Meditations on the Psalms

Five reasons made the psalmist pray:

The psalmist asks six requests:

Four things God did to the psalmist in the past:

The psalmist suffers from inner trouble: Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eye wastes away with grief(verse 9a). His eyes sank deep in their sockets because of too much grief, and could no longer be visible. My soul and my body (verse 9b). The Hebrew says, My soul and my stomach. He has so many spasms that he cannot eat. He could no longer enjoy anything, therefore he said, Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble. His life wasted away with sorrow, and his years with sighing. My strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away (verse 10b). He wonders: How long will Saul run after me? You promised me, Lord, when I was still young to become King. But all those years I have been running from one place to another. Will I have a sound body when I assume the throne to lead the people? Lord, my whole body is tired! When we fail under the weight of physical pains and emotional problems, let us lift up this supplication.

The psalmist suffers from outer trouble: I am a reproach among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and am repulsive to my acquaintances; those who see me outside flee from me(verse 11). Because Saul persecuted him no one wanted to have anything to do with him, for they feared the king's anger. He may question them and their friends and their acquaintances, or he may persecute and even kill them, as he did the priests in Nob (1 Samuel 22:18).

David was troubled by his enemies, his neighbours and acquaintances! He had no more refuge among men, so he had to turn to God for refuge, who never refuses any refugee. Oh, how we thank God for Christ who suffered and was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin, is able to help all those who are tempted. He said when Judas sold Him, Peter denied Him and all His disciples left him and ran away, You...will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the father is with Me (John 16:32).

The psalmist is troubled by the people's evaluation of him: I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel(verse 12). He was like a dead man, with no one wanting to mention his name, just as Job said of himself, My relatives have failed, and my close friends have forgotten me (Job 19:14). Saul's secret police trailed him everywhere to arrest him. He became like a broken, useless vessel, good only for throwing out of the window. The most dangerous thing is to lose one's self-confidence!

The psalmist is troubled by the people's speech and actions: For I heard the slander of many; fear is on every side; while they take counsel together against me, they scheme to take away my life(verse 13). Although David was as god as dead, people banded together against him to insult him. They showed the cruelty of the serpent's seed! The prophet Jeremiah said, For I heard many mocking: 'Fear on every side!'...But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome one. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten...Sing to the Lord! For He has delivered the life of the poor from the land of evil-doers (Jeremiah 20:10-13).

The psalmist still has a glimmer of hope in the midst of complaint: But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me for Your mercies' sake(verses 14-16). David complained because his enemies reviled and defamed him, so that he lost confidence. Yet they could not make him lose his relationship with the Lord, nor his dependence on his God. He affirmed, I trust in You. David based his hope on two things:

Because of these two reasons he asked the Lord for three things:

No doubt the psalmist was pondering over the believer's blessings promised in the priestly benediction: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

The psalmist asks for the evildoers to be punished: Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You; let the wicked be ashamed; let them be silent in the grave. Let the lying lips be put to silence, which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous(verses 17,18). The psalmist had already asked God never to let him be ashamed (verse 1), rather that the wicked should be ashamed. He asked for his times to be in the hand of the Lord (verse 15) and for the wicked to die and be silent in their graves. He asked for his tongue to be released to praise, and that the liars who mock him shut up. He asked the Lord to be his rock and fortress (verse 3), and that the lips of the proud and contemptuous be silenced.

I believe that the New Testament believers should not pray for the punishment of the wicked, but for their repentance. Abraham Lincoln said, I kill my enemies by turning them into friends.

His goodness is a treasure for those who fear Him: Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!(verse 19). This is the shout of triumph; whenever the weary thinks of God's goodness and generosity he overcomes his troubles; because God's goodness is a treasure laid up for those who need it, those who turn to Him at all times. It is preserved for the believer, and the believer is preserved for it (1 Peter 1:4,5). To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat (Revelations 2:17). There are blessings preserved and hidden by the Lord for the believers, and there are blessings laid open. There are blessings in this present age and blessings in the one to come. Men will see in public what the Lord has given the believers in secret. All who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed (Isaiah 61:9). David likewise said, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies (Psalm 23:5).

His goodness guards those who fear Him: You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues(verse 20). In the hiding place of God's presence there is light that darkness cannot comprehend. The psalms list several places where God hides His children, so that the plots of the wicked should not overtake them. They are the secret place of His tabernacle (Psalm 27:5), the shelter of His wings (Psalm 61:4), the secret place of the Most High (Psalm 91:1), and the secret place of His presence.

His goodness corrects the course of those who fear him: Blessed be the Lord, for He has shown me His marvellous kindness in a strong city! For I said in my haste, 'I am cut off from before Your eyes'; nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to You(verses 21,22). Here the believer corrects his course. He thought he was cut off from before the eyes of the Lord, because Saul was chasing him and he could settle down anywhere. He finally hit bottom, and said, My life wasted away with sorrow, and my years with sighing (verse 10). Jonah has the same experience. He said, I have been cast out of Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple (Jonah 2:4). The divine goodness and heavenly loving-kindness have done marvellous things for him. After declaring God's goodness he wanted to act in a way that suits this goodness. It had dawned on him how wrong he was to assume that God forgot him, because he had established his assumption on wrong information. The more the believer ponders the divine goodness the more good thoughts he develops concerning God. God has never forgotten or forsaken His children.

Love God: Love the Lord, all you His saints!(verse 23a). The first and the greatest commandments is: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might and (Jesus added) with all your mind (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37). He who loves the Lord obeys Him, reads His word, speaks with Him and follow His example. Let the mind of Christ be in us.

The psalmist gives two reasons for loving the Lord:

Be of good courage: Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord(verse 24). Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear. Behold, your God will come with vengeance with the recompense of God; He will come and save you' (Isaiah 35:3,4).

The psalmist rounds this psalm off with the same thing with which he rounded off Psalm 27: An exhortation to hope in the Lord. All those who hope in the Lord receive strength from Him, and lack no good thing. Let us hope in the Lord, into whose hand we commit our spirit.

In Psalm 31:1-8 the psalmist mentions five things that motivated him to pray. List them.

In Psalm 31:15-16 the psalmist asked God for three things. List them and comment on each of them briefly.

Confession is the basis for receiving the joy of salvation: 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(verse 1,2). The first psalm blessed the man who does not sin, but Solomon said in the prayer inaugurating the temple, There is no one who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46). So it was necessary to bless the one who repents of his sin so that God might forgive him. How happy is he to whose account the Lord does not charge any sin, since he confessed it and repented of it. How unhappy is he who prays, God, I thank You that I am not like other men! How happy is the confessor who prays, God be merciful to me a sinner! (Luke 18:9-14) because he experiences the statement that says, For this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all long-suffering, as pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life (1 Timothy 1:16). Forgiveness turns the hell of the sinner into everlasting joy. The psalmist describes alienation from God using three words:

The misery of not confessing: When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groanings all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer(verses 3,4). When the psalmist sinned he refused to confess his sin to himself, to God, and to the ones he offended. The more you try to hide your sin the fiercer the fires of guilt roar up inside you. But God did not leave David to the misery of failing to confess, out of love for him, and inflicted a heavy punishment on him, which awakened his conscience and led to the confession of his sin. He appears to have contracted fever, so that he started to groan like a wounded lion: But a broken spirit dries the bones (Proverbs 17:22). The psalmist has separated himself from the source of living water, and for that reason his vitality was turned into the drought of a scorching hot summer. Both his emotional and physical pains were enormous, ongoing and incurable- until he confessed. How wretched is he who does not confess his iniquity, and how happy is he who does so. In a quite similar situation David said, For Your arrows pierced me deeply, and Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor is there any health in my bones because of my sin (Psalm 38:2,3). Truly, He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy (Proverbs 28:13).

Confession brings forgiveness: I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin(verse 5). How happy is the soul that makes a complete and candid confession, because it experiences God's forgiveness and is completely transformed. Tertullian said, The less you pardon yourself the more God pardons you. God took the weight of his iniquity away from the psalmist's shoulders and set him at the glorious liberty of the sons of God (Romans 8:21).

A call for confession: For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance(verses 6,7). Since confession of sin is the foundation of the joy of being forgiven, and since failing to confess leads to misery, the godly who fears God and prays to God seeking forgiveness at any time will find Him, and this time is now! Behold, now is an acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation...Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts (2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:7-8). Christ promised, The one who comes to me I will by no means cast out (John 6:37). God said, Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:22). It is now! But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time (Psalm 69:13). The chance may be lost forever, and then they will hear God say, Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer...They would have none of my counsel (Proverbs 1:28,30). The psalmist lists four blessings the confessor got:

Failing to confess puts God's plan on hold: I will instruct you and teach in the way you should go(verse 8a). As a response to the prayer of the confessing sinner God imparts to him a word of teaching and instruction. God has designed a good plan for the life of each one of us. He also teaches and instructs us in His ways, advising us while we walk in them, and observing and following us with His loving eyes. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way...Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses (Psalm 25:8,12).

God calls with the voice of love to reclaim us to Himself through a sermon we hear in church, an accident trauma, a loss of money, a betrayal by a friend, a Bible verse that shakes our heart and emotions, or through the example and model of a good friend. God says that through all these I will guide you with My eye (verse 8b) because He wants us to take a straight path, with our full choice, under His leading and mercy. But when we disobey His voice, continue to sin and not confess or repent, we put His good plan for our lives on hold.

Failing to confess ravages the psychic powers: Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they would not come near you(verse 9). This is a warning to him who ignores God's plan and refuse to obey Him. He becomes like a stubborn mule, and a horse that bolts. People put bit and bridle in the mouth of a horse or a mule for decoration and direction, so that the animal might submit to its master. Likewise, if man does not come near God and obeys Him willingly and readily, he becomes like an unruly animal that needs bit and bridle to follow the command of its master, lest it should come near him, attack him, and do him harm. Man who is in honour, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish (Psalm 49:20).

We are in no need for a bit because God gave us minds. Yet, when we walk in ignorance and stubbornness like animals God uses hardships on us to bring us back to Him. Let us not be as insubordinate as Cain, to whom God said, Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door (Genesis 4:6,7). But Cain did not do well! Let us not be as stubborn as Balaam who disobeyed the Lord and loved the wages of unrighteousness, for which he was rebuked on account of his transgression. It was a dumb donkey with human voice that prevented his folly (Numbers 22; 2 Peter 2:15,16).

The sorrows of the wicked are numerous: Many are the sorrows of the wicked(verse 10a). No one sorrow, but successive sorrows! I wonder if sin is worth all the price paid for it? For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26). How many are the sorrows of the wicked which he incurred on himself because of his resistance to the divine will, and his refusal to confess his sin, although God calls him for repentance time and time again! Sadly, Satan comes and snatches away what has been planted in his heart (Matthew 13:19).

The mercies of the righteous are great: But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him(verse 10b). He trusts in the Lord who walks in the light of God's word, depends on the divine promises, obeys the heavenly directions. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, (Psalm 23:6), he says. Goodness and mercy are two guardian angels who follow the believer. When a man confesses and repents he becomes just and righteous, having a right standing with God. A man as such says, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1). His heart is right now because he has a right attitude toward God, just like the tax-collector who prayed, God be merciful to me a sinner! and went back home justified (made just and righteous), with a right heart. This sinner and those like him is surrounded by mercies on all sides, therefore he rejoices and delights in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4), and the joy of the Lord becomes his strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Many people seek earthly mercies; such as health, children, finances and peace of mind. But they are in a much more dire need of seeking the kingdom of God first and His righteousness, so that God may add all these things to them (Matthew 6:33). The beginning of seeking the kingdom is the confession of sin, asking for forgiveness, and having a right standing with God.

Write down four reasons for confessing our sins to God.

List two dangers in not confessing our sins to God.

A description of the praisers:

The instruments of the praisers: Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings(verse 2). Believers join all God's creation in singing to and praising Him, for the mountains sing (Isaiah 55:12), and the tress of the woods sing (1 Chronicles 16:33), the valleys sing (Psalm 65:13), as well as the morning stars together with all the sons of God (Job 38:7). In the book of Revelation we read about the songs of the 144 thousand believers, on whose foreheads the name of the Lord has been written, playing on their harps and singing a new song before the throne (Revelations 14:1-5).

In praise there are words, a melody, voices and musical instruments:

Because of His rightness and justice: For the word of the Lord is right, and His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord(verses 4,5). God's words and actions are right and faithful, and both reveal His good will. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is n variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17). This is why they shout for Him: Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face (Psalm 89:14). Nature testifies to His faithfulness by the trustworthiness of its laws- you can always depend on the law of gravity and utilise it in your life. The trustworthiness of God's laws teaches us that His faithfulness if absolute and that He is abounding in goodness and truth (Exodus 34:6).

Because of His great power: By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth(verse 6). God created the heavens and all the stars and the angels in them. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:3). Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know? (Proverbs 30:4,5). "The hosts of the heavens" are the sun, the moon and the stars. They move along as a disciplined army in obedience to God's command: Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things...by the greatness of His might the strength of His power; not one is missing (Isaiah 40:26).

He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap(verse 7a). In the beginning the waters covered the dry land, and God said, 'Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear'; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas (Genesis 1:9,10). Can anyone make the waters stand like a wall? God alone can do that through His righteous and true prophets: He did so through Moses, Joshua, Elijah and Elisha. At the time of the Exodus Moses stretched out his hand over the [red] sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left (Exodus 14:21,22). They said later in the praise of deliverance, With the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together; the floods stood upright like a mound; and the depths congealed in the heart of the sea (Exodus 15:8). When it was time to cross the Jordan river and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan [river], and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped into the edge of the water (for the river overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest),...the waters...stood still, and rose in a heap (Joshua 3:15,16). As for Elijah, he took his mantle, rolled up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them [that is Elijah and Elisha] crossed over on dry ground (2 Kings 2:8). When Elisha took Elijah's mantle, he went to the Jordan river and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over (2 Kings 2:14).

He lays up the deep in storehouses(verse 7b). The psalmist means that the great God stores up the waters in the clouds, the seas and the oceans to use them at the time He wants to accomplish His purposes, just as was said that on the time of the Flood of Noah all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened (Genesis 7:11). God challenged Job, Have you entered the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? (Job 38:22,23).

Because of the universality of His authority: Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the earth stand in awe of Him. For He spoke and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast(verses 8,9). God created the universe and everything in it by a word from Him. The psalmist demands that all the inhabitants of the earth should acknowledge His authority, which extends to cover the whole earth, not only His people; and he asks all the nations of the earth to fear the Lord, because the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). All the inhabitants of the earth, whether righteous or unrighteous, enjoy God's gifts, and all of them have to fear Him and praise Him because He looks after them and keeps them safe by means of His miracles every day. Have we ever had to do without the sun, or have ever we lacked oxygen in the air? If we just think over the miracles He performs with us we will urge each other earnestly, saying, Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.

Because of the wisdom of His administration: The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations(verses 10,11). There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the Lord's counsel- that will stand (Proverbs 19:21). The hearts, the plans and the decisions of the world leaders are in His hand. They think and plot, but the Lord plans and arranges. If their thoughts contradict His, their counsels come to no effect and their plans dissolve, because they are evil. God brought the evil counsel of Ahithophel to nothing (2 Samuel 15:31; 17:23), brought the plans of the unrighteous Haman down on his head (Esther 8:7). But His own counsel stands forever and His plans to all generations, because they are plans of love; and love never fails. Our good God plans for all the inhabitants of the earth as a loving Father. How great is this praiseworthy God!

The writer of Psalm 2 wondered, Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed...He who sits in the heaven shall laugh (verses 1-4). They are like mob of little children wanting to knock down a mountain! The desires of the loving heart of God will come true, and the evils will be defeated! Be shattered, O you people, and be broken in pieces! Give ear, all you from far countries. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us (Isaiah 8:9,10).

They praise the All-wise: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance. 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(verses 12-15). God created all mankind, and he watches them and knows all their works and the plans of their hearts; He takes care of them, makes His sun shine, and pours down rain on them. Among them is His chosen creation, the ones who have a special place in His heart because He chose them as His own precious inheritance; He will never dispose of them or replace them. The elect are those who received Jesus as their Saviour: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born...of God (John 1:12). God extends a general invitation to all people, saying, Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! (Isaiah 45:22). Everyone who accepts this invitation becomes a member of the chosen family of God who received Him as Saviour, for whom Christ prayed in His intercessory prayer: And for their sake I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified by the truth (John 17:19). He dedicated Himself to the body of believers, so that they should become His body. Let them shout for joy and gratitude because they belong to Him, that they are His inheritance, to whom He says, Your father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him (Matthew 6:8).

If you are far from God, have committed sins, but did not get what you deserve, you believe that God does neither good nor evil (Zephaniah 1:12). But you should know that God must repay everyone according to his work because He knows everything. O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thought afar off...For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether...My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret, and skilfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth (Psalm 139:1,2,4,15).

They praise the All-powerful: No king is saved by a multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength(verses 16,17). People think that to be saved from their enemies depends mainly on their large army and military arsenal, but the truth is that victory is from the Lord, for nothing restricts the Lord from saving by many or by few (1 Samuel 14:6). He delivered His weak people from the powerful hand of Pharaoh, and was glorified through Pharaoh, his chariots and horsemen (Exodus 14:18). Again He rushed to rescue His people when Gideon the judge led three hundred men with trumpets and jars and torches to defeat the Midianite army that consisted of 32 thousand soldiers (Judges 7:19-25). The great might of the Midianites could not deliver them, neither could their cavalry protect them from slaughtering one another as they were taken by horror when they hear the sound of trumpets and breaking jars! This was the same experience of David before Goliath the giant (1 Samuel 17), as well as of Peter in the prison of Herod (Acts 12) and Paul and Silas in the prison in Philippi (Acts 16).

They praise the perfect Deliverer: Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep alive in famine(verses 18,19). For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (1 Peter 3:12). God has a chosen people from every tribe, nation and tongue (Revelations 7:9) who love the Lord, enjoy His loving care, fear Him and hope in His mercy. The Lord looks upon His people with an approving and caring eye, delivering their souls from death in the wars waged against them by their enemies, and keeping them alive when the drought hits their lands and their crops diminish. He says to them, The very hairs of your head are numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:30,31). When we fear the Lord we revere Him, hope in Him and wait for Him to deliver our souls from death and keep us alive in famine.

In a waiting spirit: Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield(verse 20). We praise a living and active God, whom we wait for, because He is our help and shield. Shields were pieces of wood covered with animal skin, with which the soldier defended himself against poisoned arrows, which drained their poison into the shield. When the Israelites found the Red Sea ahead of them and the Egyptian army behind them, they feared terribly and Moses said to them, Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for your today (Exodus 14:13,14). The Lord was their help and shield. Today, we don't follow fantasies, for He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). We wait upon the Lord and He rushes to our aid. He does not offer us verbal encouragement only, but promises coupled with actions. He is a God who is active in history, in the present and in the future. He said, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Let us praise Him, therefore, and wait for His salvation.

In a rejoicing spirit: For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name(verse 21). The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10). The name of the Lord represents the Lord Himself, who is perfect in love, holiness, wisdom and power. We trust in Him joyfully because He is alive, the Rock of ages, the One who holds full authority in all the earth, who said, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). When Pilate said to Him, Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You? He answered Him, You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given You from above (John 19:10,11). When believers trust in Him they find deep spiritual joy even under the hardest of circumstances. In the city of Philippi Paul and Silas were beaten, then locked up in the inner jail, but they rejoiced because they were considered worthy to be reviled for sake of Christ's name. No prisoner, beaten and badly wounded, could sing out loud and joyfully, so that all prisoners cold hear, unless his joy sprang from a higher strength. This isn't strange, since the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). When the jailer of Philippi found the salvation of his soul he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household (Acts 16:34). How happy are His people when they hear Him say, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand (John 10:27,28).

In a prayerful spirit:The psalmist turned his praise in a prayer, in which he said, Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You (verse 22). He praises Him and waits for His help joyfully, trusting that he will obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). The psalmist repeats the declaration of his hope in the Lord. As much as we wait on Him He gives us: And as you have believed, so let it be done for you (Matthew 8:13). Let us pray with confidence, because without faith no one can please Him (Hebrews 11:6).

The psalmist mentions four reasons why creation should worship God. What are they?

Psalm 33:20-22 explain what worship should be like. What do they say?

A call for praise (verses 1-3):

The incentives to praise (verses 4-11):Miraculous deliverance was not only David's experience, but the common experience of everyone who trusts in God, the God of all beings. The psalmist lists four incentives to praise:

The preacher: Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord(verse 11). As a preacher he pitied the sinners and advised them. As a fighter and leader he was brave and strong. But he also experienced the suffering of being driven away though innocent, just as they did. Yet, his ethics and interests were higher than theirs and his knowledge of God deeper, so he received instruction from God and passed it on to them. A successful preacher listens to God, then tells the people what he has heard out of a desire to change their lives to the better. He could have been concerned with his own safety or the material and economical affairs of the four hundred men, but he never forgot the spiritual life of that group.

The preacher asks a question: Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?(verse 12). The kind of life which the godly man desires is the abundant life which Christ came to give to us (John 10:10). It is not measured by the number of days, but by achievements, happiness and obedience. It is a meaningful life that serves others and grows day after day in the fear of the Lord, which is the ultimate good.

The sermon:The theme of the sermon is that the happy man is the man who fears God in his speech and actions:

The Lord cares for His people: The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ear are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth(verses 15-17). The Lord's relation to His people is:

The Lord lifts up His people: The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned(verses 18-21). The broken-hearted and the contrite of spirit are those who have been crushed by sorrow, despair, persecution and sin, and were humbled by all of these. To such as these Christ says, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn (Isaiah 61:1,2). The more a man's heart is broken the humbler he becomes, and the more prepared to receive God's blessings: For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones' (Isaiah 57:15). The Lord lifts up His broken people and says to them, I will...bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick (Ezekiel 34:16).

The Lord never promised a pain-free life; He never said we won't face tribulations. On the contrary, He promised us that in the world we will have tribulations, but to be sure that He overcame the world. With Him we also overcome the world, for He who is within us is greater than the one who is in the world (John 16:33; 1 John 4:4). The believers really suffer and face many afflictions in this world that hates the truth. But their God is with them; His love refreshes them, His promises comfort them and the throne room is always open to them. Evil shall slay the wicked, however, and the Lord shall revive the spirit of the righteous, who has been justified by what Christ did for him through His precious atonement.

He guards all his bones(verse 20a). He cares for the physical just as much as He cares for the spiritual, for the body of the believer is the temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). This prophecy was fulfilled in the crucified Messiah, when the soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves crucified with Him but did not break His because they saw that He was already dead...For these things were done so that the Scripture should be fulfilled, 'Not one of His bones shall be broken' (John 19:32-36).

The Lord redeems His people: The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned(verse 22). Redemption is the soul's salvation from sin, the body's salvation from disease, hunger and pain. Prisoners used to pay a ransom or redemption money. Christ completed our redemption when he paid the price of our sins, and He became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption- (1 Corinthians 1:30), provided that sinners accept His redemption by faith. There is...now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1), who have been redeemed by Christ through His blood, for the praise of His glorious grace. They say, I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

In Psalm 34:4-7 the psalmist mentions three motivations for praising God. List them.

What was the subject of the Adullam sermon?

The psalmist asks for God's salvation (verses 1-3):David demands his Lord to do for him what He usually does for all believers: O Lord, save me! As though he was saying, Lord, it's not a must to deliver me this moment, but give me hope in the fact that You are my Saviour.

In this psalm David calls his God by the name Jahweh eight times. Jahweh is the living, self-existent Creator, who delivered and will deliver. He also calls God Adonai (Master) three times, to indicate that he is the righteous Judge. He knows that there are masters on earth, but a high official watches over a high official, and a higher One watches over them all (Ecclesiastes 5:8).

We ask this just and sovereign Judge to save us. David also calls Him Elohim (God) twice, because He is the eternally Mighty One, in whom he trusts. He is the One we always turn to because He never shuts His door in our faces.

David depicts His God as a man of war coming to help him, armoured to the teeth to fight the enemy and defend His weak servant. Maybe he recalled Moses' song: The Lord is a man of war...Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces (Exodus 15:3,6). It maybe that the psalmist remembered the Commander of the army of the Lord who came to help Joshua to be victorious (Joshua 5:13-15). He demanded the Lord to take hold of a shield (the bigger type) and a buckler (the smaller type), because the attacks against him were numerous and only the Lord could provide full protection. A shield is a piece of wood covered with animal skin, with which the soldier defended himself against poisoned arrows. When the arrows struck the shield their poison was drained into the shield. Before the arrow could hit David it had to hit the shield or the buckler which protected him. The psalmist is not asking for salvation in a court room, but in a battle field!

God's salvation is death to the wicked and life to the righteous (verses 4-8):Since God is the only Saviour of His people, David demands of Him in these verses to force the enemies to withdraw and announce their defeat, so that the divine promise should be fulfilled in them: Even the captive of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children. I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh...All flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am your Saviour (Isaiah 49:25,26). He asks that they should be uprooted like chaff (a symbol of weakness and smallness) before the wind (a symbol of power and judgement), that they slip in darkness before the angel of the Lord, who encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them. The angel of the Lord defeats the enemies, chases them away, so they become like flying chaff that goes away and never turn back to attack David any more. Everyone who distances himself from God degrades himself and becomes like chaff, worthless, light, not settled and not at peace or quiet. One can say about such men, Their foot shall slip in due times; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them (Deuteronomy 32:35).

They attacked the innocent and they have without cause dug for my life (verse 7b). His enemy hid a net for him to trap him and destroy him, so he said, Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, and let his net that he has hidden catch himself (verse 8). The psalmist is in agreement with the prophet who says, Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You to speak good for them, and to turn away Your wrath from them (Jeremiah 18:20). For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7).

The psalmist rejoices at the Lord's salvation: And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation. All my bones shall say, 'Lord, who is like You, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him?'(verses 9,10). Every answered prayer must cause our hearts to overflow with thanksgiving and joy in the Lord's salvation, who is unparalleled in His mercy and power, and delivers the poor from his oppressor. Christ's salvation is a good news that makes the bones healthy (Proverbs 15:30) and encourages the believer to trust in the Lord and be prospered (Proverbs 28:25). He says, Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy (Micah 7:18).

At the beginning of speaking about God the Saviour, the oppressed cried out asking God to punish his foes, contend with those who contend with him, take up his cause and defend him. He ended what he started by thanking God: And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation. God heard, answered, took up the cause, defended and gave victory. He is therefore worthy of joyful praise. This is what will happen at the end of the age, for the seer says, I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, 'Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honour and power to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgements, because He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of his servants shed by her.' Again they said, 'Alleluia! And her smoke rises up forever and ever.' (Revelations 19:1-3).

They falsely testified against him: Fierce witnesses rise up; they ask me things I do not know(verse 11). They accused David of hideous things he has never heard of, saying that he wanted to hurt King Saul although he was his son-in-law and a faithful courtier (1 Samuel 24:9). They did that although God had commanded: You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness (Exodus 23:1). The Jewish elders committed the same crime with Christ, for they sought a false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward (Matthew 26:59,60).

They rewarded His love with hatred (verses 12-14):He never expected such treatment from the ones he did good to; they rewarded him with sorrow to his soul. The same thing repeated itself with Christ, for He said to the Jews, Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone me? (John 10:32). When the psalmist's enemies fell ill he humbled himself before God in fasting and prayer for them, wearing sackcloth (as a sign of grief), so that the Lord would heal them and make them repent. He wept with and for them, as though he were mourning his mother. Yet, his prayer brought blessing down on him, but did not yield the same result in their case. They simply refused God's blessings. When the believer asks for a blessing for the unbeliever, heavens answer his prayer, prepares the blessing and sends it off. But the recipient refuses the gift! The gift is sent back to the sender with a note attached to it: TO BE RETURNED TO THE SENDER. Thus he denies himself the blessing. The believer's prayer, however, must be answered, therefore the psalmist's prayer brought blessing to him. His enemies, on the other hand, did not benefit from it because their hearts were closed to God's grace. Christ said to the disciples, If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you (Matthew 10:13). How did David grieve for Saul's sickness, and how often had he played on the harp and prayed for him! Yet, the wicked Saul was not blessed by David's prayer. The Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. His friends, however, did not benefit from his prayer as much as he himself did!

They gloated over him and attacked him: But in my adversity they rejoiced and gathered together; attackers gathered against me, and I did not know it; they tore at me and did not cease; with ungodly mockers at feasts they gnashed at me with their teeth(verses 15,16). The Hebrew word for adversity literally means "limping". One of his enemies could have attacked him and hit him, causing him to fall down and limp. Then they gathered around him to gloat over him and revile him, tearing at him and not ceasing, just like fierce wolves. They maligned him, made him the laughingstock of their parties, hired "ungodly mockers" (rowdy and unrestrained jesters) to poke fun at him, and were given a cake for their payment (The Hebrew can mean "for a cake" as well "at feasts"). It was the custom when throwing a banquet to hire clowns to make the guests laugh as the food is being served.

A confident prayer: Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, my precious lives from the lions. I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among many people(verses 17,18). David fasted and prayed for his enemies, but they repaid good with evil. The Lord alone remained the object of his confidence, because He is always faithful. This is the reason he blamed the Lord for delaying with love and hope, demanded that He restore his soul, which he almost lost, and preserve his precious life from the mouth of the fierce and wild lion. He declared in advance that he would declare his praise in the midst of the believers for the greatness of the Lord's faithfulness.

A prayer for help (verses 19-21):

A prayer from someone oppressed (verses 22-26):

A joyful prayer: Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favour my righteous cause; and let them say continually, 'Let the Lord be magnified, who pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.' And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long(verses 27,28). In these two verses the psalmist mentions three groups of people who rejoice at his deliverance and his answered prayer: The people of the truth who took up his righteous cause at God's command, the Lord who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant, and David himself. The psalmist asked the Lord to gladden supporters and friends together with him by justice and deliverance, even if their feelings for him were just wishes without works. Everyone who lifts up his prayer in confidence must end up being glad. David took recourse to God because he was wronged, and God intervened to save him.

Our psalm started out with a complaint: Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me...how long will You look on? and ended by shouting for joy: My tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long. May the Lord grant us the ability to lift up our eyes to Him in all our troubles, and thus experience His great justice.

In Psalm 35:11-16 the psalmist mentions three offences with which his enemies offended him. List them.

In Psalm 35:22-26 the psalmist has three concepts about God. Write them down.

The principles of the wicked (verses 1,2):

The actions of the wicked (verses 3,4):

God's principles (verses 5,6a):

God's deeds (verses 6b-9):

He asks for the continuity of loving-kindness and righteousness: Oh, continue Your loving-kindness to those who know You; and Your righteousness to the upright in heart(verse 10). God showed loving-kindness toward the psalmist, which he described in verses 5-9. Now he wants it to continue. As though he says to the Lord, Be as You were, without change. "Continue" implies extension. He wants God to extend His loving-kindness longer. The more God gives us, the deeper we feed in need of Him more than any other time. The psalmist pleads for loving-kindness and righteousness on behalf of the upright in heart. He does not mean those who are perfectly upright, simply because there are people with perfectly, upright hearts always. It is the uprightness of intention and the desire to do God's will that is intended.

He asks for protection: Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away(verse 11). The psalmist asks the Lord to protect him and not let the proud trample on him with his foot or hurt him with his hand; for instance drive him away from home and turn him into a vagrant beggar, or kill him. To drive away often refers to captivity (cf. 2 Kings 21:8). The psalmist asks the Lord for protection, so that the enemy should not drive him away from his home to wander away in foreign lands, as it happened when he had to ask the king of Gath for protection (1 Samuel 21).

He asks for the downfall of the worker of iniquity: There the workers of iniquity have fallen; they have been cast down and are not able to rise(verse 12). The psalmist sees the end of the wicked and the destruction of the workers of iniquity through the eye of faith. The prophet says of them to the Lord, They are dead; they will not live; they are deceased, they will not rise. Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish (Isaiah 26:14). The prosperity of the wicked lasts but for a short while, and they will not win the final battle. The psalmist does not rejoice at their downfall; he simply can see it coming upon them. And the God of peace will crush Stan under your feet shortly (Romans 16:20). How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

According to Psalm 36:5-6, God has three principles. List them.

In Psalm 36:6b-9 God does five things. List them.

The wicked must perish: For they shall soon be cut of like the grass, and wither like the green herb(verse 2). They will become like the chaff which the wind drives away (Psalm 1:4). All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass (Isaiah 40:6). So the blessings of the wicked are short-lived; the biggest prosperity they can have is earthly- it comes to an end, however long it may last. It is nothing to be compared to the endless eternity, For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? (Matthew 16:26).

The believer must be faithful: Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness(verse 3). The remedy for envy and jealousy is to trust the Lord, do good, dwell near the Lord in the land He divided to us and wanted us to live on it, and lead a life of faithfulness toward Him and others. When we set about obeying the commandment our time will be occupied with God, His ministry, and our doing good, so that we no longer have time to murmur! Let us put our trust in the Lord and rely on Him; let us do and be good and leave the results to Him. Then He will tell us, Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord (Matthew 25:21).

The believer must rejoice and delight in the Lord: Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give You the desires of your heart(verse 4). Eliphaz the Temanite said, Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you...For then you will have delight in the Almighty, and lift up your face to God. You will prayer to Him, He will hear you, and you will pay your vows. You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways (Job 22:21-28). Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him (Psalm 34:8). Take your joy from your fellowship with the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart that you really need. Sometimes we ask for things that are not good for us. But when we delight ourselves in the Lord He gives us the real desire that satisfies our heart. He can give your the desire of your heart because He holds full authority and because He loves you. All authority has been to Me in heaven and on earth, Christ announced (Matthew 28:18). May God give us to recognise the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (Ephesians 1:19).

The believer must commit himself to the Lord: Commit yourself to the Lord, rest also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday(verses 5,6). Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established (Proverbs 16:3). Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Let us, then, commit our affairs to the Lord, be they bitter or sweet, so that He would support and guide us. He will bring to pass all the believer's expectations; he is alive, active and present in our world which is under His authority. When sinners try to becloud you, He defends you, removes the clouds of doubt away from you, and gives you victory over them. As long as you trust Him and rely on Him, He will bring forth your hidden justice like the shining sun, and grant you the fulfilment of the promise: But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18). Do what is good as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance (Colossians 3:24). Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43).

The believer must patiently wait for the Lord: Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass(verse 7). Waiting for the Lord is equal to resting before Him without grumbling, waiting patiently to hear His voice, and expecting Him to intervene in the right time which He sets by His wisdom, as the psalmist says, Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation (Psalm 62:1). For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: 'In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength' (Isaiah 30:15). I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry (Psalm 40:1). The believer is prone to murmur when he sees the wicked prosper through fraud and duplicity. But waiting patiently before God and expecting Him to step in will put and end to the unnecessary murmuring. Because we wait for God to work and believe in His wise timing, we do not push the hands of the clock forward, neither do we pry open the petals of a beautiful flower before it is time for it to blossom. Let us wait patiently for the Lord, not with the patience of the helpless, but that of the hopeful who trusts that a glorious resurrection must follow the crucifixion, that victory comes after war and that Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

The believer must control his reactions: Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret-it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look diligently for his place, but it shall be no more(verses 8-10). Anger leads the angry to sin, because it makes him forget God's love, care and gifts. He may join the wicked in their foolish acts, as Asaph said after he had seen the prosperity of the wicked and the trouble of the believer: Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain (Psalm 73:13). But the Lord opened his eyes to see the truth, and he said, Truly God is good...to such as are pure in heart (Psalm 73:1). Cleanse your heart, and cease from anger to obtain the divine blessing; not forgetting that the wicked are doomed to destruction.

The believer must be meek: But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace(verse 11). This does not mean that the believer will literally inherit the land, for the verse also carries a spiritual connotation, that is winning the people of the land by our love and meekness. Many people inherit lands that do not delight them, either because of their anxiety or sin. But those who have patiently waited for the Lord and expected Him, will inherit the land and delight themselves in what He has given them. The Lord fulfilled this promise to Moses, whom the Bible describes as very humble and meek in Numbers 12:3 Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth. This why he was able to lead the children of Israel to the promised land.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth, Christ said (Matthew 5:5). If we are meek we will obtain the fulfilment of the promise: My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places (Isaiah 32:18). Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble (Psalm 119:165).

Plotting a scheme: The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming(verses 12,13). The wicked is like a predator, trying to catch prey and gnashing at it with its teeth to swallow it down. But the Lord had already doomed the wicked to destruction. King Saul gnashed at David with his teeth, and pursued him to destroy him. One day as he was chasing David, Saul fell into David's hands and David could have killed him. Yet, he said, The Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go out to battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed (1 Samuel 26:10,11). And so it happened!

The implementation of the scheme: The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken(verses 14,15). They thought about the scheme, and drew out their swords to thrust them straight to the heart! Most probably David was recalling King Saul who tried more than once to kill him by the spear and the sword, who took his life by falling on his sword and dying! (1 Samuel 31:4). Or maybe he remembered what happened with his son Absalom, who led an unsuccessful coup against him, and died hanging on a tree after having been run through by the captain of David's army (2 Samuel 18:9). The two swords bounced back to the hearts of Saul and Absalom!

As the soldiers came to arrest and crucify Christ, Malchus, the chief servant of the high priest, accompanied them. Peter drew out his sword, struck Malchus down, cutting off his ear. Christ, however, returned Malchus' ear to its place, and said to Peter, All who take the sword will perish by the sword (Matthew 26:52). Leave the violent men to their painful destiny, which is the wages of sin, because they refused to repent. As for the people of the Lord, let them delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

A contrast of enjoying riches: A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked(verse 16). The righteous may own a little and the wicked many own so much that the righteous is tempted to envy the wicked. But the little which we know we have earned honestly and righteously is far better than a large income that came through injustice. Proverbs states, Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble (Proverbs 15:16). Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice (Proverbs 16:8). Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting with strife (Proverbs 17:1). The little that a righteous man has is his rightful possession, which he manages wisely as a trustworthy steward over what God has given him. Therefore he enjoys it, and it spills health over his body. The righteous man will also use what he has to serve others: He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed (verse 26). The Lord blesses the righteous and what he owns because he obeys God's commandment and pays the tithe of his revenue to the Lord's work. The wicked, though, does not enjoy his possessions, because he robs God by not paying the tithe. Will a man who robs God be blessed? (Malachi 3:8). His heart will be weighed down by worries, and even if he laughs, his laughter will not last for long!

A contrast of power: For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous(verse 17). The arms of the wicked are strong, working evil and opposing the righteous, because the Lord Himself opposes the wicked and the upraised (haughty) arm is broken (Job 38:15). God upholds the righteous when the wicked tries to hurt him. The wicked may think that he is strong, backed up by his injustice, influence, money or patrons. But the Lord breaks the arms of the wicked. Even though the arms of the righteous may seem weak, God upholds him through His love and strengthens him.

A contrast in life span (verses 18-20):

A contrast in faithfulness: The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives. For those who are blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those who are cursed by Him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful and lends; and his descendants are blessed(verses 21-26).

These verses teach us three facts:

A contrast in conduct: Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever(verses 27-29). The psalmist advises his audience to turn away from evil and do good, as he has already urged elsewhere, Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it (Psalm 34:14). As a natural result of this right conduct on the part of the believer who fears God and honours Him, God does not forsake him or his descendants; He lets them enjoy a settled lifestyle. The believer lives forever through his God-blessed offspring, who will be preserved forevermore. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever, because the Lord destroys the wicked and gives his blessings to the believer. He loves justice, therefore He issued this judgement: For the upright will dwell in the land, and the blameless will remain in it (Proverbs 2:21).

The Lord has never forsaken his saints, therefore the psalmist prays, Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands (Psalm 138:8). The wicked, however, must be destroyed, and his descendants must be cut off, just as the psalmist put it: Let his posterity be cut off, and in the generation following let their names be blotted out (Psalm 109:13).

A contrast in wisdom: The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide(verses 30,31). For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things (Matthew 12:34,35). The righteous is the person who has a right standing with God and a good heart. Because of this his heart meditates on the wisdom that God gave him, and the understanding that comes to him through God's written word that fills his heart. His motto is Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You (Psalm 119:11). Christ's statement You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you (John 15:3) is fulfilled with him. He fulfils the Mosaic commandment: And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). The just and righteous person knows the truth, because he knows God's law. Therefore his tongue speaks the truth, and his feet shall not slide. He is like Joshua, the military general, whom God commanded: This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8).

What a great difference there is between the believer's wisdom that is derived from God's word, and the folly of the wicked that is grounded in error. The wise philosopher said, The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse (Proverbs 10:31,32).

A contrast in the ending (verses 32-40):In these nine verses the psalmist sets out four facts about the end of the righteous and the wicked:

List seven reasons why the righteous should not envy the wicked.

According to Psalm 37:17, why is the little that the righteous have better than the wealth of the many wicked.

The intensity of the psalmist's difficulties: O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! For your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger, nor is there any health in my bones because of my sin(verses 1-3). The psalmist admitted that the punishment that fell on him came from an angry Judge, not a tender Father, as though he felt the same thing as Jeremiah when he said, O Lord, correct me, but with justice; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing (Jeremiah 10:24). He does not reject rebuke and correction, but he wants them to be without anger, for he saw God piercing him with an arrow, then striking him with His hand. God's arrows are sickness and pain that did not leave soundness in his body. His hand is the successive blows that seem to come from a stick, which left the psalmist no inner rest because he is a sinner, nor enjoyment of the Lord's mercy because He is angry at him. His sense of guilt was like a fever that ate up his soul from within, and the divine punishment was like a shower of blows hitting him from without. Isaiah put it like this: The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment (Isaiah 1:5,6). David recognises that sin was the cause of God's anger at him.

The cause of the psalmist's difficulties: For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness(verses 4,5). David sees his sins as an overwhelming flood that has gone over his head and has almost drowned him. As though he says, Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul (Psalm 124:4). He regarded it as a burden weighing him down, just as Cain said, My punishment is greater than I can bear (Genesis 4:13). God struck him because of his sin and wounded him, and the wounds festered, putrefied and started to smell. When the conscience awakes it recognises the ugliness of sin and feels its weight. These feelings are healthy, because they prompt the person to turn to Christ the Redeemer, repent and make up his mind to live with the Lord.

The result of the psalmist's difficulties: I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are full of inflammation, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart(verses 6-8). David was troubled, both physically and mentally, as if he was seized by a severe chill that left him unable to move and seriously broken. Job expressed the same feelings when he said, My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest...My skin grows black and falls from me; my bones burn with fever (Job 30:27,30). His heart groaned with sorrow, and his soul moaned with pain because of his disease: For my sighing comes before I eat, and my groanings pour out like water (Job 3:24). When we reach the stage of groaning with sorrow over our sins, the tender-hearted God hears us and gives us comfort that wipes away all trace of mourning: Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4).

The blessings of the psalmist's difficulties: Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart pants, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes it also has gone from me(verses 9,10). Difficulties drove the psalmist to the warm, divine bosom, for the Lord knows everything about His people, and knows also what we need before we even ask Him (Matthew 6:8). I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, God says (Exodus 6:5), and we answer, Put my tears into Your water-skin (Psalm 56:8). Happy is the troubled man who turns to God, even if he realises that his trouble is a divine punishment. When he turns to God's mercies he finds himself welcomed, loved and forgiven.

Deserted by his friends: My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, and my kinsmen stand afar off(verse 11). The Hebrew word for "plague" means leprosy (Leviticus 13:3). His loved one and friends treated him like a leper! They stood afar off because they were unable to lend a hand, or because they were afraid of his contagious disease, since they did not want to share in his trouble. Perhaps all these reasons combined together. In his trouble, David looked for the people he loved, but found none!

His enemies grew more wicked: Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, and plan deception all the day long(verse 12). They lashed out at him falsely, as was their wont always. Often we are attacked as a result of our own fault, but when we are attacked for being faithful we receive divine blessings. Having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil (1 Peter 3:16,17).

He was unable to defend himself: But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. Thus I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth is no response(verses 13,14). The psalmist became aware of his sin, and preferred to hold his tongue in the presence of his enemies as though he did not hear their curses and decided to surrender to God, because he had nothing to defend himself with. Job did the same thing as he could not refute the claims of his friends. He wished to present a complaint to God and said, Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat! I would present my case before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments (Job 23:3,4).

His difficulties increased his hope in and expectation of the Lord: For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. For I said, 'Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, lest, when my foot slips, they magnify themselves against me.' For I am ready to fall and my sorrow is continually before me(verses 15-17). His waiting was full of hope and expectation: Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me (Micah 7:7). He found no strength within himself, and did not wait for the people, lest they should rejoice over him and say that the Lord had abandoned him. The reaction he expected from the enemies prompted him to pray. Also he was about to fall because his foot hit so hard against something that rankled his life. Every day brought a new problem along. Yet throughout all these he waited on the Lord and hoped in Him, being confident of the answer, and committed himself into the hands of his Creator. In patience he was able to possess himself (Luke 21:19), knowing that God would choose the right time to deliver him.

His difficulties prompted him to confess his iniquities: For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin(verse 18). The psalmist acknowledges that his sin was the cause of his misery, and 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). God is faithful in His love and promises to forgive the penitent. He is also just because He has already received the wages for our sin when Christ was crucified. If we cast our sins upon Christ we receive forgiveness, because God does not receive the wages for sin twice. There is no unforgivable sin as long as we come to God in repentance and brokenness. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin (Psalm 32:5).

His difficulties prompted him to follow what is good: But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; and those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied. Those also who render evil for good, they are my adversaries, because I follow what is good(verses 19,20). The true believer who patiently waits for the Lord and confesses will receive forgiveness and do what is good no matter the adversity. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:7). Anyone who confesses his sin will not continue to sin, but turn their back on it and do what is good, saying, In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer (Psalm 109:4). If we are fixed in the Lord the way a branch is fixed into a vine, we are bound to produce good things as a natural result of abiding in Him. David's enemies were vigorous, with alert and wary eyes; they even gained strength and multiplied. Although he dealt well with them they paid him evil in return as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother[.] And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's were righteous (1 John 3:12). The one who does good, however, does so for the Lord, and from the same he will receive his reward (Colossians 3:24).

His difficulties prompted him to pray: Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O God of my salvation!(verses 21,22). The Lord Himself is the psalmist's salvation, therefore he concluded his psalm by a prayer for help from the Lord, his salvation. If you commit yourself to Him and make Him Lord over your life, you'll be saved from the sin that follows you and from the men who harass you. The believer cannot live independent of God. He lives by depending on Him continually. From the Lord he receives wisdom, strength and holiness, therefore he calls upon the Lord, Be not far from me! God cannot be far, or stop loving; it is sin that separates man from God and makes him believe that God is far from him. The important question is: Which of us has moved?! Has God changed His attitude to the believer? Or has the believer changed his attitude to God?!

Let us return to God in repentance, for he never forsakes us or stays away from us. He hastens to forgive us our sins, restore the relationship between us and Himself and deliver us from everything that bothers us. Accept Christ as Lord over your life, and you'll find forgiveness and security.

When the psalmist checked his human relationships he found three things. Mention them.

What blessings did the psalmist receive from his difficulties?

The silence of the wise: I said, 'I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me'(verse 1). David decided to bear the calamities silently in order not to sin, and controlled his tongue so that the wicked should hold his words against him, and ridicule him and blaspheme God because of them. The kind of words he refrained from uttering must have been like these words of Asaph's: Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain (Psalm 73:13). Yet Asaph followed this up quickly with these words, If I had said, 'I will speak thus,' behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children (Psalm 73:15). He knew that a new generation was coming, and that they might quote the words of his weakness as laws and pronouncements which describe God's worship as vain, just as they had quoted his words of glorification.

David applied a muzzle to his mouth to keep silent. Now there are many types of silence; the forced silence, the silence out of ignorance, the silence of a politician who weighs thing out according to their benefits and the silence of the wise. The silence of psalmist was that of the wise and the prudent. Had he spoken up, he would have sinned, both he and his audience would have been confused, both he and they would go astray and his words would be taken against him. He would not be able to withdraw what his mouth has uttered. His words could have also been a stumbling block to others. So it was wise to keep silent. The wicked were used to hearing David singing to the Lord, now if he utters something against his God he would provide the wicked with a chance to do just the same. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man (James 3:2).

Let's be careful when we express our doubts and complaints- we don't know all of God's purposes for our pain. When the time of pain has gone by and the time for learning has come, we will realise God's kindness, goodness and love. Then we will regret every vain word we might have uttered!

The silence of the suffering: I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue(verses 2,3). When one is afflicted with a temptation he feels released when he talks about it. When he keeps silent, however, he feels the intensity of pain. The Lord commands us: Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers (Ephesians 4:29). We ought to refrain from the repeating corrupt, but communicate whatever is good. When David kept silence, he uttered neither good nor bad communications, because he had mixed emotions. His silence intensified his anguish to a degree that he could no more put up with it. His heart burned within him because of his repressed complaint. Finally he could not hold his peace any longer and spoke up. He had nothing to say about the goodness of God, but the complaint within him burned like fire.

He asked to know how frail his life was: Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am(verse 4). The psalmist grew weary of his life, did not expect to find any good thing in it, felt it was coming to an end, and that all was vanity and grasping for the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:11). So he asked to know the number of days he still had left in this miserable life, from which he will not have any relief until he is dead. Death posed as the only deliverer, as Job said, That it would please God to crush me...Oh, that You would hide me in the grave (Job 6:9; 14:13).

He declared that life is short: Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapour(verse 5). Handbreadth was the shortest measurement unit. The psalmist saw that his life was a few handbreadths, as Jacob said, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil.. (Genesis 47:9). Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue, Job proclaimed (Job 14:1,2). For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:14). Our lives are short if measured by what we would like to achieve and accomplish in it, by the service we would like render to God, family and people in general, and by the desired development of our potentials and talents. But there is another side of the believer's life: it is everlasting with Christ, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

He declared the vanity of life: Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them(verse 6). Man's life is short and his end is unknown; he is like a vapour and a shadow, yet he busies himself-- in vain. He is like the foolish rich man whose life came to an abrupt end as God said to him, This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? (Luke 12:20). There was a French millionaire named Fouscou. This man laid up all his fortune in the basement under his house, and equipped it with a door that shuts automatically. Every now and then he went down to the basement to visit his huge fortune. One day when he was inside the basement the door was shut and he was locked inside. He could not open the door, and his family did not know where he was since they had no idea about that basement. The man just died among his treasures. The house was sold and the new owner decided after many years to pull down the house to build a new one. As the workers started to dig up the foundations of the house they found Fouscou's bones. He had obviously bitten off a part of the candle that stood beside him to fill his hunger. All his treasures lay in place, and they now fell to the new owner! He heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them. But fortune has yet another aspect to it; with it we can build for ourselves eternal homes in heaven as we give out the tithes, help God's work expand, and provide the poor with what they need (Luke 16:9).

He spoke to the Lord with hope: And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You(verse 7). He reached the end of human reasoning, and came up to a dead end. And now, Lord, what do I wait for? he began to wonder. It was a cry of despair, but it must be ended by God's light shining upon the believer. Then he will shout, My hope is in You! The Lord gathers us when father and mother forsake us (Psalm 27:10), and says, I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Hence, the psalmist cast himself into God's bosom, and submitted himself into His loving hands. He really complained of God, but he complained to God, the source of his hopes, to remove his sufferings away from him! This is what Peter did when he denied his master; he did not despair of God's mercy, but wept bitterly and therefore won his eternal life. Later, Christ restored his special place and assigned him the responsibility of watching over His sheep (John 21:15-17). Judas Iscariot did just the opposite. After he has betrayed his Master, he lost hope in God's mercy, and went and hanged himself (Matthew 27:5).

We need to be filled with a confident hope in the Lord at the time of sorrow. Many believers complain of God, but if they take the time to mull over the many blessings He showers them with they would be sure of His goodness and love. If it so happens once that He permits pain, the record of His dealings with us, which are full of love, makes us turn to Him in prayer, being confident of the One we hope in because all things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28).

He spoke to the Lord to confess: Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make the reproach of the foolish(verse 8). The psalmist asked for deliverance from his sufferings and calamities, then put forward a deeper request: To be delivered from his transgressions, which he thought were the cause of these sufferings, so that the foolish sinners should reproach him. He confessed his sin, saying, Deliver me from all my transgressions because he hoped for forgiveness and concealment of his sin before God and men, so that he could be faultless and blameless. As He forgives David's transgressions, God stops punishing him, so his sufferings stop too, and the reproaches he receives from people change. This is what the apostle expressed as he said, 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.' If you endure chastening God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness (Hebrews 12:5-10).

He spoke to the Lord submissively: I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it(verse 9). The psalmist was mute out of submission to God and His good, acceptable and perfect will. Everything that happened to him and for him was done according to His predestination or permissive will. The psalmist laid aside his silence from good, which moved him with pain (verse 2), a silence of rebellion and complaint, and moved into a silence of surrender to the hands of the loving and wise Father, who has the ultimate power over his life and the universe. God extracts His children out of their predicaments, guides them, leads them and trains them in the paths of righteousness. He always does, and He does magnificently. He knows what we don't know, and sees what we don't see. Therefore we surrender to Him, because it was You who did it. In this verse we can see the good God who does good, and the good believer who repeats with Christ, If this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done (Matthew 26:42).

In Psalm 39:4-6 the psalmist began to speak. What did he say?

In his pain the psalmist had hopes. Mention them.

The Lord rewarded the psalmist's waiting by inclining to him and hearing his prayer (verses 1-3)

From these verses, as well as from others, we see three privileges that distinguish Christianity:

The first privilege:That God is love: He inclines His ears to us. He does not look down upon us, but comes down to us. In the fullness of time He sent His Son, born of a woman in a manger. Christ condescended, emptied Himself, assuming the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7). He became what He was not to make us become what we were not. He came down to lift us up; He became poor to make us rich, he died to give us life. He cares for us. Let us rest secure in the knowledge that we are not lost in God's vast universe, because He knows us by name.

The second privilege:We can start a personal relationship with God, in which we become His children, and freely call him as sons, Our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:9). He is the one who grants us adoption in Christ, and says to us, No longer do I call you servants...but I have called you friends (John 15:15). This reason for this is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them (2 Corinthians 5:19).

The third privilege:The guarantee and assurance based on grace alone. We are not saved by our good works, but only by God's grace and love. He has stretched His loving hand out to us to deliver us, because He is love. This gives us the assurance concerning the continuity of His love and forgiveness For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Therefore Paul said, For I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep what I committed to Him until that day (2 Timothy 1:12).

The Lord rewarded the psalmist's trust by working innumerable miracles with him (verses 4,5)

He resolved to lead a life of obedience and dedication: Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, 'Behold, I come; in the scroll of the Book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart'(verses 6-8). These three verses say that true obedience to God is not through offering the duties and rituals of worship only, but through committing oneself to God. They answer an implicit question: How can I express my thanks to my Benefactor? They say that rituals in themselves are useless unless they are coupled with obedience on the part of the worshipper. The prophet Samuel said to Saul, Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). Again God said, For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6). The prophet Micah wondered. With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the Most High? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings?...He has shown, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8). I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1).

The psalmist lists out the types of sacrifices required by the Mosaic law, whose presentation does not connote a whole-hearted obedience to God. He mentions the animal "sacrifice", the "offering" which consists in plants from the ground, "burnt offering" which indicates one's dedication to God, as though he is placing himself on God's altar, and "sin offering" which was offered as a means of reconciliation with God and regaining a right relationship with Him. All such offerings failed to please God, unless they were coupled with a whole-hearted obedience on the part of the one who presented them. As an expression of obedience, the psalmist says, My ears You have opened. This could possibly mean that God removed the psalmist's deafness to hear God's voice clearly. It could also refer to what the servant who loved his master and refused to leave him used to do, namely he would have his ear pierced by his master, and thereby serve him forever (Exodus 21:6; Deuteronomy 15:17).

No sooner the psalmist realised what God required and what obedience really meant than he responded to His call, saying, Behold, I come, just as Isaiah said to God, Here am I! Send me (Isaiah 6:9).

The psalmist carries with him the scroll of the Book, which is a parchment on which the law of God is written. It tells a man of his responsibilities toward God, himself and others. He is delighted to do two things: To do God's good, acceptable and perfect will, and to keep God's law in the depth of his heart just as the Lord required of His people (Deuteronomy 6:6), and as all the righteous do (Isaiah 51:7). The law is no longer written on stone tablets, but on the hearts of those who love God.

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews quoted verses 6-8 of our psalm (Hebrews 10:5-7) as being said by Christ, the Word of God Incarnate. The quotation comes from the Septuagint which renders my ears You have opened as You prepared a body for Me. But anyway the body is the instrument that puts into practice the commands that the ears hear. We find in the "scroll of the Book" (the Torah) many detailed prophecies about Christ's virgin birth, supernatural life, death on the cross, resurrection from the dead, ascension to heaven and second coming to the earth as Judge for the living and the dead. Being the highest example of obedience, Christ took a body to fulfil these prophecies. As He approached the imminent crucifixion He said to the heavenly Father, If this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done (Matthew 26:42). Father, if it is your will remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but Yours be done (Luke 22:42). We know that Christ is God appearing in human body, and that He has both the nature of a man and of God. In his perfect humanity He says, These words were fulfilled in Me, for I obeyed unto death, even the death of the cross.

It is worthy then of everyone who loves God to say, My ears You have opened. I obey You, Lord. What do You want me to do? What is perverse in me, so that You should correct it? What is lacking in me, so that You should complete it? Behold, I come.

He resolved to lead a life of praise and witness: I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great congregation; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your loving-kindness and Your truth from the great congregation(verses 9,10). In verses 6-8 the psalmist declared that he presented himself a living sacrifice to God, and in verses 9-10 he declares that he is presenting to God a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. It wasn't possible that God would bring the psalmist out of the pit of destruction, establish his feet and put a new song in his mouth, only for the psalmist to keep all these secrets to himself. Likewise, the believer cannot receive forgiveness for his sins without inviting everybody to celebrate with him and to explain to them how they, too, can enjoy what he enjoys. We should not keep the grace of God to ourselves, but share it with others. The psalmist provides the model: I have proclaimed...I do not restrain...I have not hidden...I have declared...I have not concealed. He also reveals the topics he has proclaimed:

The psalmist prays to be delivered from sin: Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; let Your loving-kindness and Your truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me(verses 11,12). The psalmist declares his trust in God's answer, for He does not withhold His tender mercies from the believer who acknowledges and proclaims God's favour before the great congregation. Likewise, everyone who acknowledges Christ before men, Christ will also acknowledge him before the Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32). He knows that God's mercy and justice will always, because divine redemption reconciles justice to mercy.

The psalmist realises that his great deliverance is through God's kindness, but as for himself, his sins are "innumerable", have become "more than the hairs of his head", have "overtaken him" like a flood, and easily beset him and "surrounded him". As a result he bowed down in weakness and was not able to look up. "His heart failed"; he lost heart. David said in a similar situation, The waves of death encompassed me, the floods of ungodliness made me afraid (2 Samuel 22:5). Jonah said in the belly of the fish, The waters encompassed me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; weeds were wrapped around my head (Jonah 2:5). In this confession of sin the psalmist trusts in God's mercy and forgiveness, for 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). He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32).

The psalmist prays for deliverance from the enemies: Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me! Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life. Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonour who wish me evil. Let them be appalled because of their shame, who say to me, 'Aha, aha!'(verses 13-15). The Lord delivered the psalmist, but he was endangered again by those who pursued him and those who mocked and threatened him, saying, Aha, aha! The kingdom of the devil never stops fighting against the kingdom of God. Even after Christ defeated Satan and overcame his three temptations in the desert, the Bible says that he departed from Him until an opportune time (Luke 4:13). This means that our victory requires more watchfulness and obedience to God. To be saved and delivered does not mean that our problems are finished, but that we have learned a way to solve our problems, that is by holding on to the Lord who puts a new song of thanksgiving in our mouth for a renewed deliverance from renewed tribulations!

The psalmist prays for gladness: Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, 'The Lord be magnified!'(verse 16). The psalmist was not content to pray only for himself, but expanded the circle of his interest, declaring that divine Providence envelops all those who love the Lord with joy and gladness. God gives them thankful hearts that experience the shout of triumph: The Lord be magnified! Paul declared his own triumphant shout as he said, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally there is laid for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:7,8).

The psalmist admits God's favour: But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer, do not delay, O my God(verse 17). The psalmist admits his need, poverty and misery, yet he trusts that God will not forget him! Daniel prayed, O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name (Daniel 9:19). The psalmist discerns his material, intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual poverty. But, at the same time, he discerns God's riches, and at once becomes assured of God's comfort in his solitude and sorrow, and that he will overcome despite his troubles and anguish. He will experience that God does not delay coming to His beloved ones and those who seek Him. God says to the believer, I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger (Isaiah 46:13), and the believer says to God, I waited patiently for the Lord...do not delay.

What are the three privileges that distinguish Christianity?

Psalm 40:6-10 tell what the psalmist did for the Lord. What did the psalmist do?