The Psalms Are Potery to God.. Sunday Notes.... 11-22-20A

I have always felt that “Hymns” were poetry to God…And regardless of how you feel about hymns the Psalms truly are.. The Book of Psalms, which is generally believed to be the most widely read and the most highly treasured of all the books in the Old Testament, is a collection of poems, hymns, and prayers that express the religious feelings of Jews throughout the various periods of their national history. It is likely that the people began to memorize the words of the psalms as in many Christian churches, worshipers knows the lyrics by heart. They can sing the songs acapella or with music. The difference is that Psalms were used for the worship while in our modern contemporary music there is the usage of hymns and praise songs that seem to be more or less disposable and may last a few years and are replaced by others songs.

The Psalms however, will last for eternity.. and so it is the difference between salesman and charlatans who pretend to be leading the worship of the Lord but whose self-serving nature will render the only a flash in the pan..a temporary and superficial bit of the devils work done in the name of Jesus… Instead let us emulate Paul’s first church in Antioch where the words, love and wisdom of Jesus Christ still lives. Let us live enduring lives..lives of substance and righteousness… Peter also urges the early churches to live for God, to take care of each other, and to be on guard: He says……

“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:8-9). You are not alone…

When we encounter the real thing we know it, when we have real understanding we get it and when we have real and true direction we follow it because we are compelled to do so.. We are drawn fiercely to the truth of God when our eyes are open.. though it is not impossible, it is difficult to turn away.. The psalms are songs of joy, songs of life, and authentic poetry to God and all who hear him and understand can sing his praises in accordance to the psalms..

The Book of Psalm was written for the priesthood of Israel to lead the people in worship and or repentance before God.

We find the essence of the Psalms as the love of God, total submission to God and fear of judgement for wickedness, are comingled , in what may be the greatest love story ever written..In singing Ps. 1:4-6, and praying over them, let us possess ourselves with a holy dread of the wicked man’s portion, and deprecate it with a firm and lively expectation of the judgment to come, and stir up ourselves to prepare for it, and with a holy care to approve ourselves to God in every thing, entreating his favour with our whole hearts. .

The doom of the ungodly read, Ps. 1:5. 1. They will be cast, upon their trial, as traitors convicted: They shall not stand in the judgment, that is, they shall be found guilty, shall hang down the head with shame and confusion, and all their pleas and excuses will be overruled as frivolous. There is a judgment to come, in which every man’s present character and work, though ever so artfully concealed and disguised, shall be truly and perfectly discovered, and appear in their own colours, and accordingly every man’s future state will be, by an irreversible sentence, determined for eternity.

As one reads the “introduction” of each psalm like in Psalm 30, one finds context even before reading: “A psalm. A Song for the Dedication of the Temple of David” (NIV). David wrote many of the psalms. When the Levitical priests before the Ark and later before the Temple, they would sing praises to God or lead the people in procession to worship God. The Psalms had music to them, but now the melody has been lost whereby the Psalms record only the words. Albeit words poetic, lovely and powerful..

I Chronicles 16 says this, “He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to extol, thanks, and praise the LORD, the God of Israel….It goes on to describe in some detail how this was to occur… He says:

8 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 12 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, 13 you his servants, the descendants of Israel, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.

14 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 15 He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, 16 the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. 17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: 18 “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.” 19 When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, 20 they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. 21 He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: 22 “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” God be praised.. Praise God almighty….

If you grew up going to church, you already know Psalm 139. Even if you didn’t, parts of it are likely floating around your brain.

I have long thought that the most seductive words are not “I love you,” but “I understand you.” Surely a deep need is expressed by the line, “Thou knowest my downsitting and my uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” That fantasy, of someone who knows your every move—who sees the entire picture—and looks out for you all the same, may be pernicious or childish. But how do we outgrow it? To hear the poem, anyhow, is to feel it powerfully so.

1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,

thou understandest my thought afar off.

3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down,

and art acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue,

but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

5 Thou hast beset me behind and before,

and laid thine hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit?

Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:

if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning,

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me,

and thy right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;

even the night shall be light about me.

12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee;

but the night shineth as the day:

the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

13 For thou hast possessed my reins:

thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

marvellous are thy works;

and that my soul knoweth right well.

15 My substance was not hid from thee,

when I was made in secret,

and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect;

and in thy book all my members were written,

which in continuance were fashioned,

when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:

when I awake, I am still with thee.

19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God:

depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

20 For they speak against thee wickedly,

and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee?

And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred:

I count them mine enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart:

try me, and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.



Psalm 1..1-3

This is a psalm of instruction concerning good and evil, setting before us life and death, the blessing and the curse, that we may take the right way which leads to happiness and avoid that which will certainly end in our misery and ruin. The different character and condition of Godly people and wicked people, those that serve God and those that serve him not, is here plainly stated in a few words; so that every man, if he will be faithful to himself, may here see his own face and then read his own doom.

That division of the children of men into saints and sinners, righteous and unrighteous, the children of God and the children of the wicked one, as it is ancient, ever since the struggle began between sin and grace, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, so it is lasting, and will survive all other divisions and subdivisions of men into high and low, rich and poor, bond and free; for by this men’s everlasting state will be determined, and the distinction will last as long as heaven and hell. \

This psalm shows us, I. The holiness and happiness of a godly man, Ps. 1:1-3. II. The sinfulness and misery of a wicked man, Ps. 1:4, 5. III. The ground and reason of both, Ps. 1:6. Whoever collected the psalms of David (probably it was Ezra) with good reason put this psalm first, as a preface to the rest, because it is absolutely necessary to the acceptance of our devotions that we be righteous before God (for it is only the prayer of the upright that is his delight), and therefore that we be right in our notions of blessedness and in our choice of the way that leads to it. Those are not fit to put up good prayers who do not walk in good ways.

Psalm 23 (ESV)

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

If we ever wondered or doubted the power and protection of the Lord in our lives then we have been shaken considerably. If we wonder today “will He really be there for me if or when I need him in a real way we can be assured this morning that He is there always to protect his children. If we feel alone and up against overwhelming odds and wonder where can we turn then close your eyes and listen to these words..

Psalm 121 (NIV)

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;

8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

In prayer this morning I cannot ask for anything because he knows our every need. He knows our weakness and will give us strength. We wait for his guidance, and all of the gifts that He has bestowed upon us ….that they be revealed to us or that He may provide us with the wisdom to carry them forward and do His work….

“see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

As is in Psalm 19:14

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

We ask these things in Jesus’ name..

Amen