exodus 19:18 NKJV) Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

:5 What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back?

:6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little hills, like lambs?

:5 What ails you, O sea

It almost sounds as if the Psalmist is taunting the sea, river, and the mountains.

He knows what’s causing them such grief.

:7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob,

:8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters.

:8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water

After the people crossed the Red Sea, they ended up in a desert where there was no water.

God told Moses to strike a Rock with his staff, and water came gushing out of the Rock to supply the needs of the people. (Ex. 17:6)

(Exodus 17:6 NKJV) Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

This picture is that of a rock that some explorers have found in an isolated part of Saudi Arabia, a location that seems to fit the Exodus record.

The rock is split down the middle and the immediate area around the rock looks to be worn away as if by water erosion … in a desert that barely ever gets any rain.

:7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord

Lesson

God’s Help

The Psalmist lays out four situations that God dealt with.

Red Seas and Jordan Rivers that part are like the obstacles we face in life that seem to have us trapped.

Mountains are the huge immovable things that seem to be going nowhere.

Water from the Rock is a picture of how God is able to provide for us in the most desolate of places.

While the beginning of the Psalm almost sounds as if it is the presence of the people that caused the waters to part, by the end of the Psalm you realize it wasn’t the people at all. It was the God behind the people.

Illustration

There was a movie in 1980 about a new kid who moves into a neighborhood and starts being harassed by the local bully and his “gang”. All the local kids are terrified by the bully. Until the day that the new kid recruits the kid with the baddest reputation at school to be his “bodyguard”. He gets the bullies’ attention and puts them on notice at the local malt shop…

Video: My Bodyguard

I love the picture of the small kid with the big kid standing over his shoulder.

That’s just a tiny picture of the truth that God is the one standing over our shoulder.

Isaiah wrote,

(Isaiah 40:27–31 NKJV) —27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Discussion

Israel faced the Red Sea, Jordan River, mountains, and dry deserts.

What kinds of things are you facing that discourage you?

Is God bigger than these things you face?

Psalm 115 – Idols

There are varying suggestions as to when this Psalm was written and by whom.

Some say it was Moses, after having been brought out of Egypt.

Others say it was written by Daniel’s three friends who were delivered from the fiery furnace.

Others say it was written by Jehoshaphat after having been delivered from the Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites.

The Psalm is about contrasting the idols of the world with the One True God.

:1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth.

:1 Not unto us, O Lord … glory

Lesson

Glory Lust

There is something inside of each of us that is looking for recognition and significance. We like it when at least certain people pay attention to us. We like it when people cheer for us.

But that tends to get us into trouble.

Glory is something that belongs to God only. God says,

(Isaiah 42:8 NKJV) I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

We don’t know exactly what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was, but it certainly was a difficult thing that Paul was going through. God allowed Paul to have this “thorn” because Paul had been privileged to experience some pretty amazing visions about God. Paul saw the thorn as having a certain benefit:

(2 Corinthians 12:7 NKJV) And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

Nobody likes to experience humiliation. None of us like to be “humbled”.

Yet humility is a good place to be. It’s where we see God working in our life.

(1 Peter 5:5 NKJV) Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

When you are proud and seeking “glory” for yourself, you are not going to allow God to work in your life.

And that will have serious consequences because you are going to be left dealing with all your problems on your own, without God’s help.

:2 Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is their God?”

:3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.

:3 our God is in heaven

There are going to be times when people are going to question the reality of God’s work in your life.

Where is your God now? He’s in heaven and He does as He pleases.

And I’m good with that.

:4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands.

:4 Their idols are silver and gold

Lesson

Substitute gods

Everybody worships something, even the atheist.

They may not give their “god” a name like Molech or Mammon, but they worship something just the same. A man’s “god” is the thing that he’s passionate about. It’s what he lives for. It’s what controls him.

Some people live for money. Everything revolves around getting more money or keeping what you’ve got.

Some people live for pleasure. Everything in their life revolves around the next high, the next thrill.

Some people live for power. They do everything they can to gain power, influence, authority.

When man makes a decision to reject the obvious evidence around him that there is a god, he begins to give up truth.

(Romans 1:20–22 NKJV) —20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Illustration

An atheist

A young woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to her class of small children that she is an atheist. She asks her class if they are atheists too. Not really knowing what atheism is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks. There is, however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Lucy has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. “Because I’m not an atheist.” Then, asks the teacher, what are you? “I’m a Christian.” The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Lucy why she is a Christian. “Well, I was brought up knowing and loving Jesus. My mom is a Christian, and my dad is a Christian, so I am a Christian.” The teacher is now angry. “That’s no reason,” she says loudly. “What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was a moron. What would you be then?” A pause, and a smile…. “Then,” says Lucy, “I’d be an atheist.”

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools

When people refuse the truth of God, they become foolish and do and believe foolish things.

Last week we watched the movie “Origin”, and saw a pretty rational case made for how foolish men’s ideas are when it comes to the origin of life.

Men come to those conclusions because they refuse to acknowledge the existence of God.

:4 The work of men’s hands

Isaiah talks about how ridiculous it is that men would worship idols (Is. 44:9-20). They take a piece of wood and cut it up. With one piece a man makes his idol. With another piece he stokes a fire and bakes his bread. Really quite ridiculous.

I think one of the most hilarious stories in Scripture is that of the Ark of the Covenant being taken by the Philistines and put in the temple of their fish-man god Dagon (1Sam. 5). When the Philistines visit their temple in the morning, their “god” has fallen down before the Ark. The next morning, after having propped up their god, he’s fallen down again and broken into pieces.

The Psalmist goes on to describe the “idols” people make:

:5 They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see;

:6 They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell;

:7 They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat.

:8 Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.

:8 Those who make them are like them

Lesson

Becoming what you worship

Isn’t it strange when you notice how some people start to look like their pets? Or is it the other way around?

I think it’s interesting how some people start to look like their spouse, especially the older they get.

And then there’s the whole cosplay thing…

People become like their god, the thing they worship.

The idols of the people had hands but they didn’t work.

Do you think the people who serve that god ever accomplished much in their life?

They had eyes, but they couldn’t see.

The people become blind to what’s true and important.

They had mouths but couldn’t speak.

The people who worship those gods don’t really have much to say.

When people substitute anything for God, they lose their “senses”. They don’t care anymore. They don’t feel anymore.

I think this is part of what’s behind the pro-abortion platform. People don’t care about the smallest, most vulnerable people in our society – the unborn.

We too become like our God.

He changes us to be more and more like Him.

(2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT) So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Think of what He’s like.

God is light – He does His work in our lives to remove the darkness.

God is merciful – we become merciful to others.

:9 O Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.

:10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.

:11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.

:9 O Israel, trust…

The Psalmist addresses three groups of people, encouraging them to not trust in idols, but in the Lord.

Israel – the nation

House of Aaron – the priests

You who fear the Lord – perhaps Gentiles who honor Yahweh.

:12 The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron.

:13 He will bless those who fear the Lord, Both small and great.

:12 He will bless the house of Israel

Notice the same three sets of people addressed.

Israel, house of Aaron, those who fear God

When we “trust” (vs. 9-11), He will bless (vs. 12-13).

:14 May the Lord give you increase more and more, You and your children.

:15 May you be blessed by the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.

:15 May you be blessed

The Psalmist is asking God’s blessings on the people.

:17 The dead do not praise the Lord, Nor any who go down into silence.

:18 But we will bless the Lord From this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!

:17 The dead do not praise the Lord

This is not saying that dead people somehow cease to exist.

The idea is that the highest praise to God comes from those of us who are alive and living here on the planet.

Discussion

In verse 8 we talked about becoming like what we worship.

Can you think of any more examples of how people become like the things/people they admire?

Are there character qualities of God you’d like for God to help you develop as you are following/worshipping Him?

Song

Not To Us

Tran: G F/G C (2x) G

Verse 1:

G Em7

The cross before me the world behind

Dsus

No turning back raise the banner high

C2 F/G G

It’s not for us, it’s all for You

G Em7

Let the heavens shake and split the sky

Dsus

Let the people clap their hands and cry

C2 F/G G

It’s not for us, it’s all for You

Chorus:

G F/G C

Not to us, but to Your name be the glory

G F/G C G

Not to us, but to Your name be the glory

Verse 2:

G Em7

Our hearts unfold before Your throne

Dsus

The only place for those who know

C2 F/G G

It’s not for us, it’s all for You

G Em7

Send Your holy fire on this offering

Dsus

Let our worship burn for the world to see

C2 F/G G

It’s not for us, it’s all for You

Chorus:

G F/G C

Not to us, but to Your name be the glory

G F/G C

Not to us, but to Your name be the glory

Bridge:

G

The earth is shaking

The mountains shouting

C

It’s all for You

Em7 Dsus

The waves are crashing, the sun is raging

C

It’s all for You

G

The universe spinning and singing

C

It’s all for You

Em7 Dsus

Your children dancing, dancing, dancing

C G

It’s all for You, it’s all for You

Chorus:

G F/G C

Not to us, but to Your name be the glory

G F/G C

Not to us, but to Your name be the glory

G F/G C

Not to us, but to Your name be the glory

G F/G C G

Not to us, but to Your name be the glory

Words & Music by Chris Tomlin & Jesse Reeves

©2001 worshiptogether.com songs / sixsteps Music

Psalm 116 – Answered Prayer

This is a psalm of praise from someone who has received physical healing from the Lord.

Some have suggested that Hezekiah might have written it since he was healed from some type of affliction.

David may have been the author as well since he wrote similar things in Psalm 18.

:1 I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications.

:2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

:1 I love the Lord, because He has heard

Lesson

He hears

Video: Verizon “Can You Hear Me Now?”

God can hear you now. The Psalmist loves it.

Illustration

There are several men in the locker room of a private club after exercising. Suddenly a cell phone on one of the benches rings. A man picks it up and the following conversation ensues:

“Hello?” “Honey, It’s me.” “Sugar!” “Are you at the club?” “Yes.” “Great! I’m at the mall 2 blocks from where you are. I saw a beautiful mink coat. It is absolutely gorgeous!! Can I buy it?” “What’s the price?” “Only $1,500.” “Well, okay, go ahead and get it, if you like it that much.” “Ahhh, and I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the newest models. I saw one I really liked. I spoke with the salesman and he gave me a really good price ... and since we need to exchange the BMW that we bought last year...” “What price did he quote you?” “Only $80,000!” “Okay, but for that price I want it with all the options.” “Great! Before we hang up, something else...” “What?” “It might seem like a lot, but I was reconciling your bank account and...well, I stopped by to see the real estate agent this morning and I saw the house we had looked at last year. It’s on sale!! Remember? The one with a pool, English garden, acre of park area, beachfront property...” “How much are they asking?” “Only $2,450,000... a magnificent price, and I see that we have that much in the bank to cover...” “Well, then go ahead and buy it, but just bid $2,420,000. okay?” “Okay, sweetie. Thanks! I’ll see you later!! I love you!!!” “Bye. I do too.” The man hangs up, closes the phone’s flap and raises his hand while holding the phone and asks to all those present, “Does anyone know who owns this phone?”

John gives us another piece of the puzzle with prayer. It’s not just about someone hearing you, but it’s also about what we ask of Him.

(1 John 5:14–15 NKJV) —14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

:3 The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.

:3 The pains of death surrounded me

This is nearly identical to what David wrote in:

(Psalm 18:4–5 NKJV) —4 The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. 5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

The Psalmist thought he was going to die.

:4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

:5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful.

:6 The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.

:6 The Lord preserves the simple

the simple – pethiy – simple, foolish, open-minded

I’m a little more “foolish” than I’d like to admit at times. He can still preserve me.

(Psalm 116:6 NLT) The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me.

low – dalal – to hang, languish, hang down, be low

:7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

:7 Return to your rest, O my soul

Lesson

Prayer and peace

This Psalm is about prayer.

Prayer brings peace.

(Philippians 4:6–7 NLT) —6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

It’s easy for me as a preacher to tell you this, but it’s not always easy to experience God’s peace.

We need to truly put the issues of our lives in His hands and trust Him.

:8 For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from falling.

:9 I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living.

:9 I will walk before the Lord

Even though the Psalmist is going through scary times, worried about his future, he is confident that God will continue to allow him to live.

:10 I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.”

:11 I said in my haste, “All men are liars.”

:10 I believed, therefore I spoke

Lesson

A word of faith

Even though the Psalmist is greatly afflicted, and convinced that all men are liars, he believes that God will help him, and that is why he’s speaking up.

Paul used this same verse to describe his own faith in going through difficult times.

(2 Corinthians 4:7–18 NKJV) —7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.

As believers, we have the treasure of God’s light inside our frail human bodies.

Sometimes the only way people will see the treasure of God’s light inside of us is when we are cracked or broken, allowing Jesus to shine through.

Paul will then quote our verse…

13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.

Just like the Psalmist, Paul is trusting that God is going to get him through his own difficult time, even if it’s raising him from the dead.

This is why he speaks up and declares his trust in God.

15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

I am not using the phrase “word of faith” in the same way that some positive confession teachers use it.

They will say that we someone create good things by “speaking” them out.

This is about learning to encourage ourselves with what is true.

Sometimes we tend to say silly things that just aren’t true, and sometimes those negative falsehoods only tend to make us upset, anxious, and depressed.

We’ve got some pretty cool things that we should be holding on to like the Psalmist, like…

(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.

:12 What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me?

:13 I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord.

:13 I will take up the cup of salvation

How do we respond to God for all the good that He does for us?

We take the cup of salvation and call on His name.

Many suggest that this “cup” might be a drink offering given in gratitude to God for His salvation. (Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5; 28:7)

(Leviticus 23:13 NKJV) Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin.

(Numbers 15:5 NKJV) —5 and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering you shall prepare with the burnt offering or the sacrifice, for each lamb.

(Numbers 28:7 NKJV) —7 And its drink offering shall be one-fourth of a hin for each lamb; in a holy place you shall pour out the drink to the Lord as an offering.

Yet since these Psalms were connected to the Passover celebration, and there were four special “cups” of wine involved in the Passover.

During the Seder, the Passover meal, four cups of wine were drunk.

The first cup was called Kiddush, or the cup of “sanctification”.

The second cup was called Maggid, the cup of “deliverance”.

The third cup was called Birkat Hamazon and was drunk after the meal. It was known as the “cup of redemption”.

At Jesus’ Last Supper, He took the third cup and said,

(Luke 22:20 NKJV) Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

The fourth cup was called Hallel, or the cup of “praise”.

Perhaps the “cup of salvation” is a prophetic picture of what Jesus would do.

Our cup at communion is to remind us that Jesus died for us, shed His blood for us, in order to pay for our sins.

How do we respond to all the good things God has done for us?

We take the “cup of salvation”, we receive the salvation that God has provided for us.

We receive the salvation of Jesus.

:14 I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people.

If God has been kind to you, then keep your promises to the Lord.

:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.

:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints

precious – yaqar – valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid

The Psalmist is declaring that God doesn’t take our death lightly.

Lesson

The Believer’s Death

As humans, because we don’t really understand death, we get all stressed out about death and it’s something we work hard to avoid.

To God, our death is precious, and perhaps that’s because of what happens to us at death.

As believers, when we die we go home to be with Him immediately.

(Philippians 1:23 NKJV) —23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

(2 Corinthians 5:6–8 NKJV) —6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Look at the kinds of things that happen when we are present with Him:

(Revelation 7:15–17 NKJV) —15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Death is not something to fear.

:16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds.

:17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.

:18 I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people,

:19 In the courts of the Lord’s house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

:19 Praise the Lord!

the Hebrew is “hallelu-jah”

Discussion:

In verse 10 we talked about knowing a “word of faith”.

Can you think of other promises that are important to cling to, that can help us when we’re discouraged?