Psalm 85: Salvation is Coming

This psalm is a community (national) lament. Like Psalm 84, this one was also written by the sons of Korah. This shows God’s grace, as Korah was a Levite that rebelled against Moses (Numbers 16) and the adult males in his family were punished by death. But the children grew up to be temple guards between the court of the men of Israel and the Holy place where only the Levites and Priests could enter (1 Chron 9:19). The timing of this psalm could be connected with a national victory like recorded in the book of Judges or in 1 Samuel over the foreign powers such as the Philistines. It could also be connected with national disasters like the locusts plague in Joel 1 or the Assyrian army of Joel 2. Many modern Bible students think this was written after the Babylonian captivity during the days of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The wording does imply that the author was once out of the land of Promise and is now back in it during a difficult time. Salvation means both deliverance and preservation in the Bible, not just the “conversion” experience.

  I. The believer should tell of God’s past saving acts (vs. 1–3)

      A. Notice the word “You” in vs. 1–3

      B. God delivered Israel from the Egyptians and Midianites in the past. Any of God’s acts in            redemptive history can be used in prayer

      C. It appears that confession and repentance has already been done by this group

      D. The restoration has already started

Let the priests, the LORD's ministers, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say: "Have pity on Your people, LORD, and do not make Your inheritance a disgrace, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'" 18 Then the LORD became jealous for His land and spared His people. 19 The LORD answered His people: Look, I am about to send you grain, new wine, and olive oil. You will be satiated with them, and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations. 20 I will drive the northerner far from you and banish him to a dry and desolate land, his front ranks into the Dead Sea, and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise; yes, his rotten smell will rise, for he has done catastrophic things. 21 Don't be afraid, land; rejoice and be glad, for the LORD has done great things. (Joe 2:17 HCSB)

      E. Restoration is a sovereign act of grace from God. It is not earned or deserved (Jer 30:3)

Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and take them to the Valley of Yaheshaphat (Yahweh Judges). I will enter into judgment with them there because of My people, My inheritance Israel. The nations have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries and divided up My land. (Joel 3:1)

      F. The covenantal warnings for disobedience promised them exile if they rebelled

Yet if in spite of this you do not obey Me, but act with hostility against Me, then I will act with wrathful hostility against you, and I, even I, will punish you seven times for your sins. Further, you will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters you will eat. I then will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and heap your remains on the remains of your idols, for My soul shall abhor you. I will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your soothing aromas.  I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it.  You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste.  Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. (Lev 26:27–34 NASB)

      G. Restoration involves the removal of wrath, the forgiveness of sin, the removal of guilt

      H. Return from captivity, the chastisement, and be in God’s favor, blessings again

       I. Sins are hidden, covered over and God returns to close fellowship with us

         

 II. The believer should grieve over sin and pray for restoration (vs. 4–7)

      A. Notice the word “us” in vs. 4 and 7, showing the community is praying

      B. The lament and prayer begin after the interlude of praise (vs. 1–3)

      C. Prayer: restore us to fellowship and be pleased with us again

      D. Questions: The chastisement has worked, is not this a good time for them to end?

      E. Prayer: return covenantal love (hesed) grant us salvation

      F. God’s judgments are His “disturbing” works, a task He does not delight in (Isa 28:21;                         Ezek 18:32), but God delights in and is active in the salvation of His people

      G. Salvation “sandwich” this section begins and ends with salvation

III. The believer has a hope that leads to assurance of salvation (vs. 8)

      A. Notice the word “I” in vs. 8, where a prophet or the psalmist is speaking 

      B. When God speaks peace (shalom) [wholeness of body and soul) He creates it 

           (Isa 57:18–21) It includes relief from grief

      C. Peace is a gift from God and a way of life

      D. The saints, holy ones, are God’s loyal people

So, then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, (Eph 2:19 NASB)

       E. God’s people are two in some way, one in other senses in the Bible

      F. The holy ones are those who do not return to foolish living, as if God does not exist or             cannot enforce His covenant

IV. The believer’s future promise of Christ’s victory on earth (vs. 9–13)

      A. Notice the “he” and “his” in this section

      B. Salvation is not for everyone, everyone will not be saved

      C. Deliverance comes to those who fear, reverence, worship, and serve God

      D. The future promise of God’s glory dwelling in the land of promise

The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Joh 1:14 CSB)

Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. (Act 2:3 CJB)

Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.  (Lev 26:11–13 NASB)

The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts, and in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.  (Hag 2:1 NASB)

      E. Glory in the land, part 1, Jesus, part 2 Pentecost, part 3 Jesus millennial reign

      F. These attributes of God are prevalent on the earth during Jesus’ reign on the earth

Lessons to live by:

• Use the Bible when you pray. Honor God for His mighty acts that are recorded in Scripture. Verbally ascribe the glory that is due God name and person

• Warn others to flee from the wrath to come. Remind others that there is forgiveness found in the Messiah, Jesus

• Repent over and confess sins quickly. God delights in our deliverance and perseveration

• Love and righteousness, mercy and truth met on the Messiah’s cross outside the city wall

A hymn that restates these truths is:

WHEN HE SPEAKS PEACE

OFTENTIMES I’VE WONDERED

EVEN IN MY DARKEST HOUR,

WILL HIS FAITHFUL EARS STILL HEARKEN

TO MY NEEDS AND MY DESIRES.

THEN I HEAR HIS VOICE SO TENDER

SPEAKING SOFTLY IN MY EAR,

THEN I KNEEL TO PRAY IN MY SECRET PLACE

I KNOW HE WILL HEAR,

HE’S ALWAYS THERE.

Chorus

WHEN HE SPEAKS PEACE,

THE RAGING STORMS MUST DIE,

NEW HOPE BECOMES NEW LIFE,

WHEN HE WHISPERS EVERYTHING

WILL BE ALRIGHT.

WHEN HE SPEAKS PEACE,

THE DARK NIGHT SLIPS AWAY

LIKE THE BREAKING OF A DAY,

WHEN JESUS SPEAKS PEACE.

WHEN MY FRIENDS HAVE FAILED ME

AND I’M STANDING ALL ALONE,

WHEN I BECOME DISCOURAGED

AND I FEEL ALL HOPE IS GONE,

THERE’S NO NEED TO BE DISHEARTENED

FOR I HAVE A FRIEND WHO CARES.

WHEN MY FAITH BECOMES WEAK

I CAN KNEEL AT HIS FEET

MY BURDENS HE WILL SHARE.

HE’S ALWAYS THERE. 

Psalm 79: How Long will Your Chastisement Continue, Oh Lord?

This psalm is a national lament after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 A.D. It does not appear to have been written personally by Asaph, but for his choir that continued in the temple long after his death. New generations of Levites were recruited and trained to provide music in the temple. It appears that this author was one that was allowed to stay in the land and was not deported with the leaders and merchants.

  I. Lamentation over Jerusalem’s destruction (vs. 1–4)

     A. Pagans have destroyed the city and the temple

     B. Pagans have annihilated the covenant people of God

     C. Even though the people’s idolatry caused God to send the Babylonians in His sovereignty,             they are still fully responsible for their cruelty, desecration, and theft

     D. When the people are faithful to Yahveh and their covenant commitment to Him, He blesses           them beyond measure (Lev 26:1–13)

     E. When the people rebel, are disloyal and unbelieving and give their hearts to false gods,                 Yahveh sends chastisements so they will repent (Lev 26:14–39)

     F. One of the covenantal curses is to not be buried after death, a final humiliation to be                        unloved and insignificant (like a deer carcass along a highway)

NKJV Deuteronomy 28:26 Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten them away.

ESV Jeremiah 16:4 They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth.

(See also Jer 34:20; Lam 4:14–20)

    G. The siege and the exile kept their relatives from being able to treat them as image bearer’s               of God with dignity and value

    H. Some of the righteous died, but blood flowed like water at the cruelty of the pagans

    I. Those remaining are starving and being ridiculed by foreign peoples

    J. The curses of the covenant are not pleasant (Deut. 28:15–68; 1 Kings 9:6–9)

 II. Question: How long will the discipline last? (vs. 5)

      A. The author acknowledges that God kept His promise to send chastisement

      B. They know why God’s judgment fell on the wicked, He is holy and hates sin

      C. They know they got exactly what they asked for by their national rebellion

      D. The question is, how much longer will we be in exile and Jerusalem in ruins?

NAU Zechariah 8:2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.'"

ESV Jeremiah 25:11–12 This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the LORD, making the land an everlasting waste.

III. Prayer for vindication and forgiveness (vs. 6–9)

      A. Bring justice to the pagans that have denied Yahveh’s existence and power

      B. They have used the exile to dishonor God

      C. Why would God judge His own people and delay the judgment of Babylon?

NIV Amos 3:2 You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your sins.

     D. The pagans have destroyed God’s land, temple, and people and appear to be getting away                with it to others. God’s glory is at stake

     E. The remnant in exile prays for themselves for forgiveness

     F. Yahveh has spared them for a reason, so they call on Him for deliverance, salvation                     (See Dan. 9:1–19)

     G. Even in chastisement, hope remains for God will never abandon His plan of redemption

IV. Question: How long will the pagans be able to deny God exists? (vs. 10a)

    A. The pagans have asked, “Where is the God of the Jews? Why is He not powerful enough to             protect them?

    B. The remnant calls on God to glorify His name by judging the pagans for their war crimes

    C. They want God to step in soon rather than later

ESV Joel 2:17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

 V. Prayer for vindication and restoration (vs. 10b–13)

      A. A needy a suffering slave in a foreign land full of idols calls on God to judge justly

      B. Their hope is that those who saw the blood shed will also see justice rendered

      C. Like the Jews in Egypt their prayers are coming before God for salvation

      D. The sevenfold fold restitution is requesting God’s full justice

      E. Leviticus 26 show the Jews had reached the fifth level of God’s seven-fold punishment

      F. The judgment needs to be equal to the blasphemy of God’s name

     G. The prayer looks in hope to restoration and worship 

      H. Yahveh is still the remnant, the real believer’s shepherd, they are his sheep

       I. The national lament ends in hope because it is a prayer to the Creator God who sustains                  the universe, is sovereign, powerful, loving, and answers His people's prayer

Lessons to live by:

• It always pays to obey God, once we have a relationship with Him. We don’t have the power to obey in ourselves, so we must be born from above first.

• Sin is not worth it for the believer. It costs too much.

• God’s spanking when we sin is not proof that we have lost our salvation, it is proof we were saved to start with, and God is bringing us to repentance (Heb 12:3–14)

• What is it about human nature to never be satisfied with God’s timing? Confess this as sin and wait on the LORD

• God hears our prays when we are suffering. He is still our Shepherd when He allows us to suffer

• Hope in God! Have faith in God. Believe Him, trust Him, love Him, repent and obey Him

Psalm 51: Confession and Repentance Leads to Restoration

This psalm is an individual lament that is also one of the repentance psalms (Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143). This psalm truly is a “sinner’s prayer,” and may be used effectively in evangelism. In this psalm we have a person that is fully aware they have sinned against God, cannot save themselves, and are in desperate need of grace. The context of this psalm is seen in 2 Samuel 11–12. Nathan the prophet tells a story and confronts King David over his despicable sins. A believer sharing God’s word with another believer is the means God uses to move David from covering his sin to biblical repentance. God’s forgiveness, which was granted, David, did not remove the “built-in” consequences for the sin. Four of David’s children (2 Sam 12:6) died in direct response to David’s adultery and murder (2 Sam 12:9–14) [Bathsheba’s baby, Amnon, Absalom, Adonijah]. BEWARE of the consequences of forgiven sins! Sin is never free, it always costs too much. There are civil penalties, everlasting penalties, and earthly penalties (you reap what you plant).

 

A. A prayer for individual restoration (vs. 1–2)

     B. Personal confession, remorse, and repentance (vs. 3–6)

         C. A prayer for forgiveness, renewal, wisdom, and restoration (vs. 7–12)

     B`. Thanksgiving, petition, praise, and a deeper commitment (vs. 13–17)

A`. A prayer for national restoration (vs. 18–19)

 

Our Bible study rule for this week is:            

RULE #7: Interpret each passage according to the literary style chosen by the author. Observe what type of literature the book, paragraph, and sentence are before seeking to discovering the meaning of words.  Look for: a) figures of speech, b) proverbs, c) parables, d) narratives, e) teaching, f) poetry, g) prophecy, h) allegories, i) historical narrative, j) discourse between individuals, k) occasional letters, etc.

   I. A prayer for pardon, cleansing, and restoration (vs. 1–2)

      A. Have mercy, please do not give me what justice requires. I have no rights to demand                               forgiveness; I throw myself on the mercy of the court

      B. Respond to me based on your (hesed) covenant love and great compassion

      C. If I am going to be saved, it will be by grace and not by my merit

      D. Erase my rebellious acts from your book (Col 2:14)

      E. Wash and cleanse me, for I am like a filthy garment. Guilt helps us realize we are not worthy to               be in God’s presence or the presence of His people. We need to understand this to be delivered               from the wrath to come   

  II. Personal confession, remorse, and repentance (vs. 3–6)

      A. David is finally aware of his violations of the law. His sin is confronting him all day long. He               has moved from covering and denying his sin to confessing it (Ps 32:1–5)

      B. David’s greatest sin is treason against God, compared to his sin against God, the sins against                   Bathsheba, Uriah, his neighbors, pale in comparison (Remember this is poetry that is building             to a central conclusion) [Gen 39:9; Luke 15:8] The central issue about sin is that all sin is                       against the holy Creator God who is Sovereign over His universe. David had intentionally                       violated the moral law of God—committed high-handed rebellion         

      C. God sees everything, He hates sin and He records every sin

      D. David is acknowledging the holy God of the Bible right to judge every sinner including himself            (See Luke 23:41) Romans 3:3-6 What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the                             faithfulness of God, will it?  ⁴ May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as                 it is written, "THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE                             JUDGED."  ⁵ But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who                 inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.)  ⁶ May it never be! For otherwise, how                     will God judge the world? 

      E. Men are sinners from conception and are pervasively depraved

      F. God desires men to believe that He is holy, they are sinful—all men have a big problem. God              desires men to be loyal and realize that God must send His wisdom or they will not admit their              sin and guilt and repent and trust Him

III. A prayer for forgiveness, renewal, wisdom, and restoration (vs. 7–12)

      A. David has committed sins that require death by the civil law, the sin offerings were for                             unintentional sins - God is above the king, so He can grant mercy on the civil offense

      B. David goes to the analogy of the Leper in Leviticus 14, he needs cleansing

      C. David’s greatest need is God’s forgiveness, to be right with God

      D. The leper sprinkled with blood seven times pictured substitution and cleansing by the Messiah to            come, the Lord Jesus Christ

      E. David’s white robe is stained with blood; God can wash it whiter than snow

      F. Cleanse, hide, create (only used with God) David is asking for a miracle, a pure heart God must              bring renewal and cleansing of conscience, giving assurance of being right with God

      G. David does not want to lose his office like Saul did (1 Sam 6:14; 1 Cor 9:27)

      H. Restored fellowship restores peace, joy, and assurance

        I. David needs God’s help to be willing to fight his indwelling sin

IV. Thanksgiving, petition, praise, and a deeper commitment (vs. 13–17)

      A. By his testimony of what not to do, David can warn other sinners

      B. He needs God to save him from violating His holy law—bloodguilt

      C. Those who have been saved by grace thank and praise God for it

      D. God hates sacrifices without genuine repentance, sorrow for sin, and faith

 V. A prayer for national restoration (vs. 18–19)

      A. Our sin affects others (Josh 7:1–21; 2 Sam 24:10–17; Cor 6:15–20)

      B. Sacrifices without a relationship and repentance are worthless

Lessons to Live by: Men can never merit God’s favor. We must throw ourselves on the mercy of the court. We are really sinful, and thus, we need a substitute to live a holy life for us and to die for our sin. God is just when He judges sinners, He is gracious when He forgives sinners by judging His Son in their place. We need forgiveness, cleansing, and to be right with God.