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Wednesday 11/13/24
Thru the Bible: Psalm Book II: Chapters 71-72 / Book III: Chapters 73-75
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Thus ends the prayers of King David, son of Jesse
Psalm 71:1-24,
This psalm focuses on the character of God. His justice and His rightness.
“(1) In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame.
(2) Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. (3) Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.”
This psalmist sees God as the judge Who by His command can deliver him and this is an appropriate picture of God.
God judged in righteousness – meaning, His judgments are predicated upon His Own character, for He IS right both its source and its standard.
As judge He is, on some level, obligated to uphold His Own character as the unwavering standard. As God, He is also obligated on some level to assume some liability over His Own creations and show mercy which is also being true to His Own character.
Only God knows where and how these two points of His character, which are so in harmony with themselves within His Own heart, manifest themselves when they encounter His fallen creatures whose perspective suggests these character traits could not be any more opposite to each other.
But one thing we know, God honors those who honor Him and moves on behalf of those who trust Him.
“(4) Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. (5) For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth.
(6) By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.
(7) I have become as a wonder to many, But You are my strong refuge.”
This is suggestive of part of this past Sunday’s teaching (11/10/2024) where we learned again how dangerous a thing it is to seek, look for and accept honor from men rather than God alone. The psalmist mentions that he is seen as a vagabond by many, but his expectation and trust remained in God alone.
“(8) Let my mouth be filled with Your praise And with Your glory all the day. (9) Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails. (10) For my enemies speak against me; And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, (11) Saying,
“God has forsaken him; Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”
We have seen this so many times I almost did not draw attention to it again, but see how the Psalmist – like Moses, used the way others would view the inactivity of God in delivering the godly as a reason to encourage His intervention.
“(12) O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!
(13) Let them be confounded and consumed Who are adversaries of my life; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor Who seek my hurt. (14) But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.”
“(15) My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And Your salvation all the day, For I do not know their limits.
(16) I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.”
What is implied here is that his praise will point to God’s uprightness and not mention that of his own heart, lest he seem to take credit for the intervention which was God’s alone! It began with God and ended in God – the God Who was being true to His Own right character.
“(17) O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. (18) Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.
(19) Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You Who have done great things; O God, who is like You?
(20) You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
(21) You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side. (22) Also with the lute I will praise You— And Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.
(23) My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, And my soul, which You have redeemed. (24) My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;
For they are confounded, For they are brought to shame Who seek my hurt.”
Psalm 72:1-20,
It is unclear to me why this is superscript as a Psalm of Solomon and yet ended as a prayer of David but I have some ideas.
Without question this is a Messianic Psalm which is entirely focused upon His Millennial reign. As such, this may be a psalm written by Solomon, but which may quite literally be based upon the prayers he may have heard many times from his father David. Also, since the requests here serve a dual purpose of immediate desire for wisdom in leading God’s people as well as a prayer for the great Messianic King Jesus Who would rule from Solomon’s father’s throne – that of David, these requests are being made for Him since when He reigns He will do so as the god-man and therefore may very well rely upon the power of the Father as would any other man – even as He rules the millennial kingdom. If this is NOT true, then there are several statements in this psalm which make little sense.
“(1) A Psalm Of Solomon.
Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son. (2) He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice.
(3) The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness.
(4) He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor.
(5) They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations. (6) He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth.
(7) In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more. (8) He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.
(9) Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, And His enemies will lick the dust.
(10) The kings of Tarshish and of the isles Will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts. (11) Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.
(12) For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper. (13) He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy. (14) He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight.
(15) And He shall live; And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; Prayer also will be made for Him continually, And daily He shall be praised.
(16) There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, On the top of the mountains; Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
(17) His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed.
(18) Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! (19) And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.
(20) The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.”
Now we begin Psalm Book III.
Book III contains Psalms 73-89. It covers the fall of the kingdoms of Israel and the future Messianic kingdom. Both this book and books 4 cover the time period between the Babylonian exile and their post-exile return to around 430 BC just before the time of God’s silence.
This will most likely be immediately obvious once we begin Psalm 74, for the details offered could hardly fit any other time but the Babylonian Exile.
Psalm 73:1-28,
We referenced this Psalm when we were going through the book of Job. Both Job and Asaph, encountered this same conflict of faith as have countless other followers of God. [See – Job asks, Why do the wicked prosper?]
There comes a point in all of our journeys where we look to those in the world and see that their lives are often more at ease than our own – especially those who are rich or great in political power. Though they are unrighteous they seem to excel which begs the question – are they being rewarded for their unrighteousness? If so, what am I over here killing myself for, when it appears as if those who promote their own agenda prosper?
If asked with the right heart, God will always answer such questions and objections as He did for both Job and Asaph as is recorded here in this psalm.
“(1) A Psalm of Asaph.
Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart.
(2) But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped.
(3) For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (4) For there are no pangs in their death, But their strength is firm. (5) They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like other men.
(6) Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them like a garment. (7) Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish.
(8) They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; They speak loftily. (9) They set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth.
(10) Therefore his people return here, And waters of a full cup are drained by them. (11) And they say,
“How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
(12) Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches.
(13) Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence. (14) For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning.
(15) If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
(16) When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me— (17) Until I went into the sanctuary of God; THEN I understood their end.
(18) Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. (19) Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.
(20) As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.
(21) Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind.
(22) I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. (23) Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. (24) You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.
(25) Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
(26) My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
(27) For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. (28) But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.”
Psalm 74:1-23,
“(1) A Contemplation of Asaph.
O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?”
If you remember, the Babylonian exile was a time period during which the Jewish inhabitants of Judah and Benjamin were deported to Babylon in three separate events – all of which was prophesied by Jeremiah beforehand.
However, once this occurred, Jeremiah was separated from the people and in many ways God stopped speaking prophetically to His people. That is where we found Daniel when we read the book bearing his name. He too asked some of these same questions, primary among them was “how long” and “have you cast us off forever”?
“(2) Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed— This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.
(3) Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. (4) Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place; They set up their banners for signs.
(5) They seem like men who lift up Axes among the thick trees. (6) And now they break down its carved work, all at once, With axes and hammers.
(7) They have set fire to Your sanctuary; They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.
(8) They said in their hearts, “Let us destroy them altogether.”
They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
(9) We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet; Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
(10) O God, how long will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?
(11) Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.
(12) For God is my King from of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth. (13) You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters. (14) You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness. (15) You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up mighty rivers.
(16) The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. (17) You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter.
(18) Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O LORD, And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.
(19) Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast! Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
(20) Have respect to the covenant; For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.
(21) Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed! Let the poor and needy praise Your name.
(22) Arise, O God, plead Your own cause; Remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily. (23) Do not forget the voice of Your enemies; The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.”
Psalm 75:1-10,
“(1) To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” a Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.
(2) “When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly. (3) The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly. Selah
(4) “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn. (5) Do not lift up your horn on high; Do not speak with a stiff neck.’ ”
(6) For exaltation comes neither from the east Nor from the west nor from the south. (7) But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another.
(8) For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, And the wine is red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it out; Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth Drain and drink down.
(9) But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
(10) “All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”
You may remember that the use of horns is employed many times in scripture representing strength and even political power. We saw that in the animals which appeared in Daniel’s visions all of which represented present and future ruling powers. This reference is most likely being used the same way.
Blessings!
Tri
