Ruth Study

Psalms Book 1 (Psalms 1-42) – Psalms of David

Aug. 24, 2024 version

The Psalms (psalmoi in Greek) were poetic songs sung to music. It can be considered an ancient Hebrew hymnal. While western poetry rhymes in sound, Hebrew poetry doesn't it rhymes in thought. But if you think about it, perhaps thought makes more sense. Anyway, It is hard to define "the one" key value of psalms, because there are so many important things in Psalms. You can benefit from studying Psalms on many levels.

Doctrine: Psalms has a lot on what we are to believe.

Practice: Both by direct teaching and example, Psalms shows us what we are and are not to do, whether regarding moral purity, the discipline of praying to God, or how to pray to God.

Prophecies relating to the Messiah.

Nevertheless, as important as these things are, I do not think they are the most important point. These things could have been covered in a more straightforward, simpler style, such as in Deuteronomy or Romans. The Book of Psalms, more than any other Old Testament book, teaches us, by example, the precious truth of our having a real relationship with the Living God. We learn doctrine, practice, prophecies, and other things in the context of praising, confessing, crying out, and in general praying to God. We see how the writers feel as well as thinks, and we see how God answers. The books of Psalms and 1 and 2 Samuel are perfect balances; each contributing to the understanding of the other.

Yes God's Word is true, wise, and ought to be obeyed, but we miss out on a significant dimension of our spiritual life if we forget that God's way is so beautiful, as He cares for His people. Let's learn more about how to relate with God.

There are five classes of Psalms, and some psalms are in more than one class: Historical, Messianic, Prophetic, Penitential or Confessional, and Imprecatory. See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.547 for more info.

Messianic Psalm	Description	Fulfillment
Psalm 2:7	The Son of God	Mt 3:17
Psalm 8:2	Children will praise Him	Mt 21:15-16
Psalm 8:6	Ruler of all	Heb 2:8
Psalm 16:10	Rises from death	Mt 28:7
Psalm 22:1	Forsaken by God	Mt 27:46
Psalm 22:7-8	Derided by enemies	Lk 23:35
Psalm 22:16	Pierced His hands and feet	Jn 20:27
Psalm 22:18	Lots cast for clothes	Mt 27:35-36
Psalm 34:20	Bones not broken	Jn 19:32-33,36
Psalm 35:11	Accused by false witnesses	Mk 14:57
Psalm 35:19	Hated without cause	Jn 15:25
Psalm 40:7-8	Delights in God's will	Heb 10:7
Psalm 41:9	Betrayed by a friend	Lk 22:47
Psalm 45:6	The eternal king	Heb 1:8
Psalm 68:18	Ascends to heaven	Acts 1:9-11
Psalm 69:9	Zealous for God's house	Jn 2:17
Psalm 69:21	Given vinegar and gall	Mt 27:34
Psalm 109:4	Prays for enemies	Lk 23:34
Psalm 109:8	His betrayer replaced	Acts 1:20
Psalm 110:1	Rules over His enemies	Mt 22:44
Psalm 110:4	A priest forever	Heb 5:6
Psalm 118:22	The chief stone of God's building	Mt 21:42
Psalm 118:26	Comes in the name of the Lord	Mt 21:9

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.546 for more info.

As the Believer's Bible Commentary p.546 quotes from an anonymous author: "The harp of David still sounds in our ears, and the Holy Ghost has crystallized for us the prayers and praises of the son of Jesse. Someone said that architecture was music frosted. The Psalms are the music of the heart, sometimes plaintive and sad, sometimes joyous and jubilant, sometimes full of darkness and anguish, sometimes tranquil and happy, the music of David's soul, preserved by the Spirit that, hearing it, we may feel encouraged to draw nigh to God."

There are a number of psalms that were written or connected to other events in the Bible.

Psalm	Other scripture
Psalm 1	2 Chronicles 22:5 (allusion)
Psalm 1	Jeremiah 17"5-8 (allusion)
Psalm 59	1 Samuel 19:11
Psalm 56	1 Samuel 21:10-15
Psalm 34	1 Samuel 21:10-22:2
Psalm 52	1 Samuel 22:9
Psalm 7	(maybe) 1 Samuel 23:24-29
Psalm 57	1 Samuel 22:1-2 or 1 Samuel 24
Psalm 142	(maybe) 1 Samuel 22:1-2 or 1 Samuel 24
Psalm 60	2 Samuel 8:8,13; 1 Chronicles 18:9-12
Psalm 18	almost identical to 2 Samuel 22
Psalm 51	2 Samuel 11-12
Psalm 3	2 Samuel 15-18
Psalm 63	2 Samuel 15:23
Psalm 30	(maybe) 1 Chronicles 21:1-22:1
Psalm 82	John 10:34-36 "I have said you are gods"

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.783 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.83,431 for more info.

We don't know some of the words in the headings in Psalms. Some words refer to musical instruments, but we are not exactly sure which ones, or if those instruments even exist today. Selah, derived from "lifted up" could mean "crescendo", "louder / forte", a musical interlude, or "amen". It kind of gives you goosebumps to think that you are observing a part of worship that is 3,000 years old!

Who wrote the all of the psalms?

Jesus said a few of the psalms were by David; but we do not know who wrote many of them. Of the 150 psalms in our Bible, 101 of them have captions added giving the author. 73 of them are said to be by David, 2 by Solomon, 12 by the sons of Korah, and 12 are said to be by Asaph. However, the captions were added later, and could be incorrect. the others we

Pre-Nicene writers who referred to Psalms

Jerish writer Philo (15/20 B.C.-50 A.D.)	*Treatise Against Novatian* (250-257 A.D.)
The Jewish Council of Jamnia (70 A.D.)	*Treatise on Rebaptism* (c.250-258 A.D.)
Clement of Rome (96-98 A.D.)	Cyprian of Carthage (c.246-258 A.D.)
*Epistle of Barnabas* (c.70-130 A.D.)	Firmilian of Caesarea (256 A.D.)
Justin Martyr (c.138-165 A.D.)	Dionysius of Alexandria (246-265 A.D.)
Melito of Sardis (170-177/180 A.D.)	Dionysius of Rome (259-269 A.D.) (allusion)
Theophilus of Antioch (168-181/188 A.D.)	Adamantius (c.300 A.D.)
*Muratorian Canon* (190-217 A.D.)	Victorinus of Petau (martyred 304 A.D.) (allusion)
Clement of Alexandria (193-202 A.D.)	Methodius (260-311/312 A.D.)
Tertullian (198-220 A.D.)	Athanasius of Alexandria (318 A.D.)
Hippolytus (222-235/236 A.D.)	Lactantius (c.303-c.325 A.D.)
Theodotus the probable Montanist (ca.240 A.D.)	Alexander of Alexandria (313-326 A.D.)
Origen (225-254 A.D.)	Eusebius of Caesarea (c.318-325 A.D.)
Novatian (252-254/257 A.D.)

Earliest manuscripts of Psalms

Among the Dead Seqa Scrolls 36 to 39 copies	p72 (ca.300 A.D.)
A Dead Sea scroll commentary on Psalm37	Vaticanus (B) (325-350 A.D.)
Masada (50 B.C. to 50 A.D.) (Psalm 81-85:5; 150:1b-6)	Sinaiticus (Si) (340-350 A.D.)
Nahal Hever (50 B.C. to 100 A.D.)	Alexandrinus (=A) (c.450 A.D.)
Psalms Bodleian fragment (2nd or 3rd century A.D.)

An outline of Psalms

A: Psalms is expressly divided into five "books". Within each book the individual psalms do not necessarily have a topical relationship with preceding or succeeding psalms. Here is an overall outline.

Book 1: Psalms 1-41. The headings say David wrote all these psalms except for 1, 2, 10, 30, and 33, which are anonymous, but probably are by David.

Book 2: Psalms 42-72. Primarily psalms by the sons of Korah, followed by those of Asaph, followed by those of David. Psalm 72 is by Solomon.

Book 3: Psalms 73-89. Psalms 73-83 are said to be by Asaph. Psalms 84-88 are by the sons of Korah, and Psalm 89 is by Ethan the Ezrahite.

Book 4: Psalms 90-106. 102 and 103 are by David, and the rest are anonymous.

Book 5: Psalms 107-150. 108-110, 122, 131, 133, 138, 140-145 are by David. Psalms 120-134 are called "Psalms of Ascents", and were recited when traveling up to Jerusalem or else by priests walking while performing their duties.

Psalm 1 – Two kinds of plant matter, or where do you walk, stand, and sit?

1. In Ps 1, what is unusual about this psalm?

2. What is an outline of Ps 1?

3. In Ps 1:1, how do some walk according to the counsel of the ungodly?

4. In Ps 1:1, what is the difference between non-godly advice and ungodly advice?

5. In Ps 1:1, how do some today stand in the way of sinners?

6. In Ps 1:1, how do some today sit in the seat of the scornful?

7. In Ps 1:1, when is it good, or at least OK, to mock or scorn today?

8. In Ps 1, what are ten ways people are blessed who meditate on the law of the Lord?

9. In Ps 1:2, how are believers to delight in the law of the Lord?

10. In Ps 1:3, how are those who delight in God's law like well-watered trees?

11. In Ps 1:5, what is the difference between not standing and not sitting?

12. In Ps 1:6, does the Lord know the way of the wicked, too?

13. In Ps 1:6, how does the way of the wicked perish, and not only that the wicked perish?

Psalm 2 – When authority takes its stand against the King

1. In Ps 2:1, how do nations rage and kings of the earth take their stand?

A: __________________________________________________________________________

Here is a partial list of persecutions of Christians.

Date	Persecution	1,000's killed
50-323 A.D.	10 Early Christian Persecutions	50
525 A.D.	Christians flee Ethiopian Jewish persecution
527-568	Justinian persecutes Monophysites in Egypt
700-	Muslims persecute Christians
978-1000	Jewish Queen Judith of Axum persecutes Christians
1000-	Persecution of Waldenses
10th -12th cent.	Burning and killing heretics in Europe
1100-1300	Mongols kill most Nestorian Christians
1211	At Strasbourg, Waldenses burned	0.08
1252	Innocent IV's bull for torture to detect heresy
1261-1331	Dominicans bring in the Inquisition
1232	Dominican Inquisition under Albert
1233	Inquisition instituted by Gregory IX
1309	Venice under heresy for opposing Clement V
1415-16	In Czechoslovakia, the Hussites revolt
1419-34	Crusade against Hussites in Hungary
1431	Hussites scare off large Holy Roman Empire army
1480	Spanish Inquisition by Ferdinand and Isabella
1487-88	Crusade against the Waldenses
1527	Mantz and other Anabaptists killed in Zurich
1527-1753	Anabaptists killed in Switzerland
1545	Waldenses persecuted in Italy
1555-60	Waldenses persecuted in Italy
1562	At Toulouse, French kill Huguenots	4
1576-93	In France, Catholics and Huguenots fight
1618-48	Thirty years war kills 1/3 of Germans	7000
1600's	Spanish Inquisition	50
1629-69	"Trample the crucifix" persecution in Japan
1637	Japanese + Dutch artillery crush Christians
1655	Many Waldenses killed in Italy and France
1753-1810	Mennonites sold as galley slaves by the Swiss to the French and Venetian fleets	0
1808	Napoleon ends the Spanish Inquisition
1820-41	Christians persecuted in Vietnam
1870-90	Guatemala persecutes priests; only 100 remained
1915-	Persecution of Christians under Communism
1940-1946	Nazis kill Jews and Protestants and Catholics who helped them
c.1950	Chinese Communists persecute Christians
1956	Protestants persecuted in Colombia
1976	Catholics murdered in Guatemala	1,000's
1990-	Severe persecution in Sudan by Muslims
1998-	Muslims violently persecute Christians in Indonesia
1998-	Muslims mildly persecute Christian churches in Uzbekistan	probably 0

2. In Ps 2:1, why do peoples plot in vain?

3. In Ps 2:1-3, why do some people have a real problem accepting authority today?

4. In Ps 2:2, since this is a coronation psalm, what is the purpose of a coronation?

5. In Ps 2:1-12, how do we know that this refers to the Messiah?

6. In Ps 2:3, what are the chains and fetters discussed here?

7. In Ps 2:4, when does God scoff at kings or scorn other unbelievers?

8. In Ps 2:4-6, when should we warn God's enemies not to oppose Him?

9. In Ps 2:7, How is Jesus declared to be God's Son?

10. In Ps 2:10, why do some persist in foolish plans that are obviously foolish to an unbiased person?

11. In Ps 2:12, since Jesus is patient, how can His wrath flare up in a moment?

12. In Ps 2:12, how can people be blessed who take refuge in someone whose wrath flares up in a moment?

Psalm 3 – A psalm when betrayed

1. In Ps 3:1-8, was David a little paranoid here?

2. In Ps 3:1-8, when people question if we are too old to manage what we are managing, plus we are suffering the consequences of poor, wicked decisions we made earlier, what should we do?

3. In Ps 3:1-2, what are the kinds of opposition David faced?

4. In Ps 3:3, 7:10; 18:2,30; 28:7; 33:20; 59:11; 84:11; 115:9-11; 119:14; 144:2, what need to we have for a shield, and how is God our shield?

5. In Ps 3:4-5, what can you say to someone who is too stressed to go to sleep?

6. In Ps 3:7; Ps 5:10; Ps 7:6; Ps 28:4; Ps 35:1-8; Ps 54:5; Ps 55:15; Ps 58:6-8,10; Ps 59:5,12-13; Ps 68:21-23; Ps 69:15,22-25,27-28; Ps 79:12; Ps 83:9-17; Ps 109:1,7-15; Ps 137:8-9; Ps 141:10, should we pray for God to harm our enemies?

7. In Ps 3:7-8, what is important about righteous David's call for help to God here?

Psalm 4 – That those who disparage God would repent

1. When was Psalm 4:1-8 written?

2. In Ps 4:1-8, what is a summary of what David is saying here?

3. In Ps 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, 8:1, 9:1, 12:1, etc. before the psalm, what are these things: Neginoth, Gittith, etc.?

4. In Ps 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, 8:1, 9:1, 12:1, etc. apart from the Bible, when do we know that musical instruments were first used?

5. In Ps 4:1, in what ways is God our righteousness?

6. In Ps 4:1 and Ps 5:1, why do we have to ask God to hear our prayer, since He already hears everything? Come to think of it, if God were not hearing our prayer, there would be no point in speaking to someone who did not hear you.

7. In Ps 4:2, how do men turn David's glory into shame?

8. In Ps 4:2, how do some people today love what is worthless?

9. In Ps 4:2, why would anyone actually seek delusions?

10. How does Ps 4:4 relate to Eph 4:26 and Ps 37:8?

Psalm 5 – Dedication to start the day

1. In Ps 5:1-3, David is saying he has the discipline of meditating and speaking to God every morning. What good habits should we form every morning?

2. In Ps 5:2 what is touching about how David addresses God?

3. In Ps 5:3 and on, what is a key principle of prayer here?

4. In Ps 5:4-6, 9-10, why does David have such a focus on the wicked doings, and should we?

5. In Ps 5:4-6, what does this say about God's emotions?

6. In Ps 5:5-6, since God abhors bloodthirsty and evil men, why did God take mercy on Saul of Tarsus, who later changed his name to Paul?

7. In Ps 5:5, how does God hate all who do wrong?

8. In Ps 5:7, how could David look forward to worshiping toward God's holy temple, which was not built until Solomon's kingship?

9. In Ps 5:9, what is God saying about some people?

10. In Ps 5:9, what is an open sepulchre or tomb?

11. In Ps 5:11-12 and Ps 6:8-10, what is a key point of these psalms?

12. In Ps 5:5-12, what is the secondary message, or counterpoint, in this psalm, sort of "hiding in plain sight"?

13. In Ps 5:5-12, how did you feel when someone surprisingly was not loyal to you?

14. In Ps 5:5-12, what can you do to both appear and actually be more loyal to people and things you should be loyal to?

Psalm 6 – Double Trouble: Praying for Victory over sickness and evil

3. In Ps 6:1, what does the Hebrew word "sheminith" mean?

2. In Ps 6:1-10, what two things are troubling David?

3. In Ps 6:1-10, what kind of psalm is this?

4. In Ps 6:4-7, when should you just bear up under an adverse condition vs. pray for deliverance?

5. In Ps 6:5, what do you think of David's argument that he can't serve God any more on earth if he dies?

6. In Ps 6:5 and Ps 115:17, do the dead not remember God?

Psalm 7 – Trusting the righteousness of God

1. In Ps 7:1, what do we know about when this psalm was written and Cush the Benjamite?

2. In Ps 7:1, what is David's trouble here?

3. In Ps 7:3-5, since David prayed that enemies kill him if he rewarded evil to him who was at peace with him, why did this not happen after he had Uriah the Hittite murdered?

4. In Ps 7:7-8, when David asked God to judge him according to his own righteousness, does this prove that good works saved in Old Testament times?

5. In Ps 7:8, did David wanting to be judged according to his own righteousness an example of works righteousness?

6. In Ps 7:11, is God a happy being, since He expresses His wrath every day?

7. In Ps 7:14-16, 9:15; 35:8; 57:6; Prov 26:27, what are some ways people who conceive trouble get the trouble turned back on them?

Psalm 8 – Having perspective and the majesty of God

1. In Ps 8:1-9, what is the structure of this psalm?

2. In Ps 8:1-2, what four things do these two verses say about God's majesty?

3. In Ps 8:1, how is God's name excellent "in all the earth", since all the earth do not know and recognize Him, then or now?

4. In Ps 8:2, how has God ordained praise out of the mouth of babes?

5. In Ps 8:3, since everything [allegedly] started by random chance from the Big Bang", how do the heavens praise God?

6. In Ps 8:4, how does denying God degrade humanity"?

7. In Ps 8:4, given the advances in the field of artificial intelligence in computers, are we close to making computers that can think like humans?

8. In Ps 8:4 have advances in regular and hybrid neural network technology produced computer programs that think similarly to humans?

9. In Ps 8:4, have advances in expert systems software program made computers that reason similarly to humans?

10. In Ps 8:4, have advances in software programs such as the "Eliza" software program made computers that reason similarly to humans?

11. In Ps 8:4 it talks about man, but from Ps 8:5-9 it switches to God or Jesus. Am I correct?

Psalm 9 – Singing praise for the victories of the Lord

1. In Ps 9:1-20, what is interesting about the structure of this psalm?

2. In Ps 9:1, does God ever want us to be boastful?

3. In Ps 9:5-6, what is significant about destroying even the memory of them?

4. In Ps 9:5, since God has rebuked the heathen, how severe is the rebuke, since a lot of the heathen never knew it?

5. In Ps 9:9, 18:2; 46:7; 48:3; 59:9,16-17; 62:2,6; 94:22; 144:2; what is a "stronghold" or "refuge" for us?

6. In Ps 9:13f, what are the gates of death here?

7. In Ps 9:16; Ps 32:4,5,7; 45:11, 47:4; 48:8; 49:13,15; 50:6; 52:3,5; 54:3; 55:7; 55:19; 57:6; 60:4; 61:4; 62:4; 66:4,7,25; 68:7; 75:3; 76:3,9; 77:3,9, 84:4; 85:2; 76:3,6; 88:7,10; 89:4; 89:37,45,48, 143:6; 140:3,8, what does "selah" mean?

8. In Ps 9:19, should we pray for God's justice? If nobody does, then will it still come?

9. In Ps 9:20, why does God put fear into some people?

Psalm 10 – Struggling with the prospering of the wicked

1. In Ps 10:1 and other passages, why does God sometimes appear to be far off and not to do anything?

2. In Ps 10:3, should this word be "bless" or curse"?

3. What does Ps 10:5-7 says about the arrogance of the wicked?

4. What does Ps 10:8-10 say about the stealth of the wicked?

5. What does Ps 10:15 mean by breaking the arm of the wicked?

Psalm 11 – David's trust and hope

1. In Ps 11:1, when might we have a temptation to metaphorically "flee" today?

2. In Ps 11:1-3 how should we handle the temptation to flee when we should not, and when should we flee?

3. In Ps 11:3, what foundation is this verse mentioning?

Psalm 12 – Lying tongues vs. pure words from pure lips

1. In Ps 12:1, what is interesting about the transition between this and the previous psalm?

2. In Ps 12:1-8, how did David go from confidence in God beholding the righteous in Ps 11 to this psalm?

3. In Ps 12:1-8, why is this short psalm of disappointment in the Bible?

4. In Ps 12:2-4, what specifically are the sins of the tongue that God calls out here?

5. In Ps 12:8, how is vileness exalted, then and today?

Psalm 13 – How long?

1. In Ps 13:1-2, why do you think David says "how long" four times?

2. In Ps 13:1-2, is it OK for us to pray "how long" prayers to God?

3. In Ps 13:1-2, why does God sometimes seem far from us, or does not hear us?

4. In Ps 13:1-2, what can we do to have a lot more patience?

5. In Ps 13:4, how do you react when you have hopelessness of impending defeat?

Psalm 14 – How foolish some people are

1. In Ps 14:1, what kind of fool is this?

2. In Ps 14:1:1-7, what are the parts of this psalm?

3. In Ps 14:1, why are fools criticized so much in the Bible?

4. In Ps 14:1, since nobody does good, what about Noah, Abraham, and Moses, not to mention David?

5. In Ps 14:4, how do the wicked eat up people as they eat bread?

Psalm 15-16 – Who is in God's pleasure?

1. In Ps 15:1-5, what is a summary of this psalm?

2. Does Ps 15:1-5 refer to only sinless people, or godly people who are still sinful?

3. In Ps 15:1, what feeling is demonstrated here?

4. In Ps 15:4, today are we supposed to despise vile people?

5. In Ps 15:4, why should we honor our word, even when it is to our detriment?

6. In Ps 15:5, what is usury?

7. In Ps 16:1, what does this say about "close calls"?

8. In Ps 16:2-4, why would people choose sorrow over happiness?

9. In Ps 16:2, why does David say that apart from God he has no good thing?

10. In Ps 16:4, Ex 23:13, what does this say about idol gods?

11. In Ps 16:5-6, what are "assigned lots" here?

12. In Ps 16:8; 15:5, what is the significance of "shall not be moved"?

13. In Ps 16:8-10, who is the Holy One here?

Psalm 17 – Lord, hide me in your shadow

1. In Ps 17:1, what are feigned/deceitful lips?

2. In Ps 17:1, what is the difference between "not lying too much" and not having deceitful lips?

3. In Ps 17:1-6, how should we handle it when something very bad, or potentially very bad, happens to us, and we know we did nothing to deserve it?

4. In Ps 17:4-5, how should we, like David, pray to be kept from evil paths that our feet might not slip?

Psalm 18 – God delivers us

1. In Ps 18:1-50, what is this psalm about?

2. In Ps 18:1-50, what is the structure of this psalm?

3. In Ps 18:1-2, what is the difference between loving God with all your strength, and loving God who is our strength?

4. In Ps 18:9, how is the darkness / dark clouds under God's feet?

5. In Ps 18:32,34, why does God need to strengthen us and prepare our hands for war, since God Himself saves us and is our strength in Ps 18:2,17-19?

6. In Ps 18:34 how does God train our hands for war today, since Jesus is the prince of peace?

7. In Ps 18:20, when David said God dealt with him according to his righteousness and clean

8. In Ps 18:20-21, what is this saying about our trials?

9. In Ps 18:46, how can God be the Rock in your life today?

10. In Ps 18:49 and Rom 15:9, how is this referring to Christ?

11. What are Ps 18:1-50 and 2 Samuel 22 so similar?

Psalm 19 – Two Revelations of God

1. In Ps 19:1-4, how far are the stars from us?

2. In Ps 19:1-6, what can nature show us about God?

3. In Ps 19:1, can the Gospel be seen in the stars?

4. In Ps 19:1-6 and Ps 19:7-12, why are these two parts together?

5. In Ps 19:3-4, what kind of knowledge is David talking about here?

6. In Ps 19:5-6, is there anything unique about the sun as a star?

7. In Ps 19:7-8, exactly how do knowing and obeying God's commands give joy to our hearts and enlighten our eyes?

8. In Ps 19:10a, how is God's word like fine gold?

9. In Ps 19:10, how might a Christian's life be different if they really believed this verse and valued God, His status, and judgments as of greater worth than gold vs. the other way around?

10. In Ps 19:11-12 and Jms 1:23-25, what is an important function of God's word here?

11. In Ps 19:12-13, what is the difference between secret/hidden faults and presumptuous/willful errors, and who are the secret faults secret from anyway?

12. In Ps 19:14, can some of our prayers and meditations be more acceptable to God than others? What would make them so?

Psalm 20 – Entreating God before the Battle

1. In Ps 20:1, what is the context of this psalm?

2. In Ps 20:1-9, what is the structure of this psalm?

3. In Ps 20:4, when will God give you the desires of your heart?

4. In Ps 20:7, since David saw a need to have chariots and horses too, what is the difference between trusting in those and trusting in God?

Psalm 21 – Rejoicing in God after the Battle

1. How does Ps 21:1-13 relate to Ps 20?

2. In Ps 21:1, exactly when was the war or battle they were praying about?

3. In Ps 21:1-13, what is the structure?

4. In Ps 21:7, ultimately what is David trusting in?

5. In Ps 21:9; 79:5; 89:46; 97:3, how is God's wrath like fire?

6. In Ps 21:10, why will God destroy from the earth descendants of evil people?

Psalm 22 – The praise of hope when feeling forsaken

1. In Ps 22:1-31, what is the structure of this psalm?

2. In Ps 22:1-2, how would you respond if you felt forsaken by God's blessing, and God was silent?

3. Was Ps 22 written in the context of hard times when the Jews were exiled from the land, did not have access to the temple, and David was on the run from his enemies?

4. In Ps 22, what indicates that it speaks of the Messiah's crucifixion?

5. In Ps 22:11-18, what is the significance of bulls, lions, and dogs?

6. In Ps 22:12, what does Bashan have to do with bulls?

7. What is Ps 22:14-15 saying here about our strength?

8. In Ps 22:16, should the Hebrew be translated as his hands and feet were "pierced" or "lion-like" (Masoretic text)?

9. In Ps 22:27-31, what is interesting about David's hope here?

10. In Ps 22:29, what does this show about David's view of life after death?

Psalm 23 – The Lord is my Shepherd who provides

1. In Ps 23:1-6, when was this precious psalm written?

2. In Ps 23:1-6, what is an outline of this psalm?

3. In Ps 23:1, who is the shepherd here?

4. In Ps 23:1,6 what does this tell us about God providing for David, and us?

5. Ps 23:1-6 focuses mainly on the Shepherd, but what does it say about us, the sheep?

6. In Ps 23:1-6, is this a good psalm to comfort people?

7. In Ps 23:4, whose rod and staff are these, and how would they be a comfort to David?

8. In Ps 23:4, is God's providing for us always comforting?

9. In Ps 23:5, what is significant about a table in the presence of his enemies?

10. In Ps 23:5, we usually think of two parts of our witness: 1) sharing the gospel, and 2) living a holy life. But there is a third part of our witness: our testimony of loving dependence on God. How would a Christian look who does this third part too, vs. one that has the appearance of being able to stand strong all on his or her own, after formerly being taught by God?

Psalm 24-25 – God's glory, through the ages and over enemies

1. In Ps 24:1, how does everything belong to the Lord, since the county courthouse says my house belongs to me?

2. In Ps 24:2 is the earth founded upon the seas, or does the earth "hang on nothing" as Job 26:7 says?

3. In Ps 24:3-4, what is David really asking here?

4. In Ps 24:4, what is the difference between clean hands and a pure heart?

5. In Ps 24:4, what is important here about never lifting up your soul to an idol, vs. someone who had worshipped an idol but has now repented?

6. In Ps 24:7, what is the role of time in this psalm?

7. In Ps 25, Ps 34, Ps 119, why are alphabet acrostics used?

8. In Ps 25:3 why is David so concerned about shame here?

9. In Ps 25:4, if we are already believers, why should we pray for God to show us His ways and paths?

10. In Ps 25:14, what does fearing the Lord mean here?

Psalm 26-27 – Lord, Vindicate me, for I long for You

1. In Ps 26:1, how would David need vindication?

2. In Ps 26:2-3, should we want God to try us and examine our hearts and minds?

3. In Ps 26:4-5, when and how are we to sit separate from deceitful people and the assembly of evildoers?

4. In Ps 26:6-8, 50:14; 107:22; 116:17 what does this say about sacrifices?

5. In Ps 26:12, what is the standing in the "great assembly" here?

6. In Ps 27:1-3, what is David proclaiming here?

7. In Ps 27:4,8-9, Ps 11:7; 13:1; 17:15; 24:6; 31:16; 41:16; 67:1; 69:17; 80:3,7,19; 88:14; 105:4; 119:35; 132:10; 143:7; Isa 59:2; Mt 5:8; 1 Cor 13:12; Heb 12:14; Rev 22:4, what is David looking forward to here?

8. In Ps 27:7-8, why was David seeking God's face, since no one could see God's face and live?

9. In Ps 27:8-12, what is the significance of seeking God's face?

10. In Ps 27:9-10, what does this say about vindication?

11. In Ps 27:10, did David's parents ever forsake David?

12. In Ps 27:12, is it OK to pray for victory over our enemies?

13. In Ps 27:12-14, does this relate to the Messiah?

A: Psalm 27 in general, and Psalm 27:12-14 in particular are very appropriate for Jesus' arrest, crucifixion, and later resurrection.

Hour of the power of darkness Luke 22:53	Psalm 27:1 the Lord is my Light
Those who arrested Jesus fell when Jesus said, "I am He" Mark 14:John 18:6	"My enemies they stumbled and fell" Psalm 27:2
A small detachment of soldiers came to arrest Jesus. Mark 14:43-49; Luke 22:47-54; John 18:3	Though an army may encamp against me. Psalm 27:3
The Father turned from Jesus at the crucifixion in Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34	Psalm 27:9 asks God not to hide His face from him.
False witnesses testified against Jesus in Matthew 26:60; Mark 14:56	False witnesses testified against David Psalm 27:2

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.585-587 for more info.

14. In Ps 27:13-14, what does this teach us about hope?

Psalms 28-29 – God is our Rock who Hears and the Thunder who Speaks

1. How does Ps 28:1-9 mirror Psalm 27?

2. In Ps 28:1, how do solid rocks shape our land and our life?

3. In Ps 28:1, what is the significance of God being our rock?

4. In Ps 28:1-2 is God silent or does God here in Ps 28:6-7?

5. How does Ps 28:5 related to 28:2f, 4?

6. In Ps 28:9 what is David's prayer here?

7. In Ps 29:2, what is the "beauty of holiness"?

8. In Ps 29:3, does this relate to the Canaanite god Baal, the god of thunder?

9. In Ps 29:5,9 why did God want to destroy the cedars of Lebanon and strip the forests bare?

Psalms 30-31 – I will exalt You and Your Goodness

1. In Ps 30:1, how could this be a song for the dedication of the Solomon's temple, since it was written by David? David died before the dedication of the temple.

2. In Ps 30:2-3, is this the prayer of a sick person?

3. In Ps 30:2-3, what kind of healing did David receive?

4. In Ps 30:1-3, are there times when you, or another believer, have thought yourself totally secure and immovable, and you found (or God helped you find) that you were mistaken?

5. In Ps 30:4; 97:12, how does one praise God for a remembrance or memorial of his holiness?

6. In Ps 30:4, what is David saying about praising God for David's healing here?

7. In Ps 30:5a, how does God's anger last only a moment?

8. In Ps 30:5f, what is the point about weeping at night and joy in the morning?

9. In Ps 30:6-10, what is David saying about prosperity?

10. In Ps 30:6-7, after David was prospering, why did God stop prospering David?

11. In Ps 30:8-9, is David trying to bargain with God here, saying don't let me die or you will have one less worshipper?

12. In Ps 30:12, can you think of a time when it is wrong for a believer to be silent?

13. In Ps 31:5, why should we especially remember this verse?

14. In Ps 31:6, should we today hate some people, as David hated those who clung to worthless idols?

Psalms 32-33 – Come to God for forgiveness

1. In Ps 32:1, was this by David?

2. In Ps 32:1-11, what is the structure of this psalm?

3. In Ps 32:1-2 and Rom 4:7-8, why does Paul quote these verses?

4. In Ps 32:3, why did David say his bones grew old when he kept silent?

5. In Ps 32:7, what is significant about this verse?

6. In Ps 32:8, how does God guide us in the way we should go?

7. In Ps 32:8, what is important about the placement of this verse?

8. In Ps 32:9, why do horses and mules need bits and bridles?

9. In Ps 33:1, what is the relationship with the previous psalm?

10. In Ps 33:1-22, why does this psalm say to rejoice in God?

11. In Ps 33:18-22; 25:5; 21; 39:7; 62:5; 71:5, how do we wait in hope today?

Psalms 34-35 – Shout from the depth of your soul

1. In Ps 34, what is the structure of this Psalm?

2. In Ps 34:1, should this say Abimelech as the king of Gath, or Achish?

3. In Ps 34:1, how did David change his behavior before the king of Gath?

4. In Ps 34:15-16, do you want God's attention?

5. In Ps 34:17, what is the difference between God delivering you from trouble vs. out of trouble?

6. In Ps 35:1-28, what is the structure of this psalm?

7. In Ps 35:5; 1:3, how are the wicked like chaff?

8. In Ps 35:11-16, how do you respond when people you thought were your close friends turn against you?

9. In Ps 35:15, how should you handle when people attack you totally unexpectedly?

10. In Ps 35:24; 7:8, why would David want God to judge him according to David's righteousness?

11. In Ps 35:27-28, what should we do when we are a victim of injustice?

Psalms 36-37 – People's wickedness and God's goodness

1. In Ps 36:1-12, what is the structure of this psalm?

2. In Ps 36:1, why do the wicked have no fear of God?

3. In Ps 36:4, how do people devise evil on their beds?

4. In Ps 36:7, how do we as believer, metaphorically "find refuge in the shadow of His wings"?

5. In Ps 37:1-40, what is the structure of this psalm?

6. In Ps 37:3-5, what is the difference between trusting in the Lord, delighting in the Lord, and committing your way to the Lord?

7. In Ps 37:4, how does God give us the desires of our heart?

8. In Ps 37:7-8, how is a believer's life characterized by "waiting expectantly on God"?

9. Does Ps 37:9,11,29 show that the righteous will live on the earth forever, as Jehovah's Witnesses claim?

10. In Ps 37:23, how are a righteous person's steps ordered by the Lord and who is delighted here?

11. In Ps 37:23-24; Prov 16:9; Jer 10:23; 2 Chr 27:6, what are some ways that "a person proposes but God disposes"?

12. In Ps 37:25, what about believers who are killed in famines or natural disasters?

13. In Ps 37:25, how did David never see the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread?

14. In Ps 37:32, why do the wicked have animosity towards the righteous?

Psalms 38-39 – Praising God near death

1. In Ps 38:1-22, what is the structure of this psalm?

2. In Ps 38:2, how is some pain like arrows and others like a hand pressing down?

3. In Ps 38:5, how did wounds stink?

4. In Ps 38:7, how are evil people cut off?

5. In Ps 39:1-13, what is the structure of this psalm?

6. In Ps 39:1, 62:1, who is Jeduthun that these psalms were dedicated to?

7. In Ps 39:1, how are we to guard our mouth with a "muzzle" so that we do not sin with it?

8. In Ps 39:4, how would you be different if you know right now the end of your days?

9. In Ps 39:5, Ps 62:9-10, do you feel that your life has been long or short?

10. In Ps 38:8-12, why is the shortness of human life a reason for comfort here?

11. In Ps 39:12, why did David feel he was a stranger?

Psalms 40 – Praise and plea for escape and continuing danger

1. In Ps 40:1-17, what is the structure of this psalm?

2. In Ps 40:2 how does God establish our paths?

3. Does Ps 40:6-8 refer to the Messiah?

4. Do Ps 40:6 and Ps 50:13-15 show an abandoning of animal sacrifices?

5. In Ps 40:6, how did God open David's ears?

6. In Ps 40:7, how was it written in the book about David or the Messiah?

7. In Ps 40:8, what is David saying about his emotions here?

8. In Ps 40:12, what does it mean that David's heart had forsaken him?

9. In Ps 40:16, what is the shift in emphasis here?

Psalms 41 – Prayer and praise when sick

1. In Ps 41:1-13, what is the structure of this psalm?

2. In Ps 41, since David followed God, why was David feeling in such a mood that he wrote Psalm 41?

3. In Ps 41:1-3, what are the six blessings listed here?

4. In Ps 41:1 who are the poor here?

5. In Ps 41:3, what is poignant about David mentioning a bed of illness here?

6. In Ps 41:6, what was the point of an enemy coming to talk with David?

7. In Ps 41:9, what is the point about kicking his heel against him?

8. In Ps 1-41, if you had to give a one-sentence summary of the entire first book of psalms, what would it be?

Psalm 1 – Two kinds of plant matter, or where do you walk, stand, and sit? – some brief answers

1. In Ps 1, what is unusual about this psalm?

A: Many psalms are prayers, either for forgiveness, petitions for help, crying to God, or praise to Him. In contrast, Psalm 1 is more instructional, a wisdom psalm explaining to the readers the blessings of delighting in God's law.

One could try so set up the "do's and don'ts" of the Torah against the teaching and relationship-oriented focus of the Psalms, but Psalm 1 shows that setting up the Psalms as a contrast to the law is not what the Psalms are about. First and foremost, this psalm begins with meditating on God's law. This psalm calls a lie the illusion that the sinful life is a good life. We have to choose whether we believe the temptations tugging at our heart of this psalm.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.548 for more info.

2. What is an outline of Ps 1?

A: This simple yet beautiful psalm has an asymmetric structure. It is similar to a chiasm.

The blessed not walk in ungodly counsel

- Can't stand or sit as a sinner

- - Delights in God's law

- - - And prospers like a well-watered tree

- - - The wicked wither like dry chaff

- Can't stand or sit in the judgment

Godly watch-over, but the wicked perish

The meaning of Psalm 1 has similarities to Jeremiah 17:5-8.

3. In Ps 1:1, how do some walk according to the counsel of the ungodly?

A: The first phrase can be translated as simply "Blessed" or else "Oh the blessedness of". Strangely, the psalm speaks first of what is NOT characteristic of the blessed person. The Hebrew word ‘asat here has a wide range of meaning: it can mean "counsel" or "council".

Either way, we don't want to walk according to the advice of the ungodly or as a member of their "council". It can involve doing what ungodly people advice, fearing what they say we should fear, believing what the ungodly say to believe, or speaking or being silent as they say to do.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.54 and the New International Bible Commentary p.557 for more info.

4. In Ps 1:1, what is the difference between non-godly advice and ungodly advice?

A: Non-godly advice is non-Biblical advice that can be good or bad. For example, someone can say that driving on a freeway is generally faster than taking the local roads. This may be good advice, but "non-Biblical". Ungodly advice can be advice that expressly denies God, God's working today, or God's future judgment. More commonly though, ungodly advice is more subtle in implicitly assuming that God will never do anything. The first way is obviously atheistic, but more common way is what some call "practical atheism". This is the practice of people who have the form of godliness but deny its power, in 2 Timothy 3:5.

5. In Ps 1:1, how do some today stand in the way of sinners?

A: This does not mean blocking their path, but rather being in the road where sinners go. If you are standing in the way of sinners, it is probably because either you are hoping to encounter sinners as friends, you want to travel on the same road they are going, or both. So many things are done because of peer pressure, social pressure, social media pressure, or society pressure. If you are not going to sin, why would you be in a place where you have no reason to be? Proverbs 5:8 says we are not to even go near the door of a loose woman. We are not to be friends with a hot-tempered man as Proverbs 22:24 says, and we are to stop listening to instruction that causes us to turn from God's knowledge in Proverbs 19:27. We are to pay no attention to the [religious] commands of those who reject the truth, but rather refute them, as 1 Timothy 1:3, Titus 1:9-11, and Jude 3 show. One application of this verse is to choose your friends wisely. A second, equally important application is to choose what influences you wisely.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.374.

6. In Ps 1:1, how do some today sit in the seat of the scornful?

A: First of all, Psalm 1:1 shows a progression of casual influence, to working with the wicked, to scorning against the righteous. "Seat" indicates a place or source of the scorn and belittling speech. These are people who try to raise their esteem, in the eyes of others and themselves, by bringing down others for being so stupid, bad, or awful.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.790 for more info.

7. In Ps 1:1, when is it good, or at least OK, to mock or scorn today?

A: Be very careful when you think it is a time to mock, because a person being mocked can immediately close off to anything else you say after that. One time Paul mocked criticism of him was in 2 Corinthians 12:13, about asking their forgiveness for not being a financial burden to them. One time mocking might be in order is if the person is considered a lost cause and you want to warn others.

8. In Ps 1, what are ten ways people are blessed who meditate on the law of the Lord?

A: While Psalm 23 is an analogy of sheep, Psalm 1 is an analogy of plants. This precious Psalm can be entitled "The two plantings". From meditating on Psalm 1, we can see at least ten ways the godly are blessed.

1. Not being in bondage to sin is, in part, its own worthwhile reward.

2. The godly do not fall prey to ungodly, foolish advice.

3. They are sustained, like a tree by streams of water. No matter how long a drought is, as long as the stream does not dry up, the tree will do fine.

4. They yield their fruit in season. In other words, the things they are trying to accomplish, spiritual and otherwise, generally will get done.

5. The leaf does not wither. Their life, hope, and dreams do not shrivel up, even when hard times come.

6. They prosper in what they do.

7. They are not driven away by the winds of change and circumstances.

8. They will stand in the judgment at the end.

9. The will sit in God's kingdom with the other saints. (Saints are all believers.)

10. The Lord knows their way, in the sense that He recognizes, approves, and watches over their way.

9. In Ps 1:2, how are believers to delight in the law of the Lord?

A: Psalm 119 is a rather thorough answer to this question. In brief, while some do not want to even know God's law, believers are both to understand and obey God's law. However, there is a third step, in that Psalm 37:4 says to delight yourself in the Lord. We should realize the joy of bringing joy to God!

On a lighter note, my son delights in obeying me. When we go to the playground, he comes to me for me to give the order for what he is to do. As he wishes, I order him to kill the monsters and fight the space aliens.

10. In Ps 1:3, how are those who delight in God's law like well-watered trees?

A: The tree will always have sufficient water. Even when it does not rain for a while, the tree will still have sufficient water. Like this tree, we can always remain fresh, and prosper whether times are full of rainfall or arid. Well-watered trees are healthy, strong, strong, and bear fruit. Of course trees don't eat their own fruit, the fruit is for the benefit of others. Likewise, as believers it is "normal" for us to be spiritually healthy, strong, and bear fruit for the benefit of others. A healthy Christian woman or man lives a spiritually prosperous life.

Chaff is just a husk that is easily blown away. But we can remain, even during a breeze, because we have the joy of the Lord. Even when there are not pleasurable things around us we can still have the joy of the Lord.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.507, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.549 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 p.87 for more info.

11. In Ps 1:5, what is the difference between not standing and not sitting?

A: The wicked will still face judgment, but they will not be able to "stand" in the judgment. In other words, the wicked will not survive the judgment standing. There is joy and contentment in being assembled with other believers that the wicked do not know. So the wicked "cannot stand there, and cannot sit here".

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.549 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.507 for more info.

12. In Ps 1:6, does the Lord know the way of the wicked, too?

A: On one hand, God knows the way of the wicked, because God knows everything. On the other hand, God does not know the way of the wicked, in the sense of recognizing it as a legitimate way, or approving it.

13. In Ps 1:6, how does the way of the wicked perish, and not only that the wicked perish?

A: The Hebrew word for wicked here, rasa, can mean grossly wicked, living for wicked passions, and separated from God. The wicked themselves indeed perish, but that is not the meaning of this particular verse. Rather, the things they worked for, all their hopes, and ambitions are like chaff the wind drives away. All their greed, desires, and pride are like smoke that rises up and out of sight. All that they thought was meaningful and of value in their life is just like dust in the wind.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.791 for more info.

Psalm 2 – When authority takes its stand against the King – some brief answers

1. In Ps 2:1, how do nations rage and kings of the earth take their stand?

A: Believers who have been tortured or killed for their faith through the ages. Some political rulers have a [naturally] unexplainable hatred of their peaceful, law-abiding citizens who are called Christians. It has been estimated that there have been about 69 million Christian martyrs between 33 A.D. and 2000 A.D. Of those, 45 million were from 1914-2000. Here is a partial list of persecutions of Christians.

Date	Persecution	1,000's killed
50-323 A.D.	10 Early Christian Persecutions	50
525 A.D.	Christians flee Ethiopian Jewish persecution
527-568	Justinian persecutes Monophysites in Egypt
700-	Muslims persecute Christians
978-1000	Jewish Queen Judith of Axum persecutes Christians
1000-	Persecution of Waldenses
10th -12th cent.	Burning and killing heretics in Europe
1100-1300	Mongols kill most Nestorian Christians
1211	At Strasbourg, Waldenses burned	0.08
1252	Innocent IV's bull for torture to detect heresy
1261-1331	Dominicans bring in the Inquisition
1232	Dominican Inquisition under Albert
1233	Inquisition instituted by Gregory IX
1309	Venice under heresy for opposing Clement V
1415-16	In Czechoslovakia, the Hussites revolt
1419-34	Crusade against Hussites in Hungary
1431	Hussites scare off large Holy Roman Empire army
1480	Spanish Inquisition by Ferdinand and Isabella
1487-88	Crusade against the Waldenses
1527	Mantz and other Anabaptists killed in Zurich
1527-1753	Anabaptists killed in Switzerland
1545	Waldenses persecuted in Italy
1555-60	Waldenses persecuted in Italy
1562	At Toulouse, French kill Huguenots	4
1576-93	In France, Catholics and Huguenots fight
1618-48	Thirty years war kills 1/3 of Germans	7000
1600's	Spanish Inquisition	50
1629-69	"Trample the crucifix" persecution in Japan
1637	Japanese + Dutch artillery crush Christians
1655	Many Waldenses killed in Italy and France
1753-1810	Mennonites sold as galley slaves by the Swiss to the French and Venetian fleets	0
1808	Napoleon ends the Spanish Inquisition
1820-41	Christians persecuted in Vietnam
1870-90	Guatemala persecutes priests; only 100 remained
1915-	Persecution of Christians under Communism
1940-1946	Nazis kill Jews and Protestants and Catholics who helped them
c.1950	Chinese Communists persecute Christians
1956	Protestants persecuted in Colombia
1976	Catholics murdered in Guatemala	1,000's
1990-	Severe persecution in Sudan by Muslims
1998-	Muslims violently persecute Christians in Indonesia
1998-	Muslims mildly persecute Christian churches in Uzbekistan	probably 0

See World Christian Trends A.D. 3- A.D. 2200 p.244-246 for more info.

2. In Ps 2:1, why do peoples plot in vain?

A: Intelligent people do this all the time. When you plan with false assumptions, false confidence in your ability to control events, and with wrong goals, your meticulously thought-out plans will not work well. We all have wrong assumptions at times, but some intelligent people can have a knack for rationalizing the evidence to blind themselves to situations not being what they want.

3. In Ps 2:1-3, why do some people have a real problem accepting authority today?

A: Many people have a problem, not with obeying God, but with acknowledging any authority over them. It might be a combination of upbringing and the peers that hang around with. For example, the mother of the shooter (of policemen) in Dallas at the Black Lives Matter rally taught her son to never back down for anyone. Maybe instead of shooting those individuals that he had an alleged grievance against, he should have backed down.

When God Almighty looks at the people who want to oppose Him, God just laughs at them. The image is quite ludicrous, sort of like a mouse squeaking at a lion.

One point is that for those who are ignorant by rejecting authority, they themselves should be ignored; and they should not have authority over others, as 1 Corinthians 14:38 indicates.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.550, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.6 p.68, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.507 for more info.

4. In Ps 2:2, since this is a coronation psalm, what is the purpose of a coronation?

A: A coronation can be a happy festival when a new king was put on the throne. However, it also serves a more serious purpose. It is when the nobles and people pledge their allegiance to the new king. If someone pledges allegiance and then goes back on it later, they are considered a traitor and dealt with harshly. Of course if someone at a coronation refuses to pledge allegiance to the new ruler, then they can see they have a problem right there to deal with. If someone claims to be a Christian, they it is like breaking their allegiance if they support things that are fighting against God. You are for God or you are against God. However, disapproving of or working against a religious leader who is not doing what God want is NOT going against God.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.558, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.374, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.791 for more on this being a coronation psalm as well as a messianic one.

5. In Ps 2:1-12, how do we know that this refers to the Messiah?

A: The phrase "anointed one" in verse 2 can be the king, but the Hebrew word is "Messiah". Besides this, there are three lines of evidence.

In the New Testament, Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 are the two most quoted psalms. Psalm 2 is quoted in the New Testament in four places. Psalm 2:1-2 is quoted as referring to Christ in Acts 4:25-27, Psalm 2:7 is quoted in Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 5:5, and Psalm 2:9 is quoted in Revelation 2:27.

Jewish commentators recognized this psalm as messianic. A pesher commentary among the Dead Sea Scrolls, 4QFlorilegium, recognizes Psalm 2:7 as messianic.

Thirteen early Christian writers who recognized this psalm was Messianic are: Clement of Rome (96-98 A.D.), Justin Martyr (c.138-165 A.D.), Melito of Sardis (170-177/180 A.D.), Irenaeus of Lions (182-188 A.D.), Clement of Alexandria (193-2092 A.D.) (partial, refers to the Lord, but not say if Christ or not), Tertullian (198-220 A.D.), Hippolytus of Portus (222-235/236 A.D.), Origen (225-253/254 A.D.), Novatian (250/4-256/7 A.D.), Cyprian of Carthage (c.246-258 A.D.), Adamantius (c.300 A.D.), Methodius (c.260-311/312 A.D.), Lactantius (c.303-320/325 A.D.), and Eusebius of Caesarea (318-325 A.D.).

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.90 and https://www.biblequery.org/History/ChurchHistory/WhatEarlyChristiansTaughtOnDoctrine.html for more info.

6. In Ps 2:3, what are the chains and fetters discussed here?

A: These are either perceived chains of morality and decency, or chains of their accountability before God on judgment day. If you think about it, the first is a subset of the second. A third alternative is that they could be the limits of the evil that God allows them to do.

7. In Ps 2:4, when does God scoff at kings or scorn other unbelievers?

A: The ultimate way God scoffs at kingdoms and kings is to destroy the kingdom, kill the rulers, and for them to be separated from Him in Hell forever. When God scoffs, that is not something to take lightly.

Also, Christ will return and make war against the nations that oppose Him in Revelation 19:11-16, Joel 3:11-16, and Jude 14. After the Millennium, there will be a great battle outside of Jerusalem in Ezekiel 38-39, Zechariah 12:7-11; 14:2-8,12; and Isaiah 29:6.

8. In Ps 2:4-6, when should we warn God's enemies not to oppose Him?

A: We should warn in three contexts.

If we care about people, we should warn them so they will not get hurt in this life. We also want them to place their trust in God and live with us forever in Heaven.

For God's glory, we want the world to see God's working.

For the sake of onlookers, believers should "hold out the word of life" in Philippians 2:16 and use world circumstances (good and bad) to share the Gospel with people.

9. In Ps 2:7, How is Jesus declared to be God's Son?

A: There are at least five ways.

Begotten before time began, Jesus was the Son of God.

Born on earth, Jesus was declared to the world to be God's son. Also, at the incarnation, God the Father was the Father of Jesus, in a non-sexual way.

At Jesus baptism, the Father declared that Jesus was His son in Matthew 3:17. John the Baptist also testified that Jesus was the Son of God here in John 1:34.

At the transfiguration, the Father said, "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" in Matthew 3:17; Mark 9:7; and Luke 9:35

In the resurrection, Jesus who was already God's Son, was declared to be the Son of God in Romans 1:4 and the firstborn from the dead in Colossians 1:18.

When Christ returns, He will be both declared and acknowledged by all as Lord in Philippians 2:9-11.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.550 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.6 p.66-67 for more info.

10. In Ps 2:10, why do some persist in foolish plans that are obviously foolish to an unbiased person?

A: Perhaps they are not unbiased. There are at least four different reasons, and of course it can be for more than one reason too.

Foolish bravado: They don't count the cost because in their limited experience, at least so far, they always have seemed to come out OK. In Luke 14:28-32, Jesus gives three examples: constructing a tower, building a foundation, and going to war, where it can be disastrous not to count the cost.

Gotten away with it many times: Most of the time if you don't wear your seatbelt there are no consequences; you don't get in a crash and a policeman does not stop you. So because of past success, some don't want to do something that has a small chance of saving their life, even if it basically takes no effort.

Unfounded hope: They will pursue something, not even caring to estimate the odds of success, because the reward is so great. Imagine 10 million people buying lottery tickets, and you buy some too, because of the great payout.

Mind-numbing fear: They will pursue something, regardless of the odds of success, because they cannot imagine living with the result if they do not have success.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.792 for more info.

11. In Ps 2:12, since Jesus is patient, how can His wrath flare up in a moment?

A: Psalm 50:3 compares the action of God's wrath to a fire. A forest can be calm for many years, with the brush building up. When a forest fire starts, it is slow at first, and then races across the tops of trees faster than even a horse can run. Jesus is patient and gentle. However, that does not negate the fact that He also treads the winepress of the wrath of God (Isaiah 63:1-6; Revelation 14:19-20; 19:15b).

The difference between God's wrath and a fire is that God's wrath is due to sin, and God patiently gives warnings and tells people how to avoid His wrath.

12. In Ps 2:12, how can people be blessed who take refuge in someone whose wrath flares up in a moment?

A: The actions of a police force to arrest a murderer are a blessing to potential victims. Likewise, God's wrath is a blessing to those who are oppressed by Satan and others. As standing upwind of a wildfire is better than downwind, God warns us that His fire is coming in Psalm 50:2. Do you want to be upwind or downwind of it?

Psalm 3 – A psalm when betrayed – some brief answers

1. In Ps 3:1-8, was David a little paranoid here?

A: No. If you think people are out to get you, it is not being paranoid if they really are. Saul and his army were out to get David for years. After that the situation "improved", after David was crowned king, to be a civil war. Imagine being on the run for years, and then having no enemies remaining. After Joab defeated Hanun the Ammonite, David probably thought that way when he took a walk on the roof of his palace. Actually, David's greatest enemy, that almost got him killed, was his own sin.

We see here that David had different modes, and it is OK for us to have different moods too. Despite all the time David spent fleeing first from Saul, then from Absalom, Psalm 3:5-6 shows that David could still sleep peacefully. When we are under a great deal of stress, we need to be able to give it over to God and sleep peacefully too.

In our lives we might have times of hardship and times of calm, but we are always to be vigilant, because Satan prowls around like a lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We always have an enemy in our sin nature. Praise God who gives us victory in our lives! (Romans 7:24-25)

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.550-551 for more info.

2. In Ps 3:1-8, when people question if we are too old to manage what we are managing, plus we are suffering the consequences of poor, wicked decisions we made earlier, what should we do?

A: Even though the world might say its time to just give up and throw in the towel, we should not be disheartened but still draw near to God as David did. Because of David's sin, which brought other people down too, and brough shame on God's name. But despite David's sin, David knew that God still loved him. When we are in a situation similar to this, God can help us keep our position, restore our lost position (perhaps with a different company), or else have something new for us to do. When God disciplines us, and we bear up under it, God can bring a blessing at the end. But one important aspect you have to do is choose whether you trust yourself as your shield or God as your shield. But will God protect you from ever encountering injustice? The Bible does not promise that any more than God will protect you from all hardship. But God will carry you through it. But one important aspect you have to do is choose whether you trust yourself as your shield or God as your shield.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.508 and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.374 for more info.

3. In Ps 3:1-2, what are the kinds of opposition David faced?

A: First of all David might remember that Saul drove a spear in the wall to try to kill David directly. Second, Saul sent his army after David and his men. Third people spoke against David and his legitimacy as king. Even after Saul and Jonathan were killed on Mt. Gilboa, the opposition did not stop. So much for David up to his early reign. But while David would remember these things, this psalm, according to the superscript, was from a latter period, when David was running from Absalom.

Later in his reign it was even worse. David was in deep trouble due to the loss of respect people had for David due to his own sin in adultery with Bathsheba and the murder or Uriah the Hittite. David left Jerusalem weeping, with his head covered and barefoot in 2 Samuel 15:30, because he was running from his son Absalom. Besides the physical threat, there was the emotional pain of his subjects, his former subjects who respected him, mocking and cursing him. They claimed God was done with David, and would no longer protect him, because of the adultery and treacherous murder that he did.

What could David do? He could pray, keep his heart centered on God, and run. David was despondent here, even more than many of us do, and David's solution, and ours was to draw close to God.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.74-76 for more info.

4. In Ps 3:3, 7:10; 18:2,30; 28:7; 33:20; 59:11; 84:11; 115:9-11; 119:14; 144:2, what need to we have for a shield, and how is God our shield?

A: We need a shield, and God can be our shield in many ways.

Actual attacks that we see coming our way

Protect us from slander, with lies that can ruin good relationships

Our fears and paranoia about things that are not really problems.

Actual attacks that can hit us that we don't see coming

Protect us from our own foolish and sinful decisions

Protecting our goods and financial position is less important that protecting our character on the inside.

See The Bible Knowledge Dcommentary : Old Testament p.793 for more info.

5. In Ps 3:4-5, what can you say to someone who is too stressed to go to sleep?

A: Just ask the person, even if it is yourself, is the world going to go according to your plan or God's? Psalms often emphasizes that God is our shield and defender. Zechariah 2:8 says that God's people are the "apple of His eye". Philippians 4:6-7 says that we should not be anxious about anything, but pray to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. With God watching over you, there is nobody else that is powerful enough to fear.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.76 and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.552 for more info.

A: These are called "imprecatory psalms". Here are three points to understanding their proper place in the Bible, followed by a different view.

God gives us examples as well as good instruction. The Book of Psalms gives examples of people's prayers. They show David and others praying when joyful, depressed, loving, and feeling vengeful.

Some feelings in Psalms 35:5-8; 42:11a; 7:8; 69:22-28; 109; 137:9 do not reflect loving our enemies as God taught in the New Testament. These psalms show that we should pray for what is on our hearts. God does not have to say "yes" to every prayer, but when we open our hearts before God, let's do so with an attitude that God can change our hearts.

A higher standard is required of us than of them, according to Chrysostom (c.397 A.D.) in Miscellaneous Works 151,288. Christians are to love their enemies as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:43-8 and Luke 6:27-35.

See Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.245-246 and Hard Sayings of the Bible p.280-282 for more info.

A different view: appeal for justice: 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.150 has a rather different view. It says, "While this has bothered some Christians, it should not. ... These are not curses expressing ill wishes against some harmless fellow who insulted the psalmist. There are appeals for justice, addressed to the supreme court of the universe. [These] are expressions of faith and restraint. Rather than take personal revenge, the psalmists leave vengeance in the hands of God and ask only that he do justice."

This "appeal for justice" applies to Revelation 7 and some psalms such as 7:6, but not others such as Psalm 137:9. When Critics Ask p.242 says similar, also adding that in the Old Testament there often was not much distinction between the unrepentant sinner and his sin.

7. In Ps 3:7-8, what is important about righteous David's call for help to God here?

A: The question is not correct, David was not righteous, but repentant. David had this coming to him, and God even sent it, as Nathan prophesied that the sword would not depart from David's house in 2 Samuel 12:9-12. David's actions caused others to blaspheme the name of God according to 2 Samuel 12:14.

So the important point is that this is not the prayer of a righteous man praying to God to protect his faithful servant. This is an unrighteous, but repentant man, under God's discipline and curse for what he did, drawing near to God to protect him despite being under God's judgment that he deserved.

Psalm 4 – That those who disparage God would repent – some brief answers

1. When was Psalm 4:1-8 written?

A: The subscripts, which are not scripture and not always correct anyway, do not tell us when this is written. But based on some similarities and placement, perhaps Psalm 3 was written when David was anxious running from Absalom, and Psalm 4 is the next day when he has confidence in God. David has gone from being fearful of those out to get him, to "How dare they! God will get them instead", which in Absalom's case is what happened. The Blue letter Bible also says it is probable that it was written then.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.794 for more info.

2. In Ps 4:1-8, what is a summary of what David is saying here?

A: This is not so much a prayer as a meditation on God. David has three points, which are interspersed throughout this psalm. First, David is calling other to stop scoffing at God and turn back to Him. Second, David would remind them, and himself, that God protects His servants and has them thrive. Third, David reminds himself not to sin, or be anxious about God preordained plans, but that he can lie down confident in God's providence and sleep in peace.

After David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had his loyal soldier Uriah the Hittite killed, God prophesied through Nathan that the sword w2ould not depart from David's house. After David's son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar, and David did nothing. Absalom took matters in his own hands and had Amnon killed, probably losing whatever respect he still had for his father in the process. David is, in part, praying for God to help him out of his own mess that was a consequence of his sins. David did not make any demands, but He had the hope that God would be merciful.

3. In Ps 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, 8:1, 9:1, 12:1, etc. before the psalm, what are these things: Neginoth, Gittith, etc.?

A: These are musical instruments. The New Testament church was expressly commanded to sing to each other in psalms in Colossians 3:16. Unfortunately, we do not know what the musical instruments looked like or how they sounded. Perhaps we will know we join in the worship with musical instruments in Heaven in Revelation 5:8; 14:1-2; and 15:2.

As a side note, most Church of Christ members, Mennonites, and Amish do not believe in using musical instruments in church, only singing.

4. In Ps 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, 8:1, 9:1, 12:1, etc. apart from the Bible, when do we know that musical instruments were first used?

A: It used to be that unbelieving critics of the Bible found these references "instrumental" in proving these passages were anachronistic as skeptics believed that musical instruments were not invented until much later. However, Can Archaeology Prove the Old Testament? p.33 points out that lyres, flutes, harps, and even a double oboe [=double-pipe] were used in ancient times. The Wycliffe Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology p.397-399 gives many examples.

A golden lyre and a silver flute were found at Ur (c.2500 B.C.), and a picture of a lyre is on a painting in the Beni Hasan tomb in Egypt 1900 B.C.. A picture of a harp is in the temple of Hatshepsut at Karnak. Ur, Kish, and other Sumerian cities had sistrums (castanets). The Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.1161-1163 has photographs of ancient Egyptian harps, flutes, a cave painting of a harp, a double flute [pipe], and a lute-like instrument (c.1450 B.C.), and a sistrum from ancient Egypt. A photograph of a harpist, lute players, and two flute players c.1350 B.C. is in The New International Dictionary of the Bible p.678. On p.679 it has photographs of a wall painting of a harp, lute, double-pipe, and lyre. It also shows the lyre found at Ur, c.2500 B.C. with a gold head of a bearded bull, and a wooden soundbox. On p.681,683 it has photographs of cylindrical rattles (c.1200-1000 B.C.) and a zither player in Tell Asmar (2000-1000 B.C.)

5. In Ps 4:1, in what ways is God our righteousness?

A: God is the standard of righteousness. Christ became our righteousness, dying on the cross to satisfy the righteous demands of God. So we are now currently pronounced judicially righteous before God because Christ, the Righteous One, is our righteousness. Finally, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live a righteous life here on earth now.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.552 for more info.

A: The Almighty does not need any power in our prayers, the All-knowing does not need to be informed of the situation. A good, very-loving God does not need to be persuaded to be good and loving either. Rather God, who is free to do as He pleases, has chosen to hear our prayers, to be glorified by our praise, and to use His promise of answering our requests in His will to accomplish His desire.

Now God gave dominion over the earth to Adam and Eve. When they sinned, they forfeited at least part of that dominion to Satan. Satan is now the prince of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4), the ruler of the air (Ephesians 2:2), and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one (1 John 5:19). However, God's promise to us to answer our prayers overrides all dominion Satan has snatched away.

7. In Ps 4:2, how do men turn David's glory into shame?

A: David's glory here is glorifying God. Nobody can take away from God's true character or glory. However, believers on earth can glorify God, (or not glorify God) by their lives and actions. Finally, unbelievers could scoff and ridicule David's faith and trust in God. People tend to get angry about many things. But we focus on being offended by things against us, but rather things that anger God.

8. In Ps 4:2, how do some people today love what is worthless?

A: People can become attached to the strangest things. They can even write songs about drugs, getting drunk, or things that harm themselves. They can seek experience and relationships that will bring only sorrow. They can focus on what is meaningless, and just never have time to ponder, much less do, anything that is meaningful. Some people's lives revolve around fame, sports, and fashion. See 1 John 2:16, where three main temptations are the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Last but not least, in heaven imagine yourself talking with an angel, and trying to explain to the angel exactly the reasons why some people are so in love with collecting little pieces of paper. To an angel might seem absurd that people are so obsessed with what humans call money.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.509 for more info.

9. In Ps 4:2, why would anyone actually seek delusions?

A: Many people would not seek what they knew to be a delusion. People have given their lives for some foolish causes, but no one willingly would die for what they knew was a lie. On the other hand, many people do seek what they themselves realize are delusions, whether the delusion is found at the bottom of a bottle, in a drug, or in a superficial relationship.

10. How does Ps 4:4 relate to Eph 4:26 and Ps 37:8?

A: Psalm 4:4 tells people (both believers and unbelievers) if they are going to be angry do not sin. Still your heart when you are on your bed. Ephesians 4:26 says not to let the sun go down on your anger. Psalm 37:8 tells believers just to stay away from anger. Finally, James 1:20 says that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.552 for more info.

Psalm 5 – Dedication to start the day – some brief answers

1. In Ps 5:1-3, David is saying he has the discipline of meditating and speaking to God every morning. What good habits should we form every morning?

A: Every morning have the discipline to thank God for the day and commit your day to God. We can have a morning quiet time of praying, reading God's word, and thinking about it. Even if it is only seven minutes (as a booklet suggested) that is infinitely better than zero minutes. It is not that we are taking time out of our busy day; rather, it is taking time for what is important in our day. One good resource for daily devotion materials is Our Daily Break, odb.org.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.794-795 for more info.

2. In Ps 5:2 what is touching about how David addresses God?

A: It would sound a little strange today for the president of the country to address God as "my President". Yet that basically is what was doing. David was the king, and David was purposefully addressing God as "my King". David knew who was in charge of his coronation as king, and it was not David. It was God. Also note that all the psalmists and prophets in the Bible never saw a need to pray to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, or any human "saint". They were godly people, but nobody was ever told to pray to them. David also did not pray to any angels; only to God. In the New Testament nobody did either.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.553, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.87, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.509 for more info.

3. In Ps 5:3 and on, what is a key principle of prayer here?

A: Once we pray to God, we should wait for the answer, not impatiently take things into our own hands. As F.B. Meyer said, We miss many answers, because we get tired of waiting on the docks for the returning ships."

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.553 for more info.

4. In Ps 5:4-6, 9-10, why does David have such a focus on the doings of the wicked, and should we?

A: There are two complementary answers.

Personally, wicked people were out to get David throughout much of his career. In addition, they wanted to destroy his country and what he loved. Even if people are not physically out to get you, wicked people are very industrious in working to destroy families, and the society, country, and world we live in. They might be working out in the open, or working more secretly. So we should be concerned about that.

Towards God, let us pray against wickedness, in its many forms, in our society. Today, let us not pray for their evil people's destruction, but for their salvation, removal, and destruction of the results of their wickedness. Let us pray that they turn from their wicked ways, but pray that we turn from our own wicked ways too.

5. In Ps 5:4-6, what does this say about God's emotions?

A: First of all, this has nothing to do with Christ's human nature, because Psalms was written prior to Christ's incarnation. There are two possible answers.

Anthropomorphic: If God had no emotions whatsoever, then the God would not take any less pleasure in evil than in good. In that case, God would not feel anything, and Him not taking pleasure in something would be moot point.

Real emotions (though not identical to ours): Psalms 5:4-6 implies that God takes pleasure not in wickedness but in good. God "hates" (sane'ta) workers of wickedness, and "abhors" (yeta'eb) bloodthirsty and deceitful people.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.88 for more info.

6. In Ps 5:5-6, since God abhors bloodthirsty and evil men, why did God take mercy on Saul of Tarsus, who later changed his name to Paul?

A: God's wrath is severe toward those who do not repent. But God is also full of mercy and grace. God is also "persistently patient". Ezekiel 18:23,32 says that God does not desire the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their wickedness and live. See also Ezekiel 33:12-20.

7. In Ps 5:5, how does God hate all who do wrong?

A: Here are seven things to consider about God's love and hate.

God has mercy on all He has made (Psalm 145:8,13b), for God is love (1 John 4:8b).

God also has wrath, that He "expresses every day" (Psalm 7:11)

God can both love and hate. Paul and the rest of us were "objects of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3) before we were saved. God can hate the sin a non-believer (or believer) is committing, and yet at the same time know that the person will repent and is going to Heaven.

God's hate can be temporary for some. God used Jonah to warn of impending doom to the Ninevites. When they repented, then God relented.

God's hate can be permanent for some. For those who rejected God's kindness and refuse to follow Christ, God judges them, and either hates them forever, or else perhaps after their judgment God simply chooses to be indifferent to them.

God's love, wrath, and other emotions are sincere. Hard Sayings of the Bible p.263-264 points out that an error of Thomas Aquinas, Calvin, and other Reformers taught that God is "impassable" in not having any emotions. Many in the Reformed churches today think the same. Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) taught that the Father did not have emotions or wrath, but the Son did. This view of impassability might be a carry-over from Platonic philosophy. However, Scripture is clear that God's love for us is not just an act, as neither is God's wrath. God delights in His children and hates sin. If God the Father did not have emotions, then how could God love us.

God expresses His emotions in time when events occur. God can delay His wrath too, but regardless, God expresses His emotions in time. This is an important point to show that God is within time as well as outside of time.

735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.150 says, "Those who believe in God and turn to that which is right stand safe within the circle of God's love. Those who reject God and do evil stand outside that circle in the realm of judgment. God loves (accepts, forgives) the believing sinner; God hates (decisively rejects, is committed to punish) the sinner who will not believe or turn to the Lord." (italics in the original) God being "committed to punish" is a sobering phrase to ponder. See also When Critics Ask p.235 for more info.

8. In Ps 5:7, how could David look forward to worshiping toward God's holy temple, which was not built until Solomon's kingship?

A: There are three ways this is true.

In the last part of the verse, the Hebrew word here, hekal, means both temple and tabernacle.

David was looking forward to worshipping God later, in heaven.

Superscripts in the psalms are not scripture, and perhaps it was written by someone else later.

In the first part of the verse, he Hebrew word for "house" (really "housing"), (very similar to the Semitic, Arab, and Turkish words, beth, bet, beit), was also what they called their tents, and it can be translated "home" as much as "house". In fact one term for a tent (made out of camel skins and hair) is a "hair house").

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.794 the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.123,124, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.86-87 for more info.

9. In Ps 5:9, what is God saying about some people?

A: Some people lie so much that you are better off not trusting a single word that they say. The flip side is that we should be known as people of our word, that non-believers as well as believers know they can trust. We will keep our word, "even when it hurts." The only time we should break our word is when keeping it would be disobeying God.

10. In Ps 5:9, what is an open sepulchre or tomb?

A: You want to walk around an open grave site. You don't want to fall in, and you don't want the bad stench and possible disease coming out, and possibly getting on you. Someone might also dig an open grave in advance if they plan on murdering someone and quickly throwing their body in there. You don't want to have the appearance of guilt by association with someone with "stinky words", and you don't want to pick up their habits of gossip, foul language, and other speech. Finally, you want to stay clear of any traps someone might make for you with their words.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.509-510 for more info.

11. In Ps 5:11-12 and Ps 6:8-10, what is a key point of these psalms?

A: This point is illustrated in other psalms too, but it is directly stated here. Even when times are tough, our attitude and response should be based on confidence in God.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.510 for more info.

12. In Ps 5:5-12, what is the secondary message, or counterpoint, in this psalm, sort of "hiding in plain sight"?

A: This psalm is easy to understand as starting the morning committed to God, and alternating between fighting in praying against wickedness and confidence in God's working. But just as two frequencies of radio waves can pass through the same location (for two different radio channels), this psalm also resonates on a second "frequency" (to put it in electrical engineering terms).

This psalm can be considered as a study in contrasts and interactions for the very important subject of loyalty.

David loyally meditates and prays to His king every morning.

God does not take pleasure in rebels against Him.

God hates, destroys, and abhors, those who desire to kill people and the deceitful who kill trust.

By God's loyal love, David has confidence in coming to God despite the disloyal.

The rebels are unfaithful, deadly, flatterers, who will fall by their own deceitful counsel.

By we put our trust in God, confident that He will defend us.

13. In Ps 5:5-12, how did you feel when someone surprisingly was not loyal to you?

A: Sometimes expectations of loyalty are misplaced. For example, some political leaders expect their followers and officials selected by them to be loyal to them, no matter what. They expect this personal loyalty to be above ;loyalty to their country. Sometimes a boss might expect his subordinates to be loyal and support everything he intends to do; even things that will hurt the company for his own perceived gain. Your parents and children might expect you to be loyal and do anything to help them. Will you? - including lying for them or stealing for them? They might not understand you if you refuse to sin by lying for them.

But whether the expectation of loyalty is misplaced or not, it can still hurt a person when they feel betrayed. Either the person who is viewed as the betrayer does not feel they have the same obligation of loyalty, or else they just really don't care. I know someone who ran an export/import business, and came to find out that one person working for her was giving the private company information to one of her competitors, causing her to lose revenue to the competitors. So she spoke with him and fired him. He said he was sorry and asked for his job back. Obviously, she and he had a very different perception of the seriousness of what she did. It is surprising to find the number of military and government workers who sell secrets to other nations. Some might do it out of hatred for our country, some of money, some due to threats against their family, and some because they don't think "making everyone happy" is so serious a problem.

If someone was friendly towards you, and then they turned 180 degrees away from you, one thing to ask to try to understand them is whether they perceived you were being disloyal to them.

14. In Ps 5:5-12, what can you do to both appear and actually be more loyal to people and things you should be loyal to?

A: There is a three-pronged approach here. On one hand, you can tell them you "have their back" and they can count on you. Second, be reliable, able to be counted on to do what you say if at all possible. Third, and equally important, let them be clear in advance the things you refuse to do for them, such as illegal things and lying. Some companies might not want to hire a salesperson or manager who is not willing to lie for them. Instead of having that position, and then finding out that expectation later, it is better to vocalize this up front, and not be considered for the position.

Psalm 6 – Double Trouble: Praying for Victory over sickness and evil – some brief answers

1. In Ps 6:1, what does the Hebrew word "sheminith" mean?

A: This Hebrew word means "eighth", and it could refer to an eight-stringed instrument or (less likely) an octave. See the New International Bible Commentary p.561 for more info.

2. In Ps 6:1-10, what two things are troubling David?

A: First of all, in Psalm 6:1-5 David is groaning, apparently with sickness. Second, in Psalm 6:7-10 David is troubled by his enemies. Sometimes multiple troubles can hit us at once, as happened to Job.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.554 and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.374 for more info.

3. In Ps 6:1-10, what kind of psalm is this?

A: This is the first of seven of what are called penitential psalms. David does not spell out what he did wrong, but believes it is because of God's anger and displeasure. The first two phrases, in verse 1, come out a bit different in Hebrew than in English. They are very emphatic. They can be translated more precisely, though less fluidly translated "Not in your anger rebuke me, and not in your displeasure discipline me." Technically David is not asking to be punished at all, but he knows that if God in His full anger punish him David will not survive.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.130,131, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.795, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.97 for more info.

4. In Ps 6:4-7, when should you just bear up under an adverse condition vs. pray for deliverance?

A: In addition to being in pain in verse 2, and perhaps being about to die in verse 5, David is also just worn out from his sickness in verse 6-7. In other words, David was not only sick, but David was also "sick of being sick". You see in this prayer a certain desperation, where David feels he can't take it any more. At least that is the same tone throughout the psalm until God refreshes his spirit in verse 8. It is always fine to pray for deliverance. On the other hand, God does not always answer "yes". Paul prayed for deliverance from his thorn in his flesh in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.798 and The Believer's Bible Commentary p.555 for more info.

5. In Ps 6:5, what do you think of David's argument that he can't serve God any more on earth if he dies?

A: While that is true, we have to be careful in thinking that "God needs us" to accomplish His will. God can raise up other people, as Mordecai said in Esther 4:14. God might also have things He specifically wants us to do right now in heaven. But Paul had a similar thought to David's in Philippians 1:20-26.

It was not revealed to David as complete knowledge we have about Jesus, heaven, Hell, and the new Heaven and earth. But that is OK; David prayed to God with the light that he had, and his prayers were pleasing to God.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.555 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.482 for more info.

6. In Ps 6:5 and Ps 115:17, do the dead not remember God?

A: The "dead" do not praise God, as Psalm 115:17 reminds us. That is why we need eternal life, and in Psalm 115:18 David said that believers would praise God forevermore. David did not know what we know about Heaven, the new heaven and earth, etc., but David wrote with the light that he had. Today we know so much more, though we still don't know everything. But today it seem we are not as much limited by what we know, but by how much we trust.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.553 for more info, and 1001 Bible Questions Answered p.159-161 and the discussion on Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 for more extensive answers.

Psalm 7 – Trusting the righteousness of God – some brief answers

1. In Ps 7:1, what do we know about when this psalm was written and Cush the Benjamite?

A: We don't know anything else about Cush, who was opposing David, except what is in this superscript. This likely was written when David was running from Saul in 1 Samuel 22:8; 24:9; 26:19, as The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.796, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.556, the New International Bible Commentary p.562, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.137,and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.510 all say. The Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/parallel/paral18.cfm thinks it was written when David was fleeing from Absalom in 2 Samuel 16. However, it does not make sense for David to say verses 3-4 after he had Uriah murdered.

2. In Ps 7:1, what is David's trouble here?

A: It is not sickness or even enemies physically attacking him. Rather, Cush was telling King Saul, a fellow Benjamite, that David was disloyal to him. Attacks of slander can be just as serious as other attacks.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.562, The Believer's Bible Commentary p.556, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol. 5 p.100, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.138 for more info.

3. In Ps 7:3-5, since David prayed that enemies kill him if he rewarded evil to him who was at peace with him, why did this not happen after he had Uriah the Hittite murdered?

A: God could have had this happen, but God chose to be merciful to David and not give David the punishment and death David rightfully deserved.

At the time of writing this psalm, David says that he had not done any of these things, and if he had, then he is willing to face the music. But David sang a different tune after having Uriah the Hittite killed.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.556 for more info.

4. In Ps 7:7-8, when David asked God to judge him according to his own righteousness, does this prove that good works saved in Old Testament times?

A: No. The psalms record the prayers of David and others, and this is what David prayed to God. It does not say that David understood things perfectly here. But as the Bible teaches us in David's life later, David did not want God to judge him according to his righteousness after his sin with Bathsheba. You can see this in Psalm 51. Also, God did not like that David was a man of blood.

See Bible Difficulties & Seeming Contradictions p.227 for more info.

5. In Ps 7:8, did David wanting to be judged according to his own righteousness an example of works righteousness?

A: David's prayer was not wise. Psalm 7:8 shows us that we can pray anything to God, but we have to read all of Psalms and about David's life to understand what is wise and what is not. See the discussion on Psalm 35:24 for the answer.

6. In Ps 7:11, is God a happy being, since He expresses His wrath every day?

A: Yes, God is happy, and God also expresses wrath. Consider four things as you ponder God's emotions.

1. God has emotions somewhat like humans do. God can be happy, angry, sorrowful, etc. Jesus had normal human emotions on earth, and nothing indicates that Jesus lost anything, human or otherwise, when He ascended to Heaven.

2. Contrary to what a few (but probably not most) Calvinists say, when the Bible teaches that God expresses love, or other emotions, which is not just anthropomorphic. In other words, when God says He loves us, that is not just a pretense so that humans could better relate to a stone-cold, emotionless God. Rather, the Bible is sincere, and any argument that said God did not really have love, tenderness, or compassion is a two-edged sword that would show with equal effect that God does not have anger, wrath, or even care. In contrast, Romans 8:26-27 says that the Spirit intercedes with us with groans too deep for words. God not only has emotions, but He also has emotions even deeper than we have.

3. God is happy and blessed, especially when we express our love to Him in worship and service, God delights in His people (Zephaniah 3:27) and enjoys our praying to Him.

4. However, do not think that with God either the kinds of emotion, depth of emotion, or simultaneous feelings are restricted to human standards. God can relate to every being in the universe at once. To put it simply, God can be happy for billions of different reasons, be angry for billions more different reasons, per second, for all the seconds of time, simultaneously to Him.

7. In Ps 7:14-16, 9:15; 35:8; 57:6; Prov 26:27, what are some ways people who conceive trouble get the trouble turned back on them?

A: The other verses all talk of the concept of a pit that a person digs, and then falls into it themselves. When you dig a trap to catch a person, make sure the person who is caught is not you Some who have betrayed others have been betrayed themselves. Some, such as Jacob, who heated others, were cheated themselves, such as by Laban. Some, such as David, who had someone killed unjustly, like Uriah, were almost killed by his own son, Absalom.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament 797 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.146 for more info.

Psalm 8 – Having perspective and the majesty of God – some brief answers

1. In Ps 8:1-9, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: Like many psalms and other Hebrew poems, this is a chiasm. It has the following structure.

1a How majestic is God's name over all the earth

- 1b-2 God's glory above the heavens

- - 3-4 Why is God so interested in humanity?

- - 5 God has crowned humanity with glory and honor

- 6-8 God gave humanity dominion over the earth, animals and sea life

9 How majestic is God's name over all the earth

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.109 for more info.

2. In Ps 8:1-2, what four things do these two verses say about God's majesty?

A: Just looking at the earth, you can see the grand wonder of creation in all of it.

How much more the heavens too.

Even a child can see how great the Creator is.

This will silence God's enemies who should know better if they had their eyes open. Sometimes the small pinprick of a child's question can pop a skeptic's balloon.

The New International Bible Commentary p.562 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.109 have an important caution here though. In all of scripture, nature is never praised for its own sake, but to give praised back to God.

In a society that thinks people are the center of the universe, freethinker's A.C. Swinburne's "hymn" take the cake. "Glory to Man in the highest! For man is the master of things". So Psalm 8 is about having perspective of our place in God's creation. So how is life treating you, living on this speck of dust we call earth?

The last part of verse 1 is usually translated "You have set your glory", but the literal Hebrew is the imperative (command or request) to God to "Set your glory". The first way is a description of God's majesty, the second is a supplication, sort of like "Holy be your name" in the Lord's prayer.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.797, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.557, the New International Bible Commentary p.562, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.511 for more info.

3. In Ps 8:1, how is God's name excellent "in all the earth", since some on the earth do not know and recognize Him, then or now?

A: God's creation, earth, plants, animals, and so forth praise God by showing His ways. Creation is not perfect; it too was subjected to frustration at the Fall (Romans 8:19-22). Even so, it still shows God's power and character in Creation, regardless of whether a person recognizes it or not.

4. In Ps 8:2, how has God ordained praise out of the mouth of babes?

A: Praise extends from the cradle to the stars. God ordained praise out of the mouths of babes in at least three ways.

1. Have you ever seen three to five year old children singing songs of praise? You have to actually see their darling, undivided enthusiasm to understand. Matthew 18:2-5 says that we cannot come to Jesus except as a little child. That does not do much for our pride.

2. Even the cooing and crying of infants is a testimony of just how wonderfully made we are (Psalms 139:14). As that infant learns to smile and chooses to first say words, such as "da-da" and "ma-ma", we can see that adorable child is not just an incredibly complex logic program, but an incredibly wonderful person with a will, emotions, and curiosity. How many computer programs do you know of that can look up at the night sky, point to the moon, and with the enunciation of a two-year old, ask "what's that?"

3. Sometimes even the words of the simple understanding of children can silence the most sophisticated arguments of those who are against God.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.557 and Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.375 for more info.

5. In Ps 8:3, since everything [allegedly] started by random chance from the Big Bang", how do the heavens praise God?

A: Nothing could have started by random chance, as things do not happen for no cause whatsoever. However, God created the universe, there had to be a first cause.

If a person says the universe started by chance, ask them to list all the things they know of that occurred to no cause whatsoever. Secular scientists says that with the possible exception of the decay of the nucleus of any particular atom, which we know very little about, they have not observed a single thing that occurred without any cause whatsoever.

6. In Ps 8:4, how does denying God degrade humanity"?

A: If there were not a God who gave dignity and meaning to people, then what basis would be of any higher value than a mosquito, or a test tube full of chemicals? Apart from God, and compared to the universe, how important are we. Contrary to what you might think, we are NOT specks of dust. Rather, the earth is a spec of dust, and we are living on a tiny piece of a speck of dust. We would have no basis for we have any higher meaning than a society of gorillas or wolves. But God made us in our image (Genesis 1:26-27), we go from dust to glory.

As an aside, the Hebrew word for man here, ‘enos, means a mortal, weak human. Seth's son was named Enos.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.375, The Believer's Bible Commentary p.557, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol. 5 p.112,113, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.797, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.154 for more info.

7. In Ps 8:4, given the advances in the field of artificial intelligence in computers, are we close to making computers that can think like humans?

A: No. The most complex artificial intelligence systems humans have constructed fall far short of even medium complexity vertebrate brains, let alone human brains. Whether you are talking about neural networks or expert systems, the answer is no. See the next two questions for more info.

8. In Ps 8:4 have advances in regular and hybrid neural network technology produced computer programs that think similarly to humans?

A: No, there is no comparison. Physically the human brain cell has approximately 10¹¹ brain cells (neurons), and 10¹⁵ connections (axons). Information is transmitted by two distinct mechanisms: one is an analog preprocessing step using a sigmoid function, and the other is an apparently digitally encoded process. We do not yet understand the details of the second mechanism. Variations of the first mechanism alone are what we commonly use in computer neural networks.

As to whether neural networks can learn, the answer simply depends on the definition you choose for learning. Having worked with back-propagation neural networks for three years, neural networks have amazing abilities as multi-variable nonlinear function approximators and empirical models. Some might think a human brain can be thought of as a massively large neural network with two mechanisms of information transfer. However, the difference between a brain and a neural network is one of kind as well as degree. Even the most adaptive of neural networks, and combinations of neural networks, genetic methods fall far short of the intuitive reasoning, feeling, desires, and consciousness of even a typical mammal.

9. In Ps 8:4, have advances in expert systems software program made computers that reason similarly to humans?

A: No. There are a variety of expert system methods: forward chaining, backward chaining, depth first, breadth first, and so forth. However, we are far greater than an expert system with learning capabilities, as we have the will to choose which expert system method to use. In fact, we can choose when to choose which type of reasoning to use. In fact, we can choose with a nearly infinite regression of choices. The difference between our brains and a hypothetically massive, adaptive, object-based expert system is one of kind as well as degree. Expert systems can function as "intuition", but expert systems cannot create new things, compose music that others agree appreciate for a good beat and a catchy tune, and meaningful interplay with the lyrics.

10. In Ps 8:4, have advances in software programs such as the "Eliza" software program made computers that reason similarly to humans?

A: Eliza was a clever computer program written a number of years ago that was intended to mimic an active listener. I have heard of one secretary who interacted with it and mistakenly thought Eliza thought like a real person. Eliza worked by picking up on the main nouns and verbs in the sentence, and asking questions that echoed back those words. That was from 1964 to 1967.

These days, in 2024, I have read in east Asia that some girls have "virtual boyfriends". These are AI systems that they can talk to and share their struggles with, but there is no actual person. They fully realize their conversation partner is not a real person, but they do this instead of interacting with real people.

11. In Ps 8:4 it talks about man, but from Ps 8:5-9 it switches to God or Jesus. Am I correct?

A: Your question is actually just the "tip of the iceberg" of a much larger one. The last part of the psalm, of everything being under His feet, does in fact refer to Jesus as Hebrews 2:5-9 and 1 Corinthians 15:27 show. However, the larger issue is: how does Psalm 8 relate to humankind?

The entire psalm is but how nature in general glorifies the majesty of God. It starts with immenseness of the heavens and then continually narrows its focus, down to man, and then down to the Son of Man. First it contrasts the heavenly bodies with puny humankind in general in verse 5, asking what is so special about man, - and the Son of man. It answers by saying that while man seems a little lower than the heavenly beings now, he is/will be ruler over them.

So how does this refer to man?

Prior to the fall, man used to have dominion over the whole earth, according to Genesis 1:26-28. However, Psalm 8 is saying more than just how it could have been, or how it used to be.

But not today. Psalm 8 does NOT refer to our present situation, as Hebrews 2:8 teaches. Today this fallen, sin-filled world is under the dominion of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Satan is the prince of this world according to John 12:31; 14:30.

Yet Jesus, the Son of Man, is declared to receive all dominion according to Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:6-8; Colossians 1:16-20; and 1 Corinthians 15:27. So while this psalm is not messianic, it does have a messianic application.

But don't stop with Jesus. Psalm 8:5-9 refers directly to the Son of Man (Jesus), but Ephesians 2:6 says that believers will have the privilege of being co-seated with Christ on Christ's throne. Christ is the judge, but those under Christ will judge the world and judge angels according to 1 Corinthians 6:3. So while Psalm 8:4b-9 refers to the Messiah, we inherit the benefits of what the Messiah does for us, and so believers have not just the same state as before the Fall, but even better.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.557-558 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.110 for more info.

Psalm 9 – Singing praise for the victories of the Lord – some brief answers

1. In Ps 9:1-20, what is interesting about the structure of this psalm?

A: Both psalms 9 and 10 are a part of the same acrostic, with the first letter of every phrase the successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 9 has aleph (A) to Kaph (K), and Psalm 10 has lamed (L) to Tau (T). In book 1 almost all psalms have a title, except for psalm 10. In the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and some ancient Hebrew manuscripts Psalm 9 and 10 are written as one psalm. The only counter-argument is that the tone of psalm 9 is triumphant, while the tone of Psalm 10 is a complaint and prayer over godless people.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.563, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.558, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.114-115, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : New Testament p.798, and Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.375 for more info.

2. In Ps 9:1, does God ever want us to be boastful?

A: Actually, Yes, about Him. But no, we are not to boast about ourselves. [We never said there would not be trick questions!]

We should praise God, not just privately but also to others, about what God has done. Be careful though; sometimes under the guise of boasting about what God has done, … though you …, it can really be boasting about yourself under the pretense of praising God. When magnifying the Lord in front of others, try to keep yourself out of the picture.

3. In Ps 9:5-6, what is significant about destroying even the memory of them?

A: First some background for westerners. People tend to think that everyone thinks like them. The famous Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud said that all people have three main motivations, self-preservation, sexual gratification, and self-destruction. Freud was very arrogant to think that even all modern western people, much less all people, thought like himself. At least another psychologist, Lewis, claimed there were over 5,000 motivations that various people had, and sometimes, the highest psychological motivation you might have at a particular point in time is just for your sports team to win.

Sports aside, some people in other cultures have very different motivations. Some cultures emphasize power, and others emphasize honor, more than truth or pleasure. For example, a hope that one Chinese lady really looked forward to the day when she would be buried beside her husband in the ancestral graveyard. She was not at all suicidal, but just wanted to be reverently remembered by her descendents. Many, many other people, while not as extreme, emphasize honor in being remembered after their time. Psalm 9:5-6 strikes at the heart of that; not only would they incur God's wrath and be destroyed, but even the honor of their memory, which they so valued, would be all gone.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : New Testament p.798 and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.558 for more info.

4. In Ps 9:5, since God has rebuked the heathen, how severe is the rebuke, since a lot of the heathen never knew it?

A: "Rebuked the heathen" can also be translated "rebuked the nations". Regardless of the translation, this verse never says God has already rebuked every non-believer, but that God has destroyed many nations.

5. In Ps 9:9, 18:2; 46:7; 48:3; 59:9,16-17; 62:2,6; 94:22; 144:2; what is a "stronghold" or "refuge" for us?

A: The Hebrew word here, misgob, does not mean a quiet retreat, but rather a very defensible fortress. When we are troubled in mind, or tempted, or depressed or starting to get bitter, where can we go for protection for that? We can go to God in prayer.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : New Testament p.798 for more info.

6. In Ps 9:13f, what are the gates of death here?

A: This poetic expression just means the psalmist felt close to dying. But rather than being concerned solely about that, the psalmist instead says he will tell of God's wonders in the gates of Zion in verse 14.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.563 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : New Testament p.799 for more info.

A: Outside of these verses, the word is not encountered so we are not certain. However, based on the context, the word appears to mean+ "amen" or "so be it". The NASB footnote for Psalm 3:2 says, "Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical Interlude"

8. In Ps 9:19, should we pray for God's justice? If nobody does, then will it still come?

A: God's justice is ultimately inevitable. David was praying here for some of God's justice to come now, in order to show the pagans that there was only One True God, the God of Israel.

9. In Ps 9:20, why does God put fear into some people?

A: God is trying to get their attention. This "fear" is more than respect or knowing how awesome God is; this is terror. God here is putting fear of God into mortal men, ‘enos in Hebrew, who deliberately forget God in Psalm 9:17 and forget the poor in Psalm 9:18.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.512 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : New Testament p.799 for more info.

Psalm 10 – Struggling with the prospering of the wicked – some brief answers

1. In Ps 10:1 and other passages, why does God sometimes appear to be far off and not to do anything?

A: Imagine for a second that God provided at least partial punishment for every sin, the moment after it occurred. Furthermore that the punishments were always sufficiently unpleasant, unavoidable, and were always known for certain to come from a just God. Here would be some results

1) Negligible freedom to sin. It would be difficult to be tempted to sin under these circumstances.

2) Little freedom to love and obey God, apart from the immediate consequences. God created people who, though fallen, have freely chosen to obey God.

3) Little need for faith. Angels do not have faith that God is there; they have certain knowledge that God is there.

Second, even though we might struggle with the silence of God, sometimes God might not take action, to give us room, because He wants us and others to see the need. Finally, remember that God's ultimate goal is not our benefit, but His glory.

See When Critics Ask p.235 for more info.

2. In Ps 10:3, should this word be "bless" or curse"?

A: The word here can be "bless" as in a farewell blessing. In English we say "good-bye", which is a contraction of "God be with you". Both here and in Job 1:11, the word is used in an ironic sense. Thus Psalm 10:3 can be translated "…say goodbye and renounce the Lord."

See Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.237 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.127 for more info.

3. What does Ps 10:5-7 says about the arrogance of the wicked?

A: The wicked are arrogant in multiple ways. They think they should always be prospering, as they are deserving based on themselves. Second, they renounce the LORD, because they have no need for God if they think they can do everything on their own. Third, they are so focused on their present or hoped for prosperity, that they do not think about God at all. Finally they thin they can use tolls of iniquity and an evil tongue without considering that it might come back to bite them.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.127 for more info.

4. What does Ps 10:8-10 say about the stealth of the wicked?

A: They know the secret places, and deliberately go there to have a vantage point to prey upon others. They have a premeditated plan, and they know what they are doing. They especially target the poor, who often do not have the means to effectively resist. They might lurk as fearful lions, who use fear when the victim is surprised to see them. Or they might lurk as hunters with a net, with the victim walking by peacefully, having no clue what is about to happen until it is too late.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.799, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.560, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 p.181-183, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.127 for more info.

5. What does Ps 10:15 mean by breaking the arm of the wicked?

A: This means to destroy their power. Imagine a strong, armored, well-armed soldier, with a long sword and shield, and a broken arm. He is well-prepared and well-equipped to fight, except that he can't with his broken arm.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.799 for more info.

Psalm 11 – David's trust and hope – some brief answers

1. In Ps 11:1, when might we have a temptation to metaphorically "flee" today?

A: When friends, either true or false, tell us we should flee. When we would rather flee than stand up for what we know is right, because we might suffer loss or harm if we stay. However, sometimes fleeing does not make you any safer. The key point is to pray and decide rationally, and do not do something based just on fear.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.564 for more info.

2. In Ps 11:1-3 how should we handle the temptation to flee when we should not, and when should we flee?

A: It is fine to be aware of the risks and dangers, both the probability and the severity, but ultimately we need to decide what is worth it. For example, in early church times, one Roman persecution insisted that Christians give up all Christian books. Christians were willing to give up books written by various church leaders, but they hid scriptures rather than give them up.

3. In Ps 11:3, what foundation is this verse mentioning?

A: The best-built house will fall into rubble if its foundation is destroyed. Foundations here can be two things.

Whatever is relied upon, good or bad. When the things in which people trust their security are destroyed, they can become very frightened of the future. When the things people hope in are destroyed, they can be very despairing or cynical about the future. When the things people placed their enjoyment in are destroyed, they can become very depressed about the future.

Godly things: When godly institutions, customs, and people are destroyed or turned to wickedness, believers have a challenge to be steady as a rock. We cannot be this way if those godly things are the basis for our faith. We can only do so if our foundation is God Himself.

Ultimately our foundation is God. We can trust in He who tests all and loves the righteous.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.513 for more info.

Psalm 12 – Lying tongues vs. pure words from pure lips – some brief answers

1. In Ps 12:1, what is interesting about the transition between this and the previous psalm?

A: In Psalm 12:1, the word for godly is hasid, and the word for covenant love, such as in Psalm 11:7 is hesed. But while Psalm 11 emphasizes God's faithful love, Psalm 12 laments the few godly people. In Hebrew as well as English, the first word is "Help". As John Knox said, ""Lord, come to my rescue; piety is dead: in a base world, true hearts have gone rare." (Quoted from the Believer's Bible Commentary p.562)

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.801 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.135 for more info.

2. In Ps 12:1-8, how did David go from confidence in God beholding the righteous in Ps 11 to this psalm?

A: David had confidence in God in Psalm 11, but David observes hypocrites abound, the faithful disappear and the poor being oppressed in Psalm 12:1-5. You can get not only the poor, but anyone, to do things against their own interests and well-being if an evil person can get the victims to believe their lies. But even despite the oppression and lies, David still has confidence that God will arise.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.513 and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.375 for more info.

3. In Ps 12:1-8, why is this short psalm of disappointment in the Bible?

A: It seems that most feelings that people experience are in the Bible. Hatred, jealousy, murderous rage, lust, even insanity, are shown in the Bible and handled. Among other things, the Bible is a book about life, good and bad, and the Bible is profitable reading even if it is just for learning from the success and failures of others.

4. In Ps 12:2-4, what specifically are the sins of the tongue that God calls out here?

A: In Ps 12:2a they "speak idly" can mean speaking lies, whether outright lies or half-truths.

In Ps 12:2b they speak to flatter others.

In Ps 12:2c they have a "double heart" where they speak like they want one thing, but their intention is the opposite.

Ps 12:3 they speak proud things

Ps 12:4 they try to prevail over others with their lies and smooth eloquence.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.562 for more info.

5. In Ps 12:8, how is vileness exalted, then and today?

A: The Hebrew word here, zullut, means valuing things that are vile or wasted or worthless. Back then, worshipping idols, temple prostitution, and sacrificing their children to those idols, were both worthless to bring about any good, and extremely vile in bringing about evil. Today people worship idols, whether other gods, deviant sexuality, power, politics, or materialism. Today some seem eager to sacrifice their children on the altar of transgenderism.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.801 for more info.

Psalm 13 – How long? – some brief answers

1. In Ps 13:1-2, why do you think David says "how long" four times?

A: David had an anguished cry because David felt that God had forgotten him or else did not care about him. In this individual lament, David went out on a limb to serve God, and the result was that he was humiliated and depressed. David was asking how long he had to endure this situation.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.562-563 for more info.

2. In Ps 13:1-2, is it OK for us to pray "how long" prayers to God?

A: This psalm shows us that it is. However, even when we are praying with great emotion, we should pray respectfully, with faith that God will do things in His timing, and confident hope that God will address the situation in His wisdom. As The Believer's Bible Commentary p.562-563 says, "This Psalm is like many of our God-sent testings: they begin with a sigh but end with a song!"

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.139-140 for more info.

3. In Ps 13:1-2, why does God sometimes seem far from us, or does not hear us?

A: Sometimes it we who have drawn farther away from God because of our sin. We are longing to repent and be back in God's favor. However, at other times it is not because of that, and it is not that way in this psalm. Sometimes it can be a test to strengthen us, and sometimes God is not telling us "yes" or "no", but "wait". Psalm 13:3-4 remind us that sometimes God does things in our lives, not for us, but for His glory, and as a witness to bring others to Him.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.375 for more info.

4. In Ps 13:1-2, what can we do to have a lot more patience?

A: Imagine observing two people meeting to spend some time together. One of them looks like there is nothing they would rather be doing right now than being there. The other is talking, but also looking at their watch and phone, and looking around at others. Both of them are spending the exact same amount of time together. But the second obviously thinks their time is being wasted when they could be doing something more important.

When we come to God in prayer, do we act towards God like the first person or the second? When we are impatient doing ministry, we have to realize that "success" belongs to God; our part is obedience. If we are impatient in serving God, then what else do we have to do that is more important? When we see someone, such as our kid or grandkid, are we acting like the first or the second? Sometimes the number one thing God wants us to do at a moment in time is to build and strengthen our relationships with our family and others. One key to patience is to realize that right now you have nothing more important to do in your life than what God wants you to do right now. If you are in the will of God, doing what He wants, then sit back, enjoy the passage of time, and don't rush to do something that is not so important.

5. In Ps 13:4, how do you react when you have hopelessness of impending defeat?

A: This could occur in sales, another job situation, an athletic context, a school test, or trying to salvage a marriage or other relationship. When you are in this situation, take it to God. Work diligently to turn it around, but sometimes you suspect that even working your hardest the situation will not get better. Ask God to intervene, and count on God to do what He thinks is best.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.513 for more info.

Psalm 14 – How foolish some people are – some brief answers

1. In Ps 14:1, what kind of fool is this?

A: There are five kinds of fools in the Bible, including sluggards, This fool, nabal in Hebrew, is a hardened fool who has chosen to remain in foolishness rather than turn in wisdom to God. This is different from a naïve person, someone just led astray by others, or a lazy person.

2. In Ps 14:1:1-7, what are the parts of this psalm?

A: This is extremely similar to Psalm 53. These two psalms are unique in that they are meditations that do not address God directly. There are three parts.

Psalm 14:1-3 shows how godless people can be. (However, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.143 splits verse 1 off into a separate part to make this chiastic.)

Psalm 14:4-6 expresses amazement at their lack of wisdom

Psalm 14:7 hopes and longs for the salvation of Israel.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.565, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.514, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.802 for more info.

3. In Ps 14:1, why are fools criticized so much in the Bible?

A: This is not intellectual slowness but moral foolishness. There is pretended ignorance, and ignorance that is not innocent. It is not so much that they don't know, but rather that they don't care to know. Many times the belief that there is no God is founded in the desire that there be no God they have to give an account to. There are four Hebrew words for fool plus one for sluggard. See 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.150-151 and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.564 for more info.

4. In Ps 14:1, since nobody does good, what about Noah, Abraham, and Moses, not to mention David?

A: How low a standard of good do you mean? No person who ever walked this earth was completely good, according to God's standard, except for Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus Christ, if Heaven were only for those who were good enough to merit eternal life, heaven would be empty of people!

When all was lost for all of us though, and there was no way, Jesus Christ came down to earth and became the way. We can be good, sinlessly perfect in Heaven, and on the road to being perfectly good on earth. If someone were to look at your life today, versus a few years ago, what road would they think you are traveling?

5. In Ps 14:4, how do the wicked eat up people as they eat bread?

A: The thought behind this colorful metaphor is that people who destroy others' lives, financially and otherwise, in order to get rich, don't think they are doing anything wrong any more than eating bread. People are just prey to them. They blind themselves from asking the question: what if the consequences of their actions come back to bite them?

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 3 p.206-207 for more info.

Psalm 15-16 – Who is in God's pleasure? – some brief answers

1. In Ps 15:1-5, what is a summary of this psalm?

A: This short psalm is one question and the answer. Not everyone could be a "guest" at God's temple, either on earth, or in heaven. According to the New International Bible Commentary p.366 it was customary for a worshipper to ask for the prerequisites to be allowed in, as in verse 1. Verses 2-5 are the answer. This is similar to Psalm 24:3-6, and slightly similar to Isaiah 33:14-16. In Psalm 15:2-5 it is interesting that being blameless (tamim), caring for your neighbor, and hating evil, are all intertwined, as though God does not recognize one without the other two.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.147-148, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.514 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : New Testament p.803 for more info.

2. Does Ps 15:1-5 refer to only sinless people, or godly people who are still sinful?

A: It refers to people who are still sinful, but have been pronounced righteous by God, and are in the process of being made sinless. However, we will not reach sinless perfection until we come to Heaven.

In fact, some people have the idea that 100% of people only do what is in their selfish best interest. They claim that even good works for others are nothing more than getting others to help or reward them later. Those people are not kind-hearted, unselfish people you would want to be around. The Christian writer Gene Getz said that most people do things for one of three reasons: hope of reward, fear of punishment, or to be thought a better person in the eyes of themselves and others. Gene also pointed out that while that is the motivation for many, Christians have a higher motivation: unselfish agape love that is done for the sake of others, even when there is no reward for us.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.376 for more info.

3. In Ps 15:1, what feeling is demonstrated here?

A: Many places in psalms are not teachings as much as examples of believers longing for God

4. In Ps 15:4, today are we supposed to despise vile people?

A: No, today we have a higher standard than they had in Old Testament times. We are still to despise sin though, combining it with a love and urgency to save the person, as Jude 22-23 shows.

5. In Ps 15:4, why should we honor our word, even when it is to our detriment?

A: God hates lying lips, according to Proverbs 12:22 and 19:1, as well as 16:13; 14:5,25; 21:6,28. Anyone will keep their word when it is too their advantage. But keeping your word when it is not convenient to do so is a mark of a godly person. The only time you should break your word is when God wants you to break your word because keeping it would be sin. So, for example, if in a moment of anger you promised someone that you would get revenge on someone, then, since God commands us not to get revenge, you should break your word and not get revenge on that person. Or even better, never have promised to get revenge in the first place.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.565, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.151-152, and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.376 for more info.

6. In Ps 15:5, what is usury?

A: It means lending money at interest, which Israelities were not to do to other Israelites (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:35-37), but they could lend with interest to Gentiles (Deuteronomy 23:19-20). Sometimes the interest rate would be as high as 50%, which a desperate person might accept, if there were no other way. The Hebrew is literally "put the bite on them", and applies to those have exorbitant interest or fees today.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.565, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.152, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : New Testament p.803 for more info.

7. In Ps 16:1, what does this say about "close calls"?

A: How many of us have been in situations either growing up or as adults, where if things had been just slightly different we would be dead or hurt seriously. It was no different in ancient times. David, who had been alone many times with the sheep, and had been on the run from King Saul, and later from Absalom, might be remembering perilous situations he was in, and especially remembering to thank God for preserving him.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.366 for more info.

8. In Ps 16:2-4, why would people choose sorrow over happiness?

A: People do that all the time. They choose short-term pleasure plus long-term sorrow over everlasting joy. Or as a famous computer author and professor, Donald Knuth in the 1960's put it "Premature optimization is the root of all evil (or at least most of it) in programming. (The Art of Computer Programming)

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.376 for more info.

9. In Ps 16:2, why does David say that apart from God he has no good thing?

A: Because it is true. Apart from what God has provided, we have no good thing. That is not to say that people can get temporary pleasure from sinful things God does not want us to have, but it is short-lived, and it will often have consequences that are not so short-lived. Consequences can be external, or they can be things like addictions that affect our character.

In our lives we should not only believe that God is true, but that His way is the best way. We should also arrive at the conclusion that we have no good thing apart from God.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.376 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.514-515.

10. In Ps 16:4, Ex 23:13, what does this say about idol gods?

A: In addition to not worshipping them, you don't even want to pronounce their names on your lips. So if you have the option to name something, don't name it after a Greco-Roman, Norse, Egyptian, or other gods. In the early church, the Apostolic Constitutions book 5 ch.10 says the same.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.224 for more info.

11. In Ps 16:5-6, what are "assigned lots" here?

A: Literally, the promised land was parceled out to the twelve tribes (with Joseph getting two portions and the Levites getting none), and within the tribes each clan and then family had a portion. Actually the Levites, besides having towns spread through the land, were said to have the Lord as their portion, Metaphorically, God has given us a place to be, and work to do for Him, and we should rejoice in the assignment God has given us, and not be envious of the assignment of another. The Lord is our portion.

As an example, Henry C. Morrison and his wife served for decades in Africa before they had to return home because of his health. As they were sailing into New York, there was a band and a huge crowd waiting. It turns out that former president Teddy Roosevelt was also returning from big game hunting in Africa, and the crowds and party were for Roosevelt. Henry felt discouraged that it seemed everyone had forgotten him, but gave a great homecoming to Roosevelt who had only gone hunting. He was down until God showed him that "you're not home yet." It was not the lot of Henry and his wife to get that big celebration; but their welcome in heaven was undoubtedly much greater than what Roosevelt received on earth.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.376, https://www.addeigloriam.org/stories/morrison.htm (April 19, 2024), and Greg Laurie in https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/not-home-yet/ (April 19, 2024) for more info.

12. In Ps 16:8; 15:5, what is the significance of "shall not be moved"?

A: Psalm 15 emphasizes the those who walk uprightly and don't do ungodly things shall not be moved. Psalm 16:8 says that those who look to God for all good things shall not be moved either.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.217 for more info.

13. In Ps 16:8-10, who is the Holy One here?

A: While the psalm begins with David reflecting on God's protection for Him, this psalm gradually moves on to speak, not of David, but of the Holy One of God, which is the Messiah. This refers to Jesus according to Peter in Acts 2:25-28 and Paul in Acts 13:35.

See Hard Sayings of the Bible p.264-266, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.565, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.230 for more info.

Psalm 17 – Lord, hide me in your shadow – some brief answers

1. In Ps 17:1, what are feigned/deceitful lips?

A: These are hypocritical lips that pray to God as though the person was godly, but the person is not interested in obeying God.

2. In Ps 17:1, what is the difference between "not lying too much" and not having deceitful lips?

A: We are not to bear false witness or lie to each other at all. It is the difference between trying to manage and cut down a bit on a sin, and trying to eradicate it from your life. When you have the habit of not using deceit in anything, that can become your instinct and keep you out of sin. However, it should be mentioned that it is fine to keep silent instead of giving out information to those who could use it against us. Also, if there are multiple factors involved, you don't have to tell everything, as Samuel was told not to in 1 Samuel 16:2-4.

So given those qualifications, watch your mouth and practice daily not having any deceit on your lips.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.515 for more info.

3. In Ps 17:1-6, how should we handle it when something very bad, or potentially very bad, happens to us, and we know we did nothing to deserve it?

A: David never asked, "why me?", but rather "what now?". David already knew there was no sin or reason this should happen to him, more than other people. David would repent of any evil he was doing that would bring this on himself, except that David knew there was nothing. But David's proper response is that he took it to God and asked for help.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.568 for more info.

4. In Ps 17:4-5, how should we, like David, pray to be kept from evil paths that our feet might not slip?

A: In being chased by evil people, it could be tempting for David to be the same way. Not only should we commit to following God, but we should also pray to ask God to keep us away from bad influences that, from either pleasure or fear, would stand in our way or distract us from fully following God. It is good to ask God to bring what He wants into your life. But we can also pray for God to take out of our life, things, that, though we might like them, slow us down in following God.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.805 for more info.

Psalm 18 – God delivers us – some brief answers

1. In Ps 18:1-50, what is this psalm about?

A: This is a psalm of praise after David was delivered from dangerous situations (probably with Saul). It is the longest "hymnic psalm", and it neatly divides into two parts. Verses 1-30 tell of the strong protection God provides. Verses 31-50 celebrate what God has done. However, this psalm is not just about David. It is about David in a lesser way, but in a greater way Romans 15:9 shows that it is really about our Savior. This psalm is a challenge for us. It is not asking "do you pray regularly to God?", but rather challenging us to regularly pray prayers of thanks to God. Of course we should pray when we have needs to, but let's not forget to also pray prayers where we are not asking for anything; we are just praising and thanking God for what He has done.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.568, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.167, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.249,251, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.515 for more info.

2. In Ps 18:1-50, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: This is organized as a chiasm, which is typical of many psalms.

1-3 The Lord is the Rock of Israel

- 4-6 Affliction

- - 7-15 The LORD is coming to help

- - - 16-19 The Lord's deliverance

- - - -20-29 God's faithfulness to the faithful

- - - 30-36 Divine perfections

- - 37-42 The king's victory over the enemies

- 43-45 The glorious deliverance

46-50 The LORD lives! Blessed by my Rock!

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.168 for more info.

3. In Ps 18:1-2, what is the difference between loving God with all your strength, and loving God who is our strength?

A: We want to do both, but there is a distinction. Jesus said to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength in Mark 12:30. But you will likely find out that even though you are giving God all you got, what your giving is still not enough. God gives us strength, but you have to learn to have God's strength flowing through you, rather than merely serving God on your own power. Ways to block this are being unwilling to trust God, taking credit for what God has done through you, our being proud over others. Make sure the glory and credit goes to Him, not you. And as you allow God's strength to flow through you and change others, you will find out that you get changed too.

4. In Ps 18:9, how is the darkness / dark clouds under God's feet?

A: This colorfully poetic expression is true in both a visual way and as a moral metaphor.

Visually, appeared brilliant "Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day,…" in Ezekiel 1:28 (NIV).

As a moral metaphor, God is pure and has the darkness of evil subjugated under His feet.

5. In Ps 18:32,34, why does God need to strengthen us and prepare our hands for war, since God Himself saves us and is our strength in Ps 18:2,17-19?

A: Looking at an example, Joshua's conquest of the Promised Land, both are true. God caused them to pass through the Jordan River on dry ground, surprising the Canaanites, and God caused the walls of Jericho to fall, and later God lengthened the day in Canaan when fighting the southern Canaanite kings. They were not allowed to take the spoil of Jericho, as they did not cause the city to fall. However, they had to fight the other battles, and they could take the spoil then.

Today, God fights some battles for us, in such a way that we don't have to do anything. But, in perhaps the majority of our struggles, we have to do the struggling. God might help us "prepare our hands for war", but we need to be prepared and be able to fight ourselves.

6. In Ps 18:34 how does God train our hands for war today, since Jesus is the prince of peace?

A: Ask any allied solder who fought in World War II. Sometimes we fight for defense, and for the oppressed and for justice for others, and we should be prepared to fight well. But we do not need to fight to invade or oppress others.

But it is a murky line when a leader rationalizes, "in order to defend my country a little bit better, I am going to attack and completely take over yours." It is sort of like a couple of hundred years ago, when Cossacks were rebelling against the Poles, their battle cry was "liberty" as they were committing atrocities against Roman Catholic and Jewish civilians.

7. In Ps 18:20, when David said God dealt with him according to his righteousness and clean hands, does this prove that good works saved in Old Testament times?

A: No for two reasons. David was not speaking of God saving him eternally, but God helping him in this life. Second, David's subsequent life showed that God did not deal with David as David deserved, but after the sin with Bathsheba God dealt mercifully with David.

See Bible Difficulties & Seeming Contradictions p.227 for more info.

8. In Ps 18:20-21, what is this saying about our trials?

A: The "test" for David was not whether or not he would make it. The test was would David keep his integrity when the going got tough.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.806 for more info.

9. In Ps 18:46 and Ps 19:14, how can God be the Rock and Strength in your life today?

A: We can trust in Him, and rely on Him to watch over us. When circumstances are going really well, we can remember that our trust is in God our Rock and not our circumstances. When circumstances are going poorly, likewise we can remember that our trust is in God our rock. John Calvin encouraged Christian to read this psalm every day.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.177 for more info.

10. In Ps 18:49 and Rom 15:9, how is this referring to Christ?

A: The extent that God came to help David here would sound a little bit excessive, until you realized this is not primarily about David, but about Christ, as Romans 15:9 shows. As F.B. Meyer wrote, "the voice is thin and solitary, but the answer shakes creation." Death and Satan do not let people out. Well someone was going to come out here: God is Almighty, and He will make sure of that. The Medieval Christ writer Fulgentius has a colorful image, of Jesus down in Hell, using His cross as a battering ram, smashing the gates of Hell and tearing them open.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.569-571 for more info.

11. What are Ps 18:1-50 and 2 Samuel 22 so similar?

A: They are extremely similar, though with a few differences; perhaps Psalm 18 is the more refined version. Both say the psalm was written when the Lord delivered David from his enemies and from the hand of Saul. Why not include the same psalm in two places in different books?

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.269-278 for more info.

Psalm 19 – Two Revelations of God – some brief answers

1. In Ps 19:1-4, how far are the stars from us?

A: Some are very far, but the closest is one of the three alpha centauri stars, called proxima centauri. It is 4.2465 light-years away. That is 25 trillion miles, or 40 trillion kilometers. If you (or precisely your remains) could travel in a spaceship to proxima centauri, and the cost for the ride was only 1 penny per thousand miles, it would cost you a little over $250 million.

One of the closest galaxies appears in the Virgo constellation, is 17 million light-years away.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.571 for more info.

2. In Ps 19:1-6 and Rom 1:19-20, what can nature show us about God?

A: For those who observe and ponder, it shows there is a Creator, and it shows great beauty, power, and wisdom. It makes us see this vast cosmos and wonder how small we really are, and how few are our days on this earth. It can influence people to ponder is there something that matters, eternally, can there be a real purpose for our existence? Properly considered, the natural universe can be used to lead us to consider Him. Improperly considered, many people have looked at the wonder of the natural universe and started worshipping it.

There is real beauty in creation. "Corot, the great landscape painter once said, ‘When I find myself in one of Nature's beautiful places, I grow angry with my pictures.' Pleased with them in his studio, the artist was humbled in the sight of Nature's glory. Judging ourselves in the light of the world, we may easily find grounds for personal satisfaction; but to judge ourselves I the light of the Lord, to measure ourselves by the Divine standard, is to put our pride to same. (Choice Gleanings) quoted from the Believer's Bible Commentary p.602.

However, natural revelation alone cannot tell us about the Trinity, the Savior, or salvation.

In Isaac Newton's time it was popular to have planetary models of the solar system, based on the work of Kepler, and Newton had one. An atheist friend of his asked Newton who made it. Newton replied, "No one, it just made itself". The friend said, "No, who made it", and Newton gave the same answer. When the friend started to get irritated, Newton asked him, why was it so hard for him to believe that this model made itself, when you believe the real solar system made itself.

See 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.151-152 for a complementary answer.

3. In Ps 19:1, can the Gospel be seen in the stars?

A: This verse does not specifically say that. It only says that the heavens declare the glory of God. Nature in general shows some characteristics of the Creator, as Romans 1:19-20 says. Some Christians see in the constellations in the northern hemisphere the gospel story in pictures (Libra the scale of God's justice, Scorpio the serpent, etc.). However, finding the gospel in specific constellations is extra-Biblical, and other cultures have other terms for constellations (such as the big and little dipper vs. the big and little bear.). See the Complete Book of Bible Answers p.180-181 for more info.

4. In Ps 19:1-6 and Ps 19:7-12, why are these two parts together?

A: The first part demonstrates God's character through nature, first of the night sky, and then of the sun. The second part demonstrates God's character through His law. The sun sees everything on earth. Likewise, God and His judgments examine everyone on earth. However, the heavens only tell the glory of God, but God's commandments tell of God's desired will for us.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.376, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.179, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.280 for more info.

5. In Ps 19:3-4, what kind of knowledge is David talking about here?

A: There are different types of knowledge, and different ways of looking at the same thing. For example, detailed knowledge would be knowing planets, knowing the brighter stars, pattern of the constellations and even (believe it or not) the ancients could make out seven small stars within the Pleiades. These details are not what David is referring to here, anymore than knowing that the star Betelgeuse is not as bright as the planet Venus tells us anything about our heavenly home. Rather, the grand scope of the universe, the intricate order, and the "fortuitous circumstances" that even make life possible for us, indicate that there is a great God, who made all of this and cares for us.

Don't miss the forest because of the trees. In fact, don't miss the oxygen / carbon dioxide and water cycles because of the forests.

6. In Ps 19:5-6, is there anything unique about the sun as a star?

A: There are different kinds of stars, including red giants, white dwarfs the size of the earth but the mass a bit less than the size, neutron stars, black holes, and others. But the sun is a typical "m-class" star. It is a single star, versus binary or trinary stars that rotate closely around the center. But for physical life to work on the earth, it had to be around the right distance from the sun, large enough so that the atmosphere would be evaporate into space (unlike Mars), be so large that life could not move, rotate fast enough that half would not be freezing and half be boiling, and not have too eccentric of an orbit. A double or trinary star system would have too much of a temperature extreme for physical life to survive.

How hot is the sun? At its core it is about 27 million degrees F. But surface of the sun is actually relatively cool; only about 10,000 degrees F, though still hot enough to melt diamonds.

So while there are lots of stars like the sun, there are (relatively speaking) not many sun-like stars with a planet the right distance. Scientists have observed or inferred from gravity about 4,000 planets in other solar system. Of those, about 55 could be earth-like, meaning having about the right mass and about the right distance from its star, though we can't tell about water and oxygen. Nevertheless, there are so many stars in the Milky Way Galaxy that they estimate there could be 300 million to 40 billion earth-like planets in the "humble place" we call home: the Milky Way. They think there are about 200 billion galaxies.

See https://www.worldatlas.com/space/how-many-earth-like-planets-are-there-in-the-milky-way.html and https://www.worldatlas.com/space/how-hot-is-the-sun.html for more info.

7. In Ps 19:7-8, exactly how do knowing and obeying God's commands give joy to our hearts and enlighten our eyes?

A: There is a joy in knowing that we are pleasing God. Knowing and following God's statues changes us, in giving us wisdom and opening our eyes to prudence, and seeing the world, at least partially, from god's perspective.

8. In Ps 19:10a, how is God's word like fine gold?

A: God is enduring, does not rust or corrode, and is beautiful and attractive; so is God's Word. Both are precious, and you have to dig to get either one.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.572 for more info.

9. In Ps 19:10, how might a Christian's life be different if they really believed this verse and valued God, His status, and judgments as of greater worth than gold vs. the other way around?

A: If you counted up all the minutes a Christian spent thinking or worrying about money, getting rich, or staying out of debt, versus the minutes, praying, meditating, and sharing about God, the second category would take up a lot more time than the first. If a Christian had a loss in the stock market or another investment, versus the Christian, or someone else that they loved, fell into a sin, they would mourn the second more than the first. If a Christian made a strong gain in an investment, vs. the Christian, or someone they loved conquered a sin or came to Christ, they would show more joy at the second than the first. Bible verses are easy to read; the challenge is that we are to believe them.

10. In Ps 19:11-12 and Jms 1:23-25, what is an important function of God's word here?

A: It is like a mirror of our insides, showing us where we need to change and conform to the likeness of Christ. It teaches us to flee temptation, resist the devil, hate sin, and avoid even the appearance of evil. God's word both shows us and warns us, so that we can stay out of hot water. The very best way to avoid the consequences of your evil actions is to never do those evil actions in the first place!

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.573 for more info.

11. In Ps 19:12-13, what is the difference between secret/hidden faults and presumptuous/willful errors, and who are the secret faults secret from anyway?

A: There is a difference between sins that you were not aware you were committing, and things you knew were sin, but you went ahead and did them anyway. Secret faults might or might not be seen by another person, but often they are not seen, or not seen as sin, by the person committing the sin. There are different kinds of secret faults. A person might not know something was a sin, because they were not well-versed in God's word. Or even if they knew God's word well, but had not taken the time to examine their heart. Of, while they were unsure if something was displeasing to God or not, they did not want to ask, because they might not like the answer.

12. In Ps 19:14, can some of our prayers and meditations be more acceptable to God than others? What would make them so?

A: James 4:3 says that can ask and not receive because we are only asking to spend on our desires. God does not hear our prayer if we shut our ears to the cry of the poor. Husbands should be considerate of our wives so that our prayers would not be hindered, according to 1 Peter 3:7.

Stay in God's word and you will have good examples of what to pray. Be centered on God, and your meditations will be more pleasing than if you are focusing on yourself.

Psalm 20 – Entreating God before the Battle – some brief answers

1. In Ps 20:1, what is the context of this psalm?

A: This is a royal psalm with a mixture of a kingly solo and the people's chorus. While there is no superscript that says, the content shows it is prior to a battle. It is a war or battle they had time to pray about, so it is likely Israel fighting the Syrian and Ammonite armies.

Even if we have non-physical battles, such as at work or with a quiz at school, we need to trust in God the same way. This psalm can be thought of as praying for victory. We likewise should pray to God for victory, over sin, our circumstances, or in other words our opposition, both without and within. David prayed with confidence, expecting victory; our prayers are not very effective if we don't pray in faith, with expectation of victory.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.575, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.517, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.574, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.808-809, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.295, and the New International Bible Commentary p.570 for more info.

2. In Ps 20:1-9, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: As Donald M. Williams puts it: "The Defending Name, The Displayed Name, The Delivering Name"

God will defend His Name, and in Psalm 20:8 God's Name defends us.

We are to publicly proclaim and display God's Name, as we fight the battle, before the victory as well as after. When Moses and the Israelites fought the Amalekites, they were only winning when Moses held up his hands in Exodus 17:11-13. Afterwards Moses built an altar called "The Lord is my banner." In Exodus 17:14-17. The banners are flags, and it is good for us to have "flags" too, even if it is just mementos on our desk at work or a cross that we wear.

God has delivered, and we have confidence that God will deliver us here. We can rejoice now, before the victory, knowing in faith that God will deliver us.

Verses 1-5 are praying for victory, and verses 6-8 is the confidence of future victory.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.191, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.574, and the New International Bible Commentary p.570 for more info.

3. In Ps 20:4, when will God give you the desires of your heart?

A: When I was growing up, I used to think this verse meant that God would grant the desires of those who followed Him. Later, I came to believe instead that it meant God would give you the feelings, ambitions, and other desires He wanted you to have. Now I see that both are true. God gives His children the proper desires, and He also longs to satisfy those desires. Of course, our desire to see God face to face will only be satisfied when we get to Heaven.

4. In Ps 20:7, since David saw a need to have chariots and horses too, what is the difference between trusting in those and trusting in God?

A: Many do trust exclusively in the arsenals of weapons and protection they have built up. The Aramaeans (Syrians) in particular had a lot of chariots and horses. The kings of Israel and Judah were not supported to keep a large number of horses according to Deuteronomy 17:16. People tend to want to trust in their own abilities. But David saw that was not enough; God can give, or take away, victory. In fighting an opposing army, chariots and horses were necessary but not sufficient. Both sides would have those, but for one side it would not be enough. In fact, having a larger and larger cavalry, as the Midianites did, was not enough if God was against them. David saw that the victory belonged to the Lord. But for us, instead of just asking God to be on our side; let's make sure we are fully on God's side.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.517-518, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.291.294, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.191-192, and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.575 for more info.

Psalm 21 – Rejoicing in God after the Battle – some brief answers

1. How does Ps 21:1-13 relate to Ps 20?

A: Psalm 20:4 asks God to give the desire of his heart, and Psalm 21:2 says that God gave him the desire of his heart. David remembered to pray for help and victory in Psalm 20, but he did not forget to thank God for the victory in Psalm 21. Likewise we should be just as quick to pray to thank God for a good thing that happened, as we are to ask God for help in a situation.

Psalm 22 also refers to the Messiah according to the Jewish targum and Talmud B. Succa 52a.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.575, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.809, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.290,297 for more info.

2. In Ps 21:1, exactly when was the war or battle they were praying about?

A: Again, we don't know for certain, but it was a war or battle where the people had time to gather together, pray, and make sacrifices with their king. It is thought that it might be before fighting the combined armies of the Ammonites and Syrians in 21 Samuel 10:14-19. This would be interesting as Psalm 20 would be right before David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah killed. The celebration in Psalm 21 would be right after that.

So David was truly celebrating, but he was celebrating with a secret.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.298 for more info.

3. In Ps 21:1-13, what is the structure?

A: Verses 21:1-7 address the immediate victory that occurred, and verses 8-13 praise God for the confidence for future victories. It is a chiasm as follows

1 The king rejoices in the Lord's strength

2-6 – God's gifts to the kings

7 – – The king's response

8-12 – The people's confidence in God and the king

13 the people rejoice in the Lord's strength

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.193, the New International Bible Commentary p.571, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.290,299 for more info.

4. In Ps 21:7, ultimately what is David trusting in?

A: The word rendered in English as mercy or love is the Hebrew word hesed, which means covenant love. Ultimately David is trusting in God's unwavering, faithful commitment of love towards God's people.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.518 for more info.

5. In Ps 21:9; 79:5; 89:46; 97:3, how is God's wrath like fire?

A: People and animals have almost no fear of fire when it is not in the area, or else they do not know that it is in the area. But fire can race rapidly through a dry forest, much faster than a car. It can be too fast to run from, and even water or fire-fighting chemicals will not stop it immediately.

Many people have no fear of God's wrath, because it is not currently present to them, and they do not see that it will ever come. Indeed, God is slow to wrath. But when it comes you can't outrun it, you can't stop it, and it can rapidly and irrevocably destroy that is valuable and precious to you, including your loved ones and yourself.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.809 for more info.

6. In Ps 21:10, why will God destroy from the earth descendants of evil people?

A: Salvation is offered to everyone, regardless of who their parents are (Acts 17:30; Titus 2:11; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 4:10; 1 John 2:2). Ultimately everyone, male and female, is either a Son of God (Romans 8:14; Galatians 3:26) i.e., born again as a child of God (John 3:3-8; 1 John 3:1,10 Romans 8:16-17) or else a child of the devil (John 8:44; 1 John 3:10).

Psalm 22 – The praise of hope when feeling forsaken – some brief answers

1. In Ps 22:1-31, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: Like many other lament psalms, it has two halves; in this case, hopelessness of an abandoned death, and hope beyond that.

There are two cycles describing the situation in Psalm 22:1-5 and Psalm 22:6-10, and two cycles of describing the enemies in Psalm 22:12-15 and Psalm 22:16-18.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.576-577, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.198, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.518, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.810 for more info.

2. In Ps 22:1-2, how would you respond if you felt forsaken by God's blessing, and God was silent?

A: First of all, realize that you would not be alone. Hannah, especially Joseph, Samson, and John exiled on Patmos might have felt the same way too. Some, like Samson, might feel forsaken because of their sin. Others, like Joseph, would rub people the wrong way but be unaware of what they were doing. Others, like John or Job were exiled, or suffered greatly exactly because they were serving God.

In the case of Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, Joseph, the three youths in Daniel, and Daniel himself, you would want to tell him to look up, because when it appears the gloomiest, that is right before a bright victory.

So keep your confidence; as David did in Psalm 22:3, and as David remembered, his ancestors did in Psalm 22:4-5.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.810 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament part 1 p.303 for more info.

3. Was Ps 22 written in the context of hard times when the Jews were exiled from the land, did not have access to the temple, and David was on the run from his enemies?

A: Definitely not, despite what some liberal commentators claim. It is true that it was written by David, around 1100 B.C., likely when he was on the run from his enemies. However, the temple had not been built yet (it was built in the time of his son Solomon). The people were only denied access to the temple because the temple did not exist! As for the author of the Psalm being mournful because the people were exiled from the land, the first exile occurred under the Assyrians around 722 B.C., about three centuries after David was on the run from his enemies.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament part 1 p.303-304 for more info.

4. In Ps 22, what indicates that it speaks of the Messiah's crucifixion?

A: This does not refer to David, for nobody pierced David's hands and feet. (It could also mean "lion-like", but even so, David's hands and feet were not bent over like lion's claws either.) David did not have his garments divided among them. David was not despised because it appeared God was not delivering him (22:6-8).

Since this psalm is not about things David personally experienced, to whom could it refer? It refers to someone who followed God from the womb (verse 9), yet who was despised as abandoned by God (verses 6-8), and asks "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (verse 1). It is someone who had their hands and feet pierced (verse 16), who was brought to the dust of death (verse 15). This sounds like the same suffering servant in Isaiah 53, and this refers to the Messiah. See Hard Sayings of the Bible p.266-267 for more info.

Among the Jews, the Pesikta Rabbati 37:2, written about 845 A.D. references Psalm 22 as a Messianic prophecy. Calling the Messiah Ephraim, is says, "Ephraim our True Messiah!... and you were put to ridicule and held in contempt by the nations of the world because of Israel, and you sat in darkness and blackness and your eyes saw no light, and you skin cleft to your bones, and your body dried out was like wood, and your eyes grew dim from fasting, and your strength became like a potsherd. All this because of the sins of our children…." (Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus vol.2 p.229-231, 309)

If someone claims that since this so closely prophesies Jesus crucifixion that Christians must have altered it, we have both the Septuagint, translated by Jews before the time of Christ, a Dead Sea scroll, and a scroll in the cave of Nahal Hever that show what they had back then is what we have today.

Dead sea scroll 4Q88 (=4QPss(f)) has Psalm 22:13-16; 107:2-5,8-16,18-19,22-30,35-42; 109:4-7,24-28.

Nahal Hever in the Cave of Letters (50 B.C. to 100 A.D.) has Psalm 7:12-17; 8:1,3-9; 9:12-21; 10:1-6,8-10,18; 11:1-5; 12:5-8; 13:1-2; 14:2-4; 15:1-5; 16:1; 18:5-12,16-35,37-42; 22:3-8,14-20; 23:2-6; 24:1-2; 25:4-7; 29:2; 30:2; 31:1-21

5. In Ps 22:11-18, what is the significance of bulls, lions, and dogs?

A: All are dangerous, but like some people, they can be dangerous in different ways.

Lions are large, strong predators who strangle and bite their pray; the prey could be large and in peak physical condition, and the lion will still go after it.

Dogs are a different kind of predator, large groups of them slowly weaken an animal with many bites, until the animal finally dies. While a pack of many dogs can attack a large healthy animal, they opportunistically prefer animals that are already weakened or vulnerable because they are young.

Bulls are not predators, and so don't need to kill anything to eat it. Rather, they are dangerous and gore other animals to death just to be aggressive or territorial. Bulls get no benefit, except perhaps a feeling of safety and power, from killing another animal. They just want to do it anyway.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.206 for more info.

6. In Ps 22:12, what does Bashan have to do with bulls?

A: Cattle are skinnier, smaller, weaker, and perhaps less aggressive if the food is sparse. But not the bulls of Bashan. Bashan was a region next to the Golan Heights in modern southwest Syria with rich, well-watered grasslands that was not very stony. It receives about 24 inches of rain per year. Bulls there would be well-fed, big, strong, and eager to dominate any threats or others. Amos 4:1 calls wealthy ungodly women "cows of Bashan".

See the New International Bible Commentary p.572, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.205, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament part 1 p.315, and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.577 for more info.

7. What is Ps 22:14-15 saying here about our strength?

A: In between the threats from metaphorical "bulls" and "lions", and metaphorical "dogs", the great stress and hopeless situation has just sapped all his strength away from him.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.810 for more info.

8. In Ps 22:16, should the Hebrew be translated as his hands and feet were "pierced" or "lion-like" (Masoretic text)?

A: Scholars used to disagree. The literal Hebrew word in the Masoretic text means "lion-like", and the word was not commonly used this way. Perhaps it could mean that Christ's hands were twisted, as they would contract after the nails were driven in and He hung on those nails for hours.

It could simply be a poetic way of saying "pierced". The skeptical Asimov's Guide to the Bible p.895 wonders if "pierced" was inserted by Christians as a reference to Jesus. However, Asimov's conjecture is wrong here because the Septuagint, translated by Jews centuries before Christ, also says "pierced".

This issue was settled by an early scroll found as Nahal Hever (5/6HEvPs), written before 50 A.D.. It says in Hebrew, "They have pierced my hands and my feet." So the Septuagint and early Nahal Hever scroll agree, and the Masoretic text is different here. See Abegg, Martin, Jr., Peter Flint and Eugene Ulrich, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible p.519 for more info.

9. In Ps 22:27-31, what is interesting about David's hope here?

A: In many other places, and earlier in this psalm, David hopes for God deliverance, blessing, and looks forward to praising God forever. But Psalm 22:27-31 is different. Here David is looking forward longingly to others praising God too. It should give us great joy that others love the Lord, and are praising and serving Him.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.519, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.811, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.579, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.210 for more info.

10. In Ps 22:29, what does this show about David's view of life after death?

A: This shows that even after believers die they will still praise God.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament part 1 p.326 for more info.

Psalm 23 – The Lord is my Shepherd who provides – some brief answers

1. In Ps 23:1-6, when was this precious psalm written?

A: Scripture does not say, but we can speculate based on a few clues. Something might have reminded David of the days when he was a shepherd. God's protection was very prominent in his mind now. David talked about preparing a table in the presence of his enemies. David also used a very dark and gloomy phrase he never used before or since: the valley of the shadow of death.

Based on these hints, some speculate that he either wrote this when he fled from Absalom, or else wrote this later when thinking back to the close call he had with Absalom. If he and his loyal solders had stayed in the valley close to Jerusalem, Absalom's great number of men would have captured David and killed him. It was because of the advice of Hushai the Arkite that David did not stop but passed through the valley to cross the Jordan River.

It was during a fearful time that this psalm was written, which the Believer's Bible Commentary p.579 calls "the best-loved poem in all literature."

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.329 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.214 for more info.

2. In Ps 23:1-6, what is an outline of this psalm?

A: J.R. Littleproud gave a short but cogent outline of this psalm.

23:1-3 The secret of a happy life – every need supplied

23:4-5 The secret of a happy death – every fear removed

23:6 The secret of a happy eternity – every desire fulfilled.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.580 for more info.

3. In Ps 23:1, who is the shepherd here?

A: First what is not the answer, and then the answer.

Not the answer: Kings sometimes called themselves shepherds of the nation, as Hammurabi, king of Babylon did (ANET p.164b). But David is the speaker and the sheep here, so it cannot be David.

The answer: In this psalm, as well as Psalm 28:9: 80:1, it is God, though Old Testament believers could also understand the Shepherd as the Messiah since Isaiah 40:11 says so. We understand it specifically as both god and the Messiah, namely Jesus Christ based on Christ being our shepherd in John 10:14, where He knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him, and 1 Peter 5:4. The Good Shepherd would lay down His life for His sheep in Hebrews 13:20.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.811, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.520, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.215 for more info.

4. In Ps 23:1,6 what does this tell us about God providing for David, and us?

A: Some Christians were full of faith that God will provide for them in eternity, but they aren't so sure that God will provide for them in time now.

This psalm shows how God provided for a variety of needs. God provided spiritual needs in Psalm 23:2-3. He provided for David's directional needs (for guidance) in Psalm 23:3. God provided for David's emotional needs in Psalm 234.God provided for David's physical needs in Psalm 23:5. Finally, God would meet David's eternal needs.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.519-520 for more info.

5. Ps 23:1-6 focuses mainly on the Shepherd, but what does it say about us, the sheep?

A: It says two rather different things. When Scripture compares us to sheep, we are valuable to the Shepherd, and he would put his life in danger to protect us. But the second thing, in comparing us to sheep, is that sheep are not very smart. Sometimes if you rescue a sheep who fell into a ditch, the sheep will jump around so happy that the sheep falls right back in.

If sheep are in a line, and you place a stick as a barrier about knee-high, the sheep will jump over it and keep on going. When the remove the stick, the sheep will continue to do the same, because that is what the sheep in front of them did! Sheep also muddy the water they and other sheep are about to drink. Only sheep would be foolish enough to pollute what they are just about to use. – right???

God was not really complimenting us when He called us sheep. But at the same time God showed that we are precious to Him.

6. In Ps 23:1-6, is this a good psalm to comfort people?

A: God's Word here is good comfort for Christians. But actually it should NOT be comforting for everyone. If you don't want to follow the Good Shepherd, and you are not in His flock, because you are not one of His sheep, then this psalm does not apply to you. If you have not given your life to Christ you are on you own, and maybe the story of the three little pigs is more appropriate

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.580 for more info.

7. In Ps 23:4, whose rod and staff are these, and how would they be a comfort to David?

A: This is the rod and staff od David's Shepherd: God. A shepherd's staff or shepherd's crook can lift a sheep from danger or a tight spot. Wadis, or seasonal creeks, were often just dark deep crevices in the earth, and who knows if you could easily climb out again. The staff or rod is also a weapon to club wolves. Likewise, we can be comforted by God's strength in being able to rescue us and defend us.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.216 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.330 for more info.

8. In Ps 23:4, is God's providing for us always comforting?

A: Not necessarily at the time. A shepherd often has sheep dogs. Sheep dogs, with their eyes, sense of smell, and being light sleepers, are an essential early warning system for wolves or bears. Sheep dogs typically have instincts to herd sheep (and also little kids) forcing them to go where they want them to go. But when sheep refuse to go where the sheepdog is guiding them, the dog might nip at their heels, not to eat them or hurt them, but to cause pain so that they will go where they need to go.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.520 for more info.

9. In Ps 23:5, what is significant about a table in the presence of his enemies?

A: The image is that David will be able to peacefully sit down and enjoy a meal knowing that he is safe. His enemies, who would like to get him, are there watching, but they will not be able to do anything.

God is providentially generous, and kind enough to be able to provide a filling feast; but God. But God is also powerful enough that David's enemies know they don't dare do anything to disturb the meal.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.331 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.812 for more info.

A: The first Christian, no matter how mature he or she is, freely and publicly acknowledges that they were, and still, and always will be dependent on God. The second might say how they used to be dependent on God, and how they are still dependent on God for His promise of salvation, but give off the impression they are strong enough to have things covered on their own. The second type would be unwilling to acknowledge their own (current0) brokenness. This might be out of pride, or out of the mistaken feeling that if you are a mature Christian, you have to be, or else have to give the illusion that you are almost sinlessly perfect.

As a side note, sometimes people rephrase the second part where it combines the third part too. But either way, Psalm 23 emphasizes the third part.

Psalm 24-25 – God's glory, through the ages and over enemies – some brief answers

1. In Ps 24:1, how does everything belong to the Lord, since the county courthouse says my house belongs to me?

A: Who owns the earth beneath the county courthouse and the people who go inside it? We say we own things, but God owns everything by the right of creation. Sometimes we want to try to hold on to things at all costs, without realizing that we could never hold on to anything very well in the first place. That is why it is better to hold the things God gave you in your hands "loosely", so it doesn't have to be pried out of your hands if God takes it away.

2. In Ps 24:2 is the earth founded upon the seas, or does the earth "hang on nothing" as Job 26:7 says?

A: Both are true, understanding that the word "earth" eres in Hebrew (as in English) can mean dirt, land, or this planet. The seas came before dry ground, according to both Genesis 19 and modern scientific evidence. The land is above the seas, so that the seas do not flow over it. The sphere of the earth hangs on nothing in space though. See When Critics Ask p.236 for a complementary answer.

3. In Ps 24:3-4, what is David really asking here?

A: David is asking a question that few people today ask, though more people should. David is asking, "who is acceptable to God?" Many people do not see a need to be saved, because they don't feel they were ever lost. As one evangelist said, you have to get people lost before you can get them saved." For a person who has lied, cheated, stolen, been sexually immoral, or gotten drunk or stoned, they need to see that their sin bars them from everlasting happiness with God. Unless God made a special way, you, and I, and all of us, are too rotten to go to Heaven on our own. But praised God that He did make a special way, actually the only way, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.813 for more info.

4. In Ps 24:4, what is the difference between clean hands and a pure heart?

A: Clean hands means you kept yourself, or else were kept, from doing wrong things. But a pure heart means you never had the desire to do the wrong things. Also, hands are what you grasp for.

5. In Ps 24:4, what is important here about never lifting up your soul to an idol, vs. someone who had worshipped an idol but has now repented?

A: Believers repent of their sins, and God has forgiven them through Jesus Christ's shed blood on the cross. But how much greater of a testimony is it for a Christian not to have committed a particular sin, than to have committed it as a Christian and then repented of it.

6. In Ps 24:7, what is the role of time in this psalm?

A: Verse 1-2 are not so much past tense, but aorist tense. Past tense means that is happened in the past, and unless said otherwise might no longer be happening. Aorist tense means that it started in the past, unless said otherwise it is still happening. The Greek language did not have past tense but aorist tense. I was a child is past tense. I was my parents' son is an aorist statement. In English we more commonly say, "I am my parents' son", emphasizing that this is true now, but wasn't it just as true in the past when I was born.

Verses 3-6 are timeless, referring to people in the past, present and future. But all these verses are foundational for verses 7-10 which are an abrupt shift to the future. The climax of this psalm is the glory of the King coming the Jerusalem. A foretaste of this celebration happened briefly during Jesus' triumphal entry, but its ultimate fulfillment is at Jesus' second coming.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.581 for more info.

7. In Ps 25, Ps 34, Ps 119, why are alphabet acrostics used?

A: Acrostically, beauty and care display easy-to-remember form, greatly helpful in just learning many new observations pretty quickly. Say the previous acrostic sentence five times, say the same number of words (17) randomly from a book five times, and see which one you remember better half an hour later. However, you cannot tell when a Hebrew acrostic is used when just by looking at the English.

Psalm 25 is not a perfect acrostic though. One letter is not used, and another letter is used twice.1

Psalm 119 is also an acrostic, as are chapter 1, 2 and 4 in Lamentations.

A different non-alphabetized acrostic, where consecutive words spell "YHWH" is in four crucial parts is in Esther (1:20, 5:4; 5:13; 7:7). Twice are forward, and twice are backward. This acrostic at crucial points of the narrative could not be by coincidence.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.813, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.582, and the New International Bible Commentary p.573 for more info.

8. In Ps 25:3 why is David so concerned about shame here?

A: David is of course concerned about his own disgrace, but there is a second reason too. David is concerned that God be glorified in His life. If it looks like God had abandoned him and his enemies could mock that, that would bring disgrace upon God. Our honor (and disgrace) and God's are intertwined.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.520 for more info.

9. In Ps 25:4, if we are already believers, why should we pray for God to show us His ways and paths?

A: Coming to the Lord is not the end of our journey; it is the beginning. God has a lot to show a new believer, and even more mature ones. How to live to please Him, how to be a good witness, and how to enjoy God's presence are just a few of the things we need to major on. We want to follow God's ways, not our own ways.

10. In Ps 25:14, what does fearing the Lord mean here?

A: It means to hold God in awe, as the one who judges and saves people's souls. But even more basic than that, it means to take God seriously. Many people call themselves Christians, but do not take God very seriously.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.521 for more info.

Psalm 26-27 – Lord, Vindicate me, for I long for You – some brief answers

1. In Ps 26:1, how would David need vindication?

A: This is an interesting prayer you don't often hear about today. David is asking God to show others that God is pleased with him, not based on David's righteousness, but based on God's faithful, covenant love. A person could want this in at least three ways.

a) People could slander others, gaslight others, or spread false bad things about them, even though they were innocent of those things. Lies told by others can hurt a believer's witness, even though the believer did not do anything wrong.

b) When David was fighting the Philistines, and on the run from Saul, David could be caught and killed by his enemies, and that would make it appear that God was not pleased with David enough to protect him.

c) When David did commit serious sins, of adultery and ordering the order or Uriah, David would want "vindication", not in the sense of a denial of what happened, but a restoration of relationship and honor. The end of verse 1 suggests that David wrote this before the sin with Bathsheba. Of course, while David was respected at the end of his life, it was not the same as if he had never done those things in the first place.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.238-239 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.521 for more info.

2. In Ps 26:2-3, should we want God to try us and examine our hearts and minds?

A: If a person is choosing not to follow God's will, which is probably not what they want. If they are sincerely trying to follow God, they want God to examine them for the following reasons:

a) To glorify God

b) To show them ways they unknowingly are not following God's will so that they can change

c) To show them wrong doctrines, wrong attitudes, or wrong actions they are unwittingly doing so that they can change

d) To be more effective in their Christian service by being more godly.

3. In Ps 26:4-5, when and how are we to sit separate from deceitful people and the assembly of evildoers?

A: The phrase "deceitful people" can also be translated as "worthless people", but either way, some wicked people have the appearance of being valuable and important, when, at least in God's eyes, they are not. Do not come under the influence or leadership of those who despise God. This is not just a separation from ungodly people and influences, it is a separation to God.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.239-240, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.521, and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.584 for more info.

4. In Ps 26:6-8, 50:14; 107:22; 116:17 what does this say about sacrifices?

A: While many sacrifices were for atonement for sin, going to the altar in these verses was to give joyous sacrifices of thanksgiving to God. This was a privilege to be able to do, and upright people could enjoy this privilege.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.240 for more info.

5. In Ps 26:12, what is the standing in the "great assembly" here?

A: The Hebrew word here is plural, which has a broader meaning than English. It can mean among the assemblies, but it is also used for emphasis, as in the great assembly, or the assembly of assemblies. This can refer to worshiping on earth, the great assembly in heaven, or both in general. It was such a joy for David to be a part of the assembly. Unfortunately, for some believers today, they read God's word and obey God, except that they have forgotten the command in Hebrews 10:25 not to neglect assembling together.

The word for "standing" is a play on words. It refers both to being "upright" and "standing on level ground". David said he was upright, both in his heart and in the assembly.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.242 for more info.

6. In Ps 27:1-3, what is David proclaiming here?

A: This psalm complements the previous psalm well. While the previous psalm was a petition for vindication, this psalm is a praise of the confidence David has in God taking care of him. The confidence is not based on David's strength or righteousness, but on God's presence and covenant relationship with him.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.242-243 and the New International Bible Commentary p.574 for more info.

A: The one primary thing David is asking for is to be with God and gaze on the beauty of His face. Some call this the "beautific vision". Everything else, safety, defeating his enemies, etc. is secondary to that.

C.S. Lewis wrote about this in "The Fair Beauty of the Lord" in Reflections on the Psalms p.44-53. See also The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.244, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.814-815, and https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/we-will-see-his-face for more info.

8. In Ps 27:7-8, why was David seeking God's face, since no one could see God's face and live?

A: David was seeking a closer relationship with God now, and eagerly looked forward to seeing God face to face in Heaven.

9. In Ps 27:8-12, what is the significance of seeking God's face?

A: This is a psalm about longing for God, in the middle of the trying circumstances of life. When things were tough, David prayed to God for deliverance, as he should. But David saw there was a tendency that the situation could shift his focus to his troubles when his focus should remain on seeking God's face.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.246 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.355 for more info.

10. In Ps 27:9-10, what does this say about vindication?

A: This is the negative phrases of Psalm 27:1a. The opposite of God vindicating David would be David dying and looking like he was being punished with wicked men because he appeared to be one.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.241 for more info.

11. In Ps 27:10, did David's parents ever forsake David?

A: No, as far as we know. Some see that David was not a favored son of his father in 1 Samuel 16:5-11. David's father had David tending the sheep, and Jesse initially did not mention David to Samuel. Regardless of that, we have no evidence that David's parents forsook him. David is saying that "even if" his parents forsook him, God will always receive him. Another translation by J.N. Darby is, "For had my father and my mother forsaken me, then had Jehovah taken me up."

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.586 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.521 for more info.

12. In Ps 27:12, is it OK to pray for victory over our enemies?

A: Let me answer it this way. It is NOT OK to never pray for victory over your enemies. We have enemies of sins, and demons, and the workings of evil people. We should still pray on behalf of evil people that they might be saved, but at the same time we should pray that their evil plans will be frustrated. Note that David prays with confidence here in God's rescue.

This does not refer to rival sports times, or business competitors, but to real enemies who are against God as well as you.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.247 for more info.

13. In Ps 27:12-14, does this relate to the Messiah?

A: Psalm 27 in general, and Psalm 27:12-14 in particular are very appropriate for Jesus' arrest, crucifixion, and later resurrection.

Hour of the power of darkness Luke 22:53	Psalm 27:1 the Lord is my Light
Those who arrested Jesus fell when Jesus said, "I am He" Mark 14:John 18:6	"My enemies they stumbled and fell" Psalm 27:2
A small detachment of soldiers came to arrest Jesus. Mark 14:43-49; Luke 22:47-54; John 18:3	Though an army may encamp against me. Psalm 27:3
The Father turned from Jesus at the crucifixion in Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34	Psalm 27:9 asks God not to hide His face from him.
False witnesses testified against Jesus in Matthew 26:60; Mark 14:56	False witnesses testified against David Psalm 27:2

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.585-587 for more info.

14. In Ps 27:13-14, what does this teach us about hope?

A: Hope, rooted in faith, is not an abstract thing or just theoretical belief. It is something we need to have to make it through tough times, knowing that God is there on the other side.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.360-361 for more info.

Psalms 28-29 – God is our Rock who Hears and the Thunder who Speaks – some brief answers

1. How does Ps 28:1-9 mirror Psalm 27?

A: Psalm 27 starts by emphasizing confidence in the Lord, followed by a cry for help in hard times. In Psalm 28, during hard times David prays to his "Rock" who is even harder, and ends with confidence in the Lord.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.248 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.365 for more info.

2. In Ps 28:1, how do solid rocks shape our land and our life?

A: New York City has bedrock only 18 feet below the surface in Downtown and Midtown, but 260 feet below the surface in Greenwich Village. That is why they can build tall skyscrapers in downtown and Midtown, but never in Greenwich Village. Likewise, Singapore geologically is basically just a huge block of granite. In contrast to that, Kuala Lumpur and some other places have a lot of limestone and sinkholes can rapidly form, swallowing cars and even houses.

Likewise heavy buildings built on clay can tend to have serious problems as the clay expands and contracts a lot when it is wet or dry. Our life can be built on the solid rock of Jesus, or it can shift around a lot when it is built on something else.

3. In Ps 28:1, what is the significance of God being our rock?

A: We can picture God being our rock in more than one way.

God has been here for a long time (eternity).

God is stronger than a rock.

Other things do not hurt the rock.

A rock is all-weather.

One can safely build upon the rock.

Like a rock, God does not change. He is the same every time we come to Him.

Like a rock, God endures for a long time (eternity).

4. In Ps 28:1-2 is God silent or does God here in Ps 28:6-7?

A: Both. Sometimes God seems silent, even when times are tough, but Psalm 28:6-7 assures us that God hears and will act and save.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.249-250 for more info.

5. How does Ps 28:5 related to 28:2f, 4?

A: It's all about the hands. David says he has clean hands in verse 2f. Evildoers have evil in their hearts in verse 3 and the work of their hands in verse 4. But furthermore, evildoers did not regard the handiwork of God in verse 5.

The key application here is what have you done with your hands, not just recently but over your life, and did you regard the work of God's hands?

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.587-588 for more info.

6. In Ps 28:9 what is David's prayer here?

A: He is not just asking for salvation and blessing for Himself and His immediate family, but that God would deliver His people. It is fine to pray for yourself, your kids, and your spouse, but if that is all you pray for, you aren't praying enough. You need to pray for others and God's people too.

7. In Ps 29:2, what is the "beauty of holiness"?

A: God's ways and presence are not just right and true, they are beautiful. We should enjoy our times of worship and prayer to God.

8. In Ps 29:3, does this relate to the Canaanite god Baal, the god of thunder?

A: Directly no, indirectly probably. If pagans were going to create an idol out of thunder, how much more fitting would it be to praise the True God in thunder. Zeus/Jupiter also threw thunderbolts, as did the Hindu God Indra, so it was not uncommon for people to worship a power they saw behind thunder. While David would not have known Zeus or Indra, he was almost certainly aware of Baal, also called Ba'al-Hadad, being the god of thunder. If pagans worshipped a false god behind thunder, then certainly God's servants should have a hymn or praise to the true God, who is more powerful than the thunder!

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.253,255-256 the New International Bible Commentary p.575 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.815-816 for more info.

9. In Ps 29:5,9 why did God want to destroy the cedars of Lebanon and strip the forests bare?

A: God has nothing against unthinking trees. Rather, this metaphor from nature shows how thorough the destruction will be.

It might have been a well-beloved song that was used in the dedication of Solomon's temple after David died.

Psalms 30-31 – I will exalt You and Your Goodness – some brief answers

1. In Ps 30:1, how could this be a song for the dedication of the Solomon's temple, since it was written by David? David died before the dedication of the temple.

A: It actually says [blank] of David, where the blank word could be temple, palace, or other building. Sometimes it can be interesting to go down the logical paths of different possibilities, and then see how we can arrive at only two likely paths. First four unlikely or irrelevant possibilities, and then the most likely answer

X Heading for the previous psalm: This heading, added later, might have been referring to the previous psalm. However, except for the ending of books of psalms, there are no other examples of headings like this actually being postscripts.

X Rededication of the tabernacle after Absalom's rebellion. The Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.375 offers this as a possibility. But why would the site of the tabernacle need to be rededicated? There is no indication anywhere else that any rededication was done after Absalom's rebellion. This "answer" does not address the question of whether this was used for the dedication of Solomon's temple.

(moot) According to the Talmud b. Sopherim 18b this psalm was spoken at the Feast of Hanukkah for the rededication of the Temple in the time of the Maccabees in 164 B.C. But this does not address the question of whether it was by David and for the original dedication.

Not by David: The headings to each psalm are in the Masoretic text, and not a part of the original manuscripts as the Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.243 and When Critics Ask p.234-235,236 say. The heading might be incorrect to say it was written by David. While this is certainly a possibility, there is no reason to doubt this was by David.

Incorrect heading: The heading might be incorrect when it says it was for the dedication of the Temple. However, there is no reason to doubt the heading as the two final answers below are sufficient.

(possibly) Dedication of the storage of the Temple materials in 1 Chronicles 22:1-19. David had a storage place for the building materials. However, why dedicate a storage warehouse?

(likely) By David and used later: This psalm, which does not say much about the temple, was written by David. After his death, this psalm was used in the dedication of the Temple under Solomon. They likely spoke a number of psalms at the Temple's dedication.

(likely) David wrote for the future dedication: Psalm 30 most likely was by David (as were Psalms 1-41), and David wrote it for the dedication of the site of the future temple. Just as David collected much of the material of the temple for his son Solomon, David certainly would have stopped to meditate on the beauty the future temple would have.

Combining most of the last two answers, it is likely that Davied wrote it, and it is likely that it was one of many psalms said at the dedication of Solomon's Temple. The main question would be a) did David deliberately write this for the future temple dedication, or b) was David unaware that it would be used then. It could be either way.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.576, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.257, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.816 for more info.

2. In Ps 30:2-3, is this the prayer of a sick person?

A: Technically, no. David prayed to God when he was sick in many places, but not here. David has already recovered, and he is going back to God in prayer to joyfully thank God. It is good to pray to God when we are sick, but are we just as diligent to also thank God after we are healed? It is good to pray petition God when we need help, but do we also pray in gratitude to God after He provides the help?

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.591 and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.378 for more info.

3. In Ps 30:2-3, what kind of healing did David receive?

A: Scripture does not say, but it sounds like it was a literal, physical healing from disease. Whatever it was, David was grateful to God for answering his prayer positively and healing him. Sometimes sickness can be instructive not to confidently take things for granted and rely on our own independence and power.

For many believers, there may come a time when God allows our health to be taken away. When that occurs, we should give it up gracefully; after all, we never really could clasp it in our hands the first place. It is fine to use modern medicine, eat healthy, exercise, to take care of our body, God's temple. But when our health fades, we should still rejoice in God the same.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.378, the New International Bible Commentary p.576, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.522-523, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.258, and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.589 for more info.

4. In Ps 30:1-3, are there times when you, or another believer, have thought yourself totally secure and immovable, and you found (or God helped you find) that you were mistaken?

A: We can think we are "unshakable" health-wise, economically, job or career-wise, or in other ways. Realizing up front that we never are is a lot less painful than God and later circumstances showing us.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.377 for more info.

5. In Ps 30:4; 97:12, how does one praise God for a remembrance or memorial of his holiness?

A: While the NIV simply says, "praise his holy name", under Psalm 30:4 it has a footnote saying that it literally says, "memorial". The KJV and NKJV translate this as "remembrance of his holiness/holy name" The NRSV simply says, "give thanks to his holy name."

6. In Ps 30:4, what is David saying about praising God for David's healing here?

A: David is not only thanking God for his healing, but David is also inviting other believers to give thanks for David's healing along with him.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.589 for more info.

7. In Ps 30:5a, how does God's anger last only a moment?

A: David is not speaking of all the wicked, for David Himself recognized that their punishment would be forever. The word here is not "minute" meaning "60 seconds", but "moment" a brief period of time. David, the writer of Psalm 30, is speaking of God's relationship to him, and by implication God's relationship with other believers. The times that God were angry with David were extremely, brief, compared to eternity. The entire verse says, "For His anger is but for a moment, his favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning." (NASB) Those who reject God not only do not see God's anger lasting only a moment, and they do not see God's favor lasting a lifetime either. For God's elect people, God's anger and disciple are extremely brief compared to eternity.

8. In Ps 30:5f, what is the point about weeping at night and joy in the morning?

A: Psalm 30:5 is a verse we should memorize for times of sorrow. There can be trials and struggles, but they can just be for a night, both in duration and metaphorically. But the morning brings healing and joy. This can be true on earth with tribulations that we have, and of course it is also true for the "ultimate morning" when we step into eternity.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.590 for more info.

9. In Ps 30:6-10, what is David saying about prosperity?

A: The first half of this psalm is David praising God after a sickness, and learning not to trust in himself. The second half of this psalm is the same lesson, only applied now to riches. God might deliberately choose to take some prosperity away from us, so that we will not rely on our own financial power but on God. Do you pray to God the same, consistently, whether you are making money or losing money?

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.590 for more info.

10. In Ps 30:6-7, after David was prospering, why did God stop prospering David?

A: Perhaps the answer is found in Psalms 30:7. David said that God made "my" mountain stand firm. When we have uninterrupted prospering with no problems, not only do we often not grow as much, but we tend to stop relying on God.

11. In Ps 30:8-9, is David trying to bargain with God here, saying don't let me die or you will have one less worshipper?

A: Not necessarily. David may be realizing that God already has more proud kings than He wants, but God primarily values David not as a king but as a worshipper.

12. In Ps 30:12, can you think of a time when it is wrong for a believer to be silent?

A: While James 1:19 says everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak, Psalm 30:12 mentions other times when are should speak instead of being silent. We should speak to defend somebody. If someone is being arrested or punished unjustly and our speaking up might make a difference, it is a sin to keep silent. In in the context of Psalm 30, it is wrong to keep silent instead of praising God for healing and delivering us. We should "refuse to be silent" when God wants us to publicly praise Him.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.523 for more info.

13. In Ps 31:5, why should we especially remember this verse?

A: In Luke 23:46, Jesus died with a psalm on His lips: this verse! Luke says that Jesus spoke this psalm loudly too. Ultimately in all our trials and even with our battle with death, which apart from the rapture we will ultimately lose, this is really all we have; that God will take us and preserve us.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.591,592 for more info.

14. In Ps 31:6, should we today hate some people, as David hated those who clung to worthless idols?

A: No, the New Testament has a higher standard (love your enemies) than the Old Testament. We will classify six kinds of hate and compare what both the Old Testament and New Testament teach.

Hating those who want to harm you: In some psalms, David expresses his hatred for those who were out to kill him. Jesus acknowledged that previously people were taught to love their friends and hate their enemies, and Jesus explicitly taught otherwise, that we are to love our enemies too. When Stephen was martyred in Acts 7:60, he prayed for those killing him.

Hating people without cause: Both the Old Testament (Psalm 35:19; 69:4; Isaiah 49:7) and New Testament (John 15:25) point out that some sinners do this. We should never do this though.

Hating those who hate God: David said he hated those who hate God. However, in the New Testament we are to love our neighbor, irrespective of if they hate the True God or not. However, we still are to divide from non-believers.

Hating those who are wicked: In Psalm 31:6 David said he hated those who trusted in idols.

Revenge: Both the Old and New Testaments say that we are not to get revenge. Ephesians 4:26 goes even farther, and says not to let the sun go down on our anger.

Hating sin: Both the Old and New Testaments show we are to hate sin. Jude 23 says to hate even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Psalms 32-33 – Come to God for forgiveness – some brief answers

1. In Ps 32:1, was this by David?

A: The Hebrew does not say who it was by. But the Septuagint Greek translation, written a few centuries before Christ, says this was by David. Likewise Psalm 33 does not say by David in the Hebrew Masoretic text, but the Greek Septuagint and Dead Sea scroll 4QPs83 (=4QPs(a)) both say it was by David.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.818-819, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.277, and the New International Bible Commentary p.578 for more info.

2. In Ps 32:1-11, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: This is one of the seven penitential psalms; the others are 6, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143. This was also Augustine of Hippo's favorite psalm. Psalm 32 has five sections.

1-2 The blessing of forgiveness for his sin

3-5 Effects of unconfessed sin

6-7 Encouragement to others to draw near to God and His protection

8-9 God continued promise of instruction, guidance, and protection

10-11 Leave the sorrow of sin and praise the Lord for your forgiveness

See the New International Bible Commentary p.577, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.270-271, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.393 for more info.

3. In Ps 32:1-2 and Rom 4:7-8, why does Paul quote these verses?

A: Paul's point is that even in Old Testament times, God announced that people could have forgiveness for their sins. This psalm was likely written after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah killed. David did NOT come to God in confession right away in 2 Samuel 12:1-13, and David was miserable during that time. But what a relief when he finally got right with God again.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.594 for more info.

4. In Ps 32:3, why did David say his bones grew old when he kept silent?

A: Unconfessed sin is a festering sore. David felt that his physical health suffered when he did not confess his sins to God. Interestingly, in modern times people have affirmed that guilt, as well as stress, have harmful physical effects on our bodies.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.524, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.273, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.395-396 for more info.

5. In Ps 32:7, what is significant about this verse?

A: God is our hiding place, our refuge from troubles. God is our refuge from troubles caused by others, and caused by others after we are following Him. Corrie ten Boom named her book The Hiding Place, after this verse.

But this is also a promise that God is also our hiding place from troubles caused by us and our sin. Though we may still suffer some consequences, we can run to God in refuge, and He can protect us from some of the consequences.

6. In Ps 32:8, how does God guide us in the way we should go?

A: God guides people in five main ways.

Through the Bible: The Bible gives us God's commands, shows us what God delights in, and warns us of trouble. However, an individual might not have read the entire Bible, understood all of it correctly, or need some reminds.

Through other believers: We have the duty to encourage, teach, correct, and rebuke each other. This implies that we have needs to be encouraged, taught, corrected, and rebuked at times.

Through others: Even non-believers can tell us truthful things, and we can also avoid pitfalls by learning from the bad experiences of others.

God directly revealing something: When Abram heard God telling him to leave his country, of course he had no Bible to consult and see how everything would end up. Likewise, there are many stories of Christian missionaries who have encountered natives with no Bibles, whom God told them to listen to the missionaries. One notable example is the entire tribe of the S'gaw Karen people of Burma. One can read more about this in the book Eternity in Their Hearts.

"Divine Appointments": These are times when, in hindsight, God apparently meant for you to be in a certain place at a certain time, but neither you nor anyone else on earth knew that.

7. In Ps 32:8, what is important about the placement of this verse?

A: God promised to guide David AFTER he messed up and confessed his sin. It is not that God says, I will guide you, but once you stop listening to me, that's it, no more guidance. God graciously and mercifully makes a way through confession for us to come back to Him, not just to continue to receive guidance, but to restore the relationship.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.577 for more info.

8. In Ps 32:9, why do horses and mules need bits and bridles?

A: For four reasons and one root cause. They don't want to go when they should. They want to go when they need to stay. They want to go somewhere else than where they are supposed to go. Finally, they don't want to go at the right pace. The underlying root cause is, "they don't want to do what they are supposed to do." How do you think God feels about His children when they are the same way? They say Jesus is their Lord, but they act like they just don't want to do what He says.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.275 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.524-525 for more info.

9. In Ps 33:1, what is the relationship with the previous psalm?

A: The thought of Psalm 33:1 is almost the same as Psalm 32:11. The idea is that Psalm 33 is a "part 2" of Psalm 32. Psalm 32 starts with forgiveness and confession, and ends with rejoicing. Psalm 33 starts with the same rejoicing, and moves on to praise. Specifically, the psalm is praising God's "creativity" in nature and history.

A critic might castigate David by saying, "after what you did, how could you ever praise God again, you hypocrite!" But David is not so concerned about what others think, but rather what God thinks. Yes, David was wicked, and yes he still suffered consequences of his past wickedness. But coming through all that, and past all that, David is going to praise God anyway. Though 1 John 1:9 was not written yet, David knew some of the truth there and believed what he knew. Likewise, when we sin, and repent, we are to take God at His word when He says we are forgiven.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.595 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.276 for more info.

10. In Ps 33:1-22, why does this psalm say to rejoice in God?

A: This psalm gives four main reasons.

God's dependable character.

God's great power, under control

We see the history of God fulfilling His purposes.

God's watchful care for those who hope in Him

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.378-379 for more info.

11. In Ps 33:18-22; 25:5; 21; 39:7; 62:5; 71:5, how do we wait in hope today?

A: We know that the current situation, troubles, and dangers will not last. We are looking forward to being with God forever, and know that we are just "passing through" this life on earth. Waiting in hope includes rejoicing in the God they put their trust in, in Psalm 33:21.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.819 for more info.

Psalms 34-35 – Shout from the depth of your soul – some brief answers

1. In Ps 34, what is the structure of this Psalm?

A: It seems whenever God delivered him from a situation, David later wrote a psalm about it. This psalm is an alphabet acrostic, where successive verses start with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. So like other acrostic psalms, this is not an impromptu, spontaneous prayer, but a lovingly and thoroughly crafted work. There are two exceptions to the acrostic pattern though. Psalm 34 does not use letter waw between verses 5 and 6, and uses the letter peh at the end of taw, drawing attention to the last verse. Also, on one hand this psalm mentions the fear of the Lord fifteen times, yet this is a very upbeat psalm.

In addition, there is a second structure on top of this.

1-7 Thanks for God's goodness and justice

- 1-3 Praise for God's goodness and justice

- 4-7 Experiencing God's goodness and justice

8-22 Taste and see that the LORD is good

- 8-14 Learn the fear of the LORD

- 15-22 Rewards of the righteous

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.281-282, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.378, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.820, and the New International Bible Commentary p.579 for more info.

2. In Ps 34:1, should this say Abimelech as the king of Gath, or Achish?

A: This refers to the time in 1 Samuel 21:12-15 when David pretended to be insane. There are three possibilities here, with the third the most likely.

Copyist error: The writers who added the headings to the psalms might have made a copyist error of Abimelech when it should have said Achish.

Dual name: Many kings in ancient times had dual names, typically the personal name they were born with and a throne name. Persian kings and Egyptian Pharaohs all had two names, and Solomon had another name: Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:24. Zedekiah was also called Mattaniah in 2 Kings 24:17. We do not know the names of many Philistine kings, except from Assyrian sources. They mention an A-himilki (same as Ahimelech) who was a king of Ashdod. The first use we know of the Philistines using the name Abimelech was in Genesis 20:2, and the second was Abimelech II in Genesis 26:1.

Title: Abimelech was likely a title, as Pharaoh was a title for the ruler of Egypt. Other countries had similar traditions. In Ethiopia, the Queen was titled "Candace" or Kandake. The Amalekite king was titled "Agag", and even in Italy, the Etruscan king was called Lucumo. Abimelech might have been a title for the kings of Gath. Basil of Cappadocia was one of the first Christian writers to see this.

See Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.243-244 and When Critics Ask p.237 for more info on the first two views. See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.408, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.525,528, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.596, and the skeptical Asimov's Guide to the Bible p.497 for more on the third view.

3. In Ps 34:1, how did David change his behavior before the king of Gath?

A: In 1 Samuel 21:12-15, David acted as though he was an insane person to throw Abimelech off and make Abimelech not suspect that David would not be loyal to the Philistines, or that David could be a ruler of anything. David was relying on his strategy of deception here, and not necessarily on God.

4. In Ps 34:15-16, do you want God's attention?

A: Righteous people, relatively speaking, have God's attention. Thoroughly evil people have God's attention in a different way. But God says that He ignores the prayers of some, such as those who cherish sin in their hearts (Psalm 66:18-19), are wicked (Proverbs 15:29; Isaiah 59:1-3), we choose not to hear God (Zechariah 7:11-14; Proverbs 28:9) are inconsiderate of their wives (1 Peter 3:7), or ignore the cry of the poor (Proverbs 21:13).

God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6f; 1 Peter 5:5f). Psalm 34:18 says the Lord is near those with a broken heart and contrite spirit.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.525 for more info.

5. In Ps 34:17, what is the difference between God delivering you from trouble vs. out of trouble?

A: God does not promise, here or elsewhere to keep you from having any trouble; but God promises to deliver you out of trouble. We might still have difficult times, but God is walking with us through it.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.599 for more info.

6. In Ps 35:1-28, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: Psalm 35 David, who is falsely accused, wrote this psalm in three's: three petitions, and each followed by three praises.

1-8 asks God to fight against those who want to fight with David.

- - 9-10 David praises God saying, who is like You, delivering the poor from those stronger.

11-17 asks God to look upon David's former close friends who now are mocking David.

- - 18 David will publicly thank Go din the assembly.

19-26 asks God to vindicate David from false accusations.

- - 27-28 Let us magnify the Lord and His righteousness

See the New International Bible Commentary p.579 for more info.

7. In Ps 35:5; 1:3, how are the wicked like chaff?

A: Chaff is the leftover outer husks after threshing wheat. Chaff is blown away by the wind and forgotten. Many evil empires and forces, important in their time, are mere matters of historical interest now. For example, the Mongol Empire, Mahmud of Ghazni, Tamerlane, the French Revolution, Idi Amin, the Khmer Rouge, and (hopefully in the future) Nazis.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.820 for more info.

8. In Ps 35:11-16, how do you respond when people you thought were your close friends turn against you?

A: There is a difference between a knee-jerk reaction, and a thoughtful response, and we should be very careful not to do the first. It is OK to feel shocked, confused, and hurt. It is fine to ask why, but sometimes you won't be able to know because you don't know the backstory. In the New Testament we are specifically commanded not to get revenge, but to love our enemies, even if we didn't know until now that they were our enemies. David might have wanted to slip into his armor, grab a spear, and get revenge on them, but in Christ we have a higher standard today.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.600 for more info.

9. In Ps 35:15, how should you handle when people attack you totally unexpectedly?

A: It is difficult when it is unexpected, but it is not as bad if you had not given them misplaced trust. Instead of dwelling on "why me", "what did I do", or the past, focus on "what now". Try to get out of the attack; you can ask why it happened later. Trust in the Lord, but also see if there is another believer you can ask about this.

Sometimes you can try to put yourself in their shoes, and try to understand, from their perspective, why they think they need to attack you. Sometimes this does not work though, because you do not have enough information.

10. In Ps 35:24; 7:8, why would David want God to judge him according to David's righteousness?

A: At this time in his life, David had a high view of his righteousness. David's request could be understood in either a relative or an absolute sense.

Relative: David served and obeyed served God more than Saul and certainly more than the Philistines. David wanted God to judge between David and them, so that David would prevail. If this was what David meant, David did not know that sometimes God uses a more evil people to discipline his disobedient people, as Habakkuk 1 shows. Bible Difficulties & Seeming Contradictions p.227 mentions that in Psalm 7:8 David is not saying he is sinlessly perfect, but that he is innocent of these wicked deeds.

Absolute: David is asking God to judge him and protect him because David is a righteous servant of God. David knew that no one is righteous (Psalm 143:2). Though David is not claiming to be sinless here, David knows that God protect righteous people, and so David has confidence that God would protect him. Later (in Psalm 51:1), David would learn more about his own sinful nature and his need for God's mercy.

Regardless of whether David's meaning was absolute, relative, or both, this prayer request is not a good example of what we should pray today. Yet it does teach us something important about our prayers. It is always OK for God's obedient children to pray what is on their heart, even if is not the best thing to pray. God is big enough to take all our prayers, understand our mistakes, and like a wise father, say no to foolish request, and even good requests that are not a part of His will and God's greater plan.

11. In Ps 35:27-28, what should we do when we are a victim of injustice?

A: Psalm 35:27-28 says to pray and praise God; As we glorify God with praise He will vindicate us. We need to pray for three reasons.

a) Pray for God to deliver us, and others, from the injustice.

b) Pray for wisdom not to instinctively react, but rather to wisely respond.

c) Pray Romans 8:28 that God would use even this situation for His glory and that you would be a good witness for others.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.526 for more info.

Psalms 36-37 – People's wickedness and God's goodness – some brief answers

1. In Ps 36:1-12, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: The psalm on the blessedness of the wise has three distinct parts.

1-4 is a lament about evildoers.

5-9 is a hymn of praise to God

- 5-6 The wisdom of God

- 7-9 The joys of wisdom

10-12 is a petition for continued protection from evil

See the New International Bible Commentary p.580 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.292 for more info.

2. In Ps 36:1, why do the wicked have no fear of God?

A: The psalmist gives two reasons here.

No fear of God in Psalm 36:1. Some do not fear God because they do not believe He exists. Or they might believe that He exists but that He will never do anything. Others believe God exists, since they have not been punished for their sins yet, they think they will never be. Demons both know God exists and that there will be future punishment (James 2:19), yet they too continue to disobey God.

A flattering opinion of themselves in Psalm 36:2. They think they can get away with chasing to fulfill all their desires. Also, people think they are always smart enough that they won't get caught.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.526, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.601, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.821 for more info.

3. In Ps 36:4, how do people devise evil on their beds?

A: While they are lying there waiting to go to sleep, they are plotting to harm someone, getting dishonest gain, or having sexual fantasies.

Rather than doing this, Psalm 63:6 says we can meditate on God. Rather than short term plans for pleasure, we are "future people" the future belongs to us. We are not just cut down like grass. That is the real promise for God's oppressed people.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.527 for more info.

4. In Ps 36:7, how do we as believer, metaphorically "find refuge in the shadow of His wings"?

A: Birds don't have hands, so they use their wings in a variety of ways. Mother birds use their wings to cover their chicks to keep them warm. In fact, both male and female eagles have a bald spot on their belly, with no feathers, to better transfer heat to the chicks. Birds also herd their chicks under their wings to keep them together so they don't wander off. This is not hard to do, as the babies apparently like being close to the mother, following her everywhere. Normally ducks without chicks can be skittish, and fly off if you get within 20 feet of them. But a mother duck with babies, at night, will not; she will just remain very still, hoping your don't see her, because she values the lives of her babies as much as her own. Geese might use their wings to fight a fox that is trying to get to their babies. Most species of eagle generally do not put their babies on their backs to teach them to fly, though golden eagles, which live in many places including the Fertile Crescent, have been seen to do this. Interestingly, many eagles start destroying their own nest, when it is time for the eagles to learn to fly and leave. If an eagle tries to fly and lands outside the nest, they might stay there for a couple of days until they learn to fly from the ground. During that time the parents will find the eagle outside of the nest. Curiously, if an eaglet is separated from its mother, it will never fly. It won't know how, despite seeing other eagles fly.

But are we at least as smart as bird chicks? When it is cold, are we cold, because we don't nestle under God's wings? When God wants us to stay put, under His wings so to speak, do we want to wander off? When God wants us to learn to soar, are we too afraid of God's lack of ability to teach us and take care of us.

See https://www.reference.com/pets-animals/eagles-teach-young-fly-6e492fff13d5d50 "How do eagles teach their young to fly" by "staff writer" Aug. 4, 2015), https://journeynorth.org/tm/eagle/annual/facts_post_fledgings.html for more info.

5. In Ps 37:1-40, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: Some hymnists have entitled this psalm: commit all your griefs. The first part of this psalm is not as much about trusting God, but rather trusting God in the presence of evil people. Psalm 37 is an acrostic where each verse is a successive letter of the alphabet. In the Masoretic text the letter ayin is missing, but it is there in the Septuagint. The style of this psalm is unusual; it almost appears like a chapter in the book of Proverbs. It can be divided into three main parts.

1-11 encourage the righteous to wait for God

12-26 shows the future differences between the godly and the wicked

27-40 shows the ultimate differences.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.304, the New International Bible Commentary p.580-581, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.379, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.822 for more info.

6. In Ps 37:3-5, what is the difference between trusting in the Lord, delighting in the Lord, and committing your way to the Lord?

A: We are to do all three, but sometimes believers do only one or two.

Trusting in the Lord means to have faith to believe what He says, the peace to know that you are in God's hand, and the courage to stand for what is right and against what is wrong. It does not necessarily mean you have any joy in the Lord or that you are trying to please and obey Him. Psalm 62 is a beautiful description of trusting in the Lord.

Delighting in the Lord means that your life is one of rejoicing with praise to God. It does not necessarily mean you know Him deeply or obey Him very well.

Committing your way to the Lord means to follow what God says and not do what God forbids, to have an attitude of obedience. Obedience can be only out of duty, and not necessarily out of much love or springing from faith.

Each one is important for us to do, without neglecting the others.

7. In Ps 37:4, how does God give us the desires of our heart?

A: God does not satisfy our sinful desires, as James 4:3 teaches. But God delights to satisfy our good desires, that we have turned over to Him. At least this is the level that I used to understand.

But after studying it more, there is also a second layer. Not only does God delight in satisfying the desires of those who delight in God, but God gives us those desires too. So God gives us the desires and we should give those back to Him and God can satisfy those desires.

8. In Ps 37:7-8, how is a believer's life characterized by "waiting expectantly on God"?

A: A servant does the master's will when the master tell him or her to do it; not sooner or later. Likewise we need to do what God wants when He tells us to do it; in His timing, not sooner or later. After all, it is His work we are doing, not our own. But we should wait "expectantly", eager to watch God work as we obediently follow Him.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.527 for more info.

9. Does Ps 37:9,11,29 show that the righteous will live on the earth forever, as Jehovah's Witnesses claim?

A: No. The Hebrew word here can mean "land" as well as "earth", and both are applicable here. Three points to consider in the answer.

Does not say forever: The Hebrew word for "forever/a long time", olam, is not used here.

Land: The people will inherit the land. The Jews will return to the land, and God's people will live in the promised land during the Millennium.

Earth: God's people will live forever on the new earth according to Revelation 21.

See the Complete Book of Bible Answers p.288-289 and When Cultists Ask p.63 for more info.

10. In Ps 37:23, how are a righteous person's steps ordered by the Lord and who is delighted here?

A: God directs what we should do and where we should go in our lives. This is not just for moral issues, but for family, career, ministry, and our relationships.

While we should be delighted to follow God too, this verse actually says that God Himself is delighted when we follow in the ways He has laid out for us.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.606 for more info.

11. In Ps 37:23-24; Prov 16:9; Jer 10:23; 2 Chr 27:6, what are some ways that "a person proposes but God disposes"?

A: People has many plans, and they are even certain that they will be successful. However, it is God who really chooses to allow something or not. In career, marriage, ministry, life and death,

and life in general, we really don't know anything for certain.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.15 for more info.

12. In Ps 37:25, what about believers who are killed in famines or natural disasters?

A: Today's Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties p.325-328 observes that David prefaced this verse with "I have never seen" vs. "thus says the Lord". Regardless though, it is still fair to ask if and how God protects believers from natural disasters.

God will not let obedient believers die before God decides it is their time. God especially notices their death, for "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Psalm 116:15 NKJV).

13. In Ps 37:25, how did David never see the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread?

A: There is nothing wrong with someone begging for bread if they need to do so. Rather, David was saying he never observed the children of the righteous begging; it could still occur in other places in the world. In Israel they were supposed to take care of the poor, and Christians have a command to do so today also. See Hard Sayings of the Bible p.267-268 and When Critics Ask p.237-238 for more info.

14. In Ps 37:32, why do the wicked have animosity towards the righteous?

A: Wicked people can feel conviction when they are around godly people. Godly people show what should be done, and they demonstrate that people can do it. For example, some people can rationalize getting drunk, or drugs, because "you have to do get by in life", and everybody does it. But when they find someone who does not do it, they don't have to do it, and they are happy without doing it, that convicts their false assumptions. Wicked people can easily dismiss hypocrites and fakers, but a righteous person bothers them.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.303-304 for more info.

Psalms 38-39 – Praising God near death – some brief answers

1. In Ps 38:1-22, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: This heartbreaking penitential psalm has three parts.

1-8 the psalmists tells of his health problems that he sees as discipline because of his sin.

9-12 tells of him relying on God for comfort; he has not choice; his friends have deserted him.

15-20 give confidence that God will be there and not desert him.

Let's look at what is missing from this psalm. The psalmist never asks why this happened to him, the psalmist makes no excuses for his sin, and the psalmist appeals to God's mercy, and does not say God owes him anything.

This prayer highlights our improved ability to sharpen our focus, and depend more on God, when it looks like we will leave this world, friends abandon us, and we care little about the plots and other stress around us. When we find ourselves in a place approaching this situation, use it to draw nearer to God.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.380, the New International Bible Commentary p.582 for more info.

2. In Ps 38:2, how is some pain like arrows and others like a hand pressing down?

A: Some pain, emotional as well as physical, is acute, but it can be intermittent. Other pain might not be as severe, but is with the person all the time.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.608 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.823 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.307 for more info.

3. In Ps 38:5, how did wounds stink?

A: You are in rather bad shape if your wounds stink. This refers to wounds smelling because of serious infection, an open ulcer, staph infection, or gangrene. Also, infection, such as from leprosy (leviticus13:2) can stink too. Wounds having a bad odor can be from bacteria proliferating; and diabetes and slows the fight against bacteria. For any chemists, anerobic bacteria in a wound can create the chemicals cadaverine and putrescine (both appropriately named).

Bad infections can stink, being smelled by other people up to six feet away. But sin can also be a "stink" before God too, as well as a bad witness to others.

Regardless of whether or not David is the author, we know that when someone looks like they are about to die, others might want his total ruin, or might jostle for who will take their place afterwards.

See https://www.woundsource.com/patientcondition/wound-odor and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.309,310 for more info.

4. In Ps 38:7, how are evil people cut off?

A: This means killed. The Hebrew word karath does not mean annihilated, as the Messiah would be cut off in Daniel 9:26. Rather, cut off means to be killed.

Of course in a lesser way, the psalmist felt cut off from people when his friends seemed to abandon him and his enemies plotted against him.

See When Cultists Ask p.62-63 for more info.

5. In Ps 39:1-13, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: This psalm looks like it was extemporaneously composed. For the structure it has, there are four parts

1-3 The psalmist wants to watch his tongue before others, and not complain.

4-6 He considers shot fleeting his life is.

7-11 He confesses his sin and prays that the discipline would end

12-13 He asks God to heal him before he dies

This somewhat brief psalm might have been composed near death. If so, the psalmist "finished well" and did not say anything to others that betrayed his faith or previous life as a testimony. It was fine that he later poured out his felling to God. But no matter what, his hope was still in God.

The Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.20 has the same structure, except that it considers verses 1-3 in most Bibles as verses 1-4.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.380 and the New International Bible Commentary p.582 for more info. The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.312 has a different structure.

6. In Ps 39:1, 62:1, who is Jeduthun that these psalms were dedicated to?

A: These two psalms have similarities of thought; perhaps they were both written around the same time. Jeduthun was one of David's temple musicians in 1 Chronicles 16:41. The psalm could be dedicated to Jeduthun, or perhaps the psalm was written by David and then turned over to Jeduthun for performance as the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.27-28 suggests.

See also the New International Bible Commentary p.582 for more info.

7. In Ps 39:1, how are we to guard our mouth with a "muzzle" so that we do not sin with it?

A: Every time we are about to say something, we should ask, "Does God really want us to say this?", and "would it be better left unsaid?" It is OK to not sound as humorous, smart, or smart-alecky as we could be. Don't say something you will regret later.

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.527-528 for more info.

8. In Ps 39:4, how would you be different if you know right now the end of your days?

A: There was a comedy movie where the hero claimed that he was shown exactly how he would die. Once he learned that, he lived fearlessly, knowing he would never die in other perilous situations.

We don't know that, and the foolishness of a person, or others around him, can also play a role. But we can and do know that we are in God's hand, and we will not die until God allows it. So we too can live fearlessly, though prudently, in serving God.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.314 for more info.

9. In Ps 39:5, Ps 62:9-10, do you feel that your life has been long or short?

A: Your answer all depends on your perspective. But compared to "galactic distances" of infinite eternity, the psalmist was saying life on earth is a few handbreadths, and a handbreadth was about three inches. In verse 11 it mentions moths, which have a very short lifespan. But our youth, looks, and life rapidly fade due to the "moths of time".

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.314-315 for more info.

10. In Ps 39:11, why is the shortness of human life a reason for comfort here?

A: If we have pain, whether physical or emotional, or hard times, remember that it won't be long at all, compared to when we are in heaven.

See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.30-31 for more info.

11. In Ps 39:12, why did David feel he was a stranger or sojourner here?

A: An "alien" or "stranger" here was a non-Israelite who was allowed to live in the land. A sojourner was an alien who is only living in the land for a period of time. This is not saying the psalmist was not Jewish, but rather the psalmist felt like a non-citizen with the people he was around. Before he was a king, David might have felt out of place among the soldiers of Saul's army, both prior to killing Goliath and after. On the run from Saul, David certainly felt lonely and a stranger. However, even as a king, David might have had times when he felt isolated and a stranger.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.582 for more info.

Psalms 40 – Praise and plea for escape and continuing danger – some brief answers

1. In Ps 40:1-17, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: Many psalms are a rejoicing for deliverance; others are a plea for help from danger. This psalm is both a thanksgiving of deliverance from past danger (Psalm 40:1-10), and a plea because David is still in a dangerous situation (Psalm 40:11-17. Historically this is consistent with the time that David between Gibeah (where Saul was killed) and David arriving in Ziklag. David and his band were saved from dying at Gibeah, but they were still in a tight spot. While this psalm has two parts, the parts are almost mirror images of each other in a chiasm.

1-3 Thanks for personal deliverance

. 4-5 The blessing of God's wonderful protection

. . 6-8 Expressing committing himself, not just sacrifices

. . . 9-10 Proclaiming God's perfections: righteousness, faith, and love

. . . 11 Prayer for God's perfections: mercy, love, and truth

. . 12 Petition for his troubles and confessing his sin

. 13-16 Prayer for God's saving Him and making God's enemies ashamed

17 Personal need for help and deliverance

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.317, The Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.34,35, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.823,825 and New International Bible Commentary p.583 for more info.

2. In Ps 40:2 how does God establish our paths?

A: God directed David's path. Even though things looked quite dangerous, God directed David and his men safely. Today God does not always direct us to the safest-looking path either, but we can trust that He will keep us safe.

In a second way, "paths" is not just the directions we take in our safety, education, career, and life, but "paths in our relationship with God. The famous French mathematician and scientist Blaise Pascal said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the human heart." As Augustine of Hippo said, "You have made us, O Lord, for yourself, and our heart shall find no rest until it rests in You!"

As the Believer's Bible Commentary p.610 says, "God's help comes, not too soon, lest we should not know the blessedness of trusting in the dark, and not too late, lest we should know the misery of trusting in vain."

3. Does Ps 40:6-8 refer to the Messiah?

A: Yes, according to Hebrews 10:5-9. An Old Testament believer reading these would see that God does not desire animal sacrifices as much as this special person dedicating their life instead.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.610,611, The Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.34, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.824, and for more info.

4. Do Ps 40:6 and Ps 50:13-15 show an abandoning of animal sacrifices?

A: No for two reasons.

Authors: If anyone were against sacrifices, it likely would not be David, Solomon, or the people employed by them. David wrote Psalm 40, and Psalm 50 was by Asaph, a musician of David. David was anointed king at a sacrifice Samuel had in Bethlehem. David sacrificed to avert the angel of destruction in 1 Chronicles 21:23-27. After David, Solomon made a huge sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep when the Temple was dedicated in 2 Chronicles 7:1,4-5

Logic error: Showing the primacy of obedience over sacrifice does not mean an abandonment of sacrifice. Psalm 50 also shows that sacrifice is not to fulfill any alleged physical need on God's part.

See 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.152 for a similar answer.

5. In Ps 40:6, how did God open David's ears?

A: This means God metaphorically pierced David's ear. In Exodus 21:5-6, a slave would let a beloved master pierce his ear, signifying the slave's free choice to be a slave of the owner for life.

A different view is that this was likely a slave having open ears to hear their master's call, and not a slave having their ear pierced according. Both Hebrews 10:5 and the Greek Septuagint have "a body you have prepared for me". See the New International Bible Commentary p.582, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.824, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.320,321 for more on this view.

6. In Ps 40:7, how was it written in the book about David or the Messiah?

A: David also wrote Psalm 139:16, which says that all the days written for us were in God's book before one of them came to be. Revelation 20:12 also mentions God having a book with everyone's deeds written down in it.

While this is true of David and us, the primary meaning is the Messiah, whose coming and death were according to God's purpose and foreknowledge in Acts 2:23.

7. In Ps 40:8, what is David saying about his emotions here?

A: It is not just that David is doing God's will, but David delights to do God's will. If you are faithful to God and obey Him that is great, but do you also delight to do His will too?

See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.528 for more info.

8. In Ps 40:12, what does it mean that David's heart had forsaken him?

A: Many times they use references to the body to express their emotions. A literal translation in English is "I lost heart".

See The Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.42 for more info.

9. In Ps 40:16, what is the shift in emphasis here?

A: As David is asking in his petition to be able to rejoice in this situation, followed by asking that his enemies be ashamed and confused, David is now asking that all who seek God rejoice in Him too. It is curious that, at the same time, we have a mixture of rejoicing in God now, and an unsettled longing to see God face-to-face in heaven.

See The Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.43 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.324 for more info.

Psalms 41 – Prayer and praise when sick – some brief answers

1. In Ps 41:1-13, what is the structure of this psalm?

A: This psalm has three parts: thanksgiving (verses 1-3), lament (4-10), and thanksgiving (11-13).

1-3 Deliverance and preservation of those who help the poor

- 4 Lament and prayer for healing

- - - 5-8 The words of the enemies

- Prayer for healing

11-13 Happiness that God is pleased with him

- 13 Concluding doxology

Verse 13 is not just a part of the psalm, but the concluding verse of the entire book of Psalms. You can see similar conclusions in Psalms 72:20; 89:52; and 106:48. These verses fit with the psalm they are in, and also end the book. Psalm 150 in its entirety is like a "bookend" for all of psalms.

See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.325, the New International Bible Commentary p.584 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.825 for more info.

2. In Ps 41, since David followed God, why was David feeling in such a mood that he wrote Psalm 41?

A: This apparently occurred when David was very sick. He was concerned not only for physical healing, but that his enemies would mock him, thinking God had turned away. David emphasizes that he had sinned. Some might suspect that this occurred after David's sin with Bathsheba, but there is no way to verify that.

Perhaps God does not want us to focus on when this occurred to David, but rather to illustrate that we can have these feelings too. If someone says, "A believer should always smile, feel positive, and never feel down", this would be a good psalm to show him. David might have sinned before, but David was obedient now.

3. In Ps 41:1-3, what are the six blessings listed here?

A: They are deliverance from time of trouble, preservation of his life, blessed on the earth, not turned over to his enemies, strength him when he is sick, and get him off the sickbed.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.380, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.825a, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.326 for more info.

4. In Ps 41:1 who are the poor here?

A: The poor here include the financially poor, but it can also be those in poor health, which can also cause financial poverty. It can also be oppressed people, who are hopeless of getting themselves out of poverty, no matter what they do.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.380, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.613, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.824, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.528 for more info.

5. In Ps 41:3, what is poignant about David mentioning a bed of illness here?

A: This psalm might have been written in the time of Absalom's rebellion. While David was sick with a lingering illness, Absalom was taking advantage of the situation to steal the hearts of the people of Israel.

The phrase translated as "sustain his bed" is a poetic way of praying that someone will come and make his bed, i.e., he will recover and won't be lying on it all day any more.

See the New International Bible Commentary p.584 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.45 for more info.

6. In Ps 41:6, what was the point of an enemy coming to talk with David?

A: When a person is sick, especially if delirious with a fever, they might not be as guarded in what they say. They could come posing as a friend, but their real reason was to get information that they could use against others. But those he was sick, David could still see that.

When we are tired, or sick, or otherwise not at our best, we need to be especially careful of our tongue.

See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.613-614 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.825 for more info.

7. In Ps 41:9, what is the point about kicking his heel against him?

A: "vile disease" in Psalm 41:8 is the meaning of the literal translation "a thing of Belial". People don't really use their heels when they fight. Rather, this is like when you are behind a yoked ox, that you trust will walk and plow your field, and the ox kicks unexpectedly its hind leg to try to hurt you. David's trusted wise advisor Ahithophel did that. We also can pray for protection against unexpected attacks. Jesus used the same term for Judas betraying him in John 13:18.

See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.380, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.825, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.614, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.528-529, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.328 for more info.

8. In Ps 1-41, if you had to give a one-sentence summary of the entire first book of psalms, what would it be?

A: A book of worship and devotions for praising, thanking, asking, and confessing to God.

List of References

Archer, Gleason. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. Zondervan, 1982. (476 pages)

Answers arranged by book and verse. 285 Total answers.

Arndt, William (editor) Bible Difficulties and Seeming Contradictions. Hoerber and Roehrs. Concordia, 1987. Answers arranged by topic.

Bruce, F.F. (editor) New International Bible Commentary. Zondervan Publishing House, 1979.

Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Commentary on the Bible. Baker Book House 1989. (1229 pages)

Evans, Tony. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary. Holman Bible Publishers. 2019 ISBN 978-0-8054-9942-1(1429 pages)

Freedman, David Noel. The Anchor Bible Dictionary vol.3 p.622. Doubleday 1992. (1135 pages)

Gaebelein, Frank E. (editor) The Expositor's Bible Commentary Zondervan, 1992. (12 volumes, 6,806 pages OT, 3,207 pages NT)

Geisler, Norman L. and Thomas Howe. When Critics Ask. Victor Books, 1992. Answers arranged by book and verse. (CBD WW61698)

Geisler, Norman L. and Ron Rhodes When Cultists Ask. Baker Books, 1997. 365 pages.

330 questions arranged by book and verse: Torah 33, Other OT 57, Gospels 111, Other NT 129. (CBD WW11493)

Kaiser, Walter C., Jr., Peter H. Davids, F.F. Bruce, and Manfred T. Brauch. Hard Sayings of the Bible. InterVarsity Press, 1996. (784 pages) 439 Answers arranged by book and verse. (12 general, 70 Torah, 77 prophets, 50 Writings, 97 Gospels, 61 Paul and 72 other NT.)

Keil, C.F. and F. Delitzsch. Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament. 10 volumes William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. reprinted 1976.

MacDonald, William, and edited by Art Farstad. Believer's Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson, 1995.

Metzger, Bruce M. Greek Manuscripts of the Bible. Oxford University Press, 1981.

O'Brien, David E. Today's Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties. Bethany House Publishers, 1990. Answers arranged by topic.

Pettingill, William L. and R.A. Torrey. 1001 Bible Questions Answered Inspirational Press, 1997.

Rhodes, Ron. The Complete Book of Bible Answers. Harvest House, 1997. (395 pages). Arranged by topic, by a very good primary verse index.

Richards, Larry. 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered. Fleming H. Revell, 1993.

Roberts, Alexander and James Donaldson. Ante-Nicene Fathers. volumes 1-10 Hendrickson Publishers, 1994.

Walvoord, John F. and Roy B. Zuck The Bible Knowledge Commentary : New Testament. Victor Books, 1983. (991 pages) Written by the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary.

See World Christian Trends A.D. 3- A.D. 2200 p.244-246 for more info.

https://www.biblequery.org/History/ChurchHistory/WhatEarlyChristiansTaughtOnDoctrine.html

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