STUDY OF PSALMS - Chapters 11-16

PSALM 11 - “Fight or Flight”
(Lament of David)

Right outta the chute we learn that David is being pursued by wicked men who are trying to kill him "from the shadows”. His friends tell him to run for the hills “like a bird”. Instead, David chooses to take refuge in the Lord. Undoubtedly, his friends were well-meaning in their attempts to keep David safe. What they didn't understand is that only God could provide the safety and refuge David needed.

Vs. 4 – Just as the Lord was watching over David from His Heavenly throne over 3000 years ago, so is He with us, today. Earthly kingdoms rise and fall but God is unmovable.

Vs. 5 – The Lord tests the righteous (to prove their faith) and protects them.

💛NUGGET: Today, we are inundated with warnings from modern-day prophets of doom, advising us what we must do to survive the crisis of the moment. In this psalm, David reminds us that our true refuge will never be found in this world.

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PSALM 12 – “Pure Words”
(Community Lament of David)

[“Sheminith” in the superscription means "the eighth" in Hebrew, usually interpreted to mean either an eight-stringed instrument or a musical octave.]

Vs. 1-2 – David's complaint (lament) to God is that faithful men were hard to find while the wicked surrounded them. (Are you figuring out that things haven't changed much since David's time?) 

“They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.”

In other words, they were Dishonest, Double-Hearted, Deceivers causing Division.

[The meaning for speaking with a "double heart" in Hebrew is literally, “by a heart and a heart they speak” . They say one thing, but mean another.]

Contrasted with the totally unreliable word of wicked men is the absolute reliability of God's Word.  His words are flawless, trustworthy and more pure than the purest silver.

💛NUGGET: In the Bible, the number 7 represents completeness and perfection. Therefore, God's Word is flawless, trustworthy and perfect. It can withstand any test of purity and has withstood the test of time. As we are in His Word, we will be purified.

Vs. 8 – In our fallen world, sin is pervasive and exalted, but we can find refuge in God's sovereign protection. 

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PSALM 13 – “Lighten My Eyes”
(Lament of David)

Sometimes it feels like the enemy is winning...

In this song, the question “How Long?” is repeated FOUR times. David is not so much seeking an answer for his suffering as he is expressing frustration. He prays that God will “lighten” his eyes, imploring Him to strengthen his faith, give him encouragement and refresh his soul. (1 Samuel 14:27, 29; Ezra 9:8).   David needed some sparkle back in his eyes.

Vs. 5 – A big change in tone happens here... David's sorrow turns to singing. His prayers become praise. Once again, David puts his trust in God's “faithful” (chesed / hesed) love, the covenant love that fills him with a confidence in God's salvation.

The steadfast love of the Lord outlasts all our enemies.

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PSALM 14 – “What a Fool Believes”
(Community Lament of David)

[This psalm is almost identical to Psalm 53.]

Vs. 1 – “The fool says in his heart, There's no God.” 

The Hebrew word for “fool” is nabal. It describes a person with a 'heart' problem more than a 'head' problem. Unless one is omnipotent and omniscient, it is impossible to deny the presence of God. Therefore, to say “there is no God” cannot be a statement discerned by intellectual process, but rather based on "feelings".  Denial comes from a heart unwilling to accept a Sovereign Being with the power to mete out punishment or reward. The “fool” lives their life without acknowledging God, both in a spiritual and moral sense.  David goes on to observe that there is really “no one” who does good in the sight of God and that all (excluding him) are corrupt. We would like to write his words off as hyperbole, since this is the same guy who told us his bed was swimming back in Psalms 6:6... but then, there's that pesky Apostle Paul preaching about the same “fools” in Romans 1:21-22:

“...Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.

He takes it a step further in Romans 3:11-12:

“There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.

Then, gives us the reason for foolish unrighteousness in 3:18:

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Let's be honest... aren't we all just a bunch of sinful fools, sometimes? As Pesky Paul points out, no person – no, not one – can claim righteousness apart from the Spirit of God and through faith in Christ Jesus.

Vs. 7 – The song concludes with a prayer that communal salvation will come from Zion (God's Holy Mountain).

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PSALM 15 – “Who Can Dwell with God?”
(Psalm of David)

This is a Wisdom Psalm, which are also called Didactic Psalms (teaching or instructional in nature). Many scholars believe this psalm was likely prayed by the Israelites as they made their pilgrimages to the temple during Holy Days.  So, where Psalm 14 ended with a longing for salvation to come from Zion, this is a psalm that was sung on the way to Zion. 

THE QUESTION:

Who can dwell with God?

THE ANSWER:

One who walks blamelessly and does what is right
One who speaks truth in his heart;
One who does not slander with his tongue
One who does no evil to his neighbor,
One who does not take up a reproach against his friend;
One who despises a vile person,
One who honors those who fear the Lord;
One who keeps his promises, even if it causes him pain;
One who does not lend out his money at interest
One who does not take a bribe against the innocent.

THE BLESSING:
The one who does these things will not be shaken.

“And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17)

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PSALM 16 - “Up from the Grave He Arose!”
(Messianic Psalm of David)

Vs. 1 –  David   prays  for  God's protection  even  as  he claims God as his refuge.   But wait...  if God is his refuge, isn't David's safety ensured?  Yep.  I've done it, too.  Sometimes it's hard to accept that God's  "refuge" may  be eternal, rather than temporal.  Our imperfect faith creates a needless tension between heaven  and earth.   Only Jesus  had  perfect faith  in  God's eternal promises.

Vs. 2 – “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides you.” This beautiful statement right here is why God loved David so big. David embodied the guy he described in Psalm 15. Mostly. Except for that little incident with Bathsheba.

💛NUGGET: When we surrender all to God, we end up with everything.

Vs. 8-11 – The psalm changes from a prayer to what becomes a Messianic Prophecy about the resurrection of Jesus. While David is expressing great joy and hope for the future and that his “body would rest securely”, Peter uses these same verses at Pentecost in reference to Christ (Acts 2:25-31). Paul also cited verse 10 stating, “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption” (Acts 13:35-37).

[Keep in mind that God was counseling David “day and night” (vs. 7) and David also received knowledge through the OT books and prophets. David, himself, was a prophet.]

💛NUGGET: God is our refuge in life (vs. 1-8) and our hope in death (vs. 9-11).

READING FOR TOMORROW:  Psalms 17-20

LINK TO READING PLAN:

https://bibleplan.org/plans/psalms-in-a-month/