Transcript David and the Psalms

David and the Psalms
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“He ran to him, stood over him, took Goliath's
sword out of its sheath, and cut off his head and
killed him. When the Philistines saw that their
hero was dead, they ran away.” (1Samuel 17:51 –
GN)
Bright light and dim light
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“After this, Absalom provided a chariot and horses for
himself, and an escort of fifty men. He would get up early
and go and stand by the road at the city gate. Whenever
someone came there with a dispute that he wanted the king
to settle, Absalom would call him over and ask him where
he was from. And after the man had told him what tribe he
was from, Absalom would say, ‘Look, the law is on your
side, but there is no representative of the king to hear your
case.’ And he would add, ‘How I wish I were a judge! Then
anyone who had a dispute or a claim could come to me, and
I would give him justice.’ When the man would approach
Absalom to bow down before him, Absalom would reach
out, take hold of him, and kiss him. Absalom did this with
every Israelite who came to the king for judgment, and so
he won their loyalty. (2 Samuel 15:1-6 – GN)
Bright light and dim light
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“A messenger reported to David, ‘The Israelites
are pledging their loyalty to Absalom.’ So David
said to all his officials who were with him in
Jerusalem, ‘We must get away at once if we want
to escape from Absalom! Hurry! Or else he will
soon be here and defeat us and kill everyone in
the city!’” (2 Samuel 15:13-14 – GN)
Bright light and dim light - #1
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“As the king and all his men were leaving the city, they
stopped at the last house. All his officials stood next to him
as the royal bodyguards passed by in front of him. The six
hundred soldiers who had followed him from Gath also
passed by, and the king said to…their leader, ‘Why are you
going with us? Go back and stay with the new king. You are
a foreigner, a refugee away from your own country. You
have lived here only a short time, so why should I make you
wander around with me? I don’t even know where I’m
going. Go back and take all your people with you---and may
the LORD be kind and faithful to you.’”(2 Samuel 15:17-20
– GN)
Bright light and dim light - #2
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“Zadok the priest was there, and with him were the
Levites, carrying the sacred Covenant Box. They set it
down and didn’t pick it up again until all the people had
left the city. The priest Abiathar was there too. Then
the king said to Zadok, ‘Take the Covenant Box back
to the city. If the LORD is pleased with me, some day
he will let me come back to see it and the place where it
stays. But if he isn’t pleased with me---well, then, let
him do to me what he wishes.’” (2 Samuel 15:24-26 –
GN)
Mephibosheth and Ziba - background
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“There was a servant of Saul’s family named Ziba, and he
was told to go to David…The king asked him, ‘Is there
anyone left of Saul’s family to whom I can show loyalty
and kindness, as I promised God I would?’ Ziba
answered, ‘There is still one of Jonathan’s sons. He is
crippled.’” (2 Samuel 9:2,3 – GN)
“Don’t be afraid,’ David replied. ‘I will be kind to you for
the sake of your father Jonathan. I will give you back all
the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you
will always be welcome at my table.’ Mephibosheth
bowed again and said, ‘I am no better than a dead dog,
sir! Why should you be so good to me?’” (2 Samuel 9:7,8
– GN)
Bright light and dim light - #3
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“When David had gone a little beyond the top of the hill, he was
suddenly met by Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, who had
with him a couple of donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves
of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred bunches of
fresh fruit, and a leather bag full of wine. King David asked him,
‘What are you going to do with all that?’ Ziba answered, ‘The
donkeys are for Your Majesty's family to ride, the bread and the
fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is for them to drink
when they get tired in the wilderness.’ ‘Where is Mephibosheth,
the grandson of your master Saul?’ the king asked him. ‘He is
staying in Jerusalem,’ Ziba answered, ‘because he is convinced
that the Israelites will now restore to him the kingdom of his
grandfather Saul.’ The king said to Ziba, ‘Everything that
belonged to Mephibosheth is yours.’ ‘I am your servant,’ Ziba
replied. ‘May I always please Your Majesty!’” (2 Samuel 16:1-4 –
GN)
Bright light and dim light - #3
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“Then Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, came down to meet the
king. He had not washed his feet, trimmed his beard, or washed
his clothes from the time the king left Jerusalem until he returned
victorious. When Mephibosheth arrived from Jerusalem to meet
the king, the king said to him, ‘Mephibosheth, you didn’t go with
me. Why not?’ He answered, ‘As you know, Your Majesty, I am
crippled. I told my servant to saddle my donkey so that I could
ride along with you, but he betrayed me. He lied about me to Your
Majesty, but you are like God’s angel, so do what seems right to
you. All of my father’s family deserved to be put to death by Your
Majesty, but you gave me the right to eat at your table. I have no
right to ask for any more favors from Your Majesty.’ The king
answered, ‘You don’t have to say anything more. I have decided
that you and Ziba will share Saul’s property.’ ‘Let Ziba have it all,’
Mephibosheth answered. ‘It’s enough for me that Your Majesty
has come home safely.’” (2 Samuel 19:24-30 – GN)
Bright light and dim light - #4
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“…one of Saul’s relatives, Shimei son of Gera, came out to meet
him, cursing him as he came. Shimei started throwing stones at
David and his officials, even though David was surrounded by his
men and his bodyguards. Shimei cursed him and said, ‘Get out! Get
out! Murderer! Criminal! You took Saul’s kingdom, and now the
LORD is punishing you for murdering so many of Saul’s family.
The LORD has given the kingdom to your son Absalom, and you
are ruined, you murderer!’…Abishai said to the king, ‘Your Majesty,
why do you let this dog curse you? Let me go over there and cut off
his head!’ ‘This is none of your business,’ the king said to Abishai
and his brother Joab.’”
“So David and his men continued along the road. Shimei kept up
with them, walking on the hillside; he was cursing and throwing
stones and dirt at them as he went. The king and all his men were
worn out when they reached the Jordan, and there they rested.” (2
Samuel 16:5-10,13-14 – GN)
Bright light and dim light - #4
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“They [the people of Judah] crossed the [Jordan] river to escort
the royal party across and to do whatever the king wanted. As
the king was getting ready to cross, Shimei threw himself down
in front of him and said, ‘Your Majesty, please forget the wrong
I did that day you left Jerusalem. Don’t hold it against me or
think about it any more. I know, sir, that I have sinned, and this
is why I am the first one from the northern tribes to come and
meet Your Majesty today.’ Abishai…spoke up: ‘Shimei should
be put to death because he cursed the one whom the LORD
chose as king.’ But David said to Abishai…‘Who asked your
opinion? Are you going to give me trouble? I am the one who is
king of Israel now, and no Israelite will be put to death today.’
And he said to Shimei, ‘I give you my word that you will not be
put to death.’” (2 Samuel 19:18-23 – GN)
Bright light and dim light
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When we are in a dark cave spiritually, God will
give us dim lights:
 The power to kill giants and cut off their
heads
 Samson
 Elisha and the she-bears
David
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David’s last instructions to Solomon:
 “There is also Shimei…He cursed me bitterly…but when
he met me at the Jordan River, I gave him my solemn
promise in the name of the LORD that I would not have
him killed. But you must not let him go unpunished. You
know what to do, and you must see to it that he is put to
death.” (1 Kings 2:8-9 – GN)
David was hot and cold; bright and dark – but not lukewarm
“I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold
nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! But
because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to
spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16 – GN)
Psalms
 “I
have asked the LORD for one
thing; one thing only do I want:
 to live in the LORD’s house all my
life, to marvel there at his goodness,
and to ask for his guidance.” (Psalms
27:4 – GN)
Psalm 139
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“LORD, you have examined me and you know me.
You know everything I do; from far away you
understand all my thoughts. You see me, whether I am
working or resting; you know all my actions. Even
before I speak, you already know what I will say. You
are all around me on every side; you protect me with
your power. Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is
beyond my understanding. Where could I go to escape
from you? Where could I get away from your presence?
If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay
down in the world of the dead, you would be there.”
(Psalms 139:1-8 – GN)
Psalm 139
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“The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book,
before any of them ever began. O God, how difficult I find
your thoughts; how many of them there are! If I counted
them, they would be more than the grains of sand. When I
awake, I am still with you.
O God, how I wish you would kill the wicked! How I wish
violent people would leave me alone! They say wicked things
about you; they speak evil things against your name. O
LORD, how I hate those who hate you! How I despise those
who rebel against you! I hate them with a total hatred; I
regard them as my enemies.”
“Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and
discover my thoughts. Find out if there is any evil in me and
guide me in the everlasting way.” (Psalms 139:16-24 – GN)
Prayer
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The Psalms are a model of how we should come
to God in prayer
Prayer – talking with God as we would talk to a
friend
Like a sick patient coming to a doctor
“According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, spinning such a wheel will have
Much the same effect as orally reciting the prayers.”
Prayer
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Luther “did not pass a day without devoting
three hours at least to prayer, and they were
hours selected from those the most favorable
to study….full of adoration, fear, and hope, as
when one speaks to a friend.” D’Aubigne, b.
14, ch. 6
How to talk to God
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“LORD, if I argued my case with you, you would prove to be right.
Yet I must question you about matters of justice. Why are the wicked
so prosperous? Why do dishonest people succeed? You plant them,
and they take root; they grow and bear fruit. They always speak well of
you, yet they do not really care about you. But, LORD, you know me;
you see what I do and how I love you.
[what’s on your mind Jeremiah?]
“Drag these evil people away like sheep to be butchered; guard them
until it is time for them to be slaughtered. How long will our land be
dry, and the grass in every field be withered? Animals and birds are
dying because of the wickedness of our people, people who say, ‘God
doesn’t see what we are doing.’
The LORD said, ‘Jeremiah, if you get tired racing against people, how
can you race against horses? If you can’t even stand up in open
country, how will you manage in the jungle by the Jordan?” (Jeremiah
12:1-5 – GN)
Psalm 77
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“I cry aloud to God; I cry aloud, and he hears me. In times of
trouble I pray to the Lord; all night long I lift my hands in
prayer, but I cannot find comfort. When I think of God, I sigh;
when I meditate, I feel discouraged. He keeps me awake all
night; I am so worried that I cannot speak. I think of days gone
by and remember years of long ago. I spend the night in deep
thought; I meditate, and this is what I ask myself: ‘Will the Lord
always reject us? Will he never again be pleased with us? Has he
stopped loving us? Does his promise no longer stand? Has God
forgotten to be merciful? Has anger taken the place of his
compassion?’ Then I said, ‘What hurts me most is this--- that
God is no longer powerful.’
Psalm 77
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“I will remember your great deeds, LORD; I will recall the
wonders you did in the past. I will think about all that you have
done; I will meditate on all your mighty acts. Everything you
do, O God, is holy. No god is as great as you. You are the God
who works miracles; you showed your might among the
nations. By your power you saved your people, the
descendants of Jacob and of Joseph. When the waters saw you,
O God, they were afraid, and the depths of the sea trembled.
The clouds poured down rain; thunder crashed from the sky,
and lightning flashed in all directions. The crash of your
thunder rolled out, and flashes of lightning lit up the world; the
earth trembled and shook. You walked through the waves; you
crossed the deep sea, but your footprints could not be seen.
You led your people like a shepherd, with Moses and Aaron in
charge.” (Psalms 77:1-20 – GN)
Psalm 1
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“God blesses those people who refuse evil advice and
won’t follow sinners or join in sneering at God. Instead,
the Law of the LORD makes them happy, and they
think about it day and night. They are like trees growing
beside a stream, trees that produce fruit in season and
always have leaves.” (Psalms 1:1-3 – GN)
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law
he meditates day and night.” (Psalms 1:2 – NKJV)
Delight in the law
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“With all my heart I try to serve you; keep me from
disobeying your commandments. I keep your law in my
heart, so that I will not sin against you. I praise you, O
LORD; teach me your ways. I will repeat aloud all the
laws you have given. I delight in following your
commands more than in having great wealth. I study your
instructions; I examine your teachings. I take pleasure in
your laws; your commands I will not forget. Be good to
me, your servant, so that I may live and obey your
teachings. Open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful
truths in your law.” (Psalms 119:10-18 – GN)
Do you delight in the law?
Delight in the law
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“The only obligation you have is to love one another.
Whoever does this has obeyed the Law…If you love
others, you will never do them wrong; to love, then, is to
obey the whole Law” (Romans 13,8,10 – GN).
“For the whole Law is summed up in one commandment:
‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself’” (Galatians 5:14
– GN).
“Jesus answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the
greatest and the most important commandment. The
second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your
neighbor as you love yourself.’ The whole Law of Moses
and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two
commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40 – GN).
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“Those who know you LORD, will trust you” (Psalms 9:10 – GN)
This is the essence of everything important
To “know” in the Bible:
 “And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to
know Jesus Christ, whom you sent” (John 17:3 – GN)
 “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless
gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything
else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become
one with him.” (Philippians 3:8,9 – NLT)
 “Go away, I never knew you…”
Trust:
 “Abraham put his trust in the LORD, and because of this the LORD
was pleased with him and accepted him” (Genesis 15:6 – GN)
 “And he believed! Believed God! God declared him ‘Set-Right-withGod.’” (Genesis 15:6 – The Message)
To know God is to trust him
Righteousness by faith = right with God by trusting him - - trust in God
is based on an intimate knowledge of his character.
Psalm 69
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“Save me, O God! The water is up to my neck; I am
sinking in deep mud, and there is no solid ground; I am
out in deep water, and the waves are about to drown
me. I am worn out from calling for help, and my throat
is aching. I have strained my eyes, looking for your
help. Those who hate me for no reason are more
numerous than the hairs of my head. My enemies tell
lies against me; they are strong and want to kill me.
They made me give back things I did not steal.”
“This, however, was bound to happen so that what is
written in their Law may come true: ‘They hated me for
no reason at all.’” (John 15:25 – GN)
Psalm 69
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“My sins, O God, are not hidden from you; you know how
foolish I have been. Don’t let me bring shame on those who
trust in you, Sovereign LORD Almighty! Don’t let me bring
disgrace to those who worship you, O God of Israel! It is for
your sake that I have been insulted and that I am covered with
shame. I am like a stranger to my relatives, like a foreigner to my
family. My devotion to your Temple burns in me like a fire; the
insults which are hurled at you fall on me.”
“His disciples remembered that the scripture says, ‘My devotion
to your house, O God, burns in me like a fire.’” (John 2:17 –
GN)
“For Christ did not please himself. Instead, as the scripture says,
‘The insults which are hurled at you have fallen on me.’”
(Romans 15:3 – GN)
Psalm 69
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“I humble myself by fasting, and people insult me; I dress myself
in clothes of mourning, and they laugh at me. They talk about me
in the streets, and drunkards make up songs about me. But as for
me, I will pray to you, LORD; answer me, God, at a time you
choose. Answer me because of your great love, because you keep
your promise to save. Save me from sinking in the mud; keep me
safe from my enemies, safe from the deep water. Don’t let the
flood come over me; don’t let me drown in the depths or sink into
the grave. Answer me, LORD, in the goodness of your constant
love; in your great compassion turn to me! Don’t hide yourself
from your servant; I am in great trouble---answer me now! Come
to me and save me; rescue me from my enemies. You know how I
am insulted, how I am disgraced and dishonored; you see all my
enemies. Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I had
hoped for sympathy, but there was none; for comfort, but I found
none.”
Psalm 69
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“When I was hungry, they gave me poison; when I was thirsty,
they offered me vinegar.”
“They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he
had tasted thereof, he would not drink…And straightway one of
them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it
on a reed, and gave him to drink.” (Matthew 27:34, ,48 – KJV)
“After this, when Jesus knew that everything had now been
finished, he said, ‘I’m thirsty.’ He said this so that Scripture could
finally be concluded. A jar filled with vinegar was there. So the
soldiers put a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stick and
held it to his mouth.” (John 19:28,29 – GOD’S WORD)
Was Jesus really thirsty?
Psalm 69
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“May their banquets cause their ruin; may their sacred feasts
cause their downfall. Strike them with blindness! Make their
backs always weak! Pour out your anger on them; let your
indignation overtake them. May their camps be left deserted;
may no one be left alive in their tents. They persecute those
whom you have punished; they talk about the sufferings of those
you have wounded. Keep a record of all their sins; don’t let them
have any part in your salvation. May their names be erased from
the book of the living; may they not be included in the list of
your people. But I am in pain and despair; lift me up, O God,
and save me!” (Psalms 69:1-29 – GN)
Were these the thoughts of Jesus on the Cross?
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“Look at this country! Darkness and distress!
The light is swallowed by darkness.” (Isaiah 5:30
– GN)
“Clouds and darkness surround him.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of
his throne.” (Psalms 97:2)
“Now the message that we have heard from his
Son and announce is this: God is light, and there
is no darkness at all in him.” (1 John 1:5 – GN)
Dim light –
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Bright light
David
-
Jesus