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Review: Many of the Psalms we considered last week were written by David in dire circumstances - he was running from Saul, Absalom, or feeling the pain of betrayal by others. And while David was not afraid to tell God to "break the teeth of my enemies," he was always conscious of God's love, God's faithfulness, and God's ability to rescue him. Often he praises God as a refuge, a rock, a fortress, meaningful images of strong protection which David needed. And so do we; we may not be victims of jealous kings or turn-coat friends, but we do run into tests of our faith every day. We know that as Christians, we have a common enemy who longs to make us turn our backs on Christ. It's good to have Psalms to pray, to sing, to recite in the face of everyday woes. We need to say "God is good; I will praise him, my rock and my redeemer."
Psalm 61: Most of the remaining psalms in Book II are by David, and so they begin with a prayer we've seen before: David is asking God to be his refuge against the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." He asks "lead me to the rock that is higher than I." In this image, he sees God as a solid place, a hiding place, and above all, one whose strength and power are greater than his own. John writes in I John 4:4, ". . . the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world"; we can rest in the knowledge that God [in us] is greater than the ruler of this world, Satan. David then says "I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings" (v. 4), suggesting a man who is tired of running. He wants a home, a place of safety, and he knows God will be that refuge and shelter no matter where on earth he is. He mentions vows twice; these may be the vows of a king (a king elect, if he's still on the run from Saul), or David may simply mean his vows to be faithful to God. He's away from the worship center, he can't make sacrifices. But he can promise God that when he's back at the Tabernacle, he will.
Psalm 62: David affirms his trust in God in this prayer. He praises God as his rock and salvation, and this theme is prominent: "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation: he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." (vv. 5-6). The prayer hinges on this statement of faith stated twice in the Psalm. Around it are the reasons David is calling out to God for help: men, enemies are assaulting and cursing him, threatening him with extortion, thieves. They are altogether hypocrites: "With their mouths they bless but in their hearts they curse." (v. 4b). He ends with this wonderful mathematical equation: "One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving." (vv. 11-12a). David knows God's love and strength from experience and that is why he continues to trust in God.
Psalm 63: This psalm reminds us of Psalm 42 with the image of thirsting for God "in a dry and weary land" (v.1). Again we see David pursued by enemies, but in the midst of his life in a cave, in the desert, away from his home, he can say "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name will I lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you" (vv. 3-5). David is probably eating nuts and berries, existing on the diet of John the Baptist (locusts and wild honey" and yet he can say "my soul is satisfied." And when sleeping under the night sky, he can say "I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings" (vv. 6-7). These are beautiful images of trust; David's confidence in men has been shaken, but his confidence in God has grown stronger.
Psalm 64: In this prayer, David vents his complaints against those who oppose him, a "noisy crowd of evildoers" who "sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows." So in addition to having to run from danger that threatens his life, he's also chased by rumors and lies of those who are jealous and who conspire to bring him down. David, always aware that God took him from the meadows where he was taking care of sheep, to place him on the throne, knows God will fight for him and defeat his enemies.
Psalm 65 and 66: These hymns of praise extol God for meeting all human needs - from forgiveness of sins to abundant crops and full tables. God even provides beauty in the landscape - the inspiration for songs like this one: "The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing" (65:12-13). The personification of God's creation: meadows, hills, and valleys singing for joy gives us a glimpse into David's life as a shepherd when he roamed the hills and had time to reflect on the beauty of the world around him. In Ps. 66, the personification of nature continues with the earth shouting and bowing down to God. We are exhorted to "come and see what god has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!" (v. 5). And isn't that what it takes? If we open our eyes and look, intentionally, we'll see reasons to sing praise to God. It's the glass that's half empty or half full idea: when we consciously look at a sunset as God's creation, we can't help but be grateful for the beauty of life. The man without God may see smog and pollution; we can see all that God has made. David also praises God for answered prayer, and so may we.
Psalm 67: This prayer echoes the benediction God gave the priests to bless the people of Israel while still in the wilderness: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace" (Num. 6:24). David begins "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all the nations." Why is God gracious to his people? He chose them to be a "holy nation and a kingdom of priests" (Ex. 19:6) so that all the rest of the earth would be attracted by a people blessed by God and trust God, too. This is a picture of what could have been had the people obeyed God and been faithful to him. It's a picture of what can happen to us if we obey God and are faithful to him. God has never promised that all pain would cease while we live in this human body, but he promises to be with us in the pain, to comfort and guide us. But in the ideal or Messianic age, it is the picture of heaven, that place where God wipes away all tears and sorrow, and pain will cease.
Psalm 68: A psalm filled with beautiful images of God's protection, his love and his deliverance from armies bent on destroying Israel, this is a psalm we can turn to when we feel besieged. Memorizing just a few of these verses will bring comfort. For example, "Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds - his name is the Lord - and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Here we see God as the creator, the one who "rides on the clouds" and yet he is concerned about the fatherless and the widow, or the helpless; in the ancient world, widows and orphans were without protection. David uses Israel's history, God's deliverance of his people from Egypt and from enemy kings that succeeded the Pharaoahs to show God's power. We can substitute the times when God has delivered us and in remembering them, be assured that God will be faithful to act on our behalf again. Why else can we praise God? "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens." (v. 19). Peter tells us "cast your cares on him, for he cares for you" (I Pet. 5:7) The Psalm ends with a glorious doxology: "Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, to him who rides the ancient skies above, who thunders with mighty voice. Proclaim the power of god, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies. You are awesome, O God, in our sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!" (vv. 32-35). If that hasn't been set to music, it should be.
Psalm 69: the first two thirds of this psalm are depictions of suffering and pain: "Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck," it begins, and we see someone slowly sinking in problems. God is the only solution and so David prays, "I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God." He's discouraged, tired, frustrated and overwhelmed: "Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head" (v. 4). David then confesses his own unnamed folly or foolishness saying "my guilt is not hidden from you," and prays that "those who hope in you [God] not be disgraced because of me." Whatever David has done is serious and public; he is now contrite and prays that others will not follow him and be hurt because of his sin. We know late in his reign as king, David sinned by ordering a census of the men ages 20-50 (II Sam. 24), thus exhibiting more trust in his army's numerical strength than in God who is the true author of Israel's victories. It may be that this psalm is David's prayer of confession: "I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family" (II Sam. 24:17). As punishment, God strikes Israel with a plague, and David is aware that the people suffer for his sin. David then buys property on which he builds an altar and offers a sacrifice - a sin offering to God. It is on this site that the Temple is eventually built by David's son Solomon. In addition, while this psalm may reflect David's mourning for the sin of the census, other assaults have driven him to his knees. He returns to the "sinking in the mire" metaphor of the first verses (vv. 14-15), and in negative language, "sets a table" for his enemies that is not the pleasant fare we saw in Ps. 23. By the final third of the prayer, David is praising God, once again aware that while men may oppose him, God is for him.
Psalm 70 and 71: These prayers for help contain refrains we've heard before: "Hasten, O God, to save me. . . May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion" (70:1-2); and in Ps. 71, he's "asking God "Be my rock of refuge to which I can always go: give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress." (71:3). From this succession of prayers for deliverance, we can see how often David felt endangered by enemies within and without his own kingdom. Are we very different? We don't have political enemies or even hostile enemies with guns coming after us, but we do have real and present dangers. Paul tells us "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, bu against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:11-12). What did Jesus do when confronted by Satan? He quoted scripture. We can do the same. Part of the "full armor" is "the sword of the Spirit or the word of God." And David shows us how: "But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more" (v. 14). When everything looks bleak, praise God! And the psalm ends on this note of praise.
Psalm 72: This one is inscribed "of Solomon" and it's difficult to know if it was written by or for Solomon. Solomon wrote most of the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, so he did compose poetic scripture. And from the tone, it could be a prayer for the king offered by someone else, or by the king himself speaking in 3rd person. In either case, the psalm is a prayer for wisdom, long life and strength for God's anointed king. In v. 18, "may gold from Sheba be given him," we know is fulfilled when Solomon amasses such a store of gold that the Temple's interior is completely covered in gold, and many utensils (golden candlesticks, tables, trim) are made of gold; he has enough to make 500 gold shields (200 large and 300 small) to display in one of his palaces (I Kgs. 7, 9). In a Messianic sense, the king is Jesus whose "name endures forever" and "all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed." (v. 17). The psalm ends with a doxology praising God, and this book also ends with this statement: "Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen."
Next time: we'll begin Isaiah, a prophet of great stature during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Homework for those who want to go deeper:
1. Compose a Psalm modeled on Ps. 72 as a prayer for our nation's leaders.
2. Read Ephesians 6:10-18 for Paul's advice about being prepared to do battle with the forces of the evil one.
3. Memorize a few verses of a psalm to use in prayer. Recite them as you walk, drive, do household chores. They are faith-builders and trust-encouragers.
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Let's close in prayer.
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