Psalms Sermon Series

141 Pages·2017·0.43 MB·English

PRAISE
PRAYER
POSTURE
T H E B O O K O F
Psalms
Psalm 1
GENUINE HAPPINESS
Usually, when we read the word “blessed” in Hebrew, we find ְרַָבּ (barak), which
has to do with favor, or kneeling. When we speak of God blessing someone or
when we bless the food, we are speaking of ְרַָבּ (barak). But not here. Here it
comes from the Hebrew word רֶׁשֶא (esher). So then why does this and some
other instances of the word “blessed” mean something different than favor?
This rendering, used for “blessed is the man” in this passage, which comes right
from the Hebrew רֶׁשֶא (esher), is speaking of actual, genuine, true happiness. This
isn’t mere mirth, and it’s not fleeting. This is real, deep, lasting happiness. We could
rightly substitute the words “truly happy” for the word “blessed” in this verse and
arrive at the exact same understanding: The man who accomplishes the actions in
verse one (and inversely, verse two) is the man who is truly happy, enjoying the
delights of God and the joys of fellowship with the Divine.
Interesting to note is that this word, רֶׁשֶא (esher), is actually rendered in the plural
form in this verse. It seems to properly indicate, in the words of Adam Clarke, “O
the blessedness of the man!” There are overwhelming blessednesses for the one
who will accomplish the actions to follow:
Firstly, we see that the truly happy man does not walk in the counsel of the
ungodly. What does this mean? The word “ungodly” here is rendered from the
Hebrew עָׁשרָ (rasha) which indicates moral wrongness, or — properly — actual
ungodliness, since God is absolutely moral. We will cover the “walk, stand, sit”
aspect in a little bit; for now, observe that the truly happy man does not take heed
to the counsel of the ungodly. He does not allow the ungodly to affect his life. Note
here that “ungodly” does not necessarily indicate something committed for the
deliberate purpose of being “anti-god,” as it were; rather, it simply means
something that is outside the sphere of influence of moral rightness, or something
“without God.”
Secondly, we see that the truly happy man does not stand in the way of sinners.
This word, sinners, comes from אָטַּח (chatta), indicating a criminal. This is aptly
stated, given that sin is the transgression of the law. This seems to be an
escalation of the former state in that it is not merely ungodly — that is, without God,
but rather a transgression of His law. The truly happy man does not stand in the
way of sinners. Well, what is the “way” of sinners? Let’s take a look at that word
“way.” It comes from the Hebrew ְרֶּדֶ (derek), which means a road, a path of life. A
manner of living. A custom, a conversation, a lifestyle. The truly happy man does
not live like those who transgress against God’s law. They do not live a lifestyle
given to sin.
Thirdly, we see that the truly happy man does not sit in the seat of the scornful.
םיצל (letsim) is the word here from which “scornful” is translated, and it means to
scoff, mock, or, of course, scorn. This goes beyond godlessness, and even
beyond sinfulness, to the extreme of actually challenging and opposing God
deliberately in excess of what sin already does by nature. The truly happy man
does not sit in the seat of the scornful — he does not בַׁשָי (yashab) in the בָׁשוֹמ
(moshab) of the scornful. To בַׁשָי (yashab), or, sit, means to settle, marry, establish.
The seat, or בָׁשוֹמ (moshab), denotes the abode or population. The truly happy
man does not marry the population of those who challenge and strive with the
Creator.
But then, what does he do? What is it in which he engages that allows him to be
so happy, that fuels his ongoing happiness, that motivates even more wise
decisions? It is the Law of the LORD. It is obeying the precepts that God
establishes for us. It is recognizing the beauty and wisdom and love behind these
precepts to such an extent that it actually causes the truly happy man to delight in
the Law of the LORD. That word, “delight,” comes from the Hebrew word ץֶפֵח
(chephets), and sincerely indicates actual pleasure, desire, and value. Now, we
know it is not the flesh that feels this way about the LORD, nor does it esteem His
Law at all. No, it is the Spirit of God indwelling the believer, causing him to have a
love for all things Holy.
But look at what else the truly happy man does. He meditates הָגָה (hagah) —
which means to ponder, mutter, utter, imagine — in the Law of the LORD day and
night. All the time he’s thinking about the Law of the LORD. He can’t stop thinking
about it, because it delights him so, and it is so good for him, let alone bringing
honor and glory to the One True God.
Now look at the results of this man who has true happiness, the man who does
not entertain ungodly counsel, endear sin, or engage in scorn. Look at the state of
this man. He is like a tree planted by rivers of water. Can you imagine a more
blissful, pure scene? He is nourished. He is pure. He is healthy. He is pristine. He
is, most of all, fruitful. He will not wither, and his efforts will never be in vain.
Now look back at these ungodly, sinful, and scoffing ones. They are not so. They
are like the chaff which the wind drives away. They are here for a moment, gone in
the next. They are transient, weak, anemic, powerless, emaciated. They are like
the summer snow. They are but for a stitch in time. They are altogether unprofitable
and vain. And they will not stand in the judgment in this world or in the world to
come, and they will find no quarter among the redeemed in the last day.
You see, God knows the way of the righteous. Job knew this when he stated that
God knew the way that he took in Job 23:10. Paul knew this when he exhorted
Timothy in II Timothy 2:19. David knew this when he testified of God’s goodness
toward him in Psalm 18:20.
And God knows your way, too.
Believer, you have been declared righteous before God. Your sins have been
washed away. You will never stand in condemnation before God. But how much
more perilous is it, then, that professing believers often slip and slide their way into
identifying with the deleterious and harmful participants of this passage? Here is
how: It is, after all, almost always a progression, whether indicated by this passage
or not. It begins with ungodliness by incidence, then by sinfulness on purpose,
then savage by intention.
Don’t even begin to go that way. Stay in the Word of God. Delight in it. Meditate in
it. Speak of it. Live in it. And you will be truly, actually happy. Holy. Happy.
Something to think about.
fin
Psalm 2
FOUR ACTS, FOUR PLAYERS
This Psalm begins with a question, posed presumably by David; however, like
Psalm 1, it is left unsigned. We do not know for sure who wrote this Psalm, but we
do know that ultimately it is God who divinely inspired all Scriptures like this one and
preserved it for our edification. The question is an honest one, and opens up the
first of four parts of this Psalm: “Why do the heathen rage? Why do the people
imagine a vain thing?” The first part is the Alliance of the Wicked-Doers.
So to rephrase the question in other words: “why do people actually rebel against
God?” And it’s not just some mindless, cult-like rabble. It’s everyone. All people, all
nations. The Hebrew word םיוג (goyim) is used here, and it means just that — the
nations, particularly the Gentiles. The speaker goes on to state that even the kings
of the earth form alliances and cabals just to oppose Jehovah, their own Creator.
You can really sense the indignation and shock in the author’s tone here.
Do we not see this sort of thing take place every day, though? It wasn’t just in the
Psalmist’s day, and it wasn’t confined to the Sanhedrin only. No, even today in
most homes, in almost every (perhaps every) human government, in many
churches, and in most companies, people are completely determined to prevent,
prohibit and oppose God and Jesus Christ in this world. That’s what the Hebrew
word ושגר (ragash) means — to gnash teeth, to violently plot, to thrash about.
They imagine a vain thing: They go about to oppose God, His Son, and His
Kingdom, but it is indeed vain.
Note that the word ַחיִׁשָמ (mashiyach) is here used; this can be translated
“Messiah,” but here it is not. This can lead to one of three common understandings
of this word, “anointed.” Some believe that this refers to those people who have
trusted in Christ and are thus anointed, preserved, chosen, saved, set apart. While
the central idea of this passage isn’t impacted greatly either way, it would seem
much more fitting that this verse refers to Jesus Christ when it says “his anointed.”
Well, then, why doesn’t it say, “his Anointed One?” Well, in Hebrew, we don’t often
have the convenience of completion in the English sense right up front, and the
early translators were faithful to not add to the Scriptures (unlike many of the
translators today, tragically), and that’s fine. But note that this word is singular, which
renders the plural understanding of “anointed ones” grammatically impossible. And
this leads to the third possibility of understanding this verse, which would be that
the “anointed [one]” here refers to whomever God has put in place as His anointed
at the time and place, whether prophet, priest, king, or Jesus Himself. The most
plain interpretation, however, remains that this is speaking of Jesus Christ. This
seems to be made even more clear as the Psalm progresses.
The third verse reveals their motives: They wish not to be bound by the bands and
cords of the laws of God and His Anointed. This lends more credence to the
second and third views of the local meaning of the word “anointed,” especially the
second view, the plain one referring to Jesus Christ as the Anointed One. These
wicked ones have all allied to say, “We will not have God rule over us!”
The second part of this Psalm is the Response of the Heaven-Dweller. God here is
called םִיַמָּׁשַבּ בֵׁשוֹי (yashab shamayim), the One Who Sits in the Heavens. This is
said to contrast the utter foolishness and vanity of the attempts of mere mortals to
break away from accountability to God and His Anointed One. He is recorded as
mocking, laughing! There is absolutely no way they can accomplish that which they
have set out to do — we saw this at the Tower of Babel and we see it at last in the
Book of Revelation. Nothing that is formed against God shall prosper! Nothing! He
will have them in derision. That’s a really, really interesting word because it comes
from גַעָל (laag), which means to babble unintelligibly. Remind you of Babel much? It
should. This is what happens when people oppose God and His Anointed.
The text further reveals that God speaks רַבּדָ (dabar) to them in His wrath and
vexes לַהָבּ (bahal) them in His sore displeasure. There’s a few understandings of
what this might mean, but I believe it means exactly what the text says — God
speaks to them and this vexes them. To be vexed means to tremble inwardly, to
be alarmed or afraid. When God speaks in His wrath, this has an effect on people.
Just His words alone!
The next verse is a phenomenal testimony of God’s insistence upon His own glory
and absolute victory and advancement in the midst of the opposition of simple
mortals. He says, “even though you’ve tried to oppose me, I just laugh and disquiet
you. As for me, I’ve set up my King upon my holy hill of Zion.” You see, that term
“yet have I” involves the Hebrew יִנֲא (aniy), which carries an understanding of
“[that’s fine for you, but] as for me…” God is telling them that right while the wicked
ones are trying to separate themselves from the Kingdom of God and His authority
in their lives, He is setting up His King, Jesus Christ, His Anointed One, to rule from
His Holy Hill, Zion. That’s powerful, and sends a massive message to those who
would oppose His reign.
The third part of this Psalm is the Testimony of the Zion-King. Here, the speaker
switches from Jehovah to His Son, Jesus Christ. This is obvious from the text at
hand, but a quick trip to Hebrews 1:5 and 5:5 verifies this further. Jesus is
speaking! He now declares the decree, the קֹח (choq), the enactment, the
ordinance, the commandment. He now states how it is going to be!
He first testifies of His Sonship, and states clearly that God has begotten דַלָי (yalad)
Him. Now, we know that Jesus was not “begotten” into existence at any fixed point
in time as we know it, but He was begotten from eternity and in that He came forth
from God into flesh on this earth. So what does it mean that He said “this day” in
particular? Well, there are several views, but we will observe only the three most
obvious and plain views.
The first view is that the “this day” refers to the point when Christ was determined to
be the King of the All Things in eternity past, and obviously not at a fixed point in
time (although םוֹי [yom] is here used, remember that this word can be either literal
or figurative, depending on the context), due to the eternal sonship of Christ.
The second view is that the “this day” refers not to Christ’s beginning in eternity
past, (as though there were one), but His resurrection. The resurrection view
seems to be compatible with Acts 13:33. “Begotten” doesn’t have to mean
“brought to life” as though it were the first time; it could refer to the second time
Jesus was “brought to life,” in the resurrection.
The last view is that the “this day” prophetically refers to the occasion in which
Jesus Christ was actually begotten in the flesh on the earth. Either way, the
message of the verse is intact: God has set up Jesus Christ, His Son, for the
following, which we see in the upcoming verses:
Verse 8 continues God’s declaration to His Son, Jesus Christ. “Ask of me, and I
shall give thee.” Sounds familiar, yes? We are given the same promise! But with
Christ it is particular here: God promises all the kingdoms of the earth to Jesus
Christ. All He has to do is ask. The promise continues in verse 9, where we read of
God stating to His Son, Jesus Christ, that Jesus will break the rebellious nations
with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces. This is in startling contradiction to the
desires of the foolish nations that oppose God and His Anointed!
The fourth part of this Psalm is the Warning of the Psalm-Writer. Here the straw-
men, the rebellious nations of the earth, are admonished to be wise and instructed
based on what they’ve just heard: Serve Jehovah with fear, and rejoice with
trembling! That’s the only real option at this point that doesn't involve desolation and
destruction, simple as that. What does it mean to “serve the LORD with fear and
rejoice with trembling,” though? Well, the first part is simple enough to understand:
That word “fear” comes from the Hebrew הָארְִי (yirah) which means a moral
reverence.
But rejoicing with trembling? What does this mean? Let’s take a look at the Hebrew
word from which we get the word “rejoice.” The word is דַערַ (raad), and it’s an
interesting word, because it means to spin around in a circle. There’s no way
around it — this is talking about being especially jubilant, but to do so with
trembling! So how do we reconcile these two? Well, let’s take a look at Philippians
2:12-18. This is what it means. It means to enjoy the wonders of salvation while
holding our position in Christ with solemn reverence. It means to “work out [our]
own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Lastly, the Psalmist commands the rebellious nations of the earth to kiss the Son,
which is an older expression of complete submission to Jesus Christ. Why?
Because His wrath is kindled against the nations who will not submit to His
Lordship. That phrase “but a little”, טַעְמ (me-at), is interpreted various ways, but
the plain interpretation is that even a little bit of God’s wrath is enough to completely
eradicate His enemies.
But to those who will accept Him as the God of all, the Lord of all, the King of
Kings, and put their trust in Him alone, they are blessed.
But what about you? Surely you have trusted Christ as Saviour, yes? Surely you
have received His free gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins. But is He your Lord,
really, in the every-day? Do you kiss the Son? Do you submit to His Lordship not
only positionally, but practically?
Something to think about.
fin
Psalm 3
YOU CAN GO TO SLEEP
Especially in America, and especially in the 21st century, we like peering into the
lives and minds of others. The television shows and radio programs that bring in
the highest ratings are those who have the “exclusive scoop,” the glimpse into a
situation that no one else has, the invasive report about what’s going on behind
closed doors, what’s being said while no one else is looking. Tragically, this usually
pertains to gossip, slander, and scandal; we’ve been exposed to this a number of
times recently during our current election cycle.
However, despite the negative connotation applied to this concept these days, an
inside look at something or someone isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all! Remember
reading the Gettysburg Address? We weren't the audience, but my, how wonderful
it is to recall the inspiring words of our nation’s greatest American. What of those
words spoken directly to Houston Command by Neil Armstrong? We weren’t there,
we weren’t directly addressed, but what an honor and excitement to witness and
hear what happened on the moon that day.
This evening, we’re given the first of many glimpses into the mind of David as he
records his emotions and testifies of the glory and goodness of God in this Psalm.
Let’s take a look together.
Firstly, we see inscribed at the beginning of this Psalm is the occasion in which it
was written, when an aged David was fleeing from his son, Absalom, during a time
of great mutiny unrest in Jerusalem. Absalom had craftily gained power and
influence and used it to drive David out of his own city and now a father is running
for his life from his own son. This is recorded in 2 Samuel 15:12-14. Tradition
states that David composed these words as he passed by the Mount of Olives.
So now, a fugitive from his own child, David speaks, or rather cries out, these
chilling words: “Jehovah! There’s so many of them that are closing in on me to kill
me! There’s so many of them that are rising up against me!” This isn’t something to
which David was accustomed — his own son leading a band of murderers and
insurgents against him! This was a new and terrible suffering into which David is
thrust.
After this interjection, however, David elaborates, breaking his address to God (to
resume in verse 7) to form a testimony of His goodness and continued providence
and protection even in the face of his enemies: “Many say that not even God can
help me.” And then he says “Selah,” which is actually a direct Anglicization of the
Hebrew הָלֶס (seh-law), which is actually a musical term meaning to hesitate,
signifying a break in the music and rhythm of the Psalm. He states here to stop,
apparently hoping to direct us to reflect on what was just said. So let’s do just that.
It wasn’t just one person who stated that there was no salvation for David. It wasn’t
just a band, either. Absalom had succeeded in causing many, many people to
betray and turn against David and claim that there was no salvation for David, that
his God would not save him. David wants us to hear that. He wants us to focus on
that. He wants us to understand that this is what the enemy is saying. So that’s the
first observation of this text this evening: The Claim of the Insurgents.
But David doesn’t allow this to go on without an answer of his own, and so we
immediately hear the second part of this Psalm, The Counter of the Anointed.
David simply says, “They’re wrong. They don't know Jehovah like I do.” AMEN! You
see, David was deeply, truly acquainted with the God of the Bible, and this intimate
relationship between this earthly king and the King of Kings was fully sufficient to
give him the following assurance that he states in verse three: “But you, Jehovah
— you are a shield for me. You are my glory. You are the lifter up of my head.”
My. My. What grief David must have been enduring. His own son. But Jehovah
was the lifter of his head. He was the One who lifted David’s head, wiped his tears
even as they continued flowing, and held him close. He was David’s glory. He was
David’s shield. He was David’s everything. He was David’s absolute, final everything.
David now moves to testify not only of God’s role in his life, but also His actions in
his life. He says, “I cried unto Jehovah with my voice, and He heard me!” David
here says “Selah” once more, indicating a stop, a rest, a break. So can I ask you
to do something with me? Can I ask you to try your best to never take for granted
that this great God, the One, the True, the Jehovah hears us when we cry unto
Him? Even when we are going through torments, even when we have no idea
what’s going on or what’s coming next — HE HEARS YOU! He heard David from