A little something to prepare us for Psalm 5

Before looking at Psalm 5, here is a short introduction to the imprecatory Psalms, with the help of some notes from Dr. Phil Long, former Covenant Seminary Professor.

Imprecate: To invoke evil upon; curse.

Psalm 5 is the first of what may be categorized as the imprecatory Psalms, or, as the use of imprecations in the Psalms.  These may make us, as 21st century, tolerant Americans, very uncomfortable. While some have tried to explain these as ‘the language of the heart’ and others have said that our ethical standards have evolved and improved since this Psalm was written, neither of these are helpful or logical when applied to the Bible.

We must consider the Psalms as a genre.  This literature is middle eastern rhetoric - poetry, not prose. They are emotive expressions of poetry from the fervid, impassioned and demonstrative eastern peoples.  We need to be careful of adopting a wooden interpretation of the imprecations.  Horror is piled upon horror more to express the speaker’s outrage in this context than to sentence the enemy to something specific. For example, in Jeremiah 20:14, Jeremiah says, ‘cursed be the day I was born’... 20:15, ‘cursed be the man who brought the news to my father...‘  Certainly Jeremiah doesn’t want to literally kill the messenger in this situation.  This is simply the rhetoric expressing the depth of his despair.  

Long concludes from his study of the imprecations in the Psalms that there are several common themes to these Psalms, including this very important one: The curses are pronounced against those who are against God.  They’re not just aimed at those who are personally against the Psalmist. Jesus says if someone strikes you on the cheek, give them the other also. But here, it’s not just the author that is being harmed.  The rebels are against the theocratic King, and therefore are rebelling against God himself.

(See Psalm 5:10) 

Long also makes the observation that these imprecations were the expressions of the longing of an Old Testament saint for the defense or vindication of God’s righteousness.  In David’s case, they were utterances of zeal for God’s kingdom.  These saints did not have the clearer picture of heaven and the final judgment that we New Testament saints have.  They longed for wrongs to be righted and the evil men to be judged.  They hated sin and may have had a harder time separating the ‘sin’ and the ‘sinner’ as we do today. These are prophetic teachings, says Long, as to the attitude of God towards sin and impenitent and persistent sinners.

So who are the enemies of Christians today? Old Testament scholar, Tremper Longman, says the enemies against whom we New Testament believers war are different.  We struggle against principalities and powers - spiritual forces of darkness.  And how are we to fight? First, by praying for conversions, yes.  However, Long warns against spiritualizing this entirely.  Judgement day is coming.  The weeds and the wheat, which are still currently growing together, will be divided.  From our perspective, which is which, who is who, will not be known until the end. 

Psalm 4

Psalm 4 is both an individual lament and a Psalm of confidence. Though the exact circumstances of David for its composition are not known, the situation of misunderstanding, lies and exasperation is universally understood.

Verse 1. ‘righteous God’ - This is not just a name or a standard;  This is a description of God’s actions, of how he relates to his people, as a father to his children. Psalm 18:47-48 describes some of this activity: ‘...the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.’

relief and distress - The word used here for in distress implies being in a tight corner, stuck. The NEB translates it ‘I was hard pressed’.  Correspondingly, the phrase give me relief is the imperative form of the phrase ‘you have broadened’ or ‘you have enlarged’.  The picture here is one of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, pinned down, unable to move yourself, and asking for God to make your space bigger.

Verse 2. O men - These ‘men’ are the prominent citizens of the day - the landowners, the powerful, the wealthy.  They have gone astray and are opposed to David’s position, leadership and glory given to him as the anointed king. David has known amazing power and a loyal following during certain times of his life.  Here those who hold the power outside the kingship are turning away to things opposed to God’s kingdom. 

Verse 3. the godly - This is a wonderful name, literally ‘the beloved’.  Its root is the hebrew word hesed - weakly translated (because it’s the best we have in English) ‘lovingkindness’ in the noun form.  It has a rich, full meaning, encompassing God’s covenant promises.  The well-loved phrase of Psalm 23:6, ‘goodness and mercy’  which ‘shall follow me all the days of my life’, is a translation of this word, hesed.  It is the source of all our joy, the motivation of our love, the reason for our existence - God’s full, sure, overflowing love/kindness/loyalty/promise/mercy all wrapped into one. Take all of that and name yourself with it.  THAT is what David is calling himself.  In the middle of everyone doubting his relationship with God, David stubbornly clings to what he knows to be true - he is the beloved.

Verses 4-5. Confident in whose he is as king, David begins to instruct those ‘men’ of verse 2.   ‘Be angry’ could be translated ‘tremble’, giving us the phrase, ‘tremble with fear, and stop sinning’. And ‘ponder in your own hearts’ could also be read ‘search your hearts’ or ‘speak to your hearts’.  David is telling these men to repent and then worship God through the sacrifice.  They must submit themselves to David as king, and ultimately to God.  

Verses 6-7.  Who can make us happy, or show us something good? This is the way of the world, and the natural inclination of all of our hearts.  We make idols out of everything, searching for anything to fill our hearts.  But David knows here the true source of joy, and prays not only for himself, but also for his people, the blessing the priests would have given at the sanctuary, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his face toward you and give you peace’ (Num 6:24-25). 

grain and wine abound - Harvest time was a time of incredible joy; full granaries and vats meant security for months to come.

Here laid before us are the two outlooks of inward and outward joy.  As Kidner writes, the first wells up, ‘steadily from God through every discouragement, the second the rare product of a pleasant set of circumstances.’  David’s friends long for better times.  David longs for God.  Here we see our own choice of where to find our joy.  Do we long and wait for the right circumstances, complaining all the way until we get them?  Or do we look for the Lord himself in the midst of every circumstance, content to have him alone?

Verse 8. in safety - This last word of the Psalm derives from the root for ‘trust’.  The NEB translates it ‘unafraid’.  This is how David can sleep, free of fear or anxiety.  

Food for thought:

1. How do you regularly name yourself? This is sometimes out loud to others, usually quietly to yourself.  Failure? Close enough? Better than? Fat? Smart? Hard working? Stupid? Needy? What would it be like to replace those things with the name 'Beloved', as described above? 
2. Look at the questions in the paragraphs about verses 6 and 7.  Practically, how do you think this contentment could be fleshed out in our lives?

Sources:  Intro to the Psalms, ESV Study Bible

Psalms by Derek Kidner

Expositor’s Bible Commentary by Willem A VanGermeren, Edited by Tremper Longman and David Garland

The Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 1, Allen P. Ross

Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible

Psalm 3

Before reading this Psalm it is very helpful to take a quick read of 2 Samuel 15-16, the setting for David’s writing of this Psalm. 

In Psalm 3 we go from the orderly and idealistic world of Psalm 1 and 2, to the disorientation and distress of Psalm 3.  It strikes me that this is where we usually live.  This is the first Psalm of David recorded.  And although it was written for a specific time and place, its title, ‘The Dark Hour’ is very applicable to our lives.

Verses 1-2. It had always been known that God was with David through his many victories.  But now, because of the circumstances, people are questioning God’s loyalty to David, and even his very salvation.  Notice that David does not have this question.  In the midst of rebellion, David calls out to the Lord using his covenantal name, Yahweh.  This has the same connotation as Abba in the New Testament.  God’s very name was an assurance to David of his promises.  

Verses 3-4.  Read verse 3 in contrast to 2 Samuel 15:30, ‘But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered.’  David  lives the disappointment and shame of the moment as he climbs one mountain to make sacrifices to God.  But when he writes about it, his head is not hung in shame but is lifted as he speaks of the Lord, his glory. He reflects that God answered from another hill, Zion.

In the midst of total shame and dejection for a king who had known such human glory, David calls on his history with the Lord to remind himself of what is actually true - he is known, called, heard by God.  What a picture of the choice we have to either fret and complain or declare what is true.  As the commentator writes, ‘Instead of being vexed in his soul or making plans to relieve the pressure, David has learned to console himself with God.  Too often plans come before prayers.  How many blessings we miss by conceiving our own schemes only to see God frustrate them later and work out his own plan!”

Verses 5-6.  Satisfied that God would deliver him, he was able to sleep.  David commits his problem to God, and abandons it there.  Oh, that we could do the same.

Verses 7-8. This striking of enemies on the jaw is an expression of humiliation.  And the mention of the teeth likens the enemies to wild animals who lose their strength when they lose their teeth.  This may sound harsh to our ears, but the Psalmist is telling us that God will be victorious, no matter what enemies arise, from inside or outside of the people of God.  Consider here the fact that David had been victorious over and over against the enemies of God’s people.  And now, when there is external peace for Israel, an enemy emerges from within.  Even the internal enemies of the church are not beyond God’s ability to help.

By the end of the Psalm, David has written himself into a place of confidence, a long way from the attitude of verse 1. 

Food for thought:

1. What ‘dark hour’ could you name in your life either right now or in the recent past?  Can you name, like David did, truth in contrast to what you see in your circumstances?
2. How would it change your attitude today to choose one truth about God and replace your meditation of worry or anger or other negative thought with that truth?

Psalm 2

This Psalm is commonly labeled a ‘royal psalm’, implying it was written about the Israelite monarchy.  But as we’ll see, it clearly speaks as well of the ultimate monarch - our King Jesus!  Let’s work our way through it.

Verse 1.  nations - this is actually the word for Gentile.  peoples - the masses.  plot - meditate.  There is that word, meditate, again, just like from Psalm 1.  While the righteous one meditates on God’s Word, the enemies of God meditate on or plot rebellion.  The tone of this Psalm is one of astonishment.  We could read it like, ‘What in the world are they thinking? Why do they even bother?‘ 

Verse 2.   Rulers - people with authority, but below the rank of kings.  Anointed One -  the Hebrew for Messiah.  There is always warfare between the world and the church, between Jesus and his enemies.  The believers quote this verse in Acts 4:26, after being released from prison for preaching about Jesus.  They were living the fulfillment of this verse - speaking of Herod and Pilate.

Verse 3. chains or fetters - These refer to the manner the yoke of a cart or plow was placed on the necks of animals.  Violently the people reject the ‘yoke‘ of God’s kingship.  The wicked feel his kingship to be a restraint, and want to be free of it.  But we, his sheep, know his yoke to be easy and his burden light.

Verse 4. It is futile to try to escape the rule of God, and he laughs at the attempts.  We will all obey him - either willingly or unwillingly.

Verses 5 - 6. God tolerates no competition, opposition, or apathy.  He has set his King on Zion, the place where the Davidic king ruled, God’s chosen dwelling place.  The Psalmist speaks here of the Israelite king, but clearly points to the ultimate king. 

Verse 7.  Here the Messiah speaks.  In terms of the earthly, Davidic king, the phrase used here may have been a part of a coronation rite, to mark the day when the new sovereign took up his titles.  In reference to the true King, the Messiah, the ‘day’ probably means the moment that he started his redemptive work.

Verses 8-9.  The new king will rule all things.  Verse 9 may seem severe, and like words that could not describe the kind and mild rule of Christ.  But as the Pulpit Commentary tells us, “the objectors forget that there is a severe, as well as mild, side to the dealings of God with his human creatures.  As the appointed Judge of men, he takes vengeance on the wicked, while he rewards the righteous.”

Verses 10-11.  The wise king submits to God’s ultimate ruler.  

Verse 12.  kiss the son - pay him homage.  It may sound here like a touchy tryant, but the wrath of Jesus was quick against wrongs like the turning of the temple into a marketplace. As the commentator writes, “God’s patience is not placidity, any more than his fierce anger is loss of control, His laughter cruelty or His pity sentimentality.  When His moment comes for judgment, in any given case, it will be by definition beyond appeasing or postponing.”  

Blessed - This is the same word that was used at the beginning of Psalm 1 - ‘happy’.  The only true happiness, in the midst of this powerful and unrelenting King, is to take refuge in him.  What the wicked interpret as bondage at the beginning of this Psalm - the king’s yoke - is actually security and happiness.  

Imagine the power of this God.  He laughs at rebellion, places his own king exactly where he wants him, gives him rule and dominion over all things, and allows him to utterly destroy anyone or anything that rebels.  And yet there is a refuge from his terrible power, in his love and in submission to his rule.  THIS is the true picture of Jesus - not just the soft, European - looking unworked man holding a sheep, but a king of immeasurable power, strong, alive, put in place by God himself, fiercely loving and compassionate.  He is beautiful, honorable, worthy. 

Food for thought:

1. How do you react to the power exerted by the king/Messiah in this Psalm? Are you awed? Annoyed? Scared?
2. How would holding this picture in your mind affect the way you worship this week, pray this week, use your words this week?

Sources:  See 'Intro' and add: hebrew4christians.com and Rabbi Benjamin J. Segal, Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies at psalms.schechter.edu

Psalm 1

You may want to have a copy of Psalm 1 near while you read this - I’ll refer to it as if you do.

It’s no accident that this Psalm was placed at the beginning of the prayer book/songbook of the Bible.  It’s been called the gateway Psalm and tells us how to approach the Psalter as a whole.  Psalm 1 lays out the ‘2 ways’ which with life presents us, and doesn’t leave much grey area.  Let’s work our way through it.

Verse 1. - blessed.  This could be better translated ‘happy’, but in a deep, abiding sense.  It’s the Hebrew version of the word Jesus uses in the sermon on the mount in the Beatitudes - “blessed” are the meek, etc.  So how do we become this way? The Psalm tells us by first telling us what we do NOT do: conform to the ways of this world by accepting its advice or joining those who mock God, who are farthest from repentance.  Then it tells us what we DO:

Verse 2.  We delight in God’s law and we meditate on it.  This is far from simply (for example) memorizing the 10 commandments and reciting them.  Law here is Torah, and at the time this Psalm was written probably meant the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Bible.  It’s more helpful to think of Torah as ‘Covenant‘ or ‘story’. It is the totality of God’s dealings with his people.  Israel didn’t have personal copies of God’s word.  They memorized it through the repetitive hearing of it, and then thought about it while they worked, walked and lived.  So, meditating on his law is enjoying it, thinking about it, listening to it over and over in your mind while you drive to school, do the dishes, wash the floor, restock the shelves, check in patients.  It is letting God’s words become your backdrop, your chorus, the thought that invades your conscience over and over. 

Verse 3. This, the person who meditates on the Word, is no ordinary tree, haphazardly grown from a seed blown by the wind to a random location.  No, this tree is planted purposely right next to the water of life - God’s word.  Therefore this person yields fruit - good works - and her leaf stays green - an emblem of her faith being steadfast.  Yes, there are seasons.  The tree is not continually bearing fruit, but it does bear.  We all have seasons of impressive growth and fruitfulness that encourages and blesses the church as a whole.  We also have winters - a normal part of the life cycle.  As the commentator says, ‘the promised immunity of the leaf from withering is not independence of the rhythm of the seasons, but freedom from the crippling damage of drought.’

Verse 4. But what of the wicked - those who live as if there is no God? As opposed to the rooted, secure, weighty place of the tree, the wicked are weightless, like chaff, which in the winnowing process would have blown away in the wind, useless husk.  They do not often look weightless in this present life, many times with immense power and possessions.  But this is God’s perspective of them - they have no future.

Verse 5. The 2 ways have very different ends.  Those who do not make God their ultimate aim will be punished by separation from God and his people.

Verse 6.  But those who delight themselves in God and find refuge in his annointed one - they are known by God.  But this is not just informational knowledge - this is ‘yada‘.  Yada is the Biblical knowledge between married people.  It is intimate, tender, careful, loving knowledge.  Isn’t it a wonder that this is how the writer describes God’s knowledge of our way or path?

Verse 7. Those who live as if God does not exist are destroyed.  There is no third way. 

Food for thought:

1. Which of the 2 ways are you on?
2. Tim Keller says that whatever you meditate on when you’re in solitude - that is your religion.  How about you? To what does your mind wander repeatedly when you’re not forced to think about anything else?
3. How would it change the way you thought about and talked to God this moment if you really believed he knew you and your ‘way‘ in such an intimate, tender fashion?  

Please use the comments function to post your thoughts and comments!

Sources:  See Intro post