Gallery – Page 7 – Old Testament Survey

Psalm 144

Do you ask God to help you through the day, trust His Word during the day, and praise Him daily for what He had done in and through you during the day?

Psalm 144

Although this psalm is composed of pieces from other psalms, it is a well-structured battle psalm. Psalms 8, 18, 33, 102, 103, and 104 appear in this psalm. Verses one and two can be found in Psalm 18.2, 34, and 36-37. Verse three is found in Psalm 8.4. Verse four can be found in Psalm 102.11. Verses 5-8 are found in Psalm 18.9, 14-16, and 44-45. Verse nine is found in Psalm 33.2-3. Verse 10 is found in Psalm 18.50.

David asks God to train him before he goes into battle (1-4), to help him through the battle (5-8), and he praises God after the battle (9-15). Is this your daily habit? Do you ask God to help you through the day, trust His Word during the day, and praise Him daily for what He had done in and through you during the day?

Psalm 143

Have we come before God realizing that without Him we are wicked and that in Him He makes us righteous and worthy? Have we considered how Satan will devour us and then ask God to strengthen us as we seek forgiveness? Why not do it now?

Psalm 143

God is faithful to His promises (Matthew 5.37 and 2 Corinthians 1.20) and to His righteousness, as verse one informs us. Based on this alone, no one should go a moment without prayer (1 Thessalonians 5.17). Based on this alone, no one should think that justice will look over sin as was promised. David knew this, as do we. God will judge sin. On Christ our sin was placed. He became our sin that we might become that which we lacked–His righteousness. This is the great trade given at the cross. This is what David needed as he faced the truth of verse two.

We don’t have physical enemies pursuing us these days, for the most part. However, we do have a spiritual enemy who is seeking to devour us daily. After all, our battle is not with flesh and blood but with powers and principalities (Ephesians 6.12). David saw his deliverance from his enemies deeply connected with forgiveness of sin. We need to see this for our lives too. Satan will devour us when we allow unconfessed sin to continue to fester in our lives. He will destroy because our sin takes us out of fellowship with God. Forgiveness, the cleansing of 1 John 1.9 which is based on God’s faithfulness and righteousness, restores that fellowship.

David cries out for God to hear is prayer (1-6), to answer his prayer (7-9), to teach him (10), and to restore or revive him (11-12).

Media

I am a Servant by Larry Norman

Psalm 139

Although we are in Christ and have been sealed with the Spirit for eternity, we still need to check our own desires and heart. Do we allow sin to creep into our heart? Take a moment and pray David’s prayer at the end of this psalm: “Search me, O God, and see if there is any wicked way in me.” If so, repent; and walk in His ways.

Psalm 139

God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent according to this psalm. David paints a memorable picture of God and His relationship with us based on His attributes. This twenty-four-verse psalm divides easily into four stanzas.

Verses 1-6-God’s omniscience is displayed. The writer of Hebrews and Matthew saw this as true (Matthew 9.4 and Hebrews 4.13). God knows everything. He knows what we do and what we think. This should overwhelm us as it did David. God knows all about us and still chooses to love us.
Verses 7-12-God’s omnipresence is displayed. There is no place in this universe we can go that would escape the gaze of God. His eye is not merely that of the Judge and Ruler but of Shepherd and Father.
Verses 13-18-God’s omnipotence is displayed. Genesis one and two tell us that God created life, not from a test tube but from nothing. A baby in the womb is sacred because it is created by God. If you would like more discussion on this topic, leave a post. When we acknowledged God as the omnipotent we would have to state how precious and powerful He is, just as David did in verse seventeen.
Verses 19-24-These three attributes of God are played out now, not to those who acknowledge Him as God and Savior, but to those who want nothing to do with His Son. Because He is omniscient, He knows their evil intentions. Because He is omnipresent, He sees their evil activities. Because He is omnipotent, He can and will judge their wickedness. Because of God’s holiness, He rejects sin. Because those who do not come to Christ for the cleansing of their sins, reject the offer of the cleansing. Because they reject the cleansing, God must reject them.

Media

Psalm 138

This world has established for itself many gods. Materialism is a god to which culture bows. Celebrity is another god to which society bows. Fortune is elevated as well. There are countless gods with which we have to deal with on a daily basis. In spite of these gods and those who worship them, we need to bow before the God of all and over all.

Psalm 138

This psalm closes with a reminder that God has a purpose and a direction for your life and the power to accomplish it. This is much like what Paul mentions in Philippians 1.6. David’s desire to live the life God created him for runs through this psalm. He embodies Paul’s words in Ephesians 2.10 and Philippians 2.12-13.

This world has established many gods for itself. Materialism is a god to which culture bows. Celebrity is another god to which society bows. Fortune is elevated as well. There are countless gods with which we have to deal with on a daily basis. In spite of these gods and those who worship them, we need to bow before the God of all and over all.

Psalm 131

So, the question for us is where do we place our confidence? Is it in us, mankind, our things, or in God?

Psalm 131

Jesus said in Matthew 5.5, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” He would later tell us in Matthew 18.3, “Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (NRSV). Paul would remind us of the same ideal in Romans 12.16 and 1 Corinthians 14.20. We are to have an attitude of childlike faith in this world of evil. When we look to ourselves as entities without need of help from another, we make ourselves god. Think about your life today. In what areas are you taking upon yourself and not bringing before godly counsel (Proverbs 15.22)and to God in prayer? This is, then, an area where you are making yourself into god. When we attempt to be gods, we stop God from operating in our life and things become frustrating, we become anxious, and we have no help (Philippians 4.4-9, cf. James 4.6). When we live in humility before Him, having the mind of Christ (Philippians 2.5-8), we find contentment (2 Corinthians 12). This is because our hope, our trust, our life, is in God. This is the essence of this short three-verse psalm. It directs our attention to our need for humility, our reliance or trust in God, and our only source of hope, which is solely found in God. Remember, hope is not wishful thinking but the full assurance that what God has said is and will forever be trustworthy.

Verse one implies that David had not always been humble before God (think of our recent studies in 1 Chronicles with the census). David sought refuge in his military strength and not in God’s omnipotence. David humbly submits his heart, eyes, and actions to God. He wants to live his life according to Romans 12.1-2 and 1 John 2.5-17. A. W. Tozer understood this when he wrote in “The Pursuit of God”: “Never forget that it is a privilege to wonder, to stand in delighted silence before the Supreme Mystery and whisper, ‘O Lord God, thou knowest.’”

Verse two mentions weaning. Weaning is resisted by the child because it longs for the closeness of the mother. However, without weaning there is no growth. We need to begin to feed ourselves and not rely on the milk of another to feed us. Hebrews 5.11-14 presents this truth quite well.

So, the question for us is where do we place our confidence? Is it in us, mankind, our things, or in God?

Media

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Alan Jackson
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Michael W. Smith

1 Chronicles 28

Verse nine is a call for all of us to serve God with all our heart and mind. It is also our call to know what God has called us to do and for us to live our lives and act on that calling (10).

1 Chronicles 28

The detailed plans given to Solomon by David were given by God (19). God has also given us detailed plans for our life. Have you been reading it? As David reminded Solomon that God has a purpose and a plan for his life (20), we are reminded that He has a plan and a purpose for our life (Ephesians 2.8-10).

Verse nine is a call for all of us to serve God with all our heart and mind. It is also our call to know what God has called us to do and for us to live our lives and act on that calling (10).

1 Chronicles 27

Again, are you serving where God has called you to serve?

1 Chronicles 27

David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23) are the leaders of the 288,000 men David had in his standing army. Each month, on a rotation, 24,000 men would serve at a time (1-15). The civil leaders are listed next (16-24). The royal administrators are listed (25-31), which are followed by personal counselors (32-34).

Again, are you serving where God has called you to serve?

1 Chronicles 26

In Christ, we have met the legal requirements to enter God’s presence. They are described as able men qualified for service. First Timothy 3 and Titus 1.5-15 declares the qualifications for men to minister, do you meet these requirements?

1 Chronicles 26

The gatekeepers job was to ensure that those who entered the Temple met the legal requirements to enter the Temple (2 Chronicles 23.19). In Christ, we have met the legal requirements to enter God’s presence. They are described as able men qualified for service. First Timothy 3 and Titus 1.5-15 declares the qualifications for men to minister, do you meet these requirements?

Some Levites were gatekeepers (1-19; described in 1 Chronicles 9.22-29), some were treasurers (20-28), and others were administrators (29-32). What is your gift and are you using it for God’s glory?

These were appointed in the last year of David’s reign (31).

1 Chronicles 25

This is the concept of holiness. We have been chosen by God for a particular service by a particular gifting. When we follow His purpose for our lives, we are living in accordance with His will and holiness. When we choose to go against His purpose, we are living unholy lives. This does not negate the fact though that we are still holy, set apart for Him.

1 Chronicles 25

This chapter opens with the concept of holiness. David called the chief leaders to set aside Asaph (Psalm 50, 73-83), Heman (Psalm 88), and Jeduthun (Psalm 39, 62, 77) for service. This is the concept of holiness. We have been chosen by God for a particular service by a particular gifting. When we follow His purpose for our lives, we are living in accordance with His will and holiness. When we choose to go against His purpose, we are living unholy lives. This does not negate the fact though that we are still holy, set apart for Him.

These men were set apart to prophesy with music. This can be seen as telling forth in God’s Word with a meter in such a way that God uses it to convict and convince those who hear. It does not necessarily mean speaking a new word from God, particularly in the church of today (Hebrews 1.1-4). The meaning of the term “prophesy” here seems to mean “to proclaim” or “to praise.” The term, therefore, would cover expressing what God’s will is to those who listen, not a new word, but an expression of the known will. Paul reminds us of this in 1 Corinthians 14.3.

Some see verses 3-4 as stating that God speaks prophetically to His people, at times, without the human voice. I have not researched this enough to write on it now; however, it does intrigue me. If you desire more discussion on this, let me know.

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.