Psalms1-3

First, the CAUSE of his distress: he sees around him people turning away from the Lord. They go after idols, they have fallen into deception or delusion and have even wondered if the Lord is still there. David is aware that God is righteous and he needs to call on His mercy for the situation. As leader he, David, is in some way responsible.

Second, his RESPONSE to his distress: he prays and seeks the Lord on the matter.

Third, his REASSURANCE in his distress: he is still righteous and the Lord will still hear him. Yes, he first holds to the truth of his personal circumstances, but then he also remembers what the Lord has done for him, in bringing great joy to him. Yes, he has not been cast away from God, he still knows His blessing.

Fourth, his self COUNSEL in his distress: keep a right attitude David, make sure you keep a right heart in respect of others, keep your own relationship right with the Lord and rest in that.

Finally, the OUTCOME of his distress: having prayed it out he has a sense of peace that he can leave it with the Lord and sleep in peace.

D. Application?

1. A sensitive heart senses the state of the world round about and prays it

out to God.

2. A righteous heart rests in God.

Passage: Psalm 5 - Help!

A. Find Out:

1. What is David doing? v.1-3

2. What does he then declare? v.4-6

3. What is his own position? v.7

4. What does he ask of the Lord? v.8

5. How does he describe his enemies? 9,10

6. How does he describe the righteous? v.11,12

B. Think :

1. How are the wicked described?

2. How are the righteous compared?

3. What is David's basic request here?

C. Comment :

Again David feels under a burden. He sighs, he cries, he prays, he calls on God.

Observe first, the CAUSE of David's concern. There are people round about him who he sees as enemies (v.8) who speak lies (v.9) and plot intrigues (v.10).

Note second. his METHOD OF PRAYER: he prays i) in the morning ii) simply laying his requests before God and iii) expecting God to answer. Here there is a picture of simple trusting faith.

Third, note his DECLARING THE TRUTH. In coming to God he reaffirms what he knows the truth to be: God is against evil doers. In this way he strengthens his faith, reassuring himself that God will be for him and against his enemies, so thus he can pray strongly about the matter.

Fourth, note the LIFE OF THE RIGHTEOUS, those who turn to God. Theirs is a life of gladness and joy and rejoicing, in the sure knowledge that God is their refuge, their protection, their shield and even more, the provider of every blessing.

Yet again, as in previous psalms, David starts with petition and comes to a place of security in the truth as he prays. Such is the effect, so often, as we pray and the Lord leads us into truth.

D. Application?

1. The Lord is for the righteous and against evil doers. He loves all men and

desires them to be saved, but still acts against evil.

2. The truth will make you free. Praise Him for that.

Passage: Psalm 9 - Answered Prayer

A. Find Out:

1. What does David first do? v.1,2

2. Why? v.3-6

3. How does he therefore see the Lord? v.7-12

4. Yet what does he pray? v.13

5. What does he declare? v.15-18

6. Yet what does he pray? v.19,20

B. Think :

1. What, here, would you call doctrine or truth?

2. What here is testimony?

3. How does truth & testimony encourage petition?

C. Comment :

David starts out BRINGING STRONG PRAISE and his heart soars to God with gladness and joy. But then we see the cause of the praise: the Lord has obviously moved and the problem David had been having with his enemies has been dealt with.

As a consequence of this faith is released and David PROCLAIMS TRUTH: the Lord reigns! The Lord has set up His throne on the earth to judge and to govern. In doing this He will be a refuge for those who are oppressed.

But then comes the FIRST PETITION, for David obviously was still getting opposition, despite the Lord having moved, and so he cries to the Lord for help. As he does this he DECLARES TRUTH again: the reality is that the wicked get caught up in their own devices, that is the way that the Lord has ordained it to be (see Psalm 7).

Finally he utters his SECOND PETITION, a more general petition that the Lord would be seen to be judge and ruler of the world.

Here we see those constituents of Spirit-led prayer: declaration of the truth releasing faith to ask for help, that in turn releases faith to declare more truth, and then ask bigger things!

D. Application?

1. As we pray, do we declare the truth as we know it from Scripture and

from experience?

2. Declaring the truth releases faith to pray more and praying more

releases the truth. May it be so for us.

Passage: Psalm 10 - The Ways of the Wicked

A. Find Out:

1. Where does the Lord appear to be to David? v.1

2. What are the characteristics of the wicked? v.2-11

3. What does the wicked do? v.2-11

4. What does David ask the Lord to do? v.12,15

5. How does he see the Lord? v.16

6. What does the Lord do? v.14,17,18

B. Think :

1. Make a list of a) the characteristics and b) the actions of the wicked, seen

here in v.2-11

2. How does David seek to spur the Lord on to action?

3. How does faith eventually break through in this Psalm?

C. Comment :

As David thinks about the wicked, it seems to him, for a moment, as if the Lord stands at a distance, for He doesn't seem to be there when things are going badly. Lord where are you, is a familiar cry. David is very much aware of the wicked around him, the arrogant, proud and haughty who attack the weak, who do evil and revile the Lord, who seem to "get away with it" so often.

So David calls on the Lord to rise up and come and deal with them, but as he does that he is suddenly conscious of the Lord's activity towards the weak. He helps victims, He helps the fatherless, He helps the oppressed. Yes people do get into all of these conditions but the Lord sees, understands and comes to help. That is a theme that arises again and again in Scripture: God who helps the underdog.

Also as David calls on God to intervene, faith is released and he proclaims the truth concerning the Lord's kingship. Yes the Lord IS King and so the enemies of Israel WILL be dealt with. When we become over-aware of the wicked, we do well to get it in perspective and remember the Lord who reigns, who permits their activity - for the time being!

D. Application?

1. Sin does create evil activity, but the Lord moves in the midst of it to

redeem men and women.

2. The Lord IS king!

Passage: Psalm 12 - Lying Lips

A. Find Out:

1. What appears to have happened? v.1

2. What does everyone appear to be doing? v.2

3. What does David want the Lord to do? v.3

4. What had people been saying? v.4

5. Why was the Lord rising up? v.5

6. Like what are the Lord's words? v.6

B. Think :

1. On what evil does David now focus?

2. Why will the Lord move?

3. What had become the state of the people?

C. Comment :

First of all, let's note what it is that is grieving David, the man after God's own heart. He is very conscious that the quality of life in the nation has declined and there seem to be no people left who could be considered godly (with an open relationship with the Lord) and faithful (to the covenant with God).

Second, see the particular expression of this godlessness and unfaithfulness that David speaks of: lying and deceitful lips. When worship of Him who is the Truth is gone, speaking truth also goes and lies, untruth and deceit abound. People say, "We can say what we like! What does it matter? What is truth?" Does that sound familiar?

Third, observe next it is the Lord who seems to move and speak through David, saying that He will rise up and protect the weak who are oppressed by the godless. The Lord's words are contrasted with the words of the ungodly. His words are without flaw, they are perfect, cannot be criticised, are pure, they are true, so when He speaks and promises something it WILL be so! Again, this Psalm starts with a plea for help and ends with affirmation that God will look after the godly and the righteous. Faith has flowed again as petition has been made.

D. Application?

1. Ungodliness is also characterised by untruth, in words especially.

2. The Lord, by comparison only speaks the truth and His words can be

trusted utterly.

Passage: Psalm 14 - The Fool says...

A. Find Out:

1. What designates a fool? v.1

2. What does the Lord look for? v.2

3. What does He find? v.3

4. What do evil doers do? v.4,6

5. Where is God? v.5

6. What does He do? v.6,7

B. Think :

1. What is the moral state of the people?

2. How many ways are wrong doers described in this Psalm?

3. What does this Psalm tell us about the Lord and wrong doers?

C. Comment :

Yet again in this Psalm, as in a number of previous ones, David is conscious of those who are not righteous. They are described as "corrupt" which means they are bent or twisted or warped from what they were originally designed to be. They do wrong, they don't look to God, they attack those weaker than themselves.

A major aspect of the nature of the wrong doer is that they ignore or reject God. The fool (v.1) is one who is morally deficient (see note in Bible) but that follows from when they say, "There is no God". It is a fool who ignores all the evidence and their own state and rejects the possibility of a God. Often it is because they want to continue in their wicked way that they say this. It is more convenient to think that there is no one to whom you are accountable!

Yet David is aware that the Lord is still there with the righteous and the poor and his cry is that the Lord would come and restore Israel to become a glorious people who rejoice in the wonder of the relationship that they have with the God of heaven who has come to earth to dwell in the midst of His people.

D. Application?

1. Godlessness comes before wickedness (see Romans 1:18). Wickedness

flows when the fool declares there is none to whom he is accountable.

2. God is a refuge to the poor but company for the righteous.

Passage: Psalm 16 - The Lord is my Refuge

A. Find Out:

1. What is David's plea and why? v.1

2. In whom is David blessed and why? v.2,3

3. How, in general, is he blessed? v.5,6

4. What does the Lord do for David? v.7

5. What are the fruits of the Lord's closeness? v.8-10

6. Of what is he assured? v.11

B. Think :

1. What is at the heart of David's blessedness?

2. What practical results does this have?

3. How are idol worshippers contrasted?

C. Comment :

This is a psalm of comfort and assurance. David starts it by saying that he makes the Lord his refuge. Closeness to the Lord is key to everything in this psalm. David says he has nothing else that is good apart from the Lord Himself.

He declares how blessed he is (v.5,6) by the life that the Lord has given him. He is aware of the Lord's presence with him, even at night, and that brings him stability and security. He has a strong sense that the Lord will preserve his life and that brings him daily joy. He has a general sense of the Lord's goodness and the blessedness of being close to that and receiving of it. For him, life is good.

Within this psalm are prophetic echoes. Peter quotes this psalm in his preaching on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:25-28) and Paul was to quote part of it (Acts 13:35), both when they were speaking about the death and resurrection of Jesus. David probably meant v.10 to mean that his own life would be preserved in the immediate future; the apostles took it to refer to Jesus.

The psalm speaks of the intimacy of the believer with God which brings only blessing. The idol worshipper, by contrast, knows only increasing sorrow.

D. Application?

1. All blessings for the believer come from the presence of the Lord.

2. Those blessings include security, stability, life and joy eternal.

Passage: Psalm 17 - Please Help Me

A. Find Out:

1. What actually is this psalm? v.1

2. What is David's request? v.6-9,13,14

3. What had happened? v.9-12

4. What was his confidence? v.3-5

5. In what truths does he rest? v.7b,14b

6. So what is his hope? v.15

B. Think :

1. What causes David to pray?

2. On what grounds does he come to the Lord?

3. What does he ask for?

C. Comment :

This psalm is a clear, straight forward, and simple prayer. Note first of all, the NEED that David had: he was surrounded by enemies who sought to pull him down. Again and again in these early psalms, this same need comes to the surface in David's writing.

Second, note the CONFIDENCE David had: he was righteous! He had resolved to let no wrong be in his heart, on his lips on in his deeds. He felt sure that he had kept to the Lord's paths. But David has a second confidence, that comes from knowing the Lord. He knows the Lord brings salvation, he knows the Lord brings provision for the godly who are needy.

Third, note his REQUEST as he prays this prayer of petition: that the Lord would hear, that He would show His love, that He would keep David, that He would hide him from his enemies, that he would rise up and deal with his enemies and bring them down so that David would be rescued from their attacks.

Finally let's note his FAITH CONCLUSION: that in the end he will know the Lord's presence coming to him. He is sure of that, that having prayed he can rest in the knowledge that the Lord WILL come, and when He comes, David can rest in peace, knowing that God, the Lord, will deal with his enemies.

D. Application?

1. The awareness of having enemies around us, is very real.

2. The solution to this awareness is to cry to the Lord who WILL answer

and come.

Passage: Psalm 27 - I want to live close to God

A. Find Out:

1. How does David describe the Lord and with what effect? v.1

2. Who may come but what does he trust in? v.2,3

3. What is the one thing David asks for and why? v.4-6

4. So what does he cry for? v.7-9

5. What more does he ask for? v.11,12

6. Of what is he confident? v.10,13

B. Think :

1. How do verses 1-3 describe the realities of David's life?

2. How do verses 4-6 describe his yearning?

3. How do verses 7-14 show a growing faith level?

C. Comment :

David's declaration at the beginning of this psalm tells us that his life was one where he needed to resist fear and had enemies to contend with. Yet he can say that though the enemies come against him, he does not need to worry, because the Lord is with him.

His yearning that follows is that he wants to just dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. If this is truly written by David we must note that he lived before there ever was a temple in Jerusalem and so it was more of a reference to the tabernacle which did exist. Simply put, he just wants to be close to God!

The concern he expresses in verses 7-9 is that God might not accept him, yet as he prays he gets an assurance that indeed the Lord will receive him. Then again he asks not to be handed over to his enemies and it is at this point we see why this psalm falls into this grouping: there are those around him who speak falsely against him, who threaten him. He is aware of their powerful presence around him, yet as he prays on he has that sense that the Lord will uphold him and he will survive, it's just a matter of waiting for the Lord to move.

The lesson here, again, is that as we pray , faith is released and we know we will receive what we are asking for - but we need to pray!

D. Application?

1. David knew of unrighteous oppressors around him & trusted God.

2. As we pray faith and assurance is released.

RECAP - "Anguish from Others' Unrighteousness" - Psalms misc

SUMMARY :

In this third group of 9 studies we have seen :

- Psa 4 - in the midst of false worshippers

- Psa 5 - distress in midst of the unrighteous

- Psa 9 - distress at being pursued by the wicked

- Psa 10 - a cry when surrounded by the wicked

- Psa 12 - a cry from the midst of lying people

- Psa 14 - universal unrighteousness and ungodliness

- Psa 16 - God is a refuge in a godless society (Messianic)

- Psa 17 - prayer for protection from slander & gossip

- Psa 27 - a cry to be close to God

COMMENT :

Sometimes some of these psalms are difficult to differentiate in their meaning from the final group that follows, but we have sought to group together these ones that particularly seem to emphasise David's awareness of the ungodly and unrighteous people around him. We see him as a man who frequently had to cope with opposition from those around him who did not have his heart for God. Jesus said we would be persecuted as his followers who are righteous, and David shows us a heart that struggles to cope with that opposition.

LESSONS?

1. A sensitive heart feels for the world and prays.

2. Declaring the truth in prayer releases faith.

3. God works in the midst of the sinful world to redeem.

4. The ungodly pervert the truth; the godly speak only truth.

5. Wickedness follows godlessness.

6. The presence of the Lord brings blessing to the believer.

7. Awareness of evil should prompt us to pray

PRAY :

Take time to pray for the world around you.

PART 4 : "Anguish because of surrounding enemies"

In this final Part we see David's heart cry because of his varied enemies seeking his life. The cry goes deeper!