The Lord is My Shepherd - Psalm 23

After a 2 week break from the Psalter to rejoice in the Resurrection of our Savior, we will continue with our study by meditating on Psalm 23.

This is clearly one of the most beloved and well-known psalms in the Psalter, and it would be great if we all memorized (I am sure some of you have memorized it already). If you already know it in Korean, try to memorize it in English. If you know it in English, try to memorize it in Korean, or some other language. I am still working on Hebrew and Korean, but I am stuck on the first verse in Korean! :)

As you read and meditate on this psalm, think about the following issues:

1) Can anyone appropriate this popular psalm, or does it apply only to believers? What does the image of 'shepherd' convey to you?

2) Do you see any relationships between this psalm and the surrounding ones (especially 22 and 24)?

3) This psalm is classified as a psalm of trust/confidence (just like psalm 16). In what way(s) is this psalm edifying you?

4) In this psalm the Lord is pictured as a shepherd. Which metaphors do you find most vivid and helpful for your walk with the Lord? How?

5) Why do you think that there is a change of person (from 3rd to 2nd) in verse 4?

6) The Lord seems to be pictured as a Host in vv. 5 and 6. How are the images in these verses helpful in your Christian walk?

AFTER the SERMON:

7) Which explanations did you find most useful? Pay special attention to the "goodness and mercy" [better: goodness and steadfast love] in v. 6.

8) Which line is central for the understanding of this psalm?

Many blessings and joy as you meditate on this Psalm and follow the Good Shepherd on the path of life!

Cristian

Psalm 22 - A Prophecy of the Cross of Christ

Psalm 22 is one of the two texts in the Old Testament that I consider most clearly Messianic. The other one is found in Isaiah 53. It is great that in our study through the psalms this is scheduled to be preached right at the beginning of the Passion week!

What makes this psalm so amazing is the fact that even though it was written about 1000 years before Christ, it reads “as if it were actually recorded at the foot of the cross.” It is clearly prophetic (see 2 Peter 1:19-21) since there aren’t any events in the life of David that correspond to this event.

MAIN IDEA : The Son of God will be forsaken by God and put to death, yet he remains fully confident in the faithfulness of God to deliver Him, and praises God for the nations who will come to worship from the ends of the earth.

Notice the use of Psalm 22 in Matthew (from ESV Study Bible):

Ps. 22:18	They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.	And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.	Matt. 27:35
Ps. 22:7	All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads.	And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads.	Matt. 27:39
Ps. 22:8	“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”	He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, “I am the Son of God.”	Matt. 27:43
Ps. 22:1	My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?	And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”	Matt. 27:46

OUTLINE (ESV):

Ps. 22:1–2 Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Ps. 22:3–5 Yet the Lord Has Been Our Trust.

Ps. 22:6–8 Yet I Am Derided.

Ps. 22:9–11 But the Lord Has Cared for Me All My Life.

Ps. 22:12–18 I Am Surrounded by Enemies.

Ps. 22:19–21 Save Me as You Have Done Before!

Ps. 22:22–31 Praise Will Result: From Me, From Israel, From All Nations. The song closes with confidence that when God answers the prayer, the singer will be vindicated and will again be able to join with God’s people in worship.

ISSUES for DISCUSSION

1) Why do you think that this psalm should be classified as Messianic?

2) How do you react when you feel forsaken by God?

3) How is your understanding of Old Testament enhanced by the study of this psalm?

4) Is there anything in this prayer/psalm that can help enhance your prayer life? What?

5) Does this psalm help you understand better Jesus’ cry on the cross (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

”One Almighty is more than all mighties.” William Gurnall

Psalm 19 was a breath of fresh air and I learned much, especially to humble myself, confess my sins, and appeal for power to God as my Rock and Redeemer.

While psalm 19 is fairly well known, I must confess that I cannot remember anyone ever preaching from psalms 20 and 21. By God’s grace, I am preparing to preach from psalm 20 on Sunday, skip psalm 21 (they are both royal psalms), and then preach from Psalm 22 (a Messianic psalm) on the Sunday before Good Friday. Then the plan is to preach from Psalm 23 after Resurrection Sunday.

Since I have not had the chance to do an in-depth study of this psalm yet, this outline relies again on Steven Lawson.

For comparison, Kraus has the following title: Prayer for the King. Craigie has A King’s Departure for Battle. My title is from Lawson, but it will most likely change by Sunday!

MAIN IDEA: David describes the prayer for military victory offered for him by the people before he leads the armies of Israel into battle.

TEACHING OUTLINE:

A. The Petitions for the King (1-5)

1. For God’s protection (1)

2. For God’s power (2)

3. For God’s prosperity (3-5)

B. The Prayer of the King (6-8)

1. God saves the king (6)

2. God secures victory (7-8)

C. The Pleadings for the King (9)

1. SAVE the king (9a)

2. Answer our prayers (9b)

QUESTIONS:

1. How is psalm 20 relevant for the church and for the individual Christian?

2. What are our battles and how should we prepare for them?

3. Do you see any connections between this psalm and 1 Tim 2:1-4.

4. Since we are approaching Palm Sunday, do you see any relationship/contrast between this psalm and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem?

Please note that the questions are preliminary. Please send me any other questions or ideas that may help with the teaching of this psalm!

Many blessings and joy,

Pastor Cristian

PSALM 19: The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

The excitement of studying and meditating on the Psalter continues with psalm 19. Thank you for your prayers and support!

I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God. ~ Abraham Lincoln

The starry sky above me and the moral law in me…are the two things which fill the soul with ever and new increasing admiration and reverence. ~ Immanual Kant

This psalm is both a hymn of praise and a petition. It can also be classified as a wisdom psalm (and it is by many scholars) and as a Torah psalm (see the second part of the psalm and compare it with psalms 1 and 119). Waltke titles it: A Royal Sage Praises and Petitions I AM (YHWH).

Here are some notes from his outline:

I. Firmament’s Praise of God’s Glory and Knowledge (1-6)

A. Temporal and Spatial Universality of Its Inaudible Praise (1-4)

B. Sun’s Universal Testimony (5-6)

II. Psalmist’s Praise of I AM’s [the LORD’s] Torah (7-10)

III. Psalmist’s Petition for Salvation (12-13)

A. Pardon for Hidden Guilt (11-12)

B. Preserve from Guilt of Apostasy (13)

Epilogue: Dedicatory Prayer (14)

Here are some relevant questions:

1. Do you meditate on all that God has done to reveal Himself?

2. Do you use God’s Word as a source of restoration between God and yourself?

3. Do you long and desire for God’s Word?

4. What are some ‘rewards’ that you received from following God’s Word?

Enjoy studying and meditating the psalms, and please send any questions you may have about this passage or just write them in the comments for this blog. Thank you!

Many blessings and joy!

Teaching Pastor,

Cristian

Anchored to the Rock: A Song of Thanksgiving

One with God is a majority. – William Carey

I am skipping psalm 17 because I plan to preach from the ‘parallel’ psalm (22) closer to the Passion Week. Psalm 18 is a very long psalm, so I was tempted to skip it in my preaching.

However, I find this an important one (it is also found in 2 Samuel 22) and I will tackle it with God’s help.

The following preliminary notes are from Lawson and the ESV Study Bible. By the end of the week I usually refine my understanding of the psalm and I may be in partial disagreement with these comments, but I find these notes as good starting points.

MAIN IDEA: David rejoices in God who has rescued him from all his enemies.

This is a royal psalm, i.e., it celebrates the way that God has shown his love to his people by giving them the Davidic monarchy and by preserving David through many dangers (see the title and v. 50). The text of the psalm is almost identical to 2 Samuel 22. The two songs differ, however, in their context: Second Samuel 22 is David’s personal expression of gratitude to the Lord, while Psalm 18 is the adaptation of that song for the whole people to sing, because their well-being is now tied to the offspring of David (2 Sam. 7:4–17). When God’s people sang this, then, they were to give thanks for the Davidic line and to pray that its heirs would be faithful to the Lord and would be valiant military leaders, so that Israel might carry out its God-given purpose of bringing light to the Gentiles. (ESV Study Bible).

A. David’s Rejoicing (1-3)

Love for God

Protection from God

B. David’s Reasons (4-45)

God rescued me (4-19)

God rewarded me (20-27)

God renewed me (28-42)

God restored me (43-45)

C. David’s Refrain: (46-50)

God subdues (46-47)

God saves (48)

God succeeds (49-50)

QUESTIONS and THOUGHTS:

What struck me about this psalm is the opening line: I love you, O Lord! This statement of love is almost unparalleled in the Bible. Check it out for yourself by starting with the psalms.

Read the ‘theophany’ in vv. 7-15. What are your feelings and understanding about this?

How is this psalm applicable to the Christian today?

What are your reasons for thanksgiving?

Can this psalm be preached ‘Christologically’?

LIVING HOPE (You Will Not Abandon My Soul)

Psalm 14 ended with a prayer of hope for salvation to come from Zion (later = the Church). Psalm 15 set down the conditions for entering into God's presence on Mt Zion. It called us to a life of integrity and sincerity deep in our heart. Only such a church can be attractive to the world and be the hope of the world.

Next Sunday we will look at Psalm 16. Please read and meditate on this wonderful psalm. Here are some guidelines (most are from ESV Study Bible) to help you think about this text.

WALTKE: Notes from TNIV that Psalms 15 and 24 frame a cluster of psalms that have been arranged in a CHIASTIC pattern with Psalm 19 as the hinge. Thus:

15 WHO has access to the temple? 24 WHO may ascend the holy hill?

16 Confession of TRUST in YHWH 23 Confession of TRUST in YHWH

17 Plea of DELIVERANCE from foes 22 Plea of DELIVERANCE from foes

18 ROYAL praise for deliverance 20-21 PRAYER and praise for KING’s victory

19 YHWH’s glory in Creation and Torah

When the faithful sing Psalm 16, they entrust themselves to the Lord and foster their confidence and contentment in his care. The psalm uses imagery from Israel’s allocation of the land (vv. 5–6) to express contentment in this life, and goes on to look forward to everlasting life in God’s presence (vv. 9–11). [ESV Study Bible]

Ps. 16:1–2 The Lord Is My Refuge. The Lord is the only one on whom the psalmist relies for well-being (no good apart from you, v. 2).

Ps. 16:3–4 My Preferred Company: The Godly.There is a contrast between “the saints,” in whom is all my delight (v. 3), and those who run after another god (v. 4; idolaters, among whom would be unfaithful Israelites), whose practices the faithful will shun.

Ps. 16:5–6 Contentment with My Chosen Portion. The psalm now describes the psalmist’s satisfaction with the Lord and his provision. The terms portion, lot, lines, and inheritance evoke the allocation of the land into family plots (perhaps with an allusion to the Lord as the Levites’ portion and inheritance; Num. 18:20); the song promotes contentment with the arrangements of one’s life, seeing them as providentially ordered.

Ps. 16:7–8 Delight in God’s Constant Presence. God’s presence, in which the psalmist delights, is seen in the moral instruction he receives (v. 7), and it results in his assurance of stability (v. 8). The psalmist’s heart instructs him during the night (v. 7), a result of deliberate reflection (cf. 1:2); likewise to set the Lordalways before me expresses intention.

Ps. 16:9–11 Hope of Everlasting Joy. As in49:15 and 73:24–26, here there is a clear affirmation that the human yearning to be near to God and to know the pleasure of his welcome forever, beyond the death of the body, finds its answer in the covenant. Peter cites 16:8–11 in his Pentecost speech (Acts 2:25–28), applying the verses to the resurrection of Jesus; Paul used Ps. 16:10 in his similar speech (Acts 13:35). If the apostles meant that David’s words were a straight prediction of the death and resurrection of Jesus, it is difficult to know what function the psalm could have played in ancient Israel: the congregation would have scratched their heads in puzzlement every time they sang it. This puzzlement goes away if the psalm is seen as cultivating the hope of everlasting glory for the faithful, with the resurrection of Jesus (the holy one par excellence) as the first step in bringing this hope to fruition (cf. Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:23).

Relevant questions and 'homework':

1) Try to jot down a few characteristics of the believer in this psalm.

2) How can this psalm apply to our Lord Jesus Christ?

3) MEMORIZE a few verses that you find especially powerful from this psalm.

Many blessings and joy,

Cristian

Psalm 15 - Who Shall Dwell in God’s Presence? (A Liturgical Decalogue)

Psalm 15 was recognized early as a catechetical psalm of the Decalogue, and as a liturgical psalm, it was frequently repeated throughout the week by monks.

Here are some notes from Steven W. Lawson in his commentary on Psalms.

MAIN IDEA: David describes the moral integrity and personal holiness of the person who worships God.

TEACHING OUTLINE

A. The Searching Question (1)

1. WHO may approach God? (1a)

2. WHO may abide with God? (1b)

B. The Spiritual Qualifications (2-5b)

1. His character must be holy (2a-5)

2. His conversations must be holy (2c-3a)

3. His contacts must be holy (3b-c)

4. His company must be holy (4a-b)

5. His commitments must be holy (4c-d)

6. His commerce must be holy (5a-b)

C. The Strong Assurance (5c)

1. He will be intimate with God

2. He will be immovable in God

QUESTIONS for discussion:

Do you examine yourself before you come into the presence of God?

Are you living a blameless and righteous life?

In which one of these areas are you struggling in you Christian life?

What is our basis for righteousness?