Plymothian

In Psalm 38 the psalmist is complaining of having to endure sickness that results from his own choices.  He knows that he has sinned and that the result of the sin is pain and suffering.  However, where do you run?  The only place of relief is God.  We have to go to God even when our offence is against him. 

Psalm 38

 A psalm of David. A petition.

 ¹ LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
   or discipline me in your wrath.
² Your arrows have pierced me,
   and your hand has come down on me.
³ Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
   there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
⁴ My guilt has overwhelmed me
   like a burden too heavy to bear.

 ⁵ My wounds fester and are loathsome
   because of my sinful folly.
⁶ I am bowed down and brought very low;
   all day long I go about mourning.
⁷ My back is filled with searing pain;
   there is no health in my body.
⁸ I am feeble and utterly crushed;
   I groan in anguish of heart.

 ⁹ All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
   my sighing is not hidden from you.
¹⁰ My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
   even the light has gone from my eyes.
¹¹ My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
   my neighbors stay far away.
¹² Those who want to kill me set their traps,
   those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
   all day long they scheme and lie.

 ¹³ I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
   like the mute, who cannot speak;
¹⁴ I have become like one who does not hear,
   whose mouth can offer no reply.
¹⁵ LORD, I wait for you;
   you will answer, Lord my God.
¹⁶ For I said, “Do not let them gloat
   or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”

 ¹⁷ For I am about to fall,
   and my pain is ever with me.
¹⁸ I confess my iniquity;
   I am troubled by my sin.
¹⁹ Many have become my enemies without cause^[b];
   those who hate me without reason are numerous.
²⁰ Those who repay my good with evil
   lodge accusations against me,
   though I seek only to do what is good.

 ²¹ LORD, do not forsake me;
   do not be far from me, my God.
²² Come quickly to help me,
   my Lord and my Savior.

Questions

1. Which verses show that the psalmist is physically ill?
2. How can we see that the illness is caused by sin?
3. Why do you think the psalmist comes to God for relief from the affects of sin?
4. What do you think the relationship is between sin and sickness?
5. How can you encourage yourself to go to God even when they have sinned against him?

People who read, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4) often focus on getting what they desire.  If a person has read the psalm they will see that for emphasis the Israelites are told to trust, delight, and commit. In each case the object of this is the LORD.  The emphasis then, is first on godly commitment.  If a person has focused their life on the pursuit of God, God will give them what they desire.  Those who love God will get God.  They will receive an open door into God’s ways.

People I have met who are disappointed did not first learn to love God.  They misread the verse to imply that they would get a healthy marriage, easy pregnancy, wealth, or possessions.  If we commit to God we will get the one to whom we are committed.  Do you delight in God?  If so, you will get the desire of your heart.

Psalm 37

¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil
   or be envious of those who do wrong;
² for like the grass they will soon wither,
   like green plants they will soon die away.

 ³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
   dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the LORD,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
   trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
   your vindication like the noonday sun.

 ⁷ Be still before the LORD
   and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
   when they carry out their wicked schemes.

 ⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
   do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For those who are evil will be destroyed,
   but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

 ¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
   though you look for them, they will not be found.
¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land
   and enjoy peace and prosperity.

 ¹² The wicked plot against the righteous
   and gnash their teeth at them;
¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
   for he knows their day is coming.

 ¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword
   and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
   to slay those whose ways are upright.
¹⁵ But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
   and their bows will be broken.

 ¹⁶ Better the little that the righteous have
   than the wealth of many wicked;
¹⁷ for the power of the wicked will be broken,
   but the LORD upholds the righteous.

 ¹⁸ The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,
   and their inheritance will endure forever.
¹⁹ In times of disaster they will not wither;
   in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

 ²⁰ But the wicked will perish:
   Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
   they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

 ²¹ The wicked borrow and do not repay,
   but the righteous give generously;
²² those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
   but those he curses will be destroyed.

 ²³ The LORD makes firm the steps
   of the one who delights in him;
²⁴ though he may stumble, he will not fall,
   for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

 ²⁵ I was young and now I am old,
   yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
   or their children begging bread.
²⁶ They are always generous and lend freely;
   their children will be a blessing.^[b]

 ²⁷ Turn from evil and do good;
   then you will dwell in the land forever.
²⁸ For the LORD loves the just
   and will not forsake his faithful ones.

   Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed^[c];
   the offspring of the wicked will perish.
²⁹ The righteous will inherit the land
   and dwell in it forever.

 ³⁰ The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
   and their tongues speak what is just.
³¹ The law of their God is in their hearts;
   their feet do not slip.

 ³² The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
   intent on putting them to death;
³³ but the LORD will not leave them in the power of the wicked
   or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

 ³⁴ Hope in the LORD
   and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
   when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

 ³⁵ I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
   flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
³⁶ but he soon passed away and was no more;
   though I looked for him, he could not be found.

 ³⁷ Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
   a future awaits those who seek peace.^[d]
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
   there will be no future^[e]for the wicked.

 ³⁹ The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
   he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The LORD helps them and delivers them;
   he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
   because they take refuge in him.

Questions

1. What two ways of living are contrasted?
2. What is the fate of each kind of person?
3. How does a concept of eternal life help make sense of this psalm?
4. How do you process seeing the wicked prosper?
5. What will God do for you if you pursue him?

The fact that the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer continues to bother us much as the psalmist.  We long for a world of true retribution, where what one sows is what one reaps.  At least we think we do.  This longing is actually a sign of our recognition that God is incompatible with evil and that any world he created ought to reflect the rejection of wickedness and blessing on the righteous.  He is not a God “who takes pleasure in evil” (Ps. 5:4).  How could it be otherwise?

…

The psalmist of Psalm 36 offers one way forward beyond cynicism and despair.  It is only one way, because Job and Ecclesiastes find other, darker avenues of faith in the face of suffering and apparent meaninglessness.  Here, however, the psalmist offers a vision of a future where God’s original intention for his creation actually works.  In that future, the wicked “lie fallen – thrown down, not able to rise!” (36:12).  Although the world is currently broken, sufering under the consequences of human sin and evil, the time will come, says the psalmist, when God will set all things right and the wicked will get their just due. (Wilson)

Psalm 36

 For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD.

 ¹ I have a message from God in my heart
   concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:^[b]
There is no fear of God
   before their eyes.

 ² In their own eyes they flatter themselves
   too much to detect or hate their sin.
³ The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
   they fail to act wisely or do good.
⁴ Even on their beds they plot evil;
   they commit themselves to a sinful course
   and do not reject what is wrong.

 ⁵ Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
   your faithfulness to the skies.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
   your justice like the great deep.
   You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
⁷ How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
   People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house;
   you give them drink from your river of delights.
⁹ For with you is the fountain of life;
   in your light we see light.

 ¹⁰ Continue your love to those who know you,
   your righteousness to the upright in heart.
¹¹ May the foot of the proud not come against me,
   nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹² See how the evildoers lie fallen—
   thrown down, not able to rise!

Questions

1. What are the wicked unafraid of?
2. Why should the wicked be terrified?
3. When is a person transformed from wicked to righteous?
4. How do wicked people prosper in their wickedness today?
5. Why are we mocking of phrases like ‘wicked’ or ‘evildoer’?

God has no opposite.  God has no-one similar.  Who else is three-in-one like the Trinity?  Who else created the world?  Who else is infinite?  Who else knows it all?  Many times in the Psalms the psalmist marvels at God and the fact that comparisons always fall short.  Imagine the biggest object and God is bigger.  Imagine the most powerful and God is more powerful.  To whom can we turn?  God is available to all of us.

Psalm 35

Of David.

 ¹ Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me;
   fight against those who fight against me.
² Take up shield and armor;
   arise and come to my aid.
³ Brandish spear and javelin^[a]
   against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
   “I am your salvation.”

 ⁴ May those who seek my life
   be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plot my ruin
   be turned back in dismay.
⁵ May they be like chaff before the wind,
   with the angel of the LORD driving them away;
⁶ may their path be dark and slippery,
   with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

 ⁷ Since they hid their net for me without cause
   and without cause dug a pit for me,
⁸ may ruin overtake them by surprise—
   may the net they hid entangle them,
   may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
⁹ Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD
   and delight in his salvation.
¹⁰ My whole being will exclaim,
   “Who is like you, LORD?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
   the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

 ¹¹ Ruthless witnesses come forward;
   they question me on things I know nothing about.
¹² They repay me evil for good
   and leave me like one bereaved.
¹³ Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
   and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
 ¹⁴ I went about mourning
   as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
   as though weeping for my mother.
¹⁵ But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
   assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
   They slandered me without ceasing.
¹⁶ Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;^[b]
   they gnashed their teeth at me.

 ¹⁷ How long, Lord, will you look on?
   Rescue me from their ravages,
   my precious life from these lions.
¹⁸ I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
   among the throngs I will praise you.
¹⁹ Do not let those gloat over me
   who are my enemies without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason
   maliciously wink the eye.
²⁰ They do not speak peaceably,
   but devise false accusations
   against those who live quietly in the land.
²¹ They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha!
   With our own eyes we have seen it.”

 ²² LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent.
   Do not be far from me, Lord.
²³ Awake, and rise to my defense!
   Contend for me, my God and Lord.
²⁴ Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God;
   do not let them gloat over me.
²⁵ Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!”
   or say, “We have swallowed him up.”

 ²⁶ May all who gloat over my distress
   be put to shame and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me
   be clothed with shame and disgrace.
²⁷ May those who delight in my vindication
   shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The LORD be exalted,
   who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

 ²⁸ My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
   your praises all day long.

Questions

1. What images does the psalist use to illustrate God rushing in as a warrior on David’s behalf?
2. What does David’s whole being declare?
3. What images show God to be a lawyer on behalf of the psalmist?
4. How do you need a warrior on your behalf?
5. In what ways do you need God to be a lawyer?

Going Deeper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5tT8zwHysc

How does this video tie in with the passage?

Psalm 33 teaches us that waiting on God is an element of the faith.  God does things in his own time and in his own ways.  Our anxiety or impatience does not speed things up.  I think of those who are devoted Christians who are waiting for God to bring them a spouse.  Sometimes God does not have a spouse in mind for us.  Sometimes a spouse shows up at the end of a long period of waiting.  My wife and I had to wait for the Lord to bring us a child to look after.  We are waiting on the Lord to see if fostering will become adoption.  Our papers for adopting a Chinese baby have been in China since 2006.  In all our cicumstances we must learn to wait patiently for God.

Psalm 33

 ¹ Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
   it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
² Praise the LORD with the harp;
   make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
³ Sing to him a new song;
   play skillfully, and shout for joy.

 ⁴ For the word of the LORD is right and true;
   he is faithful in all he does.
⁵ The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
   the earth is full of his unfailing love.

 ⁶ By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
   their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars^[a];
   he puts the deep into storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD;
   let all the people of the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
   he commanded, and it stood firm.

 ¹⁰ The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
   he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
¹¹ But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
   the purposes of his heart through all generations.

 ¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
   the people he chose for his inheritance.
¹³ From heaven the LORD looks down
   and sees all mankind;
¹⁴ from his dwelling place he watches
   all who live on earth—
¹⁵ he who forms the hearts of all,
   who considers everything they do.

 ¹⁶ No king is saved by the size of his army;
   no warrior escapes by his great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
   despite all its great strength it cannot save.
¹⁸ But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
   on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
¹⁹ to deliver them from death
   and keep them alive in famine.

 ²⁰ We wait in hope for the LORD;
   he is our help and our shield.
²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
   for we trust in his holy name.
²² May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
   even as we put our hope in you.

Questions

1. How is God’s all-knowing (omniscient) perspective revealed?
2. Why would a person wait in hope?
3. What does the psalmist want to have with him?
4. Do you really think God sees your circumstances?
5. How do you need to wait for God?  How do you do it with hope?

Monty Python mocked confession with The Spanish Inquisition http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt0Y39eMvpI&feature=fvwrel.  Confession, though, is an important part of the Christian life.  Why is it that so many people neglect this aspect of the faith?  I think that we feel the need to be private about our weaknesses.  We end up burying our sin deep inside where it festers and becomes more dark and rancid.  We believe that we must portray a ‘togetherness’ which is largely false.  The drunken spirit of cenfession that exists at the local bar, ironically, may be more healthy and in line with God’s desire for us than the sober superficiality that marks the lives of many church-goers.  Of course, the ideal in this psalm is an open, public confession of sin to a forgiving God and a supportive, understanding community.

Psalm 32

Of David. A maskil.^[a]

 ¹ Blessed is the one
   whose transgressions are forgiven,
   whose sins are covered.
² Blessed is the one
   whose sin the LORD does not count against them
   and in whose spirit is no deceit.

 ³ When I kept silent,
   my bones wasted away
   through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night
   your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
   as in the heat of summer.^[b]

 ⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you
   and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
   my transgressions to the LORD.”
And you forgave
   the guilt of my sin.

 ⁶ Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
   while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
   will not reach them.
⁷ You are my hiding place;
   you will protect me from trouble
   and surround me with songs of deliverance.

 ⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
   I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
   which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
   or they will not come to you.
¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,
   but the LORD’s unfailing love
   surrounds the one who trusts in him.

 ¹¹ Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
   sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Questions

1. Who is blessed according to v. 1?
2. What happened when the psalmist confessed his sin to God?
3. How can someone wh is confessing that they are not righteous rejoice because they are righteous?
4. What sin have you confessed to God?
5. To whom do you confess your deepest sin, and who confesses to you?

It is possible to experience shame in two different ways.  One way to experience shame is to generate a feeling within ourselves.  We feel ashamed because of what we have done.  It is an emotional response connected with guilt.  The other form of shame is to be publicly shamed.  That means that there is some kind of publicly known failure or flaw.

I have experienced both.  I have experienced God’s deliverance from both.

Psalm 31

Psalm 31^[a]

    For the director of music. A psalm of David.

 ¹ In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
   let me never be put to shame;
   deliver me in your righteousness.
² Turn your ear to me,
   come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
   a strong fortress to save me.
³ Since you are my rock and my fortress,
   for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
⁴ Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
   for you are my refuge.
⁵ Into your hands I commit my spirit;
   deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.

 ⁶ I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
   as for me, I trust in the LORD.
⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
   for you saw my affliction
   and knew the anguish of my soul.
⁸ You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
   but have set my feet in a spacious place.

 ⁹ Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;
   my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
   my soul and body with grief.
¹⁰ My life is consumed by anguish
   and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,^[b]
   and my bones grow weak.
¹¹ Because of all my enemies,
   I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
   those who see me on the street flee from me.
¹² I am forgotten as though I were dead;
   I have become like broken pottery.
¹³ For I hear many whispering,
   “Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
   and plot to take my life.

 ¹⁴ But I trust in you, LORD;
   I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in your hands;
   deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
   from those who pursue me.
¹⁶ Let your face shine on your servant;
   save me in your unfailing love.
¹⁷ Let me not be put to shame, LORD,
   for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
   and be silent in the realm of the dead.
¹⁸ Let their lying lips be silenced,
   for with pride and contempt
   they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

 ¹⁹ How abundant are the good things
   that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
   on those who take refuge in you.
²⁰ In the shelter of your presence you hide them
   from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
   from accusing tongues.

 ²¹ Praise be to the LORD,
   for he showed me the wonders of his love
   when I was in a city under siege.
²² In my alarm I said,
   “I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
   when I called to you for help.

 ²³ Love the LORD, all his faithful people!
   The LORD preserves those who are true to him,
   but the proud he pays back in full.
²⁴ Be strong and take heart,
   all you who hope in the LORD.

Questions

1.  The psalmist asks God that he not be put to what?
2. What kind of reversal is the psalmist looking for?
3. Who does the Lord preserve?
4. How have you been put to shame by family, work, or church?
5. What would you want from God in those circumstances?

When reading the psalms the imagery is very strong.  Psalm 30 seems to be talking about being cast down into the depths and then being lifted out by God.  The visuals that come to mind are a physical reality of finding ourselves in a tight spot.  The psalm can be personally applied by someone who is literally trapped in a physical locale and whom God rescues.

For most of us, we would go with the metaphysical translation.  We are sometimes in the depths emotionally.  God has humbled me recently by letting me experience powerlessness and hopelessness, but then as I have carried out the personal reforms (prayer, worship, sleep, and healthy eating) that I think he wants of me spiritually, I have been lifted up.  I felt myself slipping again yesterday, but a colleague listened patiently to me and expressed how she heard I was expressing an ‘external locus of control’.  This was a timely word from God, and so he lifted me up again before I could fall.

Psalm 30

 A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.^[b] Of David.

 ¹ I will exalt you, LORD,
   for you lifted me out of the depths
   and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
² LORD my God, I called to you for help,
   and you healed me.
³ You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
   you spared me from going down to the pit.

 ⁴ Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
   praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
   but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
   but rejoicing comes in the morning.

 ⁶ When I felt secure, I said,
   “I will never be shaken.”
⁷ LORD, when you favored me,
   you made my royal mountain^[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
   I was dismayed.

 ⁸ To you, LORD, I called;
   to the Lord I cried for mercy:
⁹ “What is gained if I am silenced,
   if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
   Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me;
   LORD, be my help.”

 ¹¹ You turned my wailing into dancing;
   you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
¹² that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
   LORD my God, I will praise you forever.

Questions

1. What did God not allow to happen?
2. How was the psalmist when God his his face?
3. How were the psalmist’s actions transformed?
4. What enemies gloat over you physically and psychologically?
5. How could God turn your wailing into dancing?

Thor will be released this weekend at the movie theater.  It is a story about the god of thunder.  Thor, of comic fame, was sent to earth by his father Odin and learns his lesson.  Thunder and lightning do speak of power and greatness, but it is the LORD God who communicates his majesty through them as the following psalm shows:

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

 ¹ Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
   ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
   worship the LORD in the splendor of his^[a]holiness.

 ³ The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
   the God of glory thunders,
   the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the LORD is powerful;
   the voice of the LORD is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
   the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
   Sirion^[b] like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the LORD strikes
   with flashes of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
   the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the LORD twists the oaks^[c]
   and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

 ¹⁰ The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
   the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
¹¹ The LORD gives strength to his people;
   the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Questions

1. What word is repeated for emphasis in the first two verses?
2. How is God’s power over the chaotic disorder of the waters described?
3. In your own words describe how the extended metaphor of a storm passing is used by the psalmist.
4. How do you react to thunderstorms?
5. How might the movie Thor be used to draw people into conversation about God?