Tag: King

Psalm 119.105-176

Psalm 119.105-176

נ Nun Verses 105-112

God’s Word gives light, or understanding, to those who read and obey it. Jesus stated that He is the Light of the World. He is the fulfillment of God’s Word. He is the ultimate source of understanding (John 8.12-20). What is your fellowship with Him like? The essence of this section is for us to understand that we are living in increasingly dark times. For those who know Him, they will discern that they walk in dark times and they need His light to guide them.

The lamps in the psalmist days were small lights that lit only the next step or two. To often today, we desire God’s Word to be a bonfire or the sun revealing everything so we can get on with our life. The problem with this is self-evident. If God’s Word revealed all at once, we would be over-whelmed and then we would not rely daily on God and our fellowship with Him.

ס Samek Verses 113-120

In order to pursue what God has called us to, we must not merely dislike evil; we must hate it. However, this is still not enough. A case can be made that people who bomb abortion clinics have an hatred for evil. The man of God also must pursue God’s Word. This will keep us from becoming those who bomb abortion clinics. This is because we know that God would not do this. We need to realize that without God’s Word as our guide and His Holy Spirit sustaining us, we will be no different than those who do that activities we are called to hate. When we walk half in this world and half in God’s world, we are unstable and will fall (1 Corinthians 10.12; James 1.5-8; 2 Peter 3.17–18; and Jude 20–25).

An example of instability today is the thought that we can help people by giving them things, which is the entitlement programs found in today’s government. We believe we are doing the right thing (I don’t), but the result is always disastrous. We believe (I don’t) that doing something, even though it doesn’t end well, is better than doing nothing.

A graphic portrayal of this is found in 1 Kings 18 where Elijah is battling the priests of Baal (see verse 21 for a description of an unstable man).

See our sermon on John 6.16-21 on scrapping dross (DRW, 1998).

ע Ayin Verses 121-128

Only those who choose to obey God’s Word are His servants. They are the only ones who should expect God’s protection from calamitous people. This does not mean they will not suffer but that God’s hand is on them even in their trials. The psalmist prays for God to stand for his well-being. Jesus becomes this guarantee for us according to Hebrews 7.22.

פ Pe Verses 129-136

For what do we weep? Is it that God’s Word goes disobeyed? The only way for this to be our way of life is for us to live in God’s presence, before His face. These tears are for those who are missing the life that each of us were created for in God’s presence.

צ Tsadde Verses 137-144

Again, the only way for us to truly know God’s Word is for us to obey and act on His Word. Compare this section with Romans 7.12.

ק Qoph Verses 145-152

The Hebrew word for cry begins with a qoph. Thus, this section is centered around the word cry. What are your habits of studying God’s Word. Is it in the morning before your day begins? Is it during the night when sleeplessness is your lot. Every opportunity should be taken to understand, know, and love God’s Word. Our prayer life is enhanced by our study life (Acts 6.4 and John 15.7).

ר Resh Verses 153-160

Would man seek God’s truth if God did not call him to seek it? According to this section, no. God’s Word is Truth (John 17.17-19) and no man can know the truth without it being revealed to him by the author of that truth. The word “quicken” or “preserve” means to bring to life. God is just in doing this too. We would rail against Him for forcing us to do that which we had no desire to do. So, He gives us the desire that we desire but will not grant it to those who do not desire it.

ש Shin Verses 161-168

The bane of man should not keep us from praising God who is by far greater. Each time we open God’s Word we should exult in the treasures we find and praise Him for each of them.

ת Tau Verses 169-176

This closing section of Psalm 119 presents us with the only sacrifice we can truly offer God and that is a repentant heart bent on seeking Him.

Psalm 72

The question for the United States and believers today is “Can we see God’s work in our life as a fulfillment of what Messiah would do?”

Psalm 72

Discussion abounds as to the author of this psalm. Some attribute it to Solomon for it contains proverb-like verses (Spence-Jones, volume II, p 64-65, 2004). Others attribute it to David as a prayer for Solomon stating that Psalm 71 was a prayer of David for David in his old age and Psalm 72 is a prayer of David for Solomon in his early years (Henry, 1996). I will agree with Matthew Henry in that this is a prayer of David for Solomon, using verse 20 as a summation of Psalm 71 and Psalm 72 not as an end to the second book of the psalms. This psalm is considered an indirect messianic psalm in that it points to what a righteous king will accomplish.

Verse 1 sounds like David is praying for Solomon, But, NKJV makes it appear messianic (i.e., verse 7 states “His” not “his”). If David is praying for Solomon, he is indeed praying for his kingdom with messianic overtones for this is the prayer of all regents in Israel.

Verse 2 presents righteousness and justice being the guiding factor not equality of people as the United States does today. Verse 3 presents peace coming through righteousness, which includes justice. This would imply that righteousness produces a prosperous country, not equality. Righteousness and justice, including capital punishment and responsibility for behavior with appropriate consequences, produce hope and a future.

Verses 4, 12, and 14 demand that justice cares for the widow, the poor, and the oppressed resulting in a reverential fear for God (see verses 5, 11, and 13). This is not to be done by the state though, as is currently being pursued by the United States. It is to be pursued by the people of God. If the state occupies what the people are to do, the people will cease to do it, which is exemplified in this generation of people in the United States.

Verse 6 states when we pursue life the way God intended us to and seek to accomplish His work, righteousness will flourish (compare with verse 7). What evidence is there of this in the year 2012?

Verse 8 describes the physical boundaries of the nation of Israel as promised to Abraham (see 1 Kings 4.24).

The question for the United States and believers today is “Can we see God’s work in our life as a fulfillment of what Messiah would do?”

Psalm 118

As you go through your day, realize that God made this day for you to bring Him glory nothing more, there is nothing more, and nothing less, why settle for less.

Psalm 118

The sixth of the Hallel Psalms

As can be seen in the MacDonald post on Psalm 118, this psalm was recited in a processional as the worshipers were entering the Temple. It is also a Messianic Psalm in that verse twenty-two is used by and of Christ in Matthew 21.42-46, Acts 4.10-12, Ephesians 2.19-20, and 1 Peter 2.7. Verse twenty-six is called out by the crowds regarding Jesus, labeling Him as the Messiah, in Matthew 21.9 and by Jesus in Matthew 23.39. Verse twenty-seven is also used by and of Jesus as well in John 9.5 and 1 Peter 3.18. Verses 19-21 point out the gate of righteousness and Jesus describes Himself as the Gate to salvation, or being made righteous, in John 10.9.

The three groups of worshipers mentioned in verses 2-4 are the three groups of worshipers in the world. Israel, those born Jews, Aaronites, those born as priests in the group of the Jews, and those who fear the Lord, Gentiles–the rest of the world. It would not include those who reject the possibility of God for they are not worshipers.

Because this is the final Hallel Psalm, Jesus would have sung this as He and the disciples left the Upper Room in John 14.31. Do you think you could walk out of a room on your way to your execution singing praises to God?

As you read through this psalm, gather the phrase “in the name of the Lord” and realize that our victory in life is only in the name of the Lord. Our strength, song, and salvation are all in Him and in none other. Where do you place your confidence? How do others know this?

As you go through your day, realize that God made this day for you to bring Him glory nothing more, there is nothing more, and nothing less, why settle for less.

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1 Chronicles 24

This list reminds us that God uses those whom He has chosen. If you are a Christian, you have been chosen by God for a particular purpose, for a particular time, to accomplish His task. Some tasks are menial and some are great but both serve the purposes of a great God. Look at each day as an opportunity to accomplish the Great God’s grand purpose. What has He called you to accomplish today?

1 Chronicles 24

This chapter focuses on the division of the priests into twenty-four sections, sixteen from Eleazar and eight from Ithamar due to the clan size. The New Testament introduces Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, as a priest from the line of Abijah (10, cf. Luke 1.5-25). There were far too many priests for each priest to serve full-time in the Temple. At this point in history, a priest would serve seven days a year (2 Kings 11.9 and 2 Chronicles 23.8). By the time of Zechariah, the priests would serve once during their lifetime.

This list reminds us that God uses those whom He has chosen. If you are a Christian, you have been chosen by God for a particular purpose, for a particular time, to accomplish His task. Some tasks are menial and some are great but both serve the purposes of a great God. Look at each day as an opportunity to accomplish the Great God’s grand purpose. What has He called you to accomplish today?

Psalm 99

Do others see the holiness of God in your life? If that is His defining character, and He has made it our defining characteristic, others should see it shine through our lives.

Psalm 99

This is the last psalm of seven psalms proclaiming the kingship of Jehovah. Read our studies of each of them (93, 94 [study to come], 95, 96, 97, and 98).

This psalm distinguishes itself in containing the tri-fold refrain of “holiness.” It is this word that outlines this psalm. The outline is also the outline of the book of Revelation (Revelation 4.8). It is this holiness that sets God apart from the best of men. He is perfect and we are not.

  • Verses 1-3-Holy is He who is to come. God is great. So, serve Him.
  • Verses 4-5-Holy is He who is. He is the God of justice, who establishes equity in all creation. God is just. So, obey Him.
  • Verses 6-9-Holy is He who was. He is eternal. He has been involved in creation from the beginning because He is the author of creation (Colossians 1.16-18). But, He is also a personal God who desires to listen to His children and be part of their lives. Therefore, He forgives through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Verse eight paints a picture of God forgiving while yet dealing with sin. In Christ we are forgiven. In Christ justice was meted as well. God is forgiving. So, thank Him with your life, which is to worship Him.

Do others see the holiness of God in your life? If that is His defining character, and He has made it our defining characteristic, others should see it shine through our lives.

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2 Samuel 21

A promise made is a promise kept, regardless of the context. When making promises, be sure to think them through in order not to make foolish promises (see the book of Judges for examples). When Saul did not keep the promise of Israel to the Gibeonites, God judged his household and the nation. When we do not keep promises, who will be held accountable? What will the consequences be?

2 Samuel 21

This chapter seems to be unjust in terms of executing seven sons of Saul as a payment for the crimes of the father. However, these sons could have been involved in the raids that slaughtered the Gibeonites and the sons are being tried for their crimes (not unlike the trials at Nuremberg). If God had chosen the seven, then this would seem a proper conjecture.

Rizpah’s protection of her son’s bodies gave cause for David to give proper burial to Saul and Jonathan.

David was getting old and his men would not let him go to battle any longer for fear that he would die and the nation would be in turmoil yet again. This verse leads me to believe these closing chapters of 2 Samuel (21-24) are in their proper place chronologically. Many assert these were stories added to the text and are out of chronological order. 1 Kings 1 resumes the chronology that ended in 2 Samuel 20, according to this theory.

Who killed Goliath? There are various attempts to reconcile verse nineteen with 1 Samuel 17 (see our study). Three major theories have been provided to reconcile these passages. The first one is that Elhanan is another name for David. If this were the case, then 1 Chronicles 20.5 (see our study) presents a problem in that David would have had to have killed two giants (Lahmi and Goliath). The second theory is that Elhanan killed Goliath and David was given credit for it later on. This misses the point of 1 Samuel 17, which introduces David as king because of his ability to subdue the Philistines. The third theory takes 1 Chronicles 20.5 into account and allows the translation of “Lahmi” instead of “Bethlehemite.” The two words are closely related where the former means “my bread” and the latter means “house of bread.” Thus, David killed Goliath and Elhanan killed Lahmi, his brother.

A promise made is a promise kept, regardless of the context. When making promises, be sure to think them through in order not to make foolish promises (see the book of Judges for examples). When Saul did not keep the promise of Israel to the Gibeonites, God judged his household and the nation. When we do not keep promises, who will be held accountable? What will the consequences be?

2 Samuel 16

2 Samuel 16

The opening of this chapter and the conclusion of the matter in 2 Samuel 19.24-30 (see our study) presents the truth of the proverb that states what a man says seems true until the other side is heard (Proverbs 18.17). Ziba, who we introduced in our study of 2 Samuel 9, presents his case that Mephibosheth (see the same study) is attempting to bring back the kingdom of Saul.

The chapter can be outlined according to the characters introduced:

  • Verses 1-4-Ziba the Liar. Ziba lied to David about the character of Mephibosheth. Since there were two extra donkeys, do you suppose one was for Mephibosheth and the other for Ziba? Why do you think David believed him? Satan is the Liar who also tells half-truths, to which of his lies do you listen?
  • Verses 5-8-Shimei the Accuser. Being a relative of Saul and a resident of Bahurim, Shimei may have had a few reasons for hating David. He felt David stole the throne from the Benjamites and that David disgraced Saul’s daughter Michal by humiliating her second husband in the city of Bahurim (2 Samuel 3.16, see our study). The ranting of Shimei was more of a curse on David than an attempt to hurt him physically. He was more or less throwing stones at David to get rid of him much like someone would do to a stray dog (13-14). Shimei stated he was speaking on behalf of God. Whether he was or not, we cannot tell; however, David believed he could have been (10).
  • Verses 9-14-Abishai the Avenger. Abishai is still protecting David, his king (see our study of 1 Samuel 26). He uses the imagery of the dog in his attack on Shimei.
  • Verses 15-23-Ahithophel the Traitor. Ahithophel convinces Absalom to sleep with David’s concubines in the presence of all Jerusalem. This was in fulfillment of the consequences of David sleeping with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12). This advice is will be used again with Adonijah in 1 Kings 2.19-25.

The last few verses of this chapter will set the stage for the surprise turn of events in the next chapter.

Psalm 29

Try to describe God in terms of nature without making nature god. Ascribe the worth to God due Him.

Psalm 29

Just a cursory reading of the psalm should cause the reader to reconsider worship (as do Psalm 15, Psalm 19, and Psalm 93). Since worship is ascribing worth to something, then we should worship greatly. God is great and is due great worth. How do you worship at home and at church? If you need a moment to consider how great He is, review “That’s My King!” at the bottom of the video page.

Notice the chapter refutes that God is nature (“Mother Nature”). In order to be God, He must be above and in control of nature as verses 3-9 present. Notice the use of the sevenfold “voice” in this passage. ]As time allows, I will present a study on certain numbers found in Scripture.[ The power behind the sevenfold voice that shakes the earth comes as the power for peace. If you listen to the psalm, you will hear, see, and feel the power of the storm David is describing.

Strength comes to those who seek Him and living the life He created us for is a by-product of that pursuit as seen in the word “peace” that closes this psalm.

Try to describe God in terms of nature without making nature god. Ascribe the worth to God due Him.

Psalm 89

Psalm 89  (See Pastor David’s Sermon on Psalm 89.1)

This psalm struggles with the universal problem of God keeping His promises, much like Psalm 73 struggled with the prosperity of the wicked (see our study).

The psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite, is referring to the Davidic Covenant which we will cover shortly when we cover 2 Samuel 7 (study to come later). He is complaining that God seems to have forgotten (39-47) His promises (1-38). He then prays that God will remember them (48-51) and ends with praise (52).

Even amidst all this doubt, the psalmist is reminded that God is a God who keeps His word (2 Corinthians 1.18–20 and Romans 15.8):

  • His commitment is incomparable because He is without equal (6)
  • He is overwhelmingly faithful (8, 24, 33)
  • The covenant with Him lasts forever (28–29, 36)
  • His commitment is unbreakable and unalterable (34)

This is how life always played out. We know the promises God has made, we do not see Him keeping them as we presume He should, we shake our fists at Him, then realize that He is God, He is Good, and He will keep His promises as we praise Him. After each section, the psalmist asks us to pause and think through the statements (Selah). When did you last consider the promises of God? If you have doubted whether He keeps them or not, why do you suppose you doubt Him? Have you offered prayers to Him for what He has promised to do, no matter how harsh?

Historical matters

  • This psalm might have been written when Jehoiachin (comp. verses 38-45 with 2 Chronicles 36.9 and 2 Kings 24.10-16) was king and is the second chapter, so to speak, of Psalm 78 (see our study) where God judged the northern kingdom. Here, it might be an indication of His judgment on the southern kingdom.
  • Rahab in verse ten does not refer to the ancestor of David but of Egypt (see our study in Psalm 87).

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Psalm 2

What would you say about the kingship of Christ in your life? How does His reign manifest itself in your life?

Psalm 2

This is the first messianic psalm in the Psalter. It is quoted often in the New Testament as applying to Jesus’ ministry on earth (Acts 4.25; 13.33; Hebrews 1.5; 5.5). It completes the thoughts, also, from Psalm 1. The first psalm dealt with the righteous and ungodly individual, and the second psalm deals with the righteous and ungodly king or kingdom.

After reading through this psalm, a question is given: what happens when rulers defy God? What does it mean to defy or conspire against God? Would our present nation be classified as having rulers who defy God, attempting to go beyond His Word or without His Word? Can we apply these same questions to a country, such as ours, that does not proclaim to be a Bible-believing nation? What parameters does Psalm 2.1-2 have for us today?

Romans 13 reminds us that no authority is placed in power outside of God granting it power. Although this creates many questions in cases like Hitler, it also sheds light on our government. Neither this psalm nor Romans 13 places stipulations on what type of government, all are under the authority of God. If He places them in power, they are responsible to Him and will be blessed or cursed based on the relationship the leader has with God and based on the relationship the people of that government have with God. When the chapter closes, it closes with a command for the kings and all creation to be subject to God in five ways:

  1. Be wise
  2. Be warned
  3. Serve the Lord
  4. Kiss the Son, which means to embrace Him, to believe in Him, to not be ashamed of Him (Acts 16.31). Can you picture Mary at the cross kissing the feet of her Son (view the Passion of the Christ for a graphic display of this)?
  5. Rejoice or live in His blessing

With this being said, the psalm has traditionally been divided into four parts:

  1. a description of the plans of the wicked )1–3)
  2. the Father’s laughter from heaven (4–6)
  3. the Son’s declaration of the Father’s decree (7–9)
  4. the Spirit’s instruction to obey the Son (10–12)

What would you say about the kingship of Christ in your life? How does His reign manifest itself in your life?

If there are questions on this psalm, submit it to Pastor David.