Psalms Book 3 (Psalms 73-89) – Psalms of Asaph
Mar. 16, 2024 version
The Jews divided the Book of Psalms into five books. Books 3 consists of Psalms 73-83 according to some scholars, and 73-89 according to others. In Psalms 73-83 and 50 the subscripts (which are not scripture) say that someone named Asaph wrote these. Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun were the three in charge of the songs in the Temple in David's time, according to 1 Chronicles 25:1,2; 2 Chronicles 5:12. He was a Levite, a descendent of Gershom according to 1 Chronicles 6:39-43. Of some of these, such as Psalm 74, could be a later Asaph, since descendents often bore the names of their forebearers.
All of the Psalms are songs, but the musical notes have not survived. Perhaps that was deliberate on God's part. God wanted us to create the musical notes. It is often interesting to hear Christian music in Africa, the Mideast, or old-fashioned Chinese hymns. They are beautiful, praising God, but in a totally different cultural environment than the west. I once heard an American play and sing a Christian song he wrote himself, called "I just want to be a Christian Cowbody", or something like that, in a Chinese fellowship. I overheard one Chinese person whispering to another, "what does yee-haw mean?"
Pre-Nicene writers who referred to Psalms
|
Jewish writer Philo of Alexandria (15/20 B.C.-50 A.D.) |
Hippolytus (222-235/236 A.D.) |
|
1 Clement (96-98 A.D.) |
Origen (225-254 A.D.) |
|
Epistle of Barnabas (c.70-130 A.D.) |
Novatian (250/254-256/7 A.D.) |
|
Justin Martyr (c.138-165 A.D.) |
Treatise Against Novatian (250-257 A.D.) |
|
Melito of Sardis (170-177/180 A.D.) |
Cyprian of Carthage (c.246-258 A.D.) |
|
Theophilus of Antioch (168-188 A.D.) |
Firmilian of Caesarea (256 A.D.) |
|
Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.) |
Dionysius of Alexandria (246-256 A.D.) |
|
Rhodon (180 A.D.) |
Dionysius of Rome (259-269) allusion |
|
Caius (180-217/220 A.D.) |
Victorinus of Petau (died 314 A.D.) allusion |
|
Clement of Alexandria (193-202 A.D.) |
Methodius (270-312 A.D.) |
|
Tertullian (192-200 A.D.) |
Lactantius (c.303-325 A.D.) |
|
Theodotus the probable Montanist (ca.240 A.D.) |
Alexander of Alexandria (313-326 A.D.) |
Earliest manuscripts of Psalms
|
Around 95 copies among the Dead Sea scrolls |
p72 (c.300 A.D.) (Ps 33-34) |
|
Masada Psalms(a) (1-50 A.D.) has Psalm 81-85:5 |
Sinaiticus (Si) (340-350 A.D.) |
|
Masada Psalms(b) (50-1 B.C.) has Psalm 150:1b-6 |
Vaticanus (B) (325-350 A.D.) |
|
Nahal Hever in the Cave of Letters (50 B.C. to 100 A.D.) |
Alexandrinus (=A) (c.450 A.D.) |
|
The Psalms Bodleian fragment (Septuagint) (2nd or 3rd century A.D.) |
|
Psalm 73 – When you almost slip into envy
1. In Ps 73:1, since none of us are sinlessly perfect, how can we be pure in heart now?
2. In Ps 73:1-29, what is the structure of this psalm?
4. In Ps 73:13-16, in looking at the wicked, Asaph wondered if he struggled to live a godly life for nothing. What should we do when we are tempted to think the same way?
5. In Ps 73:15, what responsibility do we have to say things, or refrain from saying things, for the sake of younger people?
6. In Ps 73:15-28, what should our attitude be toward the wicked?
7. In Ps 73:18-28, what do you say to a fellow believer who is starting to question if God cares?
Psalm 74 – God removes out obstacles
1. In Ps 74:1-2, why do people think this was not written by Asaph in David's time?
2. In Ps 74:1-23, what is the structure of this psalm?
3. In Psalm 74:1-2, why does the writer think God is abandoning Israel?
4. In Ps 74:6, what is a "carved work"?
5. In Ps 74:8, when did enemies burn the synagogues in the land?
6. In Ps 74:14 and Ps 104:26, what is leviathan?
7. In Ps 74:15, why are springs mentioned here?
Psalm 75 – God is Judge
1. In Ps 75:1-10, what is the structure of this psalm?
2. In Ps 75:1, how do we see today that God's works declare Him?
3. In Ps 75:2, how does God's judgment have timing?
4. In Ps 75:2-10, how should we respond to a crisis?
5. In Ps 75:4-5, what does "lift not up the horn" mean?
Psalm 76 – Thanking God again for past victories
1. In Ps 76:1-12, what is a summary of this psalm?
2. In Ps 76:1-12, what is the structure of this psalm?
3. In Ps 76:3, today how should we praise God for destroying the weapons of war of enemies?
4. In Ps 76:4, what are "mountains of prey"?
5. In Ps 76:10, how does wrath praise God, and whose wrath is it?
Psalm 77 – Thanking God during hard times now
1. In Ps 77:1-20., what is an outline of this psalm?
2. In Ps 77:1-20, how is this a "mirror image" of the previous psalm?
3. In Ps 77:4, when you can't sleep, is that always bad?
4. In Ps 77:5-6, how can remembering old things be a help, and how can it be a hindrance?
5. In Ps 77:7-10, why does Asaph seem perplexed in the middle of his praise here?
6. In Ps 77:10-15, how did Asaph go out of his perplexity?
7. In Ps 77:1-12, count the number of times "I" or" me" is used and the number of times ""God" or "Lord" is used. Now do the same for Ps 77:13-20. What is interesting about this?
Psalm 78 – A history lesson of praise
1. How does Ps 78 relate to the previous two psalms?
2. What is the message of Ps 78:9-11?
3. In Ps 78:18, how did the Israelites provoke God by asking for meat?
4. In Ps 78:18, what can we do to keep from being dissatisfied with God today?
5. In Ps 78:36-37, what are the characteristics of an insincere repentance?
6. In Ps 78:36-37, when we repent, how important is it to get rid of something that encourages us to sin?
7. In Ps 78:49, how does God send destroying angels?
8. In Ps 78:65-69 and Ps 78:70-72, is this referring to after the exile or after the civil war between the houses of David and Saul?
Psalm 79 – How long? When Everything has Fallen Apart
1. In Ps 79:1-3, how can we pray when everything has fallen to pieces?
2. In Ps 79:1-3, how have some defiled holy places today?
3. In Ps 79:2-3, what is the prey or the vultures, both then and today?
4. What is Ps 79:5-9 saying about forgetting and remembering?
5. Why is Ps 79:6-7 very similar to Jer 10:25?
6. In Ps 79:10,12 what is the psalmist praying about the other nations?
Psalm 80 – Lord, restore your sheep and your vine
1. In Ps 80:2, how is this prayer relevant for the western world today?
2. In Ps 80:4, how can God be angry with their prayers to Him?
3. In Ps 80:8-11, what does the vine symbolize here?
4. In Ps 80:13, how is the destruction like that of a wild boar?
5. In Ps 80:15, who is the branch here?
6. In Ps 80:19, how and when should we pray prayers of restoration?
Psalm 81 – Don't take God's grace for granted
1. In Ps 81:1-16, what is the structure of this psalm?
2. In Ps 81:1-5, how can praise be sincere or insincere?
3. In Ps 81:6-26, why do people, then and now, sometimes take God and His mercy and grace for granted?
4. In Ps 81:13-14, why does God subdue their enemies and sometimes not?
5. In Ps 81:13-16, how are God's promises sometimes conditional?
Psalm 82 – God judges the authorities
1. In Ps 82:1-8, what is the main point?
2. In Ps 82:1-8, what is the structure of this psalm?
3. In Ps 82:1,5-7; 86:8; who are the gods here?
4. In Ps 82:1-6, does this show there are many gods?
5. In Ps 82:3-4, what obligations do we have to defend the poor, orphans, afflicted and needy?
6. In Ps 82:4 what imperatives do we have to free the oppressed from the hand of the wicked, when this cannot be done without military action?
7. In Ps 82:5 what is "innocent ignorance" and what are three types of "guilty ignorance"?
8. In Ps 82:8, how does God "de-throne" idols and other earthly authorities, today and throughout history?
9. In Ps 82:8, when should we ask God to judge?
Psalm 83 – Battle-cry: Praying for God to defend against opposition
1. In Ps 83:1-18, what is the main point of the psalm?
2. In Ps 83:1-18, what is the structure of this psalm?
3. In Ps 83:1, why is God sometimes silent?
A: In general there are a variety of reasons dealing with us, circumstances, and God.
Us:
1. James 4:3
2. Matthew 7:11
3. Mark 14:36
4. Daniel 10:12-14
5. Matthew 6:7
6. Luke 11:5-10, 18:1-7
7. Psalms 66:18-19, ____________________ Proverbs 21:13 ___________________ Proverbs 15:29; Isaiah 59:1-3 _______________________
8. 1 Peter 4:7 __________________
9. Malachi 2:13-14 ______________________
10. Zechariah 7:13; Proverbs 28:9 ________________________
11. Proverbs 21:13 ________________________
12. 1 Peter 3:7 __________________________
13. Ezekiel 8:8-18 ______________________________
14. Isaiah 1:15 _______________________________
Circumstances:
1. ____________________________
2. ____________________________
God:
1. _______________________
2. ________________________
Sometimes, _________________________________________________________
But, _______________________________ 2 Peter 4:7
4. In Ps 83:1, when should we pray that God not be silent and not be still?
5. In Ps 83:5-8, what is the point of mentioning all these peoples?
6. In Ps 83:6, who are the Hagarenes/Hagrites?
7. In Ps 83:9-13, why did God judge the Midianites, Sisera, and Jabin here?
Psalm 84 – Homesick for Heaven
1. In Ps 84:1, how are we to cultivate a longing to be with God in heaven?
2. In Ps 84:3-4, what three things does this say about everyone having a place?
3. In Ps 84:5, how would a Christian whose "strength is in God" be different from a Christian whose strength is not?
4. In Ps 84:7, how does "from strength to strength" apply to our lives?
5. In Ps 84:9,11, how can we better make God our shield?
6. In Ps 84:10, why is being a doorkeeper in God's house than to live in the tents of the wicked?
7. In Ps 84:11, how can we better realize that God is our "sun"?
8. In Ps 84:12, what exactly is the difference between just believing in God and believing in God, versus also trusting in God?
9. In Ps 84:12, should believers sometimes, or all the time, feel blessed and be happy?
Psalm 85 – Ask God for mercy and restoration
1. In Ps 85:1-13, who wrote this psalm?
2. In Ps 85:1-13, what is the structure of this psalm?
3. In Ps 85:4-5, why does a sovereign, timeless God get angry?
4. In Ps 85:4-7, when should we ask God for restoration?
5. In Ps 85:10, what are ways that mercy and truth can meet together?
6. In Ps 85:10-11, how can we have any hope, after we have sinned?
Psalm 86 – "Reasonable" exuberance
1. In Ps 86:1 and Ps 109:22, how was David poor and needy?
2. In Ps 86:1-17, is this a psalm of praise or supplication (asking for help)?
3. In Ps 86:1-17, what is the structure of this psalm?
Psalm 87 – Thanksgiving four our home and prayer for our nation
1. How does Ps 87:1-7 relate to Ps 86?
2. How do Ps 87:1-7, 88:1-18, and 89:1-52 all relate to each other?
3. In Ps 87:1-3, how did David glory in Zion (Jerusalem), and how should we glory in where we are?
4. In Ps 87:4; 89:10-11; Isa 30:7; 51:9, who or what is Rahab?
Psalm 88 – Don't lose your sparkle
1. Why is Ps 88:1-18, such a sad psalm?
2. In Ps 88:1, who is Heman the Ezrahite?
3. In Ps 88:8-9 what is this saying about the psalmist's attitude?
4. In Ps 88:9, what is this saying about his eyes?
5. In Ps 88:10,11, do the dead praise God, or not?
6. In Ps 88:12 (KJV, NASB1995), what is the land of forgetfulness?
7. In Ps 88:15, what was the psalmist suffering from?
Psalm 89 – How long and how wide is the Lord's mercy?
1. In Ps 89:1,6-7, why have some believers lost their sense of God's awe?
2. In Ps 89:1-52, what kind of psalm is this?
3. In Ps 89:1-52 how is this psalm about God's mercy fundamentally different than if it were about God's all-knowing, power, or goodness?
4. In Ps 89:3-4, what if the descendants of David were unfaithful?
5. Why does Ps 89:9-10 mention God's power over the raging sea and Rahab?
6. In Psalm 89:12, what are Tabor and Hermon?
7. In Ps 89:18, how is God our defense?
8. In Ps 89:38-45 and Php 2:14, is it OK to complain to God, and is the psalmist really complaining here?
9. In Ps 89:47,49, what is significant about the psalmist's request here?
10. In Ps 89:49-51 why is the psalmist asking where God's loving kindness is now, just after recounting all the ways He has seen it before?
11. In Ps 89:49-52, what are some ways the stream of God's mercy towards us can be "blocked" by disobedience?
12. In Ps 89:52, what is the conclusion of this psalm?
Psalm 73 – When you almost slip into envy – some brief answers
1. In Ps 73:1, since none of us are sinlessly perfect, how can we be pure in heart now?
A: While we still will sin, we can have our heart right before God such that we do not desire to commit any sins again. While we can still fall, and sin unintentionally, we want to have "short accounts", i.e., the time between our realizing we have sinned and our repenting should be very short.
2. In Ps 73:1-29, what is the structure of this psalm?
A: This is a chiasm.
1-3 God's past goodness and the psalmists' current envy
- 4-12 The wicked are getting their desires
- - 13-17 The psalmist feelings about this
- - - 18-20 Recognizing their justice at the end
- - 21-22 The psalmist's grief and senseless bitterness
- 23-26 The godly will get their desire, to draw near to God
27-28 the future destiny; destruction and hope
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.475-476 for more info.
A: Asaph was a good believer who glorified God. Yet his emotions were in turmoil as even he began to envy the wicked. The wicked appeared to be getting away with their wickedness, and even prospering. God often allows this to happen to a time in this unjust world. However, God has appointed Judgment Day as the time when He will set everything right. Of course, sometimes the wicked get some of what they deserve before then.
See 1001 Bible Questions Answered p.414, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.545, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.479, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.847, and the New International Bible Commentary p.606 for more info.
4. In Ps 73:13-16, in looking at the wicked, Asaph wondered if he struggled to live a godly life for nothing. What should we do when we are tempted to think the same way?
A: Asaph did not try to suppress his feelings; rather Asaph turned those over in prayer to God. In the present, it looked like some of the wicked had it better than some of the righteous, and it did not make sense to him. But then Asaph looked to the future, and end of the wicked, and then it made sense.
Praise God who helps us recognize what the future holds and keeps our feet of faith from slipping.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.545, The Believer's Bible Commentary p.660-661, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.848 for more info.
5. In Ps 73:15, what responsibility do we have to say things, or refrain from saying things, for the sake of younger people?
A: This could refer to children or people young in the faith. The Psalmist was self-analyzing his attitudes, thoughts, and words before he spoke them. We should do the same. Sometimes, when your heart is not right, the best thing to say to others is nothing at all.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.384 for more info.
6. In Ps 73:15-28, what should our attitude be toward the wicked?
A: We should desire to see the wicked rescued from the just and eternal consequences of their wickedness. We should love to see them share in all of God's blessings, by repenting, throwing themselves on God's mercy and trusting in Christ. In the New Testament Jesus taught us to love even our enemies (Luke 6:27-36 and Matthew 5:43-44). Even when Stephen was being stoned to death, he prayed that God would forgive them in Acts 7:62.
7. In Ps 73:18-28, what do you say to a fellow believer who is starting to question if God cares?
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.476 for more info.
Psalm 74 – God removes out obstacles – some brief answers
1. In Ps 74:1-2, why do people think this was not written by Asaph in David's time?
A:The subscripts are not scripture, but were added to indicate who they think wrote the Psalm. The Tabernacle did not have carved paneling, and it was not burned to the ground in Psalm 74:6-7. Centuries after David and Solomon the Temple was burned by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians when they sacked Jerusalem in 586 B.C.. But this could also be an Asaph later than David's song leader.
See the New International Bible Commentary p.607, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.848, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.484, The Believer's Bible Commentary p.661-662, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.385-386, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 p.327 suggest the same.
2. In Ps 74:1-23, what is the structure of this psalm?
A: chiasms are common in Hebrew poetry, and this is almost a chiasm.
1-3 Pray to God to remember, forgive, and restore
- 4-8 The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem
- - 9-11 Feel abandoned with no prophets, mocking enemies, and no working of God
- - 12-17 Remembrance of what God did before their turning away
18-21 Pray to God to remember our fragile situation and the mocking enemy
- 22-23 Pray for God to defend against mocking enemies
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.484 for more info.
3. In Psalm 74:1-2, why does the writer think God is abandoning Israel?
A: This is a "Why and how long" psalm. Technically the Psalm is not questioning God's power, but His caring and sovereignty. However Asaph knows he has no grounds for complaint, but is just asking if God will remember them again. The idolatry and other disobedience of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah would be reasons for God to turn His hand away from them. Events such as the destruction of the temple suggest that has happened. In general, when we rebel against God we know that God can discipline us. But we should not forget that God also wants to restore the relationship with us.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.385, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.546, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.487 for more info.
4. In Ps 74:6, what is a "carved work"?
A: Just looking at the phrase there could be three possibilities:
Idol: Based on the words alone, this could simply be an idol that is carved out of wood.
Paneling in the Temple: The NIV translates this as "carved paneling", as in wood paneling in God's temple.
Paneling in houses: This could be paneling in the houses of wealthy people.
However, the context conclusively proves it is the second choice. The entire psalm is about the destruction of the Temple. In particular, verses 3-7 mention the destruction of the sanctuary. Thus, since words can have a range of meaning, it is important to read the surrounding verses and entire chapter, not just the phrase.
5. In Ps 74:8, when did enemies burn the synagogues in the land?
A: This could be prophetic of the exile, or what the Philistines did, what Jeroboam did, or this psalm might have been written when Assyrians were invading.
6. In Ps 74:14 and Ps 104:26, what is leviathan?
A: While some see leviathan as a mythical sea monster, it probably was a Nile Crocodile, as the NASB1995 footnote says on Job 41. Since crocodiles live in the Nile, it could be a metaphor for Egypt. Hard Sayings of the Bible p.277-278 also says that if leviathan is not just a literary metaphor but a known creature, then the crocodile would probably be the correct animal.
The Hebrew is ltn is it was written without vowels. In the Ugaritic religion "Lotan" symbolized the wild, evil forces of the sea.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.488, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.849, and The Believer's Bible Commentary p.663 for more info.
7. In Ps 74:15, why are springs mentioned here?
To put this in modern terms, when everyone's lawn is fairly brown in the middle of the summer due to watering restrictions, and one single house has abundantly green grass, either drip irrigation or something else is going on there. Be the green lawn in the middle of the brown yards.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 p.333-334 for more info.
Psalm 75 – God is Judge – some brief answers
1. In Ps 75:1-10, what is the structure of this psalm?
A: This psalm is sort of a pair with Psalm 74. Psalm 74 raises the question, and Psalm 75 provides the answer. Psalm 75 is a chiasm, like the other psalms.
1 Giving thanks to God
- 2-5 Oracle: God chooses the appointed time
- 6-8 Oracle: God gives the cup of judgment
9-10 Singing praise to God
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.490 and The Believer's Bible Commentary p.663 for more info.
2. In Ps 75:1, how do we see today that God's works declare Him?
A: Romans 1:20 says that something about God can be known just from His handiwork in creation. There are so many complex and wonderful things in nature. As just one example, we have an extremely complicated thing in our bodies called our immune system.
White blood cells, also called leukocytes, come in eight varieties, all of which are created in our bone marrow. When a blood cell it is either "lymphoid" and turn onto one of two types of lymphocytes, or "myeloid" which turn into the red blood cells and all of the other types of white blood cells except macrophages.
Neutrophils make up half of the white blood cells and are the "first responders" of the immune system. They both do the fighting initially and send out signals to other immune cells to call for backup. A neutrophil white blood cell lives for only about eight hours, and your body makes about 100 million of them per day from your bone marrow.
Eosinophils (e-o-SIN-a-phils) fight parasites such as worms, bacteria, and anything else that is viewed as alien, such as allergens. About 5% of white blood cells are eosinophils, and many of them are in your intestines.
Basophils help fight infection by producing histamine. When they are out of whack they can bring on asthma. Only about 1% of white blood cells are basophils.
B lymphocytes actually make the antibodies. As one scientist explained, it is as if B lymphocytes go around looking to encounter the deadliest things in your body, and when they find them, they merely shoot a red dart with only a suction cup at the end, saying "tag, your it." That is all they do; but the other white blood cells home in on those darts.
T lymphocytes are the "killer" cells that kill whatever the antibodies attach too.
Monocytes are the "garbage men" of the body, cleaning up dead cells. About 5-12% of white blood cells are monocytes.
M1 macrophages come from monocytes, which come from bone marrow. They are sort of like amoeba that can just float through your entire system. They eat cancer cells, as well as bacteria, and general foreign substances. They present antigens to the B lymphocytes so that antibodies can start getting made. You have a lot of them in you esophagus, but they are in all parts of your body. They create inflammation by producing cytokines, which sound the alarm for the rest of your immune system to go to battle. They metabolize arginine to produce nitric oxide, which kills other cells.
M2 macrophages are just like M1 macrophages, except instead of causing inflammation, they reduce inflammation by using arginine to produce ornithine, which repairs damage from nitric oxide.
Dendritic cells are the unarmed scouts of the immune system. They also come from monocytes. You skin even has a specialized type of dendritic cell called a Langerhans cell. They do not kill anything, but they present antigens to B and T lymphocytes. So since they do not kill anything, technically they are not called white blood cells.
So is your white blood cell count high or low? Which of the eight kinds of white blood cells do you mean? So praise God for creating each of your eight types of white blood cells, and don't forget the dendritic cells!
See https://www.verywellhealth.com/understanding-white-blood-cells-and-counts-2249217, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendritic_cell, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrophage for more info.
3. In Ps 75:2, how does God's judgment have timing?
A: God is patient, but His patience has limits, as 1 Thessalonians 2:16, waiting until sin has been filled up to "its full measure" in Genesis 15:16.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.492 for more info.
4. In Ps 75:2-10, how should we respond to a crisis?
A: Remember and praise. Remember and praise three things here.
a) Remember that it is God who appoints the time to move and judge in Psalm 75:2-5.
b) No one from the east to the west can bring up, or down, a person apart from God's knowing and allowing it.
c) Regardless of, or in spite of, your circumstances, sing praise to God.
See the New International Bible Commentary p.607-608 for more info.
5. In Ps 75:4-5, what does "lift not up the horn" mean?
A: It means do not loudly proclaim, or do not fight against (either physically or verbally). Horn was a symbol of strength, both offensive and defensive. In the context here it means to boast or otherwise lift yourself up above others. Those who raised themselves up and boast against others other raised themselves up against God.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 p.342, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.663 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.849 for more info.
Psalm 76 – Thanking God again for past victories – some brief answers
1. In Ps 76:1-12, what is a summary of this psalm?
A: The psalmist is praising God for how he defeated great armies long ago and recently.. A lesson we can learn from this psalm, is that when God delivers us from a problem, we should not just thank and praise Him only once, but again and again.
2. In Ps 76:1-12, what is the structure of this psalm?
A: Bible interpreters differ, but here is one outline with four parts.
1-4 God's splendor is known, more than mountains of prey
– 5-7 God rebukes and is to be feared
– 8-10 God judges, and even wrath will praise Him
11-12 Dedicate yourself ot the awesome One
See Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.344-347 for more info.
3. In Ps 76:3, today how should we praise God for destroying the weapons of war of enemies?
A: This psalm echoes the deliverances in the Book of Judges, or David's battles, but the occasion here sounds most like the deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib and the Assyrians. There are three points to consider here.
It was not a praise against personal enemies, but enemies who opposed God. As at the end of World War II in Europe, you had to have D-Day before you had V-day.
Today we can rejoice when ungodly schemes are thwarted, but we are also to "love the sinner" and pray that wicked people would repent, come to Christ, and go to heaven.
The praise was not primarily against the people, but rather the means of attacking God's people, in this case the arrow, bow, chariots, and horses.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.386, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.546-547, the New International Bible Commentary p.608, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 1 p.343 for more info.
4. In Ps 76:4, what are "mountains of prey"?
A: Let's examine the possibilities first, and then come to a conclusion. Green's Literal Translation, the KJV, NASB1995, NET Bible, and NKJV and all render the Hebrew words literally as "mountains/hills of prey". There are four possibilities for what the verse means.
Heaps of dead animals: This is the most literal meaning.
Mountains with an abundance of game animals: The NIV follow this, saying "mountains rich with game". The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.850 also mentions this view.
Everlasting mountains: This is what the Greek Septuagint translation says. The NRSV follows this, with a footnote saying "mountains of prey" in the Hebrew.
Mountains where you killed your prey: The NET Bible
Heaps of dead enemy warriors: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.850 mentions this view. Of course, when God's angels see a stronghold fighting against God, they might have the thought of "this is a mountain of prey."
Regardless, the entire psalm speaks not of hunting animals, but of heaps of dead enemy warriors, so the last meaning is the one that fits best with the rest of the psalm. But there might be a twist here. When the Assyrians besieged Jerusalem on top of Mount Zion, they could view the people as on a "mountain of prey". But when God destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, they actually became the mountain of prey themselves.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.664 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.496 for more info.
5. In Ps 76:10, how does wrath praise God, and whose wrath is it?
A: There are three ways to view whose wrath is being talked about here.
People's wrath, even though it does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:20), is still used by God, because God works all things together as a part of His plan (Ephesians 1:11) for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
God's wrath judges the earth and the demons, and maintains God's justice in the universe, as Psalm 50:1-6, the book of Revelation, Matthew 25:31-46, and 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 show.
They are somewhat intertwined. Even the wrath of people against God can ultimately be used to praise Him. When Pharaoh wanted to oppress the Israelites, they left, God's wrath came upon the Egyptian army, and the Jews praise God every year in Passover. When Haman wanted to exterminate the Jews in Esther's time, they survived, God worked Haman's destruction, and the Jews praise God every year with Purim. When Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Jewish Temple, after they drove him out they celebrate every year with Hanukkah.
See the New International Bible Commentary p.608,609 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.498 for more info.
Psalm 77 – Thanking God during hard times now – some brief answers
1. In Ps 77:1-20., what is an outline of this psalm?
A: Here are two outlines.
1-6 Sighing
7-10 Sinking
11-15 Singing
16-20 Soaring.
Or
1-2 A Cry for help
- 3-6 Remembering God
- - 7-9 Questions
- 10-12 Remembering God's mighty deeds
13-20 Confidence in God's help
However, the second outline has 60% of the Psalm on just one point.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.665 for the first outline, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.499 for the second.
2. In Ps 77:1-20, how is this a "mirror image" of the previous psalm?
A: The previous psalm was a confident praise for deliverance from a serious threat that was long gone. This psalm is a not-so-confident praise for a threat right now. When you are in a difficult situation, and you are tempted to ask, "why me", here are a number of possible answers.
To build your perseverance of character.
So that you can teach others who are watching you, both Christians and non-Christians, how to go through hard times leaning on God.
3. In Ps 77:4, when you can't sleep, is that always bad?
A: When it happens to us, there is no benefit in considering if it is good or bad. Rather, in whatever situation you find yourself in, use that situation to glorify God. You can reflect on your life, praised God, and pray your requests to God.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.665 for more info.
4. In Ps 77:5-6, how can remembering old things be a help, and how can it be a hindrance?
A: It all depends on what you are remembering and why you are remembering it. Here is how it can be a benefit, followed by a liability.
Help: Remembering the promises God has made, the mighty wondrous works of God, dwelling on noble and pure things (Philippians 4:8-9)
Hindrance: It is bad to dwell on idols, religious rules not from God, or wicked or horrible things.
When remembering old things reinforcing hatred, or grudges, it is better to forget.
5. In Ps 77:7-10, why does Asaph seem perplexed in the middle of his praise here?
A: Asaph remembers what God has done, and He has faith in what God is going to do. Yet, Asaph is wondering why God is letting things go on the way they are right now. It is safe to say that God is more patient and confident of the outcome than Asaph is.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.850 for more info.
6. In Ps 77:10-15, how did Asaph go out of his perplexity?
A: Asaph say four distinct things in a short chiasm.
Asaph remembered how God carried His people through in the past (77:10-11)
. Asaph meditated on God and His deeds (77:12)
. Asaph went into the sanctuary (either the literal sanctuary or else the sanctuary of his heart, to draw near to God) (77:13)
Asaph declared the greatness of God. (77:13-15)
7. In Ps 77:1-12, count the number of times "I" or" me" is used and the number of times "God" or "Lord" is used. Now do the same for Ps 77:13-20. What is interesting about this?
A: "I" and "me" dominate the first part of the psalm when the psalmist is perplexed. "God" and "Lord" dominate the last part of the psalm where the psalmist sees the answer.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.665 for more info.
Psalm 78 – A history lesson of praise – some brief answers
1. How does Ps 78 relate to the previous two psalms?
A: Psalm 76 is praising God for God's past deliverance. Psalm 77 is praising God for future deliverance during hard times now. Psalm 78 is sort of putting the two together and showing, with historical examples, how God could be praised during those hard times. In a sense, we need to be a student of history, correctly interpreted, to avoid making those mistakes again.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.547-548 for more info.
2. What is the message of Psalm 78:9-11?
A: This is a lesson within a lesson. You could entitle it, "Remember Ephraim". Ephraim represented the northern kingdom, which God had split off from the southern kingdom of Judah. Yet, they immediately plunged into idolatry with the two golden calves at Samaria and Dan. There were still some believers in the Lord in Ephraim, but no good kings, and most of the people either just followed the idols, or else attempted to mix idol worship and the worship of God. God very patiently sent them prophets to warn them, and later God allowed them to taste the bitterness of their backsliding. But after enough time, they were removed, permanently and irreversibly.
When a believer completely turns away from God, God might be patient with them for a while. But there might be a time where God removes them from this life on earth permanently. When a church, a people, or a nation that followed God becomes a mixture of a few who follow and most who turn away. Here too God might be patient with them for a while, but God's patience with sin is not forever. Then there can come a time when the person's life, the people, or the nation are destroyed.
See the New International Bible Commentary p.610, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.670, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.504,507 for more info.
3. In Ps 78:18, how did the Israelites provoke God by asking for meat?
A: This psalm has a third strand in addition to what was in the previous two psalms. Woven in is God's discipline for when the Israelites turned away from the Lord. The Israelites during the Exodus were dissatisfied with having manna every day. God gave them meat, but they were struck by a plague after they ate.
Sometimes today people can be dissatisfied with what God provides and complain because they want more. God might provide more in response to the complaint, but trouble might come with it.
4. In Ps 78:18, what can we do to keep from being dissatisfied with God today?
A: The Israelites' dissatisfaction led to grumbling for many, and open rebellion for a few. But a person can still have that dissatisfaction without going to the next steps, and it is better to stop that at once. Note that the Israelites in the Exodus had no doubt that God existed; they just did not like what God was doing in their lives.
Do we really believe that God's way is the best way? We might be tempted to think that our way is better, but do we really believe we can see and think better than God? There will be times when we do not understand why some door was closed, but we need to have faith, not only that God is there, not only that God cares for us, but that God's way is the best way.
Why would we feel we need happiness or "joy" apart from God? There are many, many things in the world that have the tempting, siren call of bringing us happiness, but God does not want us to pursue. Many of them are empty lies. But others of them might actually make us feel happier, at least for a while. But God, who sees all, commands us not to pursue joy that goes against what He has commanded.
Is your joy your ultimate goal? I hope not; because if you strive after that without God you will never achieve it. God gives us joy and contentment as a by-product of living pleasing to Him. But our goal should be first to love God and then to love others, not our own selfish happiness.
Maybe God has your head, because you have faith. But does God also have your heart? You are loyal to God, but are you also excited about God?
5. In Ps 78:36-37, what are the characteristics of an insincere repentance?
A: It is a repentance solely to avoid bad consequences. A person can be trying to fool others, trying to fool God, or even attempting to fool themselves.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.548 for more info.
6. In Ps 78:36-37, when we repent, how important is it to get rid of something that encourages us to sin?
A: If we have true repentance, not a fake repentance that we might deceive ourselves with, we would want to get rid of everything that might tempt us to go down that way again. A: If we have true repentance, not a fake repentance that we might deceive ourselves with, we want to get rid of everything that might tempt us to go down that way again. If you have a book, video, or something that can encourage someone to sin, don't get rid of it by selling it to a used book store. You need to trash it.
7. In Ps 78:49, how does God send destroying angels?
A: These are not morally evil angels, but rather destroying angels that bring death and physical calamity.
8. In Ps 78:65-69 and Ps 78:70-72, is this referring to after the exile or after the civil war between the houses of David and Saul?
A: This is recounting similar events together, not a specific chronological period. Verse 70-72 refer to the end of a long civil war that David won. But verses 65-69 could refer to that, but it also can point to the time when Ephraim was destroyed (not just defeated) by the Assyrians and Judah miraculously survived, and later returned from Exile.
As the New International Bible Commentary p.611 puts it, "So the psalmist traces his nation's chequered history up to the point which set a pattern for the present. He [the psalmist] has grappled with history's surprises and found the winding river of God's purpose eventually dominating the terrain of human waywardness. He cannot see round the corner to further mysteries that lie ahead…"
Psalm 79 – How long? When Everything has Fallen Apart – some brief answers
1. In Ps 79:1-3, how can we pray when everything has fallen to pieces?
A: This psalm has similarities to psalms 44 and 74, except the Psalm 44 emphasizes the reproach of the people, Psalm 74 emphasizes the destruction of God's holy place, and Psalm 79 emphasizes the defilement of God's holy place. This was not a prayer in a dangerous situation (a "fear prayer" to those from a Muslim background). Rather it was a prayer after the worst had already occurred. It recognized God, understood that God was angry because of their disobedience, and asked how long until God would restore.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.619 and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.386-387 for more info.
2. In Ps 79:1-3, how have some people defiled holy places today?
A: The psalmist was offended that wicked people had taken over the places where God was worshipped and His word was being taught. Similarly, we should feel offended when wicked people take over once Bible-believing Christian churches and seminaries and turn them into a caricature of what they were, Christian in name only.
3. In Ps 79:2-3, what is the prey or the vultures, both then and today?
A: The vultures were prominent because there were so many unburied dead bodies to feed on. The survivors were either enslaved or too busy trying to survive to keep the bodies from just rotting in the sun. As Jesus said in Matthew 24:28, "Where there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather." (BSB). When there are dead and decaying institutions and cultures today, they do not stay stagnant. Metaphorically, scavenging vultures will come to feed on the situation. When those who should be respecting you leave you to rot, others will notice the situation.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.670, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.620 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.548 for more info.
4. What is Ps 79:5-9 saying about forgetting and remembering?
A: The psalmist is asking God for two things: both to remember them, and to forget (and forgive) their sins.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.852 for more info.
5. Why is Ps 79:6-7 very similar to Jer 10:25?
A: We do not know, but it could be that Jeremiah took this thought from the Psalms, or else this psalm was composed later, and the Psalmist echoed Jeremiah's words. Perhaps the first is more likely.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 p.379 for more info.
6. In Ps 79:10,12 what is the psalmist praying about the other nations?
A: Psalm 79:10 is a little like the prophet Habakkuk, who asked why the more wicked nations who attacked Israel did not get punished too. While he is praying for God's vengeance against those who are attacking God's people, we instead are to pray for the salvation of our persecutors.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.386 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol. 5 p.522 for more info.
Psalm 80 – Lord, restore your sheep and your vine – some brief answers
1. In Ps 80:2, how is this prayer relevant for the western world today?
A: The northern tribes, including Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin followed God under David, but under Jeroboam they turned away to idols instead. In the wilderness these three tribes were the three that marched in front of the ark. Now, at least the first two were in the lead in marching off to idols. Now the psalmist is praying for God to protect them. At the end in Psalm 80:18-19 he is also praying for revival and restoration.
Historically The tribe of Benjamin went with Judah, and when the exiles returned, many people from Benjamin returned too. But the rest of the northern tribes did not turn back to God, and while God was patient with them for a long time, in the end God did not protect His people, who had turned away to idols.
The psalmist sees that the nation has been battered, and that it was God who removed his protection and allowed them to be battered.
Europe and America, in the past had spiritually vibrant churches and sent out many missionaries. Today there are many spiritually dead churches as well as vibrant ones. We can pray for God to protect our country, but as this psalm shows, if the people refuse to turn back to God, God might answer that prayer with a resounding "NO". In the United States we sing the hymn God Bless America. But maybe we should be asking, as one billboard did, "does America bless God?"
Many in America have turned away from God. But even Christians can fall for temptations of hatred, immorality (both homosexuality and heterosexual relations outside of marriage), racism, abortion, and not caring at all about the poor.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.387, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.549, and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.672 for more info.
2. In Ps 80:4, how can God be angry with their prayers to Him?
A: This is a key point that is found only in here in Psalms and Proverbs 28:9, though it is hinted at in James 4:2-4. Even when they pray to God, they might be praying only for their own selfish desires, as James 4:3 warns us against. It is good to pray to God, but also make sure your prayers are pleasing to God.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.672 for more info.
3. In Ps 80:8-11, what does the vine symbolize here?
A: The vine here symbolizes Israel. A planting was brought out of Egypt, grew mightily in Canaan, and eventually was diminished by adversaries and carried into exile. Like a vinedresser, God carefully planted, watered, and tended the vine of His people.
Speaking of vines, the Assyrian Empire also grew rapidly and then rapidly died. Perhaps the vine over Jonah foreshadowed this in Jonah 4:6-7.
The Jewish Targum commentary on Psalm 80:15f has "the Messiah" instead of "this vine". This is probably because Psalm 80:17, "the man of your right hand, the son of man" refers to the Messiah.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.672 for more info.
4. In Ps 80:13, how is the destruction like that of a wild boar?
A: Boars with their tusks are good at digging. They can dig up a plant just for fun or just to eat the root. Meanwhile, the rest of the plant, which they might not be eating, dies because just the root was eaten. Some can destroy "just for fun", and others can destroy only one essential part of something, which has the effect of destroying the whole thing.
5. In Ps 80:15, who is the branch here?
A: The Jewish targums interpreted the branch, here and elsewhere, as King Messiah. However, in verse 15-16 is seems the vine and branch as Israel, because the branch is burned with fire and cut down.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.672 for more info.
6. In Ps 80:19, how and when should we pray prayers of restoration?
A: After we, or a people receive discipline or punishment for sins that were committed, we can pray to god for restoration. While acknowledging the sin, we can still pray for God's mercy. God is God over all; "Lord Got of hosts" can also be translated as "Lord God of armies".
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.526-527 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.549 for more info.
Psalm 81 – Don't take God's grace for granted – some brief answers
1. In Ps 81:1-16, what is the structure of this psalm?
A: Verses 1-5 stand on their own, and verses 6-16 are a chiasm.
6-7 God's past care
. 8-10 Call to hear: No other gods!
. . 11-12 But Israel would not listen
. 13 Call to listen: Walk in God's ways!
14-16 Then God would subdue their enemies and bless them
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.528 for more info.
2. In Ps 81:1-5, how can praise be sincere or insincere?
A: This psalm was apparently written to be sung during the Feast of Booths started in Leviticus 23:33-36; 39-43, when all of Israel would be in a festive mood. However, the Feast of Atonement was soon after this, so the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.391-392 thinks it was not the Feast of Booths. Regardless, when every single person looks like they are praising the Lord, it is good to ask this question.
Whether praise is sincere or insincere, the skill, melody, and music can be the same, but is your heart thankful for God's providing for you and His people, or do you take God's grace and protection for granted. As someone said about Jesus' gift of salvation, "It is free, but it was not cheap." It cost Jesus dying on the cross for us. Do you have a longing to know God better, and draw closer to Him, or are you satisfied where you are at?
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.853 and the New International Bible Commentary p.613 for more info.
3. In Ps 81:6-26, why do people, then and now, sometimes take God and His mercy and grace for granted?
Unfortunately not only do people often treat God this way but they take for granted others too.
4. In Ps 81:9, what is a "strange god" here?
A: This is an idol god they have not known. The NET Bible and the NIV translate this as a "foreign god".
5. In Ps 81:13-14, why does God subdue their enemies and sometimes not?
A: Three points to consider in the answer.
1. Psalm 81:13-14 answers this by saying God chose to make His subduing based on their submitting. If we would only listen to God, how much easier many problems would be. As a Christian hymn says,
"Oh what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer."
2. All suffering is not needless or to be avoided though. Paul suffered at the hands of sinful men. He could see that his suffering for the gospel would lead many to faith (Colossians 1:24; Philippians 1:12-14,21).
3. Finally, the book of Job shows that obedient believers sometimes suffer for reasons they cannot see. We can know that the enduring of an obedient believer always glorifies God (2 Peter 4:7).
6. In Ps 81:13-16, how are God's promises sometimes conditional?
A: They needed to be committed to God's revelation for the revelation to happen to them. If we do not meet the conditions then the blessing does not happen.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.532 for more info.
Psalm 82 – God's impeachment of the authorities – some brief answers
1. In Ps 82:1-8, what is the main point?
A: While this psalm has warning too, it is primarily one of disappointment and regret on God's part. These men judged people as God's representatives. Not only on earth did they represent God, but they were part of God's visible people with the promise of eternal life. Through their own disobedience and wickedness, they were perverting justice as God's judges and unless they repented, they would perish eternally.
Today some can be a part of God's visible church and hear the same message God's elect here. Yet it will be of no value to them, because they did not combine it with faith (Hebrews 4:2). God can feel regret as He did in Genesis 6:5-8 and Matthew 23:37-39.
2. In Ps 82:1-8, what is the structure of this psalm?
A: This is a chiasm, with the following form.
1 God now judges among these lesser "gods"
. 2 God is questioning them
. . 3-4 God's expects them to meet out justice
. . 5 God condemns their darkness about justice
. 6-7 God sentences them
8 God's judgment over the earth, which is His
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.533 for more info.
3. In Ps 82:1,5-7; 86:8; who are the gods here?
A: Three points to consider in the answer followed by what is not the answer.
The characteristics of these "gods" here are that:
(82:1) They are judged by the true God
(82:2) They defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked
(82:5) Ones who knew nothing and walked around in darkness
(82:9) They are called gods by being sons of the Most High, yet will die like ordinary men.
Nobody would want to be a god like one of these people.
The Hebrew word here is Elohim, which is the plural form of el. Just like the English word "God/god" can mean true or false god, the Chinese word sheng can mean true or false god, the Hebrew (and Aramaic) word "el" can mean true or false god.
A third sense of the word el or elohim is a person who represents God to the people. This word is used of human judges in Exodus 21:6; 22:8,9. See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.854, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.674-675, the New Geneva Study Bible p.845, The NIV Study Bible p.873-874, 1001 Bible Questions Answered p.21,314-315, When Cultists Ask p.65-66, and especially Hard Sayings of the Bible p.279-280 for more on this.
Not the answer: The New Geneva Study Bible p.845 also mentions that some interpret this to refer to angelic powers, or deities subordinate to Yahweh. The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.854 says this is how the Syriac translated this. However, this cannot refer to good angelic powers, for these gods are disobedient and will die like ordinary men. It cannot refer to demons, as demons do not have a role of defending the unjust or showing partiality to the wicked, and they too will not physically die like ordinary men.
The New International Bible Commentary p.614 states these are the gods of the nations. However, this is probably not the answer, because it would be unclear how these idols die like ordinary men.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.534 for more info.
4. In Ps 82:1-6, does this show there are many gods?
A: No, only that there are many who are called gods. Notice the wicked characteristics of these men, and their death like ordinary men. Some Mormons use this passage to try to prove there are many gods, yet no Mormon in his right mind would want to be a god like these.
Tertullian first addressed this objection In Against Marcion 1:7 (207 A.D.), and his answer is still valid today. Here is an excerpt. "If an identity of names affords a presumption in support of equality of condition, how often do worthless menials strut insolently in the names of kings - your Alexanders, Caesars, and Pompeys! This fact, however, does not detract from the real attributes of the royal person. Nay more, the very idols of the Gentles are called gods. Yet not one of them is divine because he is called a god."
See the Complete Book of Bible Answers p.80-81 and 1001 Bible Questions Answered p.21,314-315, for more info.
5. In Ps 82:3-4, what obligations do we have to defend the poor, orphans, afflicted and needy?
A: In many places in scripture God commands us to do the following:
Help the poor: Give them handouts is one way. But other, perhaps better ways included paying them fairly for their work and what they sell. In other words, when you negotiate with someone who is poor and desperate, you should "leave a little money on the table" and not drive as hard a bargain as you possibly could. See Proverbs 21:13; 22:9; 31:9,20; Luke 14:13; Acts 9:36; 10:4; 24:17; Romans 15:26; Galatians 2:10; James 2:15-16; 1 John 3:17; (implied) 1 Corinthians 13:3
Feed the hungry: Isaiah 58:7; Ezekiel 18:7,16; Matthew 25:35-44; Proverbs 25:21; Romans 12:20 (implied, enemy)
Help orphans: Leviticus 24:22; Deuteronomy 24:17,19-21; 14:29; 26:12-13; 27:19; Jeremiah 22:3; 7:6; Zechariah 7:10; Psalm 94:6; 146:9; Malachi 3:5; Isaiah 1:23 (implied); 1 Timothy 5:3; James 1:27
6. In Ps 82:4 what imperatives do we have to free the oppressed from the hand of the wicked, when this cannot be done without military action?
A: A country should be very, very cautious to solve a problem with military action. Sometimes in trying to help the situation we don't make it worse. What can be done from good-sounding motives can actually degenerate into revenge and hatred. James 1:20 says that the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
As an example of something that sort of worked, the Christians in southern Sudan, and the Muslims in Darfur in western-Sudan were persecuted by the government and people in the rest of Sudan. Sudan was the country where slavery is practiced today more than any other country. The United Nations, without invading Sudan, worked to split South Sudan off as a separate country. UN peacekeepers were used, but Sudan itself was not invaded. It sort of worked, because Darfur, which had some oil, was not split off, and there has been civil war in South Sudan.
7. In Ps 82:5 what is "innocent ignorance" and what are three types of "guilty ignorance"?
A: Here are some types of ignorance.
Innocent ignorance is when you either had no opportunity to know something or did not know you needed to know something.
But it is not innocent if it was there for you to learn and you failed to try to learn it. Think of the adult in America who has never heard the gospel because they changed the channel on the radio or TV every time something Christian was on.
Even worse, if you are told of something, but you choose to ignore it.
Or, you don't know the truth about something because you were taught and believed something totally wrong instead.
Worst of all, is when you want to prevent your children and others from learning.
8. In Ps 82:8, how does God "de-throne" idols and other earthly authorities, today and throughout history?
A: This psalm has broad application. While it certainly refers to pagan idols, and the priesthoods benefitting from them, it also applies to any authorities that do not acknowledge God. It can refer to nations, universities and other institutions. It can refer to churches and church denominations that have turned away from God.
After the first church writers, a number of fake epistles claiming to be by Paul, Peter, James, and even Pontius Pilate sprang up. There are over 70 apocryphal gospels, if you count the "gospels" various gnostics have put forth. Many of these came from the regions of Syria and Egypt. An end to all of this occurred when Muslims conquered Syria and Egypt. The promise that God will preserve His word sounds on the surface like a warm, fuzzy promise that God will protect these writings. But another way to look at that promise is that God will destroy anything and any society that would put out counterfeits to God's word.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.535 for more info.
9. In Ps 82:8, when should we ask God to judge?
A: This will fully occur when Jesus returns, so in effect this is praying "thy kingdom come", or "come, Lord Jesus as in Revelation 22:20f. But in a limited sense God had and still judges earthly authorities now. We should pray for God to judge now, when authorities are oppressing people and keeping them from hearing the gospel. Finally, we should remember that nobody will really bring all those authorities to justice except God.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.536, The Believer's Bible Commentary p.675, the New International Bible Commentary p.614, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.550, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.854 for more info.
Psalm 83 – Battle-cry: Praying for God to defend against opposition – some brief answers
1. In Ps 83:1-18, what is the main point of the psalm?
A: This is on a national, not a personal level. It is praying against ten enemies of God's people. It involves telling God of what these people have done and plotted to do, asking God to intercede to protect them, focusing on the fact that these are not just their enemies, but enemies of God.
One time this happened was May 28, 1967, when Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco all allied to drive Israel into the sea. However, in six days the war was over, and Israel won. It involved some ingenuity, such as turning an anti-aircraft gun into an anti-tank gun, but in the end the Arabs withdrew. Even when you feel besieged, never give up.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.675-676, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.536-537, the New International Bible Commentary p.614, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.550 for more info.
2. In Ps 83:1-18, what is the structure of this psalm?
A: This is a chiasm, with the following form.
1 Pray for God to act
. 2-4 Schemes of the enemies
. . 5-8 Greatness of the united opposition
. . 9-12 Deal with them as Israel's past enemies
. 13-16 Make them like chaff in the wind, fire or storm
17-19 Praying for them to be shamed to glorify You, God
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.537 for more info.
3. In Ps 83:1, why is God sometimes silent?
A: We cannot detail every specific case, but in general there are a variety of reasons dealing with us, circumstances, and God.
Us:
1. Not for spending on our passions. James 4:3
2. Requests must be for good things. Matthew 7:11
3. It is not God's will to have them. Mark 14:36
4. We have to wait. Daniel 10:12-14
5. Our prayers are simply vain repetition. Matthew 6:7
6. Yet we have to [meaningfully] persist. Luke 11:5-10, 18:1-7
7. We cherish sin in our hearts (Psalms 66:18-19), turn a deaf ear to the poor (Proverbs 21:13), or are wicked (Proverbs 15:29; Isaiah 59:1-3). God does not hear us when we choose not to hear God.
8. We need self-control. 1 Peter 4:7
9. We have sinned, such as initiating divorce. Malachi 2:13-14
10. We ignore God and His law. Zechariah 7:13; Proverbs 28:9
11. We ignore the cry of the poor. Proverbs 21:13
12. We are inconsiderate of our wives. 1 Peter 3:7
13. God will not hear if they are still worshipping idols. Ezekiel 8:8-18
14. Their hands are filled with blood. Isaiah 1:15
Circumstances:
1. In his time, God might grant the prayer, but now might not be the right time.
2. It might be that we need to change in some way, or that someone else needs to change.
God:
1. God might be answering our prayer as "no"
2. God might be testing us.
Sometimes, as the book of Job and Daniel 1-:2-3,12-14 show, we have absolutely no idea of everything that is going on behind the scenes. But we do know that our patience and persistence glorifies God (2 Peter 4:7).
4. In Ps 83:1, when should we pray that God not be silent and not be still?
A: We can pray for God to act when we feel encircled and our backs are against the wall, but that is not the sole point here. We should pray for God to do something when God's honor is at stake. We can pray that the things institutions that want to bring shame on God be shamed instead.
Christians, as believers after Jesus came, are to forgive our enemies and pray for our persecutors. But, like the psalmist, we can still pray against institutions and authorities that are against God.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.536-537 for more info.
5. In Ps 83:5-8, what is the point of mentioning all these peoples?
A: These ten peoples are a lot; the author feels encircled. Even worse, many of them were working together against God's people. But when you feel both surrounded and outgunned, do three things
a) Look up to God
b) Remember how God took care of past oppression, such as the vast numbers of Midianites
c) Pray for God to act.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.387 for more info.
6. In Ps 83:6, who are the Hagarenes/Hagrites?
A: We do not know much about the Hagrites. The Hagrites were defeated by the 2 1/2 Israelite tribes living in the Transjordan region. See the discussion on 1 Chronicles 5:10,19,20,22 for information on Assyrian inscriptions and the Hagrites.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.676 for more info.
7. In Ps 83:9-13, why did God judge the Midianites, Sisera, and Jabin here?
A: According to this psalm, it was not just that they wanted to subjugate Israel or get tribute from them. They wanted "the pasturelands of God". It became an issue of God's honor, not just Israel's discomfort.
Psalm 84 – Homesick for Heaven – some brief answers
1. In Ps 84:1, how are we to cultivate a longing to be with God in heaven?
A: This is not as much about our love in general as much as our appetite. Are we hungry and thirsty for God, more than other things? If you are looking forward to fellowship with other believers every Sunday that is great. But if you are more looking forward to church being over, then you need to sit down and ask where your heart is. Do you look forward to studying God's word and prayer, or do you consider it a chore? If a chore, it is still good to have the self-discipline to do it, but how much better would it be if it were a joy, not a chore.
There are nine titles for God in this psalm. One interesting one is "Lord of hosts" or "Lord of armies". This implies that God is God over vast numbers of beings, including angels that we do not see. It also has a military aspect that God wages war against forces opposed to Him.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.542, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.387-388, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.855, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.880 for more info.
2. In Ps 84:3-4, what three things does this say about everyone having a place?
A: The first point is that everything has a place where they are to be, a home for them to live. Even in the temple grounds in Jerusalem there might be birds making nests high up. The second point is that we don't have a home in this world; our home is in God's house in heaven. The third point is that most things, including birds, have a "homing instinct". As believers, do we now have an "instinct" to draw close to God or wander far from Him? Do we have a longing to fellowship with other believers, both in church and in smaller gatherings, vs. a longing to be in bars or other places?
See the New International Bible Commentary p.615, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.543, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.677, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.387-388, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.4 for more info.
3. In Ps 84:5, how would a Christian whose "strength is in God" be different from a Christian whose strength is not?
A: Both believe in God, but the second does everything on their own strength, because that is the only strength they think they can rely on. The first kind of Christian might even let some opportunities pass, if they see that God is not with them. The first kind of Christian desires to be a tool that God uses for His good purposes. The second kind wants God to be a helper for them, and their good purposes.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.880 for more info.
4. In Ps 84:7, how does "from strength to strength" apply to our lives?
A: Different animals need different kinds of strength, whether it is an elephant's muscles, a rabbit's speedy legs, or an eagle's high-speed dives. Likewise we might need different kinds of strength in different circumstances, whether it is primarily a strength from patience, or boldness, or servanthood, etc. But whatever strength we need God has us covered, to supply what we need as we need it. Sometimes God enables us individually to have a particular kind of strength, and other times, God provides by bringing someone else into our life that has that strength for us to work together with.
Strangely enough, the person in the Bible who asked the most times for others to pray for boldness for himself is Paul the apostle. Yet, when you think of Paul, lack of boldness is not usually the first thing that comes to your mind. But if Paul (correctly) saw that boldness was one of the most important things he needed, how much more should we be asking for better boldness in sharing the gospel!
5. In Ps 84:9,11, how can we better make God our shield?
6. In Ps 84:10, why is being a doorkeeper in God's house than to live in the tents of the wicked?
A: This verse is saying there is no comparison here. The psalmist would rather be in Paradise, with a lowly position, than living with the wicked, whose end is eternal separation from God.
As an aside, some modern readers might think that living is a tent is much worse than living in a house. However, that is not the writer's meaning, as Bedouin tents were well-adapted to life in the desert, and houses were not necessarily superior, particularly with mud walls, few windows, and no air-conditioning.
One evening I was handing out tracts in Utah and speaking with a Mormon who asked me what I looked forward to after I die. I told him how I so looked forward to being with God forever, worshipping and serving Him. The Mormon did not seem impressed. He looked forward to being his own god, creating his own, world, and having others worship him. However, an ex-Mormon that I knew said that deep down, he knew he could never be a god. On a lighter note, I explained to a non-Mormon in Salt Lake City that Mormons believed they could become exactly as God is now. The non-Mormon said that figures, as his boss was a Mormon, and he acted like he was a god.
On a very serious note, Ezekiel 29:2 speaks of the judgment of the prince of Tyre because he said, "I am a god", Isaiah 14:12-14 shows that Lucifer's sin was that he wanted to be as God. The Christian English poet John Milton, in his epic work, Paradise Lost, has Satan saying, "better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven." However, I am sure Satan will not be saying that in the Lake of Fire.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.678 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.855 for more info.
7. In Ps 84:11, how can we better realize that God is our "sun"?
When we do not have blessing that we think God wants us to have, consider this: the issue might not be with God's ability to send, but with our shortcomings and restrictions in receiving. This is the only place in scripture where God is directly called a sun. Rather than being sun worship, this is a metaphor for the primary support God provides us.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.678, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.881, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.7-8 for more info.
8. In Ps 84:12, what exactly is the difference between just believing in God and believing in God, versus also trusting in God?
A: If you believe God exists and believe what the Bible says about God that is a great start. But do you also trust that God will provide the way that you need to go? Sometimes trusting God can mean giving up a great-looking opportunity if you know that God does not want you to go that way.
9. In Ps 84:12, should believers sometimes, or all the time, feel blessed and be happy?
A: In general, yes, we should be joyful and content. We are in now in God's pleasure, but we are not home yet. We have our eternal home to look forward to.
However, there are times when obedient believers will feel down or sad, such as Job or the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9.
Is can sound crazy to non-believers but a Christian can experience both sorrow and joy at the same time. We can be sorrowful due to financial loss, loss of life, imminent death, someone turning away from God, or other causes. But, at the same time, we can still know the joy of being God's child, and that happiness and peace transcends our sorrow.
I once knew a believer who had a nervous breakdown and went to a mental hospital. The psychologist said he would never get better, so his wife divorced him. Anyway, he did recover fully. I don't know if he still took any medicine or not, but we used to joke that he was the only sane one among us. But one quirk of his, is that whenever he asked a Christian "how are you doing", if the Christan said "pretty good under the circumstances", he would strongly say, "what are you doing living under the circumstances!?"
As believers we will not always have good circumstances, but we can know the joy of the Lord even through trials and tears.
See the New International Bible Commentary p.615 for more info.
Psalm 85 – Ask God for mercy and restoration – some brief answers
1. In Ps 85:1-13, who wrote this psalm?
A: The subscripts in psalms are not scripture and not always correct. The subscript says the Sons of Korah. There were sons (descendents) of Korah in the time of Solomon, but Psalm 85:1-2 indicates this was after the exile. So either it was descendents of Korah after the exile, or else someone else.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.551 for more info.
2. In Ps 85:1-13, what is the structure of this psalm?
A: This psalm is in the genre of a national lament, and it has four parts. Psalm 84:1-3 says what God did yesterday.
Verses 4-7 asks God to restore us today.
Psalm 85:8-9 is a pause to listen to God
Verses 10-13 is a promise and prophesy of God's care for us for tomorrow.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.679, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.546, and the New International Bible Commentary p.615 for more info.
3. In Ps 85:4-5, why does a sovereign, timeless God get angry?
God has emotions and feelings, such as anger, wrath, compassion, and tenderness that correspond to what we have. However, that does not mean God's feeling are exactly like ours; certainly knowing the end from the beginning, and being timeless also adds another dimension that we do not have.
4. In Ps 85:4-7, when should we ask God for restoration?
A: When a person or a people have come under God's judgment, and they have repented, it is appropriate to ask for restoration.
The psalmist is acknowledging that God has wrath, and the psalmist is not denying the God's wrath on them was deserved. Also, God is not obligated to restore anything, and it might be that all the consequences of the sin will not be diminished at all. But…, God is merciful and God might choose to reduce the punishment or discipline if we pray to Him about it.
5. In Ps 85:10, what are ways that mercy and truth can meet together?
A: One usually thinks of them as separate. Truth says, "if you do the crime you do the time." Mercy forgives. Mercy and truth together still acknowledge the crime, with no excuses, but understand that mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13).
Perhaps you cannot have mercy without truth. Mercy without truth is just a capriciously selective indifference to sin. But the demands of truth were satisfied in us by Jesus dying on the cross for our sins.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.680 for more info.
6. In Ps 85:10-11, how can we have any hope, after we have sinned?
A: The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.549-550 calls Psalm 85:9-11 "an oracle of hope". Isaiah 46:12-13 also offers hope through mercy for those who have been stubborn-hearted and far from God. 1 John 1:9 says that when we sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse up from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 86 – "Reasonable" exuberance – some brief answers
1. In Ps 86:1 and Ps 109:22, how was David poor and needy?
A: The superscripts in Psalms are not always correct, so while David might have written Psalm 86, it might also have been someone else, or might have been a psalm about David. Anway, David would have certainly remembered that he was originally a poor shepherd boy, and would not be much else, until Samuel visited and God raised David up to be a king. In a general sense, we all should remember that we were poor, needy, and desperately in need of God's grace until God raised us up to a much higher position than just an earthly king, but rather a child of God.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.556 for more info.
2. In Ps 86:1-17, is this a psalm of praise or supplication (asking for help)?
3. In Ps 86:1-17, what is the structure of this psalm?
A: Like many psalms and poetic parts of the Old Testament, this is arranged as a chiasm.
1-5 Prayer relying on God for mercy
- 6-7 Prayer for mercy
- - 8-10 Confidently praise God for His glory
- 11-13 Asking to unite my heart to fear and praise Your Name.
14-17 In your mercy deliver me from the violent mob
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.556 for more info.
4. In Ps 86:1-6, what are the seven requests here, and how does the psalmist ask for them?
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.680-681, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.388, and the New International Bible Commentary p.616 for more info.
5. In Ps 86:8-10, what reason is given here?
A: These verses have no request, only praise for God is great and does wondrous things. We don't have to make a request to praise God.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.681 for more info.
6. In Ps 86:11, what is the request and reason here?
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.681 for more info.
7. In Ps 86:11, why is the psalmist praying to "unite his heart"?
A: He is not praying "make my heart", but rather "unite my heart." There are two aspects of this.
United with God: Prayer not that his heart is united over anything, but that his heart is united in holding God's name in awe. Grant that he would be fully committed to God. We should ask ourselves: if there anything in our life, that we cherish, that keeps us from being wholeheartedly committed to God?
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.851 and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.681-682 for more info.
8. In Ps 86:11, how can Christians today be tempted to believe and obey God, yet without the awe and reverence for God that we should have?
A: Unfortunately, we can do this in a number of ways.
When we serve God, but only go through the motions we have lost the freshness, closeness, and our awe for God. We can be just married to our routine.
When we focus on petty things, like who is saying what in church, or confuse lesser matters with God Himself we are in danger of losing our awe of God.
When we study so many other things, that we don't have time to study God's word, then we have lost our awe of God. Some churches think they have "more important things to say" than what is in God's word and do not have Bible Study or Sunday school any more, substituting what they view as more important teaching instead.
While wickedness is a tool that Satan uses, diversion is another. E.W. Grant writes, "How much of our lives is not spent in positive evil, but frittered away and lost in countless petty diversions which spoil effectually the positiveness of their testimony for God! How few can say with the apostle, ‘This one thing I do!' We are on the road… but we stop to chase butterflies among the flowers, and make no serious progress. How Satan must wonder when he sees us turn away from the ‘kingdoms of the world and the glory of them' … and yet yield ourselves with scarce a thought to endless trifles, lighter than the thistle-down which the child spends all his strength for, and we laugh at him. Would we examine our lives carefully…, how should we realize the multitude of needless anxieties, of self-imagined duties, of permitted relaxations, of ‘innocent' trifles, which incessantly divert us from that alone in which there is profit! How few, perhaps, would care to face such an examination of the day by day unwritten history of their lives!' (Grant, W.E., "Psalms" III:330. Quoted from the Believer's Bible Commentary p.682.) Don't chase butterflies!
9. In Ps 86:12-13, what is the reason given here?
A: Again, there is no request here. It is solely a praise for the reason of God's past and promised deliverance from the grave (sheol).
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.681 for more info.
10. In Ps 86:14-17, how does this fit with the rest of the psalm?
A: In a sense, all of the dialogue of the preceding verses are collectively the reason leading up to the request here, to specifically save him from the evil mob who do not care about his life.
Psalm 87 – Thanksgiving four our home and prayer for our nation – some brief answers
1. How does Ps 87:1-7 relate to Ps 86?
A: Psalm 87 expands upon Psalm 86:9, celebrating that all nations will come to worship God. When we see someone who is culturally very different than us, our response should not be avoidance, that we don't want anything to do with them. Rather, like the psalmist, we should rejoice that all nations (and cultures) will worship God, value them, love them, and share the gospel with them to help make it happens that all peoples will worship God.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.856 for more info.
2. How do Ps 87:1-7, 88:1-18, and 89:1-52 all relate to each other?
A: Psalm 87 is praising God when you are in a cheerful mood. Psalm 88 is one of the darkest psalms, still praising God when you are troubled in a gloomy place. Psalm 89 takes a step back, giving a bigger picture, of praising God, regardless of whatever place we are in, because God is always in His place, in Heaven. Some think Book 3 of psalms ends with Psalm 88. While it is more a matter of preference on where a book of psalms starts and stops, it makes more sense that Psalm 89 is a concluding part of Book 4. "Blessed be the LORD forevermore! Amen and Amen." (Psalm 89:52 NKJV)
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.23,47, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.553, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.585 for more info.
3. In Ps 87:1-3, how did David glory in Zion (Jerusalem), and how should we glory in where we are?
A: Jerusalem is not on any river, has no harbor on the seacoast, and was not on a major trade route, which passed through the plains to the west. Yet it was inhabited before the time of Abraham, over 4,000 years ago, and unlike the vast majority of early settlements, is still inhabited today.
It was not the physical location of the city that was special; Jesus rebuked Jerusalem and mourned over it in Matthew 23:37-39, But here David is justifying exulting in Jerusalem because it is the place where God's presence is best revealed, in the ark of the covenant in the future Temple, and the center of worship of God's people. We might have similar happy and contented feelings about our church; not because the building is special, but it is the place where God's people meet to worship God.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.552, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.682, and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.582-583 for more info.
4. In Ps 87:4; 89:10-11; Isa 30:7; 51:9, who or what is Rahab?
A: Egypt. Rahab was originally the name of a large "monster" such as a Nile crocodile. Metaphorically, Rahab symbolized Egypt, and Psalm 87:4 speaks of Egypt [Rahab] and Babylon. The skeptical Asimov's Guide to the Bible p.501, after conjecturing that Rahab was the name for a primitive monster, also agrees that Rahab was a symbolic representation of Egypt. Others think that Rahab could represent a dinosaur, since people at that time could still come across dinosaur fossils.
However, four "nations" are mentioned right after each other, "Rahab" Babylon, Philistia, Tyre (Phoenicians), and Ethiopia. Assyria and Elam/Persia were very weak at the time, so these are the four major powers in the Mideast, with Rahab being Egypt. It would make little sense in this psalm to say "Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia and sea monster/dinosaurs.
Israel typically had a population or 2 to 3 million at various times, and Egypt had a population typically of 5 to 6 million. They had a well-maintained army, and they could always be a threat to Israel. It would seem strange, at the time of the writing of this psalm, that there would be many believers in the "land of Rahab" and Babylon. Yet, when Paul and Barnabas had their argument over John Mark, and split, Barnabas and Mark went down and evangelized Egypt according to church history. By the time of the 325 A.D. Furst Council of Nicea, Alexandria, Egypt was one of the four major cities in the Roman Empire for Christianity. Also, by the time of the First Council of Nicea, it is estimated there were about a million Christians in Mesopotamia and Persia. Unfortunately though, when Constantine adopted Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire, Persian emperors viewed Christians in their realm as suspected enemy collaborators and made things hard for them.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Bible vol.5 part 2 p.17,19, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.552, the New International Bible Commentary p.616, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.583-584, and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.388 for more info.
Psalm 88 – Don't lose your sparkle – some brief answers
1. Why is Ps 88:1-18, such a sad psalm?
A: In this psalm the psalmist is praying in the midst of deep trouble. Some scholars argue that it is the saddest psalm in all of psalms. This psalm reflects going through extremely difficult times. But this psalm is also for our benefit to show us how to still praise God, in the midst of great troubles. According to the Believer's Bible Commentary p.683-685, Gaebelein writes that in this psalm is "the ray of light that struggles through the gloom, the star that pierces the thick midnight darkness."
2. In Ps 88:1, who is Heman the Ezrahite?
A: He was a temple singer along with Asaph in 1 Chronicles 15:19. Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun seemed to be leaders of music in 1 Chronicles 16:41-42 and 25:1,6. He was the son of Joel, grandson of Samuel, a Kohathite, in 1 Chronicles 6:33; 15:17, 19: 16:41-42.
There is also a Heman who is a descendent of Zerah, a son of Judah, in 1 Chronicles 2:6 and a wise person according to 1 Kings 4:31. This is likely a different Heman though.
See The New Unger's Bible Dictionary p.551-552, the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.780, The New International Bible Commentary p.432, The Anchor Bible Dictionary vol.3 p.136-137, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.857 for more info.
3. In Ps 88:8-9 what is this saying about the psalmist's attitude?
A: The psalmist's acquaintances, who had not died, were probably formerly considered as friends. His soul feels many troubles in Psalm 88:3, and he feels the consequences of God's wrath in Psalm 88:7. Though he has prayed to God daily every morning, in verses 1,9,13, so he does not understand why he is afflicted and God seems to have cast him off in fierce wrath in Psalm 88:14-16.
And yet, the psalmist praises God anyway in Psalm 88:1,13. Even in the darkest of days God is gloried when we praise Him anyway, despite the circumstances.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.684 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.566 for more info.
4. In Ps 88:9, what is this saying about his eyes?
A: The psalmist is confessing that his eyes are "wasting away" due to his affliction. This is not referring to losing eyesight in old age, and it says his eyes are dim, not from disease, but from affliction. In other words, the psalmist is confessing that his eyes, and his life, has lost its gleam.
There is a play on words here, with the psalmist's eyes, ‘eni, and his grief ‘oni. It is sort of like saying his eyes are not seeing too well right now due to his eyes watering up.
5. In Ps 88:10,11, do the dead praise God, or not?
A: The psalmist is asking this question rhetorically. He is asking whether those who are in the grave rise up and praise God. Of course, the answer is that the eternally dead do not praise God, but God's people are raised up to praise Him.
6. In Ps 88:12 (KJV, NASB1995), what is the land of forgetfulness?
A: Green's Literal Translation, the KIV, NASB1995, NKJV translate the Hebrew literally as "the land of forgetfulness", while the NIV paraphrases this as the "land of oblivion". Regardless, this poetic Hebrew expression reminds us that the dead are forgotten by others and oblivious to them.
7. In Ps 88:15, what was the psalmist suffering from?
A: Scripture does not directly say, and it could be from more than one thing. But Psalm 88:15 says is was a problem from his youth. Psalm 88:3 shows that the psalmist considered it serious, perhaps drawing his life to a close. It could be a physical medical problem (such as leprosy or Malaria), a mental problem (such as panic attacks), or something else. Regardless, God can help us go through all of these.
Psalm 89 – How long and how wide is the Lord's mercy? – some brief answers
1. In Ps 89:1,6-7, why have some believers lost their sense of God's awe?
A: The psalmist said not that he would sing of God's mercy for now, but rather he would never stop singing it. He knew he had a sustained sense of God's majesty. But it is hard to view God's majesty if you are only focused on yourself, or your eyes of fixated on some sin. Things can become routine instead of having a freshness. If believers would only pause daily to take some time to pray and meditate on God, they would see more of God's majesty. A day of rest was not intended to be a day of closing your eyes and being lazy, but a day to refresh, and be grounded anew in God's love.
2. In Ps 89:1-52, what kind of psalm is this?
A: While scholars disagree, we can see that this is a both a psalm of praise and a psalm of lament. Some see it as a primarily a psalm of lament, but it is a psalm of praise for His mercy and covenant (verses 1-37), in the midst of lamenting at the same time (verses 38-51) concluding with praise in verse 52.
We do not know who Ethan the Ezrahite is, but Ezra was not an uncommon name. It is highly unlikely that the psalmist was a son or descendant of Ezra the prophet.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.574 for more info.
3. In Ps 89:1-52 how is this psalm about God's mercy fundamentally different than if it were about God's all-knowing, power, or goodness?
A: This is not a psalm exalting God's character in isolation, but rather praising God for how He lovingly and wisely interacts with us, His sometimes-obedient people. The psalmist has to establish three things before declaring the rest.
First, let's be clear about how long God's mercy lasts; it is forever, and we should praise Him for his mercies forever. (verses 1-2)
Second, it is for us. God has made a loyal covenant with us, and God keeps His promises. (By the way, we should want to have godly character and keep our promises too.) (verses 3-4)
Third, God no one else is like the Sovereign, Almighty God, Who does not merely have good intentions, but has the power to keep everything He was promised. (verses 5 and on).
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.34-35 for more info.
4. In Ps 89:3-4, what if the descendants of David were unfaithful?
A: Many of the kings descended from David were in fact unfaithful. Some were both foolish and disobedient starting with Rehoboam. So eventually there were no more earthly kings of David. This is mentioned as a possibility in Psalm 89:30-32, with the unconditional glorious promise that a descendant will still reign anyway in Psalm 89:32-37 But Jesus was of the line of David, Jesus is faithful, and will reign as King forever. Of course, Ethan did not know any of this, but with the light that he had, Ethan could still rest on the promised prophecy that, somehow, David's line would reign forever.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.552-553 and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.687 for more info.
5. Why does Ps 89:9-10 mention God's power over the raging sea and Rahab?
A: This is a foreshadowing for what the psalmist is going to bring up later in the psalm. Rahab, both here and in Psalm 87:4, represents powerful sea creatures, which could include sharks, whales, etc. but more specifically crocodiles in the Nile. Metaphorically, Rahab also represents Egypt, with its large army. If God can control the raging sea and its monsters here, He can also control the raging sea of peoples that God has allowed to overcome His disobedient people in Psalm 89:38-45.49-52.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.37 for more info.
6. In Psalm 89:12, what are Tabor and Hermon?
A: These are the highest mountain peaks in this area. Mount Tabor is a dome sticking up from relatively flat land, and 1,890/1,886 ft (576/575 meters) high. Mount Hermon is the highest mountain in all Syria and Israel, and 9,229/9,232/9,101 feet (2,813/2,814/2,774 meters). North Lebanon has one higher peak though, and Turkey has Mt. Ararat. The idea is that as we look up at these majestic mountains, and see something much higher than us, we get a hint of the majesty, grandeur, and wondrousness of God.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.37, The New Unger's Bible Dictionary p.554, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.577, the Believer's Bible Commentary p.685, and The New International Dictionary of the Bible p.433,676 for more info. Note that the meters are correct in The New International Dictionary of the Bible but the feet are not quite correct.
7. In Ps 89:18, how is God our defense?
A: God is our defense in a myriad of ways. God gives us faith, His word, other believers, and some choices to change our circumstances. These are means God gave us that we can consciously choose to use. God also protects us in ways we do not realize from threats we do not see. Finally, we have the tremendous privilege of praying to God, and He has promised to answer all of our prayers. Of course, like a wise father, all his answers are not necessarily "yes".
In Psalm 89:5f and 89:18, the psalmist is hinting that one reason God should deliver His people is not just for their sake, but for the honor of God's name.
See the Believer's Bible Commentary p.685 for more info.
8. In Ps 89:38-45 and Php 2:14, is it OK to complain to God, and is the psalmist really complaining here?
A: Philippians 2:14 says we are to do all things without complaining, but this is not in the context of doing something. The psalmist is telling the situation, but it sounds here almost like the psalmist is arguing with God. The psalmist is not saying the consequences are undeserved, just that the duration of the severe punishment is so long. The psalmist is stating the situation, and it is fine for us to state the situation. However, we should be careful of our tone, and still be respectful of God, as the psalmist was. The psalmist is using strong words here, and it is OK to use strong words in talking with God, - God can take it.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.389, The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.583, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.553 for more info.
9. In Ps 89:47,49, what is significant about the psalmist's request here?
A: The psalmist is praying the God especially remember how short his time is on earth. But, almost as important, the psalmist is reminding himself and those who sing this psalm of the same thing. We should "number our days" trying to live each one with as much impact as possible to glorify God, because, relatively speaking, each of us only has a few days on this earth. This thought carries over prominently into the next psalm. If the only thing we learned from psalms is to number our days, and we missed seeing all the other great teachings in psalms, with that alone we would get great value out of this book.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.5 p.585 for more info.
10. In Ps 89:49-51 why is the psalmist asking where God's loving kindness is now, just after recounting all the ways He has seen it before?
A: The psalmist has seen God's mercy and love so much in the past, but in the current situation the psalmist is not seeing much of it. Because of their past continued disobedience, the people are suffering under severe affliction from which there seems to be no way out. It is harder to see God's lovingkindness when you have been disobedient. Sometimes today we also might have trouble seeing God lovingkindness towards us in a difficult situation. But, remembering the past, we can draw near to God, having confidence that God can carry us through it, though we might have to undergo a period of discipline for our sins, or persecution because of the evil of others, for a while.
11. In Ps 89:49-52, what are some ways the stream of God's mercy towards us can be "blocked" by disobedience?
A: Nothing can change God's promise, but things can block God's promise reaching us for a while. God might have a work for us to do, and the timing of the need to do it is now, but God does not move us into the position to do it yet, because we have failed to be ready. In Matthew 9:37-38 and Luke 10:2 Jesus said the fields were white with harvest. Jesus did not say to pray for more harvest here, but rather for more harvesters.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5 part 2 p.44 for more info.
12. In Ps 89:52, what is the conclusion of this psalm?
A: When we are in ugly, perplexing circumstances, defy the circumstances by "answering in adoration". Praise God for the awesome God He is, and rise above your circumstances. To do this, you have to be able to "praise when you can't understand", because even so, you do understand Who God is, even when you can't understand what is happening.
See the New International Bible Commentary p.617 and the Believer's Bible Commentary p.687-688 for more info.