How Do We Study the Bible?
For this lesson, we will return to our study of the book of Psalms.
The Book of Psalms
· It is a collection of Psalms by different authors.
· It is not told as a story—One Psalm does not have to follow the other.
· It is written as Hebrew Poetry. It doesn’t rhyme! It never did! It’s poetry because the second part of a verse retells, or reinforces the first part.
The Psalms are important for several reasons:
1. They contain some of the best praise of God found anywhere in the Bible.
2. They contain prophecies of Christ.
3. They are an outpouring of someone’s heart to God.
4. Their importance is borne out in the fact that many New Testaments come with Psalms.
1. They contain some of the best praise of God found anywhere in the Bible.
(Psa 8 NKJV) O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! {2} Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
(Mat 21:15-16) But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indig-nant {16} and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"
This is a case where praise and prophecy are combined. It is interesting that Jesus cites this as a prophecy, and most of us would probably not have thought of that unless Jesus had explained it to us.
David Continues His Praise:
{3} When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, {4} What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? {5} For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. {6} You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, {7} All sheep and oxen; Even the beasts of the field, {8} The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas.
This passage is quoted in Hebrews as a prophecy of Christ: (How would we have known otherwise?)
(Heb 2:6-9 NKJV) But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him?
{7} You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. {8} You have put all things in subjection under his feet." For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. {9} But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
David concludes the Psalm with praise.
{9} O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
2. They contain prophecies of Christ.
(Psa 2 NKJV) Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? {2} The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
{3} "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us."
(Acts 4:24-28 NKJV) So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: "Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, {25} "who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: 'Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? {26} The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.' {27} "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together {28} "to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.
Their conclusion is far different from that of the Jewish leaders. The Jews thought they had defeated Christ, but the apostles, citing the Psalm, say they accomplished God’s will. I think it is important to understand that prophecy can strengthen our faith as we see God’s will being done.
Psalm 2:4 “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision.
God is in control! His laugh is not the laugh of approval. Instead:
Psalm 2:5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: {6} "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion." {7} "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten1 You.
1to regenerate:--bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered
When was he begotten? I believe the clearest interpretation is that He was begotten when He was conceived and born to Mary.
(Acts 13:33 NKJV) "God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'
{Psalm 2:8} Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. {9} You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'"
This prophecy is Old Testament, but yet to be fulfilled.
(Rev 2:26-27 NKJV) "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations; {27} 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels'; as I also have received from My Father;
This is clearly an Old Testament prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled. In Revelation 2:27, it is still future: 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron.” Many try to explain it away as being figurative language. It is perhaps figurative, but how figurative? “Rod of iron” is symbolic of ruling with force and authority.
We’ve only used one Psalm as an example of “prophecies of Christ,” but let’s move on.
3. They [the Psalms] are an outpouring of someone’s heart to God. I think we appreciate that.
Many are the examples of this, but we’ll choose one of the best known of repentence:
Note the reinforcement of Hebrew poetry:
(Psa 51 NKJV) Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. {2} Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. {3} For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. . . .{7} Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . {10} Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. .{12} Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. . .
{16} For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. {17} The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart; These, O God, You will not despise.
3. They [the Psalms] are an outpouring of someone’s heart to God. (Often David, but not always.) [Another example]
Another example of this is depression:
(Psa 13 NKJV) How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
{2} How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
The NKJV is a very accurate translation of “counsel,” but the NIV may help us get the gist of the meaning. The rest of the verse is basically the same in both translations.
(Psa 13:2 NIV) How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Depressed people sometimes “wrestle with [their] thoughts.”
“To dump or not to dump?” –
That is the first question. The second question is very important: Where can you dump?
There is one safe place to dump: You can dump with God!
Family and friends may listen to you for a time:
They may come to think of you as one who is always whining and complaining, but God will listen to you, and He can help. Listen, as David prays:
{3} Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; {4} Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed against him"; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. {5} But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. {6} I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Why study the Old Testament?
(Rom 15:4 NKJV) For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Why study the Psalms?
The Psalms are important for several reasons:
1. They contain some of the best praise of God found anywhere in the Bible.
2. They contain prophecies of Christ.
3. They are an outpouring of someone’s heart to God.
4. Their importance is borne out in the fact that many New Testaments come with Psalms.
Why not read the Psalms?
The first three items in our list above are timeless. We always need to praise God.
Some prophecies of Christ are fulfilled, others refer to His second coming.
We can always empathize with the outpouring of someone’s heart.
Welcome to my Web site Lessons by Date Order