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Study No.23 : Psa 3 : Protection

A. Find Out:

      

1. What is happening to the writer? v.1,6

2. What are others forecasting? v.2

3. How does he see the Lord? v.3,8

4. How does he see prayer? v.4

5. What else does the Lord do? v.5

6. Therefore what can he feel? v.6

 

B. Think :

1. How would you describe David's circumstances?

2. What had he learnt the Lord would do for him?

3. What effect did that have on him?

 

C. Comment :

     Before this Psalm is the note that it was written by David when he was on the run from Jerusalem when Absalom was in revolt. At that time, naturally, there would have been a sense of shame as well, perhaps, of fear and wondering what the future held, as he has this sense of being surrounded by enemies.

    First, note a sense that the Lord was his shield, who would protect him from those enemies. He sensed the Lord would restore honour to him and lift up his head (perhaps from being bowed down in shame). Even when he slept, he slept with the assurance that the Lord would protect him so he would not be attacked and killed in his sleep.

    Second, note that he knows the Lord as a man of war and so is not afraid to ask the Lord to come and destroy his enemies. He is in a physical war and he needs physical deliverance and again and again in the Old Testament God gave that physical deliverance. For the most part today we are in a spiritual war and we need to rely on the Lord for spiritual deliverance. Jesus taught us to pray, "deliver us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:13) and we still need the Lord as our shield and our deliverer.

 

D. Application?

1. More than we perhaps realise, we are surrounded by enemies who seek

    to destroy our faith.

2. Cry to the Lord that He will deliver you from faith destruction, that He

    will shield you from the darts of unbelief. (Eph 6:16)

Study No.24 : Psa 6 : Anguish

A. Find Out:    

       

1. Who was David concerned about? v.7,10

2. How was he feeling? v.2,3,6

3. What did he ask the Lord not to do? v.1

4. What did he ask the Lord to do? v.4

5. What did he fear? v.5

6. Yet what assurance came? v.9,10

 

B. Think :

1. How is anxiety shown to have physical out-workings?

2. What signs are there of David's depth of feeling?

3. Why do you think David came to a place of assurance?

 

C. Comment :

     David is again conscious of people around him who are against him. It is not a casual thing but something that has caused him deep anguish. He has spent a night weeping and groaning, his body feels exhausted and deep inside he is in anguish. In his weakness he calls to the Lord and pleads for the Lord not to deal severely with him, for he feels almost too weak to be able to cope with it. He asks for the Lord to deliver him and he relies on the Lord's unfailing love as the ground on which he comes. Lord, he seems to say, if I'm dead, what point is there in that? I won't be able to praise and worship you then! Please save me from them.

     Suddenly the tone of his praying changes (v.8) and he suddenly has the assurance that the Lord HAS heard and the Lord WILL respond. That's often how it is with intercessors: as they pray and pray, there suddenly comes an inner witness by the Spirit that the Lord has answered. Do we know that type of prayer? Truth sets us free if we are Jesus' disciples, more often than not when we read His word, but it is His Holy Spirit who witnesses within us that it is the truth, and that often comes AS we pray and keep on praying.

 

D. Application?

1. Anxiety can completely take all our strength away and leaves us feeling

     exhausted.

2. Commit it to God - Philippians 4:6,7

Study No.25 : Psa 7 : The Lord who Judges

A. Find Out:    

       

1. About what is David praying? v.1,2

2. What does he seek to establish? v.3-5

3. How does he view God? v.6-9,11

4. How also does he view the Lord? v.10

5. What does he anticipate the Lord doing? v.12,13

6. How also does he see justice coming? v.14-16

 

B. Think :

1. What sort of world was David apparently living in at this time?

2. What things does David expect of God as a Judge?

3. In what is David's confidence?

 

C. Comment :

     Note first David's CAUSE of concern. People are usually the greatest cause of distress in our lives, and for David, again, he feels under dire threat (v.2), and his response as always is to call on the Lord.

    Second, note his VIEW OF THE LORD: a judge! He calls on the Lord to judge both him and his enemies.

    But then observe THE GROUNDS OF HIS PLEA: he declares his innocence (v.3-5), he declares his righteousness (v.8) and then cries to the Lord to rise up and deal with his enemies on the basis of justice. David is quite remarkable in the way he can declare his righteousness in his appeal to the Lord to act as judge. David is willing to be judged himself and feels sure that those around him, by comparison, will be declared guilty by the Lord, of evil and violence.

     Fourth, note what he EXPECTS OF THE LORD: he expects Him to judge his enemies, and to bring judgement upon them, having first found them guilty.

    Finally note, in respect of the Lord, His MEANS OF JUDGEMENT: first there are his direct acts of judgement whereby He brings evil upon evil-doers, then comes evil that the evil-doer brings on himself. In this there are echoes of Rom 1:24,26,28 whereby the Lord gives up or allows foolish men to suffer in the fruits of their folly. Also see Gal 6:7.

 

D. Application?

1. Jesus Christ is the ground for our righteousness.

2. God is my judge AND my protector.

Study No.26 : Psa 13 : Forgotten?

A. Find Out:    

       

1. What does David feel? v.1

2. What is happening to him? v.2

3. What does he ask for? v.3

4. What does he feel will happen otherwise? v.4

5. Yet what does he declare? v.5

6. So what will he do? v.6

 

B. Think :

1. What is causing David to pray?

2. What is the heart of his cry?

3. How is faith seen again here?

 

C. Comment :

     David still has trouble with his enemies and he has concern over them. The enemy might be a physical person or it could even be just the sorrow he has over a particular issue. Enemies can be people or even overwhelming feelings that threaten to pull us down. David's fear is that he will be overcome and pulled down by "my enemy".

     But beyond all this there is an even greater concern to David, and that is that the Lord seems far away and doesn't seem to be responding when he prays. It is almost as if the Lord has forgotten him or has even hidden Himself from David. That is how it does seem sometimes, as if God has moved away and we are left alone and without help. In the light of this, David cries out to the Lord to answer and come and bring a ray of light into his gloomy perspective. Lord, if you don't bring light into this situation, I shall just go down under the darkness of it, is what he seems to say.

     But then comes the statement of faith from this man of God. Even in it he declares that he DOES trust in the Lord, he DOES rejoice in his salvation, he WILL sing to the Lord because of His goodness. THIS is faith in action, the ability to praise the Lord IN THE MIDST of the trial!

 

D. Application?

1. When a trial comes, God often seems distant. This is part of the trial.

2. Will we trust in the Lord IN the trial?

Study No.27 : Psa 18:1-24 : The Glorious Deliverer (1)

A. Find Out:    

       

1. List the things God was to David. v.1-3

2. What had been David's state? v.4-6

3. List the actions of the Lord's response? v.7-15

4. List what He did for David? v.16-19

5. Of what was David sure? v.20-24

 

B. Think :

1. What is the overall sense of WHO the Lord is to David in verse 2?

2. What is the overall sense of the NATURE of the Lord's activity in

     verses 7-15?

3. What were the grounds of David's belief as to WHY God had intervened?

C. Comment :

     David was in distress under the oppression of his enemies, he cried to the Lord who came forth in mystery and majesty and delivered him. As a result David felt that God was his place of protection, security and strength. Now let's consider it personally. When our lives come under pressure, or are even threatened, THEN we cry to God. It so often needs a crisis to make us cry out, but when we do then the Lord appears, then He makes His presence known. It is as if He was hidden away in His temple but hears us and comes forth and is seen. Things happen, things that are a mystery, but it is the Lord.

     The Lord comes forth and all we can say is, He changed things. When I could do nothing, He did it! But why did He? Because He delights in us (v.19), because He had saved us and made us righteous. David was able to say a) he had clean hands, b) he had kept close to God, c) he had kept God's laws and d) he had kept from sin. Can we say the same? May that be so for such are the people He calls us to be, and it is this sort of person who has the courage to cry to God, "Come and Deliver me" and be sure that He will!

 

D. Application?

1. The righteous may rest in the sure love of God that made them

     righteous and will keep them

2. Trials come but God will also come, to deliver, strengthen, & bless.

Study No.28 : Psa 18:25-50 : The Glorious Deliverer (2)

A. Find Out:    

       

1. How does God appear and act? v.25-27

2. List the things He did for David? v.28-36

3. With what consequence? v.37-42

4. How did that leave David? v.43-45

5. Of what did it leave him sure? v.46

6. What did it leave him doing? v.49

 

B. Think :

1. What appears to be David's position when he wrote this Psalm?

2. To what did he attribute this?

3. What had he been through to get there?

 

C. Comment :

     Someone said that to be an overcomer you first have to have something to overcome. David had had enemies and unruly nations around him but the Lord had enabled him to overcome so that at the end he was now an overcomer, now a ruler over them all. He writes and sings as he looks back. He has learnt much about the Lord, God who appears in different ways to different people, depending on their condition. To David under the pressure of those who wanted to kill him, the Lord came as a rock, a support, first of all, in time of distress. Then He came as a shield or a fortress, as a protector. But more than that the Lord also came as a guide, director, trainer for battle, a provider of all that was needed to overcome.

     The fruit of this was that David DID overcome, he was changed from "the man on the run" (see 1 Samuel 20 onwards) to "the man with the rule" (see 2 Samuel 2 on). Similarly, the Lord will be our security, our protection and our provider in the face of all adversity and will take us from being the oppressed to become the overcomers, as we turn to Him and receive from Him all that we need to achieve that.

 

D. Application?

1. Oppression and attack can be overcome with the provision and direction

     of the Lord.

2. The Lord CAN be our Rock, our Shield, our Fortress, our trainer for

     battle.

Study No.29 : Psa 22:1-18 : Cry of the Messiah (1)

A. Find Out:    

       

1. What does David feel about God? v.1,2

2. Yet what does he declare? v.3-5

3. What does he feel about himself? v.6-8

4. But what does he remember? v.9,10

5. What does he feel about his position? v.12,13,16

6. How is he actually feeling? v.11,14,15,17,18

 

B. Think :

1. How would you summarise David's state?

2. When do we feel like this?

3. How do verses here describe Jesus on the Cross?

 

C. Comment :

    First let us consider this Psalm through David's eyes, for he wrote it. He feels alone and isolated, God seems distant, people are against him and he feels a nobody. How often do we feel like that I wonder? Observe also that David again and again reminds himself of the truth to maintain his faith.

    Second, let's view this Psalm as a prophetic psalm that speaks of the ordeal of the Messiah. Jesus used the words of verse 1 on the Cross to draw our attention and understanding to what he was going through. There on the Cross, as he took our sin upon himself, he felt totally isolated from God his Father. The sin of the world came between him and his Father and for the first time in eternity, Father and Son were separated and the Son felt all the anguish of a sin bearer. Around the Cross were those who mocked him, around the Cross were the hordes of hell who tormented him, reviled him in the unseen world. Not only that, his physical condition is anguish as his bones are torn and stretched in the awfulness of crucifixion. And while this all goes on the soldiers draw lots for who will have his clothing. Read it again in Matthew 27:35-46 and then reread these verses again to catch something of the awful reality of what was taking place.

 

D. Application?

1. To earn our salvation meant Jesus being isolated from his Father.

2. On the Cross Jesus took physical and spiritual pain as the punishment

     for our sins.

Study No.30 : Psa 22:19-31 : Cry of the Messiah (2)

A. Find Out:    

       

1. What now does David ask? v.19-21

2. With whom will he praise the Lord? v.22

3. Who will praise God? v.23,26 And why? v.24

4. Who will bow down before Him? v.27,29

5. Why will they do that? v.28

6. Who will hear about the Lord? v.30,31

 

B. Think :

1. How did David come through to a place of faith in his trials?

2. What was he able to say that he would do?

3. Why was he able to say this?

 

C. Comment :

     After David declared his anguish he now cries out to God for deliverance. Herein is wisdom! A sign of maturity is not that we never get in trying circumstances but that in them we cry out to the Lord.

     Then having cried out to the Lord faith starts to break in. There is no indication that the Lord HAS delivered him yet but David does sense that the Lord HAS heard him (v.26), and that is enough. When we know God hears we know we can rest in His love and wisdom. In faith David now affirms that he will declare his praise for God before the faithful, God-fearing people, in the assembly that meets before God. David knows in his heart, despite the awful circumstances, that God will provide, for God is the Lord of all the earth and is particularly concerned for the "poor". He knows in his heart that God will rule supreme over all people and all circumstances and future generations will be told about the wonderful works of God.

     Now we said previously that this is a Messianic prophetic psalm speaking of Jesus on the Cross. In that case it also shows us Jesus who held firm to his sure knowledge of God his Father, confident that he would be brought through the ordeal and confident that it would all be to God's glory.

 

D. Application?

1. On the Cross, Jesus did not deny His Father, but trusted in Him.

2. See Jesus' last words in Luke 23:46

  

RECAP No.4  "Anguish because of surrounding Enemies" 

SUMMARY :  

         

In this final group of 8 studies we have seen :

- Psa 3 - for deliverance from enemies

- Psa 6 - anguish from sense of his foes

- Psa 7 - distress at being pursued by enemies

- Psa 13 - with enemy opposition when feeling alone

- Psa 18 - praise for God when enemies are defeated

- Psa 18 - praise for God when enemies are defeated

- Psa 22 - a cry of rejection (Messianic)

- Psa 22 - a cry for deliverance (Messianic)

 

COMMENT :

      We have now moved on, in this last Part, to see David's anguish when being pursued by his enemies. When we read of his triumphs in 2 Samuel it is easy to forget that this is the same man who spent many years in the wilderness being pursued by Saul or the enemies of Israel. David knew what it was to have his life regularly threatened, and again and again we find him crying out to the Lord to deliver him. A sign of maturity is how fast we cry to the Lord when we are being attacked. Young Christians struggles on by themselves. The more we grow the faster we cry to the Lord for His help. But also in these psalms we see faith released and trust in God declared again and again in the face of possible death. THAT is maturity!

 

LESSONS?

1. We are surrounded by those who would destroy our faith.

2. Jesus is the sole ground of my righteousness.

3. Trials come to test us.

4. Success in a trial is turning to God for help.

5. God will deliver & strengthen & bless us if we let Him.

6. The Lord will provide & protect if we let Him.

7. In the Cross Jesus did all necessary to redeem us.

 

PRAY :

     Thank the Lord for His complete provision for us through the Cross. Thank Him that He is with you and will provide for you and will protect you against the wiles and outright attacks of the enemy.

   

   

GENERAL SUMMARY

The following may be a suggested summary of each Psalm

LESSON SUMMARY

The following are noted lessons with each Psalm

CONCLUSION

As we look at the Summary Page, various things become obvious:

 

A Man of Righteousness

      David's concern over the wicked in a number of the psalms shows us that here was a righteous man who put his trust in the Lord. Yes, like any other human being, he failed but generally we must be challenged to consider whether we are as concerned with our spiritual state as David was.

 

Awareness of the Lord

      Throughout his writings, David comes over as a man with a close relationship with the Lord, as a man who knows his God and is not afraid to talk to Him about anything. His descriptions of the Lord indicate an understanding of God that would put many modern Christians to shame. We must be challenged again: do I know the Lord in this way?

 

Trying Circumstances

     David is the classic example of one who often faced difficult circumstances. In his early days (see “David on the Run” in this Series) he was a man of war who was constantly having to avoid Saul or his forces. Something of that is reflected in at least one of these Psalms. Quite often his enemies would be the ungodly surrounding nations who so often came against Israel, and we should not assume he handled these without qualm. Later on, under the discipline of God, Absalom rose against him in what was essentially civil war, and his anguish in that comes through also. The psalms of David show us the inner side of David which so often knew anguish in the midst of very difficult circumstances, yet these simply served to drive him closer and closer to God and enabled him to declare in faith his trust in God in the midst of trials. Do we allow our circumstances today to do the same thing?

 

A godly example

     What does come out again and again in these Psalms is David's  almost automatic response in the face of difficulties, to run to God. Is that our response today? Do we show our reliance on the Lord and pray and cry out for His help. Without Him we can do nothing (Jn 15:5).