DBG - June 24 - Psalms 40-45

This psalm is written for David for us in the Temple.  Its theme is thanksgiving for deliverance.

vs. 1-3 – David describes his deliverance by God’s hand and his response of public praise.

vs. 4-5 – What begins like a beatitude turns into praise.  The fulness of blessing has nothing to do with the righteous, but with the Almighty God who blesses them.

vs. 6-8 – It may seem that God desired the blood and burned bodies of animals for sacrifices, but truly he desired the faith behind those sacrifices.   Compare this to I Samuel 15:22.  The true answer to the reconciliation of God and sinful man was in the Messiah to come.  Hebrews 10:1-10 takes these verses and shows their true fulfilment is in Christ.  The Scripture that guided David showed him what God truly desired and its fulfillment in Christ.  He then gladly responds in humble obedience.

vs. 9-11 – David will not keep the truth bottled up within himself.  He declares it to all by word and example of his trust in God.

vs. 12-13 – After viewing the glory of God’s plan, David is moved to confession.  This is the constant and proper reaction to being exposed to God’s glory, such as in Isaiah 6:5

vs. 14-15 – God’s blessing of the righteous and judgment of the wicked are two sides to the same coin.  You cannot have one without the other.  It is altogether fitting to see imprecatory statements appear in a psalm of praise. 

vs. 16-17 – David ends with another outburst of praise.  This includes in vs. 17 a statement by him confessing his lowly state.  True worship both exalts God and humbles man.

We close here Book I of the psalms.  This psalm is by David and was intended for use in the Temple.  It is about hope in distress for the righteous. 

vs. 1 – God will bless and sustain the righteous, seen here by their actions of charity.

vs. 2 – The righteous are not sustained in themselves but are upheld by God.

vs. 3 – The Great Physician cares for the righteous in their illnesses.

vs. 4 – A prayer for mercy from an undeserving saint.

vs. 5 – The wicked and their slander.

vs. 6 – The deceitfulness of the wicked.

vs. 7 – The wicked united in their machinations against the righteous.

vs. 8 – The accusations of the wicked against David, saying that he is beyond hope of deliverance.

vs. 9 – David had been betrayed by a close friend.  This is prophecy concerning Judas according to John 13:18.

vs. 10 – The Lord will not treat the righteous as an enemy.  He will deliver and bless them.

vs. 11 – The very fact that we are still alive is proof God is on our side!

vs. 12 – Without God we could do nothing.

vs. 13 – The highest praises offered to the God who will always be worthy of them.

We begin here Book II of the Psalms.  This psalm has no author attributed but every indication points to David.  It is intended for use in the Temple by the sons of Korah.  This family traces back to the rebellion against Aaron in Numbers 26.  These descendants had remained faithful and were integrated into the music program of the Temple.  The psalm is described as a Machil, or song of instruction.  It is a song of hope in despair.

vs. 1-5 – Here is so wonderfully described the hunger of a righteous soul for God.  The writer has been removed from the place of worship, either Jerusalem or the Tabernacle, and longs to return.

vs. 6-11 – The writer says that they are removed to a place over Jordan near Mt. Hermon, which is  roughly 30 miles north of the Sea of Galilee.  It is tempting to link this to David’s flight from Abasalom, but he did not make it this far north.  The writer is likely speaking poetically about a far-off place.  There he is, knowing the goodness of God but not experiencing it as his enemies mock him.  His only hope is to keep looking to God for deliverance, even though we do not see it in this psalm.

This psalm is linked with the previous.  It is not placed here by accident.  It is the natural fulfillment of the setting of Psalm 42, with a prayer for deliverance and praise anticipating it.

vs. 1-3 – The writer calls for vindication of their righteousness and deliverance from the wicked.  He longs for God’s aid and a return to place of worship.

vs. 4 – Here is praise given in anticipation of the coming deliverance.

vs. 5 – A call for his soul to feel hope again in the God who will deliver him from his troubles.

This psalm is for use in the Temple by the sons of Korah. It is described as Maschil, or song of instruction. The them of the psalm is enduring persecution.

vs. 1-3 – Past deliverance is called to mind, specifically that of the conquest of Canaan under Joshua and the establishment of the children of Israel in it.

vs. 4-8 – Faith is declared in the God who delivers His own.

vs. 9-12 – We deal here with the subject of persecution.  Evil has befallen the righteous.  This seems to occur with no purpose, as later the case is made for their innocence.  Still, they understand that all this occurs by God’s plan and purpose. 

vs. 13-16 – The humbled state of the righteous under persecution is described. 

vs. 17-19 – The persecuted respond in pleading their innocence.  They remain faithful and hopeful for God’s deliverances. 

vs. 20-22 – A cry for justice in their case.

vs. 23-26 – A call for God to deliver his persecuted children.

This psalm has quite a superscription!  It is for the sons of Korah to be sung in the Temple and is described as a Maschil, or song of instruction.  It is described as “upon Soshannim”, which means “lilies”.  This same word appears in the title of Psalm 80.  Theories concerning its meaning include the name of the tune (impossible) or an instrument to be used (plausible, but unproven).  I think it may describe the style of the psalm in that it is meant to be beautiful.  We also see it described as “A Song of loves”, possibly marking it for use in celebrating a wedding.  One theory is that it was written for the marriage of Solomon and Pharaoh’s daughter.  There are many thematic and linguistics links between this psalm and the Song of Solomon.  On its surface, it is a song praising the king of Israel.  However, its deeper meaning I hope is clear in that it celebrates Christ the Messiah.

vs. 1 – The author declares his noble intentions of writing on this subject.

vs. 2 – The king is seen as fair and blessed.

vs. 3-4 – The king is mighty in battle.  Compare to Revelation 19:15-16.

vs. 5 – The king’s enemies fall in battle against him.

vs. 6 – God is declared to be over the king, and the honor of being king is through Him.

vs. 7 – The anointing of the king is described.  The ancient kings of Israel were set apart for their work by the anointing of oil.  The deeper meaning is evident here because the literal meaning of Messiah is “anointed one”.

vs. 8 – The splendors of the royal raiment and palace.

vs. 9 – Here is described the wedding party, in particular the bride’s attendants.  The queen is revealed in shining gold.  For Solomon, these descriptions are practical.  For Christ the Messiah, they are prophetic and speak of the Church as the Bride. 

vs. 10-12 – These are addressed to the queen.  She is to forget her former state and fully belong to the king.  She will be exalted and honored. 

vs. 13-16 – The glory of the queen is described as she marries the king.  We jump ahead in vs. 16, anticipating the arrival of sons to this union.  It is to be reminded that we are going to rule and reign with Christ in Revelation 20:6.

vs. 17 – The psalm closes with another statement of intent by the writer.  His purpose is to bring everlasting praise to the king and queen.

The Psalms are like expertly cut diamonds. It seems that no matter how you view them they sparkle with the light of truth. Just in today’s reading we saw psalms to give hope for the hopeless and prophecies of the Messiah. Sometimes those can even occur in the same verse! There were a couple of times today that I started treating a psalm one way, only to get to the end and realize I needed to redo all the notes I had written. My point is, Psalms may be the most versatile book in the Bible. If you do not immediately understand a passage, try looking at it through a differently light. In fact, even when you do understand it, there is probably more truths to be found when approached in a different direction.

Our hymn today is “Ivory Palaces”, written by Henry Barraclough in 1915.  It uses the imagery of Psalm 45 to remind us of the Savior who left Heaven to redeem mankind.

1. My Lord has garments so wondrous fine,
and myrrh their texture fills;
its fragrance reached to this heart of mine,
with joy my being thrills.

Refrain:
Out of the ivory palaces
into a world of woe,
only his great eternal love
made my Savior go.

2. His life had also its sorrows sore,
for aloes had a part;
and when I think of the cross he bore,
my eyes with teardrops start.

3. His garments, too, were in cassia dipped,
with healing in a touch;
each time my feet in some sin have slipped,
he took me from its clutch.

4. In garments glorious he will come,
to open wide the door;
and I shall enter my heavenly home,
to dwell forevermore.