Psalm 92: A Sabbath Song of Worship to the LORD

The author of this Psalm is not known. Psalm 92 is an individual song of thanksgiving used in corporate worship on the Sabbath day. The Jews gathered for worship (Lev 23:3), a holy assembly, as well as resting on this day. This day was intended to be a delight rather than a burden, but those who were consumed with themselves rather than the living God disliked the Sabbath (Amos 8:5; Isa 58:13–14). While the priests were offering the morning and evening sacrifices, the Levitical singers lead the people in song by musical instruments (Exod 29:39–41).

   I. Worshiping Yahweh (the LORD) with music (vs. 1–3)

      A. Praising God is good because He loves us and thus it pleases Him

      B. Praising God is good because it encourages and liberates us

      C. Praise is a grateful vocal response to the acts of God 

      D. The LORD’s covenant Love (hesed) and faithfulness, 24/7

      E. The most high God’s name is Yahweh (the LORD) is to be praised in music

      F. The are using instruments in praising God’s name

      G. The music had a message, it “proclaimed” the LORD’s attributes

      H. No matter what the style of music, if the message is wrong about God, it is not                acceptable worship. Content is King in worship!

 II. A song of thanksgiving (vs. 4–15)

      A. The LORD’s actions are to be praised by His people (vs. 4–5)

            1. Praising God for Who He is, transforms into:

            2. Thanking the LORD for what He has done—mighty acts of deliverance

            3. The Bible is redemptive history, it tells His Story

            4. Praising God in corporate worship bring the believer joy

      B. The fool does not understand redemptive history (vs. 6–8) 

           1. A human who cannot think and analyze God’s powerful redemption is like a bull

           2. When your thoughts are all about you, you ignore the shortness of life and the coming                 judgment by a powerful and sovereign God

           3. The wicked are temporary in their pleasure and power like grass in the desert heat

           4. Their judgment is an everlasting judgment

           5. In contrast God is exalted forever, not just for a short while like the wicked fool

           6. The LORD rules and judges, He is a sovereign king

      C. The Sovereign LORD judges the wicked while exalting His people (vs. 9–11)

           1. The wicked enter judgment and find themselves alone

           2. Yahweh vindicates His people while He punishes their enemies

           3. He will raise the heads of His people and give them authority (horn= symbol of power)                while at the same time consecrating them again for holy service (olive oil, 1st pressing)

           4. Like on judgment day, the righteous see the defeat of those God calls wicked

           5. When God is done, there will be no opposition to His sovereignty

           6. God’s intervention and justice is a vital part of our hope when persecuted

           7. Our hope includes the total elimination of all evil from earth to the lake of fire in the                     future

      D. The wicked are temporary like weeds, but not the righteous (vs. 12–14)

           1. Believers and repenters are like beautiful palm trees

           2. We are like the tall cedar trees that used to grow in Lebanon

           3. Both trees show strength, beauty, and continual durability

           4. We will be placed very close to the LORD our God (house, courts)

           5. We will continue to have meaningful service, purpose, and dignity in our old age on                  earth and in heaven (blessed and valuable)

      E. Exalting Yahweh for His character (vs. 15)

           1. We proclaim in song that God is holy, righteous, just, right

           2. We proclaim in song that we are dependent on God who sustains us

           3. A rock provides stability and daily provision (water out of the rock)

The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. (Deut 32:4 NASB)

           4. God is unlike man, who is born wicked. There is no wickedness in God

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  (1 John 1:5-7 NASB)

Lessons to live by:

• Singing good theology to God and thanking Him and praising Him with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is important. 

• The most important thing about what we sing is what it says about God, not the style which is a matter of taste that changes over time

• God ordained that instruments be used in His worship

• If we oppose the sovereignty of God, we are aligning ourselves with the wrong side

• God is holy. All of the biblical attributes are true of God, and no attribute is greater than the others. They complement each other. God’s love is holy, and God’s holiness is loving, His justice is holy, and His holiness is just

• Praising God for who He is can shift into thanking Him for His redeeming acts in such a seamless way that the one appears to be part of the other

Psalm 69: A King’s Cry for Help in a Time of Distress

This psalm is an individual lament written by King David. It is quoted a number of times in the New Testament, mostly with an application to David’s descendant, Yeshua (Jesus). But the story and situation first applied to David in a more figurative sense. Parts of the psalm happened to Jesus in a more direct sense than their first fulfillment with David.  Lament psalms often have the following elements: 1. Invocation, 2. A plea to God for help, 3. Complaints, 4. Confession of sin or an assertion of innocence, 5. Curse of enemies (imprecation), 6. Confidence in God’s response, 7. Hymn or blessing. This psalm can be easily divided into two equal parts, 1–18 and 19–36.

  I. A Prayer out of personal need (vs. 1–6)

     A. Invocation and a plea to God for help (vs. 1–2)

     B. David uses a vivid word picture, of a man sinking in the mud in the middle of a river 

     C. David is feeling overwhelmed by his problems [inner turmoil, depression] (vs. 2)

     D. A tearful complaints to God (vs. 3–4)

         1. David switches to another picture, a man in deep grief, sorrow, and pain (vs. 3)

         2. David is waiting on God but does not yet have an answer. Where are you, God? (vs. 3)

         3. David is being punished for things he did not do (vs. 4)

ESV John 15:24-25 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.  But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: 'They hated me without a cause.' 

     E. Confession of sin, David is not completely innocent. His folly is being careless with the 

          truth (vs. 5)

     F. Affirmation of God’s knowledge (vs. 5)

     G. Request: Don’t let me cause disgrace to God or His people (vs. 6)

 II.  Persecution for righteousness's sake (vs. 7–12)

     A. A tearful complaint to God (vs. 7–12)

     A. Persecution: A badge of honor, because of his devotion to God (vs. 7–8) [Acts 5:41]

     C. David’s zeal to prepare to build God’s temple caused him to be slandered (vs. 9)

     D. Antagonists attack the one leading a work of God (vs. 9)

     E. David’s descendant, Jesus, cleansed the temple twice and this verse is applied to Him

     ESV John 2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."

      F. Those who hate God also hate His king [David & Yeshua] (vs. 9)

ESV Rom 15:3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."

     G. The pain that David bore brought joy to his enemies (vs. 10–11)

     H. Those who drink the forbidden strong drink, unmixed wine, the drunkards, make up songs 

         mocking the king [David & Jesus] (vs. 12)

III. A prayer for the deliverance of God’s servant (vs. 13–18)

      A. A plea for God to help (vs. 13–18)

      B. Confidence in God’s response (vs. 13–18)

          1. He asks for God’s sure salvation (vs. 13)

          2. Based on Yahweh’s covenant faithfulness, love, and mercy (vs. 13, 16)

    C. David returns to the dangerous water picture (vs. 14–15)

    D. An earnest plea for God to intervene (vs. 16–18)

 IV. The exhaustion of being constantly under attack (vs. 19–21)

        A. A tearful complaint to God about his enemies (vs. 19–21)

        B. Affirmation of God’s knowledge (vs. 19–21)

        C. The betrayal of ‘friends’ is always very painful

        D. David gives a word picture of man hungry and thirsty, given things that will make his  

             pain worse, his appetites intensified (vs. 21) [This happened to Jesus]

V. A prayer for God’s justice (vs. 22–28)

    A. King David’s curse was against the enemies of God, His people, and His king

    B. Israel was and is a physical nation that God has chosen

    C. Individual Christians are not in a battle with humans, but spiritual forces (2 Cor 10:4)

    D. Christians can pray against their indwelling sin and fight spiritual battles (Eph 6:10–18)

    E. David’s son Jesus tells us as individuals to love our enemies

    F. Believers in heaven pray for God’s justice to come to the wicked (Rev 6:9–11)

 VI. Personal Praise to God in faith (vs. 29–33)

      A. Confidence in God’s response (vs. 29–33)

      B. The redeemed and ransom worship God with song (vs. 30)

      B. The heart trumps the hoofs, the moral [love God with all your heart and your neighbor as 

           yourself] trumps the ceremonial law [sacrifices, diets, rituals, feasts] (vs. 31)

VII. Corporate Praise to God (vs. 34–36)

       A. A hymn of cosmic praise (vs. 34)

       B. Remembering God’s future promise to ethnic Israel (vs. 35–36)

Lessons to live by:

• We can tell God what we are thinking and feeling in prayer. There is no need to pray as if we can hide our real feelings and thoughts from God.

• Do you live in such a way that you cause people to attack God because of your personality or lifestyle? Do you bring shame on other Christians who know you? Do you bring shame on your church home? You should not be a disgrace to God or His people

• The godly will be persecuted for their devotion to God. The prosperity gospel does sell as well during a struggling economy

• Has anyone made fun of you because you were a disciple of Jesus, believe in creation, stood up and opened your mouth for the defenseless babies being murdered? You are in good company with King David and King Jesus

• We need to include confession of sin in our prayers like David. We enter the Christian life with repentance, and we stay close to God and clean with repentance

• Our sin damages the reputation and ministry of other Christians