prayer – Page 2 – Old Testament Survey

Psalm 28

What does the silence of God mean to you (1)? When you pray, does He seem distant? When you read His Word, does it seem hollow? Why? Sometimes it is because we have sinned. Other times it is because He wants us to rely and trust in a greater way on Him. Can you think of other reasons?

Psalm 28

This psalm is like the other lamenting psalms we have looked at (see our study of Psalm 13 for an example). David makes his plea to God, describes what is happening, and praises God for the answer. The circumstances do not determine our joy, it is He to whom we look that determines our joy. This psalm could have been written during David’s fleeing from Saul or from Absalom. As with Psalm 13, I look at it as an attempt to escape his son Absalom, thus the placement in our studies. Verse two implies that David has been in Jerusalem and has established the Tent of Meeting as the sanctuary. If he were fleeing from Saul, neither of these would have occurred.

The first five verses sound like Absalom’s words in 2 Samuel 15 (see our study). Absalom was undermining the authority of David with words that caused others to deem David as weak.

Psalm 13

He is still hurting and it appears that his enemies have the upper hand. What has changed in all this is David’s view of God. Who is it that you serve?

Psalm 13

As with all laments/complaints we have, this psalm is an exemplar of how we should handle our situation. In this psalm David brings his complaint to God (1-2) not to those around him. He then asks of God to help him through this time (3-4), he does not ask for others to help him through by any means at all. He finalizes the prayer with praise (5-6). When we take our complaints to people who cannot do anything about it or who will handle it without godliness, we end up bitter and unfulfilled. When we take our complaints to the One who can do something about it and He will do it thoroughly and with justice, we will be praising not complaining. The next time you have an injustice in your life, take it to the Lord in prayer. By the way, David’s complaint was that either Saul or Absalom was attempting to kill him, what is your complaint?

David shows real pain in the first two verses. He states that he is hurting, it seems as if God has forgotten him, and his enemies are victorious. Whether these are accurate statements is not the point, the point is that David feels isolated. He is hurting, he thinks God isn’t there because he thinks the ones who hate him are victorious. The only one that is accurate is that David is hurting. He presumes the other two. His prayer in verse three is for God to give him insight into the truth (read Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1). When this is done, praise happens. He is still hurting and it appears that his enemies (2) have the upper hand. What has changed in all this is David’s view of God. Who is it that you serve?

Psalm 4

To whom do you go when people are against you? What does this psalm instruct us to do? Are you?

Psalm 4 (see our study of Psalm 3 and 2 Samuel 15)

This is the evening psalm (8) of the pair of psalms (see Psalm 3.5, for the morning psalm). This was written by David on the same occasion of Psalm 3, which is Absalom’s treason and rebellion.

As with Psalm 3, this psalm will be considered in light of the pauses (Selah).

Verses 1-2-These verses seem to call out to God to work justly and to those men who stood against him to consider their ways. He is asking God, possibly, to convict Joab, Abishai, Ahithophel, and others who once were prominent people in David’s assembly. These three were very close to David the first two were related and the latter was a close family friend, even before becoming a relative by marriage to Bathsheba.

Selah: Are there people in your life who have hurt you? If you are living, the answer is yes. Are you in prayer for them? Specifically, are you praying for God to work in their lives? Or, are you letting your bitterness fester?

Verses 3-4-Although David sinned against God, he knew he was forgiven and his sins were remembered no more (see our study on Psalm 103). In knowing he stood in right relationship with God and in fellowship with Him, David knew his prayers were heard. David’s call in verse four is the same as Paul’s in Ephesians 4:26, which is to be angry but not to sin.

Selah: If you are allowing anger to fester into bitterness and beyond, you are setting yourself out of fellowship with God. He will not hear your prayers (see our study of Psalm 51).

Verses 5-8-Verse six is the ultimate blessing giving by God, which is having His face shine upon us (see our study of Psalm 67). No matter the circumstance, David found himself in, he turned to God for his protection and joy.

To whom do you go when people are against you? What does this psalm instruct us to do? Are you?

Psalm 122

Verses 1-2-We made it! There is joy, laughter, delight found in these verses.

Verses 3-5-Jerusalem is wonderful because God dwelt there

Verses 6-9-Jerusalem needs our prayers

Is this how we are on Sunday? I want to go to church. It is a great place to be because God is present. Let us continue to pray that God will actively be at work here.

Is it also a command we take literally, to pray that God’s peace will abide in Jerusalem? Where do you stand on this matter?

Psalm 86

When you take time to pray today, to whom do you pray? Is it more of an expression of orry or of trust? Do you believe the God who commands us to pray, hears us pray, and eeks to answers those prayers? This is the God of this psalm and of the Scriptures. Pray ccording to His Word, believe He hears, and expect Him to answer.

Psalm 86

This psalm is worthy of using as a model prayer for the believer. It offers us insight into the prayers of David, the character of David, the nature and character of God, and it makes you think more of God than you have ever thought of Him before.

There are fourteen times in these seventeen verses that David makes a plea to God. He calls God his master (אֲדֹנָי, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 15) and David calls God the covenant God (יְֽהוָה 1, 6, 11, 17). In each case his prayer reflects that relationship with God. He is a humble servant bowing before his awesome Lord and mighty God.

One other note of interest is the preposition “for.” It is used throughout this psalm as an introduction to the topics of prayer (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 13). David needs God’s attention, as do we, because he is poor and needy, he is devoted to God, he is confident in his master who forgives, is great, does wonderful works, and who loves with an everlasting love. David understood this concept of prayer and we need to cling to it too. Why bother praying if the God you serve is not powerful, capable, and willing to answer? The difference between prayer and worry is this: When you worry you talk to yourself, when you pray you talk to Someone who can do something about it.

When you take time to pray today, to whom do you pray? Is it more of an expression of worry or of trust? Do you believe the God who commands us to pray, hears us pray, and seeks to answers those prayers? This is the God of this psalm and of the Scriptures. Pray according to His Word, believe He hears, and expect Him to answer.

Psalm 70

How desperate are you for God’s help? Really? Ponder that question. How much do you really think you need Him through the course of the day? Can you get up without Him? Can you deal with the people in your life without Him? Can you handle the stress of the day without Him? The answer to these and other questions like them, is “yes.” Can you do it well and according to His will without Him? The answer to that question is “no.” Live life like it depended on your fellowship with God because it does.

Psalm 70 (cf. Psalm 40.13-17)

Psalm 70 and Psalm 40.13–17 are basically the same. There are slight variations. This has happened with Psalm 53 and Psalm 14.The superscription is the first to stand out. Psalm 70 adds the words “for the memorial offering,” which occurs elsewhere only in the superscription for Psalm 38 (see our study). This psalm is also like Psalm 9 in that the psalm that follows has no heading, which lead some to believe that, like Psalm 9 and Psalm 10, Psalm 70 and Psalm 71 belong together (see our study on Psalm 9 and Psalm 10). The other main difference, like Psalm 53 and Psalm 14, is that of changing the name for the covenant God of Israel (Jehovah [יְֽהוָה]) in the first and last verse to the universal God of creation (Elohim [אֱלֹהִים])David’s call in this psalm can be outlined as follows:

Verse 1-Help me
Verses 2-3-Punish them
Verse 4-Praise Him
Verse 5-Help me

This psalm of five verses contains many requests by David to God.

Verse 1-Deliver me and help me
Verse 2-put to shame and confusion those who seek my life and turn back and dishonor those who desire to hurt me
Verse 3-turn back because of their shame
Verse 4-let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you and let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
Verse 5-hasten to me and do not delay (can you sense the desperation on David’s part?)

God answers prayers according to His timetable. Hebrews 4.16 reminds us that God gives us grace, His help, in His time. The greatest examples of this principle that I can think are found in John 11.1-46 with the death of Lazarus and Galatians 4.4 with the sending of Jesus to the earth.

Media

Psalm 70 by Solomon’s Porch (Psalm 70 and Psalm 40)
Mighty to Save by Hillsong (Psalm 70 and Psalm 40)
Safe by Paul Wickham (Psalm 70 and Psalm 40)

Psalm 20

This is a short psalm that reminds us to pray for those over us. Are you praying for your leaders, whether you like them or not? The psalm also shows us that true worship gets God’s attention.

Psalm 20 (cf. 1 Timothy 2.1-8 and see our study Psalm 21 and our study of 2 Samuel 10 for possible background to this psalm)

Verses 1-3-Trouble is coming in warfare. The priest is offering a sense of peace to David before the battle. Because of David’s faithfulness to God, God will bring him support. Pause (Selah). Are your sacrifices to God the kind that He celebrates and honors? Or, are they merely tokens you throw at Him, hoping to appease Him? See our study on Psalm 50.

Verses 4-6-Triumph of God’s answers are evident. Notice the change from “your” to “we” to “I.” All are involved.

Verses 7-9-Trust and confidence in the God who gives victories and allows defeats.

Notice the bookend of “Lord answer” in verse one in the day of trouble and in verses nine in the day we call. Notice how the name of God is invoked in each stanza (1, 5, 7). Notice the abundance of desire in the first five verses with each beginning with “may.”

This is a short psalm that reminds us to pray for those over us. Are you praying for your leaders, whether you like them or not? The psalm also shows us that true worship gets God’s attention.

Psalm 102

The inscription for this psalm is odd. It gives no name, no direction, no tune or style; it merely pronounces what it is. It is a title. This psalm is an individual lament or prayer. It contains similar expressions found in Psalm 27 (read the study of Psalm 27).

This psalm is a Messianic Psalm in that it describes what happened to Christ during His lifetime. As you read through the psalm, try to see the agony of Christ, particularly in the Garden of Gethsemane (His prayer could have been this psalm, cf. Hebrews 5.7) or on the Cross. See below for MacDonald and Farstad’s treatment on how this psalm relates to the Trinity.

This psalm can be divided into four parts. The plea (1-2), the reason for the plea (3-11), the character of God (12-22), and the contrast between God and man (23-28) are the main sections of this psalm.

Verses 1-2-The Psalmist proclaims his heart’s desire is for God to hear his prayer, his plea. He does not expect God to reject his prayer and knows that God. These thoughts are seen in Psalm 88 (read study) and Psalm 17 (read study).

Verses 3-11-These verses remind us of what James wrote in James 4.14. Job also responded to his condition in terms of his bones poured out, burned, and crushed (Job 30.16-32). When David was being judged for his sin with Bathsheba and all the aftermath, he expressed his life as bones that were broken (Psalm 51.8). David, in Psalm 51, knew this was from God as does this writer (11).

This list of birds represents those who live alone and are desolate (6-8), which is how the writer feels as those around him mock him for trusting in God.

Verses 12-17-The writer calls out to God to act because of whom God is not who the prayer is. The writer calls for God to act so God can be glorified by the nations. When we pray, we should pray according to God’s Word, His will, and His way. When we do so, we will be asking God to do exactly what God wants to do. God desires for us to care for the poor and needy. Do we pray for Him to care for the destitute (17)?

Verses 17-22-The psalmist is asking God to use his circumstances to help others know that God is good and God is worthy of worship (Romans 15.4 and 1 Corinthians 10.11).

As verses 18-19 are read, we get a sense that the psalmist knows that God stepped down from Heaven to answer his prayer.

Verses 23-28-The writer realizes his frailty and God’s eternal state. He also realizes that what is occurring in his life is due to the mighty, compassion, just, true, etc., God of the Universe allowing it to happen. He is the same today as He was then (Hebrews 13.8, cf. Malachi 3.6, which expresses why we are still living). Because of this, the writer notes, we can have confidence before Him (27-28, cf. Hebrews 1.10-12). So, let us go before Him and ask Him to incline His ear to us.

As you are in prayer today, how do you pray? Are you asking God to grant your requests according to your desires? There is nothing wrong with expressing the desires of your heart to God. However, He may not answer them. Are you praying according to His Word, will, and way? If so, then an answer is forthcoming (1 John 5.13-15).

What are you writing for others to read that they may see the glory of God manifests in their lives as-well? Each of us has enough going on in our life for others to read that they may be drawn closer to God.

The key to understanding this Psalm lies in detecting the change in speakers.

Vv. 1–11 The Lord Jesus, hanging on the cross, is speaking to God.

Vv. 12–15 The Father replies to His beloved Son; we know this by comparing verse 12 with Hebrews 1:8.

Vv. 16–22 The speaker is unidentified, but we are safe in assuming that it is the Holy Spirit, describing the future restoration of Israel under the Messiah.

Vv. 23, 24a The Savior is heard once more as He suffers at the hands of God for our sins.

Vv. 24b–28 Again by comparing this section with Hebrews 1:10–12, we know that the Father is speaking to His Son.

Here as nowhere else in the Bible we are enabled to listen in on a conversation that took place between the three Persons of the Trinity when the Lord Jesus was making expiation for the sins of the world (MacDonald and Farstad, 1997).

Psalm 17

Psalm 17 is one of three psalms designated as a prayer (Psalm 86 and 142). That this psalm is a prayer is evidence by the words we use for prayer: hear, incline, give ear, among others. This Psalm is also a psalm of lament in which David proclaims his innocence (Psalm 26; 35; 43; and 69) [see our studies Psalm 26, 35, 43, and 69).

This Psalm begins and ends with the same thoughts. This could be a loose chiastic structure as verse one opens with David’s vindication and closes in verse fifteen with his righteousness. The Psalm also opens with God seeing and closes with David seeing. Many psalms and most of the prophets are written in terms of a courtroom. This Psalm appears to be David pleading his case before God, seeking a verdict of innocence on himself and guilty on those around him.

Although there is no time frame given in the title, most commentators see this as a prayer of deliverance from Saul during the time of 1 Samuel 21-27. Some people look at this psalm and find problems with David’s statements regarding his blamelessness in verses 1-5 and his reference to “mortals” in verses 13-14. Their argument is that these make David seem to be a demigod. However, these statements are found elsewhere, stated by others in Scripture, and are not referring to absolute blamelessness or as to be a little god. These will be covered in the verses.

Verses 1-2-David is calling out to the only one who can help him. This is the cry of many of the psalms that have been covered in these discussions. He states he has not deceived people, in this case Saul, and yet he is being pursued by those who are deceptive (either Saul, the Ziphites, Doeg, and the like). He does not state he is perfect, but he seeks the perfect righteousness of God to be known. When he prays this, he is also stating that God would see where David is right, which implies where David is also wrong.

Verses 3-5-These verses reflect the previous verses. These three verses can be found in the mouth of Job (Job 23.10-11), God (Zechariah 13.9), David and other psalmists (Psalm 39.1; 44.18; 66.10; 119.133), and Peter (1 Peter 1.6-7). Each time the reference for purity is mentioned, it is by the hand of God. David sees the fruit of his life in that he has evidence (or fruit) that he has walked blamelessly in this area and in other areas of life. This is also true for us. We have evidence that we are walking in the power of God’s salvation because of the life we are living and the fruit He is producing in and through us (Galatians 5.22-23). David sees those around him and notices that they have transgressed (13-14), which is also an evidence of fruit but this is the fruit produced by pursuing fleshly desires (Galatians 5.16-21). What fruit is being produced in your life? That fruit will show evidence of whose power you are walking under.

Verses 6-7-David has confidence in God. He knows that God hears our prayers. The term “incline” is found in other Psalms (Psalm 86.7 and 116.2, for example). It suggests that God is bending from the throne desiring to listen to what we have say. Because God leans down from His throne to listen, He is seated on His throne, which means He is victorious and in command. Those who seek His refuge need to come under that command and proclaim Him as their sovereign. In what areas of your life are you holding onto and not letting God command?

Verses 8-12-These verses contain much imagery that will be completed at a later time in these studies. For now, here is a list: “apple of the eye” (Deuteronomy 32:10), “shadow of Your wings,” and “lion lurking in ambush.” The picture being painted is the polar opposite of what we have in God and what those who pursue of desire for us. One is protection (guard me as a man would guard his eye) and loving-kindness and the other is pitiless suffering leading to death. God reminds us that He weighs the heart and knows the desires (1 Samuel 2.3) and that He will judge those who have no pity on those in need (Ezekiel 16.49). Reading that last verse should cause us to ponder what we are doing with our wealth and excess, what forms of service are we involved in, and where are we meeting the needs of those around us?

Verses 13-14-David does not desire to be judged by those around him but by Him who is above him.

Verse 15-David knew that life is greater than today. We are to reflect our relationship with God in this world that they may see His righteousness in us (Psalm 4.6-7 and Matthew 5.16). We are also to look forward to the day that we will be like Him, when our desires will conform to His, when sin will no longer have a stranglehold on us (Psalm 16.11; Isaiah 26.19; and 1 John 3.2). Do people notice the God we serve or do they notice the god we try to be?