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| Psalm 69:1-4 August 14, 2007 Reading through the Bible this year: http://www.emailbiblestudy.com/Schedule.htm Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, Psalm 69:1-4 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.” 1 Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. 2 Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. 3 I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me. 4 Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal. NLT[1] This one will take us a while to get through. When I first read the psalm I felt that David was being a bit dramatic in his writing. However, when you read his life it was full of drama. David experienced what he wrote here to the fullest degree. You can go back to his childhood prior to his becoming king, the time he served Saul, the time he ran from Saul, his reign, the Bathsheba incident, and the clincher of his son Absalom. David lived a life of extreme success and extreme drama constantly. The Psalm is focused on in the New Testament as messianic and is directly quoted several times. That will be my emphasis as I focus on the psalm. I hope to draw a parallel between it and the suffering of Jesus during his last days on earth. This seems to be the focus of the psalm as a prophecy, however, I could be wrong. If you have a differing opinion or wish to add to the study, please feel free to write in. Verses 1-4: David lived a life of being overwhelmed, drowning in trouble. Every time that David seemed to reach a point of success, he was overwhelmed again. Look at the life of Christ for a moment. Try to imagine what it was like for Jesus. He was fully God in every way, the creator of the entire universe, and allowed himself to be confined to a human body. Try to picture the scene in the hours preceding His death. Those who previously followed Him were shouting "Crucify Him!" (Mark 15:13-15). Jesus understood the incredible price that He had to endure and prayed to the Father that if possible, to use another path for redemption (Mark 14:36). The Father did not answer that prayer except to allow Jesus to be overwhelmed by men, tortured by beating, tortured by whipping and tortured again until the final nailing on the cross. Was Jesus crying? Was He, the savior God who gave Himself for the welfare of men feel emotional pain when His chosen people turned their back on Him? Did it affect Him when He had to be crucified to pray the penalty for sin that he had never committed? How do you think Jesus went to the cross? How painful was it that Jesus was abandoned by the Father (Matthew 27:46)? Was it a picnic where He endured the pain in silence knowing the outcome? Or was it emotional trauma as God endured torture at the hand of men for the sake of those very men? I don't think we can imagine or even place our finger on the passion that Christ felt during the hours leading up to the crucifixion. He knew as God that it was necessary for an innocent man to pay the penalty of sin. However, imagine what it must have been like for an undefiled God, who had never experienced corruption to be immersed in sin as the sin of all mankind was poured on Him on the cross. Romans 6:1-7 Sin’s Power Is Broken 6 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. NLT[2] David gives us the idea of being immersed into captivity and overwhelmed by circumstances beyond control. Jesus was in that situation and not even the Father would deliver Him from trouble. Adam sinned and passed on to all men the sentence of death because of sin. Jesus paid the penalty for the sin that stole away the hearts and souls of men in order to restore our fellowship with God. This is the story through prophecy of what the Messiah was going to experience. Consider as well those in power that were responsible for crucifying Jesus. The entire Jewish hierarchy of religious leadership was involved. The masses of Jewish people were involved. Herod, the immediate ruler over them was responsible. Pilate, the Roman representative, who represented the Gentile rulers was in on it. The Praetorian Guard comprising of over 600 soldiers enjoyed the bloodlust of torturing Jesus the night before His death. Satan and his demons most certainly inspired his followers to kill the creator of the universe. I am convinced that God did not allow him to comprehend that Jesus would rise from the dead. All the power in the universe that was available at that time was concentrated on killing Jesus. It is interesting, if the Jewish leaders, Jewish laypeople, Herod, or Pilate had refused to go along with the plan, the crucifixion would not have taken place. Everyone worked together and was consumed with the hatred of the Messiah. This is an overview of the Crucifixion and the emotional duress that Jesus was under. Jesus waited for the Father to answer the prayer for deliverance. It is to our advantage that the Father never answered that prayer. We fail to truly appreciate how that Jesus gave it all for each of us. Rarely do we picture Jesus as emotionally upset over the price he had to pay, yet thinking about it, it fits. The prayer in the garden gives an indication that Jesus knew and was upset emotionally over the final price. I wonder if we really understand what happened? Such a tremendous amount of Christians today treat Jesus as a good luck charm and are not willing to submit their lives to Him. He cared so much for us and we treat Him as a novelty. Many of us do not even consider Him important enough to devote our attention to except on Sunday and sometimes Wednesdays. What will He say when we stand before Him on judgment day? "Come in and meet Me" or "I do not know you"? I think we fail to understand the idea behind being a "Christian", the word means to be "Christ-like" or displaying a likeness in our lives that is similar to the likeness of Christ. Matthew 25:5-13 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ 7 “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. 8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ 9 “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. 11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ 12 “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ 13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.NLT[3] I don't hold to trying to scare people into the kingdom. If however the words that I wrote today cause you to evaluate your walk with Christ, don't hesitate to ask Him to take over your life. He paid the price on the cross for our sin and was raised from the dead to defeat it so that we can experience new life in Him. It's serious business, Jesus is not a good luck charm. Father, You know the incredible pain that Jesus endured for us. Draw each of us to a deeper walk with You through this knowledge. In Him, Joe Turner. |
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69:5-8 August 16, 2007 Reading through the Bible this year: http://www.emailbiblestudy.com/Schedule.htm Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, Psalm 69:4-8 4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies; What I did not steal, I then have to restore. 5 O God, it is You who knows my folly, And my wrongs are not hidden from You. 6 May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts; May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel, 7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Dishonor has covered my face. 8 I have become estranged from my brothers And an alien to my mother’s sons. NASB95[1] I puzzled over verse 5 being messianic since it talks about David being a sinner. Verse 4 is obviously Messianic since Jesus quoted it in John 17:5. However, can we carry the thought on to the rest of the psalm? I am extremely handicapped since I do not know Hebrew, so I made the best use of the tools I have available. It seems that the word which is translated as "sin" or "folly" can also be translated as the presentation of a "sin offering" or "guilt offering". Following the train of thought, if it is translated as "sin offering" then the Father will no longer see the sin because the penalty of sin has caused sin to be hidden from Him. The sin offering however is not hidden from God. I checked several dictionaries on this and the concept can be translated either as sin or as sin offering. Verse 6: Who is the one waiting? In David's day, it was those who were following him around during his time of exile. In Jesus day, and on to today it is the believers who are following Christ. I found it interesting to compare this verse with John 17 where Jesus was praying that the disciples would remain faithful to the word that He had taught them. He prayed that those who seek the Father will remain consistent and not fall away. Does this prayer qualify as a summary of verse 6? I believe it does. The problem that comes with interpreting this as messianic is that no one is humiliated due to the failure of Jesus to back up His claim. Rather, when humiliated, it is often due to human shortcomings. Verse 7: This verse can easily be established as applying to Jesus. The process that led up to the crucifixion was all about humiliation and reproach. The statement "for Your sake" indicating the Father is an interesting concept. How often do we consider that God planned for redemption and the process of redemption is all about God, not about us. He created man to serve and worship Him, when Adam sinned, this purpose became impossible through the flesh. The only way for God to restore man to a proper place of relationship with Him was for God to intervene and satisfy the high requirement of perfection. Nothing can come into God's presence that is not absolutely perfect. The blood of Jesus satisfies this requirement by making it possible for every believer to become perfect in the eyes of God because it veils our true selves with the veil of Christ blood. The Father sees us as perfect. Jesus bore the insults and humiliation for the sake of God's purpose for man, not man's purpose. Take a look at John 10:25-30 and consider who is the focus in this passage. John 10:25-30 25 Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. 26 But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.” NLT[2] The Father selects the sheep, and protects them. Jesus worked in the Father's name for the purpose of fulfilling the desire of the Father. Those drawn are not drawn because they deserve to be saved. Verse 8: This verse is validated through the life of Jesus. His brothers and sisters were constantly trying to pursuade Jesus to return with them because they thought that He was crazy. It is also interesting that when Jesus died, Mary is mentioned as the only family member that attended the crucifixion. His brothers are not mentioned, after His resurrection, his brothers became convinced though. John 7:3-5 3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4 You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him. NLT Acts 1:14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus. NLT[3] I'm going to close here. All comments are welcomed. More tomorrow. Father, open our eyes so that we can understand how the redemption story applies to each of us. In Him, Joe Turner. |
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Psalm 69:1-12 October 16, 2007 Reading through the Bible this year: http://www.emailbiblestudy.com/Schedule.htm Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, We will resume Psalms today as promised. I encourage you to join me in the discussion, all comments are welcomed. We started this Psalm back in the summer, so I feel it is best to start over with verse 1. Psalm 69:1-12 A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries. For the choir director; according to Shoshannim. A Psalm of David. 1 Save me, O God, For the waters have threatened my life. 2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me. 3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God. 4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies; What I did not steal, I then have to restore. 5 O God, it is You who knows my folly, And my wrongs are not hidden from You. 6 May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts; May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel, 7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Dishonor has covered my face. 8 I have become estranged from my brothers And an alien to my mother’s sons. 9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. 10 When I wept in my soul with fasting, It became my reproach. 11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. 12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me, And I am the song of the drunkards. NASB95[1] When David penned these words, it was clear that he was faced with extreme stress. I found an interesting note on this giving a good image of what David was talking about: The psalm opens with a prayer to God for deliverance from a situation which is rapidly becoming desperate for the speaker, who is described as sinking into a bottomless muddy swamp and about to be drowned by floods of water. The speaker is sinking down into the watery depths, as in the great cosmic sea, down to the netherworld of the dead. The apparently terminal situation has produced great grief for the suppliant, expressed in the weariness of crying and the dry throat of one terrified, plus the dimmed vision of the exhausted and sick (v 4). [2] This sounds like a desperate situation, one which there was virtually no hope left in. The idea of "My eyes fail while I wait for God" gives the impression that David expected to die before God would deliver him. Yet, he waited regardless. David's faith in God did not waiver. We don't have an indication as to when David was writing about in his life, he had many instances where he was literally running for his life, surrounded by his enemies. Previously, I had stated that this entire psalm is Messianic, and I still hold to that opinion. David wrote about what Jesus felt during his final days. Imagine what it must have felt like when Jesus was taken before the illegal trials prior to the crucifixion. What kind of tension would it cause for a person to sweat drops of blood? Luke 22:44 (NASB95) Hebrews 5:7-10 (NASB95) There is dispute over if Jesus actually sweated blood or if the drops of sweat poured like blood. There is a medical condition that is called "hematidrosis" which the blood vessels under the skin break causing a person to bleed through the sweat glands. This takes place under extreme stress. Imagine what it was like, Jesus being fully human and knowing that He was soon to die on a cross. You can be sure that His knowledge as creator God enabled Him to understand and anticipate the pain and agony that He would go through during the next few hours. This foreknowledge was beyond overwhelming, I don't think we can imagine the intensity of it. Verse 5: David wrote about his sin, acknowledging that his sin placed him at odds with God. Part of confessing sin is merely acknowledging that you have sinned. That is what true confession really means, speaking the same as or in agreement with God. David then was in agreement with God that he was a sinner. How does this apply to Christ? It may not apply at all, it may be better thought of as a statement that David wrote out of the anguish of his own heart. I feel that it may also be talking about the vulnerability of Jesus in His human body. Imagine, Jesus was the invincible, all powerful God prior to His birth as a human. The closest thing to weakness that God ever experienced was taking on human flesh. Wouldn't that be considered as folly? Why would God risk everything to take on flesh for the redemption of man? Of course, this question is unanswerable because we cannot understand the mind of God, we do not know that Jesus was vulnerable except at the cross, and the use of human characteristics to describe God often fall extremely short. It does make you wonder though. Verses 6-12: Take a look at these verses and think about them. David stood as a king, responsible for the welfare of his people, and in that day, responsible for the religious standing. When the king stopped walking with God, the people did as well. David left his family to become king. It is obvious from his writings that David was overly concerned for the spiritual welfare of the people. Let's compare this to Jesus for a moment. Verse 6: Through the death of Jesus on the cross, all men were potentially redeemed through the shedding of His blood. Verse 7: Jesus made it clear through the Gospels that He was here to do the Fathers will, this is stated many times, John 14:31. Verse 8: It is clear from the scriptures that Jesus was estranged from His half brothers during his earthly ministry, at one point they even thought he had went crazy, John 7:3-5. You can be sure that the ridicule that was implied reflected their attitude toward Him. Verse 9: Jesus demonstrated the zeal that He had for the Father, this verse is quoted in the New Testament, John 2:17. The reproach of men fell on Jesus, this is directly attributed to Him, Romans 15:3. Verse 10-11, it is obvious that Jesus became a byword, mocked and mutilated prior to the cross. The mocking was not restricted just to His death though, Jesus was mocked by the elders and religious leaders of the community as they plotted to kill Him prior to His betrayal by Judas. The idea of sitting and talking in the gate is similar to the idea of having a town council meeting. The elders and leaders of the city would gather at the gate to discuss business matters that affected the city. The same type of conference was taking place behind closed doors. One meeting of this sort was held illegally at night where Jesus was being interrogated, Matthew 26:57-68. Regarding the drunkards, I wonder how many soldiers were sober as they beat Jesus with rods and crowned Him with thorns, Mark 15:16-21. I did not intend to get so long winded! That will catch us up to where we were before and set the scene for the rest of the Psalm. If you wish to write in comments, please feel free to do so. One thing to remember as we study David's words is that prophecies often have a near-far relationship. The near meaning to David was directly applicable to his current situation. The far meaning of his words directly related to Jesus on earth. This relationship is clear through many of the Old Testament prophecies. I'll keep the studies a bit shorter from now on, thanks for your patience. In Him, Joe. [1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. [2] Marvin E. Tate, vol. 20, Word Biblical Commentary : Psalms 51-100, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), 196. [3] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. |
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Psalm 69:13-19 October 18, 2007 Reading through the Bible this year: http://www.emailbiblestudy.com/Schedule.htm Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, Psalm 69:1-3 A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries. For the choir director; according to Shoshannim. A Psalm of David. 1 Save me, O God, For the waters have threatened my life. 2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me. 3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God. Psalm 69:13-19 13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness, Answer me with Your saving truth. 14 Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink; May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters. 15 May the flood of water not overflow me Nor the deep swallow me up, Nor the pit shut its mouth on me. 16 Answer me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me, 17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in distress; answer me quickly. 18 Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it; Ransom me because of my enemies! 19 You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor; All my adversaries are before You. NASB95[1] Notice that verses 13-15 are a repeat conceptually of verses 1-3. This is common in Hebrew poetry. Concepts are rhymed matching one for one the concepts that were before. It is important to note when you see this that the next set of concepts embellishes the previous ones. Look at verse 1 and compare it to verse 13, the request "save me" is clarified as a three part prayer:
Verse 14 compares with verse 2: Notice the switch in terminology from David saying "I have" to "deliver me". The point of the foothold in verse 2 is clarified as an ability to get control of a hopeless situation. David appeals to the Lord because in himself there is no possible way to get control. The deliverance must come from outside of David. Verse 15 compares with verse 3: It starts to get a bit interesting here. The flood water, deep, and pit are quite possibly in relation to his tears from verse 3. The idea may be that David is saying that he has shed so many tears that he is drowning in them. In modern times, we would say that David is suffering from extreme clinical depression. What hits me on this is that David is speaking about emotion, expressed in his prayer to God. It is not a prayer to show God how that David deserves to be delivered, but rather a prayer that demonstrates that only God can deliver and David cannot do anything about his situation. Verses 16-18: Remember the three part prayer from verse 13? This passage is like an onion, when you peel back a layer, there are more under it. Compare Verse 16 to 13 prayer 1: David approached God for an answer based on an "acceptable time".
Compare Verse 17 to 13 prayer 2:
Compare verse 18 to 13 prayer 3:
Verse 19 gives a summary statement of verses 14-15. This draws from the idea of the need to be redeemed, and the need to be ransomed. I made a statement in yesterday's study that this entire chapter is Messianic. Although Jesus is not directly referred to in accordance with the verses that we covered today, His work is referred to. Think about the work on the cross, the work of redemption and of salvation. None of us can or ever will be able to live our lives good enough to redeem, ransom, or pay our own debt which is a result of the sinful lives that we lead. Jesus provided that payment on the cross, the payment to redeem us by paying the price for our sin. He also paid the ransom for us because the devil owns the souls of all who are not owned by God. By shedding His blood, He paid the full ransom that satisfied the law demanding a payment for sin. In a way, both of these concepts are similar, but they are extremely different. If you would like to comment further, I will be happy to post your thoughts. In the next study we will continue on. Father, as we consider Your Word, draw each one of us to surrender our lives and accept your payment that we cannot make. In Him, Joe Turner. [1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. |
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Psalm 69:20-28 October 19, 2007 Reading through the Bible this year: http://www.emailbiblestudy.com/Schedule.htm Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, Psalm 69:20-28 20 Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, And for comforters, but I found none. 21 They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 22 May their table before them become a snare; And when they are in peace, may it become a trap. 23 May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see, And make their loins shake continually. 24 Pour out Your indignation on them, And may Your burning anger overtake them. 25 May their camp be desolate; May none dwell in their tents. 26 For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten, And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded. 27 Add iniquity to their iniquity, And may they not come into Your righteousness. 28 May they be blotted out of the book of life And may they not be recorded with the righteous. NASB95[1] Verses 20-21: David prophesied regarding the Messiah. As a matter of fact, Jesus was literally offered vinegar mixed with gall to drink while he was on the cross. I have heard that the gall was so potent that it would numb the pain much as an opiate will today. The difference is that it was also a deadly poison. The offering of Gall mixed with vinegar was not so much to offer Jesus a drink, but a humane move by the people around the cross to ease His pain, Matthew 27:34, 48. The hyssop branch spoken of in the Gospels that the sponge was speared on did the same thing, John 19:29-30. During his time, David was saying that his enemies were trying to kill him, this was literally the case when Jesus hang upon the cross. Verses 22-25: David gets quite vicious in these verses. David prays that they will have the same treatment that was given him, poison food, (22). He prays that when they feel they are safe that they will be living under false security (22). That their eyesight will go bad so that they will not be able to see (23). That their "loins" would shake continually. Quite literally, David is praying that the food will cause their pelvis area to shake with weakness. The best that I can ascertain from the commentaries is that the person would be stooped over and shaking like an old man who needs a cane to stand up. These mighty warriors are reduced to incapacitated old men (23). David prays that God will pour His anger on the enemies in a pretty specific way (24)! It seems that David is a bit angry at this time. But he is not finished yet, the idea of their tents being empty can refer to their inability to sire children, which would be consistent with the cursing of their loins above (25b), as well as meaning they were unable to mobilize an army (25a). David’s vindictive prayer hit the sources of strength for most men, what they eat, their security in their camps, their ability to see, their strength to fight and to procreate. These are the words that we would expect from one who suffered the intense painful treatment that Jesus went through as He was going through the crucifixion process. Jesus may have very well felt these emotions. However, one difference between David and Jesus: Luke 23:34 34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. John 8:5-11 5 “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 6 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”] NASB95[2] It is interesting that Jesus demonstrated grace for us in these passages. First, he prayed that the Father would not hold the people accountable for their actions. In the story of the stoning of the prostitute, Jesus wrote in the dirt and the accusers all went away. We haven't got a clue as to what Jesus wrote in the dirt. We do have a magnificent picture of grace. The men went away and Jesus was left standing with the sinful woman. He asked her where her accusers were at, they were gone. Jesus said that He would not accuse her either and sent her on her way, admonishing her not to sin again. What would we have done? Wouldn't we have demanded that she enter a program to "help" her get away from her addiction/trade. We would have demanded some type of commitment to stay clean. Jesus sent her away[3]. Jesus stepped between the wrath of the Father and the sin of the people who crucified him. Why? It's called grace, or in the case of this passage, lovingkindness. Verses 26-28: These verses are a bit puzzling at the first look. First we have to understand the way that the Jewish mind worked. Enemies were not strong enough to defeat Israel, no matter how many of them that there were. The only person that could defeat Israel is God because they were a nation that followed God. When trouble came on them, God allowed or permitted the trouble to come into their lives. A good example of this is Gideon when he followed God's call to use three hundred men to attack one hundred and twenty thousand, with pitchers and torches! God made His point, it was well taken. That was not the only time that God did this, there are several stories where Israel sat back and watched God fight their battles. The idea of adding "iniquity to their iniquity" may be thougth of as God allows them to follow the desires of their own hearts. It may be like Pharaoh who hardened his own heart, yet the scriptures say that God hardened his heart. God allows people to follow their own desire not to follow Him. In that way they have chosen to have their names not only blotted out of the book of life, but never "recorded" in the first place. Since we are looking at Jesus and His work on the cross, this is a time to consider our standing before God. Are we driven by our own desires or is God in control of our lives? It's a frightening thing to have your name blotted out of the book of life. All you have to do to get it in there is to recognize that Jesus died on the cross for your sin, accept that as your payment, and make Him Lord of your life. He promises that if you accept Him, He will step in and totally forgive you, just as He did the woman who was to be stoned. If you want to talk about it, e-mail me back. Or look up the "Roman Road" for the verses that go deeper into this discussion, Romans 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:14-17. I am going to close here, all comments are welcomed. Father, as we consider the magnificent work of Christ on the cross, speak to the hearts of those who do not know you, and convict those who do to walk closer to You. In Him, Joe Turner |
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Psalm 69:29-36 October 21, 2007 Reading through the Bible this year: http://www.emailbiblestudy.com/Schedule.htm Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, Psalm 69:29-36 29 But I am afflicted and in pain; May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high. 30 I will praise the name of God with song And magnify Him with thanksgiving. 31 And it will please the Lord better than an ox Or a young bull with horns and hoofs. 32 The humble have seen it and are glad; You who seek God, let your heart revive. 33 For the Lord hears the needy And does not despise His who are prisoners. 34 Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them. 35 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, That they may dwell there and possess it. 36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it, And those who love His name will dwell in it. NASB95[1] Verse 29: David saw the affliction as temporary because he sincerely believed that God would deliver him from his trouble. This is evident because David evaluated his life and found that even though he was suffering trouble, he was walking according to the will or calling of God. That calling was the call to become or be the king of Israel. His essence in life demanded that he be on the throne. Therefore his prayer was laced with the confidence that he would gain the throne and overcome the impossible situation that faced him. 2 Corinthians 8:9 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. Philippians 2:9-11 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Hebrews 8:10 10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, And I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people. Colossians 3:1-3 1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Ephesians 1:18-23 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. NASB95 If we apply this to Jesus, it gets more interesting because the pain and death of Jesus established our right to eternal life. He suffered the pain and death of crucifixion in order that the penalty for sin was paid for all who accept Him as savior. According to these verses, Jesus died, rose and is sitting at the right hand of the Father. He is set securely on High and we stand righteous because of the work that He did on the cross. To this, we as believers must sing praise! Hebrews 9:11-15 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. NASB95 [3]Verses 30-33: These verses establish that God loves the helpless. Animal sacrifices fall short of satisfying God's demand for justice. David understood the principle that God loves relationship more than sacrifice. The writer of Hebrews went a step further to explain that Jesus fulfilled the letter of this prophecy since His blood was better than that of bulls and goats. Jesus shed the blood once for all cleansing us of the defilement of sin that permeates our lives. Can you picture it in your mind that since Christ took our sin on the cross, we are viewed as being perfectly clean before God? What does it take for salvation? To rely on this new covenant that exists between each individual and God. According to David's words, those of us who are needy, humble, and downcast, be glad! God will revive or make alive the hearts of those "who seek God". There was a time when I thought that I had to pray a prayer a certain way with the right words and the right attitude before I would be able to receive the forgiveness of Christ in my life. That simply is not true, God just wants you to commit to Him, which means to believe that He is God, accept what Christ did that you can not do on the cross, (paid the price through His blood), and follow God. In a nutshell, all the praying, fasting, church attending, etcetera, does nothing for eternal salvation, the only way we receive it is through Jesus who paid the price we cannot pay. Matthew 7:20-23 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ NASB95 When people follow God out of their own agenda's, desiring to establish their own will rather than seeking God's will, they place themselves in a dangerous situation. The life of a Christian is not a game that we play by keeping the rules of the church or denomination that we belong to. The life of a Christian is determined by following the will of God, nothing else. Verses 34-36: Those who follow God wait for His call to bring them home. We hear of the idea that Jesus went to heaven to build us mansions. However, few of us think about it as we hack out our lives here on earth. In parting, I will leave you with one final set of verses. All of heaven and earth look forward to the day when Christ will once again rule as Lord over the universe. They look forward to the time when God fulfills His promise to believers, that He will return and will establish His promises. The study of end times differs depending upon who you talk to, but this fact is simple, God will fulfill His promises to believers: John 14:1-6 Jesus Comforts His Disciples 1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 “And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. NASB95 Father, as we consider the fantastic truths taught by David, speak to each person in this study and draw us near to You. In Him, Joe Turner. |
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