 
### SING TO THE LORD

### A Guide for the Interpretation of Selected Psalms

### Book Four (90-106)

By William H. Lawson

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Title and Cover

The title comes from Psalm 96,

"Sing a new song to the LORD!

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!" (Psalm 96:1)

The cover shows a Tamil Christian Singing to the Lord.

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Copyright 2020 William H. Lawson

Smashwords Edition

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Dedicated to my students and colleagues in Asia.

May you always have a song in your hearts for the Lord.

### TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS (Psalm 90)

CHAPTER TWO: HE IS MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS (Psalm 91)

CHAPTER THREE: DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS (Psalm 95)

CHAPTER FOUR: SING TO THE LORD (Psalm 96)

CHAPTER FIVE: I WILL LIVE WITH INTEGRITY (Psalm101)

CHAPTER SIX: BLESS THE LORD, MY SOUL (Psalm 103)

CHAPTER SEVEN: WE HAVE SINNED (Psalm 106)

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

### PREFACE

Christians and even ministers often struggle to hear God speak through the Bible. The problem in part is that sound principles and methods for interpreting the Bible are not known or practiced. Instead, everyone does what is right in their own eyes.

In Ears to Hear: A Guide for the Interpretation of the Bible I provide principles, methods, and procedures for Christians and ministers as they seek to hear God speak through the Bible and communicate the message of the Bible to those who need a word from God. This guide supplements Ears to Hear by illustrating the principles, methods, and procedures introduced in that guide through practicing them on the Book of Psalms. Other volumes are also available that illustrate these principles, methods, and procedures on other biblical books including Obedient unto Death: A Guide for the Interpretation of Paul's Epistle to the Philippians and The Lion Roars: A Guide for the Interpretation of the Book of Amos.

This is the fourth volume of my interpretation of the Book of Psalms. The first volume is called I Will Exalt You and contains my introductory study of the Psalms and my interpretations of 14 selected psalms from Psalms Book I (1-41). The second volume is called My Soul Thirsts for God and contains my interpretations of 12 selected psalms from Psalms Book II (42-72). The third volume is called Cause Your Face to Shine and contains my interpretations of 7 selected psalms from Psalms Book III (73-89). This fourth volume is called Sing to the LORD and contains my interpretations of 7 selected psalms from Psalms Book IV (90-106).

It is my earnest desire that you will not only benefit from my study of Psalms but that you will also use the methodologies illustrated within this book in your interpretation of the Bible.

William H. Lawson

### CHAPTER ONE

### TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS

Psalm 90

Study of the Passage

Text and Translation

A Prayer of Moses the Man of God.

1Lord, you yourself have been our dwelling place

Throughout all generations.

2Before the mountains were born

And you gave birth to the earth and the world,

From everlasting to everlasting you [are] God.

3You turn man ( _Enosh_ ) back to dust

And say, "Return, sons of man ( _Adam_ )."

4For a thousand years in your eyes [are] like a day that passes,

Or a watch in the night.

5You sweep men away, they are asleep;

They [are] like the grass that doesn't last--

6In the morning it flourishes but doesn't last,

But by evening it is withered and dried up.

7Indeed we are ended by your anger

And dismayed by your rage.

8You have set our iniquities before you,

Our secret [sin] before the light of your face.

9Indeed all our days pass in your outburst;

We finish our years with a moan.

10The time of our years [is] seventy years

Or eighty years if with strength;

Yet the pride of them is struggle and sorrow.

Indeed they pass quickly and we fly away.

11Who knows the power of your anger?

Your outburst [is] like your fear.

12Teach [us] to number our days rightly,

That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

13Return, LORD! How long?

Have compassion on your servants.

14Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,

That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

15Make us glad like the days you have humbled us,

Our many years of trouble.

16May your deeds be shown to your servants,

Your splendor to their sons.

17May the delight of the Lord our God be upon us;

Establish the work of our hands for us!

Establish it, the work of our hands.

Situation and Purpose

The psalm reflects a situation in which the psalmist along with the worshipers have sinned against God and experienced his wrath. The superscription identifies this psalm as a prayer of Moses and certainly what is described about the situation fits Moses and the wilderness generation. However, I have chosen not to use that specific background as the basis for my interpretation (See Spurgeon who does use that specific background). Their lives are filled with struggle and sorrow. They have been humbled and troubled for many years. They feel overwhelmed and distraught because of their experience of God's fury. The psalmist also seems to be preoccupied with the fleeting nature of life. He feels like God is far removed and does not care for them. The psalmist responds to this situation by indirectly commending reliance and fear of God and praying for God to teach them and return and bless them. Therefore, the purpose of the psalm is to lead worshipers to rely on and fear God and pray for God to teach them wisdom and return and bless them.

Literary Context and Role

The Book of Psalms has little discernible strategy. For the most part the psalms appear to be arranged in random order. Nonetheless, the Book of Psalms is divided into 5 books. This psalm is the first psalm of the fourth book (90-106). This book also contains little discernible strategy. Therefore, placing these psalms in their literary context and determining their role within that context is not very productive. VanGemeren believes that the fourth book is united in that the psalms therein address key issues such human sin and frailty and God's wrath and justice (VanGemeren, Kindle Location 21361). However, these issues are so broad and diverse that the relationship is tenuous. Tate believes that all of the psalms in 90-100 are a subset that are "dominated by kingship-of-Yahweh ideas" (Tate, 453). However, sometimes these "kingship-of-Yahweh ideas" are rather vague. He also relates Psalms 90 and 91 closely together, "The prayer of Ps 90 is answered by the confident instruction of Ps 91" (Tate, 459; See also Estes, 196). This psalm is identified as _A Prayer of Moses the Man of God_ in the superscription. This is the only psalm identified with Moses in the superscription.

Form and Function

This psalm is identified as _A Prayer of Moses the Man of God_ in the superscription. Indeed, the psalm exclusively contains words addressed by the psalmist to God, a rare occurrence in the Book of Psalms. It has traditionally been classified as a lament but I would prefer to classify it as a more complex liturgy. The psalmist is like the worship leader and he seeks to lead the worshipers into an authentic encounter with God. The worshipers are intended to do what the psalmist does based on what he says. The psalmist does seem to lament his situation in verses 1-11. However, I believe that the psalmist may be commending reliance on and fear of God to the worshipers in these verses. Within the context of worship the worshipers are intended to overhear what the psalmist says to God. In verse 1 the psalmist says, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations." As the worshipers overhear these words they would be reminded of their reliance on God and encouraged to continue relying on him as the psalmist affirms the eternity of God and the mortality of man. In verse 11 the psalmist says, "Your outburst [is] like your fear." Though my translation is ambiguous the CSB is probably correct when it translates "Your fury matches the fear that is due you." As the worshipers overhear these words they would be encouraged to fear God based on the psalmist's affirmation of man's sin and God's anger. The psalm contains the psalmist's petition for God to teach them wisdom and return and bless them in verses 12-17. Through this petition the psalmist leads the worshipers to petition God to teach them wisdom and return and bless them.

Strategy and Structure

Most scholars regard verses 1-11 as the basis for the prayer in verses 12-17. Certainly these verses do provide the basis for the prayer, but I give more weight to verses 1 and 11, regarding them as commendations of relying on God and fearing his anger (See above). Thus I have divided the psalm into three parts. In the first he indirectly commends reliance on God based on the eternity of God and the mortality of man (1-6). In the second he commends fearing God based on man's sin and God's anger (7-11). In the third he leads the worshipers to pray for God to teach them wisdom and return and bless them based in part on the eternity of God and the mortality of man and God's anger and their constant struggle and the fleeting nature of life, but with additional reasons supplied as well.

I. The Psalmist Indirectly Commends Reliance on God (1-6)

A. The Psalmist Affirms that God Has Been Their Dwelling Place (1)

B. The Psalmist Affirms that God Has Been from Everlasting (2)

C. The Psalmist Affirms that God Turns Man Back to Dust (3)

D. The Psalmist Explains that a Thousand Years Are Nothing to God (4)

E. The Psalmist Affirms that God Sweeps Men Away like Grass (5-6)

II. The Psalmist Indirectly Commends Fear of God (7-11)

A. The Psalmist Affirms They Are Consumed and Dismayed by God's Anger (7)

B. The Psalmist Affirms that that God Is Aware of Their Sin (8)

C. The Psalmist Affirms that Life Lived in God's Wrath Is a Constant Struggle (9)

D. The Psalmist Affirms that Life Is Short and Filled with Struggle and Sadness (10)

E. The Psalmist Affirms that God's Anger Is Worthy of Fear (11)

III. The Psalmist Prays for God to Teach Them and Return and Bless Them (12-17)

A. The Psalmist Prays for God to Teach Them to Number Their Days Rightly (12)

B. The Psalmist Prays for God to Return and Have Compassion (13)

C. The Psalmist Prays for God to Satisfy Them with His Steadfast Love (14)

D. The Psalmist Prays for God to Make Them Glad (15)

E. The Psalmist Prays for God to Reveal His Deeds and Splendor (16)

F. The Psalmist Prays for God to Bestow His Delight on Them (17)

Message or Messages

The worshipers should rely on God because he has been their secure dwelling place throughout all generations and he is the eternal God and they are mortal humans. The worshipers should fear God because God is aware of their sin, even their secret sins, life lived in God's wrath is a constant struggle, they do not know the power of his anger, and his outburst is worthy of fear. The worshipers should pray for God to teach them to make the best use of the time they have so that they can gain a heart of wisdom. The worshipers should pray for God to return and have compassion on them because he is their LORD and they are his servants. The worshipers should pray for God to satisfy them with his steadfast love so that they may be glad and sing for joy for their whole lives. The worshipers should pray for God to make them glad, reveal his deeds and splendor, and delight in them and bless their work because he is the Lord their God and they are his servants.

Analysis of the Details

The Psalmist Indirectly Commends

Reliance on God

The psalmist indirectly commends reliance on God in verses 1-6. Though these verses are spoken to God the worshipers are intended to overhear and encouraged to rely on God. He affirms that God has been their dwelling place, affirms that God has been from everlasting, affirms that God turns man back to dust, explains that a thousand years is nothing to God, and affirms that God sweeps men away like grass.

**The psalmist affirms that God has been their dwelling place.** The psalmist affirms that God has been their dwelling place in verse 1, "Lord, you yourself have been our dwelling place throughout all generations." He addresses God as Lord, a title that emphasizes God's sovereign control over everyone and everything. He emphasizes God's identify as their dwelling place by doubling the subject pronoun and the perfect state of the verb of being (Literally "Lord, you you have been our dwelling place" and indicated in translation with the reflexive pronoun). The word translated "dwelling place" is probably used to affirm that God is their secure refuge. Admittedly I see a closer connection between this affirmation of faith in God and the affirmations of God's eternity and man's mortality that follow than most interpreters. Even though these words are addressed to God, the worshipers would overhear and be reminded that God has been their dwelling pace and be encouraged to rely on him.

**The psalmist affirms that God has been from everlasting.** The psalmist affirms that God has been from everlasting in verse 2, "Before the mountains were born and you gave birth to the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you [are] God." He uses words associated with childbirth to describe God's creation of the mountains and the earth and world. These stress that God existed before the mountains and the earth and world and created them. Indeed, he affirms "From everlasting to everlasting you [are] God." He is probably saying that looking backwards at the past God has existed for all time and that looking forward to the future God will continue to exist for all time. As Weiser says, "But of what importance are, after all, those mysterious primordial events, that have come to pass in times immemorial, in comparison with the eternal Being of God, who was God before the earth was created, and who will continue to be God, from everlasting to everlasting, when the earth has long ceased to exist" (Weiser, 597). Through this affirmation of God's eternity he not only prepares the basis for his prayer in verses 12-17, he also provides encouragement for relying on God. As Spurgeon says, "In this Eternal One there is a safe abode for the successive generations of men. If God himself were of yesterday, he would not be a suitable refuge for mortal men; if he could change and cease to be God he would be but an uncertain dwelling place for his people" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 63790-63792).

**The psalmist affirms that God turns man back to dust.** The psalmist affirm that God turns man back to dust in verse 3, "You turn man ( _Enosh_ ) back to dust and say, 'Return, sons of man ( _Adam_ ).'" This verse begins to contrast the eternity of God with the mortality of man. This is an allusion to Genesis 2:7 where man is described as being formed from the dust of the ground as well as to Genesis 3:19 where God says as part of the curse after the fall, "For you are dust, and you will return to dust" (CSB). Though I am tempted to regard the command "Return, sons of man" as a call to repentance, it is almost certainly a command for man to return to the dust from which they came. This affirmation of man's mortality not only provides the basis for the prayer in verses 12-17, it also provides encouragement for the worshipers to rely on God rather than themselves.

**The psalmist explains that a thousand years are nothing to God.** The psalmist explains that a thousand years are nothing to God in verse 4, "For a thousand years in your eyes [are] like a day that passes, or a watch in the night." This verse again stresses the eternity of God, this time by contrasting his perspective on the passage of time with the human perspective of time. For humans a thousand years is an almost unimaginable span of time that encompasses many lifetimes and generations of people. But this is not the case with God. For God a thousand years is like a single day to humans. The phrase I have translated "like a day that passes" could be translated "yesterday." Yesterday came and went like nothing to us and that is how God perceives a thousand years. Indeed, from God's perspective a thousand years passes like a watch in the night--a period of only four hours! This affirmation again underscores the eternity of God and man's mortality. This does provide the basis for his prayer in 12-17, but it also substantiates why the worshipers should rely on God rather than themselves.

**The psalmist affirms that God sweeps men away like grass.** The psalmist affirms that God sweeps men away like grass in verses 5-6, "You sweep men away, [they] sleep; they [are] like the grass that doesn't last--In the morning it flourishes but doesn't last and by evening it is withered and dried up." He describes God ending men's lives as sweeping them away like a flood, probably to emphasize the ease with which he is able to do it and their vulnerability. This is followed simply with a noun that means "sleep." I have implied the pronoun, "[They] sleep." In this context "sleep" probably refers to the sleep of death (NIV "the sleep of death"). The ESV and NRS translate "they are like a dream" which would emphasize the transience of their lives. The NKJ translates "they are like a sleep" which would also emphasize the transience of their lives by comparing it to a nap. Human beings are like the grass; they don't last. Most translations are similar to the ESV, "like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers." However, the verb translated "renewed" normally means "pass on" or "pass away." As Spurgeon says, "We are not cedars, or oaks, but only poor grass, which is vigorous in the spring, but lasts not a summer through. What is there upon earth more frail than we!" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 63895-63896). He also adds wittily, "Here is the history of the grass--sown, grown, blown, mown, gone; and the history of man is not much more" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 63955-63956). This affirmation of the eternity of God and the mortality of man does provide the basis for his prayer in 12-17, but it also substantiates why the worshipers should rely on God. Therefore, the worshipers should rely on God because he has been their secure dwelling place throughout all generations and he is the eternal God and they are mortal humans.

The Psalmist Indirectly Commends

Fear of God

The psalmist indirectly commends fear of God in verses 7-11. Though these words are spoken to God the worshipers are intended to overhear and encouraged to fear God. He affirms that they are dismayed by God's anger, God is aware of their sin, life is lived in God's wrath is a constant struggle, life is fleeting and filled with struggle and sadness, and God's anger should be feared.

**The psalmist affirms that they are dismayed by God's anger.** The psalmist affirms that they are dismayed by God's anger in verse 7, "Indeed we are ended by your anger and dismayed by your rage." He stresses what he is about to say with the emphatic use of the conjunction (Translated "Indeed"). His use of the perfect state verbs probably emphasizes that these are established conditions. I have translated the first literally "we are ended" (See also the ESV which translates "we are brought to an end"); however, it is frequently translated "consumed" (CSB, NAS, NIV, NKJ, and NRS). The meaning behind this translation is probably based on the word I have translated "rage" which literally means "heat." They have been consumed as if God's anger and rage were an inferno. The meaning is probably that they have received so much of God's anger and rage that it has nearly destroyed them. The verb I have translated "dismayed" is often translated "terrified" (CSB, NIV, NKJ, and NRS) and stresses the extent of their emotional reaction to God's anger and discipline.

**The psalmist affirms that God is aware of their sin.** The psalmist affirms that God is aware of their sin in verse 8, "You have set our iniquities before you, our secret [sin] before the light of your face." He uses a perfect state verb to emphasize that this is an established fact. He has set their iniquities before him and they remain there in plain sight. Even the sins they do in secret, that no one observes and knows they do, are not hidden from God. His face or presence sheds light on them so that they cannot be hidden from him. As Spurgeon says, "There are no secrets before God; he unearths man's hidden things, and exposes them to the light. There can be no more powerful luminary than the face of God" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 64018-64019).

**The psalmist affirms that life lived in God's wrath is a constant struggle.** The psalmist affirms that life lived in God's wrath is a constant struggle in verse 9, "Indeed all our days pass in your outburst; we finish our years with a moan." He uses the conjunction emphatically to stress that all their days pass or are lived in God's wrath. The word I have translated "your outburst" literally means "overflow" and is frequently translated "wrath" (CSB, ESV, NIV, NKJ, and NRS). It is probably used to emphasize the extent of God's anger (The NAS translates "fury"). Tate describes this moan or sigh that finishes life as "a short expression of resignation and weariness" (Tate, p. 442).

**The psalmist affirms that life is fleeting and filled with struggle and sorrow.** The psalmist affirms that life is short and filled with struggle and sorrow in verse 10, "The time of our years [is] seventy years or eighty years if with strength; yet the pride of them is struggle and sorrow. Indeed they pass quickly and we fly away." What he describes in the first line is a best-case scenario. However, his implication is that even if someone lives seventy or eighty years, life is extremely brief especially when viewed from the divine perspective. I have translated the second line literally, "yet the pride of them is struggle and sorrow." He probably means that even the best of these brief years are filled with travail and sadness. If the best of these years are struggle and sorrow, the rest of life is even worse. He emphasizes the brevity of life in the final line, "Indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away." He stresses this affirmation by introducing it with the emphatic use of the conjunction (Translated "Indeed"). He emphasizes the brevity of life with the adverb ("quickly") and the verb translated "we fly away."

**The psalmist affirms that God's anger is worthy of fear.** The psalmist affirms that God's anger is worthy of fear in verse 11, "Who knows the power of your anger? Your outburst [is] like your fear." The first line contains a rhetorical question that emphasizes the power of God's anger. This is the type of rhetorical question that implies an emphatic negative response, "No one knows the power of God's anger!" He is the infinite God and like him his anger has no limits. As Spurgeon says,

Modern thinkers rail at Milton and Dante, Bunyan and Baxter, for their terrible imagery; but the truth is that no vision of poet, or denunciation of holy seer, can ever reach to the dread height of this great argument, much less go beyond it. The wrath to come has its horrors rather diminished than enhanced in description by the dark lines of human fancy; it baffles words, it leaves imagination far behind (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 64260-64263).

The second line is a bit unclear, "Your outburst [is] like your fear." The CSB is probably on the right track when it translates, "Your wrath matches the fear that is due you." The meaning is probably that the fear they have for God should be equal to his anger and if his anger is beyond human comprehension they cannot fear God enough. This affirmation of the sinfulness of man and the anger of God does provide the basis for his prayer in 12-17, but it also implies that the worshipers should fear God. Therefore, the worshipers should fear God because God is aware of their sin, even their secret sins, life lived in God's wrath is a constant struggle, they do not know the power of his anger, and his outburst is worthy of fear.

The Psalmist Prays for God to Teach Them

And Return and Bless Them

The psalmist prays for God to teach them and return and bless them in verses 12-17. He prays for God to teach them to number their days rightly, to return and have compassion on them, to satisfy them with his steadfast love, make them glad, reveal his deeds and splendor, and bestow his delight and establish their work.

**The psalmist prays for God to teach them to number their days rightly.** The psalmist prays for God to teach them to number their days rightly in verse 12, "Teach [us] to number our days rightly, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." His prayer for God to teach them to number their days probably means that since their lives are short they need to make the best use of the time that they have. As Ross says, "it includes planning, carrying out, and evaluating those activities in that period of time--70 or 80 years" (Ross, 36). The psalmist qualifies how they should number their days with the adjective translated "rightly." Based on what he has said in verses 1-11 they should rely on and fear God and live righteously by God's word. This will result in them gaining a heart of wisdom as they put divine wisdom into practice through living by God's word. Ross says, "A heart characterized by wisdom signifies a person who has the right affections and makes the proper choices--it is a life of faith" (Ross, 36). As the psalmist prays for God to teach them to number their days rightly he is leading the worshipers to do the same. Therefore, the worshipers should pray for God to teach them to make the best use of the time they have by trusting and fearing God so that they can gain a heart of wisdom.

**The psalmist prays for God to return and have compassion on them.** The psalmist prays for God to return and have compassion on them in verse 13, "Return, LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants." The petition in the first line is stated with extra urgency (Indicated in translation by making it an exclamation). He prays for God to return, recognizing that God's presence is most important. Without him they have no hope. He address God as LORD, the name that was revealed to Moses in the wilderness and is closely tied to covenant promises. He asks "How long?" expressing his discouragement because God has withheld his presence and compassion for so long and the urgency of his petition. Stated positively it is equivalent to the exclamation "Too long!" The petition in the second line, "Have compassion," expresses his desire that God once again demonstrate his love for them by caring for them. He appeals for God's presence and compassion because they are his servants. As the psalmist prays for God to return and have compassion on them he is leading the worshipers to do the same. Therefore, the worshipers should pray for God to return and have compassion on them because he is their LORD and they are his servants.

**The psalmist prays for God to satisfy them with his steadfast love.** The psalmist prays for God to satisfy them with his steadfast love in verse 14, "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." The verb translated "Satisfy us" is often used for being sated with food. Here the food is God's steadfast love. The word translated "steadfast love" is _hesed_ which expresses God's care for his covenant people and faithfulness to covenant promises. He probably asks God to satisfy them in the morning because the morning is often used to symbolize light and hope after a night of darkness. He is praying that God would demonstrate his steadfast love by taking care of them and blessing them. The result of being satisfied with God's steadfast love is exuberant joy. If only God will again treat them with steadfast love they will sing for joy and be glad for their entire lives. As the psalmist prays for God to satisfy them with is steadfast love he is leading the worshipers to do the same. The worshipers should pray for God to satisfy them with his steadfast love so that they may be glad and sing for joy for their whole lives.

**The psalmist prays for God to make them glad.** The psalmist prays for God to make them glad in verse 15, "Make us glad like the days you have humbled us, our many years of trouble." This verse is the inverse of the preceding verse. In the preceding verse he prayed that God would satisfy them by treating them with steadfast love so that they would be glad and rejoice. In this verse he prays that God would make them glad, presumably by satisfying them with his steadfast love. What is new is the appeal for God to make them glad in proportion to the many years God has humbled them and they have experienced trouble. He is probably not asking for payback for all their suffering, but simply asking for God to make them exceedingly joyful.

**The psalmist prays for God to reveal his deeds and splendor**. The psalmist prays for God to reveal his deeds and splendor in verse 16, "May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their sons." The deeds that he prays that God would show them are actions that would reveal to them that God was once again at work in their lives to deliver and bless them. He bases his appeal on their status as his servants. The word translated "splendor" literally means "ornament" or "adornment" but can mean "splendor" or "majesty." He is asking God to reveal how wonderful he is, probably again through actions that demonstrate that he is active in their lives to deliver and bless. Weiser says, "It is this divine work which imparts to man's life, so wretched in itself, an ultimate and imperishable meaning and fills it with the splendour of eternity. Here is the place where God's gracious nature and rule appear in all their glory and where his redemptive work is realized" (Weiser, 603).

**The psalmist prays for God to delight in them and establish their work.** The psalmist prays for God to delight in them and establish their work in verse 17, "May the delight of the Lord our God be upon us; establish the work of our hands for us! Establish it, the work of our hands." The word translated "delight" could be translated "favor." By praying that the delight of the Lord be upon them he is praying that the Lord would once again delight in them and show them favor. His petition for God to establish their work is emphasized both by the form of the imperative verb and by the repetition of the petition (Indicated in translation by making it an exclamation). He addresses God as "the Lord our God," a title that emphasizes both God's sovereignty and their relationship with him. As the psalmist prays for God to make them glad, reveal his deeds and splendor, and delight in them and bless their work he is leading the worshipers to do the same. Therefore, the worshipers should pray for the Lord their God to make them glad, reveal his deeds and splendor, and delight in them and bless their work because they are his servants.

Application of the Message

People today are faced with two great realities. First, they are mortal and doomed to death. Second, they are sinners and deserving of God's righteous anger. These similarities in the situation provide a strong basis for applying the message of this passage. Indeed, the message of this passage is especially relevant in the modern context since God has supplied the ultimate answer to human mortality and sinfulness in Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death on the cross. Though the passage was originally addressed to God's people, I have chosen to broaden the application. I think that this is still justified by the universal realities of human mortality and sinfulness. As a result I have omitted some of the reasons that are based on Israel's relationship with God. People should trust the gospel of Jesus Christ because God has been a secure dwelling place throughout all generations and he is the eternal God and they are mortal humans. People should fear God and trust the gospel of Jesus Christ because God is aware of their sin, even their secret sins, life lived in God's wrath is a constant struggle, they do not know the power of his anger, and his outburst is worthy of fear. People should pray for God to teach them to make the best use of the time by fearing God and trusting in the gospel so that they can gain a heart of wisdom. People pray for Jesus Christ to come into their lives and have compassion on, satisfy them with his steadfast love, give them the joy of his salvation, and delight in and bless them.

Communication of the Message

**Title:** TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS

**Objective:** The objective of this message is to lead people to fear God and trust the gospel of Jesus Christ.

**Proposition:** People should fear God, trust the gospel of Jesus Christ, and pray for God to teach them to number their days rightly and ask Jesus Christ to come into their lives.
Introduction

People today are faced with two great realities. First, they are mortal and doomed to death. Second, they are sinners and deserving of God's righteous anger. Though Moses lived long before the coming of Jesus, he had wisdom from God about how people should respond to their mortality and sinfulness. Let's listen to his prayer and allow it to show us how we should approach God. _Read Psalm 90_.

I. People should rely on God and trust the gospel of Jesus Christ because he has been a secure refuge through all generations and he is the eternal God and they are mortal humans.

A. Moses indirectly commends reliance on God in verses 1-6. Though these verses are spoken to God the worshipers are intended to overhear and encouraged to rely on God.

B. Moses affirms that God has been their dwelling place in verse 1, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations."

C. Moses affirms that God has been from everlasting in verse 2, "Before the mountains were born and you gave birth to the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you [are] God." C. H. Spurgeon says, "In this Eternal One there is a safe abode for the successive generations of men. If God himself were of yesterday, he would not be a suitable refuge for mortal men; if he could change and cease to be God he would be but an uncertain dwelling place for his people" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 63790-63792).

E. Moses affirms that God turns man back to dust in verse 3, "You turn man (Enosh) back to dust and say, 'Return, sons of man (Adam).'"

F. Moses explains that a thousand years are nothing to God in verse 4, "For a thousand years in your eyes [are] like a day that passes, or a watch in the night."

G. Moses affirms that God sweeps men away like grass in verses 5-6, "You sweep men away, [they] sleep; they [are] like the grass that doesn't last--In the morning it flourishes but doesn't last and by evening it is withered and dried up."

H. These affirmations of the eternity of God and the mortality of man provide encouragement for people to rely on God. God has acted decisively in Jesus Christ to provide a way for people to live forever with God. Therefore, you should rely on God and trust the gospel of Jesus Christ because he has been a secure dwelling place through all generations and he is the eternal God and you are mortal humans.

II. People should fear God and trust the gospel of Jesus Christ because he is aware of all their sins, living in God's wrath is a constant struggle, and they don't even know the extent of his anger.

A. Moses commends fear of God in verses 7-11. Though these words are spoken to God the worshipers are intended to overhear and encouraged to fear God.

B. Moses affirms that they are dismayed by God's anger in verse 7, "Indeed we are ended by your anger and dismayed by your rage."

C. Moses affirms that God is aware of their sin in verse 8, "You have set our iniquities before you, our secret [sin] before the light of your face." Even the sins they do in secret, that no one observes and knows they do, are not hidden from God. Spurgeon says, "There are no secrets before God; he unearths man's hidden things, and exposes them to the light. There can be no more powerful luminary than the face of God" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 64018-64019).

D. Moses affirms that life is lived in God's wrath is a constant struggle in verse 9, "Indeed all our days pass in your outburst; we finish our years with a moan."

E. Moses affirms that life is short and filled with struggle and sorrow in verse 10, "The time of our years [is] seventy years or eighty years if with strength; yet the pride of them is struggle and sorrow. Indeed they pass quickly and we fly away." What he describes in the first line is a best-case scenario. However, his implication is that even if someone lives seventy or eighty years, life is extremely brief especially when viewed from the divine perspective. I have translated the second line literally, "yet the pride of them is struggle and sorrow." He probably means that even the best of these brief years are filled with travail and sadness. If the best of these years are struggle and sorrow, the rest of life is even worse.

F. Moses affirms that God's anger is worthy of fear in verse 11, "Who knows the power of your anger? Your outburst [is] like your fear." The first line contains a rhetorical question that emphasizes the power of God's anger. This is the type of rhetorical question that implies an emphatic negative response, "No one knows the power of God's anger!" He is the infinite God and like him his anger has no limits. The second line is a bit unclear, "Your outburst [is] like your fear." The CSB is probably on the right track when it translate, "Your wrath matches the fear that is due you." The meaning is probably that the fear they have for God should be equal to his anger and since his anger is beyond comprehension they cannot fear God enough.

G. This affirmation of the sinfulness of man and the anger of God implies that people should fear God. God has acted decisively in Jesus Christ to provide a way that their sins can be forgiven. Therefore, you should fear God and trust the gospel of Jesus Christ because God is aware of your sin, even their secret sins, life lived in God's wrath is a constant struggle, and you don't even know the extent of his anger.

III. People should ask God to teach them to number their days rightly and ask Jesus to come into their lives so that they can be satisfied with his steadfast love, experience the joy of his salvation, and enjoy his delight and blessing.

A. Moses prays for God to teach them and return and bless them in verses 12-17.

B. Moses prays for God to teach them to number their days rightly in verse 12, "Teach [us] to number our days rightly, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." His prayer for God to teach them to number their days probably means that since their lives are short they need to make the best use of the time that they have. The psalmist qualifies how they should number their days with the adjective translated "rightly." God has already revealed how they can make the best use of their time by relying on and fearing him. This will result in them gaining a heart of wisdom as they put divine wisdom into practice.

C. Moses prays for God to return and have compassion on them in verse 13, "Return, LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants." He prays for God to return, recognizing that God's presence is most importance. Without him they have no hope.

D. God's presence in their lives opens up all kinds of possibilities for a meaningful life.

1. Moses prays for God to satisfy them with his steadfast love in verse 14, "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days."

2. Moses prays for God to make them glad in verse 15, "Make us glad like the days you have humbled us, our many years of trouble."

3. Moses prays for God to reveal his deeds and splendor in verse 16, "May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their sons."

4. Moses prays for God to delight in them and establish their work in verse 17, "May the delight of the Lord our God be upon us; establish the work of our hands for us! Establish it, the work of our hands."

5. With God's return to their lives they can experience satisfaction, joy, and his delight and blessing.

E. As Moses prays for God to teach them to number their days rightly he is leading you to do the same. God has acted decisively to provide a way for us to be reconciled and reunited with him through Jesus Christ. You should ask God to teach you to number your days rightly and ask Jesus to come into your lives so that you can be satisfied with his steadfast love, experience the joy of his salvation, and enjoy his delight and blessing.

Conclusion

You are faced with two great realities. First, you are mortal and doomed to death. Second, you are sinners and deserving of God's righteous anger. Though Moses lived long before the coming of Jesus, he had wisdom from God about how you should respond to your mortality and sinfulness. I encourage you to heed what Moses reveals about how you should approach God. You should fear God and trust the gospel of Jesus Christ because he has been a secure refuge through all generations and he is eternal and you are mortal. You should fear God and trust the gospel of Jesus Christ because he is aware of all your sins, living in God's wrath is a constant struggle, and you don't even know the extent of his anger. You should ask God to teach you to number your days rightly and ask Jesus to come into your lives so that you can be satisfied with his steadfast love, experience the joy of his salvation, and enjoy his delight and blessing.

### CHAPTER TWO

### HE IS MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS

### Psalm 91

**Study of the Passage**

Text and Translation

1The one who dwells in the covering of the Most High

Abides in the shadow of the Almighty.

2I say to the LORD that he is my refuge and my fortress;

My God I trust in him.

3Indeed **he** will snatch you from the fowler's snare

And from the pit of pestilence.

4He will cover you with his feathers

And under his wings you will find refuge;

His faithfulness [will be] your surrounding shield.

You will by no means fear the dread of night,

The arrow [that] flies by day,

6The pestilence [that] goes about in the darkness,

The plague [that] destroys at noon.

7A thousand may fall at your side,

Ten thousand at your right hand,

[But] it will by no means come near you.

8You will only look with your eyes

And see the reward of the wicked.

9Because **you** have made the LORD my refuge the Most High your dwelling,

10Evil will by no means be sent to you,

Disaster will by no means come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you

To guard you in all your ways;

12They will carry you in their hands,

So that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13You will walk upon a lion and a cobra;

You will trample a young lion and a serpent.

14"Because he lovingly clings to me I will deliver him.

I will set him up high because he acknowledges my name.

15He will call upon me and I will answer him;

I [will be] with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16I will satisfy him with long life

And I will show him my salvation."

Situation and Purpose

The psalm is extremely positive in its perspective. Nonetheless, the psalm does reflect some potential dangers in its affirmations of God's protection of deliverance. He refers to "the fowler's snare" and "the pit of pestilence" (Or "deadly pestilence") in verse 3, "the dread of night" and "the arrow that flies by day" in verse 5, "the pestilence that goes about in the darkness" and "the plague that strikes at noon" in verse 6, evil and disaster in verse 10, thousands falling dead in verse 11, striking a foot against a stone in verse 12, walking on lions and cobras and trampling on young lions and serpents in verse 13, and trouble in verse 15. Of course many of these potential dangers are described metaphorically and even hyperbolically. The point is probably that no matter what and how severe the threat may be God is the answer. Therefore the psalm is directed generally to any situation that the worshipers may encounter without defining any specific danger. It would especially speak to worshipers who are experiencing difficulties of various kinds. The purpose of this psalm is to lead worshipers to dwell in God and trust in him and be devoted to God and acknowledge him. According to Weiser:

The true aim of the whole psalm, which stands out prominently right from the beginning, is to demonstrate that this living relationship with God has the quality of actuality which the man who trusts in God will be able to experience in his own person in all the afflictions and perils of life as the saving, protecting, strengthening power of God (Weiser, 606).

Literary Context and Role

The Book of Psalms has little discernible strategy. For the most part the psalms appear to be arranged in random order. Nonetheless, the Book of Psalms is divided into 5 books. This psalm is in the fourth book (90-106). Like the rest of the Book of Psalms, this book contains little discernible strategy. Therefore, placing this psalm in its literary context and determining its role within that context is not very productive. VanGemeren believes that the fourth book is united in that the psalms therein address key issues such human sin and frailty and God's wrath and justice (VanGemeren, Kindle Location 21361). However, these issues are so broad and diverse that the relationship is tenuous. Tate believes that all of the psalms in 90-100 are a subset that are "dominated by kingship-of-Yahweh ideas" (Tate, 453). However, sometimes these "kingship-of-Yahweh ideas" are rather vague. He also relates Psalms 90 and 91 closely together, "The prayer of Ps 90 is answered by the confident instruction of Ps 91" (Tate, 459; See also Estes, 196). Psalm 91 is also related generally to other psalms of faith such as 20, 23, 46, and 121. Verse 12 is quoted or alluded to by Satan as he tempts Jesus in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:10-11.

Form and Function

The psalm has some of the characteristics of a liturgy, but it is predominantly wise instruction. As a liturgy, the psalmist is like a worship leader who leads the worshipers into an authentic encounter with God. The worshipers are intended to do what the psalmist does based on what the psalmist says. This psalm contains the psalmist's commitment to dwell in God and trust him (1-2). Through his commitment the worshipers are led to commit themselves to dwell in God and trust him. This commitment to dwell in God and trust him is reinforced by affirmations of faith. As wise instruction, the psalmist is more like a preacher. This psalm contains a commendation of dwelling in and taking refuge in God that encourages worshipers to dwell in God and trust him (3-13). As the psalmist affirms what God will do for those who dwell in and trust him he leads them to dwell in God and trust him (14-16). This psalm also contains God's words of commendation to those who love him and acknowledge him. Through the promises that God gives to those who love and acknowledge him he encourages the worshipers to love and acknowledge him.

Strategy and Structure

The psalm has a progressive strategy. First, the psalmist commits himself to dwell in God and trust him in verses 1-2. In these verses he leads the worshipers to dwell in God and trust him based on his example. Second, the psalmist commends dwelling in God and trusting him in verses 3-13 by affirming that God will deliver and protect them because they dwell in God and take refuge in him. Third, the psalmist relates God's commendation of loving and acknowledging him in verses 14-16. In these verses God encourages the worshipers to love and acknowledge him because of his promises to those who love and acknowledge him..

I. The Psalmist Commitment to Dwell in and Trust God (1-2)

A. The Psalmist Affirms God's Protection of Those Who Dwell in Him (1)

B. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Trust God (2)

II. The Psalmist's Commendation of Dwelling in and Trusting God (3-13)

A. The Psalmist Affirms God's Deliverance (3)

B. The Psalmist Affirms God's Faithfulness and Protection (4)

C. The Psalmist Affirms that They Need Never Fear (5-6)

D. The Psalmist Affirms that God's Judgment Will Not Come near Them (7-8)

E. The Psalmist Explains that Evil Will Not Come Near Them because They Have Made God Their Dwelling (9-10)

F. The Psalmist Explains that God Will Command His Angels to Guard Them (11-12)

G. The Psalmist Affirms that They Will Be Safe No Matter Where They Go and What They Do (13)

III. God's Commendation of Loving and Acknowledging Him (14-16)

A. God promises to deliver and protect the one who loves and acknowledges him (14)

B. God Promises to Answer, Be with, Deliver, and Honor Him when He Calls

C. God Promises to Satisfy and Show Him His Salvation (16)

Message or Messages

The worshipers should dwell in God and trust him because the Most High and Almighty will protect them and the LORD is their refuge and fortress. The worshipers should dwell in God and trust him because the LORD Most High will faithfully deliver and protect them, they will have no need to fear, no harm or disaster will come near them, and his angels will guard them and lift them out of harm's way. The worshipers should be devoted to and acknowledge God because God will deliver and protect them; answer when they call and be with, deliver, and honor them; and satisfy them with long life and show them his salvation.

Analysis of the Details

The Psalmist's Commitment to Dwell in

God and Trust Him

The psalmist commits himself to dwell in God and trust him in verses 1-2. The psalmist affirms that God protects those who dwell in him in verse 1, "The one who dwells in the covering of the Most High ( _Elyon_ ) abides in the shadow of the Almighty ( _Shaddai_ )." As Weiser observes, this promise "strikes the keynote of the whole psalm" (Kaiser, 605). The psalmist describes God as a covering that casts a shadow. Shade is important in the Near East because the harsh rays of the sun can be quite harmful and it is used in the Old Testament as a picture of God's protection. According to Estes, "The noun sēter, which is rendered as "protection" by CSB [my "covering"], is better translated "secret place," that is, a place of privacy and protection; and it is similar to the thought in Pss 32:7; 119:114 that the Lord is the hiding place for his people" (Estes, 191). The psalmist identifies God as the Most High or _Elyon_ , a title that emphasizes God's superiority to everyone and everything. He also identifies God as the Almighty or _Shaddai,_ a title that emphasizes God's power. He commends dwelling in God, probably encouraging a living relationship with God. The psalmist commits himself to trust and rely on God in verse 2, "I say to the LORD that he is my refuge and my fortress; my God I trust in him." Most English versions change his commitment so that he directly addresses God like the CSB, "I will say to the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.'" However, in the Hebrew text the psalmist is testifying of his commitment to trust in God to the worshipers and he indirectly relates what he said to the LORD. He bases his trust in God on what God is for him. God is his refuge and fortress--his place of protection. He also bases his trust in God because God is his God. They have a relationship and history. As the psalmist commits himself to dwell in God and trust him he is leading the worshipers to do the same. Therefore, the worshipers should dwell in God and trust him because the Most High and Almighty will protect them and the LORD is their refuge and fortress.

The Psalmist's Commendation of Dwelling

In God and Trusting Him

The psalmist commends dwelling in God and trusting in him in verses 3-13. He affirms that God will deliver them, be faithful to protect them, they will never need to fear, and that judgment will not come near them and explains that this is because they have made God their dwelling and refuge.

**The psalmist affirms that God will deliver them.** The psalmist affirms that God will deliver them in verse 3, "Indeed **he** will snatch you from the fowler's snare and from the pit of pestilence." He stresses this affirmation by introducing it with an inferential conjunction that in this context appears to be used emphatically ("Indeed"). He emphasizes that it is God who will deliver them by doubling the subject pronoun (Literally "he, he will snatch you" and indicated in translation with bold print; CSB "He himself"). The verb I have translated "will snatch you" is often translated "will deliver you" (CSB). I prefer the more literal translation because of the visual images it generates. He probably uses the image of a fowler's snare to visually describe the difficulties that people often become trapped in and seem impossible to escape. Spurgeon says, "We are foolish and weak as poor little birds, and are very apt to be lured to our destruction by cunning foes, but if we dwell near to God, he will see to it that the most skillful deceiver shall not entrap us" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 64901-64903). I have translated the second line "and from the pit of pestilence" because it is consistent with the meaning of the words in the Hebrew text and parallels the imagery of the fowler's snare. However, this is a unique translation and the danger here is usually translated "deadly pestilence" (ESV, NAS, NIV, and NRS) or something similar.

**The psalmist affirms that God will be faithful to protect them.** The psalmist affirms that God will be faithful to protect them in verse 4, "He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness [will be] your surrounding shield." He uses two images to describe God's protection. The first image is that of a mother bird protecting her young. Though it may seem somewhat odd to think of God as a mother bird, mother birds are extremely protective of their chicks and that is the point. The second image is that of a shield. But this is no ordinary shield. The feminine noun used in conjunction with shield only occurs here in the Old Testament and its meaning is uncertain. It is translated in various ways (CSB "protective shield", ESV, NKJ, and NRS "and buckler", NAS "and bulwark", NIV "and rampart"). The noun probably comes from a verb that means "surround." I have understood it as a hendiadys describing a shield that protects no matter where the threat arises (See also the Septuagint). As Spurgeon says, "Double armour has he who relies upon the Lord. He bears a shield and wears an all surrounding coat of mail-- such is the force of the word "buckler" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 64975-64976). Estes insightfully observes, "The images in v. 4 combine gentle maternal and powerful military nuances, because the Lord provides both tender care and triumphant defense for his people" (Estes, 192).

**The psalmist affirms that they need never fear.** The psalmist affirms that they need never fear in verses 5-6, "You will by no means fear the dread of night, the arrow [that] flies by day, the pestilence [that] goes about in the darkness, the plague [that] destroys at noon." The psalmist stresses that they need never fear by stating this affirmation absolutely ("You will by no means fear"). He also stresses that they need never fear by contrasting day and night and darkness and noon. They need not fear no matter if it is daytime or night, darkness or light. They are protected all day and all night. Bows and arrows were an advance in weaponry that enabled the archer to strike from long distances without warning. Plagues were common and could come at any time without warning, bringing suffering and death. Weiser sees more to the dangers described in verses 5-6, "The 'terror of the night' probably refers to those powers of a superhuman kind who exist in popular belief at all times and strike fear and terror during the night hours. The arrow that flies by day is no human weapon, but the dreaded missile of demonic power" (Weiser 608). Whatever the case, they need never fear.

**The psalmist affirms that God's judgment will never come near them.** The psalmist affirms that God's judgment will never come near them in verses 7-8, "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, [but] it will by no means come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the reward of the wicked." He stresses the extent of their safety by exaggerating the threat. Even if a thousand or even ten thousand die in close proximity to them, death will somehow not even come near them. He emphasizes the extent of their safety even more by stating this affirmation absolutely ("it will by no means come near you"). As Weiser affirms, "Though the victims may fall right and left in murderous destruction, he who trusts in God alone remains upright when round about him the harvest is gathered in by the pitiless reaper Death!" (Weiser, 609). Verse 8 is introduced by a particle translated "only." The only thing that they will experience is the ability to look and see God's justice on the wicked.

**The psalmist explains why evil will not come near them because they have made God their dwelling**. The psalmist explains that evil will not come near them because they have made God their dwelling in verses 9-10, "Because **you** have made the LORD my refuge the Most High your dwelling, evil will by no means be sent to you, disaster will by no means come near your tent." He stresses the certainty of his affirmations that evil will never be sent to them and disaster will never come near them by stating them absolutely ("evil will by no means be sent to you" and "disaster will by no means come near your tent"). Tate suggests, "Perhaps it is correct to say, however, that the use of "tent" in v 10 and in v 11 indicates that divine protection is effective both at home and away from home" (Tate, 457). The reason why evil will never be sent to them and disaster will never come near them is that they have made the LORD Most High their dwelling. They have chosen to live their lives in relationship with the LORD Most High. He emphasizes their commitment to make the LORD Most High their dwelling by doubling the subject pronoun (Literally "Because you, you have made" and indicated in translation with bold print). He further emphasizes their commitment through the use of the perfect state of the verb. To dwell in the LORD Most High is probably to live in relationship with him. "LORD" is the substitute for the divine name that was revealed to Moses and is closely associated with covenant promises. "Most High" is a title for God that emphasizes that he is above and beyond anyone or anything.

**The psalmist explains that God will command his angels to guard them.** The psalmist explains that God will command his angels to guard them in verses 11-12, "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will carry you in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." He emphasizes that no matter where they go ("in all your ways") God's angels have orders from on high to protect them in verse 11. Tate observes, "The idea of angels bearing up persons so that no foot is injured in hitting a stone (12) is a metaphor of special care" (Tate, 457). The psalmist stresses the extent of that protection in verse 12. God's angels will not literally carry them in their hands, but their protection will be so complete that it will seem that they are. They will guard them so thoroughly from harm that they won't even stub their toes.

**The psalmist affirms that they will be safe no matter where they go and what they do.** The psalmist explains that they will be safe no matter where they go and what they do in verse 13, "You will walk upon a lion and a cobra; you will trample a young lion and a serpent." Lions and cobras are obviously dangerous animals as are young lions and serpents. In fact "young lion" is sometimes translated "great lion" (NIV) and "serpent" could be translated "dragons" so that the second line of this verse goes beyond the first line. The psalmist is again using hyperbole. They are so secure because they dwell or live in relationship with God that they can not only walk among dangerous animals but they can even trample upon them without fear. As the psalmist affirms what God will protect and deliver those who dwell in him he is encouraging the worshipers to live in relationship with God. Therefore, the worshipers should dwell in God and trust him because the LORD Most High will faithfully deliver and protect them, they will have no need to fear, no harm or disaster will come near them, and his angels will guard them and lift them out of harm's way.

God's Commendation of Loving and

Acknowledging Him

God commends loving and acknowledging him in verses 14-16. God promises to deliver and protect the one who loves and acknowledges him in verse 14, "Because he lovingly clings to me I will deliver him. I will set him up high because he acknowledges my name." God not only promises to deliver him, but set him up high, probably meaning to put him out of harm's way. The verbs translated "Because he lovingly clings to me" and "because he acknowledges my name" are in the perfect state and could emphasize the firmness of their love and acknowledgement. The verb translated "he lovingly clings to me" carries the idea of clinging to someone out of love and expresses strong desire. He is probably emphasizing the extent of their devotion for God. The ESV translates the idea literally "he holds fast to me in love" and the CSB gets the point across by translating "he is lovingly devoted to Me." The verb translated "he acknowledges my name" could be translated "he knows my name." This is an attractive alternative since the psalmist has already encouraged the worshipers to dwell or live in relationship with God." Though this is an attractive option, I have chosen to understand it more simply as acknowledging God's name before others. God's name stands for all he is and all he has done. So acknowledging God's name means to testify to others of who God is and what he has done. God promises to answer the one who loves and acknowledges him when he calls in verse 15, "He will call upon me and I will answer him; I [will be] with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him." God not only promises to answer him, but to be with him, deliver him, and honor him. God's presence makes all the difference in times of trouble. God will be with the one who loves and acknowledges him during the trouble even before he delivers him from the trouble. God also promises to honor him. In context this probably means that he will vindicate him for his faith in God. God promises to satisfy the one who loves and acknowledges him and show him his salvation in verse 16, "I will satisfy him with long life and I will show him my salvation." VanGemeren says, "Seeing God's salvation with the eye of faith will further encourage the godly, to whom the Lord has promised his protection and blessing" (VanGemeren, Kindle Locations 21691-21692). As God commends loving and acknowledging him he is encouraging the worshipers to love and acknowledge him. Therefore, the worshipers should love and acknowledge God because he will deliver and protect them; answer when they call and be with, deliver, and honor them; and satisfy them with long life and show them his salvation.

Application of the Message

Christians experience trials of various kinds that may undermine their faith in God. Indeed, they can easily be tricked by deceptive teaching, trapped by temptation and sin, exposed to diseases and plagues, and suffer from unexpected attacks and accidents. These similarities in the situation provide a strong basis for applying the message of Psalm 91 to the modern situation. However, the psalmist's absolute promises of God's deliverance and protection could easily be misunderstood. As Estes says, "This psalm must not be read in isolation but in conversation with the rest of the Bible. It is true that the Lord is always present with his people, even during their darkest distresses (cf. Ps 23:4); but he may well use adversity in their lives to produce godly virtue (cf. Jas 1:2–4), so Psalm 91 should not be taken as a guarantee against all adversity" (Estes, 196). We should remember that Satan used one of the promises in this psalm when tempting Jesus: "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you and, they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Matthew 4:6 CSB). Jesus' response should be instructive as we apply the message of this passage: "It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God." (Matthew 4:7 CSB). We should not test the Lord when it does not appear that it is in God's will to deliver us from difficulties as soon as we might like and remember that no matter what happens to us we are secure in him and not even death can separate us from him. Therefore, the applied message statements that follow do not vary much from the statements of the message in the original context. Christians should abide in God and rely on him because the Most High and Almighty will protect them and the LORD is their refuge and fortress. Christians should abide in God and rely on him because the LORD Most High will faithfully deliver and protect them, they will have no need to fear, no harm or disaster will come near them, and his angels will guard them and lift them out of harm's way. Christians should be devoted to and acknowledge God because God will deliver and protect them; answer when they call and be with, deliver, and honor them; and satisfy them with long life and show them his salvation.

Communication of the Message

**Title** : HE IS MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS

**Objective** : The objective of this message is to encourage Christians to abide in God and rely on him and be devoted to him and acknowledge him.

**Proposition** : Christians should abide in God and rely on him and be devoted to and acknowledge him because he will deliver and protect them, answer them when they call, and satisfy them with long life and salvation.
Introduction

Christians experience trials of various kinds that may undermine their faith in God. Indeed, they can easily be tricked by deceptive teaching, trapped by temptation and sin, exposed to diseases and plagues, and suffer from unexpected attacks and accidents. The psalmist who wrote Psalm 91 no doubt experienced difficulties as well, but he had a strong and unswerving faith in God. We need to listen to him so that our faith can be built up by his example. _Read Psalm 91_.

I. Christians should abide in God and rely on him because the Most High and Almighty will protect them and the LORD is their refuge and fortress.

A. The psalmist commits himself to abide in God and rely on him in verses 1-2.

B. The psalmist affirms that God protects those who dwell in him in verse 1, "The one who dwells in the covering of the Most High ( _Elyon_ ) abides in the shadow of the Almighty ( _Shaddai_ )."

C. The psalmist commits himself to abide in God and rely on him in verse 2, "I say to the LORD that he is my refuge and my fortress; my God I trust in him."

D. _Illustration of Someone Who Abides in God and Relies on Him_

E. Application--As the psalmist commits himself to abide in God and rely on him he is leading us to do the same. Therefore, we should abide in God and rely on him because the Most High and Almighty will protect us and the LORD is our refuge and fortress.

II. Christians should abide in God and rely on him because the LORD Most High will faithfully deliver and protect them, they will have no need to fear, no harm or disaster will come near them, and his angels will guard them and lift them out of harm's way.

A. The psalmist commends abiding in God and trusting in him in verses 3-13.

B. The psalmist affirms that God will deliver them in verse 3, "Indeed he will snatch you from the fowler's snare and from the pit of pestilence.

C. The psalmist affirms that God will be faithful to protect them in verse 4, "He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness [will be] your surrounding shield."

D. The psalmist affirms that they need never fear in verses 5-6, "You will by no means fear the dread of night, the arrow [that] flies by day, the pestilence [that] goes about in the darkness, the plague [that] destroys at noon."

E. The psalmist affirms that God's judgment will never come near them in verses 7-8, "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, [but] it will by no means come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the reward of the wicked."

F. The psalmist explains that evil will not come near them because they have made God their dwelling in verses 9-10, "Because you have made the LORD my refuge the Most High your dwelling, evil will by no means be sent to you, disaster will by no means come near your tent."

G. The psalmist explains that God will command his angels to guard them in verses 11-12, "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will carry you in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."

H. The psalmist affirms that they will be safe no matter where they go and what they do in verse 13, "You will walk upon a lion and a cobra; you will trample a young lion and a serpent."

I. _Illustration of God's Protection and Deliverance_

J. Application--As the psalmist affirms that God will protect and deliver those who abide in him and rely on him he is encouraging us to abide in God and rely on him. Therefore, we should abide in God and rely on him because the LORD Most High will faithfully deliver and protect us, we will have no need to fear, no harm or disaster will come near us, and his angels will guard us and lift us out of harm's way.

III. Christians should be devoted to and acknowledge God because he will deliver and protect them; answer when they call; and satisfy them with long life and show them his salvation.

A. God makes promises to the one who is devoted to him and acknowledges him in verses 14-16.

B. God promises to deliver and protect the one who is devoted to him and acknowledges him in verse 14, "Because he lovingly clings to me I will deliver him. I will set him up high because he acknowledges my name."

C. God promises to answer the one who is devoted to him and acknowledges him when he calls in verse 15, "He will call upon me and I will answer him; I [will be] with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him." God not only promises to answer him, but to be with him, deliver him, and honor him.

D. God promises to satisfy the one who is devoted to him and acknowledges him and show him his salvation in verse 16, "I will satisfy him with long life and I will show him my salvation."

E. _Illustration of Someone Who Is Devoted to God and Acknowledges Him_

E. Application--As God makes these promises to the one who is devoted to him and acknowledges him he is encouraging us to be devoted to him and acknowledge him. Therefore, we should be devoted to and acknowledge God because God will deliver and protect us; answer when we call and be with, deliver, and honor us; and satisfy us with long life and show us his salvation.

Conclusion

We experience trials and temptations of various kinds that may undermine our faith in God and commitment to him. Indeed, we can easily be tricked by deceptive teaching, trapped by temptation and sin, exposed to diseases and plagues, and suffer from unexpected attacks and accidents. The psalmist who wrote Psalm 91 no doubt experienced difficulties as well, but he had a strong and unswerving faith in God and commitment to him. We need to listen to him so that our faith and commitment can be built up by his example. We should abide in God and rely on him because the Most High and Almighty will protect us and the LORD is our refuge and fortress. We should abide in God and rely on him because the LORD Most High will faithfully deliver and protect us, we will have no need to fear, no harm or disaster will come near us, and his angels will guard us and lift us out of harm's way. We should be devoted to and acknowledge God because he will deliver and protect us; answer when we call and be with, deliver, and honor us; and satisfy us with long life and show us his salvation.

### CHAPTER THREE

### DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS

### Psalm 95

**Study of the Passage**

Text and Translation

1Come, let us shout aloud to the LORD,

Let us raise a shout to the rock of our salvation!

2Let us come before him with thanksgiving;

Let us raise a shout to him with song.

3For the LORD [is] a great God

And a great king above all gods.

4The unexplored places of the earth are in his hand

And the mountain peaks are his.

5The sea [is] his and he himself made it

And his hands formed the dry land.

6Come, let us bow down and fall prostrate;

Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

7For he [is] our God

And we [are] the people of his pasture,

The sheep of his hand.

Today, if you will listen to his voice:

8"Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah (contention),

As on that day at Massah (testing) in the wilderness

9Where your fathers tested me;

they tried me, though they had seen my work.

10For 40 years I was disgusted with that generation

And I said, 'They [are] a people of wandering hearts

And they do not know my ways.'

11So I swore in my anger,

'Truly they will not enter my rest.'"

Situation and Purpose

The first part of the psalm is very positive and presupposes a general context of worship. However, the second part of the psalm anticipates a very clear danger. The example of the people of Israel at Meribah and Massah is used to warn against similar behavior. At Meribah and Massah the people rebelled against Moses because he had led them out into the wilderness where they didn't have any water to drink. They also tested the LORD because of their lack of faith in God's provision. Therefore, the passage implies a situation in which the worshipers might be in danger of rebelling against God because they lack faith in his provision. The wilderness generation are also described as having wandering hearts and not knowing God's ways. Therefore, the passage implies a situation in which the worshipers may be easily distracted from devotion to God by other things. The purpose of the psalm is to lead worshipers to come before God and exuberantly praise him, humbly submit to him, and not rebel and test the LORD with their lack of faith.

Literary Context and Role

The Book of Psalms has little discernible strategy. For the most part the psalms appear to be arranged in random order. Nonetheless, the Book of Psalms is divided into 5 books. This psalm is in the fourth book (90-106). This book also contains little discernible strategy. Therefore, placing these psalms in their literary context and determining their role within that context is not very productive. VanGemeren believes that fourth book is united in that the psalms therein address key issues such human sin and frailty and God's wrath and justice (VanGemeren, Kindle Location 21361). However, these issues are so broad and diverse that the relationship is tenuous. Tate believes that all of the psalms in 90-100 are a subset that are "dominated by kingship-of-Yahweh ideas" (Tate, 453). However, sometimes these "kingship-of-Yahweh ideas" are rather vague. Nonetheless, Psalms 93, 95-99 certainly do praise God as king (See also Psalm 47). The historical background for understand this psalm is provided by Exodus 17 and Numbers 14 (See also Deuteronomy 1). The author of the Book of Hebrews uses this same background and similar language (Hebrews 3-4).

Form and Function

The psalm has some of the characteristics of liturgy. The psalmist is like the worship leader and seeks to lead the worshipers into an authentic encounter with God. In verses 1-5 he calls them to exuberantly praise the LORD and gives them reasons for why they should praise the LORD. In verses 6-7a he calls them to submit to the LORD and gives the reasons for why they should submit to the LORD. The psalm also has some of the characteristics of wise instruction. In fact, verses 7b-11 contain an exhortation containing the words of the LORD. This is like the sermon in the worship service. The LORD directly commands the worshipers not to harden their hearts like their ancestors did as Meribah and Massah and uses the example of their ancestors at Meribah and Massah to warn them of the consequences of being rebellious and faithless like them.

Strategy and Structure

The psalm has a clearly progressive strategy. The psalmist begins by calling the worshipers to praise the LORD (1-5). The psalmist them calls the worshipers to humbly submit to the LORD (6-7a). This prepares them for the final part of the psalm. In the final part of the psalm the psalmist relates the words of the LORD, exhorting the worshipers not to harden their hearts like their ancestors at Meribah and Massah (7b-11).

I. The Psalmist Calls the Worshipers to Praise the LORD (1-2)

A. The Psalmist Calls the Worshipers to Exuberantly Praise the LORD (1-2)

1. He calls them to come and shout to the LORD the rock of their salvation (1)

2. He calls them to encounter him with thanksgiving and loud singing (2)

B. The Psalmist Explains Why the Worshipers Should Praise the LORD (3-5)

1. He explains that they should praise the LORD because he is a great God and king (3)

2. He explains that they should praise the LORD because he made everything and everything belongs to him (4-5)

II. The Psalmist Calls the Worshipers to Submit to the LORD (6-7a)

A. The Psalmist Commands the Worshipers to Bow Down before the LORD (6)

B. The Psalmist Explains Why the Worshipers should Bow Down before the LORD (7a)

III. The LORD Exhorts the Worshipers Not to Harden Their Hearts (7b-11)

A. The LORD Commands the Worshipers Not to Harden Their Hearts (7b-8)

B. The LORD Warns Them Using Their Ancestors' Rebellion and Testing at Meribah and Massah (9-11)

1. He reminds them that their fathers tested him even though they had seen his work (9)

2. He warns them that he was disgusted with that generation for 40 years because they had wandering hearts and did not know his ways (10)

3. He warns them that he swore in his anger that they would not enter his rest (11)

Message or Messages

The worshipers should exuberantly praise and thank the LORD because he the rock of their salvation, he is a great God and a great king above all gods, and he created everything and everything belongs to him. The worshipers should bow down and submit to God because he is the LORD their Maker, he is their God, and they are his people and under his care. The worshipers should not harden their hearts and rebel and test the LORD like their ancestors did at Meribah and Massah because he was disgusted with that generation due to their wandering hearts and ignorance of his ways and he swore in his anger that they would not enter his rest.

Analysis of the Details

The Psalmist Calls the Worshipers to

Praise the LORD

The psalmist calls the worshipers to praise the LORD in verses 1-5. He commands them to exuberantly praise the LORD and explains why they should praise the LORD.

**The psalmist commands the worshipers to exuberantly praise the LORD**. The psalmist commands the worshipers to exuberantly praise the LORD in verses 1-2. He commands them to come and shout aloud to the LORD in verse 1, "Come, let us shout aloud to the LORD, let us raise a shout to the rock of our salvation!" He commands them to come because all authentic worship requires an encounter with God. Though he doesn't specifically say so he is clearly commanding them to come and praise the LORD. He emphasizes that their praise should be exuberant by using the verbs translated "shout aloud" and "let us raise a shout." As Ross says, "The English translations are for the most part too calm: both verbs call for loud, enthusiastic, joyful praise to be given to the LORD" (Ross, 117). The psalmist provides a reason for their exuberant praise by referring to God as the rock of their salvation. He is their source of stability who they can rely on for salvation. As Ross explains, "The metaphor 'rock' is frequent in the book of Psalms, emphasizing that the LORD is the solid foundation of the faith, providing safety and security and stability for those who trust in him" (Ross, 117). The psalmist commands them to come before the LORD with thanksgiving and loud singing in verse 2, "Let us come before him with thanksgiving; let us raise a shout to him with song." The verb translated "Let us come" means to meet or encounter. He again calls them to come before God because an authentic encounter with God is the essence of true worship. He again emphasizes that their songs should be sung exuberantly by using the verb translated "let us raise a shout." Their heartfelt exuberance is more important than the harmony and beauty of their singing.

**The psalmist explains why the worshipers should praise the LORD**. The psalmist explains why the worshipers should praise the LORD in verses 3-5. He explains that they should praise the LORD because he is a great God and a great king in verse 3, "For the LORD [is] a great God and a great king above all gods." The LORD is a great God, he is greater than all the so-called gods that people worship. The LORD is a great king, he is greater than any worldly ruler that has ever lived and in fact is greater than any so-called god. Indeed, he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He explains that they should praise the LORD because he has made everything and everything belongs to him in verses 4-5, "The unexplored places of the earth are in his hand and the mountain peaks are his. The sea [is] his and he himself made it and his hands formed the dry land." The emphasis in verse 4 is on the LORD's ownership of all things. I have translated the noun "The unexplored places" because its meaning is uncertain since it only occurs here and in Job 38:16 and it comes from a verb meaning "search, a place to be searched." However, it is usually translated "The depths of the earth" (CSB, ESV, NAS, NIV, and NRS). This is an attractive translation because it contrasts with the mountain peaks in the next line. The meaning is probably that all things from the lowest depths of the earth to the highest peaks of the mountains belong to him. That the unexplored places or the depths of the earth are "in his hands" probably means that they are his and under his control. Weiser believes that the psalmist affirms God's control of supernatural powers "for popular belief regarded the underworld as the realm of other powers (Amos 9:2; Pss. 6:5; 30:9: 88:10f; 115:17) and the high mountains as the abode of the gods (Pss. 68:15f; 89:12)" (Weiser, 626). He concludes from this that "The psalm deliberately destroys this belief: God's power knows of no limitations" (Weiser, 626). The emphasis in verse 5 is on the LORD's creation of all things. His creation of all things is stressed by doubling the subject pronoun (Literally "he, he made it" and indicated in translation with the reflexive pronoun "he himself made it"). He made the sea and formed the dry land so everything whether it is in the sea or on the earth was made by the LORD. Estes notes that "the sea was regarded as the malevolent power of chaos, but in the OT the sea is firmly under the control of the Lord" (Estes, 222). Therefore, the worshipers should exuberantly praise and thank the LORD because he the rock of their salvation, he is a great God and a great king above all gods, and he created everything and everything belongs to him.

The Psalmist Calls the Worshipers to

Come and Submit to the LORD

The psalmist calls worshipers to come and submit to the LORD in verses 6-7. He commands them to come and bow down and kneel before the LORD and explains why they should bow down and kneel before the LORD.

**The psalmist commands the worshipers to bow down and kneel before the LORD**. The psalmist commands the worshipers to bow down before the LORD in verse 6, "Come, let us bow down and fall prostrate; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker." He again commands them to come to God because all authentic worship requires an encounter with God. The first line is usually translated similar to the CSB, "Come, let us worship and bow down." However, the two verbs in this line are essentially synonyms that both mean "bow down." They are also closely related in meaning to the verb in the second line, "Let us kneel." I have tried to reproduce the emphasis of these verbs by translating them as a sequence, "Come, let us bow down and fall prostrate; let us kneel." These three verbs all depict an act of worship that expresses humility and submission before God. The repetition of near synonyms probably stresses the urgency of humbly coming before God and submitting to him. His identification of God as "our Maker" supplies a reason for submitting to the LORD. He is the one who made them and they owe their lives to him.

**The psalmist explains why the worshipers should bow down and kneel before the LORD**. The psalmist explains why the worshipers should bow down and kneel before the LORD in the first part of verse 7, "For he [is] our God and we [are] the people of his pasture, the sheep of his hand." He is their God and as his covenant people they need to submit to him. Indeed God also has responsibilities in this covenant relationship and he has been faithful to those responsibilities. He has pastured them like sheep and they are in his hand, probably meaning that they are his and he cares for them. In fact, the CSB translates "of his hand" with "under his care." Therefore, the worshipers should bow down and submit to God because he is the LORD their Maker, he is their God, and they are his people and under his care.

The LORD Exhorts the Worshipers

Not to Harden Their Hearts

The LORD exhorts the worshipers not to harden their hearts in verses 7-11. He commands them not to harden their hearts and warns them using the example of their ancestors at Meribah and Massah.

**The LORD commands the worshipers not to harden their hearts.** The LORD commands the worshipers not to harden their hearts in the final line of verse 7 and verse 8, "Today, if you will listen to his voice: "Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah (contention), as on that day at Massah (testing) in the wilderness." He introduces this command with "Today," probably to stress the urgency of obeying immediately. Tate says, "The expression stresses the urgency of hearing the message and also links the past with the present" (Tate, 502). The final line of verse 7 is frequently translated, "Today, if you hear his voice" (CSB, ESV, and NIV). However, the question does not seem to be whether they would hear his voice, but whether they will listen to his voice when they hear it. Therefore, it is better to translate "Today, if you will hear his voice" (NKJ) or "Today, if you would hear his voice" (NAS), or even better "O that today you would listen to his voice" (NRS) or "if only you will hear his voice" (Ross, 121). Indeed, the voice of the LORD begins to speak in verse 8. The heart is the inner being of a person, especially the mind and will. To harden one's heart is to become set in a particular way of thinking or established in a specific frame of mind. Ross says, "it is a deliberate choice to refuse to obey God's instructions" (Ross, 122). This way of thinking and frame of mind is defined by a specific event in Israel's history, the day that the people quarreled with Moses because they were thirsty and tested the LORD by questioning his provision. I have put "contention" and "testing" in parenthesis within the translation because the meaning of these place names depicts the sin of Israel that the LORD is warning against.

**The LORD warns them using the example of their ancestors at Meribah and Massah**. The LORD warns them using the example of their ancestors at Meribah and Massah in verses 9-11. He reminds them that their fathers tested him even though they had seen his work in verse 9, "Where your fathers tested me; they tried me, though they had seen my work." Their fathers tested and tried the LORD by their lack of faith in him to provide water for them. Their lack of faith is almost incomprehensible. These are the same people who witnessed the LORD's deliverance of them from Egypt by mighty plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea on dry land with a wall of water on their right and on their left. Indeed, the psalmist is probably using irony to stress the inappropriateness of their lack of faith. He warns them that he was disgusted with that generation for 40 years because they had wandering hearts and did not know his ways in verse 10, "For 40 years I was disgusted with that generation and I said, 'They [are] a people of wandering hearts and they do not know my ways.'" The verb translated "I was disgusted" is very strong. Another possible translation is "I loathed." The LORD's word of judgment against them explains why he was disgusted with them or loathed them. They had wandering hearts, their commitment wavered and they did not remain true to God. Instead, they were obsessed with worldly things. They did not know his ways. Even though the LORD revealed his ways to them they persisted in living as they pleased. He warns the worshipers that he swore in his anger that the wilderness generation would not enter his rest in verse 11, "So I swore in my anger, 'Truly they will not enter my rest.'" This oath is referred to frequently in Numbers and Deuteronomy. An oath is a solemn pledge and here emphasizes the certainty that what God has said will certainly come about. This verse is very difficult to translate literally. The problem is primarily the insertion of an inferential conjunction that is normally translated "if." This inferential conjunction is frequently found in oaths in which the person curses himself if the oath is not fulfilled as a guarantee of the fulfillment of the oath. If that is the case here, the inferential conjunction emphasizes the certainty that the wilderness generation would not enter God's rest. For that generation entering God's rest was entering into the Promised Land and enjoying peace and prosperity there. Therefore, the worshipers should not harden their hearts and rebel and test the LORD like their ancestors did at Meribah and Massah because he was disgusted with that generation due to their wandering hearts and ignorance of his ways and he swore in his anger that they would not enter his rest.

Application of the Message

Christians today sometimes rebel against God because they lack faith in his provision. They also have wandering hearts and do not know God's ways so they are easily distracted by temptation and sin. These similarities provide a strong basis for applying the message of this psalm to the modern situation. As Ross says, "its message is timeless; it is always 'today' for those who hear the warning not to harden their hearts" (Ross, 115). Christians today are not descendants of the people of Israel and the wilderness generation. Therefore, some minor adjustments to the statements of the message are necessary at that point. However, for the most part the message of this psalm can be directly applied to the modern situation with only minor adjustments. Christians should exuberantly praise and thank the LORD because he the rock of their salvation, he is a great God and a great king above all gods, and he created everything and everything belongs to him. Christians should bow down and submit to God because he is the LORD their Maker, he is their God, and they are his people and under his care. Christians should not harden their hearts and rebel and test the LORD like the wilderness generation because he was disgusted with that generation due to their wandering hearts and ignorance of his ways and he swore in his anger that they would not enter his rest.

Communication of the Message

**Title:** DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS

**Objective:** The objective of this message is to exhort Christians to exuberantly praise and thank the LORD, bow down and submit to the LORD, and not harden their hearts and rebel against the LORD.

**Proposition:** Christians should exuberantly praise and thank the LORD, bow down and submit to the LORD, and not harden their hearts and rebel against the LORD.
Introduction

Christians today sometimes lack faith in God and his provision. As a result they often rebel against his leadership and trust in themselves. They also often have wandering hearts and do not know God's ways so they are easily distracted by temptation and sin. They also often become stubborn and refuse to repent. _Illustration of a Self-reliant and Worldly Christian_. The psalmist who wrote Psalm 95 leads us to worship the LORD; however, he also delivers the word of the LORD to self-reliant and worldly Christians. We need to allow him to lead us into the presence of the LORD with the proper attitude and challenge us to listen to the voice of the LORD. _Read Psalm 95_.

I. Christians should come into God's presence with an attitude of exuberant praise and thanksgiving because he is the rock of their salvation, a great God and a great king above all gods, and he created everything and everything belongs to him.

A. The psalmist commands the worshipers to exuberantly praise the LORD in verses 1-2.

1. He commands them to come and shout aloud to the LORD in verse 1, "Come, let us shout aloud to the LORD, let us raise a shout to the rock of our salvation!" He commands them to come because all authentic worship requires an encounter with God. He emphasizes that their praise should be exuberant by using the verbs translated "shout aloud" and "let us raise a shout." The psalmist provides a reason for their exuberant praise by referring to God as the rock of their salvation. He is their source of stability who they can rely on for salvation.

2. The psalmist commands them to come before the LORD with thanksgiving and loud singing in verse 2, "Let us come before him with thanksgiving; let us raise a shout to him with song. The verb translated "Let us come" means to meet or encounter. He again calls them to come before God because an authentic encounter with God is the essence of true worship. He again emphasizes that their songs should be sung exuberantly by using the verb translated "let us raise a shout." Their heartfelt exuberance is more important than the harmony and beauty of their singing.

B. The psalmist explains why the worshipers should praise the LORD in verses 3-5.

1. He explains that they should praise the LORD because he is a great God and a great king in verse 3, "For the LORD [is] a great God and a great king above all gods." The LORD is a great God, he is greater than all the so-called gods that people worship. The LORD is a great king, he is greater than any worldly ruler that has ever lived and certainly greater than the so-called gods. Indeed, he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

2. He explains that they should praise the LORD because he has made everything and everything belongs to him in verses 4-5, "The unexplored places of the earth are in his hand and the mountain peaks are his. The sea [is] his and he himself made it and his hands formed the dry land."

C. _Illustration of the LORD's Sovereignty_

D. Application--Therefore, we should come into God's presence with an attitude of exuberant praise and thanksgiving because the LORD is the rock of our salvation, he is a great God and a great king above all gods, and he created everything and everything belongs to him.

II. Christians should come into God's presence with an attitude of humility and submission because he is their Maker, their God, and they are his people and under his care.

A. The psalmist commands the worshipers to come and bow down and kneel before the LORD in verse 6, "Come, let us bow down and fall prostrate; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker." He again commands them to come because all authentic worship requires an encounter with God. I have tried to reproduce the emphasis of the Hebrew text by translating them as a sequence, "Come, let us bow down and fall prostrate; let us kneel." These three verbs all depict an act of worship that expresses humility and submission before God. His identification of God as their Maker supplies a reason for submitting to the LORD. He is the one who made them and they owe their lives to him.

B. The psalmist explains further why the worshipers should bow down and kneel before the LORD in the first part of verse 7, "For he [is] our God and we [are] the people of his pasture, the sheep of his hand." He is their God and as his covenant people they need to submit to him. God has pastured them like sheep and they are in his hand, probably meaning that they are his and he cares for them. In fact, the CSB translates "of his hand" with "under his care."

C. _Illustration of a Humble and Submissive Christian_

D. Application--Therefore, we come into God's presence with an attitude of humility and submission because he is the LORD our Maker, he is our God, and we are his people and under his care.

III. Christians should come into God's presence ready to listen rather than harden their hearts and rebel so that they will not displease him and fail to enter his rest.

A. The psalmist expresses his desire that the worshipers listen to the voice of the LORD in the final line of verse 7, "Today, if you will listen to his voice." Indeed, he then relates the words of the LORD in subsequent verses.

B. The LORD commands them not to harden their hearts in verse 8, "Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah (contention), as on that day at Massah (testing) in the wilderness."

C. The LORD warns them using the example of their ancestors at Meribah and Massah in verses 9-11.

1. He reminds them that their fathers tested him even though they had seen his work in verse 9, "Where your fathers tested me; they tried me, though they had seen my work."

2. He warns them that he was disgusted with that generation for 40 years because they had wandering hearts and did not know his ways in verse 10, "For 40 years I was disgusted with that generation and I said, 'They [are] a people of wandering hearts and they do not know my ways.'"

3. He warns them that he swore in his anger that they would not enter his rest in verse 11, "So I swore in my anger, 'Truly they will not enter my rest.'"

D. _Illustration of a Stubborn and Rebellious Christian_

E. Application--Therefore, we should come into God's presence ready to listen rather than harden our hearts and rebel like the wilderness generation because he was disgusted with them and he swore in his anger that they would not enter his rest.

Conclusion

We may sometimes lack faith in God and his provision. As a result we may rebel against his leadership and do things our own way. We may also have wandering hearts so we are easily distracted by temptation and sin. We may also become stubborn and refuse to repent. The psalmist who wrote Psalm 95 leads us to worship the LORD; however, he also delivers the word of the LORD to self-reliant and worldly Christians. We need to allow him to lead us into the presence of the LORD with the proper attitudes so that we will heed the voice of the LORD and not harden our hearts. We should come into God's presence with an attitude of exuberant praise and thanksgiving because the LORD is the rock of our salvation, he is a great God and a great king above all gods, and he created everything and everything belongs to him. We should come into God's presence with an attitude of humility and submission because he is the LORD our Maker, he is our God, and we are his people and under his care. We should come into God's presence ready to listen rather than harden our hearts and rebel like the wilderness generation because he was disgusted with them and he swore in his anger that they would not enter his rest.

### CHAPTER FOUR

### SING TO THE LORD

### Psalm 96

**Study of the Passage**

Text and Translation

1Sing a new song to the LORD!

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

2Sing to the LORD! Bless his name!

Proclaim his salvation from day to day!

3Recount his glory among the nations,

His wonderful works among all peoples!

4For great [is] the LORD and [to be] greatly praised;

He [is to be] feared above all gods.

5For all the gods of the peoples [are] worthless things,

But the LORD made the heavens.

6Majesty and splendor are before Him;

Strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.

7Ascribe to the LORD, families of the peoples!

Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!

8Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name!

Bring a gift and come to his courts!

9Bow down to the LORD in the adornment of holiness!

Tremble before him, all the earth!

10Say among the nations: "The LORD reigns"!

The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.

He judges the peoples fairly.

11Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

Let the sea and its fulness resound.

12Let the field and everything in it exult.

Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy

13Before the LORD, for he is coming--

For he is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness

And the peoples with his truth.

Situation and Purpose

What is really striking about this psalm is its global perspective. The psalm is addressed to "all the earth," "families and peoples," and even "the heavens," "the earth," "the sea and its fulness," and "the field and everything in it." The psalm also commands that God's wonderful deeds be recounted "among the nations" and "among the peoples." The psalm seems to be concerned with the lostness of the world and the mission of those who have experienced God's grace to share what they have experienced with others. The purpose of the psalm is to lead those who have experienced God's grace to praise the LORD glory and strength, proclaim his wonderful deeds, glory, and salvation, and declare that the LORD reigns and judges fairly.

Literary Context and Role

The Book of Psalms has little discernible strategy. For the most part the psalms appear to be arranged in random order. Nonetheless, the Book of Psalms is divided into 5 books. This psalm is in the fourth book (90-106). This book also contains little discernible strategy. Therefore, placing these psalms in their literary context and determining their role within that context is not very productive. VanGemeren believes that fourth book is united in that the psalms therein address key issues such human sin and frailty and God's wrath and justice (VanGemeren, Kindle Location 21361). However, these issues are so broad and diverse that the relationship is tenuous. Tate believes that all of the psalms in 90-100 are a subset that are "dominated by kingship-of-Yahweh ideas" (Tate, 453). However, sometimes these "kingship-of-Yahweh ideas" are rather vague. Nonetheless, Psalms 93, 95-99 certainly do praise God as king (See also Psalm 47). Longman especially notes the similarities between this psalm and Psalm 98 (Longman, 341). This psalm is found in First Chronicles 16:23-33 though there are some differences. Ross observes, "The psalm also shows some similarities with passages in the book of Isaiah. Verse 11 is close to Isaiah 44:23 and 49:13; verse 12, to Isaiah 42:23 and 55:12; and verse 13 to Isaiah 40:10, 50:19, 20, 60:1 and 62:11" (Ross, 133).

Form and Function

The psalm can be classified as a psalm or liturgy of praise. However, it is dominated by exhortation which is normally a characteristic of wise instruction. This is a call to worship, but a call to worship that goes beyond commanding people to praise the LORD. The psalmist calls the whole earth to sing to the LORD, bless his name, proclaim his salvation, testify to his glory and wonderful deeds, ascribe glory and strength to him, come and bring a gift to him, and submit and fear him. He also explains that they should respond in this way because the LORD is great and deserves praise and fear, the gods of the peoples can't compare to him, he is accompanied by majesty, splendor, strength, and beauty, and he is coming to judge righteously. Therefore, the psalm combines elements of liturgy and wise instruction. Stated simply, the commands indicate the appropriate response and the reasons provide the rationale for obedience.

Strategy and Structure

The psalm is a cohesive call to worship. The psalmist begins by calling all the earth to sing to the LORD in verses 1-6. He then calls the families to ascribe glory to the LORD in verses 7-10. These divisions overlap in that both command people to both praise the LORD and proclaim about the LORD and what he has done. In the first division the psalmist supplies more reasons for praising the LORD and proclaim about him whereas the second division spells out more fully that the appropriate response to LORD involves fear and submission. The third division of the psalm calls all creation to rejoice and exult before the LORD (11-13). This division supplies the ultimate reason for praising the LORD, fearing and submitting to the LORD, and proclaiming about the LORD: The LORD is coming to righteously judge the world and its people.

I. The Psalmist Calls All the Earth to Sing to the LORD (1-6)

A. The Psalmist Commands All the Earth to Sing to the LORD (1-3)

1. He commands them to sing a new song to the LORD (1-2a)

2. He commands them to bless his name, proclaim his salvation, and testify to his glory and wonderful works (2b-3)

B. The Psalmist Explains Why All the Earth Should Sing to the LORD (4-6)

1. He explains that the LORD is great and deserves praise and fear (4)

2. He explains that the gods of the peoples can't compare to the LORD (5)

3. He explains that majesty and splendor go before the LORD and strength and beauty are in his sanctuary (6)

II. The Psalmist Calls the Families and Peoples to Ascribe Glory to the LORD (7-10)

A. The Psalmist Commands the Families and Peoples to Ascribe Glory and Strength to the LORD (7-8a)

B. The Psalmist Commands Them to Come with a Gift to the LORD (8b)

C. The Psalmist Commands Them to Bow Down and Tremble before the LORD

D. The Psalmist Commands Them to Tell the Nations that the LORD Reigns, the World Is Firmly Established, and He Judges Fairly (10)

III. The Psalmist Calls All Creation to Rejoice and Exult before the LORD (11-13)

A. The Psalmist Commands All Creation to Rejoice and Exult before the LORD (11-13a)

B. The Psalmist Explains Why All Creation Should Rejoice and Exult (13b)

Message or Messages

All the earth should sing to the LORD, bless his name, proclaim his salvation, and testify to his glory and wonderful works because the LORD is great and deserves praise and fear, all the gods of the peoples are worthless but the LORD created the heavens, majesty and splendor go before the LORD and strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. The families and peoples should ascribe glory and strength to the LORD, come before him with a gift, bow down and tremble before him, and tell the nations that he reigns, the world is firmly established, and he judges fairly. All creation should rejoice and exult before the LORD because he is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and the peoples with his truth.

Analysis of the Details

The Psalmist Calls All the Earth to

Sing to the LORD

The psalmist calls all the earth to sing to the LORD in verses 1-6. He commands all the earth to sing to the LORD and explains why all the earth should sing to the LORD.

**The psalmist commands all the earth to sing to the LORD**. The psalmist commands all the earth to sing to the LORD in verses 1-3. He commands them to sing a new song to the LORD in verse 1 and the first part of verse 2, "Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the LORD!" He repeats the command to sing three times to stress its urgency. He also uses the imperative mood in the commands to stress their urgency (Indicated in translation by making them exclamations). He calls God the LORD, the substitute for the name that God gave Moses in the wilderness (Yahweh) that is closely associated with the covenant and its promises. He also calls God the Lord, a title that emphasize God's sovereign control. He commands them to sing a new song. The song is probably new because it celebrates something new that God has done. Ross explains, "The reason the psalms frequently call for a new song to be sung is that God's faithfulness is new every day, making praise for him inexhaustible" (Ross, 136). According to Tate, "The new song is the song which breaks through the restraints of the present circumstances and voices expectation and confidence in the future works of God" (Tate, 514). The psalmist commands them to bless God's name, proclaim his salvation, and testify to his glory and wonderful works in the rest of verse 2 and verse 3, "Bless his name! Proclaim his salvation from day to day! Recount his glory among the nations, his wonderful works among all peoples!" These commands probably clarify how they should sing to the LORD. All these commands are in the imperative mood to stress their urgency (Indicated in translation by making them exclamations). The name of the LORD represents all he is and all he has done. The command I have translated "Bless" is to give him honor and glory for who he is and especially what he has done. The command I have translated "Proclaim" comes from a verb meaning "bear good tidings" or "joyful news." The good tidings are the joyful news of his salvation. He stresses that they should proclaim the good news of his salvation "from day to day" or "daily" thereby stressing the need for consistency. The command I have translated "Recount" means to narrate or relate a story. In this case they are commanded to retell or testify to God's revelation of his glory and wonderful works in the past. Longman says, "His deeds bring him glory, a word (kābôd) that literally means 'heavy' and indicates that God is a God of substance and great reputation" (Longman, 341). These wonders are things beyond normal human experience and could only be done by God and testify to his glory. Ross says, "His works are incomparable, surpassing, extraordinary--they are truly wonders" (Ross, 137). These last two commands are directed toward the nations and the peoples. They should praise the LORD but they should also testify to the world.

**The psalmist explains why all the earth should sing to the LORD**. The psalmist explains why all the earth should sing to the LORD in verses 4-6. He explains that the LORD is great and deserves to be praised and feared in verse 4, "For great [is] the LORD and [to be] greatly praised; he [is to be] feared above all gods." Since he is great he deserves to be greatly praised. The praise that he receives should correspond to his character. As Spurgeon says, "We cannot praise him too much, too often, too zealously, too carefully, too joyfully. He deserves that nothing in his worship should be little, but all the honour rendered unto him should be given in largeness of heart, with the utmost zeal for his glory" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 68472-68474). Since God is more awesome than all the gods, he should be feared more than all the gods. Though he seems to attribute some reality to these gods, he makes it clear that they are nothing in the subsequent verse. Spurgeon says, "He is to be feared, for there is cause to fear. Dread of other gods is mere superstition, awe of the Lord is pure religion" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 68477-68478). The psalmist explains that the gods of the peoples can't compare to the LORD in verse 5, "For all the gods of the peoples [are] worthless things, but the LORD made the heavens." The noun that I have translated "worthless things" is often translated "idols" (CSB, ESV, NAS, NIV, NKJ, and NRS). However, the word probably means "feeble" or "worthless" or even "nothing." In contrast, the LORD is the Creator who made the expanse of the heavens. Estes observes, "The psalmist uses a play on words when he says that the "gods" (ʾĕlōhîm) worshiped by other ethnic groups are in reality "idols," that is, nobodies (ʾĕlîlîm)" (Estes, 229). This play on words accentuates the contrast between God and these worthless things as well as God's vast superiority. The psalmist explains that majesty and splendor go before the LORD and strength and beauty are in his sanctuary in verse 6, "Majesty and splendor are before Him; strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary." By saying that majesty and splendor are before him he probably means that the LORD radiates with majesty and splendor. By saying that strength and beauty are in his sanctuary he probably means that the LORD's strength and beauty fill his sanctuary. Therefore, all the earth should sing to the LORD, bless his name, proclaim his salvation, testify to his glory and wonderful works because the LORD is great and deserves praise and fear, all the gods of the peoples are worthless but the LORD created the heavens, majesty and splendor go before the LORD and strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

The Psalmist Calls the Families and Peoples

To Ascribe Glory to the LORD

The psalmist calls the families and peoples to ascribe glory to the LORD in verses 7-10. He commands the families and peoples to ascribe glory and strength to the LORD, come with a gift to the LORD, bow down and tremble before the LORD, and tell the nations that the LORD reigns, the world is firmly established, and he judges fairly.

**The psalmist commands the families and peoples to ascribe glory and strength to the LORD**. The psalmist commands the families and peoples to ascribe glory and strength to the LORD in verse 7 and the first line of verse 8, "Ascribe to the LORD, families of the peoples! Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name!" He repeats the command "Ascribe to the LORD" three times to stress its urgency. All three of these commands are in the imperative mood to stress even further their urgency (Indicated in translation by making the exclamations). The command translated "Ascribe" more literally means "give" and is probably used in the sense of "attribute." They are to recognize and acknowledge God's glory and strength. Again God's name represents all he is and all he has done. To ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name is to acknowledge God for all that he is and all he has done.

**The psalmist commands them to come with a gift to the LORD**. The psalmist commands them to come with a gift in the final line of verse 8, "Bring a gift and come to his courts!" These commands probably supplement the commands to ascribe glory and strength to the LORD. More is involved in worshiping God than acknowledging who he is and what he has done. These commands are both in the imperative mood to emphasize their urgency (Indicated in translation by making them exclamations). Coming into his courts is necessary because an authentic encounter with God is the essence of worship. It was customary to bring tribute when coming into the presence of royalty. Likewise worshipers should bring a gift in recognition of God's majesty.

**The psalmist commands them to bow down and tremble before the LORD**. The psalmist commands them to bow down and tremble before the LORD in verse 9, "Bow down to the LORD in the adornment of holiness!" Tremble before him, all the earth!" These commands also supplement the commands to ascribe glory and strength to the LORD. More is involved in worshiping God than acknowledging who he is and what he has done. Bowing down is an act of worship that indicates humility and submission. Trembling is an indication of fear. He also stresses that all the earth should tremble or fear the LORD. Worshipers should come into God's presence with humility and fear and submit to him. These commands are again in the imperative mood to emphasize their urgency (Indicated in translation by making them exclamations). Some translations insert a personal pronoun to indicate that this is God's holiness (CSB "in the splendor of His holiness" and NIV "in the splendor of his holiness"). However, this translation is probably reading too much into the text. The word translated "adornment" could also be translated "ornament," what we might call bling. The word translated "holiness" means to be set apart for godly living. The psalmist is probably encouraging the worshipers to decorate their lives with holiness or godliness. As Spurgeon puts it:

Worship must not be rendered to God in a slovenly, sinful, superficial manner; we must be reverent, sincere, earnest, and pure in heart both in our prayers and praises. Purity is the white linen of the Lord's choristers, righteousness is the comely garment of his priests, holiness is the royal apparel of his servants (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 68600-68602).

**The psalmist commands them to tell the nations about the LORD**. The psalmist commands them to tell the nations about the LORD in verse 10, "Say among the nations: 'The LORD reigns! The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. He judges the peoples fairly.'" He commands them to testify to the nations. The verb is again in the imperative mood to stress the urgency of the command (Indicated in translation by making it an exclamation). The message that they are to proclaim to the nations has three parts. First, they are to tell them that "The LORD reigns!" He is in sovereign control of all that happens. The verb is in the perfect state to stress that this is an established and continuing reality (Indicated by making this an exclamation). Second, they are to tell them "The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken." The implication is that the LORD who reigns established the world and made it stable so that it cannot be moved. Third, they are to tell them "He judges the peoples fairly." The word translated "fairly" means "uprightness" or "straightness." His judgment is not capricious but in accordance with set standards. Therefore, the families and peoples should ascribe glory and strength to the LORD, come before him with a gift, bow down and tremble before him, and tell the nations that he reigns, the world is firmly established, and he judges fairly.

The Psalmist Calls All Creation to Rejoice

And Exult before the LORD

The psalmist calls all creation to rejoice and exult before the LORD in verses 11-13. He commands all creation to rejoice and exult before the LORD and explains why all creation should rejoice and exult.

**The psalmist commands all creation to rejoice and exult before the LORD**. The psalmist commands all creation to rejoice and exult before the LORD in verses 11 through the first part of verse 13, "Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and its fulness resound. Let the field and everything in it exult. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the LORD." He stresses the need for all creation to rejoice and exult before the LORD through repetition using four nearly synonymous verbs ("be glad . . . rejoice . . . resound . . . exult"). The verb translated "resound" literally means "thunder" and probably refers to the crashing sound of the waves of the sea. He also adds that as a result the trees of the forest will "shout for joy." He stresses that all creation should rejoice and exult in several ways. First, he commands both the heavens and the earth to be glad and rejoice. Second, he commands both the sea and the field to resound and exult. Third, he stresses that the fulness of the sea and everything in the field should resound and exult as well. As Estes says, "the world of humanity is too small to give the Lord the praise he rightly deserves, so only the whole created order will suffice as the fitting choir of praise to him" (Estes, 231).

**The psalmist explains why all creation should rejoice and exult before the LORD**. The psalmist explains why all creation should rejoice and exult before the LORD in the second part of verse 13, "for he is coming--for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his truth. He stresses that the LORD is coming by stating it twice. The LORD is coming to judge. Other places where creation is described as rejoicing and exulting are in eschatological contexts so this should be probably be understood as the LORD coming to judge at the end of time. He indicates that the LORD will judge "with righteousness" and "with his truth." Therefore, all creation should rejoice and exult before the LORD because he is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and the peoples with his truth.

Application of the Message

Since the psalm is so universal in perspective its message is also universal and transcends time. Therefore the statements of the message in the original context do not need to be adjusted when applied to the modern situation and the statements of the applied message are identical to the statements of the message in the original situation. Of course in the modern context the LORD's wonderful works of salvation take on a new meaning in the light of Jesus Christ, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead. All the earth should sing to the LORD, bless his name, proclaim his salvation, testify to his glory and wonderful works because the LORD is great and deserves praise and fear, all the gods of the peoples are worthless but the LORD created the heavens, majesty and splendor go before the LORD and strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. The families and peoples should ascribe glory and strength to the LORD, come before him with a gift, bow down and tremble before him, and tell the nations that he reigns, the world is firmly established, and he judges fairly. All creation should rejoice and exult before the LORD because he is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and the peoples with his truth.

Communication of the Message

**Title** : SING TO THE LORD

**Objective** : The objective of this message is to exhort people to praise the LORD, fear and submit to his rule, and proclaim his salvation.

**Proposition** : Everyone should come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaim his salvation because he is great and deserves praise and fear, he created the heavens, and he radiates majesty and splendor; he reigns, has firmly established the world, and judges fairly; and he is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and truth.
Introduction

The Psalmist who wrote Psalm 96 had a universal perspective. He believed that the LORD was not just the God of the land of Israel, but he was the God of the whole earth. He believed that the LORD was not just the God of the people of Israel, but he was the God of all the families and peoples of the world. In fact, he believed that the LORD was not just the God of the families and people of the world, but he was the God of all creation. Therefore, he calls everyone to come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaiming his salvation. _Read Psalm 96_.

I. Everyone should come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaiming his salvation because he is the great and deserves praise and fear, he created the heavens, and majesty and splendor radiate from him.

A. The psalmist commands all the earth to sing to the LORD in verses 1-3.

1. He commands them to sing a new song to the LORD in verse 1 and the first part of verse 2, "Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the LORD!"

2. He commands them to bless God's name, proclaim his salvation, and testify to his glory and wonderful works in the rest of verse 2 and verse 3, "Bless his name! Proclaim his salvation from day to day! Recount his glory among the nations, his wonderful works among all peoples!"

B. The psalmist explains why all the earth should sing to the LORD in verses 4-6.

1. He explains that the LORD is great and deserves to be praised and feared in verse 4, "For great [is] the LORD and [to be] greatly praised; he [is to be] feared above all gods." As Spurgeon says, "We cannot praise him too much, too often, too zealously, too carefully, too joyfully. He deserves that nothing in his worship should be little, but all the honour rendered unto him should be given in largeness of heart, with the utmost zeal for his glory" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 68472-68474).

2. He explains that the gods of the peoples can't compare to the LORD in verse 5, "For all the gods of the peoples [are] worthless things, but the LORD made the heavens."

3. He explains that majesty and splendor go before the LORD and strength and beauty are in his sanctuary in verse 6, "Majesty and splendor are before Him; strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary." By saying that majesty and splendor are before him he probably means that the LORD radiates with majesty and splendor. By saying that strength and beauty are in his sanctuary he probably means that the LORD's strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.

C. _Illustration of Praising the LORD_

D. Application--Therefore, we should come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaiming his salvation because he is great and deserves praise and fear, he created the heavens, and majesty and splendor radiate from him.

II. Everyone should come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaim his salvation because he reigns, he has firmly established the world, and he judges fairly.

A. The psalmist commands the families and peoples to ascribe glory and strength to the LORD in verse 7 and the first line of verse 8, "Ascribe to the LORD, families of the peoples! Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name!"

B. The psalmist commands them to come with a gift in the final line of verse 8, "Bring a gift and come to his courts!" These commands probably supplement the commands to ascribe glory and strength to the LORD. More is involved in worshiping God than acknowledging who he is and what he has done. Coming into his courts is necessary because an authentic encounter with God is the essence of worship. It was customary to bring tribute when coming into the presence of royalty. Likewise worshipers should bring a gift in recognition of God's majesty.

C. The psalmist commands them to bow down and tremble before the LORD in verse 9, "Bow down to the LORD in the adornment of holiness!" Tremble before him, all the earth!" These commands also supplement the commands to ascribe glory and strength to the LORD. More is involved in worshiping God than acknowledging who he is and what he has done. Bowing down is an act of worship that indicates humility and submission. Trembling is an indication of fear. People should come into God's presence with humility and fear and submit to him. The psalmist is probably encouraging the worshipers to decorate their lives with holiness or godliness. As Spurgeon puts it: "Worship must not be rendered to God in a slovenly, sinful, superficial manner; we must be reverent, sincere, earnest, and pure in heart both in our prayers and praises. Purity is the white linen of the Lord's choristers, righteousness is the comely garment of his priests, holiness is the royal apparel of his servants" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 68600-68602).

D. The psalmist commands them to tell the nations about the LORD in verse 10, "Say among the nations: 'The LORD reigns! The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. He judges the peoples fairly.'" The message that they are to proclaim to the nations has three parts. First, they are to tell them that "The LORD reigns!" He is in sovereign control of all that happens. The verb is in the perfect state to stress that this is an established and continuing reality (Indicated by making this an exclamation). Second, they are to tell them "The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken." The implication is that the LORD who reigns established the world and made it stable so that it cannot be moved. Third, they are to tell them "He judges the peoples fairly."

E. _Illustration of Fearing the LORD_

F. Application--Therefore, we should come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaiming his salvation because he reigns, he has firmly established the world, and he judges fairly.

III. Everyone should praise the LORD, fear and submit to him, and proclaim his salvation because he is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and truth.

A. The psalmist commands all creation to rejoice and exult before the LORD in verses 11 through the first part of verse 13, "Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and its fulness resound. Let the field and everything in it exult. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the LORD."

B. The psalmist explains why all creation should rejoice and exult before the LORD in the second part of verse 13, "for he is coming--for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his truth.

C. _Illustration of Proclaiming God's Salvation_

D. Application--Therefore, we should come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaiming his salvation because he is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and truth.

Conclusion

The Psalmist who wrote Psalm 96 had a universal perspective. He believed that the LORD was not just the God of the land of Israel, but he was the God of the whole earth. He believed that the LORD was not just the God of the people of Israel, but he was the God of all the families and peoples of the world. In fact, he believed that the LORD was not just the God of the families and people of the world, but he was the God of all creation. Therefore, he calls everyone and everything to come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaiming his salvation. We should come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaiming his salvation because he is great and deserves praise and fear, he created the heavens, and majesty and splendor radiate from him. We should come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaiming his salvation because he reigns, he has firmly established the world, and he judges fairly. We should come before the LORD, praising him, submitting to him, and proclaiming his salvation because he is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and truth.

### CHAPTER FIVE

### I WILL LIVE WITH INTEGRITY

### Psalm 101

**Study of the Passage**

Text and Translation

Of David. A Psalm.

1 **I will sing** steadfast love and justice;

To you LORD I will sing.

2 **I will pay attention** to the way of integrity.

When will you come to me?

I will live with integrity of heart within my house.

3I will by no means set a worthless thing before my eyes.

I hate the work of rebels;

It will by no means cling to me.

4A twisted heart will turn aside from me;

I will by no means know evil.

5The one who slanders his friend in secret I will destroy;

Exalted eyes and an arrogant heart I will by no means tolerate.

6My eyes [will be] on the faithful of the earth so that they dwell with me.

The one who walks in the way of integrity, **he** will serve me.

7One who acts deceitfully will by no means dwell inside my house;

One who tells lies will by no means be established in my sight.

8Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land,

To cut off all evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Situation and Purpose

The psalmist seems to be someone in authority, almost certainly the king. Indeed, the psalm is identified with David in the superscription. During Israel's history she had many kings, some of them good but many of them bad. In the psalm the king makes several commitments that imply that he could have chosen another way. His commitment to sing praise to God implies that he could have rejected the worship of God. His commitment to give attention to and live with integrity implies that he could have chosen to disregard and live without integrity. His commitments to avoid wickedness imply that he could have exposed himself to wicked influences. His commitments to oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness imply that he could have chosen to join in wickedness and support wickedness as opposed to faithfulness. In fact, the psalm implies more broadly that wickedness is widely practiced. The purpose of the psalm in response to this situation is to lead the king to commit himself to worship the LORD, live with integrity, avoid wicked influences, and oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness and integrity.

Literary Context and Role

The Book of Psalms has little discernible strategy. For the most part the psalms appear to be arranged in random order. Nonetheless, the Book of Psalms is divided into 5 books. This psalm is in the fourth book (90-106). This book also contains little discernible strategy. Therefore, placing these psalms in their literary context and determining their role within that context is not very productive. Indeed, this psalm does not seem to have any clear relationship to its context. This psalm is identified with David in the superscription as are many psalms. These psalms have a great deal of variety and this psalm is very distinct. Commentators have seen a connection between the teaching of this psalm and that of the Book of Proverbs.

Form and Function

Though this psalm is distinct it can be classified as a liturgy. However, it is distinct from most liturgies in that it contains the commitments of the king. On the one hand these commitments set a pattern for future kings. These future kings are led to make the same commitments through participating in the liturgy. The psalmist makes commitments to worship the LORD, live a life of integrity, avoid wicked influences, and oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness and integrity. As the king makes these commitments he sets the pattern for future kings to also commit themselves to worship the LORD, live a life of integrity, avoid wicked influences, and oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness and integrity. On the other hand, these commitments serve as assurances to the worshipers that the king will worship the LORD and live with integrity, avoid wicked influences, and oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness and integrity.

Strategy and Structure

The psalm falls into two stanzas. The first stanza focuses on the psalmist's commitments regarding his personal character and conduct. He commits himself to worship the LORD and live a life of integrity by avoiding wickedness (1-4). The second stanza focuses on the psalmist's commitment to oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness (5-8). He commits himself to destroy the slanderer and not tolerate the arrogant (5), favor the faithful who live by the way of integrity (6), exclude deceitful liars (7), and eradicate wickedness (8). In the outline and analysis below I have divided the first stanza into two divisions.

I. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Sing to the LORD and Live with Integrity (1-2)

A. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Sing to the LORD (1)

B. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Live with Integrity (2)

1. He commits himself to pay attention to the way of integrity

2. He asks God when he will come

3. He commits himself to live with integrity

II. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Avoid Wickedness (3-4)

A. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Avoid What Is Worthless and Rebellious (3)

1. He commits himself to avoid what is worthless

2. He commits himself to avoid the work of rebels

B. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Avoid What Is Perverted and Evil (4)

1. He commits himself to avoid anyone who is perverted

2. He commits himself to avoid evil

III. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Oppose Wickedness and Promote Faithfulness (5-8)

A. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Destroy the Slanderer and Not Tolerate the Arrogant (5)

1. He commits himself to destroy the one who speaks bad about his friend

2. He commits himself not to tolerate the arrogant

B. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Favor the Faithful (6)

1. He commits himself to favor the faithful

2. He commits himself to employ the one who lives with integrity (6b)

C. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Exclude Deceitful Liars (7)

D. The Psalmist Commits Himself to Eradicate Wickedness (8)

Message or Messages

The king should commit himself to worship the LORD because of his steadfast love and justice and heed and live by the way of integrity so that he can experience the LORD's presence. The king should commit himself to avoid and not allow what is worthless and evil or anyone who is rebellious and perverted to influence him. The king should commit himself to destroy and not tolerate those who speak ill of others or are arrogant, favor and employ those who are faithful and walk with integrity, expel deceitful liars from his service, and destroy the wicked and cut off evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Analysis of the Details

The Psalmist Commits Himself to Sing to

The LORD and Live with Integrity

The psalmist commits himself to sing to the LORD and live with integrity in verses 1-2. He commit himself to sing to the LORD in verse 1, " **I will sing** steadfast love and justice; To you LORD I will sing." He stresses his commitment to sing to the LORD by stating it twice. He also stresses his determination to fulfill his commitment to sing to the LORD by using the cohortative mood (Indicated in translation with bold print). He sings about God's steadfast love and justice. The word translated "steadfast love" is _hesed_ , an important word in the Old Testament that is used to describe God's care for and commitment to his covenant people and promises. The word translated "justice" refers to the LORD's correctness in punishing the wicked and exonerating the righteous. These two characteristics of God balance one another. God is justice and punishes sin, but he also steadfastly loves his covenant people and cares for them even when they aren't always faithful.

The psalmist commits himself to live with integrity in verse 2, " **I will pay attention** to the way of integrity. When will you come to me? I will live with integrity of heart within my house." The underlying meaning of the verb translated "I will pay attention" is "to be wise" or "clever" and the NKJ even translates "I will behave wisely." However, in the hiphil stem this verb probably means "to give heed" or "pay attention." He stresses his commitment to pay attention to the way of integrity by using the cohortative form of the verb (Indicated in translation with bold print). The word translated "way" is often used for a path of life. The word translated "integrity" means "completeness" or "wholeness." He is probably committing himself to pay attention to a way of life that is completely in accord with God and his Law. He not only commits himself to heed the way of integrity but also to live with integrity of heart. The heart refers to the inner being of a person, especially the mind and will. By committing himself to live with integrity within his house he probably means that that "his administration will be characterized by integrity" (VanGemeren, Kindle Locations 22977-22978). Based on his commitment to heed and live with integrity the psalmist expresses his desire and expectation that God will come to him with the question, "When will you come to me?" He desires God's presence in his life and this is his motivation for heeding and living by the way of integrity. Indeed, he realizes that without God's help he has no chance of success. As the psalmist commits himself to worship the LORD and live with integrity he is setting a pattern for future kings. Therefore, the king should commit himself to worship the LORD because of his steadfast love and justice and heed and live by the way of integrity so that he can experience the LORD's presence.

The Psalmist Commits Himself to

Avoid Wickedness

The psalmist commits himself to avoid wickedness in verses 3-4. He commits himself to avoid what is worthless in the first part of verse 3, "I will by no means set a worthless thing before my eyes." He stresses his commitment to avoid what is worthless by stating it absolutely (Translated "I will by no means set"). Something worthless has no redeeming qualities; it is good-for-nothing. By stating that he will not set anything worthless before his eyes he means that he will not expose himself to it. He commits himself to avoid the work of rebels in the second part of verse 3, "I hate the work of rebels; it will by no means cling to me." The verb translated "I hate" probably has an element of revulsion. He may stress the firmness of his hatred of the work of rebels by using the perfect state of the verb. Rebels are those who revolt against God and his Law and the work of rebels are their ungodly deeds. Spurgeon says, "Hatred of sin is a good sentinel for the door of virtue" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 70800-70801). The psalmist not only commits himself to hate the work of rebels but asserts that the work of rebels will not cling to him. Spurgeon also says, "Sin, like pitch, is very apt to stick" (Spurgeon, Kindle Location 70809). Therefore, it must be avoided. What the psalmist probably means is that he will not allow the work of rebels to influence him and contaminate his life. He emphasizes his commitment to avoid their influence by stating it absolutely ("It will by no means cling to me"). He commits himself to avoid anyone perverted in the first part of verse 4, "A twisted heart will turn aside from me." The heart was regarded as the inner being of a person, especially the mind and will. A twisted heart is therefore a mind and will that is perverted, it is contrary to God and his Law. It is interesting that he says that the person with a perverted heart will turn aside from him rather than that he will turn aside from someone with a perverted heart. It may be that he is inferring that he will have such a reputation for opposing the wicked that those whose values are perverted will fear and avoid him. He commits himself to avoid evil in the second part of verse 4, "I will by no means know evil." He stresses his commitment to avoid evil by stating it absolutely (Translated "I will by no means know"). As Estes says, "This does not indicate his lack of awareness, but his refusal to compromise his standards and become involved in what is wrong" (Estes, 260). What the psalmist probably means by this is that evil will not be something he contemplates let alone practices. As the psalmist commits himself to avoid wickedness he is establishing a pattern for future kings. Therefore, the king should commit himself to avoid and not allow what is worthless and evil or anyone who is rebellious and perverted to influence him.

The Psalmist Commits Himself to Oppose

Wickedness and Promote Faithfulness

The psalmist commits himself to oppose wickedness and favor faithfulness in verses 5-8. He commits himself to destroy the slanderer and not tolerate the arrogant, favor and employ the faithful who walk with integrity, exclude deceitful liars from his service, and eradicate wicked evildoers from the city of the LORD.

**The psalmist commits himself to destroy the slanderer and not tolerate the arrogant**. The psalmist commits himself to destroy the slanderer and not tolerate the arrogant in verse 5. He commits himself to destroy the one who slanders his friend in the first part of the verse, "The one who speaks bad of his friend with him in secret I will destroy." Most English versions and translate the participle "The one who slanders" or something similar (CSB, ESV, NAS, NIV, NKJ, and NRS). Actually, the verb is related to the noun for tongue and probably only means "use the tongue." The context implies a negative use of the tongue or speech and I have opted for the more general "The one who speaks bad of." Not only does he speak bad about his friend but he does it in secret, probably meaning that he does it behind his back. The noun I have translated "his friend" is usually translated "his neighbor" (CSB, ESV, NAS, NIV, NKJ, and NRS). However, it is usually used for a closer relationship than neighbor and this closeness seems to be pointed out in the Hebrew text with what I have translated "with him." By pointing out that he is speaking bad of "his friend with him" he accentuates his duplicity. He even badmouths his close friends. He commits himself not to tolerate the arrogant in the second part of the verse, "Exalted eyes and an arrogant heart I will by no means tolerate." Exalted eyes are eyes that look disdainfully on others. Those with exalted eyes or a haughty look (See the ESV, NAS, NKJ, and NRS) have an inflated conception of themselves and regard others as inferior or unimportant. An "arrogant heart" is literally "a broad heart." The heart was regarded as the center of the mind and will rather than emotions. When we talk about someone with a broad or big heart we mean that this person cares for others, but when the psalmist talks about someone with a broad or big heart he is talking about a willful person with a big ego. He stresses his commitment not to tolerate arrogant and egotistical people by stating it absolutely (Translated "I will by no means tolerate").

**The psalmist commits himself to favor and employ the faithful who walk with integrity**. The psalmist commits himself to favor and employ the faithful who walk with integrity in verse 6. He commits himself to favor the faithful in the first part of the verse, "My eyes [will be] on the faithful of the earth so that they dwell with me." Though the text literally says "My eyes [will be] on" the context implies that he is committing himself to look on the faithful with favor. The participle translated "the faithful" comes from a verb meaning "confirm" or "support" and could be translated "the steadfast." He commits himself to employ those who live with integrity in the second part of the verse, "The one who walks in the way of integrity, **he** will serve me." Those who walk or live with integrity are people who like the psalmist (See verse 2) pay attention to the way of integrity and live in conformity with God's will. He stresses his commitment to employ those with integrity by doubling the subject pronoun (Literally "he, he will serve me" and indicated in translation with bold print). As Allen says, "he has ensured that the members of his administration are men committed to Yahweh, whose trustworthiness is grounded in their faith. His ministers are men picked for their moral integrity and cleanness" (Allen, 11).

**The psalmist commits himself to expel deceitful liars from his service**. The psalmist commits himself to expel deceitful liars from his service in verse 7, "One who acts deceitfully will by no means dwell inside my house; one who tells lies will by no means be established in my sight." The ones who act deceitfully and tell lies are dishonest people who say whatever suits their interests without regard for the truth. He stresses his commitment to expel them by stating it twice, both times in an absolute way ("will by no means dwell inside my house" and "will by no means be established in my sight"). Stated more directly the psalmist is saying "I will by no means allow them to dwell in my house" and "I will by no means allow them to remain in my presence." His house in this context is probably his government administration. He will not allow deceitful liars in his service so that that they can have an impact on his decisions and policies.

**The psalmist commits himself to eradicate wicked evildoers from the city of the LORD**. The psalmist commits himself to eradicate wicked evildoers from the city of the LORD in verse 8, "Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, to cut off all evildoers from the city of the LORD." He stresses his persistence in eradicating the wicked by indicating that he will destroy them every morning. He stresses his thoroughness in eradicating the wicked by indicating that he will destroy "all the wicked" and "all evildoers." The verb he uses is strong and also stresses his thoroughness and could be translated "I will annihilate." His purpose is to cut them off from the city. They are something evil and harmful that needs to be radically removed. As the psalmist commits himself to oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness he is setting a pattern for future kings. Therefore, the king should commit himself to destroy and not tolerate the slanderer and the arrogant, favor and employ the faithful who walk with integrity, expel deceitful liars from his service, and destroy the wicked and cut of evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Application of the Message

Only a few "Christian" monarchies remain and certainly this psalm would be an appropriate commitment for a Christian king today. However, this psalm could also be applied more broadly to Christians who serve in positions of authority whether in government, business, or the church. In anticipation of the message in the subsequent section I would like to apply this psalm to pastors and leaders in the church. Though the application is a bit remote I feel like it is justified by the similarities between the king as the executive and spiritual leader of Israel and the pastor as the executive and spiritual leader of the church. However, there are some contextualized issues that need to be considered because pastors are not kings. The primary issue I see is that in the psalm the king commits himself to destroy the slanderer and the wicked. Indeed, even though pastors may need to take a strong stance against sin, they must also balance this with mercy and take a redemptive approach toward the sinner. Pastors should commit themselves to praise the LORD because of his steadfast love and justice and pay attention to and walk in the way of integrity so that they can experience the LORD's presence. Pastors should commit themselves to avoid and not allow what is worthless and evil or anyone who is rebellious and perverted to influence them so they can be pure. Pastors should oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness and integrity so that the church of the LORD can he holy.

Communication of the Message

**Title** : I WILL LIVE WITH INTEGRITY

**Objective** : The objective of this message is to exhort pastors to praise the LORD and walk in the way of integrity, avoid wicked influences, and oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness and integrity.

**Proposition** : Pastors should praise the LORD because of his steadfast love and justice, pay attention to and walk in the way of integrity so that they can experience the LORD's presence, avoid wicked influences so that they can be pure, and oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness and integrity so the church can be holy.
Introduction

Thank you for inviting me to speak at this ordination service. Being a pastor is a serious responsibility. A pastor is responsible for leading the church and caring for the spiritual wellbeing of every member. Pastors, as the name implies, are the shepherds of God's flock. The kings in the Old Testament are also called the shepherds of God's people in the Old Testament. I don't want you to get a big head, but in many ways the role of a pastor is comparable to the role of an Old Testament king. However, Israel had only a few good kings and a lot of bad kings. Even though he had his faults, as we all do, David was one of the good kings. He made commitments to be a good king in Psalm 101. I hope that you will make similar commitments as you embark on your pastoral ministry. _Read Psalm 101_.

I. Pastors should sing praise to the LORD because of his steadfast love and justice.

A. David commits himself to sing to the LORD and live with integrity in verses 1-2. He commit himself to sing to the LORD in verse 1, "I will sing steadfast love and justice; To you LORD I will sing." He stresses his commitment to sing to the LORD by stating it twice and the form of the verb.

B. David sings about God's steadfast love and justice. The word translated "steadfast love" is _hesed_ , an important word in the Old Testament that is used to describe God's care for and commitment to his covenant people and promises. The word translated "justice" refers to the LORD's correctness in punishing the wicked and exonerating the righteous. These two characteristics of God balance one another. God is justice and punishes sin, but he also steadfastly loves his covenant people and cares for them even when they aren't always faithful.

C. _Illustration of a Pastor Who Neglected Personal Worship_

D. Application--You should sing praise to the LORD because of his steadfast love and justice.

II. Pastors should pay attention to and walk in the way of integrity so that they can experience the LORD's presence.

A. David commits himself to live with integrity in verse 2, "I will pay attention to the way of integrity. When will you come to me? I will live with integrity of heart within my house." He stresses his commitment to pay attention to the way of integrity by the form of the verb. The word translated "integrity" means "completeness" or "wholeness." He is probably committing himself to pay attention to a way of life that is completely in accord with God's will. He not only commits himself to heed the way of integrity but also to live with integrity of heart. The heart refers to the inner being of a person, especially the mind and will.

B. Based on his commitment to heed and live with integrity David expresses his desire and expectation that God will come to him with the question, "When will you come to me?" He desires God's presence in his life and this is his motivation for heeding and living by the way of integrity. Indeed, he realizes that without God's help he has no chance of success.

C. _Illustration of a Pastor Who Did Not Pay Attention to the Way of Integrity_

D. Application--You should pay attention and walk in the way of integrity so that you can experience the LORD's presence.

III. Pastors should avoid wicked influences so that they can be pure.

A. David commits himself to avoid what is worthless in the first part of verse 3, "I will by no means set a worthless thing before my eyes." He stresses his commitment to avoid what is worthless by stating it absolutely. Something worthless has no redeeming qualities; it is good-for-nothing.

B. David commits himself to avoid the work of rebels in the second part of verse 3, "I hate the work of rebels; it will by no means cling to me." The verb translated "I hate" probably has an element of revulsion. Rebels are those who revolt against God and his Law and the word of rebels are their ungodly deeds. Spurgeon says, "Hatred of sin is a good sentinel for the door of virtue" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 70800-70801). The psalmist not only commits himself to hate the work of rebels but that the work of rebels will not cling to him. Spurgeon also says, "Sin, like pitch, is very apt to stick" (Spurgeon, Kindle Location 70809). Therefore, it must be avoided at all costs. David emphasizes his commitment to avoid their influence by stating it absolutely.

C. David commits himself to avoid anyone perverted in the first part of verse 4, "A twisted heart will turn aside from me." The heart was regarded as the inner being of a person, especially the mind and will. A twisted heart is therefore a mind and will that is perverted, it is contrary to God and his will. It is interesting that he says that the person with a perverted heart will turn aside from him rather than that he will turn aside from someone with a perverted heart. It may be that he is inferring that he will have such a reputation for opposing the wicked that those whose values are perverted will fear and avoid him.

D. David commits himself to avoid evil in the second part of verse 4, "I will by no means know evil." He stresses his commitment to avoid evil by stating it absolutely ("I will by no means know"). What the psalmist probably means by this is that evil will not be something he contemplates let alone practices.

E. _Illustration of David and Bathsheba_ \--Even David who was committed to the way of integrity sinned when he let down his guard.

F. Application--You avoid wicked influences so that you can be pure.

IV. Pastors should oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness and integrity so that the church can be holy.

A. David commits himself to destroy the slanderer and not tolerate the arrogant in verse 5, "The one who speaks bad of his friend with him in secret I will destroy; exalted eyes and arrogant heart I will by no means tolerate."

B. David commits himself to favor and employ the faithful in verse 6, "My eyes [will be] on the faithful of the earth so that they dwell with me. The one who walks in the way of integrity, he will serve me."

C. David commits himself to expel deceitful liars from his service in verse 7, "One who acts deceitfully will by no means dwell inside my house; one who tells lies will by no means be established in my sight."

D. David commits himself to eradicate wicked evildoers from the city of the LORD in verse 8, "Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, to cut off all evildoers from the city of the LORD."

E. _Illustrations of Opposing Wickedness and Promoting Faithfulness_

F. Application--You should oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness and integrity so the church can be holy.

Conclusion

Being a pastor is a serious responsibility. A pastor is responsible for leading the church and caring for the spiritual wellbeing of every member. Pastors, as the name implies, are the shepherds of God's flock. The kings in the Old Testament were also called the shepherds of God's flock in the Old Testament. However, Israel had only a few good kings and a lot of bad kings. Even though he had his faults, as we all do, David was one of the good kings. He made commitments to be a good king in Psalm 101. I hope that you will make these commitments as you embark on your pastoral ministry. You should praise the LORD because of his steadfast love and justice, pay attention to and walk in the way of integrity so that you can experience the LORD's presence, avoid wicked influences so that you can be pure, and oppose wickedness and promote faithfulness and integrity so the church can be holy.

### CHAPTER SIX

### BLESS THE LORD

### Psalm 103

**Study of the Passage**

Text and Translation

Of David.

1Bless the LORD, my soul

And his holy name, all my inner being!

2Bless the LORD, my soul,

And do not forget all his benefits--

3Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

4Who redeems your life from the pit

Who crowns you with steadfast love and great compassion,

5Who satisfies your desires with good,

So that your youth is renewed like an eagle.

6The LORD works total righteousness

And complete justice for all the oppressed.

7He made known his ways to Moses,

His deeds to the people of Israel:

8The LORD [is] compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.

9He will by no means always strive,

And he will by no means hold on forever;

10He does not do to us according to our sins

And he does not repay us according to our iniquities.

11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

His steadfast love is strong on those who fear him;

12As distant as the east [is] from the west,

He removes our transgressions from us.

13As the compassion of a father on his children,

The LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

14For he himself knows our makeup,

He remembers that we are dust.

15As for man, his days [are] like grass,

Like a flower of the field he flourishes,

16For the wind passes over it and it is nothing

And its place remembers it no more.

17But the steadfast love of the LORD [is] from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him

And his righteousness with the sons of sons,

18To those who keep his covenant

And to those who remember his precepts to obey them.

19The LORD has established his throne in heaven

And his kingdom rules in all.

20Bless the LORD, his angels,

The ones mighty of strength who do his word,

Listening to the sound of his word!

21Bless the LORD, all his armies,

The ones who serve him and do his will!

22Bless the LORD, all his works in every place of his dominion!

Bless the LORD, my soul!

Situation and Purpose

This psalm is very positive in character and one must read between the lines to discern the situation. Verse 1-6 may reflect the danger that worshipers may forget all that the LORD does for them. Indeed the reminders of what the LORD has done for them in these verses may also indicate that some of them have sinned and have suffered from some illness and may have been at the point of death. Verses 6-10 seem to reflect a situation in which they have sinned and experienced God's rebuke and anger. Verses 11-18 seem to imply the danger that they may not fear him and keep his covenant. The purpose of the psalm seems to be to lead worshipers to affirm their faith in the LORD, fear the LORD and keep his covenant, and be grateful to the LORD and bless him.

Literary Context and Role

The Book of Psalms has little discernible strategy. For the most part the psalms appear to be arranged in random order. Nonetheless, the Book of Psalms is divided into 5 books. This psalm is in the fourth book (90-106). This book also contains little discernible strategy. Therefore, placing these psalms in their literary context and determining their role within that context is not very productive. However, this psalm does begin a series of psalms of praise that conclude the fourth book (103-106). This psalm is identified with David in the superscription as are many psalms. These psalms also have a great deal of variety. Many of these declarations of praise and affirmations of faith are similar to other psalms elsewhere in the Book of Psalms.

Form and Function

This psalm is normally classified as a psalm of praise. Though the psalm is predominantly praise it is a bit more diverse than that. In fact it combines some of the elements of a liturgy and wise instruction. Therefore I would like to look upon it as a liturgy and examine the different things the psalmist does and how they work. As a liturgy, the psalmist is like the worship leader, leading the worshipers to an authentic encounter with God. The worshipers are intended to do what the psalmist does based on what his says. The psalm begins and ends with calls to bless or praise the LORD. He calls upon his own soul to bless the LORD and not forget his benefits in verses 1-5. As he calls upon his soul to bless the LORD and not forget his benefits he is leading the worshipers to do the same. He calls upon the LORD's angels and armies, all the LORD's creation, and his soul to bless the LORD in verses 19-23. Since the worshipers are part of the LORD's creation they are also called to join in this universal blessing of the LORD. Though verses 6-10 could be classified as praise, it is probably better to understand these verses as affirmations of faith since they are directed to other worshipers rather than to God. As the psalmist affirms his faith in what the LORD does for his people he is leading the worshipers to also affirm their faith in the LORD. Though verses 11-18 seem to be a continuation of the affirmations of faith in 6-10, they affirm what God will do for those who fear him and keep his covenant. Therefore, these verses should be understood as commendation. The worshipers are encouraged to fear God and keep his covenant based on the benefits that go along with fear and faithfulness.

Strategy and Structure

The psalm begins and ends with calls to bless or praise the LORD. The psalmist begins in verses 1-5 by calling his soul to bless the LORD and concludes in verses 18-22 will calls for the angels and armies of the LORD, all the LORD's creation, and the psalmist's soul to praise the LORD. In fact the final line of the psalm is identical to the first line of the psalm. In between these calls to bless and praise the LORD, the psalmist affirms his faith in what the LORD does for his people and leads the worshipers to affirm their faith (6-10) and commends fearing the LORD and keeping his covenant and encourages the worshipers to fear the LORD and keep his covenant (11-18).

I. The Psalmist Calls His Soul to Bless the LORD (1-5)

A. The Psalmist Calls His Soul to Bless the LORD and Not Forget All His Benefits (1-2)

B. The Psalmist Recounts the Benefits of the LORD (3-5)

1. He recounts that the LORD forgives all his iniquities (3a)

2. He recounts that the LORD heals all his diseases (3b)

3. He recounts that the LORD redeems him from the pit (4a)

4. He recounts that the LORD honors him with steadfast love and compassion (4b)

5. He recounts that the LORD satisfies his desires with good (5a)

6. He recounts that the result is that his youth is renewed (5b)

II. The Psalmist Affirms His Faith in the LORD (6-10)

A. The Psalmist Affirms His Faith in the Justice of the LORD for All the Oppressed (6)

B. The Psalmist Affirms the LORD's Compassion, Grace, Patience, and Steadfast Love (7-8)

1. He affirms that the LORD revealed his ways to Moses and the people of Israel (7)

2. He affirms that the LORD is compassionate, gracious, patient, and abounding in steadfast love (8)

C. The Psalmist Affirms that the LORD Will not Remain Angry and Discipline Forever (9)

D. The Psalmist Affirms that the LORD Does not Treat Them as Their Sins Deserve (10)

III. The Psalmist Commends Fear of the LORD and Keeping His Covenant (11-17)

A. The Psalmist Explains that the LORD's Steadfast Love Is Strong on Those Who Fear Him and He Completely Removes Their Sin (11-12)

1. He explains that the LORD's steadfast love is strong on those who fear him (11)

2. He explains that he completely removes their sins (12)

B. The Psalmist Affirms that the LORD Has Compassion on Those Who Fear Him (13-14)

1. He affirms that the LORD has the compassion of a father for those who fear him (13)

2. The psalmist explains that the LORD has compassion because he knows their makeup (14)

C. The Psalmist Affirms that the Steadfast Love of the LORD Is Always on Those Who Fear Him and Keep His Covenant (15-18)

1. He asserts that man's life is brief (15-16)

2. He affirms that the steadfast love of the LORD is everlasting on those who fear him and keep his covenant (17-18)

IV. The Psalmist Calls for Universal Blessing of the LORD (19-22)

A. The Psalmist Affirms that the LORD Is Sovereign

B. The Psalmist Calls on the Angels to Bless the LORD (20)

C. The Psalmist Calls on the LORD's Armies to Bless Him (21)

D. The Psalmist Call's on All of the LORD's Creation to Bless Him (22a)

E. The Psalmist Calls on His Soul to Bless the LORD (22b)

Message or Messages

The worshipers should bless the LORD with their entire being and remember all his benefits because he forgives all their sins, he heals all their diseases, he redeems them from death, he honors them with his steadfast love and great compassion, he satisfies their desires with what is good, and their youth is renewed. The worshipers should trust the LORD because he gives justice to all the oppressed, he has revealed his compassion, grace, patience, and steadfast love, he will not remain angry and discipline them forever, and he does not treat them as their sins deserve. The worshipers should fear the LORD and keep his covenant because his steadfast love is strong on those who fear him and he completely removes their sins, he has the compassion of a father on those who fear him and takes their mortality into consideration, and his steadfast love and justice are everlasting on those who fear him and keep his covenant. The worshipers should join the psalmist, the angels and armies of the LORD, and all of his creation because he has established his rule and is sovereign over everything and everyone everywhere.

Analysis of the Details

The Psalmist Calls His Soul to Bless

The LORD

The psalmist calls his soul to bless the LORD in verses 1-5. He calls his soul to bless the LORD and not forget all his benefits and recounts the benefits of the LORD.

**The psalmist calls his soul to bless the LORD and not forget all his benefits**. The psalmist calls his soul to bless the LORD and not forget all his benefits in verses 1-2, "Bless the LORD, my soul, and [bless] his holy name, all my inner being! Bless the LORD, my soul, and do not forget all his benefits." Though some English versions translate "Praise the LORD" (CSB and NIV) I have used the more literal translation "Bless the LORD" (See also ESV, NAS, NKJ, and NRS). To bless the LORD is to honor him for what he has done. As Estes says, "Humans bless the Lord by speaking well of him as they compliment him publicly" (Estes, 275). The psalmist stresses the urgency of his soul blessing the LORD by stating the command three times (Even though the second command is only implied). He also stresses the urgency of his soul blessing the LORD by using the imperative mood (Indicated in translation by making it an exclamation). The soul should probably be understood here as his inner being. By commanding his soul to bless the LORD he is emphasizing the need to bless the LORD from the depths of his being. Indeed, in the parallel line he commands "all" his inner being to bless the LORD. He also commands his soul not to forget all the benefits of the LORD. Indeed he will subsequently remind his soul of those benefits in subsequent verses. Estes says, "Forgetting is the first long step toward spiritual disaster (cf. Deut 4:9, 23), because when people forget who the Lord is and what he has done, they fail to be grateful to him. Failure to praise the Lord, then, is symptomatic of a deeper heart problem" (Estes, 275).

**The psalmist recounts the benefits of the LORD**. The psalmist recounts the benefits of the LORD in verses 3-5. He is still addressing his soul as the forms of the pronouns in the Hebrew text make clear. He recounts that the LORD forgives all his iniquities in the first part of verse 3, "Who forgives all your iniquities." He more literally says "to all your iniquities" and perhaps uses to preposition "to" along with the absolute noun "all" to emphasize the extent of his forgiveness. He recounts that the LORD heals all his diseases in the second part of verse 3, "Who heals all your diseases. Again he more literally says "to all your diseases" and perhaps uses the preposition "to" with the absolute noun "all" to stress the extent of his healing. He recounts that the LORD redeems him from the pit in the first part of verse 4, "Who redeems your life from the pit." The pit is often used for the grave and death. The verb redeem means to buy back or pay a ransom to get back. The use of this verb suggests that he was already in the pit or as good as dead and the LORD payed the price for him to be delivered. His use of this language stresses the extent of the LORD's deliverance. He recounts that the LORD honors him with steadfast love and compassion in the second part of verse 4, "Who crowns you with steadfast love and great compassion." Crowning probably means to honor. As Ross says, "the psalmist is signifying how God honors his people--he makes them feel like kings" (Ross, 234). The noun translated "steadfast love" is _hesed_ , an important word in the Old Testament that emphasizes God's care for and commitment to his covenant people and promises. I have translated the plural noun "great compassion" (Literally "compassions") because the plural is often used in Hebrew to extend the meaning. He recounts that the LORD satisfies his desires with good in the first part of verse 5, "Who satisfies your desires with good." The noun I have translated "your desires" is often omitted in English translations because of some uncertainty about the meaning and probably because of the negative associations often associated with desires (CSB and ESV). Though there remains some uncertainty about the meaning of the word, it is important to note that the LORD satisfies those desires with what is good. He recounts that the result is that his youth is renewed in the second part of verse 5, "So that your youth is renewed like an eagle." His youthful vigor is renewed like an eagle soaring in the sky. As Longman observes, "An eagle was a symbol of strength and vitality (Isa. 40:31)" (Longman III, 356). As the psalmist calls his soul to bless the LORD and not forget his benefits he is leading the worshipers to also bless the LORD and remember his benefits. Therefore, the worshipers should bless the LORD with their entire being and remember all his benefits because he forgives all their sins, he heals all their diseases, he redeems them from death, he honors them with his steadfast love and great compassion, he satisfies their desires with what is good, and their youth is renewed.

The Psalmist Affirms His Faith in

The LORD

The psalmist affirms his faith in the LORD in verses 6-10. He affirms his faith that the LORD will work justice for the oppressed, treat them with compassion, grace, patience, and steadfast love, not remain angry and discipline forever, and not treat them as their sins deserve.

**The psalmist affirms the LORD's justice for the oppressed**. The psalmist affirms his faith in the LORD's justice for the oppressed I verse 6, "The LORD works complete righteousness and total justice for all the oppressed." I have translated the plural nouns "total righteousness" (Literally "righteousnesses") and "complete justice" (Literally "justices"). The plural is often used in Hebrew to extend the meaning. He is stressing that the LORD's righteous and justice are comprehensive in scope and the oppressed will be vindicated. He follows this with an example from Israel's history.

**The psalmist affirms the LORD's compassion, grace, patience, and steadfast love**. The psalmist affirms the LORD's compassion, grace, patience, and steadfast love in verses 7-8. He affirms that the LORD revealed his ways to Moses and the people of Israel in verse 7, "He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel." This is obviously an allusion to the events of the exodus when God revealed himself to Moses and the people of Israel with awesome acts, delivering them from slavery in Egypt. He affirms that the LORD is compassionate, gracious, patient, and abounding in steadfast love in verse 8, "The LORD [is] compassionate and gracious, slow to anger; abounding in steadfast love." Indeed, this is a near quotation of Exodus 34:6 where the LORD passes in front of them and declares, "The LORD, the LORD, a God of compassion and grace, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." The LORD is compassionate, he cares for those who are in need. The LORD is gracious, he helps those who do not deserve his help. He is slow to anger, he is patient and it takes a lot to make him angry (Literally "long of anger"). He is abounding in steadfast love. Again this is _hesed,_ a word that emphasizes God's care for and commitment to his covenant people and promises.

**The psalmist affirms that the LORD will not remain angry and discipline forever**. The psalmist affirms that the LORD will not remain angry and discipline forever in verse 9, "He will by no means always strive and he will by no means hold on forever." The verb translated "strive" (See also NAS and NKJ) means "contend" and probably refers to the LORD's rebuke and discipline (CSB, NIV and NRS "accuse," and ESV "chide"). He stresses that the LORD will not accuse or discipline forever by stating it absolutely (Translated "He will by no means always strive"). The verb translated "hold on" probably means that the LORD will not remain angry forever. He stresses that the LORD will not remain angry forever by stating it absolutely (Translated "He will by no means hold on to his anger forever"). This affirmation confirms that the LORD is compassionate, gracious, patient, and abounding in steadfast love.

**The psalmist affirms that the LORD does not treat them as their sins deserve**. The psalmist affirms that the LORD does not treat them as their sins deserve in verse 10, "He does not do to us according to our sins and he does not repay us according to our iniquities." If they were to get what their sins and iniquities deserved God would have destroyed them by now. Instead God treats them with compassion, grace, patience, and steadfast love. As Weiser says, "the poet is able to recognize the truth that God's grace is greater than man's sin and that his love is greater than his anger" (Weiser, 661). As the psalmist affirms his faith in the LORD he is leading the worshipers to do the same. The worshipers should trust the LORD because he gives justice to all the oppressed, he has revealed his compassion, grace, patience, and steadfast love, he will not remain angry and discipline forever, and he does not treat them as their sins deserve.

The Psalmist Commends Fearing the LORD

And Keeping His Covenant

The psalmist commends fearing the LORD and keeping his covenant in verses 11-18. He explains that the LORD's steadfast love is strong on those who fear him and he completely forgives their sins, affirms that LORD has compassion on those who fear him, and affirms that the LORD's steadfast love is always on those who fear him and keep his covenant.

**The psalmist explains that the LORD's steadfast love is strong on those who fear him and he completely removes their sins**. The psalmist explains that the LORD's steadfast love is strong on those who fear him in verse 11, "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, his steadfast love is strong on those who fear him." Even from the perspective of the modern world the heavens are far above the earth. In the same measure the LORD's steadfast love is strong on those who fear him. By saying the LORD's steadfast love is strong on those who fear him he probably means that the LORD's steadfast love is working powerfully in the lives of those who fear him. The verb translated "is strong" is in the perfect state, probably to emphasize that working powerfully with steadfast love in the lives of those who fear him is God's characteristic practice. The psalmist affirms that the LORD completely removes their sins in verse 12, "As distant as the east [is] from the west, he removes our transgressions from us." When he says that the LORD removes their transgression as far as the east is from the west he is probably saying that he removes their transgression as far as from one horizon to the opposite horizon. In this way he emphasizes how far he has removed their transgression. From the perspective of the modern world this distance is even greater since the world is a ball and a person can go east and never reach west or go west and never reach east. He uses the picture of removing sin far from them to emphasize that God forgives their sin and guilt completely and it no longer has any impact on how he treats them. The verb I have translated "removes" is in the perfect state, probably to emphasize that removing sin is God's characteristic practice. Since the LORD's steadfast love is working powerfully in the lives of those who fear him and he completely removes their sin, it makes sense for the worshipers to fear him.

**The psalmist affirms that the LORD has compassion on those who fear him**. The psalmist affirms that the LORD has compassion on those who fear him in verses 13-14. He affirms that the LORD has the compassion of a father for those who fear him in verse 13, "As the compassion of a father on his children, the LORD has compassion on those who fear him." Fathers normally love their children and want what is best for them. As a father loves his children and wants what is best for them, so the LORD loves those who fear him. The verb I have translated "has compassion" is in the perfect state, probably to emphasize that loving and wanting what is best for those who fear him is the LORD's characteristic practice. He explains that the LORD has compassion because he knows their makeup in verse 14, "For he himself knows our makeup, he remembers that we are dust." He stresses that the LORD knows their makeup by doubling the subject pronoun (Indicated in translation with the reflexive pronoun "he himself"). In this context, knowing their makeup probably means that the LORD takes their makeup into consideration as he deals with them. The word translated "makeup" literally means "form" or "frame" but it this context where he describes them as being composed of dust "makeup" is a good translation. When he describes them as dust he is probably alluding to the Genesis accounts of the creation of man from the dust of the earth (2:7) and the cursing of man after the fall (3:19). By describing them as dust he is saying that they are frail and mortal. The verb translated "he himself knows" is in the perfect state, probably to stress that taking their mortality into consideration is the LORD's characteristic practice. Estes says, "The Lord understands people just as they are, with all of their issues. Even knowing them warts and all, he still loves them as his children" (Estes, 279). Since the LORD has the compassion of a father for those who fear him and takes into consideration that they are mortal, it makes sense for the worshipers to fear him.

**The psalmist affirms that the LORD's steadfast love is always on those who fear him and keep his covenant**. The psalmist affirms that the LORD's steadfast love is always on those who fear him and keep his covenant in verses 15-18. He asserts that man's life is brief in verses 15-16, "As for man, his days [are] like grass, like a flower of the field he flourishes; for the wind passes over it and it is nothing and its place remembers it no more." He stresses the brief life of humans by comparing their lives to the grass and a flower. Indeed, flowers are very fragile and when the hot wind blows on them they wilt and die. He further stresses the brief life of a flower and thereby humanity by saying that it becomes nothing and even the memory of it is gone. He affirms that the LORD's steadfast love everlasting on those who fear him and keep his covenant in verses 17-18, "But the steadfast love of the LORD [is] from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him and his righteousness with the sons of sons, to those who keep his covenant and to those who remember his precepts to obey them." He stresses the eternity of the LORD's steadfast love and righteousness by contrasting them with the brief existence of humans. He also stresses the eternity of the LORD's steadfast love and righteousness by stating that they are "from everlasting to everlasting." As Allen says, "Generations come and generations go; but one factor that survives from age to age is this love that takes the chosen people's side" (Allen, 32). The LORD's steadfast love is his care for and commitment to his covenant people and promises. The LORD's righteousness is probably his justice in this context. The LORD cares for and is committed to those who fear him and keep his covenant and treats them justly. He expands on the appropriate response to the LORD in these verses. They not only are to fear the LORD, but they are to keep his covenant by remembering his precepts and obeying them. Since the LORD's steadfast love and justice are with those who fear him and keep his covenant it makes sense for the worshipers to fear him and keep his covenant. As Allen says, "The activity of God, involving "loyal love" and "vindication" (vv 4b, 6), must find an echo of obedient activity in their lives" (Allen, 33). As the psalmist describes the positive benefits of fearing the LORD and keeping his covenant the worshipers are encouraged to do so. The worshipers should fear the LORD and keep his covenant because his steadfast love is strong on those who fear him and he completely removes their sins, he has the compassion of a father on those who fear him and takes their mortality into consideration, and his steadfast love and justice are everlasting on those who fear him and keep his covenant.

The Psalmist Calls for Universal

Blessing of the LORD

The psalmist calls for universal blessing of the LORD in verses 19-22. He affirms that the LORD is sovereign in verse 19, "The LORD has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules in all." As Weiser says, "The singers praise does not in itself suffice to render to such a God the honour which is due to him. In a solemn refrain he therefore calls upon the choir of the heavenly voices to join in the response" (Weiser, 663). Allen adds, "Nothing less than the praises of angelic forces and of all the creatures of God's vast realm can adequately reflect divine greatness" (Allen, 33). The psalmist uses the perfect state of the verb ("has established"), probably to stress that the LORD's throne is firmly established. The LORD's throne represents his sovereign authority and the fact that his throne is in heaven further emphasizes his exaltation and sovereignty. He stresses the extent of the LORD's sovereignty by saying "his kingdom rules in all." The verb translated "rules" is in the perfect state, probably to further emphasize his firmly established rule. This affirmation of the LORD's sovereignty provides the basis for the universal call to bless the LORD that follows. He calls on the LORD's angels to bless him in verse 20, "Bless the LORD, his angels, the ones mighty of strength who do his word, listening to the sound of his word!" He calls on the LORD's armies to bless him in verse 21, :"Bless the LORD, all his armies, the ones who serve him and do his will!" He calls on all the LORD's creation to bless him in the first part of verse 22, "Bless the LORD, all his works in every place of his dominion!" He calls his soul to bless the LORD in the final line of the psalm, "Bless the LORD, my soul!" All of these calls to bless the LORD are in the imperative mood and I have therefore translated them as exclamations. As the psalmist calls the LORD's angels and armies, all his creation, and his own soul to bless the LORD he is leading the worshipers as part of the LORD's creation to join in blessing the LORD. Therefore, the worshipers should join the psalmist, the angels and armies of the LORD, and all of his creation in blessing the LORD because he has established his rule and is sovereign over everything and everyone everywhere.

Application of the Message

Christians experience all manner of difficulties. However, sometimes they forget all that the LORD has done for them and try to handle things for themselves. As a result they drift even further away from the LORD and live a worldly life without fearing the LORD or obeying him. These similarities in the situation provide a strong basis for applying the message of this psalm to the modern situation. There is very little of a contextualized nature that would require that the message of this psalm be limited or adjusted. Indeed, the coming of Jesus Christ, his sacrificial death on the cross, and glorious resurrection and ascension give greater depth to much of what is affirmed in this psalm. I do feel the need to comment on the affirmation "Who heals all your diseases" since many have used it and similar verses to teach that God is obligated to heal on every occasion. It becomes clear from examining the remainder of Scripture that God uses illnesses and other difficulties at times and everyone must eventually die as part of God's plan. However, God does provide ultimate healing when we he gives us our new glorified bodies. As a result the statements of the applied message do not vary substantially from the statements of the message in the original situation. Christians should bless the LORD with their entire being and remember all his benefits because he forgives all their sins, he heals all their diseases, he redeems them from death, he honors them with his steadfast love and great compassion, he satisfies their desires with what is good, and their youth is renewed. Christians should trust the LORD because he gives justice to all the oppressed, he has revealed his compassion, grace, patience, and steadfast love, he will not remain angry and discipline them forever, and he does not treat them as their sins deserve. Christians should fear the LORD and keep his covenant because his steadfast love is strong on those who fear him and he completely removes their sins, he has the compassion of a father on those who fear him and takes their mortality into consideration, and his steadfast love and justice are everlasting on those who fear him and keep his covenant. Christians should join the psalmist, the angels and armies of the LORD, and all of his creation because he has established his rule and is sovereign over everything and everyone everywhere.

Communication of the Message

**Title** : BLESS THE LORD, MY SOUL

**Objective** : The objective of this message is to lead Christians to remember what God has done for them, trust God, fear and obey God, and bless him.

**Proposition** : Christians should bless the LORD with their entire being and remember all his benefits; trust the LORD, fear the LORD and keep his covenant, and bless the LORD along with the psalmist, the angels and armies of the LORD, and all of his creation.
Introduction

Christians experience all manner of difficulties. However, sometimes they forget all that the LORD has done for them and try to handle things for themselves. As a result they drift even further away from the LORD and live a worldly life without fearing the LORD or obeying him. David certainly experienced difficulties and drifted away from obedience to the LORD and sinned with Bathsheba. However, he remembered the LORD and experienced God's grace, forgiveness, and restoration. In Psalm 103 he leads us to remember the LORD, trust the LORD, fear and obey the LORD, and bless the LORD. _Read Psalm 103_.

I. Christians should remember all the LORD's benefits because he forgives them, heals them, redeems them from death, honors them with his steadfast love and compassion, and satisfies them with what is good so that they are rejuvenated.

A. David calls his soul not to forget all the LORD's benefits at the end of verse 2, "and do not forget all his benefits.

B. David recounts the benefits of the LORD in verses 3-5.

1. He recounts that the LORD forgives all his iniquities in the first part of verse 3, "Who forgives all your iniquities."

2. He recounts that the LORD heals all his diseases in the second part of verse 3, "Who heals all your diseases."

3. He recounts that the LORD redeems him from the pit in the first part of verse 4, "Who redeems your life from the pit."

4. He recounts that the LORD honors him with steadfast love and compassion in the second part of verse 4, "Who crowns you with steadfast love and great compassion."

5. He recounts that the LORD satisfies his desires with good in the first part of verse 5, "Who satisfies your desires with good."

6. He recounts that the result that his youth is renewed in the second part of verse 5, "So that your youth is renewed like an eagle."

C. _Illustration of Someone Forgetting the LORD and His Benefits_

D. Application--As David calls his soul not forget all the LORD's benefits he is leading us to also remember all the LORD's benefits. Therefore, we should remember all the LORD's benefits because he forgives all our sins, he heals all our diseases, he redeems us from death, he honors us with his steadfast love and great compassion, he satisfies our desires with what is good, and we are rejuvenated.

II. Christians should trust the LORD because he gives justice to the oppressed, he is compassionate, gracious, patient, and loving so he doesn't remain angry or treat them as their sins deserve.

A. David affirms his faith in the LORD's justice for the oppressed I verse 6, "The LORD works complete righteousness and total justice for all the oppressed."

B. David affirms his faith in the LORD's compassion, grace, patience, and steadfast love in verses 7-8. He affirms that the LORD revealed his ways to Moses and the people of Israel in verse 7, "He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel." He affirms that the LORD is compassionate, gracious, patient, and abounding in steadfast love in verse 8, "The LORD [is] compassionate and gracious, slow to anger; abounding in steadfast love." Indeed, this is a near quotation of Exodus 34:6.

C. David affirms his faith that the LORD will not remain angry and discipline forever in verse 9, "He will by no means always strive and he will by no means hold on forever."

D. David affirms his faith that the LORD does not treat them as their sins deserve in verse 10, "He does not do to us according to our sins and he does not repay us according to our iniquities." If they were to get what their sins and iniquities deserved God would have destroyed them by now. Instead God treats them with compassion, grace, patience, and steadfast love.

E. _Illustration of the LORD's Compassion, Grace, Patience, and Steadfast Love_

F. Application--As David affirms his faith in the LORD he is leading us to also affirm our faith. We should trust the LORD because he gives justice to all the oppressed, he is compassionate, gracious, patient, and loving so he doesn't remain angry or treat us as our sins deserve.

III. Christians should fear and obey the LORD because his steadfast love is strong on those who fear him and he removes all their sins, like a father he loves and is gracious to those who fear him, and his steadfast love and justice are everlasting on those who fear and obey him.

A. David explains that the LORD's steadfast love is strong on those who fear him and he removes all their sins in verses 11-12, "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, his steadfast love is strong over those who fear him; as distant as the east [is] from the west, he removes our transgressions from us."

B. David affirms that the LORD has the compassion of a father for those who fear him and he regards them graciously in verses 13-14, "As the compassion of a father on his children, the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he himself knows our makeup, he remembers that we are dust."

C. David affirms that the LORD's steadfast love is always on those who fear him and keep his covenant in verses 15-18.

1. He asserts that man's life is brief in verses 15-16, "As for man, his days [are] like grass, like a flower of the field he flourishes; for the wind passes over it and it is nothing and its place remembers it no more."

2. He affirms that the LORD's steadfast love is everlasting on those who fear him and keep his covenant in verses 17-18, "But the steadfast love of the LORD [is] from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him and his righteousness with the sons of sons, to those who keep his covenant and to those who remember his precepts to obey them."

D. _Illustration of Authentic Fear and Obedience_

E. Application--As David describes the positive benefits of fearing the LORD and keeping his covenant he is encouraging us to fear and obey the LORD. Therefore, we should fear and obey the LORD because his steadfast love is strong on those who fear him and he removes all their sins, like a father he loves and is gracious to those who fear him, and his steadfast love and justice are everlasting on those who fear and obey him.

IV. Christians should bless the LORD along with David, his angels and armies, and all his creation because he has established his rule and is sovereign over everything and everyone everywhere.

A. David calls his soul to bless the LORD in verses 1-2, "Bless the LORD, my soul, and [bless] his holy name, all my inner being! Bless the LORD, my soul". He concludes the psalm with an identical call, "Bless the LORD, my soul." The psalmist stresses the urgency of his soul blessing the LORD by stating the command three no four times. Indeed, he calls on his soul to bless the LORD again in the final line of the psalm, "Bless the LORD, my soul!" The soul should probably be understood here as his inner being. By commanding his soul to bless the LORD he is emphasizing the need to bless the LORD from the depths of his being. Indeed, he also commands all his inner being to bless the LORD.

B. David calls on the LORD's angels and armies to bless him in verses 20-21, "Bless the LORD, his angels, the ones mighty of strength who do his word, listening to the sound of his word! Bless the LORD, all his armies, the ones who serve him and do his will!"

C. David calls on all the LORD's creation to bless him in the first part of verse 22, "Bless the LORD, all his works in every place of his dominion!"

D. David affirms that the LORD is sovereign in verse 19, "The LORD has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules in all."

E. _Illustration of the LORD's Sovereignty_

F. Application--As David calls the LORD's angels and armies, all his creation, and his own soul to bless the LORD he is leading us to bless the LORD. Therefore, we should join David, the angels and armies of the LORD, and all of his creation in blessing the LORD because he has established his rule and is sovereign over everything and everyone everywhere.

Conclusion

We experience all manner of difficulties. However, sometimes we forget all that the LORD has done for us and try to handle things for ourselves. As a result we drift even further away from the LORD and live a worldly life without fearing the LORD or obeying him. David certainly experienced difficulties and drifted away from obedience to the LORD and sinned with Bathsheba. However, he remembered the LORD and experienced God's grace, forgiveness, and restoration. In Psalm 103 he leads us to remember the LORD, trust the LORD, fear and obey the LORD, and bless the LORD. We should remember all the LORD's benefits because he forgives us, heals us, redeems us, honors us with his steadfast love and compassion, and satisfies us with what is good so that we are rejuvenated. We should trust the LORD because he gives justice to the oppressed, he is compassionate, gracious, patient, and loving so he doesn't remain angry or treat us as our sins deserve. We should fear and obey the LORD because his steadfast love is strong on those who fear him and he removes all the sins, like a father he loves and is gracious to those who fear him, and his steadfast love and justice are everlasting on those who fear and obey him. We should bless the LORD along with David, his angels and armies, and all his creation because he has established his rule and is sovereign over everything and everyone everywhere.

### CHAPTER SEVEN

### WE HAVE SINNED

### Psalm 106

**Study of the Passage**

Text and Translation

1Praise the LORD (Hallelujah!)! Give thanks to the LORD, for [he is] good;

For his steadfast love [is] forever.

2Who can tell [about] the mighty deeds of the LORD,

Or declare all his praise?

3Blessed are those who guard justice,

Who do what is right every time!

4Remember me, LORD, with the favor of your people;

Visit me with your salvation;

5That [I] may see the good of your chosen ones,

That [I] may rejoice in the joy of your nation,

That [I] may give praise with your possession.

6We have sinned along with our fathers;

We have perverted, we have acted wickedly.

7Our fathers in Egypt did not consider your wonders;

They did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,

But rebelled by the sea, by the Red Sea.

8[Yet] he saved them for his name's sake,

So that [he] might make his power known.

9Then he rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up

And he led them into the depths like the desert.

10So he saved them from the hand of the one who hated [them]

And redeemed them from the hand of [their] enemy.

11The waters covered their adversaries;

Not one of them was left.

12Then they were built up in his words;

They sang his song of praise.

13They quickly forgot his works;

They did not wait for his counsel.

14But they craved intensely in the wilderness

And tested God in the desert;

15So he gave them their request,

But sent a wasting [disease] among them.

16Then they were jealous toward Moses in the camp,

Toward Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.

17The earth opened and swallowed Dathan

And covered over the company of Abiram.

18Fire burned in their company;

The flame burned up the wicked.

19They made a calf at Horeb

And bowed down to a cast image.

20So they exchanged their glory

For a fashioned ox that eats grass.

21They forgot God, their Savior,

Who had done great things in Egypt,

22Wonders in the land of Ham

And awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

23So he said [he] would destroy them--

If Moses, his chosen one, had not stood in the breach before him,

To turn back his wrath from destroying [them].

24Then they rejected the delightful land,

They were not built up in his word.

25So they grumbled in their tents;

They did not listen to the voice of the LORD.

26Therefore he raised his hand to them

That he would make them fall in the wilderness

27And make their seed fall among the nations

And scatter them in the lands.

28Then they joined themselves to the Baal of Peor

And ate sacrifices to the dead;

29So they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds

And a plague broke out among them.

30Then Phinehas stood up and interceded

And the plague was stopped.

31And it was reckoned to him for righteousness

To all generations forever.

32They also provoked [him] to anger at the waters of Meribah

And it was bad for Moses on their account;

33For they rebelled against his spirit

And he spoke rashly with his lips.

34They did not destroy the peoples

Which the LORD commanded them,

35But they made pledges with the nations

And learned their deeds.

36They served their idols

And they became a snare to them.

37They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons;

38They poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters,

Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan

And the land was polluted with blood.

39So they became unclean by their deeds

And prostituted themselves by their practices.

40Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against his people

And he abhorred his possession;

41So he gave them into the hand of the nations

And the ones who hated them ruled over them.

42Their enemies oppressed them

And they were humbled under their hand.

43On many occasions he delivered them,

But **they** rebelled in their counsel

And sank into their iniquity.

44Nevertheless he saw their distress

When he heard their cry.

45So he remembered his covenant for their sake

And relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

46So he gave them tender mercies before all their captors.

47Save us, LORD our God

And gather us from among the nations,

So we may give thanks to your holy name

And glory in your song of praise.

48Blessed is the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD!

Situation and Purpose

The psalm implies a situation in which the worshipers have sinned and experienced God's discipline. Their sin is most clearly reflected in verse 6, "We have sinned along with our fathers; we have perverted, we have acted wickedly." Though this verse does not contain any specifics it may be implied that their perversions and wickedness are similar to those of their fathers. These sins are illustrated in verses 7-46. They did not consider God's wonders or remember his steadfast love, but rebelled at the sea (7). They forgot his works, became impatient, craved intensely, and tested the LORD (13-14). They made a golden calf at Horeb and bowed down and worshiped it (19-20). They didn't believe his word and rejected the delightful land (24-25). They joined themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices to the dead (27). They made treaties with the peoples of the land rather than destroying them, worshiped their gods, and were corrupted by them (34-39). They stubbornly rebelled against the LORD even though he delivered them many times (43). If they are like their fathers, they did not trust God and rejected his leadership, sought to satisfy their own worldly desires, worshiped other gods, and became corrupt through their relationships with ungodly people. As a result of their sins they are now experiencing his discipline. This can be implied from the prayers for God to deliver them. Perhaps they are even living in exile. The purpose of the psalm is to lead the worshipers to confess their sin, pray for deliverance, live justly and righteously, and praise the LORD.

Literary Context and Role

The Book of Psalms has little discernible strategy. For the most part the psalms appear to be arranged in random order. Nonetheless, the Book of Psalms is divided into 5 books. This psalm concludes the fourth book (90-106). This book also contains little discernible strategy. Therefore, placing these psalms in their literary context and determining their role within that context is not very productive. VanGemeren notes that "This psalm complements Psalm 78 in its thematic approach to Israel's history by revealing Israel's unresponsiveness to all the mighty and good acts of the Lord" (VanGemeren, Kindle Locations 23955-23956). Ross regards Psalms 105 and 106 as "two sides of the reflection on the historical traditions of Israel: Psalm 105 surveys the marvelous acts of God with no emphasis on the sins of the people, but Psalm 106 continually reminds the reader of their sins in spite of God's works" (Ross, 280-281).

Form and Function

This psalm is usually classified as a lament. Indeed, the psalm does contain what might be called lament, but I prefer to classify the psalm generally as a liturgy. The psalmist is the worship leader and he seeks to lead the worshipers to an authentic encounter with God. For the most part the worshipers are intended to do what the psalmist does because of what he says. This liturgy is rather complex, combining elements of praise, commendation, prayer, and confession of sin with an historical retrospective. The psalm begins and ends with praise and calls to praise the LORD. In fact, the psalm begins and ends with the emphatic call to praise "Praise the LORD!" (Hallelujah!). Through these calls to praise the LORD the worshipers are directly commanded to praise God. The beginning and ending sections of the psalm also contain prayers for salvation. Through these prayers the worshipers are led to pray for salvation along with the psalmist. The first section of the psalm also contains a commendation of justice and righteousness. The psalmist encourages the worshipers to live justly and righteously by blessing those who do so. The first section of the psalm also contains a confession of sin. As the psalmist confesses their sin the worshipers are led to join him. The historical retrospective in the middle of the psalm illustrates the sin of their fathers and the judgment and grace of God. Through the psalmist's recollection of the persistent rebellion of their fathers and God persistent grace, the worshipers are encouraged pray to God for salvation and praise God for his steadfast love. Through the psalmist's recollection of the rebellion of their fathers and God's judgment the worshipers are encouraged to repent of their rebellion and live justly and righteously.

Strategy and Structure

The psalmist begins by calling the worshipers to praise the LORD, commending justice and righteousness, praying for salvation, and confessing sin (1-6). In this section the psalmist seeks to lead and encourage the worshipers to praise the LORD, live justly and righteously, pray for salvation, and confess their sin. The psalmist then does a retrospect of Israel's history from the deliverance from Egypt to sometime after they had been in the land for a considerable period. This section of the psalm provides historical examples of Israel's rebellion and God's judgment and grace. He begins and ends this section with recollections of their fathers' rebellion and God's grace. These recollections serve to lead the worshipers to trust God and cry out to him for his gracious deliverance and praise him for his steadfast love. The recollections in between these recollections of their fathers' rebellion and God's grace focus on their fathers' rebellion and God's judgment. These recollections serve to lead the worshipers to repent of their sins and live justly and righteously. The psalmist concludes by leading the worshipers to pray for salvation and praise the LORD. I have included two outlines below. The first outline sets the psalm out in a simple chiastic structure that helps to show the interrelationships of the major points. The second outline is a more detailed outline in a more conventional format.

A. Praise, Commendation, Prayer, and Confession (1-6)

B. Their Fathers' Rebellion and God's Gracious Deliverance (7-12)

C. Their Fathers' Rebellion and God's Judgment (13-42)

B. Their Fathers' Persistent Rebellion and God's Persistent Grace (43-46)

A. Prayer and Praise (47-48)

I. The Psalmist Calls to Praise, Commends Righteousness, Prays for Salvation, and Confesses Sin (1-6)

A. The Psalmist Calls the Worshipers to Praise the LORD (1-2)

B. The Psalmist Commends Justice and Righteousness (3)

C. The Psalmist Prays for the LORD to Remember and Save Him (4-5)

D. The Psalmist Leads the Worshipers to Confess Their Sins (6)

II. The Psalmist Recollects Their Fathers' Rebellion at the Red Sea and God's Grace (7-12)

A. Their Fathers' Disregard of God's Wonders and Rebellion at the Red Sea (7)

B. God's Gracious Deliverance of Their Fathers at the Red Sea (8-11)

1. He saved them for the sake of his reputation (8)

2. He dried up the Red Sea and led them through on dry ground (9)

3. He saved them from the power of Pharaoh and his army (10-11)

C. Their Fathers' Belief and Song of Praise (12)

III. The Psalmist Recollects Their Fathers' Rebellion and God's Judgment (13-41)

A. Their Fathers' Testing of God in the Desert and God's Judgment (13-15)

1. Their fathers' forgetfulness and impatience (13)

2. Their fathers' intense craving and testing of God (14)

3. God gave them their request and judged them for their sin (15)

B. Their Fathers' Jealousy of Moses and Aaron and God's Judgment (16-18)

1. Their fathers were jealous of Moses and Aaron (16)

2. God's judgment of Dathan and Abiram and their company (17-18)

C. Their Fathers' Worship of the Calf at Horeb and Moses' Intercession (19-23)

1. They made a calf and bowed down to it (19)

2. They exchanged their glory for a fashioned image (20)

3. They forgot God and the great things he had done (21-22)

4. God would have destroyed them apart from Moses' intercession (23)

D. Their Fathers' Rejection of the Delightful Land and God's Judgment (24-27)

1. They did not believe God's word and rejected the beautiful land (24)

2. They grumbled and did not listen to the voice of the LORD (25)

3. God swore to them that they would fall in the wilderness (26-27)

E. Their Fathers' Corruption by the Baal of Peor and Phinehas' Intercession (28-31)

1. They joined themselves to the Baal of Peor (28)

2. They provoked the LORD's anger and a plague broke out (29)

3. Phineas interceded and the plague was stopped (30-31)

F. Their Fathers Provoked Moses at Meribah and It Was Bad for Him (32-33)

G. Their Fathers' Failure to Destroy the Peoples and God's Judgment (34-42)

1. Their fathers' failure to destroy the peoples of the land and its results (34-39)

a. They did not destroy the people as the LORD commanded (34)

b. They made treaties with the nations (35)

c. They worshiped their idols (36)

d. They sacrificed their sons and daughters (37-38)

e. They became unclean and impure (39)

2. The LORD's anger and judgment of his people (40-42)

a. He was angry and repulsed by them (40)

b. He gave them into the power of foreign nations (41)

c. Their enemies oppressed and humiliated them (42)

IV. The Psalmist Recollects Their Fathers' Persistent Rebellion and God's Persistent Grace (43-46)

A. Their fathers' persistent rebellion even though God delivered them many times (43)

B. God was attentive to them, remembered his covenant, and relented of his judgment because of his steadfast love (44-46)

1. He saw their distress and heard their cry (44)

2. He remembered his covenant and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love (45)

3. He gave them tender mercies before all their captors (46)

V. The Psalmist Prays for Salvation and Calls the People to Praise the LORD (47-48)

A. The Psalmist Prays for the LORD to Save and Gather Them (47)

B. The Psalmist Blesses the LORD and Calls All the People to Praise the LORD (48)

Message or Messages

The worshipers should praise and give thanks to the LORD because he is good, his steadfast love is everlasting, and no one can recount his mighty deeds or declare all his praise. The worshipers should guard justice and consistently do what is right because those who do so are blessed. The worshipers should pray for the LORD to visit them with his salvation so that they can see the good he is doing for his chosen ones, rejoice in the joy of his nation, and join in the praise of his possession. The worshipers should confess their sins because they have made mistakes, committed iniquity, and become wicked. The worshipers should trust and obey the LORD rather than foolishly disregard his wonders and steadfast love like their fathers because he was faithful to deliver their fathers at the Red Sea even though they rebelled against him. The worshipers should trust and obey God rather than be corrupted by other people and their gods because God severely judges sin. The worshipers should confess their sin and cry out to the LORD for salvation because the LORD heard the cries of their fathers even though they persistently rebelled against him and remembered his covenant according to the abundance of his steadfast love. The worshipers should pray for the LORD to save and gather them so that they can give joyful thanks to him and glory in singing his praises. The worshipers should praise the LORD because he is blessed from everlasting to everlasting.

Analysis of the Details

The Psalmist Calls to Praise, Commends Righteousness,

Prays for Salvation, and Confesses Sin

The psalmist calls to praise, commends righteousness, prays for salvation, and confesses sin in verses 1-6. He calls the worshipers to praise the LORD, commends guarding justice and doing what is right, prays for the LORD's favor, salvation, and blessing, and leads the worshipers to confess their sins.

**The psalmist calls the worshipers to praise the LORD**. The psalmist calls the worshipers to praise the LORD in verses 1-2, "Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for [he is] good; for his steadfast love [is] forever. Who can tell [about] the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise?" The call to praise the LORD is short and in the imperative mood, making it emphatic (Indicated in translation by making it an exclamation). Transliterated it is the declaration "Hallelujah!" The call to give thanks is also in the imperative mood. The psalmist explains that the LORD is worthy of praise because he is good and his steadfast love is forever. He is good probably in the sense that doing good is an essential part of his character. The word translated "steadfast love" is _hesed_ , an important Old Testament word that emphasizes God's care for and commitment to his covenant people and promises. Verse 2 contains a double rhetorical question which implies the answer "No one!" It is equivalent to the exclamation "No one can tell about the mighty deeds of the LORD or declare all his praise!" His mighty deeds are too numerous for anyone to enumerate and his praise is beyond declaring. As Ross says, "the praiseworthiness of the LORD is too great for mere mortals to understand let alone adequately express" (Ross, 284). Therefore, the worshipers should praise and give thanks to the LORD because he is good, his steadfast love is everlasting, and no one can recount his mighty deeds or declare all his praise.

**The psalmist commends guarding justice and doing what is right**. The psalmist commends guarding justice and doing what is right in verse 3, "Blessed are those who guard justice, who do what is right every time." The phrase that I have translated "those who guard justice" is translated in various ways (CSB "those who uphold justice," ESV and NRS "those who observe justice," NAS and NKJ "those who keep justice," and NIV "those who maintain justice"). These are all good translations. I have translated "those who guard justice" to maintain the picture inherent in the verb of vigilantly watching to make sure that justice is maintained. The psalmist stresses the consistency of those who do what is right. Most English versions translate this emphasis "at all times" (CSB, ESV, NAS, NKJ, and NRS). I have translated it "every time" because the nouns are both singular, but I am not sure it affects the meaning. Though not a literal translation, the NIV gets the idea across with "who constantly do what is right." The psalmist states that those who guard justice and consistently do what is right are blessed. As Spurgeon puts it, "Holiness is happiness. The way of right is the way of peace" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 76668-76669). Since those who guard justice and do what is right are blessed, the worshipers are encouraged to embrace a lifestyle characterized by justice and righteousness. Therefore, the worshipers should guard justice and consistently do what is right because those who do so are blessed.

**The psalmist prays for the LORD to remember and save him**. The psalmist prays for the LORD to remember and save him in verses 4-5. He prays for the LORD to remember him with favor and save him in verse 4, "Remember me, LORD, with the favor of your people; visit me with your salvation." Though it appears at first that he is just praying for himself, he is actually praying for the LORD to save him along with the rest of his people. He states these petitions strongly using the imperative mood to stress his urgency. The LORD has not really forgotten him, but the psalmist prays from his perspective. From his perspective it seems like God has forgotten him and needs to remember. My translation "with the favor of your people" is very literal and not very clear. Though not literal, the English versions are much clearer "when you show salvation to your people"(CSB, ESV, NIV, and NRS). The way that he states his next petition is intriguing, "visit me with your salvation." Instead of simply asking God to save him, he asks God to visit him with his salvation. Perhaps he is expressing his desire that the LORD himself directly intercede and save him. He expresses his desire for what will accompany the LORD's favor and deliverance in verse 5, "That [I] may see the good of your chosen ones, that [I] may rejoice in the joy of your nation, that [I] may give praise with your possession." Through the expression of the desires, he provides more motivation for the worshipers to pray for God to visit them with his salvation. They can see the good he is doing, rejoice, and join in praise. The psalmist uses three terms to refer to God's people and their unique relationship with him: they are the people he has chosen by his grace, the nation he has singled out from all the nations of the earth, and his special possession. As the psalmist prays for the LORD to remember and save him along with the rest of God's people he is leading the worshipers to do the same. Therefore, the worshipers should pray for the LORD to visit them with his salvation so that they can see the good he is doing for his chosen ones, rejoice in the joy of his nation, and join in the praise of his possession.

**The psalmist leads the worshipers to confess their sins**. The psalmist leads the worshipers to confess their sins in verse 6, "We have sinned along with our fathers; we have committed iniquity, we have been wicked." He states their confession of sin three times using three different verbs. He is probably emphasizing that they have sinned through repetition. Nonetheless, each of these verbs has a distinct nuance that may further emphasize the extent of their sin. To sin is to miss the mark. To commit iniquity is to do something wrong. To be wicked is to have an evil character. Therefore, it may be possible to see a progression in these confessions from simply missing the mark, to doing wrong things, to having a wicked character. He states their confession in the perfect state, perhaps to indicate that they have sinned and remain in that sinful condition. As Estes explains, "The psalmist acknowledges that his generation has followed a well-worn path of disobedience and sin, failing spiritually just as their ancestors had" (Estes, 311). Therefore, the worshipers should confess their sins because they have made mistakes, committed iniquity, and become wicked.

The Psalmist Recollects Their Fathers'

Rebellion and God's Grace

The psalmist recollects their fathers' rebellion and God's grace in verses 7-12. This episode in Israel's history is recorded in Exodus 14. He recollects their fathers' disregard of God's wonders and rebellion at the Red Sea in verse 7, "Our fathers in Egypt did not consider your wonders; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, by the Red Sea." How could their fathers experience the wonders that the LORD had just performed in delivering them from Egypt and realize that he could be trusted to deliver them at the Red Sea? How could their fathers experience the steadfast love of the LORD demonstrated in his deliverance of them from slavery in Egypt and not realize that his steadfast love could be counted on at the Red Sea? The psalmist is probably using irony to stress that their inability to trust God and this point is inconceivable and foolish. As a result they complained to Moses and rebelled against God. The psalmist recollects that God graciously delivered their fathers at the Red Sea in verses 8-11. He recalls that God saved them for the sake of his reputation in verse 8, "[Yet] he saved them for his name's sake, so that [he] might make his power known." He recalls that God dried up the Red Sea and led them through in verse 9, "Then he rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up and he led them into the depths like the desert." The psalmist emphasizes this great miracle by stressing that God led them into the depths of the sea, but it was as if they were crossing the sand of the desert. He recollects that God saved them from the power of Pharaoh and his army, "So he saved them from the hand of the one who hated [them] and redeemed them from the hand of [their] enemy. The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left." The psalmist emphasizes God's total victory, "Not one of them was left." The psalmist recollects that only then did their fathers believed God's word in verse 12, "Then they were built up in his words; they sang his song of praise." I have translated the first line of this verse literally to bring out the idea behind the verb ("Then they were built up in God's word"). As a result they sang his song of praise (12). This song of praise is recorded in Exodus 15. As the psalmist recollects their fathers' rebellion at the Red Sea and God's gracious deliverance he is encouraging the worshipers to not be like their fathers. Therefore, the worshipers should trust and obey the LORD rather than foolishly disregard his wonders and steadfast love like their fathers because he was faithful to deliver their fathers at the Red Sea even though they rebelled against him.

The Psalmist Recollects Their Fathers'

Rebellion and God's Judgment

The psalmist recollects their fathers' rebellion and God's judgment in verses 13-39. He recollects their fathers' testing of God in the desert and God's judgment, their fathers' jealousy of Moses and Aaron and God's judgment, their fathers' worship of the calf at Horeb and Moses' intercession, their fathers' rejection of the delightful land and God's judgment, their fathers' corruption by the Baal of Peor and Phineas' intercession, their fathers' provocation of Moses and God's judgment, and their fathers' failure to destroy the peoples and God's judgment.

**Their fathers' testing of God in the desert and God's judgment**. The psalmist recalls their fathers' testing of God in the desert and God's judgment in verses 13-15. This recollection begins a series of recollections that focus on Israel's sin and God's judgment. This seems to be a recollection of the story recorded in Numbers 11. Even though they once again witnessed a wonder of God at the Red Sea, they quickly forgot and became impatient with God's leadership (13). The psalmist stresses how quickly they forgot by using a verb that means "they hastened" in conjunction with a verb meaning "they forgot" (Translated "They quickly forgot"). As Estes says, "After their experience of deliverance by the Lord at the Red Sea, the Israelites quickly turned from faith to fear, from trust to unbelief" (Estes, 313). Their impatience is seen in their inability to wait for his counsel. They craved for meat in the wilderness and tested the LORD (14). The psalmist emphasizes the power of their craving by using a verb and object from the same root (Literally "they craved a craving" and translated "they intensely craved"). They tested the LORD in the sense that they tried his patience with their lack of faith. Ironically God gave them their request and judged them for their sin by sending a wasting disease among them (15).

**Their fathers' jealousy of Moses and Aaron and God's Judgment**. The psalmist recalls their fathers' jealousy of Moses and Aaron and God's judgment in verses 16-18. This recollection is based on the story recorded in Numbers 16. Their fathers were jealous of Moses and Aaron (16). They were led by Dathan and Abiram and represented by 250 of their company. The earth swallowed Dathan and Abiram and fire broke out in their company (17-18). Though the psalmist does not relate it, the LORD was ready to destroy them all and sent a plague among the people, but Aaron interceded and made atonement for the people and the plague was halted.

**Their fathers' worship of the calf at Horeb and Moses' intercession**. The psalmist recalls that their fathers' worship of the calf at Horeb and Moses' intercession in verses 19-23. This recollection is based on the story recorded in Exodus 32. They made a calf and bowed down to it (19). The psalmist indicates the inappropriateness of bowing down to this calf by referring to it as a cast image. It made no sense for them to bow down to something that they have made. They exchanged their glory for a fashioned image (20). This is certainly a bad bargain. God was their glory, but they traded their glorious God for something that they fashioned with their own hands. The psalmist stresses even more the bad exchange by reminding them that the image was an ox that eats grass. They forgot God and the great things he had done (21-22). They could not have literally forgotten all the great and wonderful and awesome things that God did to save them, but they acted like they had forgotten them by worshiping this image. In response God would have destroyed them apart from Moses' intercession (23). VanGemeren explains, "The metaphor 'stood in the breach' derives from military language and signifies the bravery of a soldier who, standing in the breach of the wall, is willing to give his life to ward off the enemy (cf. Eze 22: 30)" (VanGemeren, Kindle Locations 24118-24119). Moses stood in the gap between God and his people until God turned back from his burning wrath.

**Their fathers' rejection of the delightful land and God's judgment**. The psalmist recall their fathers' rejection of the delightful land and God's judgment in verses 24-27. This recollection is based on the events recorded in Numbers 14 after the spies came back and reported that the land was flowing with milk and honey, but that the inhabitants were strong. They did not believe God's word (Literally "They were not built up in his word") and rejected the beautiful land (24). They grumbled at God and did not listen to his voice (25). As a result God swore to them that they would fall in the wilderness (26). As Estes says, "Israel lived to regret its resistance to the Lord. Instead of lifting up his hand to bless them (cf. Ps 134:2), the Lord lifted up his hand in an oath of judgment against them (cf. Num 14:28–35; Ps 95:11; Ezek 20:23)" (Estes, 315). In fact, the psalmist even blames their fathers for their descendants falling and being scattered among the nations (27).

**Their fathers' corruption by the Baal of Peor and Phineas' intercession**. The psalmist recalls their fathers' corruption by the Baal of Peor and Phinehas' intercession in verses 28-30. This recollection is based on the events recorded in Numbers 25. They joined themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices to the dead (28). This provoked the LORD's anger and a plague broke out among them (29). However, Phinehas interceded and the plague was stopped (30). Though the psalmist does not mention it, Phinehas interceded by driving a spear through an Israelite man and Midianite woman. Phinehas zeal was the reason the LORD stopped the plague. However, 24,000 still died because of the plague. The point seems to be that if it wasn't for the intercession of Phinehas many more would have died.

**Their fathers' provocation of Moses and God's judgment because of them**. The psalmist recalls their fathers' provocation of Moses and God's Judgment because of them in verses 32-33. This recollection is based on the events recorded in Numbers 20. They provoked Moses to anger because they had no water and complained about his leadership. In his anger he struck the rock twice and water came gushing out. But as the psalmist says, "And it was bad for Moses on their account." As a result God did not allow him to lead the people into the land of promise. Even Moses was not spared God's judgment.

**Their fathers' failure to destroy the peoples and God's judgment**. The psalmist recalls their fathers' failure to destroy the peoples and God's judgment in verses 34-42. Their fathers failed to destroy the peoples as the LORD commanded (34). Instead, they made treaties with the nations and learned their ways (35). I have translated "they made pledges with the nations" though most translations read "they mingled with the nations" based on the underlying meaning of the verb. As a result they did mingle with them and learn to do the things they did. They worshiped their idols and these became a snare to them (36). They even sacrificed their innocent sons and daughters to these idols (37-38). The psalmist also refers to these idols as demons. As Longman says, "This translation makes it clear that the idols were more than blocks of wood covered in gold; they represented evil spiritual powers" (Longman III, 373). They became polluted and impure because of these practices (39). The psalmist even says that they prostituted themselves by these practices. This is probably a depiction of their shameful unfaithfulness to God, but it could have literally involved sexual immorality. As a result the LORD was angry with his people and he abhorred them (40). The verb I have translated "he abhorred" indicates that he was repulsed by their shameful behavior. As a result he gave them into the power of foreign nations and these hated foreigners ruled over them, oppressed them, and humbled them (41-42). As the psalmist recollects their fathers' rebellion against the LORD and corruption by other people and their gods he is warning the worshipers not to be like their fathers. Therefore, the worshipers should trust and obey God rather than be corrupted by other people and their gods because God severely judges sin.

The Psalmist Recollects Their Fathers' Persistent

Rebellion and God's Persistent Grace

The psalmist recalls their fathers' persistent rebellion and God's persistent grace in verses 43-46. He recalls that their fathers persistently rebelled even though God delivered them many times and they sank further and further into their iniquity in verse 43, "On many occasions he delivered them, but **they** rebelled in their counsel and sank into their iniquity." The psalmist stresses their rebellion in contrast to God's deliverance of them by doubling the subject pronoun (Literally "But they, they rebelled" and indicated in translation with bold print). The psalmist recalls that God saw their distress and heard their cries in verse 44, "Nevertheless he saw their distress when he heard their cry." Even though they persisted in rebelling against him even when he delivered them many times God continued to hear their cries and persisted in his concern for them. The psalmist recalls that God remembered his covenant and relented of his judgment against them in verse 45, "So he remembered his covenant for their sake and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love." It is not so much that God remembered, but that he didn't forget. The word translated "steadfast love" is _hesed_ , a word that stresses his care for his covenant people and commitment to his covenant problems. His grace is especially evident in the phrase "for their sakes." The verb translated "relented" means that he changed his mind or repented. It is a word that feels very uncomfortable when used to describe God and thereby underscores God's grace. The psalmist recalls that God gave them tender mercies before all the captors in verse 46. He judged them and subjected them into captivity, but even then he treating them with grace. As Spurgeon says, "His fiercest wrath towards his own people is only a temporary flame, but his love burns on forever like the light of his own immortality" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 77868-77869). He continued to care for his covenant people and remained committed to his covenant promises. As Estes says, "His faithfulness was greater than their unfaithfulness, and his grace was greater than their sin" (Estes, 319). As the psalmist recalls their fathers' persistent rebellion and God's persistent grace he encourages the worshipers to confess their sin and cry out to the LORD for salvation. Therefore, the worshipers should confess their sin and cry out to the LORD for salvation because the LORD heard the cries of their fathers even though they persistently rebelled against him and he remembered his covenant according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

The Psalmist Prays for Salvation and Calls the

Worshipers to Praise the LORD

The Psalmist prays for salvation and leads the worshipers to praise the LORD in verses 47-48. He prays for the LORD to save and gather them from among the nations in verse 47, "Save us, LORD our God and gather us from among the nations, so we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your song of praise." These petitions are in the imperative mood, stressing their urgency. His prayer is for God to deliver them from their current circumstances and gather them together as a people, presumably in Palestine. However, they are also petitions for God to restore them as his covenant people. He prays this urgently so that they can once again joyously give thanks to God and get caught up in the glory and singing God's praises. As the psalmist prays for salvation he is leading the worshipers to also pray for salvation. As Allen says, "The community waits upon Yahweh, all too aware of their own sinfulness and its wages, but pleading for a renewal and fulfillment of God's saving work on their behalf" (Allen, 74). Therefore the worshipers should pray for the LORD to save and gather them so that they can give joyful thanks to him and glory in singing his praises.

The psalmist blesses the LORD and calls all the people to praise the LORD in verse 48, "Blessed is the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, 'Amen!' Praise the LORD!" I have understood the first line of this concluding verse to be a declaration of praise, "Blessed is the LORD" rather than what sounds to me like a call to praise "Blessed be the LORD" (ESV, NAS, NKJ, and NRS). The psalmist stresses that the LORD is blessed for eternity through the repetition of a word that would be sufficient on its own to get the idea across ("from everlasting to everlasting"). Perhaps he is looking from his point of time at the past and saying that God has always been from everlasting and then looking from his point of time at the future and saying that God will always be for everlasting. The psalmist then calls the worshipers to affirm his declaration of prayer with the exclamation "Amen!" or "Truly!" He concludes the psalm the way he began it by calling the worshipers "Praise the LORD!" or "Hallelujah!" As the psalmist prays for salvation and calls the worshipers to praise the LORD he is leading the worshipers to pray and praise. Therefore, the worshipers should praise the LORD because he is blessed from everlasting to everlasting.

Application of the Message

Christians sometimes do not consider all that God has done for them and do not trust him when they encounter difficulties and challenges. Instead of relying on God they rely on themselves. Christians are sometimes corrupted by worldly people and embrace a worldly lifestyle. These similarities in the situation provide a strong basis for applying the message of this psalm to the modern situation. Though the people of Israel are not actually their fathers, Christians can still identify with them and they still can serve as warning examples for Christians today. As a result, the statements of the applied message below only vary slightly from the statements of the message in the original situation. Christians should praise and give thanks to the LORD because he is good, his steadfast love is everlasting, and no one can recount his mighty deeds or declare all his praise. Christians should guard justice and consistently do what is right because those who do so are blessed. Christians should pray for the LORD to visit them with his salvation so that they can see the good he is doing, rejoice along with, and join in the praise of his people. Christians should confess their sins because they have made mistakes, committed iniquity, and become wicked. Christians should trust and obey the LORD rather than foolishly disregard his wonders and steadfast love like the people of Israel because he was faithful to deliver them at the Red Sea even though they rebelled against him. Christians should trust and obey God rather than be corrupted by worldly people and adopt a worldly lifestyle because God severely judges sin. Christians should confess their sin and cry out to the LORD for salvation because the LORD heard the cries of the people of Israel even though they persistently rebelled against him and remembered his covenant according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Christians should pray for the LORD to save and so that they can give joyful thanks to him and glory in singing his praises. Christians should praise the LORD because he is blessed from everlasting to everlasting.

Communication of the Message

**Title** : WE HAVE SINNED

**Objective** : The objective of this message is to exhort Christians to commit themselves to a godly life and confess their sins, pray for the LORD to favor and save them, and praise and thank the LORD.

**Proposition** : Christians should commit themselves to godly living and confess their sins to the LORD, pray for the LORD to favor and visit them with his salvation, and praise and thank the LORD for his steadfast love.
Introduction

Christians are sometimes corrupted by worldly people and embrace a worldly lifestyle. This is nothing new. The people of Israel in the time of the psalmist who wrote Psalm 106 had also been corrupted by ungodly people and lived much like them. In fact the psalmist recalls that this had been a persistent problem with the people of Israel throughout their history. As the psalmist addresses this issue he leads the worshipers to commit themselves to godly living and confess their sins to the LORD, pray to the LORD to favor them and visit them with his salvation, and praise and thank the LORD for his steadfast love. We need to allow him to lead us to deal with worldliness. _Read Psalm 106:1-6, 47-48_.

I. Christians should commit themselves to godly living and confess their sins to the LORD because he blesses those who guard justice and consistently do what is right, but he severely judges those who sin.

A. The psalmist commends guarding justice and doing what is right in verse 3, "Blessed are those who guard justice, who do what is right every time." The psalmist stresses the consistency of those who do what is right. Though not a literal translation, the NIV gets the idea across with "who constantly do what is right." The psalmist states that those who guard justice and consistently do what is right are blessed. As Spurgeon puts it, "Holiness is happiness. The way of right is the way of peace" (Spurgeon, Kindle Locations 76668-76669). Since those who guard justice and do what is right are blessed, we are encouraged to embrace a godly lifestyle characterized by justice and righteousness.

B. The psalmist leads the worshipers to confess their sins in verse 6, "We have sinned along with our fathers; we have committed iniquity, we have been wicked." He states their confession of sin three times using three different verbs. He is probably emphasizing that they have sinned through repetition. Nonetheless, each of these verbs has a distinct nuance that may further emphasize the extent of their sin. To sin is to miss the mark. To commit iniquity is to do something wrong. To be wicked is to have an evil character. Thus these verbs illustrate how we are progressively drawn into sin until it subverts our character.

C. The psalmist illustrates the severe judgment of the LORD on sin in verses 13-39. The LORD severely judged the people of Israel when they craved meat in the wilderness, were jealous of Moses and Aaron, worshiped the calf at Horeb, rejected the delightful land, were corrupted by Baal of Peor, and failed to destroy the peoples of the land. Indeed, his judgment would have been much more severe without the intervention of Moses when they worshiped the calf at Horeb and Phineas when they were corrupted by the Baal of Peor.

D. Application--As the psalmist commends godly living and leads the worshipers to confess their sins he is leading us to commit ourselves to godly living and confess our sins. We should commit ourselves to godly living and confess our sins to the LORD because he blesses those who guard justice and consistently do what is right, but he severely judges those who sin.

II. Christians should pray to the LORD to favor and visit them with his salvation so that they can rejoice in what he is doing, give thanks to him, and glory in songs of praise.

A. The psalmist prays for the LORD to remember and save him in verses 4-5.

1. He prays for the LORD to remember him with favor and save him in verse 4, "Remember me, LORD, with the favor of your people; visit me with your salvation."

2. He expresses his desire for what will accompany the LORD's favor and deliverance in verse 5, "That [I] may see the good of your chosen ones, that [I] may rejoice in the joy of your nation, that [I] may give praise with your possession."

B. The psalmist prays for the LORD to save and gather them from among the nations in verse 47, "Save us, LORD our God and gather us from among the nations, so we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your song of praise."

C. _Illustration of the Salvation of the LORD_

D. Application--As the psalmist prays for God to remember and save him he is leading us to do the same. We should pray to the LORD to favor and visit us with his salvation so that we can rejoice in what he is doing, give thanks to him, and glory in songs of praise.

III. Christians should praise and give thanks to the LORD because he is good, his steadfast love is everlasting, and they can never praise him enough.

A. The psalmist calls the worshipers to praise the LORD in verses 1-2, "Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for [he is] good; for his steadfast love [is] forever. Who can tell [about] the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise?" The psalmist explains that the LORD is worthy of praise because he is good and his steadfast love is forever. He is good probably in the sense that doing good is an essential part of his character. The word translated "steadfast love" is _hesed_ , an important Old Testament word that emphasizes God's care for and commitment to his covenant people and promises. Verse 2 contains a double rhetorical question, which implies the answer "No one!" It is equivalent to the exclamation "No one can tell about the mighty deeds of the LORD or declare all his praise!" His mighty deeds are too numerous for anyone to enumerate and his praise is beyond declaring. We can never praise him enough!

B. The psalmist illustrates the goodness and steadfast love of the LORD in verses 7-46. The people of Israel rebelled against the LORD at the Red Sea, craved meat in the wilderness, were jealous of Moses and Aaron, worshiped the calf at Horeb, rejected the delightful land, were corrupted by Baal of Peor, provoked Moses at Meribah, and failed to destroy the peoples of the land. "Nevertheless he saw their distress when he heard their cry. So he remembered his covenant for their sake and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love" (44-45).

C. The psalmist blesses the LORD and calls all the people to praise the LORD in verse 48, "Blessed is the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, 'Amen!' Praise the LORD!"

D. Application--As the psalmist calls all the people to praise the LORD he is also calling on us. We have all experienced God's goodness and steadfast love. We should praise and give thanks to the LORD because he is good, his steadfast love is everlasting, and we can never praise him enough.

Conclusion

We are sometimes corrupted by worldly people and embrace a worldly lifestyle. This is nothing new. The people of Israel in the time of the psalmist who wrote Psalm 106 had also been corrupted by ungodly people and lived much like them. In fact the psalmist recalls that this had been a persistent problem with the people of Israel throughout their history. We need to allow the psalmist to lead us to deal with worldliness. We should commit ourselves to godly living and confess our sins to the LORD because he blesses those who guard justice and consistently do what is right, but he severely judges those who sin. We should pray to the LORD to favor and visit us with his salvation so that we can rejoice in what he is doing, give thanks to him, and glory in songs of praise. We should praise and give thanks to the LORD because he is good, his steadfast love is everlasting, and we can never praise him enough.

### SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allen, Leslie C.. Psalms 101-150, _Word Biblical Commentary_ , Vol. 21. Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.

Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Dahood, Mitchell. Psalms. _Anchor Bible Commentary_ , 16. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966.

Durham, John I. Psalms. _Broadman Bible Commentary_ , 4. Nashville, TN: Broadman, 1971.

Estes, Daniel J. Psalms 73-150. _The New American Commentary,_ Vol. 13. B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Harrison, R. K. Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1969.

Longman III, Tremper. Psalms. _Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries_. InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

Oesterley, W. O. E. The Psalms, Vol. II. London, England: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1939.

Ross, Allen P. A Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 3. _Kregel Exegetical Library_. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2016.

Spurgeon, C.H.. The Treasury of David: The Complete Seven Volumes. E4 Group. Kindle Edition.

Tate, Marvin E. . Psalms 51-100. _Word Biblical Commentary_ , Vol. 20. Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.

VanGemeren, Willem A. Psalms. _The Expositor's Bible Commentary_. Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.

Weiser, Artur. The Psalms, 5th ed. _The Old Testament Library_. London, England: SCM, 1959.

### ABOUT THE AUTHOR

William H. (Bill) Lawson is a proud graduate of California Baptist University (BA), Gateway Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv), and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (PhD). He taught briefly at SBTS and then served with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and taught the Bible in Baptist seminaries throughout Asia for over 30 years. He has written other books including Ears to Hear: A Guide for the Interpretation of the Bible, The Lion Roars: A Guide for the Interpretation of the Book of Amos, and Obedient unto Death: A Guide for the Interpretation of Paul's Epistle to the Philippians. Download all of his books for FREE at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/drwhlawson. He is now retired and living at _The End of the Lane_ where he is writing books and painting/drawing pictures.

