Meditations on the Psalms

The wicked are about to kill him: For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart (verse 2). They bend the bow, and in secret they direct the arrow to shoot David, who is upright in heart. Their offensive weapons are ready, and each one of them took his position to kill him. They know that his heart is upright, therefore they want to shoot him with an arrow secretly because they have no courage to confront him. The Hebrew word translated "secretly" could mean "at heart". They also might want to shoot him with arrows in his heart to make sure he is done away with. For this reason his friends advised him to escape to the mountains of the Land of Judah. David, however, was carrying the shield of faith with which he was able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one (Ephesians 6:16).

Justice is absent from the land: If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? (verse 3). Similarly, David's friends warned him that the wiles of the wicked may come through, because the foundations of justice in the kingdom of Saul were destroyed, so that he sought to kill David. There was no more justice or uprightness, and the senior men (the foundations), on whom David could have depended in the face of impending evil and destruction, were no longer there to protect him. The righteous was left with no safe harbour to turn to. Even the righteous people were no longer upholding their cause; they advised him, You have no hope. Stop dealing righteously and run for your life! Yet David had found the answer to his question: What can the righteous do? He placed his trust in the invincible heavenly justice, and made up his mind to brave danger. Earlier he had faced Goliath with a stick, a sling and five smooth stones (1 Samuel 17:40) and won. There is no reason he could not win again, so long as the Lord was with him. This is what the righteous should do.

Many times friends give us pieces of advice out of a sincere heart, but with the wrong attitude. They advise us to abandon the way of obedience because it is narrow and rugged, and to take the wide and easy way that seems to go upward. When Christ announced that the Son of man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the high priests and the scribes, be killed and rise up from the dead after three days, Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, We don't want You to die. Why do You want to go to Jerusalem? They are going to kill You there. Why risk Your life? There is some sense in what Peter said to the Lord, but it was totally contrary to what He came to do. Jesus rebuked Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men (Mark 8:33). According to human reason, it was right for Peter to love and have zeal, but his zeal was carnal, and it did not let him see the spiritual dimension for Christ's coming to the earth.

We often hear people advise us the same way Peter advised Jesus and the same way David's friends advised him: Run away like a bird! This advice focuses on the danger involved, the uselessness of resistance, the foolishness of sacrificing for the sake of hopeless cause. Yet one thing is missing: the divine will and organisational responsibility. May God protect us from such an advice and keep us on the alert for it.

He laid open to them the omnipresence of the Lord: The Lord is in His holy temple (verse 4a). He is alive and present in the midst of the believers, His holy temple, to hear their prayers, receive their adoration and lift them high above their hard circumstances. He sends you help from the sanctuary (Psalm 20:2).

God commanded Moses to set up the tabernacle of meeting (the place of worship) in the midst of the camp of the tribes of Israel, telling him, ...that I may dwell among them (Exodus 25:8,9). John saw seven gold lamp-stands, representing the seven churches, and Christ among them (Revelations 1:13). Christ said, For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). How then could they say to David, Flee as a bird to your mountain, while the Lord is in His holy temple?

The New Testament teaches us that the temple of the Lord is made up of all believers, that the Lord is the centre of the believer's life, and that it is around Him that all believers gather. The Lord never leaves His community, or His holy temple.

He laid open to them the greatness of the Lord: The Lord's throne is in heaven (verse 4b). God is here with me and there in heaven. He has full authority both in heaven and on earth. He is far above all earthly and satanic power. He is the One seated upon the throne.

He laid open to them the omniscience of the Lord: His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men (verse 4c). He sees us and knows all about us. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). He neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4). But why does he refer to "His eyelids"? Wasn't it enough to say, His eyes behold? The answer is: When someone wants to look at a certain scene, he gazes at it, narrowing his eyelids, to see the picture clearly and thoroughly. So the eyes of the Lord behold, but also His eyelids make sure that He sees the whole situation. His eyes are like flames of fire that penetrate the covers of darkness, watching the righteous and the unrighteous, to establish those who stick to their right cause and to bring forth the truth.

He laid open to them the righteousness of the Lord: The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals, fire and brimstone and a burning wind; this will be the portion of their cup (verses 5,6). The Lord tests the just and the righteous, demonstrates their success and accepts him. As for the wicked, He tests him and proves him unacceptable. God tested the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, and did not find even ten righteous people, so he rained brimstone and fire on them (Genesis 19:24). He tested His friend Abraham, requiring from him to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice, and he obeyed. God approved of His friend and bestowed upon him success summa cum laude as He said to him, In blessing I will bless you... In your seed shall the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice (Genesis 22:15-19). The Lord tests the righteous through difficulties to see how deep his spiritual life is, and to bring forth his righteousness as the light, and his justice as the noonday (Psalm 37:6). Job said as he was tested, When He has tested I shall come forth like gold (Job 23:10). On the other hand, Satan tempts the believer to destroy his faith and make him lose hope. God allows the righteous to be tested until his spiritual arms are well-trained and strong. The wicked cannot harm him except as much as the Lord permits them. But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates, and He puts him in his place so that he won't keep on harming the believer. A good example of this is what the Lord did to Haman, who was hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai (Esther 7:10). The "burning wind", i.e. the simoom, became the portion of Haman, a destructive, hot, dry, dust-laden wind from Asian deserts.

The clergy may stop being good and the ruler may abandon justice, but God remains just and dependable. This is why the writer said of Him, In the Lord I put my trust.

Believers are to expect opposition: Their thoughts, quality of life and actions are different from those of the wicked who live around them. Therefore they are met with opposition. Yet, opposition should not discourage or scare them off, but rather encourage them to resist evil with good.

The upright must be eagles, not little birds: David's friends advised him to flee like a bird, but he decided he to be an eagle, soaring and rising high above the clouds, to see the bright sun of righteousness, behold the face of His God, enjoy His presence and thus put an end to the temporary opposition by means of the everlasting, shining victory.

Come, let us place ourselves in love at the Lord's feet, to do His will and let Him work out His divine purposes though us, that we may see His countenance. Keep up the good fight for His kingdom's cause, regardless of the difficulties, and resist the devil, steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:9).

David refused his friends' advice. Why? How was Nehemiah affected by David's decision?

Psalm 11:7 says, The upright will see his face. Comment.

He asks God for help: Help, Lord. He mentions two points where he needs God's help:

He asks for the judgement of the wicked:May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, 'With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?' (verses 3,4). He asks the Lord to cut off their speech members. Asking for the judgement of the wicked may be a prophetic revelation of the end of those dissimulating liars. It could also be a request for God to destroy them in keeping with the principle the psalmist believes in: Eye for eye (Exodus 21:24). These wicked people thought their prosperity was the result of their smartness, craftiness, effort and power, so they said, With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us? They speak as though the destinies of others hang on one word from their lips. Our lips are our own with which we could justify our doings and prove them to be right, win our causes by cheating, twist and manipulate the law and interpret it for our good; there is no lord over us but ourselves!

They forgot that God is the Creator of their mortal bodies, the real Owner of them. We may also forget today that we do not belong to ourselves, because Christ bought us. For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's (1 Corinthians 6:20).

A promise of help: The psalmist receives two promises from God; a direct instant one from God (verse 5), and a written one that has been recorded by inspiration (verse 6).

The fulfilment of the promise of help: You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever. The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men (verse 7,8). God promised that He would arise and set in safety the oppressed who are in distress. The psalmist said to Him, You, Lord, shall keep the oppressed, who are in distress, who call upon You. Daniel was in the den of lions when the king asked him, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions? Daniel replied, O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you (Daniel 6:20-22).

Every generation has its own advantages and characteristics. The Lord will keep His people from "this" corrupt and oppressive generation. Irrespective of the characteristics of the people among whom you live, God promises you protection and preservation. David described a time when vice and vileness prevailed, when the wicked walked here and there self-importantly, as if they owned everything; the earth and those who were on it. But the Lord promised all the godly and the faithful that He will watch over them. No matter the character of the time in which you live, the eternal God confirms His help and salvation to you. He has established His church and promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). He says to the members of the church, ...you who are kept by the power of God... (1 Peter 1:5).

Final triumph is the portion of those who love the Lord, therefore love the Lord with all your heart, so that peace and assurance should reign over your life.

In Psalm 12:1-2 David complains of two things. What are they? Do you have the same complaint today?

Psalm 12:5 gives two promises from the Lord. What are they?

He complains to God about God: How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? (verse 1a). When David thinks rationally he knows that God has not forgotten him. It seems that he was saying, I know that You have not forgotten me, but it seems that You forgot! He had said earlier, Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled; but You, O Lord- how long? (Psalm 6:2,3). He also said, I will say to God my Rock, 'Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go morning because of the oppression of the enemy?' (Psalm 42:9). The prophet Jeremiah lodged the same complaint: Why do You forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time? (Lamentations 5:20). Habakkuk asked, O Lord, how long shall I cry, and will You not hear? Even cry out to You, 'Violence!' and You will not save? (Habakkuk 1:2). This is a cry of someone suffering and reproaching the Lord because he loves Him. God listens to such a complaint with understanding and sympathy. He addresses the suffer, saying, But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.' Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; you walls are continually before Me (Isaiah 49:14-16).

By way of complaining to God David asks, How long will You hide Your face from me? (verse 1b). When God's face shines upon us with a loving smile, the whole world shines for us, but when life seems to frown to us we imagine that God has hidden His face from us, therefore we say, You hid Your face and I was troubled (Psalm 30:7). A hidden face does not equal a rejecting or a heedless one; it only means that the believer feels anxious and frightened. Therefore many people ask, 'Who will show us any good?' Lord, lift up the right of Your countenance upon us (Psalm 4:6). God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us (Psalm 67:1).

Then he complains to God about himself: How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? (verse 2a). He feels sorry for his own weakness, anxiety and worries, as if he is saying, How long will I bear these cares? How long will anxiety debilitate and frighten me? My soul is too weak to have victory over the circumstances that oppress me. All my plans went awry, so how long will you keep on rearranging all my plans? How will I try with no success?

When the believer loses his trust in God's love and loses his self-confidence, he loses the joy of salvation (Psalm 51:12), but he does not lose his salvation. Because of sin he will live in spiritual darkness, and fail to see God's loving and reassuring face. He cannot possibly be restored to fellowship with the Father unless he repents and gains back his lost relationship with the Lord.

Then he complains to God about the enemy: How long will my enemy be exalted over me? (verse 2b). The prophet Samuel paid a visit to his father's house, called him in from following the sheep and anointed him as king. A king, yes, but on the run! When then will God's promises to him be fulfilled?

David's situation looks like the scene that the revelation of John describes: When He [the Lamb] opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' And a white robe was given to each of them, and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, and both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed (Revelations 6:9-11).

A request of consideration: Consider (verse 3a). This request addresses His complaint, How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? The truth is that God never forgot him; it was the hard circumstances that made him have this wrong thought. When God approves of a believer He will surely release him from the emotional problems he faces.

A request of a hearing: Hear me, O Lord my God (verse 3b). This request addresses His complaint, How long will You hide Your face from me? God never hides His face from the believer nor turns His back on him. It is the tears in his eyes that obscure the beauty of the face that never fades away. When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, Lord, I will seek' (Psalm 27:8). The psalmist does not request a hearing because he is inquisitive, but because God said, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7). Christ said to His disciples, Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy maybe full (John 16:24).

A request of enlightenment: Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death (verse 3c). This request addresses His complaint, How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? The psalmist asks the Lord to remove the darkness of discouragement from his sick eyes, which cannot see God's mercy clearly. This was the experience of Ezra the scribe, who described this enlightenment as for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us (Ezra 9:8,9). The Lord will raise us up. The Lord will enlighten our eyes and revive us in the light of His face.

A request that his enemy may not rejoice over him: Lest my enemy say, 'I have prevailed against him'; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved (verse 4). This request addresses His complaint, How long will my enemy be exalted over me? There is an enemy who is trying to exalt himself over the believer and prevail against him, but the Lord will not let this happen. If the believer fails he brings shame on the Lord's name and gives the enemy an opportunity to say, There is no help for him in God (Psalm 3:2). Moreover, there is unity between the Lord and the believer, which Christ compares to the relationship between the branch and the vine (John 15:5). Whatever harms the branch harms the vine, and whoever persecutes the believers withstands the will of God who loves the believers. The believer gets the glory, though, when God glorifies him and is glorified through him.

God is the source of the believer's happiness: He turned to Him, lifted up his complaint to get relief, saying, How long, O Lord? (verse 1). The Lord never forsakes those who believe in Him.

God is the source of the believer's wisdom: He complained to Him of his inadequate thoughts and unsuccessful plans, saying, How long shall I take counsel in my soul? (verse 2). The Lord raised the believers above their own counsel and cares, because they are casting all your care upon Him, for He takes care for you (1 Peter 5:7).

God is the source of the believer's strength: He rushed to Him when he was overcome by the enemy, saying, How long will my enemy be exalted over me? (verse 2). The enemy will not be exalted over the believer because final triumph belongs to the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who went conquering and to conquer (Revelations 5:5; 6:2).

God is the source of the believer's life: For this reason he said, my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death (verse 3). Christ is the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Him, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Him shall never die (John 11:25).

In Psalm 13 David has three complaints. Mention them.

What made the difference between verses 1 and 5 in Psalm 13?

The folly of the sinner starts with a wrong thought: The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' (verse 1a). He says this through his behaviour in his heart, living contrary to God's law; or he says it through his behaviour and declares his godlessness by his mouth. Some philosophers deny that God exists and try to convince others of this fallacy, although the word "philosophy" means "love of wisdom" in Greek. The psalmist regards them as mere fools, for the sinner who denies the existence of God, by word or action, is just a fool. He claims that he loves wisdom, but he is, in fact, as far as can be from it because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). Denying the existence of fire does not keep him who enters it from burning. Similarly, doubting the existence of God does not keep God from administering His just judgement on those who reject His salvation. We thank God for many philosophers who believe in Him and prove their faith in Him in logical ways. Only the fool will deny the existence of God, because the existence of the invisible all around us is manifest both in His visible creation and His daily dealings with us. Above all, we see Him in the mystery of godliness, God was manifested in flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). Christ's coming into our world was the most convincing proof of God's existence.

The Hebrew word for "fool" is nabal, which was also the name of a foolish man who wasted his life, so that it was said of him, As his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name. Nabal denied that David even existed, denied he had any knowledge of him and asked, Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? Nevertheless, David was famous, for he was the one who saved his people from the threats of Goliath the heathen! Moreover, Nabal knew David quite well, because David and his men used to keep watch of Nabal's flocks. But the fool said, Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat... and give it to men when I do not know where they are from? (1 Samuel 25:10,11). Doesn't the fool who denies the existence of God do the same thing, although it is God who gives him life and takes care of him? It is He also who will eventually take back his life from him!

The sinner's folly increases with his wrong actions: They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good (verse 1b). God created man innocent by nature but man's disobedience to God corrupted his original nature and his daily works, and spoiled his social relationships. Yes, men became corrupt, committing sins of commission and omission. Man's state before the Flood was described as follows: Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually... The earth also was corrupt before God [meaning its inhabitants], and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth (Genesis 6:5,11,12).

Abomination means an ugly deed, horridness and uncleanness. In the Bible it refers to idols and idolatry. God created man in His image to worship Him, but man strayed to idol-worship and all the abomination linked with it.

The fool sometimes denies God's existence because of a sin he committed that weighs on his conscience, and he does not want to be reconciled to God in the proper way. Instead, he dodges God by claiming that He does not exist. He forgets, or rather pretends to forget, that God has prepared for him the way to redemption and salvation through Christ's atonement on the cross.

The seriousness of the sinner's folly: The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God (verse 2). God bears long with the sinner to lead him to repentance, but in his folly he thinks that God will not do good, nor will He do evil (Zephaniah 1:12), or that he does not exist at all. Nonetheless The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works (Psalm 33:13-15). In "human" terms the Old Testament pictures God as though He "came down to see" the situation of Babel, and Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 11:5; 18:21).

God looks down on the children of men of all nationalities, because He is the Creator of them all. He endowed every nation with moral light in nature and in conscience. Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:17). Because what could be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:19,20).

The Lord looks down from heaven to see. He loves man and says, My delight was with the sons of men (Proverbs 8:31). He is the Good Shepherd who searches for the lost one till He finds him, no matter the cost of searching. He does not desire the damnation of the sinner, but his repentance. He expects men to act according to the light they have. God searches in every nation to see if there is anyone who understands himself, his weakness, his sin, his duty and his destiny; and if there is anyone who understands God's love and searching for the sinner to redeem him.

All who deny God's existence deny Elohim, who reigns over the whole world, and deny the truth of God, because sin is a revolt against God and His laws. Therefore David admits, You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight (Psalm 51:4).

The totality of men's folly: They all turned aside, they have together become corrupt (verse 3). Man is corrupt by nature and action. Since the fall of our first parents in the garden of Eden we started to see man killing his brother, not due to starvation or want, nor due to housing crises, but because he is evil by nature. Corruption of mankind is an absolute fact, for man cannot please God by his natural birth, actions or intents. The root of the tree is rotten, therefore it gives forth a rotten fruit. The spring is bitter, and yields bitter water. Even though God takes care of men so that they say, I shall not want, they still go astray. They need someone to restore their souls to the paths of righteousness, not due to their own goodness, but for His name's sake (Psalm 23:1,3).

Paul quoted these verses in Romans chapter 3 to confirm the corruption of all men, their liability to eternal damnation, and also to reveal that God provided deliverance through Christ for the fools who harmed themselves. For all have sinned... being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood (Romans 3:23,24). All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

A dormant conscience: Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up My people as they eat bread? (verse 4). This is the sin of the dormant conscience of those who know that God is the just Judge, who must punish the violent man. Yet they work iniquity and eat up the God-fearing believers like they eat bread, without remorse or compunction (Micah 3:3). They are ignorant, or perhaps they just ignore and pretend not to know! They do not match their knowledge to their deeds! Have they no knowledge? They work iniquity in ignorance, and in ignorance they eat up God's people as though it were natural and necessary. They neither communicate with God nor call on Him to come into their lives! They are odd, and we marvel at them as Christ did at the people of Nazareth who did not believe in Him, and as a result left them and went about the surrounding villages, teaching (Mark 6:6).

And do not call on the Lord. They act without asking for God's help and blessing on what they do, or consulting Him on what they will embark on. Were they to call on Him, He would guide them in the paths of righteousness. Thus they were driven by their actions in the wrong direction.

The works of the godless are contrary to reason and good sense, which tells one that the wages of sin is death. They are against history and experience, which affirm that whatever man sows, he will also reap. Working iniquity is not a childlike mistake, but a wilful crime of an adult who says to God, Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways (Job 21:14; 22:17).

A conscience that could be aroused: There they are in great fear, for God is with the generation of the righteous (verse 5). The workers of iniquity always see the punishment they would get and the protection offered by God to the believers, because God always sets apart His holy men for Himself (Psalm 4:3). "There where they ate up His people; "there" where they thought they were eating bread; "there" where they ignored the Lord, terrible fear came upon them and horrified them, as they witnessed God rushing to protect the generation of the righteous. The more the sinner compares his terror and anxiety with the peace the believer enjoys, the more his fear increases, because he sees the effect but not the cause; he sees the help but not the Helper; he sees a hand writing on the wall but not the Writer! When Sarah, Abraham's wife, died, Abraham went to the Hittites and said, I am a foreigner and a sojourner among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead. You are a mighty prince among us, they answered him, because they saw and felt that God was with him (Genesis 23:6). Also Abimelech, the king of Gerar, together with Phicol, the commander of his army, came to Isaac to arrange a reconciliation with him, despite the fact that they had opposed and chased him out of Gerar. They said to him, We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us' (Genesis 26:28).

God always arouses the conscience of the sinner by showing him how very favourably heaven deals with the godly. This has two reasons: First, to encourage the godly; and, second, to bring the sinners to repentance. He is a God of love. Psalm 14:6 says, You shame the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge. These words arouse the conscience of the unrighteous, who shames the counsel of those who are poor in spirit. The Lord proves the counsel of the godly to be correct, because it is based on what He has revealed in His law. This divine proof makes the unrighteous reconsider himself, his thoughts and counsels, and turn back from the path of unrighteousness, and live.

Psalm 53:5 says, There they are in great fear, where no fear was, for God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you. The enemy is strong and sure of his victory, and the godly are only a handful. But the Lord turns the tide against them, pronounces His divine justice, thus destroying those who encamp against them and releasing those who are hemmed in!

God saves His people: Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! (verse 7a). Zion was the place where the ark of the covenant was located, which symbolised at least two things:

God brings back the captivity of His people: When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad (verse 7b). To bring back the captivity of someone means idiomatically to restore his losses and bring his prosperity back to him, as it was used in Job 42:10: And the Lord turned the captivity of Job (KJV). So let us ask God to bring back to us what we have forfeited by our weakness. If you have lived a life of joy and peace with the Lord, but lost it for anxiety, lack of prayer or lack of faithfulness to God, then pray: Restore to me the joy of Your salvation (Psalm 51:12). In response, God will fulfil His promise: I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they will build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them (Amos 9:14,15).

Who is the fool?

Describe the conscience of the sinner.

Behaves well: He who walks uprightly (verse 2a). Conduct is more important than words, because it is a revelation of one's faith through good deeds. This active faith is unlike the inactive faith that is devoid of deeds. "Upright" in the Hebrew (tamim) describes the flawless sacrifice. When applied to man in a general sense it means: faithful and blameless. It also describes acceptable adoration to God, and upright and honest dealings with people. The upright is perfect, accomplished, not dented or tainted. This is what God required of Abraham: Walk before Me and be blameless (Genesis 17:1), and His people: You shall be blameless before the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 18:13). Christ also repeated the same requirement: Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

These scriptures do not refer to absolute perfection, for this is an exclusively divine attribute. It is rather the blamelessness of intent and purpose, when a believer purposes with his whole heart to live for the Lord and walk uprightly.

Behaves righteously: And works righteousness (verse 2b). Righteousness is honesty, probity and justice. The one who works righteousness is the one who is honest with himself, who is conscious of his own weakness and sins, and hurries away crying out to God, God be merciful to me a sinner! (Luke 18:13). This way he takes his thirsty soul to the Lord in order to be quenched, and leads his broken heart to where it could find divine healing, praying, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit with me (Psalm 51:10). When we love ourselves we get saved, because we go to the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin. As a result we become able to love others, because the commandment says, You shall love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:31). The one who works righteousness is the one who lives out his Christian faith on the street, and deals honestly inside and outside the house of the Lord, because He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous (1 John 3:7).

Tells the truth: And speaks truth in his heart (verse 2c). Of course, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). When one is truthful at heart his mouth automatically speaks the truth. A famous expression of the Lord was Truly, truly I say to you... (John 3:3 NASB). He also said, I am... the truth (John 14:6). For this reason He commands us to be truthful and honest at heart. He said, And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). When Christ sets us free from our old life He transforms it and turns it into a new one, establishing the truth in our hearts and releasing our tongues to tell it.

There are so many lies around us: ambiguous words, harmless lies, half truths and hypocrisy. The devil is the liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).

A believer said, Before you speak, ask yourself three questions: Is it true what I will say? If so, must I say it? And if I must, how can I bring it through in a tender way that benefits the others?

Controls his tongue (verse 3): This can be seen in three things:

Does not associate with the vile: In whose eyes a vile person is despised (verse 4a). The person who dwells in the mountain of God does not associate with those who love and practice vileness, no matter what social status they may have, nor follows their example, nor condones the mistakes they make. He who dwells in the mountain of God does not, in fact, despise the vile person himself, rather the vileness that is within him. God loves the sinner, although He hates sin. When a godly person despises the vileness of the vile person he fulfils the prophetic statement: The foolish person will no longer be called generous, nor the miser said to be bountiful (Isaiah 32:5). Each one will get his due title.

Respects the godly: But he honours those who fear the Lord (verse 4b). But a generous man devises generous things, and by generosity he shall stand (Isaiah 32:8). The inhabitant of the holy mountain, who despises the vile person, honours those who fear the Lord, because the Lord has made them vessels for honour (Romans 9:21,23). He said, Those who honour Me I will honour, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed (1 Samuel 2:30). He honours them because they belong to the same spiritual family as he, and because they are like him the household of God (Ephesians 2:19). He obeys the command that exhorts him to be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another (Romans 12:10). He fulfils the statement of Christ: If anyone serves me, him My Father will honour (John 12:26). Let every believer maintain his brother's honour, and let our motto be The saints who are on the earth... in whom is all my delight (Psalm 16:3).

True to his promises: He who swears to his own hurt and does not change (verse 4c). He carries out his promises and vows even to his own detriment, because he is true to his word and promises. He has uttered them before the Lord, and committed himself to see them done. The Lord commanded His people not to break their promises (Leviticus 5:4; 27:10). The psalmist simply obeys this command.

The inhabitant of the holy mountain follows the example of God as His beloved son (Ephesians 5:1). Since God always makes good His promises to us, we ought to stick to what we promised. Many times we make promises and vows at the beginning of a new year, when we celebrate our birthday, when we go through a crisis, or after we attend a spiritual conference or a revival. Let us be true to our promises even though they cost us much, in order to be worthy of dwelling on His holy mountain. Our example in this business is Christ, who said as He came into the world, Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifice for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come -- In the volume of the Book it is written of Me -- to do Your will, O God' (Hebrews 10:5-7). He promised and kept His promise in spite of the enormous sacrifice He had to make for our sake.

He uses money sensibly (verse 5): This could be seen in two things:

The one who dwells in God's sanctuary uses his tongue wisely. Comment on this.

The one who dwells in God's sanctuary uses his money wisely. Comment on this.

God is trustworthy: Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust (verse 1). To trust means to depend on, with confidence in whom you trust. An example of this trust is shown in the way a patient surrenders to the surgeon's scalpel, or a man gives a lawyer a full power of attorney, both out of confidence. Christ prayed for the believers, Keep through Your name those whom You have given Me (John 17:11). The believer realises that the name of the Lord is a strong tower [bulwark]; the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10). Only God is the tower of salvation and deliverance, upon whom the believer calls: Show Your marvellous loving-kindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them (Psalm 17:7).

God is the Lord: My soul, you have said to the Lord, 'You are my Lord' (verse 2a). He said, Give Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your maidservant (Psalm 86:16). He also said, O Lord, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant (Psalm 116:16). David belongs to the Lord and has been called by His name. He is a self-appointed servant who says, I love my master... I will not go out free (Exodus 21:5). When he makes himself a servant to God he becomes free, safe and secure. God is our Master because He is our Creator, and our rightful Owner because He bought us by the blood of Jesus. Our knowledge of these two blessed truths makes us admit He is Lord over our lives because we are the creation of His hands, and because we are redeemed by His blood.

God is the source of goodness: My goodness is nothing apart from You (verse 2b). God Himself is the goodness of the psalmist, and it is He who gives the psalmist every good thing. Every goodness he desires is in and with God. He says, to Him, therefore, Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You (Psalm 73:25). David's confidence in the Lord shaped his thought and life pattern. His heart turns to God continually, in times of danger as well in times of safety, just as the compass turns to the north pole or iron to a magnet. He turns to God in times of temptation as well as in times of invulnerability, in times of fear as well in times of peace. God has become His point of reference all the time, therefore he says to Him, I delight to do Your will, O my God (Psalm 40:8).

The psalmist's relationship with the righteous: And to the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight (verse 3). The psalmist turns from God in His heaven to the believers on His earth, expressing that they are "my delight". He has a delightful and delighted relationship with those who love the Lord the same way he does. It is based on unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). Everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments (1 John 5:1,2).

The writer gives the righteous two titles: the saints, and the excellent ones.

- The psalmist's relationship with the unrighteous: Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; their drink offering of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names on my lips (verse 4). He speaks of the error of the unrighteous and God's punishment of them, then declares that he will keep away from their mode of worship.

The Lord is his portion: You, O Lord, are the portion of my inheritance and my cup (verse 5a). Portion and cup refer to man's share of food, drink and domicile. God fulfils all these needs for the believer. This was the case with the Levites, for God said to Aaron, You shall have no inheritance in their land nor shall you have any portion among them. Why? I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel (Numbers 18:20). Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance (Deuteronomy 10:9). The psalmist says, My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:2). And Jesus said to them. 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst' (John 6:35). Therefore the psalmist says, 'You, O Lord, are the portion of my inheritance and cup' from whom I quench my thirst. You are my lot in life. You appoint what I should experience. The cup may be bitter or sweet. When sweet, he says, My cup runs over, namely it has become full of goodness to overflowing (Psalm 23:5). As to the bitter one, Christ's attitude to it was: O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will (Matthew 26:39).

The believer finds joy as he looks up at God as his portion and cup, but many are those who are not content with the lots that God has appointed to them. Refusing the cup that the Lord offers them, they go on seeking other portions and cups, not knowing that in doing so they wrong themselves and make a very bad choice.

Afterward the psalmist says of the Lord, You maintain my lot (verse 5b). The Lord picks out the believer's portion and gives it to him, so that no one could rob him of it. When the lots are cast the Lord chooses for the believer; whether it be a job, a partner, difficult circumstances conducive to maturity, as well as comfortable circumstances that evoke thanksgiving and praise. Since the believer's destiny is in the hands of the Lord, he does not have to live under coincidence. Everything that we pass through and everything that passes by us is by divine predestination or previous appointment, and in accordance with the unfathomable divine wisdom.

The Lord chooses for him: The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance (verse 6). In the past lands were divided among the heirs by means of lines of measurement. The psalmist's lines seem to have fallen in pleasant places, namely in a delightful and fertile land, and in happy times. This verse reads in a modern translation, How pleasant it is what You have appointed to me! How beautiful is my inheritance! The ones who experience who God is know that he always chooses the best place and the best time. Sometimes we grumble because God gave a place we don't really like, or gave it to us at an inappropriate time. But after a while, when we contemplate God's dealings, we find out that He gave the best thing at the right time.

The Lord advises him: I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel (verse 7a). The psalmist gives thanks to God because He advises him continually to choose the Lord and follow Him in confidence, love and obedience. Christ is the Counsellor (Isaiah 9:6) who gives the greatest advice: As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Romans 8:14). Again God says, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye (Psalm 32:8). The prophet Jeremiah said, O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23). How much are we in need of divine direction! And how much are we in need of obeying God's direction by walking according in it.

Sometimes God offers advice that we refuse. Consequently, He reproves us and our hearts condemn us. The psalmist describes this as follows: My heart also instructs me in the night seasons (verse 7b). The ancients considered the heart to be the seat of emotions. The expression My heart instructs me means that his conscience reproached him. When the Lord advises but the believer does not take His advice, He warns him during the night, reproaching him for what he did, and convicts him through the operation of the Holy Spirit in him! The more often the believer listens to the Lord's voice, the more spiritual wisdom and inner knowledge he gains. Besides, he gets the fulfilment of the promise: Your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left hand (Isaiah 30:20,21).

The Lord establishes him: I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not moved (verse 8). After all these blessings, do you think that the psalmist would set anything else or anyone else before him other than the Lord? The Lord is "before" him, to lead and guide him. He is the example and the ideal. The Lord is also "at his right hand", to keep and protect him. A good shepherd keeps his sheep, and gives his own life watching over them. To such a Good Shepherd we say, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:68).

The object of hope: Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh shall also rest in hope (verse 9). His life here is full of God's presence, so his life there will also be. In this verse the psalmist looks forward to his eternal inheritance joyfully and confidently. His heart is glad, his soul rejoices and as his body will be covered with dust he will rest in the hope and expectation of the glorious resurrection.

Many people are scared of death, but the believer who has been established in the Lord says together with David, my flesh shall also rest in hope. Death for him is not the end, but the beginning of a new life. Christ said, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:2,3). Now we are at home in the body and are absent from the Lord, but the time will come when we will be absent from the body and be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6,8). Simeon the elder said, Lord, You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation (Luke 2:29,30). The believer does not fear for his body in death because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus comes again He will transform our lowly body to be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself (Philippians 3:21).

The cause of hope: For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption (verse 10). God did not leave Christ's body in the grave; but He rose from the dead on the third day. In His love He allows the believer to say the same words concerning His eternity, for what happened to Christ is the cause and basis for what will happen to us. Christ illuminated our lives and our eternity through the gospel (2 Timothy 1:10). Christ said, Because I live, you will live also (John 14:9). The believer's present is wonderful, but his future is even more wonderful. The believer's tomorrow is better than today, and his future than his present, because he builds his hope on the resurrection of Christ, the Son of David, which is the earnest and surety our resurrection.

The psalm is a prophecy concerning Christ's resurrection, for David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, died, was buried with his fathers and saw corruption. Christ however, was raised by God, saw no corruption; and when he comes to our world, the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible (Acts 2:25; 13:35-38; 1 Corinthians 15:52).

Knowing the path of life: This takes place as God leads him into a life of deep and intimate fellowship with God, which is the only life that deserves to be called "life", because this is the kind of life that Christ came to give freely to His beloved ones: I have come that they may have life and, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10). For he who keeps instruction is in the way of life (Proverbs 10:17). The path of life does not mean the path to life, but the way we live and walk, which is the way of righteousness. In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death (Proverbs 12:28).

Fullness of joy: Sin makes man run away from God's presence and says, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself (Genesis 3:10). Sorrow is mixed with joy in the lives of human beings, but the Lord turns the sorrow in a believer's life into joy. The person who gets to know the path of life with God becomes filled with joy, because a godly heart can contain that kind of joy. He gets filled with the joy of forgiveness, sanctification, the knowledge of God, trust, peace and confidence. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35:10).

Pleasures forevermore: The Lord's strong hand stretches out to provide and give peace. His pleasures are everlasting: the pleasure of adoption, forgiveness and eternal life. All these begin here and now, and they never end! True, there are pleasures that do not last forever, because the day will come when we will stop eating and our physical possessions will cease. The Lord, however, grants His pleasures to His beloved ones both in this age and in the age to come!

In Psalm 16:1-2 David describes his relationship with God in three ways. What are these ways?

In Psalm 16:9,10 David describes his eternity. Give a summary of this.

The Lord hears the just cause: Hear a just cause, O Lord, attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer that is not from deceitful lips (verse 1). The psalmist makes his weak voice to be heard to the powerful God in three different expressions: "hear", "attend" and "give ear". He does not want his requests to be lost in the noise of his enemies' unjust acts, nor does he want his voice to be weak when it reaches the ears of his just Judge. Prayer is pouring out one's soul (1 Samuel 1:15), and pouring out one's heart (Psalm 62:8). In his supplication David does not base his cry on his self-righteousness, nor on his absolute innocence of all evil. Psalm 51 shows us very clearly how he hurried to confess his sin as soon as he recognised it, due to the sensitivity of his conscience. Under the given circumstances of this psalm he speaks of a specific situation in which he was blameless, when the reviling enemy was in hot pursuit after him though he was innocent. He cried out for help and rescue on account of being innocent in that particular situation. His whole life was not flawless, but he could say here, If I regard any iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me! (Psalm 66:18-20). David's cause was valid, because he was right. He could say, Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me (Psalm 7:8). He knew that he was addressing the just Judge as he said, You sat on the throne judging in righteousness (Psalm 9:4).

The psalmist prays as a child who cries out to his father for help. The prayer of the innocent does not deserve to be heard on its own merits; rather it becomes accepted due to the fact that it is directed to the loving Father and just Judge.

The Lord justifies: Let my vindication come from Your presence; Your eyes look on the things that are upright (verse 2a). By this David means to account for the basis of his right attitude, which is justice. It is God who places him side by side with the righteous. There are two Hebrew words for righteousness in the Old Testament; the first yosher describes righteousness in the sight of men, whereas the second zedeq or zdaqah describes righteousness in the sight of God. The Bible uses the first one in speaking of Job: This man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil [yashar] (Job 1:1). Men saw Job's devoutness, uprightness, equity and righteousness. Righteousness in God's sight is spoken of in Bible in these terms: He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness [zdaqah] from the God of his salvation (Psalm 24:5). The Lord says concerning this righteousness, My righteousness [zedeq] is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples (Isaiah 51:5).

David said to God, Your eyes look on the things that are upright [mesharim] (verse 2b). God's eyes look not only on upright things but upright people as well. Who is upright among people except those who take refuge in Christ's atonement and are recognised by God as acceptable? Atonement in Hebrew means covering and concealing, of which the Bible says, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile (Psalm 32:1,2). For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23,24). Let us confess our sins and take refuge in Christ's righteousness because: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). At this point we can say to the Lord, Your eyes look on the things that are upright and depend on Christ's righteousness.

The Lord examines: You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I purposed that my mouth shall not transgress (verse 3). As the writer went to bed thoughts began to swirl around his head, and he reviewed the things that happened to him during the day. So he lifted his face up to God thanking Him that He kept him from evil, that it might not cause him pain. The Lord tested the heart of His prophet: The righteous God tests the hearts and minds... For You, O God, have proved us. You have refined us as silver is refined... My heart also instructs me in the night seasons (Psalm 7:9; 66:10; 16:7). Examination proved the psalmist's attitude to be right in action and speech. It seems the David wanted to say, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You (John 21:17). If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God (1 John 3:21). God tested the words of His prophet and found that his mouth does not transgress, like those in whose mouth there was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God (Revelations 14:5).

The Lord protects: Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept myself from the paths of the destroyer. Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip (verses 4,5). The writer compared himself with others and found that he obeyed God, rejected the path of the destructive people who treat others cruelly and harmfully, who rob and who shed blood (Ezekiel 18:10). He neither made friends with them nor imitated their actions, because their ways are the opposite of his way of life. He followed the wise way which the wise man recommends: Remove your foot from evil (Proverbs 4:27) and took Paul's advice: Abstain from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). As he stood in the Lord's presence, and was cleansed by His word, he said, Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip (verse 5). If we want the Lord's help we ought to watch our steps. It is not the outer things that disturb the believers, but their inner deviation and perversion. The psalmist keeps himself from evil through the word of the Lord, that he may not sin (Psalm 119:11). The word of the Lord is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) and it will be said to anyone who holds fast to it, I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one (1 John 2:14).

The Lord is the only Deliverer: I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Show Your marvellous loving-kindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings (verses 6-8). It is wonderful to turn to God out of our experience of His faithfulness, goodness and love, which are borne out by the fact that He responded when we called. In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul (Psalm 138:3). This how the answering God always responds, because He is unchangeable and we are needy. Therefore we say, Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. It is wonderful be a member of a believing family, and glory in the fact that you are the spiritual descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This means that we have an old heritage of answered prayers. If we don't have such a spiritual heritage in our families, we can, through the grace of God, start that heritage in our families today. Say to God, Work on me first!

Then the psalmist says, Show Your marvellous loving-kindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them (verse 7). He asks for a special and extraordinary intervention of divine loving-kindness because he has a great need and God's power is greater. God's right hand is powerful, wise, experienced by the sons of men, strong and always near. Show Your marvellous loving-kindness to the intellect so that it may be released from ignorance, and to the heart so that its fears may be dispersed. God must show His marvellous loving-kindness right in time of need, for he has saved, still saves and will save those who trust in Him.

It is noteworthy in this prayer that it focuses on divine love before it focuses on the wickedness of the enemies. When we adopt this right attitude we learn not to focus our prayers on the problem, but to keep our minds away from the difficulty and look up to the author and finisher of our faith, who will solve our problems with His love and power.

The psalmist says, Keep me as the apple of Your eye (verse 8a). When we ask a big favour we go to someone we trust much, and know that he cherishes us just as much. The more you realise the place you have in God's heart the bolder your request will be. The psalmist asks God to regard him as the apple of His eye, which is the most tender and precious part that needs care and concern. No doubt David recollected Moses' words when he expounded to the people the experiences of the wilderness in the barren desert of Sinai: He [God] encircled him [the people of Israel], He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye (Deuteronomy 32:10). It is a true saying that he who touches you touches the apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8).

The psalmist expresses his confidence in God's love, saying, Hide me under the shadow of Your wings (verse 8b). This is a creative expression of a mother's care for her little ones, such as a hen would do (Matthew 23:37). How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings (Psalm 36:7). For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take my refuge, until these calamities have passed by (Psalm 57:1). Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice (Psalm 63:7).

The psalmist's enemies are bad and cruel (verses 9-12): They "oppress" and destroy the body, and "surround" and encircle the psalmist to fill his life with terror. They have cruel hearts and no mercy. They have closed up their fat hearts. Their speech spells out their pride. They follow him wherever he goes, and watch him closely to knock him down! They are like a lion that is eager to tear its prey apart, and as a young lion lurking in the secret places. They just do what their chief does- because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). They not only attack the psalmist, but all the assembly of the Lord. This is why he says, ...oppress me (verse 9) and, surround us (verse 11).

Since he is sure that the Lord is his only Deliverer, and is confident in His care for him and protection of him, he turns to Him with all his heart, crying out to Him because of the menacing enemies who surround him and want to prey on him with merciless and malicious hearts.

The psalmist's enemies deny God's favour: Arise, O Lord, confront him, cast him down; deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, with Your hand from men, O Lord, from men of the world who have their portion in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure (verses 13,14). Arise, O Lord to confront the enemy. Confront him that he may admit You are the Almighty and the Most High. Cast him down as a lion casts down its prey. Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, which is Your word, for You speak and it is done, You command and it comes into being. God's word delivers the psalmist from anxiety, fear and danger. Often the wicked believes he is ahead us and that he has everything under control. Has not Saul rallied a whole army against one man-- David? But the Lord goes before the believer, turning the tide against the wicked, who believes he is something, who proves to be nothing at the end.

Whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure [good gifts]. Yet they alienate themselves from the truth and fill their hearts with the love of the world. They are in a far country, away from God, wasting their possessions with prodigal living, not wanting to live with God, and reluctant to return to Him in repentance. They enjoy His good gifts but refuse to acknowledge His authority! They said to God, 'Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?' (Job 22:17). Christ said, For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Paul says to those who deny God's grace, Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? (Romans 2:4).

He declares his joy in the Lord here on earth: As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness (verse 15a). What a great difference there is between someone who loves the Lord and someone who absents himself from Him. Sin hides God's face from us, but when Christ justifies us we look into His face, thus receiving the fulfilment of His word: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). Because ...having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1,2).

There is a world of difference between the destiny of the persecuted wicked believer and the persecutor. The believer obtains his portions from the Lord and dwells in God's precious presence eternally, whereas the wicked receives his good things here in his earthly life, and is headed for everlasting destruction. The believer compares his spiritual aspirations with those of the wicked, without complaining of the earthly prosperity of the latter, because he recognises that his ultimate goal is to see God's face, even if he has to wait patiently on Him. The righteousness he receives from God makes him belong to God, while sin separates him from God. Moses enjoyed God, and God said of him, I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the Lord (Numbers 12:8).

He declares his joy in the Lord in eternity: I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness (verse 15b). The calamities that passed by seemed like a long night, but he awoke afterward to be filled with the likeness of the Lord, which designates a renewal of his relationship with Him. He says elsewhere, When I awake I am still with You (Psalm 139:18). His being in the presence of the Lord is a living experience, a reality not an illusion. A day will come when he will be translated from this earthly life into a happy eternity. As his body is lowered down into the earth his soul will be expecting Christ's second coming to the earth to raise the dead. This translation is called "sleep", from which the believer wakes up to find himself in the radiant presence of the Lord He says, I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

Today one reads the words of the psalmist in the light of the New Testament and sees them fulfilled in the words of the Apostle: For in it [the gospel of Christ] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.' (Romans 1:17). The gospel is the declaration of the way of salvation.

These words were also fulfilled in the incarnation of Christ the Saviour, for he who has seen Him has seen the Father (John 14:9).

All these will be completely fulfilled when Christ comes again: We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads (Revelations 22:4). Yes, Christ will come, and will transform out lowly body, that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself (Philippians 3:21).

According to Psalm 17:1-5 God did four things to David. What are they?

In Psalm 17:15 David mentions two reasons for his joy. Mention them and comment briefly on each of them.

In Psalm 18:2 the psalmist says seven things about God. Record them.

In Psalm 18:21-23 the psalmist makes three vows. What are they?

The object of nature's discourse: Nature glorifies the Lord and tells us about Him.

The characteristics of nature's discourse:

Mankind, however, needs a stronger and more satisfactory revelation. Even if nature's revelation to man before the fall was satisfactory, it is no more satisfactory to the sinner who needs to be reconciled to God. Therefore, man in his fallen and lost state paid homage to the sun, the moon and the stars. Sin separates man from God, and man is left with a need for someone to guide him to a way of reconciliation with God. For this reason God reveals the way to salvation as He speaks to us in His inspired word, as well as in the person of Jesus Christ, who is the living word of God. Jesus is the sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2). And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth... And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace (John 1:14,16).

The characteristics of God's word (verses 7-9)

The work of the word of God (verses 7-9)

The importance of the words of God: More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward (verse 10,11).

He begs God to keep him from three sins:

The psalmist asks God to appoint him to do what is acceptable to Him: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord my strength and redeemer (verse 14). The psalmist considers his prayer, whether in secret or in public, as a sacrifice he lifts up to God: Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as evening sacrifice (Psalm 141:2). The prophet Hosea ordered the people to pray, saying, Take away all iniquity; receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips (Hosea 14:2).

In this prayer the psalmist asks God's approval first of his words, and second of his thoughts. The reason for this is that the people around him listen to what he says and judge him and God's grace within him according to the words he utters, For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:37). The meditation of his heart, however, is something that only he and God know. But since God reveals His character through the believers' actions, the psalmist asks for God's approval of the audible and visible things he does, although they are the result of the hidden and inward things of the heart. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). Hence, God said, I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one accord... The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth (Zephaniah 3:9,13). As God told King Solomon to ask whatever he wanted, his request was an expression of the meditation of his heart, because Solomon's heart was pondering over his prospective ministry. Also as the prophet Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit, he foresaw the responsibility that was to be given him. Suppose we were allowed to ask whatever we would like to have. Would we say, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and redeemer?

In this request the psalmist ascribes two attributes to God: (1) "My strength" on whom I depend for victory, and to whom I refer as authority over my life. He is the One who gives me victory and helps me overcome my troubles and sins. (2) "My Redeemer" my overseer, who has full control of my life and gives me victory to overcome my troubles and my sins.

What a great honour it is for man to take part, together with nature and the law, in offering a clear testimony of God in the midst of the community in which he lives. Do you have such a radiant testimony of God? Do those who see your work glorify your Father in heaven?

Psalm 19 says that God declares himself in three ways. What are they?

In Psalm 19:12-13 the psalmist asks God to save him from three sins. What are they?

A request for defence in time of trouble: May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you (verse 1). He rallies the whole nation together with one accord and in one voice to sing an harmonious song, asking for an answer. Hence we learn that prayer is a prophylactic procedure; we should not delay prayer till trouble is already upon us, but pray even before the day of trouble comes, so that God would not lead us into harmful things! The prayer of today blesses tomorrow. God truly encourages us to seek Him in the day of trouble (Psalm 50:15), yet this does not mean that we should do so only in times of trouble.

Many people pray as a reaction to the challenges of life that face them, but it is a happy man who prays daily and continually, making prayer the motto of his life: But I give myself to prayer (Psalm 109:4). Confident of Christ's words, Without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5), he depends on Christ who enables him to do all things (Philippians 4:13). Christ our Saviour went through a time of grief, turned it into a prayer-time and prayed even more earnestly during His struggle, so that His sweat fell down like drops of blood on the ground, and an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen Him. Having fulfilled our salvation, He gained victory on our behalf (Luke 22:43,44).

The people pray to the "God of Jacob" to defend their king above difficulties and enemies, lest he dash his foot against a stone (Psalm 91:21), believing that it is the "name of the God of Jacob" that defends. The name of someone denotes their personal characteristics. For God is a God who works through history, of whom Jacob said that he answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone (Genesis 35:3). God must do the same thing to the king who is going out to war. God's name is still a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10).

The God of Jacob is the God of the covenant who promised Jacob deliverance and blessing (Genesis 28:12-15), who also must fulfil His promise to the descendants of Jacob.

When Elijah was taken up to heaven, his disciple Elisha wondered, Where is the Lord the God of Elijah? and when he had struck the water, it divided this way and that way, and Elisha crossed over (2 Kings 2:14). God had opened before him a way that no one can shut. How blessed he is to fall back on the God of his fathers, as Paul wrote to Timothy, I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also (2 Timothy 1:5).

A request for help and strengthening from the place of worship: May He send you help from His sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion (verse 2). It was as if they said to the king, Our leader, you have come to the house of the Lord to worship Him; you knelt down before Him, waited for His blessing, so the blessing will surely come from His sanctuary.

When we go into the house of the Lord we find blessing, therefore we say, I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord' (Psalm 122:1). For then we will willingly apply the Apostle's command: not forgetting the assembling of ourselves together... but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

A request for accepting worship: May He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice (verse 3). In the original Hebrew the verb "accept" used here means to find fat, namely acceptable. So the king not only lifted up his prayers in the house of the Lord, but also offered up the best of the fat and flawless animals as sacrifices and offerings to God. He burnt all the fat on the altar, which was the best part of the sacrifice. They call upon God to accept the sacrifices of the king, by which he intended to have access to God. May God look upon the king with favour since he completed the divine commandment: Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given him (Deuteronomy 16:16,17).

Today we take our protection from the atonement of the greatest sacrifice, the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the burnt offering, since He was burning to redeem us and finish our salvation as He said, I thirst! (John 19:28). My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46). As He completed his sacrifice, He said, It is finished! (John 19:30).

A request for success: May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfil all your purpose (verse 4). If you ask anything in My name, I will do it (John 14:14). Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (1 John 5:14). May He grant you according to your heart's desire because your heart's desires are after God's heart, and because your purpose is in harmony with His own. Saint Augustine states, When you do God's will as your own, God does your will as His own for the desire of the righteous will be granted (Proverbs 10:24).

Let us check our purposes, dreams and visions for our economical, scientific, social and spiritual life, and see if they are consistent with God's will, knowing that such consistency is the guarantee for God's answer.

A request for joy: We will rejoice in Your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners (verse 5). The salvation in which we will rejoice is the perfect redemption which Christ finished on the cross. For that reason we pray to God to lift up the banner of the cross of His love, so that believers may understand more and more the significance of divine love, and renew their commitment with God continually, because the love of Christ constrains them (2 Corinthians 5:14). They love Him because He first loved them (1 John 4:19).

The Israelites meant by salvation, above all, salvation from a fighting enemy. So when the Lord rescued them from danger and answered their five requests for their king, they lifted up verses of thanksgiving to Him who hears prayer. Oh, how much we need to learn how to thank! We often succeed and rejoice in our success to such an extent that we forget our teacher who taught us, or our parents who laboured with us through the school-year. Little children often forget, and we often remain children in spirituality when we rejoice in the gift rather than in the Giver, and celebrate the victory but forget all about the victory-giver!

The answer comes from the Almighty God: Now I know that the Lord saved His anointed; He will answer Him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand (verse 6). This part is a solo that was sung by the choir leader, or a priest, confirming to the people that God answered their prayers. The word "anointed" refers to the king as being anointed with holy oil for consecration and dedication to the special ministry God assigned him to do (2 Corinthians 1:21). The Mosaic law stated that people, places and vessels could be anointed (Exodus 40:9; Numbers 7:1,10), as well as priests (Exodus 28:41), prophets (1 Chronicles 16:22) and kings (2 Samuel 19:10). When the psalmist says that the Lord saved His anointed he means that God saves everyone He chooses for a special ministry, for no one goes to war at his own expense (1 Corinthians 9:7).

I have never in my life seen a dedicated full-time minister for whom the Lord has not graciously provided. I do not mean preachers only, but everyone who renders a service to God, no matter how small and simple it may be, such as giving a cup of cold water to a thirsty soul (Matthew 10:42) or cleaning the church. God will never be in debt for a man. I invite you to serve God whole-heartedly, no matter how small your service is, and you will see how He will richly bless you and how He will answer you from His holy heaven with comprehensive salvation with the saving strength of His right hand. God's salvation from sin is mighty. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18). His salvation from the malicious intrigues of the enemies is also mighty. They will surely be repelled and fall down, and the believer will surely be delivered.

There are two sources of power: Some trust in chariots and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God (verse 6). The leader mentioned two sources of power: The first was used by the enemy, and the second was used by the Lord's people. The enemy depended on his chariots and horses because they are visible to him, just as Pharaoh (Exodus 14) and Sennacharib (2 Kings 19:23) did. The people of the Lord, on the other hand, trusted the Lord, remembering Him always because He is the only who does not disappoint those who wait for Him, even if their physical eyes do not see Him (Isaiah 49:23). This is what David said to Goliath, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the Lord of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied (1 Samuel 17:45). This is also what the Lord has commanded the people of Israel to do through Moses: So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. And he shall say to them, 'Hear O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies; do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble and do not be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, and save you.' (Deuteronomy 20:2-4). The enemies of the Lord may be on top while His people are down, but that won't continue. The victory of God and those who belong to Him is as sure as the daybreak.

There are two different results from trusting either one of the two sources of power: They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright (verse 8). It seems that the countenance of the believers fell down, or they fell down literally before the enemy, but the Lord delivered them, and they stood up from the bowed position. God's community must lift up its head: But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head (Psalm 3:3).

The sinner may prosper at the beginning, but the final victory belongs to the Lord and His people. Yes, there is a cross, but there must come resurrection and ascension. The cross cannot be the end.

In Psalm 20:1-5 the psalmist asks for five blessings to be given to his leader. Mention them.

Psalm 20:8 says, They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. Please comment.