Baptist Christian Church

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The historical setting for Psalm 54 is connected to the same chain of events described in Psalm 52.  

Are you like David?  Have you ever felt abandoned and betrayed by your family or friends?  Perhaps it was a husband or wife?  Maybe by your children or grandchildren?  Perhaps a close confidant said some hurtful things about you in public and you felt betrayed by your closest ally?  Do you feel as if no one can be trusted or like you have no one by your side?  Like no one really cares for you at all?  Then take a lesson from the king of Israel and turn to God in your bitterest moments of betrayal!  That is what David did and that is what we need to do as well!

There are 3 simple points to consider this morning:

1. The God of the Betrayed in Verse 1-3
   1. Take it to the Lord—In 1855, Joseph Scriven penned an excellent hymn   David takes his desperate feelings directly to God Himself:
      • Make sure we go to God first and foremost.
      • Make sure we pray to God ourselves before we ask others to pray for us
      • Crying out to God like David should be our first response and not our last resort
   2. What’s in a Name? —In verse 1.  What does David mean when he asks God to save him “by your name?”
      1. 2 Key References in Verse 1 and 6—First, David ask God to save him by “his name” and then he says “I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.”
         1. Notice the general name of God is used in verses 1-4.  Then in verse 4 we have the more specific name Adonai mentioned.  But David saves the covenant name for God in verse 6, Yahweh.
         2. The name Yahweh or “Lord” carries the idea of the self-existent, selfsufficient covenant keeping Redeemer God.  
         3. Application—Matthew 19:26
         4. Application 2—When we are betrayed and it seems like it’s impossible for us to recover we must cry out in faith to the self-sufficient Lord of the universe so He will be our all-sufficient in our most desperate moments! 
2. The Prayer of the Betrayed in Verse 2-7—After David asks God to rescue him he prays to God.  The prayer has 5 parts:
   1. He Asks God to Hear Him in Verse 2—We need Christ to enter into God’s presence and ask God anything.  Jesus prayed” Father, I [know] that you always hear me” (John 11:42).
      • Cor. 1:30
      • Colossians 1:27
      • Application—The Bible says we are in Christ and Christ is in us.  And if Jesus says the Father always hears his prayers then that must mean God always hears our prayers!  Come to God making your petitions known in and through Christ!
   2. He Gets Real with God in Verse 3—Some people are reluctant to admit they have a problem because they are worried about what others may think.  Be careful with trying to “save face” with God.
      • Application—Be detailed with God.  If you are facing a hard problem and feeling betrayed, please tell God all about it.  You will find God is always ready to lend an ear to you!
   3. He Recalls Who God Really Is in Verse 4—David doesn’t merely wallow in the mess of his problems like we often do.
      • Peter quotes the next Psalm (55:22) when he says—” casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”—I Peter 5:7 • Isaac Watts says:   Our God, our Help in ages past, Our Hope for years to come; Be thou our Guard while troubles last, And our eternal Home.
      • Application—Because God is self-sufficient, He is my all-sufficient!
   4. He Makes His Request Known in Verse 5—David asks God to execute justice upon his bitter enemies who have betrayed him!
      • There is a time to pray for justice against our enemies
      • There is a time to pray for mercy for our enemies 
   5. He Promises to Make an Offering in Verses 6-7—David is not trying to bribe God.  This offering was a thanksgiving offering given because David knew God would answer his prayers and deliver him!
      • Do we promise to give God special offerings and publish who He is and what He has done for us?
      • This Psalm begins with anxieties and end in praises!  This is what happens to us when we bring our betrayals to God!
      • Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote, “Let us trust that if we are as friendless as this man of God, we may resort to prayer as he did, exercise the like faith, and find ourselves ere long singing the same joyous hymn of praise.”  
3. Conclusion—A Man of Sorrows—We must be careful with making Psalms that are not specifically Messianic all about Jesus.  But the correlations between this Psalm are the life and ministry of Christ are obvious:
   • Save me, O God, by your name; … Strangers are attacking me; … Surely God is my help; … He has delivered me from all my troubles.
   • The Father did hear, did help, and did save Jesus, even as he heard, helped, and saved David. You can be sure that Jesus will also hear, help, and save you.

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This is one of the rare Psalms in which we have a direct historical setting mentioned, please notice the inscription in the heading:

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

This Psalm records a very bitter moment in the life of David.  You may remember David was on the run from king Saul and finds some respite with his dear friend Ahimelech, priest of Nod.  David lied and said Saul sent him on a secret errand.  Ahimelech provided David with the consecrated bread from the table of shewbread and because David had no weapon, Ahimelech gave David the sword of Goliath as it was the only weapon the chief priest had available.

Now, in the middle of the narrative we find a solemn note in verse 7— “Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s head shepherd” (1 Sam. 21:7).

In I Samuel 22, we find king Saul assembling his officials and military guard together.  Saul was feeling sorry for himself because he heard David was gathering supporters in Judah.  Saul’s own son Jonathan had made a covenant with David and Saul probably felt betrayed because of that too.

But, we are then told that Saul’s herdsman Doeg the Edomite was present as well.  And that Doeg sought opportunity to gain favor with Saul by telling the king; “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine” (1 Sam. 22:9–10).

This revelation infuriated Saul and so Saul sent for Ahimelech and accused him of conspiracy.  Ahimelech claimed no one in the kingdom was as loyal to Saul as David.  Also, Ahimelech said he had no idea there was a problem between David and Saul.  When pressed by Saul, Ahimelech told the truth. 

Saul ordered Ahimelech to be killed along with his entire family in I Samuel 22:16. But when Saul ordered his guards to kill the priests they refused out of respect to the Lord and His servants.  

When Saul’s guard would not kill the priests, Saul ordered the wicked Doeg to do the deed and he did; “So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep” (vv. 18–19).

David felt personally responsible for what happened as he confessed his own part in the tragedy; “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your father’s whole family” (I Samuel 22:22).

This tragic story is only mentioned 2 places in Scripture.  I Samuel and Psalm 52.

I Samuel is David’s confession concerning his responsibility for the death of the priests.  Psalm 52 is David’s evaluation of Doeg.

Let us come to understand David’s reflections upon God’s judgment against the evil Doeg so that we may rejoice in God’s perfect justice!   

Sometimes we encounter people who have given themselves over to do evil against their fellow human being so completely we cannot help but cry out to God for justice against them!    

1. A Portrait of Evil Doeg in Verses 1-4—We find a 3-fold description of the Character of the Evil Doeg:
   1. He was proud in verse 1
   2. He loved evil in verse 3
   3. He used words as weapons in verse 4
2. The Perfect Justice of God in Verses 5-7—Sometimes in our lives, we may think evil people get away with their atrocious acts because it seems as if God’s justice is not present.  But this portion of the Psalm contains 2 ideas:
   1. What God will do to Doeg in Judgment in Verse 5—Gods judgement against this evil man is described by 4 verbs:
      1. Break down
      2. Snatch up
      3. Tear away
      4. Uproot
   2. What God’s people will do when they witness God’s judgment in Verses 6-7
      1. The passage says God’s people will “see” and “fear” in verse 6.  This means we will stand in awe of God’s mighty justice.  Also, they will “laugh”.
      2. This does not mean they will have a selfish delight in Doeg’s destruction. But rather God’s people will be completely satisfied with the rightness of God when He intervenes to give justice to those who do great harm to others. 
3. A Polar Opposite in David in Verses 8-9
   1. Beware of self-righteousness
   2. The contrast between David the olive tree and Doeg. — “Olive trees in the groves around the Mediterranean Sea are centuries old, with some dated up to 3500 years.”
   3. Conclusion:   First, he praises God (“I will praise you forever for what you have done,” v. 8). Second, he trusts God for the future (“I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever” and “in your name I will hope, for your name is good,” vv. 8–9). Third, he bears witness of these truths before others (“I will praise you in the presence of your saints,” v. 9).

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Psalm 51

You will also remember the historical setting of Psalm 51; king David had taken Bathsheba the wife of Uriah in an adulterous affair.  Then, he had Uriah killed and covered up the entire thing.  

Please notice the heading given to us at the beginning of this great Psalm:  Read II Samuel 12:115.

*David had committed not 1 but 2 sins of adultery and murder that were punishable by death under O.T. law.  And yet, we find one of the greatest testimonies of God’s incredible forgiveness found anywhere in the Bible.  Psalm 51 has been a source of strength and encouragement for many.

Have you ever found yourself in a bad predicament because of a sin you committed?  If you have then Psalm 51 is for you.  Perhaps you are there now or know what that terrible feeling is like.  Perhaps you know someone suffering from theirs sins!  Let us learn from a man after God’s own heart how we can properly confess and be restored back to a right relationship with God after our grievous sin!

In the first 9 verses we find 3 important points to consider:

1. A Cry for Help in Verses 1-2—David begins with crying out to God in his sinful state.  David is genuine, intuitive, passionate and profound.  There are 2 key points which characterize David’s cry to God for help:
   1. A Desperate Clinging to God’s Grace and Mercy in Verse 1—This is the foundation for a right relationship to God…We only way we dare to come to God is in light of His grace and mercy.  
      1. Where did David learn of God’s mercy? —From God’s own Word!  “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion”— Exodus 33:19.  
      2. Application—According to this passage the most important thing sinners need to know, the very essence of God to us; is God’s mercy and grace.
      3. 3 key words—Describe God’s character and behavior towards sinners:
         1. “Mercy”—God pities us in our sins and bestows forgiveness 
         2. “Unfailing Love”—God is continuously relating to us in grace and mercy
         3. “Compassion”—Teaches us that God feels for our infirmities   
      4. Application—Let us always keep in mind that this is what God is actually like.  Oftentimes, when we sin we run from God.  David runs to God.
   2. A Deep Awareness of Sin—There are 3 key words which describe how God relates to sinners.  Now we have 3 key words for how we relate to God in our sin:
      1. “Transgression”—This word has to do with overstepping the line. Crossing a forbidden boundary in serious rebellion.
         1. Illustration—” Julius Caesar…  
      2. “Iniquity”—This word means ‘perversion’ or ‘crooked’.  This is the word also used in verse 5 and deals primarily with our sin nature.
      3. “Sin”—This word means “to miss the mark” and is a term used in archery. And carries the idea of an arrow falling short of its target.  
      4. Remember—Psalms 32 and 51 are related.  But, Psalm 32 was written sometime later after a good bit of reflection and time to consider what happened when David sinned against God, Bathsheba and Uriah.  Psalm 51 was written almost immediately after Nathan revealed David’s sin and “breathes with the breath of the moment”  
2. A Confession of Sin in Verses 3-6—Did you notice the emphasis on “3” in this Psalm?  3 key words describe how God relates to us, 3 key words describe how we sin against God and now 3 strong statements:
   1. I am aware of my sin in Verse 3—Exactly how “aware” was David of his sin?— Psalm 32:3-4
   2. I know I have sinned in Verse 4—Perhaps one of the most often misquoted passages in this Psalm.  David is NOT saying that he only sinned against God alone.  Rather David is saying the root and foundation of all sin is against God Himself.  
   3. I confess my sin nature in Verse 5—We must come to God in confession not merely for what we do but for what we are.  As one commentator says “He lays on himself the blame of a tainted nature instead of that of a single fault.”  
   4. Inward and Outward in Verse 6—God desires inward purity.  In Psalm 51, the sinner has 2 needs: pardon for sin and purity of heart.
3. A Cleansing from Sin in Verses 7-9—The emphasis on “3” continues with David asking God to 3 things which were first mentioned in Verses 1-2:
   1. “Cleanse me with hyssop” in Verse 7
   2. “Wash Me” in Verse 7
   3. “Blot out all my iniquities” in Verse 9
      1. Application— “Blot out” refers to removing writing from a book— “There are certain ancient Bible manuscripts… They are pieces of papyrus (or some other ancient book material) that at one time contained a different text. But because this text was no longer needed and the material on which it was written was expensive, someone rubbed out the old writing, turned the sheet sideways, and wrote new words. This is what David wanted and what we all desperately need. The books of our lives have been written upon with many sins, and these stand as a terrible indictment against us. Unless something is done, they are going to be read out against us at the last day. But God can and will do something, if we ask him. God will rub out the ancient writing, turn the pages sideways, and write over the newly prepared surface the message of his everlasting compassion through the work of Jesus Christ”

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Psalm 49

Perhaps no other portion of the Bible more effectively illustrates Psalm 49 than the parable of Christ in Luke 12:13-21—Psalm 49 is essentially a commentary upon the Rich Fool Parable. 

Psalm 49 explores the answer to the riddle posed in verses 5 and 6—Why should I fear in the days of trouble, when the iniquity of my deceivers surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth, and in the abundance of their riches boast?

Let us come to search out the answer to the riddle of human life, death and prosperity!

In a day and age when it seems as if very powerful political elites seek to rule our world, Psalm 49 offers hope and encouragement to the people of God regarding the final fate of wealthy people who trust in their riches!

1. A Misplaced Trust in Uncertain Riches in Verses 1-6
   1. A Call to All to Hear in Verse 1—The phrase “inhabitants of the world” is not world in the sense of the ball of dirt and oxygen which swirls around the sun.  This “world” in its basic meaning, has to do with life, with lifetime, with the space and time in which human beings live. Thus, a better translation for this phrase might be “all of the inhabitants of this life.”
   2. Indiscriminate Audience in Verse 2—The entire realm of humanity!    
   3. The Value of True Wisdom in Verses 3 & 4—All the language you see here suggests how to properly live for God and discernment.  The purpose of this great Psalm is to solve the riddle of verse 4!
      1. The Words “Wisdom” and “Understanding”—Deal with proper conduct and discernment in life.
      2. The Words “Proverb” and “Riddle”—Deal with the way in which the Psalmist will disclose said wisdom and understanding.
   4. The Puzzling Riddle in Verses 5 & 6—Why should I fear in the days of trouble? For the Psalmist the “days of trouble” are when “the iniquity of deceivers surrounds”.  In our modern terms the Psalmist is asking “should I fear the words and deeds ofpowerful, oppressive wealthy people which threaten our existence every day?”
2. The Inescapable Reality of Death in Verses 7-12
   1. True Equality in Verse 7—The declaration the Psalmist makes is that all humanity must face death and they cannot buy their way out of it.
   2. The Passover—This passage probably has Exodus 13:12-15 There is only One Who can pay the price of redemption to save us from Sheol and that is God Himself!
   3. The Point—Even the wealthy do not have enough riches to pay the ransom to redeem themselves from the inevitable fate of all humanity—death, the pit (v. 9).
   4. Illustration—Imagine a future in which a machine can scan your brain and migrate the essentials of your mind to a computer. It’s called mind uploading— preserving a person’s consciousness in a digital afterlife —An article from the Wall Street Journal Written by Michael S.A. Graziano on Sept. 13^th 2019.  Dr. Graziano is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Princeton University.
   5. Illustration #2—”The French atheist and scourge of Christianity, Voltaire, was a very rich man…  
   6. You Can’t Take It With You in Verses 10-11—The point is that death is inevitable and that, when it comes, we must leave everything behind.  Two men met in a streetcar one day and began to talk about a millionaire whose death had been announced in that morning’s paper. “How much did he leave?” one asked the other.  “Everything he had!” replied his companion.  Years ago, when burial customs were a bit different from what they are now, people used to make the same point when they said, “Shrouds have no pockets.”—Dr. Boice  
   7. Illustration—Ancient Egyptians believed if they made hieroglyphs and placed statues and other treasures in their tombs they would be take their wealth with them.  Psalm 49 may be viewed as a polemic against that kind of thinking.  
   8. The Answer to the Riddle in Verses 13-15—The answer is found in the phrase Why should I fear? The answer given is, “You should not fear because, Like sheep, to Sheol they are appointed” (v. 14).  
3. The Great Contrast in Verses 13-15
   1. Those who trust in Riches—You do not have to have wealth to perish because of wealth.  Notice “their followers” in verse 13.  Those who make wealth and riches the pursuit of their life will inevitably find themselves in ruin.  We must give ourselves to seeking out spiritual things.
      1. Death Shall be their Shepherd in Verse 14.  This is perhaps the strongest condemnation against the unredeemed who place their trust in uncertain riches.  Contrast this verse with the opening lines of Psalm 23.  You can either have the Lord or death as your shepherd.
      2. Illustration:  The Grim Reaper shall be your shepherd! 
   2. Those who trust in God in Verse 15.  Notice the phrase “But God”.  

Conclusion:   

“In its position in Book Two of the Psalter, might the words of Psalm 49 be words of admonition to King Solomon? Book One focuses on David. In Book Two, David moves to the background as his son and successor, Solomon, assumes control of the kingdom. Solomon was a great king, known far and wide for his wisdom and his riches (1 Kings 3–10). But Solomon was not without his flaws. We read in 1 Kings 11:

King Solomon loved many foreign women … when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not true to the LORD his God … then the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel. (1 Kgs. 11:1, 4, 9)

Indeed, Solomon could boast in his riches and could claim great wisdom. But, in the end, he turned away from God and did not find favor in God’s eyes. As the proverb goes: A human being with such wealth cannot have insight … (Ps. 49:12).

Psalm 49 reminds the hearer that wealth and position and boasting do not give one position in the realm of God. Craigie writes, “The wisdom teacher in Ps 49 eliminates two possible kinds of human fear: the fear of foes in times of trial (v. 5) and the fear that the wealthy have some kind of advantage in the face of death (v. 17).” The reverence of the Lord is the path to wisdom and meaning in life, the message echoed by Jesus in Luke 12: “Do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying … instead, strive for [God’s] kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:29, 31)—NANCY DECLAISSÉ-WALFORD